How Your Hobby Started Part VIII

3904 41th Ave. S., Seattle, Washington 98118

The old saying ‘He met his fate at Waterloo’ was true
when Napoleon was defeated at that Belgium city in 1815, however
this had not been the case at the namesake of this famous city in
Iowa.

It was at Waterloo, Iowa, that such gasoline engine
manufacturing companies as The William Galloway Co., Waterloo
Gasoline and Traction Engine Co., Water-loo Gasoline Engine Co.,
Cascaden Manufacturing Co., Davis Gasoline Engine Co., Iowa
Gasoline Engine Co., Water-loo Motor Works, Associated
Manufacturing Co., Dart Manufacturing Co., Litchfield Manufacturing
Co., Padden and Pett Co., Caldwell & Hallowell Co., H. W.
Caldwell & Sons, Chase Gas Engine Co. and the Kelly
Manufacturing Co. all started business in this city.

Through the courtesy of the Museum of History and Science of
Waterloo, I am able to give you the details of the early activities
of the above companies who produced many of the nation’s
engines in the early 1900s.

In 1899 William Galloway (1877-1952) began his industrial
business in Reinbeck, Iowa, a small town in Grundy County. He had a
partner, D. J. Wilson. They only continued business here for a few
months and then moved to Waterloo, Iowa.

Here, they continued in business and in 1902 Mr. Galloway bought
a carload of one cylinder Cadillacs and displayed them in front of
his office as the first Cadillac dealer, which was across the
street from the present post office. He continued this agency for
five years when a young man, Mr. C. A. Morris, took over the
interests of this dealership.

Having gained considerable experience in the automobile
business, Mr. Galloway decided to get into the manufacturing of
automobiles. In 1904, with the assistance of Henry Greutsmacher, a
carriage maker, they built their first horseless carriage and drove
it for a year. This car was equipped with a steering wheel instead
of the lever as used on other cars of those times.

After this experience, he organized the William Galloway Company
in 1906 and produced a harrow cart in which the operator could ride
behind a harrow. From the success of this venture, they added a
manure spreader, a cream separator and the Galloway Gasoline Engine
to their manufacturing line of agricultural equipment.

They needed a larger plant, so the Cascaden Manufacturing
Company plant was purchased and added to their facilities. The
capital stock of the Company was increased to $100,000.00.

It was at this time that he started in the general merchandise
mail order business and his slogan was, ‘The House that divides
the melon.’ The company was successful and his personal
attention in creating satisfied customers made his company known
from coast to coast.

To digress a little from farm engines to automobiles — a
historical event was unfolding at this time which fits into our
story of the William Galloway Company.

To the northwest of Waterloo on a farm near Rockford, Iowa, the
Duesen-berg family had migrated from Germany in the 1880s. Fred,
who was one of the three sons, was mechanically inclined and was
not content with farming, soon set out on his own and took
employment with a farm implement dealer. After a few years, he went
to building bicycles and by the age of 20, he was well known for
his vehicle as he had won a number of races.

I would like to know of someone who has an engine like this one.
It is a Moore Gasoline Engine made by Moore Plow and Implement
Company, Greenville, Michigan, Serial Number 1067,4 hp. I have
restored and painted the original color except for the water pump
mounted on the side. I need to know what the piston and connecting
rod for the water pump looks like and sizes. Can anyone help me
with this?

A rare 20-40 Sawyer-Massey gas tractor in the Ontario bush. The
owner, center, used it to thresh in 1938 for the last time. My
father is standing by the rear wheel. My son is seated on the
tractor.

I won the Ontario Steam Preserver’s trophy at Milton in 1968
for this 6 hp. International engine, which my father bought new in
1922.

This picture was taken at the Eastern Ontario Steam Show at
Campbellford, July 1969, early one morning. We were using the 6 hp.
to saw a few slabs for the steam engines.

He ventured into bigger fields of endeavor as he sold his
bicycle business and hired out to Thomas B. Jeffery at Kenosha,
Wisconsin. Tom Jeffery was building the motor carriage known as the
Rambler. Fred Duesenberg continued with this company for a couple
of years, returning to Des Moines, Iowa, where he opened the second
garage in that city under the name of Automobile and Supply
Company.

Apparently, his experience in servicing the horseless carriages
that came to his garage gave him ambition to build a better
automobile. With this thought uppermost in his mind, he began to
design a car. With his mechanical ability, he required finances to
put his theories into practice and he was fortunate to interest a
young man by the name of Mason into his company, which was founded
under the name of the Mason Motor Car Company. They turned out the
first Mason cars in 1906. They advertised a 24 hp. 2-cylinder
opposed engine having a 5′ bore and 5” stroke, and
with four speed transmission at a price of $1250.00 for a five
passenger touring car.

