| Author |
Message |
    
Scott Peters
Visitor
| | Posted on Thursday, December 23, 2004 - 07:19 pm: | 
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Found this on the company's later years in Grand Rapids, MI. I don't know if most of it is common knowledge or not.
Wolverine Motor Works
This institution was organized in 1899 with $20,000 in capital. Its original stockholders were A. C. Denison, James Lowe, Eliza E. Lowe, Roland Lowe, Frank A. Simonds, Edward Lowe, and Sintz Bros. and it commenced its business in manufacturing gasoline engines. Its products were first made at the Butterworth & Lowe shops, but it now has a factory of its own at 128 South Front street. It now makes gasoline engines, boats and launches which are sold and used all over the world. It now has $100,000.00 invested capital and its present officers are C. L. Snyder, president and treasurer; Jules Panigot, assistant treasurer and auditor; and Louis D. Snyder, secretary and vice-president. It employs about 55 men in its Grand Rapids shops, and about 25 men at Holland. Sixty per cent of its products are exported and its boats are found in all waters that civilized man travels. It is under the active management of Charles L. Snyder.
Source:
Goss, Dwight. History of Grand Rapids and its Industries, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1906.) p. 1092. |
larry mahan
Visitor
| | Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 02:41 pm: |
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Hi Scott Peters. Larry Mahan here. I purchased the Wolverine Motor Works in 1982. I have been studying this company's history for 27 years. There are several errors in the copy from the Dwight Goss piece. When I get back from sailing the Spirit of Larinda I'll let you know the correct info. I am leaving from San Diego for Cape Cod, Ma. in two weeks. |
andrew
Moderator
Username: andrew
Post Number: 1024
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 04:12 pm: |
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Larry,
Good you see that you are reading and posting on the board!!
Any Wolverine info you share here will be most appreciated.
Also tell us about the Spirit of Larinda when you get a chance.
Regards,
Andrew |
bruce
Senior Member
Username: bruce
Post Number: 251
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 06:08 pm: |
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Looking forward to hearing from Larry Mahan for an update on Larinda (Now Spirit of Larinda ?)since her unfortunate sinking in Halifax harbor during a major blow in late 2003(?).OME tracked her 1928 Wolverine deisel story prior to launching as I recall. |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 703
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 07:05 pm: |
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Larry,
Am also a big fan of Clark Sintz and his two sons Claude and Guy. The wolverine history is sketchy
as to the very early years, in an 1895 Sintz Gasoline Engine Catalog the Name " The Bayne Engine Co." is printed on one of the pages, Was this an existing engine maker that Sintz used as his mfg shop in his first years that he moved to Grand rapids, or what was the relationship ??
Looking forward to your info !
May the wind be at your back ! |
larry mahan
Visitor
| | Posted on Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 11:57 am: |
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hi Andrew. I am in San Diego now. The Spirit of Larinda is the name of the former, 'Hawiian Chieftain' sailing out of San Francisco. No Wolverine for power but I still have 12 at home. We leave for the Panama canal the first of Feb.regards, Capt. Larry |
larry mahan
Visitor
| | Posted on Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 12:24 pm: |
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Hi Richard. Clark Sintz sold his interest in the Sintz Gas Engine Company during 1895 because of conflicting ideas of engine design with those in power. He formed the Wolverine Motor Works in 1894 and started selling engines in 1895.I have a lot of info about these engine companies and the Sintz and Snyder families.Years of interviews and visits with each family and those of former employees resulted in obtaining hundreds of artifacts, photos and documents. These now reside in my own personal library of over 10,000 volumes. When I get back to Ma., I'll tell you the story of the Bayne company. You will laugh! Capt. Larry |
andrew
Moderator
Username: andrew
Post Number: 1030
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 23, 2005 - 06:34 pm: |
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Thanks for the update Larry... have a great voyage!
Anyone who hasn't checked it lately should visit:
Larinda.com
 |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 706
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 24, 2005 - 06:25 pm: |
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Captain Larry
Thanks for reply, looking forward to further Wolverine history as to Bayne Co. and possibly about Clark Sintz and if he was truely the inventer of the make & break ignition system ??
Great stuff !
What kind of auxillary engine powers " The Spirit of Larinda"
Richard |
B.J. Pawlaczyk
Visitor
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 08, 2005 - 06:49 am: |
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Richard in my Sintz Gas Engine Co.Catalog it states "The Stinz Marine Engine was placed on the market in 1886,but did not reach perfection un til 1895".It has a 60' launch with 40 h.p.Speed miles 13 1/2 for $3,000 to $5,000. B. j. |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 711
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 08, 2005 - 11:06 pm: |
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B.J.
This is the largest launch in my early Sintz catalog, don't know exact year 1895 is close.
Maybe can see the Bayne name mentioned above in lower left corner.
