A Visit with Sam Carruth
Tucked away in the piney woods of south central Louisiana is an absolute showplace of old iron
and various other nostalgia. Located off Highway 489 just east of LaCamp is the home of Sam
Carruth. LaCamp can be found among the other small towns of Hicks, Leander, and Cora. I had
visited with Sam several years earlier just after I had gotten interested in old engines. At that time
I didn't own a single engine and I was completely taken by his collection of over 40 engines,
several tractors, implements, cars, and numerous other pieces of equipment.
Though I had seen him several times over the years at various shows, it wasn't until a recent show
in Crowley, Louisiana, that we had a real opportunity to renew our acquaintance. I asked him if I
could come visit him again. I always get a two week break from work at Christmas time, so we
set a date for Monday, December 21, 1998. I left my house about 7:30 that morning with my wife
following in her car to one of our favorite breakfast spots. After breakfast I drove for about an
hour and a half up through the country, arriving at Sam's place around 9:30. Though I now own
a number of engines myself, I was just as anxious to begin our tour as the first time I visited.
Just in front of his house is a small shed containing a 1908, 8 horsepower International Famous.
Sam bought this engine at an auction in Colfield, Missouri. It is in original condition. I had
recalled him running this engine my first visit. He brought it to the recent show I mentioned
earlier and had it running. In fact, I recognized the engine and because of it located Sam at the
show. We talked over the engine for a long time. I was really impressed at how slowly he could
make it run. Of all of his engines, I like this one the best. It has that unmistakable hit and miss
sound and will coast to a near stop before just making it over the top to hit again. It's a real
attention getter at any show. That's Sam standing by the engine.
We made our way from there to one of his barns where he had a number of engines stored. One
of them was a Taylor vacuum engine. This engine was found at a nearby dairy. It has a single
piston but it is two different sizes. The smaller part of the piston, the front, is used for power,
while the larger part, the rear, creates a vacuum that is used to milk cows. He told me he had
never seen another engine like this one and neither had I. In this same shed were about a dozen
other engines, a tractor, a Meadows grist mill, and numerous other pieces of equipment.
Behind his house under another shed was his saw mill. It was powered by an old John Deere
Model 50 tractor that had been retired just to power the mill. I had never had the opportunity to
see such a saw mill close up so he took the time to explain to me how it worked.
I should mention that Sam has other talents beside making old engines run. He is also what I
would consider a master woodworker. Among his engines were some of his wood working tools.
In his house are many examples of fine furniture that he has made. He is also a basket maker. He
makes them from scratch, cutting white oak trees from local woods, splitting the wood with a
froe, and weaving the baskets into whatever design he chooses.
Continuing with the engines, we made our way to a small lean-to off one of his barns containing
an 8 horsepower Fairbanks Bull Dog, a 3 horsepower Nelson Brothers Jumbo, a 6 horsepower
John Deere, and a 16 inch stone burr grist mill. Down in this part of the country, 1 ½ horsepower
and 3 horsepower John Deeres are fairly common, but this was the only complete 6 horsepower
John Deere I had ever seen. Neither had I ever seen an 8 horsepower Bull Dog. It was absolutely
massive. It was obvious from the thickness of the castings that this engine was built to work.
Sam was quick to point out that the Bull Dog was not a Fairbanks-Morse.
On we went to the next shed where two of his engines were that I was waiting to see. I had seen
them both at previous shows. One is a 1911, 15 horsepower Fairbanks-Morse Model N. This
engine is huge, one of the biggest I have ever seen. It is match start, screen cooled, and is on its
original truck with a 36 inch clutch pulley. The date stamped on the end of the crankshaft is
December 28, 1911. Sam is only the second owner of this engine. It was originally purchased by
J. H. Williams and shipped to Alexandria, Louisiana, by flatcar in 1912. From there it was pulled
through the woods to Natchitoches, Louisiana, a feat in itself, where it was used to press cotton.
Sam bought it and hauled it to his house by truck and trailer.
The other engine is a 1914, 9 horsepower Economy that is belted to a 20 inch Meadows stone
burr grist mill. The engine and mill are mounted on a trailer so that it can be easily brought to
shows to demonstrate grinding corn. Sam is the third owner of this engine. It was originally
bought by Dave Morrison from Sears-Roebuck in 1914. I had seen this engine and mill in
operation at a local show about three years ago. I even bought a bag of cornmeal from Sam at
that show.
There were many other engines too numerous to go into detail about on this page. Five and a
half hours had passed in a flash and it was time for me to head back home.
Between the tours of various engine sheds, Sam and I took time to sit and talk, drink coffee, and
eat delicious blue berry cake. I learned from talking to him, that he, like so many other old iron
enthusiasts I have met, is generous, considerate, and has a deep concern for preserving the past
and passing it on to others. I also discovered that he has earned the respect of many other
collectors and the generosity that has been shown to him, he is showing to others.
This article was orginally published in the April, 1999, issue of Gas Engine Magazine.
It has been updated and modified slightly for this web page.
September, 2000
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