Disaster Down on the Farm

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of machinery or equipment.

This is a real photo postcard with a perplexing scene of destruction. Strewn around in a field are various equipment parts typical of a steam-powered machine shop, including a steam engine, flywheel, line shaft, pulleys, and belts, along with other unidentifiable pieces of metal and wood.

Four people -- a boy perched on a downed tree at left, a woman and man standing near the center, and a woman standing next to the steam engine on the right -- posed for the photo. Visible behind them in the background are undamaged vehicles (a wagon and a carriage), a grindstone, trees, and farm buildings.

It's difficult to say what happened. Did a tornado tear through here? Could a steam explosion have caused this much damage?

For additional views of the puzzling scene, see enlargements of the left-hand side and right-hand side of the photo.