Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company
Encyclopedia
The Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company was a company founded by John William Lambert
in the later part of the nineteenth century as part of the conglomerate
of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company
.
after failing in his initial attempt to make and sell "horseless carriages." There he ran an agricultural implement store, a grain elevator and a lumber yard. In 1893 Lambert came to Anderson, Indiana
moving some of his machinery there. This was the nucleus for the factory plant he made in Anderson. The factory covered 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of brick construction and was equipped with modern machinery of the day. The company Lambert ran made farm implement equipment and stationary gasoline engines for farms and other commercial uses. In 1893 the company was incorporated under the firm name of the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company and the Buckeye Manufacturing Company. He employed about 250 people at the time.
The factory tooled up with equipment for the manufacture of automobiles in 1900 with the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company making the automobile engines and the Buckeye Manufacturing Company making the other automobile parts. The officers of the companies were B. F. Lambert as the president, George A. Lambert as the secretary, and John Lambert the treasurer and general manager. The capital stock of the companies was $100,000, which would be millions in 2008 dollars.
Before the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company built automobile motors they manufactured stationary engines. A partial description of the Lambert gasoline stationary engines were described in Gas, Gasoline and Oil-engines written by Gardner Dexter Hiscox in 1910 as:
There was a "Leaflet" given out by the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company on their engines giving directions to the operator. It was a guide to their gasoline engines giving special instructions for how the internal action of the engine was performing by just the sound of how it was operating.
John William Lambert
John William Lambert was an American automotive pioneer, inventor, and automobile manufacturer.-Biography:...
in the later part of the nineteenth century as part of the conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company
Buckeye Manufacturing Company
The Buckeye Manufacturing Company was a company originally formed to manufacture horse and buggy parts. It was started in the later part of the nineteenth century and by the early part of the twentieth century was making parts and materials for the Buckeye gasoline buggy automobile as well as for...
.
History
Early in Lambert’s life when he was in his early twenties he had formed a partnership with his father, and under the firm style of J. W. Lambert & Company, The company was engaged in the manufacture of fork handles and spokes. In the later part of 1891 he moved to Ohio City, OhioOhio City, Ohio
Ohio City is a village in Van Wert County, Ohio, United States with a population of 784 as of the 2000 census. It is included within the Van Wert, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ohio City is located at ....
after failing in his initial attempt to make and sell "horseless carriages." There he ran an agricultural implement store, a grain elevator and a lumber yard. In 1893 Lambert came to Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...
moving some of his machinery there. This was the nucleus for the factory plant he made in Anderson. The factory covered 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of brick construction and was equipped with modern machinery of the day. The company Lambert ran made farm implement equipment and stationary gasoline engines for farms and other commercial uses. In 1893 the company was incorporated under the firm name of the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company and the Buckeye Manufacturing Company. He employed about 250 people at the time.
The factory tooled up with equipment for the manufacture of automobiles in 1900 with the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company making the automobile engines and the Buckeye Manufacturing Company making the other automobile parts. The officers of the companies were B. F. Lambert as the president, George A. Lambert as the secretary, and John Lambert the treasurer and general manager. The capital stock of the companies was $100,000, which would be millions in 2008 dollars.
Before the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company built automobile motors they manufactured stationary engines. A partial description of the Lambert gasoline stationary engines were described in Gas, Gasoline and Oil-engines written by Gardner Dexter Hiscox in 1910 as:
There was a "Leaflet" given out by the Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company on their engines giving directions to the operator. It was a guide to their gasoline engines giving special instructions for how the internal action of the engine was performing by just the sound of how it was operating.
See also
- Union automobileUnion (automobile)The Union automobile was based on Lambert's "horseless carriage" gasoline buggy. It had four wheels instead of his 1891 three-wheeled version. The automobile was made by the Union Automobile Company from 1902 through 1905...
- Lambert automobileLambert (automobile)The Lambert automobile and Lambert truck were built by the Lambert Automobile Company as an American vehicle from 1905 through 1916.The Lambert automobile motor in the early part of manufacturing moved around on the chassis. It was on the back of the chassis, then in the center, then to the front,...
- John William LambertJohn William LambertJohn William Lambert was an American automotive pioneer, inventor, and automobile manufacturer.-Biography:...
- Buckeye gasoline buggyBuckeye gasoline buggyThe Buckeye gasoline buggy or Lambert gasoline buggy was the first practical gasoline automobile available for sale in America, according to automobile historians.-History:...
- Union Automobile CompanyUnion Automobile CompanyThe Union Automobile Company began to make automobiles in Union City, Indiana in 1902. It built the Union automobile from 1902 through 1905. The company was located in Union City, Indiana from 1902 to 1905...
- Lambert Automobile CompanyLambert Automobile CompanyThe Lambert Automobile Company was a automobile factory in Anderson, Indiana to make the Lambert automobile through the Buckeye Manufacturing Company.-History:...
- Buckeye Manufacturing CompanyBuckeye Manufacturing CompanyThe Buckeye Manufacturing Company was a company originally formed to manufacture horse and buggy parts. It was started in the later part of the nineteenth century and by the early part of the twentieth century was making parts and materials for the Buckeye gasoline buggy automobile as well as for...
- Lambert friction gearing disk drive transmissionLambert friction gearing disk drive transmissionThe Lambert friction gearing disk drive transmission was invented by John William Lambert originally in 1904. The invention relates to a friction disk drive transmission for automobiles that is gearless. He saw the need for a simple transmission of engine power to an automobile's drive...
Primary sources
- Biography of John W. Lambert , written by his son January 25 1935 — courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection
- Brandon, Rodney H. Who is Who in Anderson, published privately, 1906
- Dolnar, Hugh, Automobile Trade Journal, article: The Lambert, 1906 Line of Automobiles, Chilton Company, v.10 January 1906
- Forkner, John L., History of Madison County, Indiana, New York and Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1914
- Hiscox, Gardner Dexter, Gas, Gasoline and Oil-engines, Norman W. Henley, 1910
- The Horseless Age: The Automobile Trade Magazine, The Horseless Age Company, 1902
Secondary sources
- Bailey, L. Scott, Historic Discovery: 1891 Lambert, New Claim for America's First Car, Antique Automobile magazine, Vol. 24, No. 5, Oct–Nov 1960
- David Burgess Wise, The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles ISBN 0-7858-1106-0
- Dittlinger, Esther et al., Anderson: A Pictorial History, G. Bradley Publishing, 1990, ISBN 0943963168
- Georgano, G. N., The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile, Taylor & Francis, 2000, ISBN 1-5795829-3-1
- Huffman, Wallace Spencer, Indiana's Place in Automobile History in Indiana History Bulletin, vol 44, no. 2, Feb. 1967; Indianapolis, Indiana Historical Bureau
- Huhti, Thomas, The Great Indiana Touring Book: 20 Spectacular Auto Tours, Big Earth Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1-9315990-9-2
- James, Wanda, Driving from Japan, McFarland, 2005, ISBN 0-786417-3-4X
- Kimes, Beverly Rae, Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942, Krause Publications, 1996, ISBN 0-8734142-8-4
- Madden, W. C., Haynes-Apperson and America's First Practical Automobile: A History, McFarland, 2003, ISBN 0-7864139-7-2
- Scharchburg, Richard P., Carriages Without Horses: J. Frank Duryea and the Birth of the American Automobile Industry, SAE, 1993, ISBN 1-5609138-0-0