"Frankly, I'd kill for someone who could build a steam engine." There was a round of chuckles at that. "No, people, I'm dead serious. A steam engine would be worth its weight in gold. Do any of you know how to make one, let alone repair an old one rotting behind a barn and then keep it running?" Everyone was silent. The thought started him rolling. "Get a steam engine and you have power where you want it. To pump, dig, cut, hell, you could even mount it on the rail tracks and move things.
