I was saving this story until I could scan the photo of the Airplane that this engine used, but considering todays tragic crash of the spaceship at Cantil,i I have decided to share this story, which is the first of the long history of aviation development here on the Mojave Desert, which went on to include Muroc Army Air Base, Mojave Marine Airbase, Edwards Air Force Base, and China Lake Naval Air Station. BUT THE FIRST AVIATION DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA WAS AT JOHNNESBURG, CAL. MACOMBER, WALTER Walter Glenn Macomber: Biography Walter Glenn Macomber, inventor of the Macomber Rotary Engine and resident of the Rand region from 1899-1909, was born at Battle Creek, Michigan on June 30, 1871, the son of Zebedee Macomber and Clara (Wright) Macomber. He was educated in the public schools of Bedford, Michigan and by private tutors. He married Mabel Godsmark on June 14, 1894 at Bedford, and the couple had one daughter, Ina L. Macomber, born April 23, 1895. According to the Press Reference Library, Southwest Edition (published by the Los Angeles Examiner, 1912): “Macomber comes by his inventive genius naturally, his father before him having been a practical engineer who contributed largely to the origination of the first traction engine.” As a teenager, Macomber constructed a miniature steam engine and a self-inking printing press. During his early 20s, he worked as a professional photographer. He then studied mechanical engineering privately and qualified in that profession. Through his wife’s uncles, W. W. Godsmark and Alfred Godsmark, Macomber had an opportunity to move to California in 1899, where he lived in Johannesburg and worked as an engineer for the Croesus Mining Company. CROESUS MINING CO. MILL, JOHANNESBURG, CA. - RDM Collection W. W. Godsmark was a director of the Croesus Mining Company (Sacramento Record-Union, Dec. 5, 1899), which purchased the Pinmore gold mine. W. W. Godsmark was also part owner of the Johannesburg Hotel (Randsburg Miner, Sept. 1900). Alfred Godsmark was a principal in the firm of Godsmark, Durand & Co., a leading wholesale grocery in southwest Michigan. The Godsmark brothers invested in gold mines and other businesses in the Rand and Panamint districts in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They led a group of Michigan investors who purchased the Never Give Up mine from Henry Ratcliff in September 1898, forming a closed corporation, the Ratcliff Consolidated Gold Mines, Ltd. By January 1900, the mine was turning out $15,000 a month in gold and was “the new boss mine of the Panamints.” (Death Valley and the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion by Richard E. Lingenfelter). After two years with Croesus Mining Company, Walter Macomber became superintendent of the mechanical department at the Ratcliff Mine, where he remained for three years. He next became affiliated with the Randsburg Water Company. According to the Press Reference Library: “It was while here that his ability in mechanics became manifest. Three pumping plants were operated by gas engines, the wells being some three miles apart... By an invention of his own, Mr. Macomber operated the three by telephone. He could sit in his office and instantly tell how any plant was working, and stop it if not working properly.” Macomber invented his internal combustion rotary engine while he was employed by the Randsburg Water Company. As reported in the San Francisco Call, he obtained a patent on this invention on September 13, 1909. It became known as the Macomber Rotary. Over the years, he continued to refine this engine and reapply for patents. Macomber moved to Los Angeles in 1909 to pursue opportunities related to the engine. The Los Angeles Herald reported on December 2, 1909, under New Incorporations: “Macomber Rotary Engine Company, capital $1,000,000; directors, W. G. Macomber, George A. Coffey, A. M. Scott, L. A. Montandon, Los Angeles; C. G. Illingworth, Randsburg.” Macomber served as president and general manager. The company’s offices were located at 421-2-3 I. W. Hellman Bldg. in Los Angeles, and the factory or “works” was at 235-7 Aliso St. The Macomber rotary was used in both airplanes and automobiles. It was regarded as a possible solution for the problem of aerial vibration. In May 1911, aviation pioneer Charlie Walsh made a number of successful short flights at Playa del Rey in the “Walsh Silver Dart,” which was equipped with the Macomber rotary. The Eagle Cycle Car Company in Chicago, Illinois contracted for use of the Macomber rotary in cycle cars in 1915. The company changed its name to the Eagle-Macomber Motor Car Co. and established a manufacturing facility in Sandusky, Ohio. In November 1916, Walter Macomber set out on a road trip from Los Angeles to Chicago to prove the merits of the engine. The trip was a success, as reported by the Chicago Evening American on December 2, 1916: A stubby, sturdy-looking yellow car pulled up before 307 West Madison Street, and two browned men stepped out into a welcoming crowd. They were W. G. Macomber, inventor of a rotary engine said to be the last word in automobile “kultur,” and his mechanician, Arthur Lee. They had just finished a cross-country trip of 2,600 miles from Los Angeles, in one of the new Eagle cars, which own the exclusive right to this new Macomber rotary engine. The car pulled through with scarcely any mishap and Macomber made the triumphant declaration of its eighteen-horse power capacity with a 3,000 pound load. “The motor is now perfect,” said Macomber, “after eight years’ work upon it. It is the only one of its kind in the world. Its value lies in the fact that it is air-cooled, self-cooled, which does away with the necessity for water. This is valuable in desert land and may start a new era in cross-country travel by motor.” Macomber traveled on to Sandusky, Ohio, to assist in further development of the engine. However, large-scale production never came to pass. It appears that the engine was never quite perfected; problems included noise from unmuffled exhaust ports, the lubrication system, and overheating. The exact number of Eagle-Macomber cars and Macomber rotary engines produced remains unknown. After the Eagle-Macomber Motor Car Company was disbanded, Walter Macomber continued to work on the engine at his machine shop in downtown Los Angeles, the Macomber Machine Works. He also worked as a contract tool-and-die maker. Throughout his life, he pursued his interest in photography, producing beautiful hand-colored views taken on his travels around California. He continued to work at his machine shop until his death in April 1947 at the age of 75. He is buried at Forest Lawn, Glendale.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 02:24:16 +0000
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