611 Hollow Horn Road, Ottsville, Pennsylvania 18942
After waking up at 5:00 a.m. on the first day of a new year and
rolling in bed long enough, I decided to head for my easy chair in
the living room.
I reached behind the chair and pulled an old GEM out of
a bag that I had lent to my son-in-law. (He is very close to the
edge. I gave him two Maytags a while back and I’m expecting
that phone call any day, saying ‘Hey, Pap, I got them
running!’ I’ll never tell him I ran them, maybe 20 years
ago, when they were shelved.)
Anyway, the GEM I pulled out was Volume 21, August
1986. When I got to page 17, I noticed an interesting serial number
list for Associated and United engines.
About two months ago, I was lucky enough to acquire two United
engines, my first find in a couple of years. So, with flashlight in
hand, I headed for my basement shop to read the serial numbers: #1
is type A, 2? HP, 201208 serial, hopper cooled, 1915; #2 is type
(?) 1? HP, 75791 serial, air-cooled (fan missing), 1926.
This brought a couple of interesting points to mind.
(1) The list did not mention anything about hopper or
air-cooled.
(2) Why would some higher serial numbers have an earlier
manufacturing date?
(3) The story states it was built in Iowa, yet my name tag
reads Lansing, Michigan.
Interestingly enough, my 2? HP fits in with the three engines
located in Southhampton, Massachusetts. I think a lot of engines
have been brought down and sold at our engine shows. (Keep ’em
comin’!).
Please add my engines to the United list.
