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We had the 9th annual Farm Bureau steel shoot last weekend at the Carmi Rifle Club. The weather was nearly perfect this year, and the heat held off until we were done picking up afterwards. We had a rules and safety meeting for all participants and split into three groups. Everyone shot three stages; the plates were rearranged, and we shot three more stages before a fantastic lunch. Here we see all of our shooters.
Here are the big winners! Raya Adcock, Youth Winner; Rachel Hast, Pistol Raffle Winner, Ruger Competition Mk IV donated by the
Gun Room, Norris City; Lucas Lueke, Second Place Youth; Justin Aldrich, First Place Adult; Gordon Simpson, Third Place Adult; Lynn Simmons, Second Place Adult.
Here's Dawn blasting away. She hardly ever practices and still beats most of us.
Sheryl is shooting fire! She is a serious shooter and always puts me to shame. Hmmm, maybe I should switch to Browning.
Lucas has been shooting for just over a year, and has plenty of youthful enthusiasm. Mk IV pistols seem to be replacing Mk IIIs.
Matt Rhinehart was running a GSG 1911-22. These full size pistols seem to run on any brand of .22 ammo, and they are a fine choice for a recreational .22 pistol.
Photos provided by Doug Anderson, White County Farm Bureau.
Last summer (2008) I visited Wildcat Den StatePark near Muscatine, Iowa, to look at the old mill I remembered from a childhood visit.
Even as a small child I noticed that the Pine Creek Grist Mill lacked a wheel. Here's why; this mill was powered by a turbine, which has recently been uncovered in the depths beneath the mill.
The first step of power transmission from the turbine was this wooden gear, which transferred motion to the lineshaft system to run all of the machinery in the building.
Here is why this mill made it to a Weekend Steam post. A steam engine from a boat was installed to provide a more dependable source of power than the creek. 'Friends of Pine Creek Grist Mill,' an organization based in Muscatine has been providing the labor to restore machinery in the mill, and it is now a great educational stop for tourists, families, and students.
The steam engine is the oldest one I have seen. Nearly all engines of this vintage either ended up in the bottom of the Mississippi or were scrapped.
It appears that the Friends of Pine Creek Mill intends to make this relic run again. The state of Iowa has owned the mill for many decades, and it is a rare survivor. It is a bit of a miracle that vandals have not looted or burned this treasure.
The displacement lubricator shows any steam fan that this engine came from the early, low pressure steam era. Tallow would have been used to lubricate the cylinder, since it will mix with water. The discovery that tallow could be mixed with mineral oil allowed steam engines to be run with high pressure steam.
This hand pump would have been used to pump tallow into the steam chest when starting the engine. Mechanical lubricators came along later, replacing the displacement lubricator for running. They had a crank to operate the lubricator at startup, replacing this little gadget.
Steam condensed in the displacement lubricator, floating the tallow out into the steam line to the engine.
The old boiler will not be used again, but it is a very interesting relic of the 1860's.
