WISCONSIN STORIES IS A PARTNERSHIP OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.

Kmetz: AT BUCYRUS INTERNATIONAL IN SOUTH MILWAUKEE THEY MAKE SOME REALLY BIG STUFF. Will: GIANT GEARS AND OTHER BIG PARTS WILL BE ASSEMBLED INTO SHOVELS DRAGLINES AND DRILL RIGS FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY. Kmetz: CRAFT WORKERS FROM THE STEELWORKERS UNION CREATE EACH PART FOR THE HUGE, CUSTOM-BUILT MACHINES. Will: METAL ON THE BIG PARTS IS CAREFULLY MEASURED AND SHAVED DOWN TO MEET EXACTING SPECIFICATIONS WITH SOME PARTS REQUIRING ACCURACY WITHIN THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR. THIS COMPANY IS PART OF WISCONSIN'S LONG HISTORY OF MAKING HEAVY MACHINERY FOR USE IN OTHER INDUSTRIES. SO, TONIGHT ON WISCONSIN STORIES WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE KIND OF BIG TICKET ITEMS THAT YOU DON'T FIND IN YOUR LOCAL HARDWARE STORE. AND NOT YOUR AVERAGE BIG STUFF BUT SOMETHING THAT'S MADE FOR A REALLY BIG IDEA. THE KIND OF MACHINES THAT ARE DESIGNED FROM THE GROUND UP FOR ONE REALLY HUGE JOB. Kmetz: AND MADE WITH PRIDE BY SKILLED CRAFTWORKERS WHO CREATE THESE PIECES ONE AT A TIME. Will: RIGHT HERE, TONIGHT, ON WISCONSIN STORIES.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC. WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN. ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.

