Grady Kane's letter page 2 of 3
There is so much more to tell, but Grandfathers don't remember so good - so I am sending this on to you along with some facts about your family that I have sent to you before but you have misplaced. As you get older, these things will become more meaningful to all of you.
The picture of the trucks shows several of the "Gin—pole" or "winch" trucks that were used to load the pipe onto the trailers. Later, Dad, Carl Smith, and others designed a work—station that was elevated from the running—board of the gin truck to the top of the headache above the winch so that the operator could see most of his work—area, could sit down and use both hand and foot controls. This was a big improvement, both for safety reasons and operator control.
The mechanics shop shows a gin truck, one of the big Federal trucks and the house that Owen, Cody, and Cheryl Hahn lived in for a short time.
There is a story that goes with the Federal truck hooking up to the low—boy float. Dad and others designed this float so that you could drive or load a big piece of equipment onto to the float and then, using the winch on the truck, make a gooseneck out of the front of the trailer so that you could haul it down the road. Fixed gooseneck floats were around, but this was the first one that could be laid out flat to load the equipment. The other picture shows the gooseneck float reassembled.
The picture with the three big storage tanks moving down the road was quite an accomplishment, according to Bill Kane. You will have to get him to tell you the story, as I don't remember much about this. As the story went, Dad bid this job to move the three tanks - the company figured that he would have to take them apart to move them, but he didn't and they didn't want to pay for the move as he did it at a much greater savings. They paid. There were several pictures of this, but they didn't mean that much to me, so I didn't have Andy make negatives of the others.
The picture of the Kane Family is really priceless, as all of the kids were alive and present for this picture, taken in Rockport (I believe). They are lined up by date of birth behind their parents, U. L. and Florence E. Kane: Thelma, Art, Doyle, Albert, Alma, Maxine, Maurine, Warren, and Betty Sue. And you thought that you had a big family. They are a good looking bunch of folks!! Most of you don't know many of your uncles and aunts on the Kane side of the family and that is a big loss for you as I knew and loved them all. Only five of the eleven in the picture are still living.
Well, Andy and Mary Clare have been gone almost two hours now. They are driving the little S—10 pick—up to Minnesota so that MC will have transportation while she is there. Mayme, as you know will have a hip-replacement surgery on Wednesday, 5-25-88. I have my instructions to mow the yard this morning before it gets too hot, so I guess I should get on with it. It is only a little after 0900 hours and I hate to wake all of my neighbors on this fine Sunday morning, but that's life.