W. H. Landreth, the skilled machinist who reportdly filled top secret war contracts in his precision-equipped machine shop in Ritzville, died Wednesday in the Ritzville General hospital.
Landreth is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Flora Lundstrom, Airway Heights, Wash., and a son, Harry James Landreth of Seattle; two grandsons, Jay and Jim Landreth, also of Seattle. His wife died in 1945.
When Wade Hampton Landreth died last week at the age of 77, it marked the end of a career extending over half a century which had made the Ritzville man one of the finest skilled machinists in the Pacific Northwest. Landreth's one-man machine shop on Broadway avenue was equipped with an array of precision machinery not to be found in plants many times the size.
Duriing the second world war, "Wade" Landreth filled defense plant orders from all over the nation, turning out lathes and rebuilding heavy machinery used elsewhere to manufacture shafts, gears, wheels, propellers and other parts of Uncle Sam's war machinery. During an interview with the Journal-times in 1941, Landreth was asked if he ever hoped to retire. "No, I don't" he replied. "This work grows monotonous-I always try to make each piece of work a little better than the last, and I try to make a little better time producing it." "I haven't a thought of retiring. I plan to keep on working until my days are over." And that's what Landreth did---until he was stricken with a heart attack during the afternoon of May 26, and died last Wednesday.
Landreth was born Sept 12, 1872 in North Carolina were both his parents died before he was eight years old. At the age of nine he came west with the Linnel family settling on Crab creek to herd sheep. Later he worked in a livery stable that stood on the site now occupied by the Carey Thomson Chevrolet company.
After a few years the young Landreth went into the well-drilling business, making the first acquaintanceship with machinery. He and a partner drilled the first city well in the coulee northeast of Ritzville and are believed to have sunk more than 150 of the early-day farm wells in Adams county. Landreth became so proficient at repairing well-drilling tools, according to an article published in Journal-Times in 1921, that he soon found drillers in Idaho, Montana and Washington shipping him their tools for repair.
This encourage him to open his first small machinery shop in Ritville. When the well-drilling business slackened off, Landreth converted to repairing gasoline engines in early-day automobiles and tractors. By the mid-20s, he was turning to more difficult and complicated problems. One of the achievements he took unusual pride in was the construction of a precision crankshaft grinder, which he used himself for eight eight years before selling it to a Chehalis firm. It was one of the most delicate pieces of machinery he ever turned out and also one of the largest, weight 11,000 pounds.
In filling his top-secret World War II defense order, Landreth started with rough casting from a Spokane foundry and turned out finished lathes and other machinery geared to adjustments to the ten-thousandth of and inch. Even the original castings from Spokane were made from Landreth's own patterns and drawings. Many types of metals were employed, ranging from cast iron to vanudium chrome nickel and Landreth had equipped his small Ritzville shop to produce and assemble every part of the finished product. Landreth always believed that the machine work he loved offered great opportunities to young men and he frequently wondered aloud why more young men didn't enter the trade. "Good machinists ar always in demand," he once told the Jounral-Times, "and I don;t know of any job in the world that offered the personal saisfaction of a well-done piece of machine work." In machinists circles throughout the west, Landreth was rated as a master craftsman and his shop on Broadway avenue in Ritzville was spoken of with respect and admiration.
Ritzville Journal Times June 8, 1950 Sue Garder & gapwork90
Landreth is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Flora Lundstrom, Airway Heights, Wash., and a son, Harry James Landreth of Seattle; two grandsons, Jay and Jim Landreth, also of Seattle. His wife died in 1945.
When Wade Hampton Landreth died last week at the age of 77, it marked the end of a career extending over half a century which had made the Ritzville man one of the finest skilled machinists in the Pacific Northwest. Landreth's one-man machine shop on Broadway avenue was equipped with an array of precision machinery not to be found in plants many times the size.
Duriing the second world war, "Wade" Landreth filled defense plant orders from all over the nation, turning out lathes and rebuilding heavy machinery used elsewhere to manufacture shafts, gears, wheels, propellers and other parts of Uncle Sam's war machinery. During an interview with the Journal-times in 1941, Landreth was asked if he ever hoped to retire. "No, I don't" he replied. "This work grows monotonous-I always try to make each piece of work a little better than the last, and I try to make a little better time producing it." "I haven't a thought of retiring. I plan to keep on working until my days are over." And that's what Landreth did---until he was stricken with a heart attack during the afternoon of May 26, and died last Wednesday.
