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Weekly News January 28, 2019Description
Back to the Beginning... This week we share the first two "stories" written by Tom Marshall in 2005 (before the Weekly News became known as the Weekly News).
The Stanleys and the Rickers of Maine (February 14, 2005): Two Maine families of the 19th century made it big with their enterprises: the Rickers of Poland Spring with their Poland Water and the Stanleys of Kingfield and Lewiston with their photographic dry plates. It has been said that the Rickers could (and did) buy Mountain Wagons at cost to service their three resort hotels, and the Stanleys could stay at these hotels on a complimentary basis. A photo in the Stanley book (The Stanley Steamer: America’s Legendary Steam Car, by Kit Foster) shows F. E. and Augusta leaving the mansion house at Poland Spring in a 1913 Model 78, identical to ours.
What is the Marshall connection? Israel Marshall, who built Auburn Heights, had kidney trouble as a result of a fall from a scaffold at the Homestead Mill at Marshall’s Bridge when he was 18 (in 1869), and this plagued him for the rest of his life. He thought going to Poland Spring and drinking the water might make him more comfortable, and this he did the last summer of his life in 1910. Mountain Wagons met the trains at Danville Junction and took guests to the hotels, six miles away. Israel’s son Clarence (my father) arrived in this way for a long weekend with his father. Stanleys were not strange to Clarence as he bought his second one, a Model K, in July of 1910 and also became a Stanley dealer that year. Israel had thought about the qualities of spring water for some time and in 1905 had “our spring” at the state line tested for its water quality. It was as soft as Poland Water; I have the results of this test [now in the Marshall Steam Museum Archives].
Mitchells’ Jerseys and Woodside Farm Ice Cream (February 21, 2005): Let’s go from spring water to Jersey milk, and yes, there is a connection. You are familiar with the 21st-century connection every time we go to Woodside Farm Creamery for ice cream. Here is the 19th-century connection: On October 17, 1877, Elizabeth Cloud Mitchell (1854-1930) married Israel Way Marshall (1850-1911) in the stone farmhouse at Woodside Farm. It just happens that they were my grandparents. The Mitchells had been on this farm since 1796, and the oldest part of the house was built in 1804. Elizabeth’s parents, Joseph (1829-1919) and Hannah Cloud Mitchell (1830?-1914) were my great-grandparents and also those of Joseph Mitchell, father of Jim (the ice cream man). Israel and “Lizzie” hosted a Golden Anniversary party for them at Auburn Heights in 1903. After her 1877 wedding, Lizzie didn’t move far away, less than five miles, and took up residence on Marshallvale Farm at Marshall’s Bridge. (She and Israel did go to Washington, D.C., on their honeymoon and shook hands with President Hayes.) End of local history lesson.
Work Report:
The Tuesday, January 22, work session was attended by: Bill Boston, Ted Kamen, Steve Bryce, Mac Taylor, Bob Koury, Larry Tennity, Jay Williams, and John Schubel, (Supervisor)
• The frame for an AVRR 3-axle truck was sand blasted and primed.
• Work continued on the Mountain Wagon's water tank. An aluminum brace was removed and the tank examined. There is a seam in the copper tank that has split open.
• The operation of the Model 740's oil pump has been verified. The oil line was found to be filled with sediment. A wire was run though the oil line and the line flushed. A pressure gauge was selected for mounting in the dash, and was pressure tested to verify operation.
• The frame of the R&L, previously observed to be in need of repair, was further examined.
• Insurance cards were placed in the cars in the museum.
• The maintenance log and registration card for the Mountain Wagon are missing.
• The Lionel team continued to carry down from the attic boxes of track and other items, and continued the process of sorting them for either retention or discard.
• The burner for the Model 76 was vacuumed and cleared of extraneous material.
The Wednesday work session included: Bill Boston, Jeff Emmons, Stan Lakey, Jerry Lucas, Lou Mandich, Bill Rule, Bill Schwoebel and Larry Tennity (Supervising)
• Parts from the AVRR wheel trucks were cleaned and polished on the bench grinder/buffer.
• The Mountain Wagon water tank seam that is leaking on the bottom of the tank was cleaned in preparation for a copper patch.
• The oil pump for the Model 740 was tested to see if it could produce the required oil pressure necessary to overcome the boiler steam pressure.It was found that it could when the pump priming crank was turned but could not produce measurable pressure when the pump linkage to the right rear wheel was hand cranked.A used oil tank and pump were retrieved from the museum storage. The tank/pump was cleaned and tested and appeared to be working ok.It will be installed in the car and checked using the oil lubrication gauge on the car's dashboard after the car is fired up.
• There is a wood trim piece at the rear of the R&L that has become separated from the body of the car and needs to be repaired.The trim piece fills the curved space between the hood and the body so that the batteries cannot be seen when the hood is closed.
• Bill Schwoebel and Lou Mandich discussed repairs needed to the crank bushing on the Model T.The bushing is worn and needs to be replaced.This work will be performed in the museum.Lou dropped off an empty 5 gallon container with a screw lid to be used for waste oil.
