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rbprice
| | Posted on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 09:30 am: | 
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The Ferro four cylinder is supposedly from about 1930 or so. I have scoured my collection of 1920 thru 1935 back issues of Motor Boating, Rudder and Yachting magazines trying to find an ad for a Ferro Four.
My understanding is that Ferro Machine & Foundry had some financial difficulties about 1920 but continued in business until 1951 when their assets were auctioned.
Does anyone have any info about this engine they could share?
Thanks
Bob Price
pictures to follow |
rbprice
| | Posted on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 10:35 am: |
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richarddurgee
| | Posted on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 10:39 am: |
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R.B.
This 1917 Ferro ad indicates that they were making 4 cycle engs like yours at that time, i'll look for pictures !!
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richarddurgee
| | Posted on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 10:47 am: |
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Steve Fox
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 12:47 pm: |
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Ferro Machine and Foundry was founded by Crispin Oglebay, an entrepreneur who already owned a company known as Hoffman Hinge Ltd. Ferro expanded rapidly and I recall a motor boating article in 1909 or so that mentioned a company party for its 1200 employees. Perhaps due to overexpansion the company was sold to H.C. Squires of New York in 1910 (Squires was a boat and engine dealer). I don't recall seeing Ferro ads after 1917. I recall seeing a three cylinder Ferro in an experimental planing hull speed boat in 1915, but I didn't know they made a four cylinder. I don't know what happened to Ferro between 1915-1951, howver i doubt they ever reached the size they were in 1909. Oglebay got out of the boat engine and hinge business and went into the machine tooling industry. His company, Oglebay Norton Inc. currently reports about $500m in annual sales. However the company founder's bio doesn't mention Mr. Oglebay earlier ventures.
This is all from memory right now. This doesn't help you with your motor but I thought it might answer your second question about the financial issues. |
rbprice
| | Posted on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 10:09 pm: |
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Thanks a bunch for the info Steve - I have tried to get some info from various sources in Cleveland with not too much success. The info about the final bankruptcy sale came to me from a source at the Cleveland Public Library. According to that info, the company officers purchased the company from the Oglebay interests in Dec. 1946. They were, at that time focused on the automotive industry. No mention of Squires appears in the brief article sent to me which came from a history of Cleveland.
And as I mentioned, I have not found a Ferro marine engine ad after 1915.
Thanks again.
Bob Price
Could I have your direct email address plse? |
Steve Fox
| | Posted on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 09:53 pm: |
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Bob
email is [email protected]
Rgds Steve |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 653
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, December 06, 2004 - 10:49 pm: |
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Ferro 4 cylinder 1915
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Scott Peters
Visitor
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 - 07:27 am: |
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Hi Bob,
When you checked in Cleveland, did you happen to contact the Frederick C. Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum? They had small automotive library 25 years ago when I volunteered there but might have kept information on Ferro. Same with Great Lakes Historical Society's Inland Seas Museum in Vermilion, Ohio, about 50 miles west of Cleveland. They acquired alot of Cleveland Public Library's maritime material back in the 1940s-1950s, I think.
Good luck! |
rbprice
Senior Member
Username: rbprice
Post Number: 184
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 11:11 pm: |
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Hello Scott - no I did not check with those sources since I did not know of them but you can count on my doing so shortly.
Thanks
Bob |
BillR
Visitor
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - 03:24 pm: |
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I am researching a government defense contract that has been identified as being Ferro. The contract was in 1956. Does anybody know the state of the company by that date. Any help is appreciated. I can share the information if anybody would like it. The contract was for a rifle barrel for the M1 Garand |
CA Srnka
Visitor
| | Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2014 - 03:29 am: |
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My Dad worked as Assistant General Superintendent for Ferro in the late 40's through the end of 1957. During those years, he spent most of his time at Ferro's Muskegon MI foundry, although we still lived in Cleveland. According to Dad, the head of Ferro in 1956 had a house in Muskegon, but also a home in either KY or TN as he liked horse racing. In fact, he later owned CarryBack. By early 1956, the company planned to relocate to TN within a couple of years, and my parents took a vacation to that area to see what they thought of it. My Dad ultimately decided to move to the Western US instead, and so left Ferro in late fall of 1957. I don't know what happened to Ferro after that, but thought these family anecdotes might be of interest to someone, and help track down what did happen to Ferro. |
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