Hopefully when Captain Larry returns we can chain him to the main mast or something for a short time and learn some early history on Sintz and Wolverine ? Looking foreward to it !
 |
autohist
Visitor
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 02:57 pm: |
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Clark had automobiles on the road in 1892. He showed his 2 cycle engine at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A visitor to the exposition, Elwood Haynes, used one in 1894 for his first car. Clark's son, Claude, moved to Detroit to manufature and sell the Sintz engine. In 1901, Ora J. Mulford of the Michigan Yacht and Power Company purchased the Sintz Gas Engine company and made 2 and 4 cycle engines along with boats. In 1903, Mulford was succeded as treasurer by Edward B. Finch. Finch soon talked to his father-in-law, William Pungs about manufacturing automobiles. They began in 1904 as the Pungs-Finch Auto and Gas Engine Co., and closed business in 1910 when Finch left the company due to family problems. Although Pungs started the Anderson Carriage Company which made the Detroit Electric car, he wasn't a technical person. Finch was a U.of M engineering grad. and when he left, the company could not be sustained. |
andrew
Moderator
Username: andrew
Post Number: 1138
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 08:52 pm: |
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autohist,
Thanks for the info. Can you tell us the source of that history? |
AUTOHIST
Visitor
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 10:34 pm: |
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SOURCES WILL BE PROVIDED, BUT WILL TAKE SOME TIME.
PLEASE BE PATIENT. |
scott_peters
Member
Username: scott_peters
Post Number: 6
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 01:49 pm: |
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Found this concerning Guy L. Sintz Company (Clark Sintz's son and also an engine builder)
The Guy L. Sintz Company of Marshall has filed articles of incorporation. The stockholders are Guy L. Sintz and M. Mapes, of Grand Rapids, and S. C. French and F. M. French, of Marshall. Mr. Sintz is president and manager, and S. C. French is secretary and treasurer. The company is capitalized at $10,000 and expects to have its plant in Marshall in operation within a year. Meantime the horizontal opposed automobile and marine engines put out by the company will be manufactured on contract. The engine, a product of Mr. Sintz’s skill, has been on the market for four years and has made a market for itself.
Michigan Investor, Vol. 6, No. 35, June 6, 1908. p. 14. |
keith
Senior Member
Username: keith
Post Number: 136
Registered: 02-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 04:02 pm: |
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What has happened to Larry Mahan's personal library? |
shaynesintz
New member
Username: shaynesintz
Post Number: 2
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2007 - 01:48 pm: |
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Hello all. New to the forum and would like to know how to go about validating my hertiage. When I was about 8 years old, I remember my family digging up an older article about Clark Sintz and the engine works. About 20 years passed and I was having a discussion with a co-worker about the same article. The power of Google.com lead me here based on simple searches like "Sintz engine". My name is Shayne Martin Sintz and I'm interested in knowing if anyone here would be able to provide offspring information for Clark, Guy, and Claude that I could use to confirm direct ancestory. I'm asking only because I've been informed I'm part of the only Sintz family remaining in North America. Any help/direction would be most appreciated. |
Chris Lauzon
Visitor
| | Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 10:41 am: |
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Keith, I'm Larry Mahan's grandson and have acquired a majority of his library.
Shayne, I would be happy to look up some of the Sintz information in my grandfather's records, though I can't guarantee I'll find anything because there's so much to go through. I'll be going home in a few weeks and will look over some of the Sintz information and see what I can find. |
randy rodgers
Visitor
| | Posted on Sunday, December 06, 2009 - 10:13 pm: |
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i would like to see if you could tell me any thing about wolverine main bearings wg664 would like to know what they fit thank you |
douglas
Member
Username: douglas
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, April 11, 2010 - 05:55 am: |
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In 1907 Clark Sintz received US patent 851998 for a direct-reversible four-cycle marine engine with a number of interesting features. The patent was assigned to Pennsylvania Iron Works. |
CHRIS OWEN
Visitor
| | Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 11:20 pm: |
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CHRIS LAUZON, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AS I AM VERY INTERESTED IN TALKING TO YOU ABOUT WOLVERINE ENGINES AND YOUR GRANDFATHER LARRY MAHAN.}} |
CHRIS OWEN
Visitor
| | Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 11:35 pm: |
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I'M AN INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST WORKING IN AUSTRALIA ON BIO-FUELS,GASIFIERS AND MARINE PROPULSION .
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON WOLVERINE ENGINES RUNNING ON PRODUCER GAS. I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR ANY INFORMATION. THANKS FROM CHRIS.
P.S. I AM ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN CONTACTING CHRIS LAUZON AND HIS GRANDFATHER LARRY MAHAN} |
miro
Senior Member
Username: miro
Post Number: 449
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2010 - 08:07 am: |
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Ther e are 2 excellent chapters ( Chtpr 21 and 22) on producer gas Wolverine engines in Weston Farmer's book - From My Old Boat Shop.
He gives a very credible analysis and good detailed calculations about the systems.
miro |
larinda
New member
Username: larinda
Post Number: 1
Registered: 09-2011
| | Posted on Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 03:20 pm: |
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To anyone with interest or knowledge regarding Wolverine Marine 4 cylinder diesel engines; I have a 1928 Wolverine diesel engine in the tall ship Larinda and I am presently looking to buy parts of any kind and in particular any technical manuals or will pay for photocopies of manuals. The engine is presently running. If anyone has any information that may be helpful in keeping the 1928 Wolverine diesel engine up and running, please let us know asap.
Regards, Art Scott |
bruce
Senior Member
Username: bruce
Post Number: 284
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 08:20 pm: |
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Art, Would you give an update on Larinda since it was struck in the storm at Halifax Harbor? |
elarusch
New member
Username: elarusch
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2015
| | Posted on Sunday, October 18, 2015 - 03:46 pm: |
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Any chance you all are still lurking on here? My 3rd great uncle is Charles Snyder and 3rd great grandfather is MT Snyder. Clark Sintz spent several years in Panama working on MT's banana plantations and then moved to New Orleans (also where MT Snyder lived). I'm doing family research and looking for any pictures or stories of these gentleman. |