Will: WE'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE OFFICES OF BUCYRUS INTERNATIONAL. THAT'S A SIX-STORY OFFICE BUILDING. ON THIS DIAGRAM WE'D BE RIGHT DOWN HERE. Kmetz: THIS IS A DRAGLINE MADE IN THE PLANT RIGHT BEHIND THIS OFFICE BUILDING. THAT'S A REALLY HUGE MACHINE ! AND MAKING HUGE STUFF CREATES HUGE CHALLENGES INVOLVING HIGHLY-SKILLED WORKERS WHO HAND-CRAFT A MACHINE PIECE BY PIECE. AND THERE'S A SPECIAL PRIDE THAT COMES WITH WORKING ON THE REALLY BIG STUFF. Kmetz: WHEN THE BUCYRUS STEAM SHOVEL AND DREDGE COMPANY MOVED TO SOUTH MILWAUKEE IN 1893 IT BROUGHT WITH IT A STRONG REPUTATION FOR BUILDING SPECIALIZED EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT. SO, IT WAS NO SURPRISE, THEN, IN 1905 BUCYRUS STEAM SHOVELS WERE CHOSEN TO TAKE ON THE HUGE JOB OF DIGGING THE PANAMA CANAL WHICH MEANT MOVING AN ESTIMATED 225 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF EARTH. WHEN PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT INSPECTED THE SITE IN 1908 HE POSED ON BOARD A 95-TON BUCYRUS SHOVEL. BY THE TIME BUCYRUS BOUGHT THE ERIE STEAM SHOVEL COMPANY IN 1927 AND BECAME KNOWN AS "BUCYRUS ERIE" ITS EQUIPMENT WAS BEING USED IN OTHER BIG PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD. AS TIME WENT ON, SHOVELS WERE MOUNTED ON TRACKS POWER CHANGED FROM STEAM TO GASOLINE THEN TO DIESEL AND ELECTRICITY. AND AS THE JOBS GOT LARGER SO DID THE MACHINES WITH BUYERS DEMANDING BIGGER AND BIGGER MODELS. BUCYRUS INTERNATIONAL'S BIGGEST SHOVELS AND DRAGLINES WERE STILL MADE IN THE COMPANY'S SOUTH MILWAUKEE PLANT. AT THE SOUTH MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY CENTER FORMERLY A CLUB FOR BUCYRUS EMPLOYEES I MET WITH SOME RETIRED BUCYRUS WORKERS. WHEN YOU FIRST WALKED IN TO BUCYRUS HOW DID IT FEEL ? BIG. REALLY BIG. WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND ? WHEN I FIRST WAS HIRED AS A MACHINIST I SAID, "MAN, ALIVE, WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO OPERATE THESE THINGS ?" THERE'S NO COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MACHINE TOOLS. THIS IS STILL REALLY DIFFERENT THAN, SAY, CAR MANUFACTURING. OH, YEAH. Chet Grobschmidt: THEY DIDN'T HAVE AN ASSEMBLY LINE. Charles Davitz: THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DOZEN MACHINES BEING MADE AT ONE TIME. THERE WERE PARTS FOR ALL OF THEM LAYING ON THE MACHINE SHOP FLOOR OR DOWN ON THE ERECTING FLOOR AT THE TIME. Rudy Meszaros: YOU ASSEMBLED THE WHOLE MACHINE ON THE SMALL ONES. ON THE LARGER ONES WE ASSEMBLED THEM IN SECTIONS. AND THE SECTIONS ARE TESTED AND SHIPPED OUT TO THE FIELD AND THERE, THEY ARE ASSEMBLED. WE CANNOT BUILD THEM UP HERE, THEY'RE TOO LARGE. Film Narrator: FOR SHEER SIZE, AS WELL AS CREATIVE DESIGN THE 42-50-W WALKING DRAGLINE IS ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE OF BUCYRUS ERIE CAPABILITY... John Hollingsworth: I REMEMBER THE 42-50, "THE BIG MUSKIE" WHICH HAS NOW SERVED ITS TIME. IT'S FINISHED. THAT WAS 330 RAIL CARS, I BELIEVE THAT TOOK THAT FROM HERE OVER TO OHIO IN THE EARLY '60s. 330-PLUS RAIL CARS TOOK IT OVER. THE BIG MUSKIE WAS A WALKING DRAGLINE THAT WAS PURCHASED BY THE COAL COMPANY IN OHIO TO MINE COAL FOR ELECTRICITY. AND AT THE TIME, IT WAS DECIDED "SHALL WE BUY TWO MACHINES AT 110 CUBIC YARDS EACH OR ONE AT 220 CUBIC YARDS ?" IT WAS DECIDED FOR ONE MACHINE AT 220 CUBIC YARDS. AND TO DATE, THAT HAS BEEN, IT'S NOT EXISTING ANY MORE THE LARGEST MOBILE LAND MACHINE IN THE WORLD.

