Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of (NMAH, SI) Search this
Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI Search this
Extent:
3.2 Cubic feet (8 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Leaflets
Blueprints
Correspondence
Pamphlets
Specifications
Photographs
Proposals
Advertisements
Instructional materials
Trade catalogs
Date:
1917-1968
bulk 1925-1954
Summary:
The Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company started in 1903 by John F. Lorimer. The company produced diesel engines for a variety of machines, including marine vessels, locomotives, and farm equipment. The collection includes background and historical information on the company, instruction manuals, marketing literature, corporate records, and drawings and photographs.
Scope and Contents note:
These records include information on Atlas's products, and include trade literature, blueprints, advertising, bulletins, specifications, catalogs, operators manuals, proposals, correspondence, photographs, and historical articles on the company and on engines.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into five series.
Series 1: History of Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine, 1917-1966
Series 2: User Instructions and Manuals, circa 1920-19522
Series 3: Marketing Literature, circa 1918-1954
Series 4: Corporate Records, circa 1921-1968
Series 5: Drawings and Photographs, circa 1920-1959
Biographical/Historical note:
The Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company was an Oakland, California, manufacturer of marine propulsion machinery. The company was founded in 1903 by John Lorimer in San Francisco, California. In 1916 it merged with Imperial Gas Engine Company. The company produced various diesel engines for a variety of uses, including marine vessels, tractors, and locomotives. In 1950, Atlas Imperial was acquired by National Supply Company, however, Atlas Diesels were manufactured up to 1957 at which point the National Supply Company sold their diesel engine division to White Motor Company and was renamed as White Diesel Engine Division.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Ralph S. Lorimer.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions. Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research use. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions. Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Citation:
Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company Records, circa 1917-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The papers document the professional career of mechanical engineer, Charles Richardson Pratt. The papers include correspondence, patents, patent application materials, agreements, photographs, publications, and blueprints for many of Pratt's inventions, especially his work on elevators.
Scope and Contents:
These papers contain personal materials of Charles R. Pratt; letterpress copybooks; engineering notebooks; diaries; material relating to the development of the heavy-duty, high-rise electric elevator; material concerning elevator cable equalizers and safety devices, Morton-Jacobsen and other lathe chucks, lathe drives and the Pratt Driver, the hydraulic transmission of power in trucks, and ship steering gear; and studies reports, drawings, photographs, catalogs, and trade literature concerning mechanical engineering.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series.
Series 1: Personal Materials, 1875-1935
Series 2: Diaries, 1894, 1928-1931
Series 3: Correspondence, 1872-1920
Series 4: Notebooks, 1880, 1889, 1900
Series 5: Inventions, 1860-1927
Series 6: Photographs, 1890-1902
Series 7: Publications, 1895-1929
Series 8: Drawings, 1878-1929
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Richardson Pratt (1860-1935), was born in Massachusetts to John C. and Mary Anne Richardson. He graduated from the Hopkins School of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1879. Pratt worked at Whittier Machine Company of Boston (1882-1890) where he designed and built the first electric elevator in 1888. The elevator was installed in the Tremont House, Boston. Pratt also worked as an agent and later as a consulting engineer for the Otis Elevator Company, the inventors of the hydraulic elevator.
Pratt was best known for his development of the first electrically powered elevator. In 1892, inventor Frank Sprague (1857-1934) founded the Sprague Electric Elevator Company, and with Charles R. Pratt developed the Sprague-Pratt Electric Elevator. They demonstrated that electrically powered elevators were capable of competing with hydraulic elevators. Pratt held several engineering positions and worked for the Marine Engine Company of Newark, New Jersey (1902-1905) developing elevator systems; consulting engineer to the Universal Speed Control Company of New York City (1906-1919); consultant to the American Engineering Company of Philadelphia (1912); mechanical superintendent at the Crocker Wheel Company of Ampere, New Jersey (1919); engineer for the E. Horton and Sons Company of Connecticut (1920-1923); the General Tractors Corporation (1924-1927); and was associated with the Watson Elevator Company of New York City (1928-1930). Pratt patented many of his ideas, earning over thirty-five patents related mostly to elevators,
Pratt was a member of the Masons, the Sons of the American Revolution, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the MIT Club of New Jersey, and the Motor Club of London. He married Mary Byron Ladd and they had two children, Gertrude Ladd Pratt and Donald Richardson Pratt.
Provenance:
This collection was purchased from Charles R. Pratt's daughter, Gertrude Pratt Vance, in 1973.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Includes assignment to Marine Engine and Machine Company.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of (NMAH, SI) Search this
History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1922
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Citation:
McIntosh, Seymour and Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
This series consists of the various black and white photographs, airbrushings and illustrations maintained by the Worthington Corporation. They document many aspects of the company's history and products. Most of the photographs are unlabeled product photographs, mostly taken for catalogs. The series also contains photographs documenting work at the various Worthington Works sites. These include both interior and exterior photographs of factories and photographs of employees. Included in these employee photographs are several showing racially integrated factory floors.
The numbered photographs at the beginning of this series were retained along with their file listing. The series also contains portions of a numbered series of photographs and airbrushings of products produced at the Blake and Knowles plant. These products include diesel engines, power cylinders and marine engines and have been arranged based on their product serial number.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Worthington Corporation Records, 1840-1982, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The collection documents individuals who served in the Merchant Marine's and Navy between 1943 and 1946.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of primarily of reminscenes with individuals who served n the Merchant Marine and Navy.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into two series.
Series 1: Individual Reminiscences, 1945-1997
Series 2: Supplemental Documentation, 1943-2001-08
Provenance:
Collection donated by Delia Porter, date unknown, and Jack B. Navarre, August 24, 1990.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
World War, 1939-1945 -- Merchant Marine Search this
Films depict U.S. Navy personnel carrying out maintenance and repair operations on diesel engines. The films were made under the supervision of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for Bureau of Ships. 400-500 feet in length, with a voice-over commentary on technical aspects of the work on Bessemer, General Motors, and International diesel engines.
Biographical / Historical:
Rice was a consulting engineer and a professor of engineering at Newark College of Engineering, 1928-1936, and North Carolina State University, 1937-1956.
Provenance:
Robert B. Rice.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Alfred O. Blaisdell, 268 Clermont Ave., Brooklyn, New York
Collection Creator:
Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI. Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1899-1912
Scope and Contents:
Technical notes and drawings on various marine engineering problems; also notes on electricity, early aviation (Wright Brothers), telescopes, and religion.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Opel Motor Works (Russelsheim, Germany) Search this
Materials:
Steel
Aluminum
Paint
Copper Alloy
Rubber
Dimensions:
Length 188 cm (74 in.), Width 70.8 cm (27.9 in.), Height 121 cm (47.6 in.)
Type:
PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary
Country of Origin:
Germany
Date:
Circa 1916 - 1917
Credit Line:
Transferred from the War Department, Air Corps, Materiel Division, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio Transferred from the War Department, Air Corps, Materiel Division, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio
