Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-05-06
A RACE FOR THE BORDER.
BY GEORGE F. LYON.

1t was in the fall of 1898 that the
western wheat crop was so unusually
abundant, especially so in eastern Kan
sas and western Missouri, and along
the fertile river valleys of this region,
where perhaps the drouth Of that sum-
mer was the least felt of anywhere in
that section, while still further east, as
far as Indiana, the wheat crop was al
most failure in comparison.
The incident which | am about to
relate happened early in October of
that fall, just after my twenty-first
birthday. Clayton Fisk, young man
about my own age, and myself had re-
solved to start west, with the intention
of investing our little savings in the
wheat business in some way that would
pay us a good interest on our invest
ment. We were full of pluck and en-
thusiasm, determined to venture our
last dollar in our enterprise. Kansas
was just about this time developing
some immense wheat sections along its
border, and it was in this direction
we took our course. We had a little
over $500 between us, and after more
or less careful consideration of the
matter and the outlook ahead. we con-
cluded to purchase a traction engine
and threshing machine, and with this
outfit strike off directly westward
through the wheat regions. We went
by rail to Jefferson City, where we
stopped over and went to look at the
threshing equipments manufactured
ever of engineering-in fact, / do not
believe he knew the steam chest from
the eccentric-but had had little ex-
perience and understood the points
fairly well, and felt quite confident that
we would have no trouble as far as
remember the peculiar thrill of pleas
ure felt as l looked over the big black
silent masses of iron at Jefferson City,
and thought that before long one of
those iron monsters would be pulsing
and throbbing under my hand. After
some little uncertainty and great deal
of advice, we finally selected a thirty
horsepower engine as one in every
way the best adapted for our purpose,
but upon asking the price of the ma
chine in view we were informed that
we might have it at bargain-only
$1,000 for the whole outfit, consisting
of the engine, thresher and equipments.
The price was considerably more than
we had calculated upon paying, and for
a moment we were feeling rather dis
couraged. for, with only a capital of
about $500 between us, the price was
beyond us, and, as we stood there talk
ing it over, and considering whether
to buy cheaper outfit or give the en-
terprise up, a young man, well dressed
and appearing, stepped up to us and
said:
II accidentally overheard some of
your conversation, from which l UNDER
stand you lack $500 of the price of the
outfit you want. Now, have just
about that amount by me, and l am out
of work, and II you will take me as a
third partner we will buy the outfit
and start out. / am willing to risk
what little I've got, for think we can
make good thing out of it. OF course"
he went ON, Il am a stranger to you,
and you are the same to me, but I'll
risk it if you will"
He did not seem like bad sort of a
fellow at all, and we wanted that par
ticular thresher pretty badly, SO after
Clayton and l had talked the matter
over between us we decided to accept
the strangers offer at once. After
breakfast the next morning we went
back down to the works and closed
the bargain, and we became owners of
the Comic" as we concluded to call
her. After carefully inspecting and
oiling the machine, / began firing the
engine, which was an immense con-
Germ, the huge six-foot drive wheels be-
ing two feet broad in order to prevent
them sinking into the soft soil of the
prairie wheaS fields.
Clayton and Gleason (our new part
ner) were busy about the thresher.
leaving me to my special charge of the
engine. At last, about 9 o'clock, we
"OaS oii iOauy w oIdit, tHc ltuueT was
full of coal and the thresher was
coupled on behind, and the Comic"
was making steam rapidly. Already
the indicator began to creep up-4O, so,
60 pounds. l waited until the needle
began to tremble at 80 pounds, then,
selling the lever, / pulled the throttle
slowly open. The monster shivered
as the steam rushed into the cylinders;
then, as the great drive wheels began
to slowly revolve, blew the whistle,
and with Fisk and Gleason feeding the
fire and looking after the thresher, we
were OFF out along the country roads
and across the prairie.
Probably no mechanic feels the pecu-
liar love for his machine that the en-
gineer does. AS he works over II,
Watching and tending 1t as carefully as
a mother does her child, noting the
willingness and quickncss, and, one
mig say. the intelligence with which
IL responds to every desire of its mas
ter, a feeling grows In his heart akin
to the love one person bears for
another.