Kmetz: NOW, THAT BIG DRAGLINE HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE TO MAKE ? I'D SAY OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS. IT TOOK A YEAR TO ERECT IT IN THE FIELD, ALONE. ONE YEAR TO JUST PUT IT TOGETHER. THE BEST PART OF A YEAR TO PUT IT TOGETHER. Meszaros: YOU COULD EASILY PICK UP ON ONE END OF A FOOTBALL FIELD AND DUMP IT AT THE OTHER END OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD NO PROBLEM. Hollingsworth: TO ADD A LITTLE BIT TO RUDY'S THOUGHT, THERE IT WOULD DIG AT THE GOAL POST OF ONE FOOTBALL FIELD SITTING AT THE OTHER END OF THAT FIELD AND SWING AROUND AND DUMP IT AT THE GOAL POST OF ANOTHER FOOTBALL FIELD. THAT'S 600 FEET. THAT'S THE EXTENT. THESE ARE BIG PIECES THAT YOU'RE WORKING-- SOME OF THEM ARE BIG PIECES... Harold Wickstrom: RIGHT, AND SOME ARE SMALL. YOU HAD TO MAKE THEM REALLY ACCURATELY. BECAUSE YOU HAD AN INSPECTOR THAT WOULD CHECK THEM. 
( all laugh )
 MOST OF IT WAS PLUS-ONE OR MINUS-ONE BUT THEN, WE GOT, SOMETIMES, BEARINGS THAT WOULD BE WITHIN SEVEN-TENTHS OF A THOUSANDTH. SEVEN-TENTHS OF A THOUSANDTH OF A WHAT ? OF A THOUSAND. OF AN INCH ? YEAH, YEAH. THAT'S MIGHTY SMALL. YOU CAN'T EVEN-- SEVEN-TENTHS, YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE, HARDLY. I'VE HEARD CHET CALL WHAT YOU MADE "THE CADILLAC OF THE INDUSTRY." Kenneth Heise: OH, DEFINITELY. LINCOLN CONTINENTAL, THE WHOLE WORKS. HOW GOOD ARE THESE MACHINES ? AT THE TIME, THEY PROBABLY WERE THE BEST... Grobschmidt: THEY PROVED THEMSELVES IN THE FIELD BY THE CUSTOMER, THEMSELVES BECAUSE THAT'S WHY THEY BOUGHT SO MANY OF THEM. THE COMPETITION FOR THE BIG ONES WASN'T THERE UNTIL YEARS LATER THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAUGHT UP WITH THE ENGINEERING AND KNOW-HOW TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO, IT WAS ALWAYS KNOWN AS THE CADILLAC OF THE INDUSTRY. IT WAS ALSO KNOWN THAT BUCYRUS ERIE WAS THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO, THAT'S ABOUT THE WAY IT WAS.

Will: WISCONSIN INDUSTRY HAS LONG BEEN INVOLVED IN MAKING BIG STUFF-- THE LARGE PARTS, HEAVY EQUIPMENT GEARS AND MACHINERY THAT HELPED BUILD AMERICAN INDUSTRY.

IN THIS CRAMPED STOREFRONT HENRY HARNISCHFEGER AND PARTNER, ALONZO PAWLING WORKED TO MAKE A BETTER OVERHEAD FACTORY CRANE ONE THAT USED ELECTRIC MOTORS IN PLACE OF ROPES AND PULLEYS. MOVING BIG STUFF WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE ESSENTIAL TO THE MANY FACTORIES POPPING UP AROUND MILWAUKEE. ORIGINALLY DELIVERED BY HORSE-WAGON THESE HARNISCHFEGER CRANES DELIVERED THE HORSEPOWER TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING OF MANY GROWING INDUSTRIES. MELL ANDERSON OPERATED HARNISCHFEGER CRANES HERE AT A.O. SMITH FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS. Kmetz: WHAT'S IT LIKE TO OPERATE A BRIDGE CRANE ? Mell Anderson: IT'S A TEDIOUS JOB. IT'S A JOB WHERE YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL. YOU'VE GOT TO BE AT YOUR BEST AT JUDGING AND SAFETY. SOMETIMES, YOU'RE WORKING WITH MEN BELOW. ALWAYS WORKING WITH MEN BELOW. WHAT WERE YOUR LOADS ? THEY WERE MOSTLY PIPE-- GAS LINE AND WATER PIPE, SMALL PIPE AND BIG PIPE-- AND STEEL, LIKE AN AUTOMOBILE FRAME FROM THE START TO THE FINISH. DID THIS PIPE EVER SWING ? THAT'S THE OPERATOR'S JOB TO TRY TO KEEP THEM FROM SWINGING, SEE. THAT'S YOUR JOB. THAT'S MY JOB. SO, THAT'S WHY YOU TIGHTEN IT UP YOU TIGHTEN IT UP YOU TIGHTEN IT UP, YOU KNOW. IF YOU GET IT STRAIGHT IT WON'T SWING WHEN YOU PICK IT UP. YOU'VE GOT TO PRACTICE TO GET THE FEEL OF THE JOB HAVING THAT HEAVY LOAD WITH PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WITH YOU.