This car was produced for three years when Fred Maytag bought
out the company with his friend, William Galloway, who had arranged
with him to move the Maytag-Mason Motor Company to Waterloo. There,
they turned out five to six cars per day at the Galloway factory.
Due to major mechanical troubles in the rear axle, the manufacture
of the car was discontinued.

Fred Duesenberg moved to St. Paul, where with his brother,
Augie, they built marine engine for speed boats. During World War
One, they were called back to New Jersey, where they designed and
built large engines for marine products, tractors and automobiles.
After the war, these two brothers produced some of the finest
automobiles ever built, with the slogan — ‘Duesenberg – The
Power of the Hour.’

After this venture in the automobile manufacturing business, The
Galloway Company continued to build the farm machinery for which
they were now famous. The factory now covered over 14 acres of
floor space and employed from 800 to 900 people. William Galloway
was President, J. D. Brinkeroff, Vice President; J. W. Henderson,
Secretary and Treasurer and J. T. Swift, F. W. Powers, C. E.
Prickett and E. W. Miller were directors.

A complete line of gasoline engines were offered the farmers and
other trades, as they advertised many interesting features on their
engines, as:–‘Rigid one-piece construction, with the
crankshaft held absolutely square with the bore of the
cylinder’ — ‘Extra long, easy angle I beam connecting
rods’

–‘Adjustable Long Life connecting rod bearings’ —
‘Automatic constant pressure crankpin lubrication’ —
‘Constant level fuel tank’ (which was mounted between the
flywheels on the frame of the engine) — ‘Machine cut
gears’ — ‘Sensitive fuel-saving economy governor’ —
(This was of the flywheel type, hit and miss adjustable speed
variation). ‘Easy start, economy gasifier mixing valve’ —
‘Exhaust valve 40% larger than intake valve’ — ‘Large
cooling water hopper’ (choice of Webster or Wico magneto). The
engines were built in the following sizes and specifications:

During the first World War, Galloway Company built over a
million and a half dollars worth of tractors for the British
Government. Their tractor was selected after numerous competitive
contests with other manufacturers and received the contract on the
merit of their worm drive design. They also won First Prize at an
exhibition at the Royal Palace show in London, competing with
United States and foreign makes. After all of these successful
demonstrations and the delivery of the machines, the British
Government failed to pay for a portion of this large order, which
dealt a big financial blow to the Galloway Company ; as the loss
was nearly a half million dollars.

This financial loss caused William Galloway to lose his business
in 1920. The new owners operated under the same Galloway name.

During Mr. Galloway’s active business career, he was nearly
a one-man Chamber of Commerce, as Waterloo and William Galloway
were almost synonymous. The Galloway Agricultural Club was a
reception center for visiting customers from all over the world.
Here at the factory, lodging and meals were available. The generous
and municipally spirited Mr. Galloway gave Thomas Cascaden, Jr. the
credit for starting the industrial development at Waterloo. Thomas
Cascaden, Sr. was building gasoline engines when William Galloway
moved to Waterloo. Cascaden Mfg. Company was associated with
several other companies as they built the Cascaden-Waughan steam
traction engines. They were successors to the Waterloo Threshing
Machine Company. The ‘Winneshiek’ grain separator was built
by this company.

During World War Two the Galloway Company, now owned and
operated by a different group of men, made bomb fuse parts and
anti-aircraft gun tripods and in 1952 they went back into the
production of farm implements.

While the company he founded carried on with his name, it was
back in 1927 that Mr. Galloway again went back into business on
Ansborough Ave., under the name of William Galloway & Sons. His
sons, David J. and Hugh J., acted as Secretary and Treasurer.
Operating with their well established policies, they soon built up
a good business. They tested seeds, sold Canadian oats, oat hullers
and other farm specialties. Senior Galloway was then able to buy
back his home on Cedar Heights. William Galloway passed away in
1952.

