Hercules and the Pyramid

To my knowledge no one has ever suggested that Hercules built the Pyramids, or even visited them as a tourist ,but a Hercules engine was definitely powering this Goulds Pyramid pump at the 2018 F.A.P.A.S.C. Power from the Past Show back in May.

The Marketeers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were particularly fond of naming their products after the heros from classical mythology. At one point there were three manufacturers of engines trying call their products Hercules engines. The Evansville, Indiana firm that made these small engines had no connection to the better known Hercules Engine Co. of Canton, Ohio that manufactured engines for trucks. Like most such disputes, this one was eventually hashed out by the lawyers. 

The Evansville firm had its roots in Cincinnati, Ohio with a company called the Brighton Buggy Works that built buggies that were distributed by Sears, Roebuck and Company. The ties to Sears would remain throughout the existence of the firm.  Around 1902 a factory was constructed in Evansville and the name was changed to Hercules Buggy Co. When Sears decided to venture into automotive products by motorizing its buggies, engines to power them were built at the Evansville plant. In 1912 production of stationary engines began and the name was changed to Hercules Gas Engine Co. 

The stationary engines Hercules made for Sears were sold under the Economy trade mark, but they also built engines for other retailers. Hercules built engines were sold with brand names such as Ajax, Arco, Atlas, Champion, Jaeger, Keystone, Reeco, Thermoil and Williams. In 1914 150 engines were built daily. By the time the Evansville plant shut down in 1934, more than 400,000 engines had been produced. In spite of this apparent diversification the company’s fate seems to have been irrevocably linked to Sears. In 1929 Sears canceled it’s agreement with Hercules and contracted with the Stover works to supply stationary engines. This appears to have been a mortal blow and the Great Depression did the rest. Hercules Products closed its doors for good in 1934. 

I can’t provide much information about the engine shown here. The data plate on the engine is nearly illegible. It looks like it might be 2 ½ hp and SK but that’s not for certain. Likewise the engine number appears to be 349186. Maybe some engine expert out there can offer some details.  

Pumps made from wood were being manufactured in Senaca Falls, New York  as early as 1839 by a company named Paine and Caldwell. One year later a man named Abel Downs opened a shop and began building his own brand of pumps. His company would become Downs & Company in 1848 when Seabury Gould bought into the firm. 

Goulds background was operating a foundry where he made a variety of products and in 1849 he cast the first all metal pump. His design was so well developed that versions of this hand operated pump are still being sold today and judging by early illustrations the appearance is basically the same. A 1906 edition of Sweet’s Indexed Catalogue of Building Construction , available in digital format at books.google.com  has an illustration of Goulds Pitcher Spout Pump as well as one of a Pyramid Pump. Both look similar to the pumps in this photo. The catalogue describes the Pyramid pump as, “ A double acting piston pump with a 55 lbs pressure or 125 ft. elevation. This pump is used for tank pump in residences, apartment houses, factories, railroad water tanks, etc.”   Fifteen different models of Goulds pumps are shown in this 1906 publication. 

Goulds continued to increase his stake in the company and by 1869 the name had been changed to Goulds Manufacturing Co. Throughout this period the company was an innovative leader in its field. Goulds developed one of the earliest steam powered pumps. The factory and main office remained in Seneca Falls but branches were established in New York City, Boston, Mass,, Chicago, Il, and Pittsburgh, Pa. 

In 1926 the name changed again, this time to Goulds Pumps Inc. It would remain a family owned and managed business until 1964 when the company went public.  Goulds built pumps for every usual application. In addition to hand operated pumps their pumps were designed to be powered by belt from line shafts, direct from steam engines or gas, oil, gasoline,  engines or electric motors .

Goulds Pumps have proven to be a survivor. In 1997 they were acquired by the ITT Corporation. In 2011 the pump manufacturing division was spun off as a separate company and named Xylem Inc. The name Goulds still appears on pumps built in Senaca Falls, New York. with no end in sight. The company just completed a 27 million dollar plant expansion early in 2018.  

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org 

www.gasenginemagazine.com 

www.archives.hcea.net 

www.tractorfriends.org 

www.gouldspumps.com 

Books.google.com 

Caterpillar Ten

Even before Holt Manufacturing Co. and C.L. Best Tractor Company merged in 1925 to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co., there were “ Caterpillar “ crawler tractors. Holt began experimenting with track layer designs in 1906 and was in production by 1908. Legend has it that somebody’s kid was watching a demonstration and exclaimed “ It moves like a caterpillar!” and Holt picked up the expression and began applying it to their crawler tractors.  By 1914 Holt’s tracklayers were well developed and were in great demand by the British and French armies who used them for hauling artillery and  supply wagons through the mud on the Western Front.  They were so successful in this application that they may have been the inspiration for the first tanks.

The Caterpillar Ten was developed in 1928 as a replacement for the popular 2 ton model in the company’s product line. Production began in December but only a handful were actually produced with serial numbers running from PT 1 to PT 7 according to a list published at chriscomachinery.com . 1929 was the first full year of production with serial numbers running from PT 8 to PT 3173. The number stamped on the data plate of this example is PT 1420, putting it in the middle of this range. 

Small crawler tractors have always been well received because there are a number of things that they do very well. The floatation developed by the area of the tracks enable them to operate where wheeled machines would quickly bog down. Sitting close to the ground with a low center of gravity gives them an advantage when being used in hilly terrain. They are especially favored by orchard operators. Between 1928 and 1932 Caterpillar manufactured around 4929 copies of the Ten that sold for $1,100 each. 

A model Ten was sent to the University of Nebraska Lincoln where it was evaluated from May 6th to May 21 1929 in test number 160 where the following specifications were recorded. 

Caterpillar built their own 4 cylinder vertical “L” head gasoline engine for the Ten that had a bore of 3 ⅜” and a stroke of 4”. Turning at 1500 rpm it recorded a rated 15.26 brake horsepower and posted 10.10 hp drawbar. Ignition was by way of an Eisemann mod. G4 magneto. The carburetor was an Ensign mod. Bet 1”. Air was cleaned through a Pomona Vortex oiled filter. Lubrication was by pressure and splash. 

A foot operated single plate clutch assisted shifting the gears that provided speeds recorded  as: low 2.02 mph, intermediate 2.59 mph, high 3.50 mph and reverse 2.07 mph. Power was transmitted by way of an enclosed gear drive. Tracks measured 13.9 feet in length by 8 inches across the face.  A belt pulley measuring 9 ½” in diameter with a face of 6 ½” turning at 1050 rpm was available for power takeoff. 

The Caterpillar Ten shown here is owned by the Culp Family and was exhibited at the Tractors and Trains Festival 2018 at the NC Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC.

Resources:

University of Nebraska Tractor Test number 160

https://books.google.com  Caterpillar Chronicle: History of the Greatest Earthmovers by Eric C. Olemann 

www.caterpillar.com 

Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors by C.H. Wendel