Will: NOT EVERY CRANE IS USED INSIDE, OF COURSE. TO BUILD SUBMARINES DURING WORLD WAR II MANITOWOC SHIPBUILDING USED THEIR OWN MANITOWOC SPEED CRANE. IN FACT, THEY MADE MANY MORE SPEED CRANES THAN SUBS FOR THE MILITARY INCLUDING SIX USED FOR SALVAGE AT PEARL HARBOR. AT MILWAUKEE'S FALK CORPORATION CRANE OPERATORS HAD AN IMPORTANT JOB BESIDES HAULING LOADS-- WARNING WORKERS WHEN PRESIDENT HERMAN FALK WAS PROWLING THE SHOP FLOOR. THE MECHANICALLY-INCLINED FALK PARLAYED THE PROFIT FROM THE SALE OF THE FAMILY BREWERY INTO A BUSINESS SPECIALIZING IN ENORMOUS GEARS. THESE MASSIVE GEARS WERE CAST FROM MOLTEN STEEL. GEAR TURNING GEAR TRANSFORMED THE POWER OF ELECTRIC MOTORS INTO HUNDREDS OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.

ANOTHER WISCONSIN COMPANY THAT MADE HUGE THINGS WAS BELOIT IRON WORKS, LATER BELOIT CORPORATION. THE COMPANY STARTED OUT MAKING REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR PAPER MAKING MACHINES. EVENTUALLY, BELOIT MADE THEIR OWN MACHINES AND WON AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION BY RUNNING A PAPER MAKER AT THE 1893 WORLD COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION IN CHICAGO. AS TIME WENT ON, THEY BUILT EVER-BIGGER AND FASTER MACHINES. WOULD YOU SEE THESE THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN ? THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Will: BOB FOSSLER WAS A BELOIT ENGINEER WHO SUPERVISED THE INSTALLATION OF PAPER MAKING MACHINES. TO START A MACHINE UP SEE IT RUN FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THEN MAKE PAPER THAT'S WHY YOU WENT BACK AND DID THE SECOND AND THE THIRD, AND THE FOURTH. IT WAS INTERESTING-- BIG EQUIPMENT, HEAVY. Will: THIS EQUIPMENT, WHEN LINKED TOGETHER MADE FOR SOME OF THE LARGEST MACHINES IN THE WORLD. WHAT ENTERS AT ONE END AS LITTLE MORE THAN WOOD PULP AND WATER EMERGES MORE THAN 100 YARDS LATER AS CRISP, CLEAN ROLLS OF FRESH PAPER SPOOLED UP AT SPEEDS REACHING 60 MILES AN HOUR.

COMPANIES THAT MAKE BIG THINGS BY THEIR NATURE, TAKE ON HUGE RISKS. IN THE LATE 1990s, THE BELOIT CORPORATION RAN INTO SERIOUS FINANCIAL TROUBLE. IN THE YEAR 2000, THE COMPANY HELD ONE OF THE BIGGEST INDUSTRIAL AUCTIONS IN THE WORLD AS THEY WERE FORCED TO SHUT DOWN AND SELL OFF THE COMPANY'S ASSETS. BELOIT CORPORATION WAS ADDED TO THE LIST OF WISCONSIN COMPANIES THAT NO LONGER MAKE THE REALLY BIG STUFF.

§ §

Anthony LaRosa: IT WAS THE LARGEST FACILITY OF ITS TYPE ANYPLACE IN THE WORLD.

Joseph Milakovich: WELL, IT WAS A VERY, VERY DIVERSIFIED COMPANY THAT MANUFACTURED, BASICALLY ANY INDUSTRIAL-TYPE PRODUCT THAT YOU COULD ALMOST IMAGINE.

