As written in my last column, this chapter describes a Bucyrus-Erie 20W spudder rig I bought used in 1968. Some older readers probably say, “I know all about that rig.” Or they may know its competition, the 55 Speedstar or the 42 Cyclone (or other spudders). Many younger fellows, however, know little if anything about cable tool or spudder drilling and the rigs used. This will be my version of a history lesson. If you are bored, I apologize. If you learn something new, I will have succeeded in my lesson.
Bucyrus-Erie, based in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, built the rig. The company formed in Bucyrus, Ohio, in the early 1880s to build power shovels. Then known as the Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company, the company moved to South Milwaukee in the 1890s to make room for expansion. In 1927, Bucyrus merged with the Erie Steam Shovel Company of Erie, Pennsylvania.