Cascaden-Vaughan Company traction engines and separators were
widely advertised and their slogan was, ‘It saves the
grain’ as their patented oscillating device — the ‘missing
link’ did the business. The 1907 model of the steam traction
engine was a large well built power unit with the engine placed on
the boiler with the cylinder over the front axle and the flywheels
midway of the length of the boiler. This machine looks to be almost
an exact duplicate of the traction engine shown on page 65 of Vol.
24 – No. 3, Jan.-Feb. 1970 issue of Iron-Men Album Magazine, which
according to the very small print under the front wheel in this
picture shows, ‘Crescent Engine Company of Chicago.’
Possibly, Crescent Engine Company took over the manufacturing of
the steam traction engines when, as stated previously, William
Galloway purchased the Cascaden Manufacturing Company in 1910 when
they quit business and Thomas Cascaden, Jr. went with the Davis
Gasoline Engine Company in the Westfield addition at Waterloo.

Davis Gas Engine Company built the Triple Geared Feed Mill
called the Cascadens ‘Giant Killer No. 14,’ for wheat,
corn, oats and rye. It was a sweep mill and was advertised as,
‘The Most Durable Feed Mill on the Market.’ ‘Every man
his own miller by using Cascaden’s Giant Killer.’

Davis Gasoline Engine Company started the manufacture of
gasoline engines in Kansas City in 1893. W. F.

A snapshot of my son, Verle, with the 1-hp. Fairbanks-Morse
engine we bought and restored together. I notice it gets started
about fifteen times a day, not counting a time or two that I might
start it.

Davis, the founder of the company, became acquainted with Thomas
Cascaden, Jr. and in 1896 moved his plant to Waterloo. The company
was reorganized in 1899 under the name of the Davis Engine Works
Company with Thomas Cascaden, Jr. as President, William F. Davis as
Vice-President, J. R. Swift as Secretary, F. G. Ballow, Treasurer
and W. F. Mezrick, Superintendent. In 1902 this company was merged
with the Waterloo Gas Engine Company.

Speaking again of the Waterloo Gasoline and Traction Engine
Company as organized by John Froelich, as mentioned in the previous
installment, has for the officers: John Froelich, George B. Miller,
Louis W. Witry and J. E. Johnson. Seldom were engineers, officers
or directors of these companies,-but an exception did occur in this
case, as Louis W. Witry was the designer of the Waterloo Gasoline
engine. This engine was very dependable and they were sold all over
the world.

One of the first automobiles ever constructed and used in this
vicinity was designed by Mr. Witry and built in their factory.
However, the ever increasing demand for gasoline engines caused the
company to abandon the building of cars, in favor of the gasoline
engine and tractors.

One reason for the popularity of the ‘Waterloo Boy’
gasoline engine was the simplicity of it. The design followed the
general type of single cylinder, horizontal, four cycle machine
with cylinder and crank end of the engine cast in one piece. There
were only two timing gears and a small governor pinion with two
weights. The engine speed was adjustable by a small lever near the
governor. An igniter of the make and break type was located in the
side of cylinder which was actuated by the exhaust valve push rod.
These engines were built in the following sizes:

I found this post card in an old house that I helped to move
years ago. I cannot identify it nor could I find anyone else around
here that could name it. It looks like a Minneapolis made by the
Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company of Hopkins, Minnesota, but I
have not seen a Minneapolis on the order of this one. The engine
sets in the tractor lengthwise, instead of cross-mounted like all
the old tractors that the Great Minneapolis Line built at that
time. Also, this has a vertical four cylinder engine in it.

Waterloo Boy Kerosene and Gasoline Engines of the stationary and
portable types were built in 2-3-5-7-9-14 and 25 hp. in 1921.
Gasoline engines were available in 2-3 and 5 hp.

In 1901 J. E. Briden and associates organized the Iowa Gasoline
Engine Company at Waterloo. They designed these engines that were
small farm type machines of a high grade and in sizes up to 3?
hp.

The company produced engines until 1906 when the name was
changed to the Iowa Machine and Heat Treat Company. The officers
were: C. J. Shaw, President; W. E. Fox, Vice-President; C.
Sorenson, Secretary and J. E. Briden, Treasurer.

A number of men of the various engine manufacturing companies in
Waterloo combined into a company known as the Waterloo Motor Works.
The officers of this company in 1903 were: George B. Miller,
President;

O. V. Eckert, Vice-President; A. Lupton, Vice-President; F. B.
Ballon, Secretary and Treasurer; T. C. Menges, Superintendent and
L. Witry, Foreman. They built various types of engines for
stationary machines and vehicles.

Frank and Charles Duryea built their first successful horseless
carriage in 1893. They founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in
Springfield, Massachusetts in 1896 and built about twelve motor
carriages of the same design. In 1901, they combined their business
with J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company, which became known as the
Stevens-Duryea Company.