WE MADE ALL HEAVY SHAFTS FOR HYDRAULIC TURBINES, STEAM TURBINES, CRUSHERS... Kmetz: BIG STUFF. BIG STUFF, YEAH.

Norbert Wilhelm: NOBODY ELSE AROUND THAT AREA OR IN THE UNITED STATES COULD MAKE THESE BIG PIECES. Kmetz: FOR DECADES, ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS THE BIGGEST COMPANY IN WISCONSIN. THE BIGGEST COMPANY WITH THE MOST EMPLOYEES, AT ONE POINT, OVER 35,000. BUT NO ONE WORKS FOR ALLIS-CHALMERS ANYMORE.

BY 1880, THE EDWARD P. ALLIS COMPANY WAS ALREADY MILWAUKEE'S LARGEST INDUSTRY. IT MERGED IN 1901 WITH OTHER HEAVY MACHINERY MAKERS TO FORM ALLIS-CHALMERS. THE BIGGEST COMPANY ALSO MADE SOME OF THE BIGGEST STUFF AT ITS NEW WEST ALLIS PLANT.

IF ALL ITS BUILDINGS HAD BEEN PLACED END-TO-END THEY WOULD HAVE EXTENDED TWO AND THREE-QUARTER MILES. THE PLANT HAD 21 MILES OF RAILWAY TRACK 162 CRANES, AND A TOTAL FLOOR SPACE OF ALMOST THREE MILLION SQUARE FEET.

TODAY, THE AREA WHERE THE ALLIS-CHALMERS FACTORY GROUNDS USED TO BE IS A STRIP MALL. AN OVERHEAD CRANE STILL HANGS FROM THE CEILING OF A SHOE STORE A VIVID SYMBOL OF THE CHANGE AWAY FROM OUR MANUFACTURING ECONOMY.

PART OF THE OLD ALLIS-CHALMERS PLANT IS NOW THE HOME OF REGENCO A COMPANY THAT STILL SERVICES AND REPAIRS ELECTRICAL TURBINES FOR MIDWEST UTILITY COMPANIES.

ALLIS-CHALMERS IS GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN BY A GROUP OF RETIRED SUPERVISORS AND ENGINEERS WHO STILL MEET FOR BREAKFAST ONCE A MONTH AND REMINISCE ABOUT THEIR LIVES IN THE BIGGEST "JOB SHOP" IN THE WORLD.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE WORK AT ALLIS-CHALMERS BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH BIG STUFF-- WAS IT DIFFERENT THAN WORK, MAYBE IN OTHER MILWAUKEE FACTORIES OR PLANTS ? OH, NO DOUBT. NO DOUBT IT WAS. SEE, YOU GOTTA CONSIDER THAT MOST OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE AT THE BIG STUFF AT ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS WHAT THEY CALLED "JOB SHOP" WORK. IT WAS LIKE ONE-OF-A-KIND, TWO-OF-A-KIND. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING MADE-- NOBODY ELSE CAN MAKE IT, WE WILL. Kmetz: SOME OF THE LARGER ITEMS ALLIS-CHALMERS MADE INCLUDED HYDRO-ELECTRIC TURBINES FOR POWER PLANTS FOR THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE HOOVER DAM. Film Narrator: ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST HYDRO-ELECTRIC INSTALLATIONS... Kmetz: THE FIRST FOUR TURBINES FOR THE HOOVER DAM WERE MADE IN SECTIONS AND TRANSPORTED ON 150 RAILCARS TO BE JOINED TOGETHER ON-SITE. THE ALLIS-CHALMERS COMPLEX BROUGHT TOGETHER THE MEANS TO MAKE BIG STUFF. THEY HAD LARGE OVERHEAD CRANES, A HUGE PLANT AND HIGHLY-SKILLED CRAFTSMEN. IT WAS FUN. ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT ALLIS-CHALMERS NO DAY WAS THE SAME, EVERYTHING WAS A CHALLENGE. Kmetz: MAKING HUGE STUFF CREATES HUGE CHALLENGES. ALLIS-CHALMERS' EMPLOYEES HAD TO DESIGN THE MACHINERY, MAKE IT PUT IT TOGETHER, TEST IT AND THEN TAKE IT APART TO SHIP IT. THEY WOULD NORMALLY SHIP THEM JUST THE WAY THIS GLASS IS SITTING ON THE TABLE VERTICALLY SO YOU COULD CLEAR THE VARIOUS WIRES. THEY WOULD GO AT THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING. Kmetz: WHAT DID YOU MAKE ? ORIGINALLY ? YEAH. BACK IN THE OLD DAYS ? WELL, SHAFTS AND STEAM TURBINE PARTS. THE MOST I ENJOYED ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS IN MY LATER YEARS, WHEN I WAS IN ENGINEERING YOU TAKE A DRAWING AND YOU ACTUALLY-- YOU'RE THE FATHER OF THIS PART, YOU KNOW YOU DECIDE HOW YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT; HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST. YOU TRY TO MAKE IT THE MOST REASONABLE. AND THEN, YOU GO OUT IN THE SHOP AND YOU ACTUALLY-- NOT SUPERVISE, BUT YOU'RE THERE WHILE IT'S BEING MADE. AND WHEN IT'S ALL FINISHED IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CREATED.

