David
Heiller
This week’s
Askov American includes our 1993 Ag Edition. We publish it every spring to
coincide with National Ag Day, which is the first day of spring. This year’s Ag
Edtion contains stories about accidents that local farmers have experienced.
I started collecting the stories last
year, after a North Dakota teenager had both arms torn off by an auger. He made
national news because of his courage in making his way into his home and
telephoning for help by holding a pencil between his teeth. His arms were
re-attached, and he now has limited use of them. He is at-tending college. Life
is a struggle, but at least he has life.
No local farmer had farm accidents
that severe, but some were potentially as bad or worse. They were “close
calls.” Almost every farmer that I talked to had an accident story to tell.
They didn’t have to think about it very long either. It’s a dangerous
profession.
One exception was Palmer Dahl, 83,
Moose Lake. He farmed for most of his life in the Denham area. Palmer couldn’t
remember any serious accident or near-accident. But he recalled a dangerous
situation once, when he was hauling firewood.
He had to go up a steep bank before
he could get on the road to home. So he unhitched the wagon, and drove the
tractor onto the road. He used a chain to pull the load of wood onto the road.
Then he reattached the wagon to the tractor, and continued home.
Palmer anticipated the accident, and
thus perhaps prevented it from happening. He added that tractors and their
power take-offs are the cause of many farm accidents. The stories in this week’s
Ag Edition bear him out, as do state and national statistics.
 |
| David LOVED his tractor! |
From April, 1991, to July, 1992, 11
Minnesota children have died in farm acidents. Five of them have been killed
while riding on tractors when they fell off and were run over. Tractor overturns
are also a common cause of farm fatalities.
A
personal experience
Even I have a farm accident story to
tell. I was raised in town, but spent a few summers “working” for my uncle
Donny. Mostly I just got in the way and watched Donny and my brother Glenn
work. But I can still remember my close call vividly.
It happened while we were raking hay.
I was about eight. Glenn was driving the tractor. He was about 17. I was
sitting on one fender, and my brother Danny, three years older than me, was on the other. Looking back, I can
see what a dangerous spot that was to be sitting, especially with a hay rake 10
feet behind.
The hay rake was one of those
old-fashioned kind. It had curved tines about two feet long that moved back and
forth like giant pitchforks. It would roll the cut hay into long rows for the
baler to bale. The tines were polished silver with use, and looked as clean and
sharp as needles.
 |
| "The tines were polished silver with use, and looked as clean and sharp as needles." |
I almost
found out how sharp they were that day. My brother and I started horsing
around, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground behind the tractor, with
the rake coming toward me.
Even before I hit the ground, I was
rolling out of the way. I did it without thinking, and I made it. Glenn never
stopped the tractor. He didn’t even know I had fallen, and probably still doesn’t.
I never told him. His punishment for fooling around might have been worse than
the hay rake.
I did
have a few words with my brother. (He will probably deny all this. Look for a
letter-to-the-editor in the next few weeks.)
Another close call happened in about 1977. I was driving a tractor
and pulling a wagon loaded high with hay, and with three children perched
happily on top. We went down a hill and I forgot to downshift. The brakes
couldn’t hold the load, and we jolted out of control for about 10 seconds. The
kids held on tight, but barely. They could have been thrown from the wagon and
run over.
With that happy thought in mind, I
hope you enjoy our 1993 Ag Edition.
Editors note: The promised letters to the editor were
received, they follow:
‘Hay rake‑schmay rake’
Editor,
Askov American:
David “just my imagination” Heiller,
I just finished reading your Farm Accident Edition of the Askov American and
feel I must respond to your famous Hay Rake Incident (HRI). I’ve heard the HRI
story time and time again and I think it’s finally time to tell everyone the
whole truth. And now, the rest of the story.
Hay rake, schmay rake. Here’s the way
I remember the HRI. It was actually I who was driving the tractor. And you didn’t
fall off the back, Glenn threw you off. You were right, you did manage to roll
out of the way of the rake. How you did it with your arms tied behind your back
and legs bound together is beyond me. I guess the burlap sack tied over your
head must have clouded your memory of the famous HRI.
DANIEL “the truth” HEILLER
Cottage Grove, MN
Hay rake incident, version three
Editor,
Askov American:
Regarding the two recent versions of
the infamous Heiller hay rake incident, neither one of them is the correct version
of what actually happened. I know, because I was an eye witness from a
distance. As usual, Glenn was the only one doing any actual work. What neither
version recalls, is that in addition to pulling the hay rake with the tractor,
Glenn was also pulling a hay baler behind the rake, a wagon behind the baler,
and a manure spreader behind the wagon. Danny and David were playing tag and
David slipped and started to fall. Glenn immediately stepped on the clutch,
threw the transmission into neutral, set the handbrake, disengaged the power
take-off, cranked the wheel to the left (so the tractor wouldn’t slide into the
ditch on the right), threw Danny into the tractor seat, drove to the ground
(catching David before he hit the ground), threw him out of the way of the rake
tines, and flattened himself against the ground as the rake passed over him.
Without pausing to catch his breath he jumped back onto the tractor, shoved the
transmission back into gear and resumed his work; but only after tying up the
two boys to keep them out of further trouble. He then finished raking, baling,
and spreading, and drove the full wagon of hay back to the barn and loaded all
the hay bales into the hayloft by hand, by himself. Danny and David were only
untied after all the chores were done. It was the last time either of them saw
the farm as neither of them were worth a lick when there was work to be done.
You say that boys aged 8 and 11 were
too young to work? Why when I was their age I was running a 400 acre farm by
myself. Also I was attending school and had to walk five miles to school every
day, uphill, both ways.
NELG
RELLIEH
Eyewitness
Wayzata, MN
Eyewitness
Wayzata, MN
No comments:
Post a Comment