The following are some of my earlier experiences with the OG&E.  Beginning with the company before our marriage, I did about everything there was to do.  I dug pole holes and cut poles and I worked as a lineman, I ran services, read meters, tested and trouble shot meters.  Some of that I did with a side car motorcycle they used for services.  That wasn't my regular job but I used the motorcycle part of the time when I was running services, or shooting trouble.  They began to get Model T's.  As a matter of fact, they got a model T one ton truck to replace the old electric truck and split up the battery.  That's how I got part of the battery for my radio.  Eventually, Robert fell heir to the battery.  It was necessary to crank the old truck.  They had used a section for lighting and for ignition while starting the truck.  There was no starting motor.  Old model T's had a double throw ignition switch which connected the ignition to the battery making it unnecessary to crank so vigorously.  When the engine started, the switch was thrown in the opposite direction, connecting the ignition to the built in magneto.  The magneto was a stationary stator and rotating field composed of permanent magnets mounted on the fly wheel.  The permanent magnets were "U" shaped. Soon they obtained Model T roadsters which were one seated cars.  They installed a short bed on them to hold equipment.  They were equipped with folding tops which you ordinarily left down, driving in the open air.  Lights were fed off the magneto and varied in brilliance according to the engine speed.

 

Quite a few things used to happen to these old Model T's.  Before I was married, I had quite a few experiences with them.  Occasionally the rear axle would snap.  Since on a Model T, there was no adequate back up brake, when this happened, the car just went into free wheeling.  I had that happen at least 4 times.  One time it happened as I applied the brakes stopping in front of the  OG&E office at 107 west Main in Enid.  The front wheels of the car jumped the curb up on to the side walk.  I was thankful that the back wheels stopped it because it saved running into the plate glass windows of the office.

 

Front springs broke frequently, and rear springs less frequently.  I carried a 3 bolt clamp in the car as an emergency patch for the springs.  If a spring leaf would brake, I would clamp the remaining springs with this clamp and drive without springs so to speak.

 

I guess while I am on the subject of the Model T, I might as well continue with some of the days in Sapulpa.  One time on a real frosty morning, I was going down the road and the front wheel spindle broke from becoming crystalized with the cold.  I guess most of the spectacular things about Model T's breaking down happened to me in the Central Division around Sapulpa.

 

Another time, when returning from Drumright to Sapulpa, near Bristow Tap, the valves of 2 cylinders of the 4 cylinder engine broke up and punched holes in the pistons of 2 cylinders of the 4 cylinder engine, the valves broke up and punched holes in the pistons.  So I only had 2 cylinders left.  By removing the spark plugs from those 2 cylinders to relieve the compression, I drove into Sapulpa, about 18 Miles, on 2 cylinders.  Imagine that!  Probably the most unusual thing that ever happened was I was driving in Sapulpa when the crank shaft broke in the middle of the 4 cylinders.  If you ever heard of anything stopping suddenly, well that did it.

 

In the later days of the Model T in Sapulpa the mechanics started dressing up the Model T's a little.  They put on Delco ignition.  I believe they put on a Bosch Magneto.  Any way this distributor failed occasionally to make contact.  I was in the Key West Oil fields one day.  It started to rain & mud got in the starter switch.  By this time, the Model T was manufactured with a starter motor.  The starter switch was located in the floor of the car with the contacts located under the floor board where the mud could cause contact failure.  Of course you could crank it by hand.  To make matters worse the Delco ignition got so it made poor contact.  By hitting it with something you could cause it to make contact.  The combination of these things, resulted in a difficult starting situation.  I by passed the starting switch by connecting a large copper wire on the starter terminal.  Since the battery was mounted on the left running board to get it out from under the floor boards, I would hold the wire in my hand and jam it down on the battery terminal while my partner struck the distributor with a 6 foot long limb.  We removed the hood so he could do this.  In that way, we got the car started again. Backing up to the earlier days again down by the Cimarron River where the Black Jacks and sand were.  We used to carry spare tubes for the clincher tires and patching for the tubes and boots to put in the casings in case they developed holes.  On one trip down there we had a second blowout.  We already used up the boot we had in one tire and didn't have a boot for the other.  So wearing a good strong pair of overalls, I cut off a piece about 4 inches long off of one of the legs  & made a boot out of it.  That allowed us to drive a few miles to the first little town where we could buy a boot.  These roads thru the Cimarron bottom were just sandy trails.

 

As I mentioned before these with the Model T Roadsters, we drove with the top down all the time unless it started raining.  Then it was necessary to put up the top and put on side curtains to try to keep some of the rain out.  They didn't keep too much of it out.  In the winter time they didn't keep much air out.  It was strictly an open air situation.  We were able to buy some crude heaters, which diverted air from the manifold to the passenger compartment.  This was not too successful so we would wear the most adequate clothing and use a lap robe to keep your feet and legs from freezing.