Landreth was born Sept 12, 1872 in North Carolina were both his parents died before he was eight years old. At the age of nine he came west with the Linnel family settling on Crab creek to herd sheep. Later he worked in a livery stable that stood on the site now occupied by the Carey Thomson Chevrolet company.
After a few years the young Landreth went into the well-drilling business, making the first acquaintanceship with machinery. He and a partner drilled the first city well in the coulee northeast of Ritzville and are believed to have sunk more than 150 of the early-day farm wells in Adams county. Landreth became so proficient at repairing well-drilling tools, according to an article published in Journal-Times in 1921, that he soon found drillers in Idaho, Montana and Washington shipping him their tools for repair.
This encourage him to open his first small machinery shop in Ritville. When the well-drilling business slackened off, Landreth converted to repairing gasoline engines in early-day automobiles and tractors. By the mid-20s, he was turning to more difficult and complicated problems. One of the achievements he took unusual pride in was the construction of a precision crankshaft grinder, which he used himself for eight eight years before selling it to a Chehalis firm. It was one of the most delicate pieces of machinery he ever turned out and also one of the largest, weight 11,000 pounds.
In filling his top-secret World War II defense order, Landreth started with rough casting from a Spokane foundry and turned out finished lathes and other machinery geared to adjustments to the ten-thousandth of and inch. Even the original castings from Spokane were made from Landreth's own patterns and drawings. Many types of metals were employed, ranging from cast iron to vanudium chrome nickel and Landreth had equipped his small Ritzville shop to produce and assemble every part of the finished product. Landreth always believed that the machine work he loved offered great opportunities to young men and he frequently wondered aloud why more young men didn't enter the trade. "Good machinists ar always in demand," he once told the Jounral-Times, "and I don;t know of any job in the world that offered the personal saisfaction of a well-done piece of machine work." In machinists circles throughout the west, Landreth was rated as a master craftsman and his shop on Broadway avenue in Ritzville was spoken of with respect and admiration.
Ritzville Journal Times June 8, 1950 Sue Garder & gapwork90
W. H. Landreth, the skilled machinist who reportdly filled top secret war contracts in his precision-equipped machine shop in Ritzville, died Wednesday in the Ritzville General hospital.
Landreth is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Flora Lundstrom, Airway Heights, Wash., and a son, Harry James Landreth of Seattle; two grandsons, Jay and Jim Landreth, also of Seattle. His wife died in 1945.
When Wade Hampton Landreth died last week at the age of 77, it marked the end of a career extending over half a century which had made the Ritzville man one of the finest skilled machinists in the Pacific Northwest. Landreth's one-man machine shop on Broadway avenue was equipped with an array of precision machinery not to be found in plants many times the size.
Duriing the second world war, "Wade" Landreth filled defense plant orders from all over the nation, turning out lathes and rebuilding heavy machinery used elsewhere to manufacture shafts, gears, wheels, propellers and other parts of Uncle Sam's war machinery. During an interview with the Journal-times in 1941, Landreth was asked if he ever hoped to retire. "No, I don't" he replied. "This work grows monotonous-I always try to make each piece of work a little better than the last, and I try to make a little better time producing it." "I haven't a thought of retiring. I plan to keep on working until my days are over." And that's what Landreth did---until he was stricken with a heart attack during the afternoon of May 26, and died last Wednesday.
Landreth was born Sept 12, 1872 in North Carolina were both his parents died before he was eight years old. At the age of nine he came west with the Linnel family settling on Crab creek to herd sheep. Later he worked in a livery stable that stood on the site now occupied by the Carey Thomson Chevrolet company.
After a few years the young Landreth went into the well-drilling business, making the first acquaintanceship with machinery. He and a partner drilled the first city well in the coulee northeast of Ritzville and are believed to have sunk more than 150 of the early-day farm wells in Adams county. Landreth became so proficient at repairing well-drilling tools, according to an article published in Journal-Times in 1921, that he soon found drillers in Idaho, Montana and Washington shipping him their tools for repair.