Kmetz: WORKING FOR ALLIS-CHALMERS PROVIDED AN INTERESTING LIFE FOR ALMOST THREE GENERATIONS. SOME WORKERS WERE EMPLOYED BY ALLIS-CHALMERS FOR 30, 40, 50 YEARS. Mencfeldowski: I HAD 42 YEARS OF STEADY WORK. I NEVER WAS LAID OFF ONE DAY IN ALL THOSE YEARS I WORKED. MY FATHER WORKED AT ALLIS-CHALMERS FOR 40-SOME YEARS. HE WAS NEVER LAID OFF IN ALL THOSE YEARS. ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS LIKE A BIG FAMILY. Kmetz: EMPLOYMENT PEAKED WITH A SHIFT TO WARTIME PRODUCTION DURING WORLD WAR II. Film Narrator: AMERICA STARTED ON THE GREATEST PROGRAM OF MILITARY PRODUCTION THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN... 
(explosion booms)

Kmetz: BUT HARD TIMES FELL ON ALLIS-CHALMERS IN THE 1970s AND '80s. THE COMPANY ENTERED INTO A JOINT VENTURE WITH SIEMENS A GERMAN ELECTRONICS AND ENGINEERING FIRM. Mencfeldowski: THIS WAS PROBABLY A BUSINESS DECISION THAT ALSO LED TO OUR DOWNFALL. Kmetz: BY 1988, ALLIS-CHALMERS FACED BANKRUPTCY AND EVENTUALLY SOLD ITS BUSINESS TO SIEMENS. SIEMENS, HOWEVER, MOVED ITS PRODUCTION OUT OF STATE AND CLOSED THE WEST ALLIS OPERATIONS IN 1999 THE END OF AN ERA OF MAKING REALLY BIG STUFF. Chauncy Barber: ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS THE LARGEST PLANT IN THE AREA. YOU TOOK A PRIDE IN YOUR WORK. Mencfeldowski: I GUESS I'M PROUDEST OF THE FACT THAT IT WAS A LARGE FAMILY WITH REALLY STEADY EMPLOYMENT. YOU COULD PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY. AND YOU COULD BUY A HOUSE. Wilhelm: I DON'T THINK ANY COMPANY HAD MORE TALENT THAN ALLIS-CHALMERS.

