This post is about the known and the unknown. While what is commonly known can be interesting, the unknown usually holds a greater fascination. With that in mind, we’ll begin with what I’ve been able to learn and save the mystery for later.
Engines bearing the Witte name were produced in one form or another for almost 100 years so it’s not too hard to locate some info about them on the web. August Witte opened a foundry in Kansas City, Missouri in 1870. His son, Edward joined the family business as an apprentice to learn the trade at an early age. When August retired in 1886 ED was ready to take command of Witte Iron works.
In the last decades of the 19th century the internal combustion engine looked like the wave of the future so Ed, like hundreds of other industrialists, decided to catch a ride. He designed his own engine that was ready for production by 1894. It was also about this time that the company name was changed to the Witte Engine Works.
Witte sold engines primarily by mail order. I found one of his ads in a publication called Gas Review dated January 1914. The ad copy reads,” Sold only direct from my factory to users at strictly factory prices.” That might have been the case during the early years, but as time passed Witte engines were sold globally through a network of distributors.
Witte offered engines as portables, stationary, skidded and saw rig style. Horsepower ranged as follows, two hp for $39.45, four hp, $75.50, six hp, $99.35, eight hp, $ 149.90, eleven hp, $218.90, twenty hp, $389.50.
You could also choose the type of fuel that your engine would run on. Kerosene, gasoline, distillate and natural gas models were available. Best of all you were offered a sixty day free trial and your engine carried a five year guarantee. Try getting those terms at your local Greedmart.
Ok, that was the easy part. If you want to learn more about the adventures of Witte Engine Works in later years any search engine should turn up multiple results. A good place to start would be, www.dieselworldmag.com/diesel-tractors/a-witte-pair/# . Now let’s take a closer look at the part of this rig that really grabbed my attention.
The owner, John ( didn’t mention his last name ) told me that he had been unable to learn much about this generator or dynamo during the years he has owned it. He could not find the name of the manufacturer anywhere on it. Likewise for the date when it was made but he believes it was somewhere around 1905.
I think 1905 or earlier would be about right. I spent hours searching the web and turned up almost nothing that looked similar to this machine. I did find one drawing of an early dynamo that had a similar shaped housing but no information was provided. In addition to the Witte advertisement I also found an ad for Roth generators in Gas Review. It was one of those classified ads that you find in the back of magazines. At first I thought I had found the answer because the illustration looked somewhat like this dynamo but now I’m not so sure. It was a very low quality drawing and really could have been almost anything.
Who made it and when remains a mystery but the electrical characteristics are clearly stamped on a machined flat surface on the frame. Sixty amps, 7 ½ KW, 125 volts. The serial number appears to be 6154. If anyone can add some information about it, your comments would be welcome.
Sources:
Gas Review, Jan. 1914, page 29
dieselworldmag.com/diesel-tractors/a-witte-pair/#
