HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-09-04, Page 27Specializing in painting & restoration
— We Bring Dead Iron Alive
Imagine the Possibilities!
McCormick Deering W4
proud owners
& Mrs. Albert Taylor
We will be at the Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion with
lots of Allis Chalmers B, C & CA parts
CRAIG HARDWOODS LTD.
Five generations
of Craigs have
operated sawmills
since 1866;
originally at
St. Augustine ...
Since 1946 at
Auburn.
Craig's Sawmill as seen about 1950
With over 129 years in business
we welcome all the participants in the
35th Pioneer Thresher Reunion to
Our area.
AUBURN 526-7220
HE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1996. PAGE A-7.
35th Pioneer Thresher Reunion
Huron County business famous name at Ontario steam shows
sold to J. Williamson, of Walton. While the
size of these engines grew over the years,
their basic design stayed the same.
Demand for simple engines replaced the
early tandem compound style. During the
early years, the company's most popular
engine was a 21 hp., 9 1/4 x 1'0 inch
cylinder. As the years passed, this
popularity graGually shifted to the 24 hp. 10
x 10 inch cylinder.
The 24 hp. engines were built with a
flatter bottom, longer flues and a shorter
smoke box. The development of heavy-duty
road roller wheels, which fitted on the side-
mounted engine, allowed owners to utilize
the machine for tasks above and beyond its
normal threshing duties.
Increasing demand allowed Bell and
Finlayson to expand into Winnipeg. Shortly
after that, they moved into Saskatoon.
Different growing conditions in the west
forced a number of adaptations to be made
to the machines. Engines were built in the
26 hp. simple and 27 hp. tandem compound
styles, and were equipped to burn straw.
However, heavy plowing conditions proved
Continued on A-8
HURON COUNTY TIES — Robert Bell Industries Ltd. of Seaforth is a proud part of Ontario history
and a continuing presence in boiler production.
Robert Bell Industries Limited, of
Seaforth, is a familiar name at many Ontario
steam shows. The company, which, has
operated under the name of Boilersmith
Limited since 1986, is one of only two
Ontario industries that still produces firetube
boilers. Boilersmith, which is managed by
Charles Smith, leases their manufacturing
facilities from Robert Bell Industries.
Robert Bell, the founder of the original
company, was born near Hensall in 1864.
Inspired by his close proximity to the local
water-powered sawmill, the young man
developed an interest in machinery. While
still a boy, he produced a miniature sawmill
of his own on his father's farm.
During the 1880s, Bell took his first
venture into the manufacturing industry. In
1883, he purchased a small steam engine
with William Dougall. The engine was
purchased from E. Leonard and Sons, of
London. With it, the two hoped to capitalize
on recent attempts in the area to produce
sugar cane. That venture proved to be a
failure, so the two entrepreneurs moved to
Hensall, and started a general repair shop.
It was at this repair shop that Bell was first
exposed to traction engines and separators.
Interested in this equipment, he decided to
go into the manufacturing field. Bell
purchased a locomotive-type steam boiler
from George White and Sons, of London.
With assistance from John Finlayson, a
prominent Hensall carpenter, Bell designed a
side-crank engine to mount on the boiler.
The first steam traction engine produced
by the young company was sold to William
Jarrett, of Hill's Green, and used during the
1899 season. Orders began to pour in.
Soon, the current Hensall site became too
small, and the search for a new location
began.
With a new location found in Seaforth, the
company's name became the Bell and
Finlayson Foundry. In 1903, the name was
changed to the Robert Bell Engine and
Threshing Company Limited. M.Y. McLean
was the first president, and was the
grandfather of a former publisher of The
Expositor, Seaforth's local paper. Soon after
this, Robert Bell took over the position of
president.
Trends of the time had made self-
propelled steam traction engines popular in
the agricultural field, but Bell had no
personnel with the time to design one. Bell's
interest in the corrugated, self-cleaning
wheels found on some model engines may
have influenced his decision to negotiate
with the Port Huron Engine and Thresher
Company. He hoped he could convince this
company, which operated out of Port Huron,
Mich., to build engines bound for the
Canadian market.
The first engine to come out of this
agreement was built in Seaforth in 1901, and