The OHIO GAS ENGINE

By Staff
Published on September 1, 1982
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4 HP Ohio gas engine belonging to Kieth and Jeanne Monnier of 18400 Sidney-Plattsville Road, Sidney, OH 45365.
4 HP Ohio gas engine belonging to Kieth and Jeanne Monnier of 18400 Sidney-Plattsville Road, Sidney, OH 45365.
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(Editor’s note: The 4 HP Ohio Motor Company engine pictured
on our cover is owned by Keith and Jeanne Monnier of 18400
Sidney-Plattsville Rd., Sidney, Ohio 45365. What follows is their
story of the restoration work on the engine and a history of the
Ohio Motor Company, which they have compiled for our readers.)

Our ‘Ohio’ Engine

Early last winter we acquired our own 4 HP Ohio Motor Company
engine. This engine was made in Sandusky, Ohio and sold to the
Amherst Motor Company of Amherst, Nova Scotia for marketing. The
engine had been used in Brunswick, Canada to pump water; it was
always shedded in the pump house.

The engine was in pretty good condition with all the parts
intact except for drip oilers, gasoline tank, and water tank.
Restoration began in March of 1981; we finished restoring the
engine last in August, 1981. The engine was completely dismantled
except for removing the flywheels from the crankshaft. All castings
were sanded down to the bare metal, then brushed with six coats of
rusty metal primer number 7769 as the base primer. These were wet
sanded, followed by two coats of sprayed primer, then wet sanded
with 400 grit wet or dry paper. The finish paint color selected was
Sherwin-Williams Maroon number F65 Ml Kem-Lustral Enamel. The
finish surface received five coats of this sprayed on. Parts that
were machine finished originally were polished and nickel plated.
All original brass parts were polished. New gasoline and water
tanks were made. Original steel pipe for gasoline and water lines
was changed to polished red brass pipe. The engine was pinstriped
in yellow.

Nearly all the bugs have been worked out of it for smooth
operation, and we hope to show it at several shows in the
Midwest.

The history of the Ohio Motor Co. is an interesting one. What
follows is the basic story, gathered from several sources. The
first listings came from the Sandusky City Guide Directory.

First listing 1898-1899: Underwood Motor Co. (The)-
Incorporated May 24, 1897, with capital stock of $10,000. Henry C.
Strong was President; R. E. Schuck, Vice President; G. F. Anderson,
Secretary; James Flynn, Treasurer; and Albert Schwehr, the Manager.
The company location was 232 Columbus Avenue.

First listing as the Ohio Motor Co. 1902:03: Ohio Motor
Co. (The)- Incorporated May 24, 1897, with capital stock of
$25,000. The offices of President and Treasurer, held by Henry
Strong, were combined; G. Schwehr became Secretary; and the new
location was the northeast corner of Perry and Water Streets.

Second listing 1915: Henry Strong was again the
President, W. H. Spencer Strong became the Vice President and
Treasurer, and Albert Schwer the Secretary.

Last listing 1919-1920: Ohio Motor Co.
(The)-Incorporated May 24, 1897, with capital stock of $100,000. A
president was not listed, but W. H. Spencer Strong remained the
Vice President and Treasurer. E. T. Fox was listed as the
Secretary, and the Perry and Water Streets location was
maintained.

The following information is from the Sandusky
Register Star News Twin Anniversary Edition of
Tuesday, November 25, 1947:

‘Back in 1896, there were few gas or gasoline engines that
would run at all, and none that were dependable. Along about this
time, a traveling man stopped at the Sloane House. He was riding a
contraption that attracted a great deal of attention. It was an
ordinary ‘safety’ bicycle to which he had attached a sort
of gasoline motor that, once in a while, would run. The device
attracted the attention of George A. Schwer, then the 22-year-old
clerk at the hotel, and he showed it to his father, Albert Schwer,
an old-time master mechanic. Father and son became interested in
the possibilities of the internal combustion engine. They started
to develop an engine that would deliver steady, dependable power.
Their first shop was in a former fish house, located where
Brown’s Inc., now operated an outside boat storage yard, on E.
Railroad St.

‘The following year, 1897, the new gasoline engine was ready
for the market, and Albert Schwer, George A. Schwer, Henry C.
Strong, Cornelius E. Neilson, and Randolph Schunk formed the Ohio
Motor Co. to manufacture them. A site was acquired, at the
southeast corner of E. Water and Perry Streets. Some frame
buildings, formerly part of the Hodgman sawmill, once located where
the Lyman Boat Works now stands, were moved to the new
location.

‘Henry C. Strong became president, George A. Schwer,
vice-president and manager, and Albert Schwer, general
superintendent. Later, Wm. H. Spencer Strong became associated with
the new industry as secretary and treasurer.

‘At first, only marine engines were manufactured, together
with a few stationary models. One or two of these ancient power
plants are still operating craft on Lake Erie. After the first few
years, the marine engines were discontinued, and thereafter
stationary engines were the sole product. These were produced in a
dozen sizes, ranging from four to 50 horse power. A few were
mounted on steel chassis, so they could be moved about from place
to place, for example, on farms.

‘The industry continued to prosper until the advent of the
automobile era, shortly before World War I. The company was
contemplating setting aside funds for the development of an engine
suitable for automotive purposes. However a number of factors,
including the failure of a Pittsburgh company that owned the local
plant a very large sum of money, intervened to prevent this branch
out of business. The company even played around with airplane
engines in World War I days. Some of the marine engines are still
in operation but the airplane engines never got out of the
experimental stage’.

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