This encourage him to open his first small machinery shop in Ritville. When the well-drilling business slackened off, Landreth converted to repairing gasoline engines in early-day automobiles and tractors. By the mid-20s, he was turning to more difficult and complicated problems. One of the achievements he took unusual pride in was the construction of a precision crankshaft grinder, which he used himself for eight eight years before selling it to a Chehalis firm. It was one of the most delicate pieces of machinery he ever turned out and also one of the largest, weight 11,000 pounds.
In filling his top-secret World War II defense order, Landreth started with rough casting from a Spokane foundry and turned out finished lathes and other machinery geared to adjustments to the ten-thousandth of and inch. Even the original castings from Spokane were made from Landreth's own patterns and drawings. Many types of metals were employed, ranging from cast iron to vanudium chrome nickel and Landreth had equipped his small Ritzville shop to produce and assemble every part of the finished product. Landreth always believed that the machine work he loved offered great opportunities to young men and he frequently wondered aloud why more young men didn't enter the trade. "Good machinists ar always in demand," he once told the Jounral-Times, "and I don;t know of any job in the world that offered the personal saisfaction of a well-done piece of machine work." In machinists circles throughout the west, Landreth was rated as a master craftsman and his shop on Broadway avenue in Ritzville was spoken of with respect and admiration.
Ritzville Journal Times June 8, 1950 Sue Garder & gapwork90
Landreth is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Flora Lundstrom, Airway Heights, Wash., and a son, Harry James Landreth of Seattle; two grandsons, Jay and Jim Landreth, also of Seattle. His wife died in 1945.
When Wade Hampton Landreth died last week at the age of 77, it marked the end of a career extending over half a century which had made the Ritzville man one of the finest skilled machinists in the Pacific Northwest. Landreth's one-man machine shop on Broadway avenue was equipped with an array of precision machinery not to be found in plants many times the size.
Duriing the second world war, "Wade" Landreth filled defense plant orders from all over the nation, turning out lathes and rebuilding heavy machinery used elsewhere to manufacture shafts, gears, wheels, propellers and other parts of Uncle Sam's war machinery. During an interview with the Journal-times in 1941, Landreth was asked if he ever hoped to retire. "No, I don't" he replied. "This work grows monotonous-I always try to make each piece of work a little better than the last, and I try to make a little better time producing it." "I haven't a thought of retiring. I plan to keep on working until my days are over." And that's what Landreth did---until he was stricken with a heart attack during the afternoon of May 26, and died last Wednesday.
Landreth was born Sept 12, 1872 in North Carolina were both his parents died before he was eight years old. At the age of nine he came west with the Linnel family settling on Crab creek to herd sheep. Later he worked in a livery stable that stood on the site now occupied by the Carey Thomson Chevrolet company.
After a few years the young Landreth went into the well-drilling business, making the first acquaintanceship with machinery. He and a partner drilled the first city well in the coulee northeast of Ritzville and are believed to have sunk more than 150 of the early-day farm wells in Adams county. Landreth became so proficient at repairing well-drilling tools, according to an article published in Journal-Times in 1921, that he soon found drillers in Idaho, Montana and Washington shipping him their tools for repair.
This encourage him to open his first small machinery shop in Ritville. When the well-drilling business slackened off, Landreth converted to repairing gasoline engines in early-day automobiles and tractors. By the mid-20s, he was turning to more difficult and complicated problems. One of the achievements he took unusual pride in was the construction of a precision crankshaft grinder, which he used himself for eight eight years before selling it to a Chehalis firm. It was one of the most delicate pieces of machinery he ever turned out and also one of the largest, weight 11,000 pounds.
In filling his top-secret World War II defense order, Landreth started with rough casting from a Spokane foundry and turned out finished lathes and other machinery geared to adjustments to the ten-thousandth of and inch. Even the original castings from Spokane were made from Landreth's own patterns and drawings. Many types of metals were employed, ranging from cast iron to vanudium chrome nickel and Landreth had equipped his small Ritzville shop to produce and assemble every part of the finished product. Landreth always believed that the machine work he loved offered great opportunities to young men and he frequently wondered aloud why more young men didn't enter the trade. "Good machinists ar always in demand," he once told the Jounral-Times, "and I don;t know of any job in the world that offered the personal saisfaction of a well-done piece of machine work." In machinists circles throughout the west, Landreth was rated as a master craftsman and his shop on Broadway avenue in Ritzville was spoken of with respect and admiration.
Ritzville Journal Times June 8, 1950 Sue Garder & gapwork90
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