ANSWERS TO SEPT-OCT ‘WHAT IS IT?’

By Staff
Published on March 1, 1969
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Courtesy of Wilfred Service Beeton, Ontario, Canada
Courtesy of Wilfred Service Beeton, Ontario, Canada
2 / 5
Courtesy of Denis McCormack, 404 W. Timonium Rd., Timonium, Baltimore Co. Maryland 21093
Courtesy of Denis McCormack, 404 W. Timonium Rd., Timonium, Baltimore Co. Maryland 21093
3 / 5
Courtesy of Denis McCormack, 404 West Timonium Road, Timonium, Baltimore Co. Maryland 21093
Courtesy of Denis McCormack, 404 West Timonium Road, Timonium, Baltimore Co. Maryland 21093
4 / 5
Courtesy of Harold Smeigh, 139 Manchester St., Apt. 3, Glen Rock Pennsylvania 17327
Courtesy of Harold Smeigh, 139 Manchester St., Apt. 3, Glen Rock Pennsylvania 17327
5 / 5
Courtesy of Denis McCormack, 404 West Timonium Road, Timonium, Baltimore Co. Maryland 21093
Courtesy of Denis McCormack, 404 West Timonium Road, Timonium, Baltimore Co. Maryland 21093

47 Deland Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43214

I happen to have some information relative to Russell
Ginnow’s interesting ‘B & EM Co.’ upright engine
pictured in the Sept-Oct. ‘What is it?’ (pg. 22). In your
Nov-Dec ‘Smoke Rings’ column Paul Harvey correctly
interpreted the hieroglyphics as eminating from the Bates and
Edmonds Motor Co. of Lansing, Mich. He mentioned that he also had
an example with a ‘Fairbanks Co.’ nameplate and suggested
that this concern might have been the real builder. Actually it was
the other way around. Bates and Edmonds built the engines and
Fairbanks Company jobbed them.

There are a number of engine floating around with nice brass
tags that say ‘The Fairbanks Co, New York City,’ among them
the 5 horse Callahan owned by Joe Davidson and myself (GEM Jul-Aug
1966, pg. 16). In 1960, when we had just restored this engine, we
had not yet identified it and we wrote to the Fairbanks Co.
requesting information. They are still in business in New York
City, making valves and hand trucks. Fifty years ago they were one
of the largest distributors of machine shop equipment in the world,
and they handled several lines of gas engines. They have never been
connected in any way with Fairbanks, Morse.

We had a couple of very cordial letters from their Mr. Philip
Fallon, who stated quite definitely that ‘Fairbanks Company
never made a gas engine of its own.’ He inquired among the
older employees and found that they did remember selling a
‘Bull Dog’ engine made by Bates and Edmonds. Our Callahan
stumped them, however, so he for warded our letter and picture to
the Smithsonian Institution (who were also stumped).

Mr. Fallon did find a Fairbanks Company catalogue, vintage 1920,
in their files and he was kind enough to send it to us. It is a big
book, over an inch thick, titled ‘Mill, Mine, and Railway
Supplies.’ It contains all kinds of goodies including the Bates
and Edmonds ‘Bull Dog’ horizontals from 2 to 16 Hp. a Hvid
injection Diesel built along the same lines in 6, 8, and 12 Hp, the
St. Marys Hvid injection Diesel (side shaft) in 20 and 30 Hp, the
Buckeye 2 cycle vaporizing oil engines from 55 hp singles to 260 Hp
twins, and several makes of marine engines.

We still run across the horizontal ‘Bull Dogs’
occasionally when collecting in this part of the country. The
uprights like Mr. Ginnow’s and Paul’s are the rare ones
everybody wants to find. Both had the exhaust valve worked by a
pull rod and a rock shaft running across the front of the head. The
upright was built in a 1? Hp size, which would no doubt be the
rating of Mr. Ginnow’s 4 x 4. I have a reproduction of a very
nicely executed drawing of the upright which was obtained from good
friend Tom Stockton of Ann Arbor, Mich. It is titled ‘Bates and
Edmonds Motor Co, Lansing, Mich.’ and was drawn by H.
Williamson in July of 1902. It shows the parts you need, Paul-will
have to loan it to you.

My Eagle tractor that I have restored. It is 45 years old and is
running a chopping mill every day in the year, in Boston.

This picture shows my father and three of our six washing
machines. My father and I have been collecting washing machines for
about three years.

The washing machines on the picture from left to right are an
Easy Vacuum Electric Washer, Model M. No. 473872, patented March
26, 1912 and manufactured by the Syracuse Washing Machine Corp.
This machine is made of copper and is run by an electric motor.

The next washing machine is a Harmony Patented 1923. This
machine is all wood except for running gears and is run by a gas
engine.

The last machine is a Horton Miracle No. 22. It was manufactured
in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This Machine is hand powered. We also have
a Voss FlotoPlane, manufactured by Voss Bros. Mfg. Co. Davenport,
Iowa.

Cane sugar syrup was a feature of the Florida Steam & Gas
Engine Show in February 1969.

Some of the engines did not make it to the Florida Show in
1969-perhaps they will in 1970??

Some of the engines at the Florida Show in 1969.

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