During 1895 Charles Duryea moved to Peoria, Illinois, and built
a new type of engine. The early cars had an engine designed by Carl
Benz. At Peoria changes were made in the construction of their cars
and patent No. 540,648 to J. F. Duryea shows a single cylinder,
four cycle water-cooled engine with 4³/₄‘
x 5 ³/₈‘ bore and stroke. The unusual
feature of this engine was the arrangement of the cylinder mounted
on the side with the crankshaft operating in a vertical position,
with one flywheel turning in a horizontal plane and under the
engine. The crank was extended downward with a bevel gear mounted
on the end, which was located in a gear box or transmission. These
gears made it possible for various gear ratios and a reverse. A
drive gear extended from this gear box to a bevel gear on the rear
axle and differential. The engine had a hit and miss governor, an
electrical ignition with a battery and coil, and a make and break
igniter. Two tanks, of a two gallon capacity, were mounted at the
rear of the car. One was for engine cooling water and the other for
a fuel tank.

By now you may be wondering why all this dissertation on the
Duryea horseless carriage and where it had any connection with
Waterloo. In 1906 the Waterloo Motor Works advertised as follows:
‘Manufacturers of the Famous Duryea Automobile Gasoline
Engines’. So not only one, but two of the famous early
automobile engines and cars were made in the city of Waterloo.

Another manufacturing company came into being in 1896 at
Waterloo, known as the Associated Manufacturing Company. It was
founded by W. W. Marsh, President and Treasurer and H. B. Plumb was
the Vice-President and

Secretary. Their first product was a hand-operated cream
separator, which was very well accepted and for which the company
was known for many years. With this success they went into the
gasoline engine business and built engines from 1
³/₄ hp. to 25 hp.

With an attractive advertising slogan, they built the ‘Iowa
Oversized Engines’ and ‘The Hired Man Engine’. They
claimed these to be the ‘longest-lived engines
manufactured’. This company continued in business until 1946
when purchased by the Hamilton Engine Company of Chicago, but
continued to operate under the Associated name until they went out
of business a few years ago-

Several other companies of which little history is obtainable
were also located in Waterloo. The Litchfield Manufacturing Company
was established in 1903 by H. L. and C. E. Litchfield. They had
been active in Webster City, Iowa where they started in 1879. Their
corn pickers, wagons, manure spreaders and tractor trailers had
made their reputation over much of our country.

In 1911 they built a very interesting engine. There were only a
few of these single cylinder vertical air-cooled engines made by
the company, as it seems they had trouble with patent rights.

A 40-62 Huber Tractor which made its first show this past year
at the Central States Thresherman’s Reunion. It takes a lot of
time and work to overhaul, clean and paint this machinery and then
it’s another thing to take care of it thereafter -one thing, I
do have a nice big shed to store my equipment.

I am indebted to our good readers, Mr. and Mrs. Claude Knudson
of Gulley, Minnesota for an excellent colored picture of one of the
beautifully restored Litchfield engines. This was the mystery
engine that Claude Knudson tried for fourteen years to learn the
name of the manufacturer. GEM readers came to his assistance and
the Museum at Waterloo furnished the rest of the missing links, so
now the engine is properly catalogued among engine collectors. I
understand this is a six cycle engine, which adds even more to the
value of this antique. Are there any other six cycle engines in
existence?

Besides the engine manufacturers already mentioned in Waterloo,
there was The Dart Manufacturing Co. headed by Charles W. Hellen
and it was part of the Galloway enterprises. In 1914 this company
was incorporated as the Dart Motor Truck Company.

Then there was the Padden & Pett Company that built gasoline
engines, pumps and windmills.

Caldwell and Hollowell Company and H. W. Caldwell & Son, who
have been mentioned previously, were associated in Chicago, and
later Caldwell was a partner of John Charter, who at one time
operated in Waterloo. Later John Charter was an engineer with
Fairbanks, Morse and Company.

Two other companies were the Chase Gas Engine Company and the
Kelly Manufacturing Company, who in 1915 built kerosene engines,
drays and graders. Undoubtedly there is much more history connected
with the enterprising companies of this city in the hey-day of
engine building such as their problems, competition and endeavors
to build a more dependable engine than the other manufacturers.
These companies had a great potential for engine business with the
farmers that were learning for the first time what labor saving
equipment meant to the hard working men in the pursuit of
agriculture. This is somewhat evident judging from the trade names
the engine manufacturers gave to their small stationary and
portable gasoline farm engines, such as:
‘Jack-of-all-Trades’,

‘The Master Workman’, ‘Tom Thumb’,
‘Sattley’, ‘Economy’, ‘Titan, Jr.’, ‘F
& J Farm Pump Engine’, ‘Bulls Eye’, ‘Bull
Dog’, ‘The Hired Man’, ‘Jack Junior’, ‘Iowa
Oversized Engine’ and ‘Eclipse Pumper’ and possibly
many more.