Will: WHY GO THROUGH THE EFFORT TO PRESERVE THIS ? Peter Burno: THIS IS OUR NATION'S HISTORY. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING ? Will: NOW, BACK HERE, YOU'VE GOT-- WHAT'S THIS ? OH, JUST A BIG TANK IN CASE WE NEED A BIG TANK FOR SOMETHING. HERE, WE'RE SEEING SOME OF YOUR CRANES. WHAT IS THIS ? THIS IS A UNIT CRANE, BUILT IN MILWAUKEE. IF YOU CAN LIFT IT, YOU CAN SWING IT. BUT IF YOU HAVE TO REACH OUT FOR IT YOU CAN'T LIFT IT, THE CRANE WILL TIP FIRST. JUST ONE OF THOSE LITTLE IDIOSYNCRASIES THAT YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH WHEN YOU RUN A CRANE. I'LL REMEMBER THAT ! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS ? WELL, THIS IS A TABLE FOR A BORING MILL. IT'S UPSIDE DOWN. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S EASIER IF YOU HAVE A BIG PIECE TO LAY IT DOWN THAN HANG IT UP. 
( Will laughs )
 I'M PETER BURNO. AND I'VE NEVER REALLY BEEN ABLE TO SEPARATE MY HOBBY FROM BUSINESS. I'M IN A VERY FORTUNATE POSITION. I'VE CARRIED ON A LIFETIME LOVE AFFAIR WITH MACHINERY. Will: PETER BURNO OPERATES WHAT LOOKS LIKE A MECHANIC'S JUNKYARD OLD MACHINERY PARTS AND PIECES WEATHER IN THE SUN. BUT HE SAYS EVERYTHING HERE CAN AND WILL SOMEDAY BE USED AGAIN.

WESTINGHOUSE-- NICE, VERY NICE. BURNO RAN STEAM LOCOMOTIVES, ALL GONE NOW, FOR THE U.S. ARMY. HE SAYS HE'S BEEN A SHOP MAN ALL HIS LIFE AND HIS LOVE OF MACHINERY LED HIM TO HIS LIFELONG WORK AS A FREELANCE ENGINEER AND HIS UNUSUAL HOBBY. HE COLLECTS HEAVY MACHINERY. Burno: WELL, I COLLECT, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT MAINLY WHAT I'VE WORKED WITH ALL MY LIFE. ONE THING I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR IS OVERHEAD TRAVELING CRANES. Will: OVERHEAD CRANES RIDE ON TRACKS ABOVE A SHOP FLOOR. THEY MOVE BIG, HEAVY EQUIPMENT FROM ONE SIDE OF A FACTORY TO ANOTHER. BURNO OWNS ABOUT 25 OVERHEAD CRANES ! THEY'RE STORED OUTSIDE IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS MANY OF THEM DEEP IN THE UNDERBRUSH OVERGROWN WITH WEEDS, GRASSES AND TREES. BUT BURNO SAYS THAT'S JUST THE BEST WAY TO PRESERVE THEM. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST IS VANDALISM. SO, THIS IS A SECURITY DEVICE ? THIS IS SORT OF SECURITY.

Will: SEVERAL OF HIS CRANES WERE MADE IN MILWAUKEE BY PAWLING AND HARNISCHFEGER. HOW MANY HARNISCHFEGER CRANES DO YOU HAVE ? OH, I'M GOING TO GUESS PROBABLY 20. TWENTY ? WATCH WHERE YOU'RE WALKING HERE BECAUSE THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF LITTLE THINGS HIDING AROUND IN THE GRASS. 
( Will laughs )
 THIS IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ARCHIVE THAN I'M USED TO ! 
( both laugh )
 BUT THAT'S REALLY THAT THIS IS, ISN'T IT ? YES. THIS IS A HEAVY EQUIPMENT ARCHIVE. AND HOW MANY "ARCHIVES" ARE THERE LIKE THIS AROUND THE COUNTRY ? ARE THERE A LOT OF COLLECTORS LIKE YOU ? NO. WHY NOT ? I REALLY DON'T KNOW. PROBABLY BECAUSE INSANITY IS NOT THAT PREVALENT ! 
( laughs )
 I THINK IT'S A DEDICATION. Burno: THIS CAME FROM ALLIS-CHALMERS' FOUNDRY. OH, REALLY ? MM-HMM. BOY, THIS IS A BEAUT. NOW, THIS IS ALSO-- YES, I SEE "PAWLING AND HARNISCHFEGER." YEAH, THIS IS A P&H. LOOK HOW BIG IT IS. HOW DID YOU MOVE THIS THING ? 
( Burno laughs )
 WE JUST PICKED OFF OUR TRUCK WITH ONE OF OUR CRANES. THIS IS A TOY COMPARED TO THE ONES THAT ARE OVER THERE. WE'VE GOT A 100-TON CRANE OVER THERE. THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE !

