1901 25 HP Swan
Made by: John D. Swan Co., Lima, OH
Year: 1901
Horsepower: 25
Bore: 12-1/4-inch
Stroke: 18-inch
Governing: Throttle
Ignition: Hot tube
This 1901 25 HP Swan gas engine has an unusual design that is very similar to the 25 HP Lima gas engine also exhibited at the museum in the Founders’ Building.
In some respects the Swan is a typical 4-cycle engine, except that it has a crosshead guided piston, which is a nice feature but an added expense. It has a flyball governor, power-operated valves, and a natural gas mixer, and it is a throttling engine. It also has demountable flywheels, which allowed for replacement of the hubs without having to replace the entire flywheel.
This engine was most likely made for oil field service and, in fact, was found on an oil lease near Pennville, Ind. It was rescued from that site in very poor condition in about 1970 and brought to the museum, where it was restored by Craig Prucha. It is owned by Paul Harvey.
This engine is one of 40 profiled in the new book “Coolspring” published by Gas Engine Magazine. It is availble online in the Farm Collector Store and at the Coolspring Summer Expo, June 16-18, 2011.