These small engines were applied in every possible combination
to make complete engineered units with the engines and the driven
units properly designed for one to the other. Such outfits as water
pumps, windmill pump engine units, engines geared to large walking
beams to raise water from very deep wells, in combinations of
geared drive to piston pattern pumps. The application of engines to
cord wood saws ran the entire gamut in the stationary and portable
rigs. The use of the wood stove in those days made a big demand for
this type of equipment. The outfits were well constructed on steel
wagon frames with steel wheels and in the cold parts of the
country, they were available with heating type cast-iron radiators
used as the cooling device for oil-cooled engines to prevent
freezing.

This picture is of all the Rumely Oil Pull Models – have had
many, many old timers visit me this summer and they have convinced
me that they were never ever collected together in one place at one
time before this. When I think back on the time and expense that I
went to — I can see why! These 18 Rumely machines came from twelve
different states and Canada.

I had them hauled to LaPorte, Indiana, on the 4th of July and
took them back into the Rumely Plant, where they were built (now
Allis Chalmers). Then, they were taken down the Main Street of
LaPorte in their 4th of July Parade. A. D. helped me out by
locating all the old-time Rumely employees still living and sent
each one a letter of invitation and set up chairs for them to see
the parade. They truly enjoyed this, I know, as they expressed
their thanks.

My father worked for Rumely Company from 1910 to 1931 and then
for A. Chalmers until he retired. He passed away eight years ago
and if he had lived, he would have had the day of his life on the
4th of July.

You can see from the hood on the E-30-60 Rumely, that we even
had an accident with the viaduct on the way to LaPorte. I could
almost write a story from the experiences I had in collecting,
restoring and locating all models of the machines. They were all
running on the trucks during the parade, but quite a few quit on us
because no one was with all models and they need a gentle hand on
them from time to time.

(Earl had a paper listing the models as: Back Row- Rumely
Do-All, Rumely 6, Rumely 15-30 Gas Pull 1912. Center row: E-30-60;
G-20-40; M-20-35; S-30-60; H-14-28; R-25-45; F-15-30; Z-40-60;
Y-30-50 and B-25-45. Front Row: L-15-25; H-16-30; W-20-30; K-12-20
and X-25-40.)

The old engine catalogs show suggested applications of engines
on the farm in the dairy, for irrigation, grinding grain, cream
separators, churns, corn shelters, sheep shearing machines and
running the first power-driven family washing machines. When the
urban dweller began to enjoy the use of electricity, it was not
long until the suburban home had the same conveniences, made by his
own gasoline engine-driven electric light plants.

As early as 1902 these generator plants were available in a
number of types. The engine driving the generator with a long flat
belt and a switchboard on the wall producing direct current was
possibly the first type available. Then came the combination engine
and battery plant, making it possible to enjoy the electricity in
the evening and at night without the bother of looking after a
running engine, and to have a quiet period of the environment.

Development of the small lighting plant was rapid and generators
and engines were designed for direct connection to improve
dependability and conserve space. These units were quite reliable
and were available in sizes from ? K.W. to 7? K.W. which were
sufficient capacity to supply electric lights for many stores and
shops in those days before the use of so many electric signs.

The gasoline engine was a pioneer in our country. It developed
the rural areas, making it profitable for the power companies to
extend their transmission lines into these districts where the
homes were already wired for electric generating plants. As the
power lines reached farmers, they would then sell their private
electric light plants to their neighbors beyond the reach of the
high line. In this way gasoline engines for power and for
generation of electricity filled the needs in rural areas until the
districts were populated to warrant further extensions of the power
lines of the power companies.

One of the rare ones, this 1? hp. Emerson-Brantingham is now in
running order. The engine belongs to me but Jim Kovar, R. R.,
Clarinda, Iowa, put it back in good form. He has given me the
instructions to color the engine red, the trademark green and the
letters yellow. This engine was in poor shape (cobbled up – to some
of you) but Jim has a loving mother’s touch with engines that
need a helping hand.

My Omaha 4 hp. gas engine patented in 1900. I have 17
engines.