WATCH OUT FOR THE STINGING NETTLES. LET'S GO THROUGH THIS WAY. OKAY. I THINK THERE'S A PIECE-- YOU'RE ON A HOOK. WHAT WAS THE 100-TON CRANE USED FOR AND WHERE DID YOU GET IT ? IT CAME OUT OF ALLIS-CHALMERS. AND IT WAS THEIR BIGGEST OF THE OLDER CRANES.

Will: PETER BURNO HELPED ESTABLISH THRESHERMEN'S PARK LOCATED BETWEEN EDGERTON AND JANESVILLE. EVERY LABOR DAY WEEKEND ANCIENT MACHINERY COMES TO LIFE AND OPERATORS DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW IT WORKS. THIS IS WHAT I'M TOLD IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST REMAINING STEAM SHOVEL. WHO BUILT IT ? IT WAS BUILT BY BUCYRUS ERIE IN MILWAUKEE. SOUTH MILWAUKEE ? SOUTH MILWAUKEE. Will: BUCYRUS ERIE WAS KNOWN FOR BUILDING SPECIALIZED HEAVY MACHINERY. AND THEY BUILT THE SHOVELS THAT DUG THE PANAMA CANAL. THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE ONES USED IN THE PANAMA CANAL ? OH, YES. NOW, YOU BROUGHT THIS HERE IN PIECES. HOW DO YOU PUT IT BACK TOGETHER ? WITH DIFFICULTY. Will: BURNO HOPES TO HAVE IT UP AND RUNNING IN THE PARK BY NEXT LABOR DAY. THIS IS ALL PUT TOGETHER TO HOLD THIS-- TO HOLD THIS BUCKET. TELL ME ABOUT THIS BUCKET. ALL RIGHT. WHAT'S THIS MADE OUT OF ? THIS BUCKET IS WHAT'S CALLED A "MISSABE DIPPER." IT WAS A SPECIAL BUCKET THAT WAS DESIGNED FOR THE ABRASIVE IRON ORE ON THE MISSABE IRON RANGE. Will: IN TERMS OF THE RESTORATION HOW MUCH OF THIS WILL HAVE TO BE RESTORED AND HOW MUCH CAN YOU STAND AS IS ? ACTUALLY, I DON'T THINK OUTSIDE OF TAKING THE SHIV APART AND GOING OVER SOME OF THE BEARINGS THAT THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF RESTORATION HERE. MORE CLEANING AND PAINTING THAN ANYTHING ELSE. WHAT COLOR WILL YOU PAINT IT ? BLACK. ALWAYS BLACK. CRANES WERE ALWAYS BLACK. Burno: WHY PRESERVE THIS ? WHY TALK ABOUT GREAT MEN LIKE GEORGE WASHINGTON OR THOMAS JEFFERSON ? IT'S THE SAME THING. INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE IS THE SAME ? YES. AND WHEN YOU STOP TO THINK, IT WAS THE INDUSTRY-- THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW THAT NOT ONLY BUILT THIS COUNTRY BUT MADE IT GREAT. A LOT OF IT MADE IN WISCONSIN. MADE IN WISCONSIN. PRETTY BIG STUFF. YEP.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC. WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN. ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.