FIRST MOTOR ENGINE

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25460, 5 April 1948, Page 5

FIRST MOTOR ENGINE

CLAIM BY TIMARU MAN MR C. W. WOOD’S INVENTIONS , *• From Our Own Reporter TIMARU. April 4. To have been the manufacturer of the first internal combustion engine made in New Zealand, and probably the builder of the first workable motor-car, is the claim made by Mr C. W. Wood, of Timaru. A Justice of the Peace, Mr Wqod was interviewed by “The Press” on the occasion of his retirement from the position of Coroner. Born in Timaru, Mr Wood was educated at Lyttelton and Christchurch. Even while at school he was mechanically minded and at the. age of 14, 60 years ago, he made his first engine, which was exhibited at Lyttelton. With a sound grounding in both® the professional and mechanical aspects of engineering Mr Wood returned to Timaru at the age of 21 years, and in 1894 commenced to make bicycles. At the same time he turned his attention at odd moments to the internal combustion engine. As early as 1897 Mr Wood had produced his first motorvehicle, which was driven with a mot Qr-cycle engine. The engine, which was of the explosive type with cylinders applied to the rear, was fuelled by a dry powder. The powder was made up by the late Mr William Gunn, a chemist, of Timaru. While this engine provided propulsion a real difficulty was to clear the residue away from the cylinders. Next Mr Ward turned to liquid fuel as a driving force, and devising a surface carburettor drawing vapour off the’ surface of the gasoline, he made two or three engines, the principle of ignition being the hot tube, kept warm by a little bunsen burner. The invention of electrical ignition was a big help to the pioneers of motoring. Even in its experimental stages it offered a solution to one nf their major problems. However, cut off from the latest trends of thought, Mr Wood had difficulty in making ’his own batteries and accumulators, so he placed the Whole of his resources at the disposal of twp apprentices, Sydney Smith and Charlie Brehaut, who entered into the spirit of the venture to make the coils and other equipment with him. The late Mr Fred Smith also offered valuable help in this directipn.

/' Sale ®f Engines In the early days of his experimenting Mr Wood thought that the height of his ambition had been achieved when the late Mr C. E. Weymouth, of Christchurch, ordered three engines, which proved quite successful, for his sons. The boys fitted them to tandem bicycles and other vehicles which appeared frequently on the streets of

One of the first vehicles to be constructed by Mr Wood for his own use was a three-wheeled car, the framework being made of IJin steel tubing. A tyre company manufactured a special set of tyres for the vehicle. The patterns for the engine were made by Mr William Parr, the castings by Mr James Storrier, while the seat was from a sulky. The engine had a spray carburettor incorporating the fundamental principles of the type used today. Tiller steering with the bicycle type of head was adopted, while the spokes for the wheels were made of fencing wire. These spokes were the cause of an amusing incident which occurred when Mr Wood, in the company of the then Mayor of Timaru. Mr J. J. Grandi, set out for Temuka. Leaving in the morning, they took all day to get there because of rough roads, time off for repairs to the engine, and the effort of pushing the vehicle up portions of the road which were too much for it. When Temuka was reached people were going to evening church, so it was decided not to make a stop, but return home immediately. An upset occurred, however, in the Seadown water-race, which was then an open channel. A wheel supported by the wide spokes suddenly crumpled. Mr Grandi was thrown clear as the car overturned, but Mr Wood was pinned underneath and suffered bruises and shock. There were no means of obtaining help, so the passengers pushed the car to the side of the road and walked the seven miles back to town.

Elimination of Noise Troubles were always looming up for the inventor, and the elimination or reduction of the noise of the early engines was a subject of considerable experimentation. An exhaust-box filled with coke was very effective till the coke granulated with vibrations.. Harder materials such as bricks -and stones were used, but when they shook loose the noise was as great as, if not greater than, before. One morning a well-known Timaru butcher became so irritated by the npise that he ran. out on to the road with a . meat axe threatening to silence for ever Mr Wood’s invention. *

When Mr Wood’s business in Timaru developed he had little time to give to his experiments, but when in 1935 he retired, giving way to his son, he installed a workshop at his home where, though at the age of 74, he still builds model engines, mainly steam, gpd performs a host of mechanical jobs. The engines are carefully made, and are eagerly sought after whenever they are displayed. A Justice of the. Peace for many years, for the last 10i years Mr Wood has been a coroner at Timaru, and has only recently retired from that post. Mr Wood believes that his warrant making him a coroner is unique, in that he is described not as a district coroner, but as a Dominion coroner.

Some years ago Mr Wood held the office of Dominion president of the motor and allied trades’ organisation. In Timaru for nine years he was president of the South Canterbury Employers’ Association, and he is a pastpresident of the North End Golf Club and of the Timaru Bowling Club.