Kettlersville, Ohio 45336
Beginning in 1878, the construction of the first successful
Gasoline Engine built in the United States was the Otto of Germany.
Montgomery Ward was the first mail order house to sell Gasoline
Engines and sold the Otto. Listed in their 1894-1895 catalog these
engines were high priced as a dollar was a lot of money at that
time. This is the price list of, the Otto engines in 1894-95:
| H.P | Weight | Price | |
| 2 | 950 | $ | 295 |
| 4 | 1250 | 420 | |
| 61/2 | 1650 | 540 | |
| 8 | 1725 | 600 | |
| 10 | 2825 | 740 | |
| 13 | 600 | 810 | |
| 17 | 4500 | 1025 | |
| 23 | 7500 | 1437 | |
| 29 | 8000 | 1687 | |
| 36 | 12300 | 2363 | |
| 2 H.P. air cooled | $580.00 | ||
| 2 H.P. hopper cooled | 578.00 | ||
| 3 H.P. hopper cooled | 764.00 | ||
| 4 H.P. hopper cooled | 816.00 | ||
| 6 H.P. hopper cooled | 958.00 | ||
| 10 H.P. hopper cooled | 1407.00 | ||
| 15-20 H.P. hopper cooled | 2907.00 | ||
From 1878 to 1910 in 32 years time, hundreds of different
factories came into being. Competition became so strong that prices
came tumbling down so that in 1910 I bought a 12 H.P. United Engine
for $125.00 and a 6 H.P. for $58.00 which I still have. It still
runs like new. Over 1300 factories came into being building engines
at one time, then they began going out of business. Finally there
was only one left that built a full line of these open crank two
flywheel Hopper Cooled Engines and that is the Arcadia Gas Engine
Company of Nova Scotia, Canada. I have their price list for 1965
for the Cleveland, Ohio catalog where the Wilson Supply Company
were the agents for the U.S.A. F.O.B. Cleveland, Ohio.
As these engines were not selling they discontinued the full
line of these engines some time between 1967 and 1970. They still
make the 10 H.P. size on order for the Canadian Government or
anyone else who wanted one. The price is $1500.00 plus $500.00 duty
and freight. Mr. Wilson, president of Wilson Supply Company bought
one of the 15-20 H.P. size for his farm and likes it very much. For
sixty years most farmers at some time had two engines, a small one
to run the washing machine, pump water, run meat grinder, and a
larger one for wood buzzing, feed grinding, and shredding. When
rural electric came in and farmers were getting tractors these
engines became obsolete. At that time I was operating a used
implement and junk yard. I wrecked some 200 of these engines, all
sizes, from 1 H.P. to 15 H.P. There also were a lot of Delco
Electric light plants wrecked. These engines ran nicely. I sure
wish I had some of the nice engines now. At that time all they were
used for was scraps. These engines were all made of the best of
cast iron which had the highest market value of that time.
