2004-10-30/2019-11-15 - From the OHS PC Database, derived from A Guide to North American Organbuilders, by David H. Fox (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1991). — Active in Chicago, Illinois, 1878-1920s; makers of water motors. Source: Stopt Diapason newsletter #43 (Hoffman Estates, Ill.: Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society).
2019-11-16/2019-11-16 - The water motor was a miniaturized, self-contained variation of the water mill. A pipe supplying water was attached on one side of a turbine case with an out flow pipe on the other. When the water supply was turned on, the turbine blades would spin, turning the central shaft which would turn a belt. Depending on the size of the motor, it could be used to power coffee grinders, drills, small lathes, or fans. The larger models were often used to power a blower for pipe organs before electricity became a reliable and readily available power source. —Ed.
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