Home | Discussion Board | History | Technical | Links | Store | About Us | Email

Letter to Jerry Farmer about the Midland Engine Works of Midland, Ontario

February 28, 1984
Midland  Ontario

Dear Mr. Farmer:

Sorry to be so long in answering your letter, but the older you get the faster time travels.

 So you will understand why I say that the information you wanted is all at my summer home at Go Home Lake & it is virtually impossible at this time of year to get to the cottage.  It is near a falls & the water surrounding it is open year round.

I have I believe, photographs, old send out advertisments & (an) old key safe.  I still have one old engine which was still running up to about three and a half years ago.

I had an old St. Lawrence engine which I sold three years ago to a marina.  I don’t know, but knowing him, he probably still has it, but it was in poor shape as someone had tried to overhaul it & never completed the job.

At a later date ‘ will try to remember and write down the complete history of the Hanly Engine.

My grandfather started a foundry in around 1895 in Midland to do mill repairs for the lumber companies here at that time.  His name was J. Bruce Hanly.  In about 1901 his younger brother, Samuel S. Hanly joined him in a partnership to form the Midland Engine Works Ltd.

The two gentlemen were both graduates of the School of Science, now part of (the) University of Toronto.  Samuel at the time he graduated was the youngest graduate to that date.

It was some time prior to World War I that they started to design and build a one-lunger.  The plant was not doing anything but war work until about 1919.  This was long before my time, but as I got a large number of family pictures (which are at the summer cottage) I could send some at a later date.

To give you a better picture of what has taken place & to make it easier to understand; I was the only grandson & Grandfather and my (great?) uncle took me along on hunting (&) fishing (trips), so a great many of the discussions that took place on the business was (sic) done in my presence.

Also when the business was eventually sold that (sic) odds and ends left my uncle kept and when he died it was left to me to dispose of, but as I had storage room at the time I kept what I thought I could use as souvenirs.

Three years ago I was forced to move to smaller quarters so took to the summer cottage those things I had room for.  So at this time I really don’t know what I have that you would be interested in.

I myself, for a while, collected old outboard engines, but as (sic) lack of space & time had to give it up.

Later this spring, will drop you a line & let you know just what I have that might be of interest to you.

Yours truly
J. B. Clark
247 Donalda St.
Midland
Ont.   L4R 2N4

 

Home | Discussion Board | History | Technical | Links | Store | About Us | Email
Copyright ©
1999 - 2013 All rights reserved.  
No material from this site may be reproduced for commercial use without written permission of:
OldMarineEngine.com 184 Jones Dr, Brandon, VT  05733 | phone: 802-247-4700 | email: [email protected]