PATENT DATED 1900 MOTSINGER DEVICE MFG. BI-POLAR / BIPOLAR ELECTRIC “AUTO SPARKER” DYNAMO MOTOR INVENTED BY HOMER N. MOTSINGER Antique bi-polar electric motor. American made in a small factory shop in INDIANA. With maker’s name / patent data plaque. Measures 11″ TALL x 10″ LONG x 5 1/2 WIDE in size. Each double coil configuration measures 3″ x 3″ in size. ARMATURE SHAFT MEASURES 11 LONG. Appears complete, turning freely, as found, no cleaning except for the name plate. Traces of maroon paint & gold pin striping remaining, all measurements are approximate!!!! On the date of May 18, 1900, the associates of the Motsinger Device Manufacturing Company broke ground for their new 40-foot-by-100-foot brick factory located just north of the Pendleton Falls on land acquired from the Pendleton Widow Glass Company in INDIANA. The initial effort was the fruition of a dream by Homer N. Motsinger to manufacture his newly patented device called the “Auto Sparker” – a simple BI-POLAR motor affair. The Motsinger factory was to initially employ 30 skilled tradesmen and as well, 16 laborers working – all working in two shifts. The Town of Pendleton feared Motsinger may seek to move his operation – so agreed to finance the building and supply the natural gas to the company – to keep locals employed. Homer Motsinger had been born in Shoals, Ind. And he attended Purdue University. He moved to Pendleton around 1895 and married Inez Cole, who was a daughter of a prominent Pendleton entrepreneur. The couple lived on North Main Street for a short while – then moved to a newly built home at 204 West Street in the year 1900 designed by Sanford White, New York Citys. White, had also designed Fifth Avenue mansions for the Vanderbilts and the Astors. An interesting side note is that 53-year-old Stanford White was murdered six years after designing the Motsinger home – shot by Harry Thaw of Lake George. Thaw was the jealous husband of his much younger wife; a woman being a noted actress as well – named Evelyn Thaw. The shooting incident took place at the Madison Square Roof Garden, atop a building that, coincidentally, White had also designed. Millionaire Harry Thaw went to trial for the murder of White, but this man from Lake George was found not guilty by reason of insanity and this eccentric individual rode to the mental asylum on a private train. Thaws wife, Evelyn later became the subject of the movie entitled, The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, and was portrayed by the young actress Joan Collins. Homer Motsinger continued to develop and receive numerous patents for gasoline engine-related accessories. His two-story lab was located on his property immediately to the west of his house but was later relocated to High Street and chnaged to a single story structure. In addition to the patent for the “Auto Sparker, ” inventor Motsinger received some 20 other patents for other ancillary engine devices that included a carburetor, magneto, electric igniter, thermostat and even a muffler. The Motsinger Device Co. Eventually established additional offices in New York and Chicago. Motsinger was prolific in advertising his products through many trade publications, news sheets, brochures, and was even featured in an article in Scientific American at one point. Motsinger had many quality competitors including Andersons Remy Electric Co. Who made friction magnetos for gasoline engines. Motsinger also pursued potential customers by displaying at the 1903 Chicago Auto Show. Homer Motsinger and his Motsinger Device Company relocated to West Lafayette, Ind. The Pendleton factory structures were later acquired by the Lee Canning Company and then forthwith by the Fall Creek Canning Company. Today these buildings are the religious sanctuary and offices for the Family Life Church. The new two-story brick building built by Motsinger out in West Lafayette was considerably larger than the Pendleton facility. It was built with hopes of increasing production and expanding markets. Even though the West Lafayette location was much larger and in operation longer, it only produced 20,000 of the “Auto Sparkers” as we have on offer here. The West Lafayette employees also produced about 17,000 magnetos. The early 1900’s “Auto Sparker” Friction magnetos employed a leather pulley that rotated the armature when the pulley was placed in contact with the flywheel of the motor it was starting. The unique quality of the “Auto Sparker” was described by the trade as being basically a dynamo that had been designed to initially provide enough spark for gasoline engines to start operation without the normally required battery assist. Thus, the Auto in “Auto Sparker” did not refer to automobile at all, but did mean that the unit could provide enough electricity to start the engine automatically by essentially merely rotating the flywheel by hand. His later Motsinger D. Magneto was designed to perform the same function at a much lower cost to those who employed its use. Unfortunately, these low tension electric generators by the Motsinger concern failed to provide the sufficiently high enough voltage to meet the demand of it applications. It was such that newer designed high tension magnetos produced higher voltage and had a much more efficient direct gear drive rather over that of a friction pulley. It became unfortunate that the Motsinger Company never successfully developed a high tension magneto. Thus, the Motsinger company suffered severe financial losses from this effort. Having now aged beyond his years, Motsinger divested his ownership in his beloved company and was later employed by the U. Company in Chicago for a short period of time. He was a failed man. The manufacturing industry at large lost a prolific inventor and entrepreneur when 45-year-old Homer Motsinger died in August 1920, in Chicago – having lost his spirit and drive after his financial ruination. Even though his family had lived in several different cities, Homer always considered Pendleton to be his home. Motsinger and his wife Inez as well as their four children are all buried in Grove Lawn Cemetery and their remains are but 150 yards north of his Factory on the Falls. Be sure to check the photos! Thanks for looking & good luck!! The item “Antique Pat Dated 1900 Bi-Polar Motsinger Elec Device Co Sparker Dynamo” is in sale since Wednesday, June 01, 2016. This item is in the category “Business & Industrial\Light Equipment & Tools\Stationary Engines\Parts”. The seller is “marko73″ and is located in Annawan, Illinois. This item can be shipped to United States.