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Letter to Jerry Farmer about the Midland Engine Works of Midland, Ontario |
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February
28, 1984 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 |
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