Standard Oil Company

[c.o.]

Thanks for letting me off the hook Herb...... it seems so obvious now! Looking forward to the next installment on Pennington......

[HarleyCreation]

Are we talking about engine seizure? Is OIL the hint? Man if it isn't, then I guess I'm just a little slow!!!

Sorry Cory, I didn't mean to torture you. My hunch is that it was an early thing about gasoline being considered very dangerous compared to "oil" or kerosene. People were afraid of gasoline back then and afraid of so-called "explosion" engines that ran on the stuff too. I think that's why Pennington often avoided using the word gasoline and claimed his engine ran on kerosene or "coal oil." That's a nifty term now obsolete.

[c.o.]

Are we talking about engine seizure? Is OIL the hint? Man if it isn't, then I guess I'm just a little slow!!!

[HarleyCreation]

hmmmmmm..........are they suggesting that without their product, Mr. Pennington's machine could only be powered by human exertion?

Yes, that could surely be one reason. But also (hint) a safety factor that we rarely think about today. Even in the name: Standard OIL.

[c.o.]

hmmmmmm..........are they suggesting that without their product, Mr. Pennington's machine could only be powered by human exertion?

[HarleyCreation]

"The Standard Oil Company's product does the work."

Notice that he doesn't state what the "product" actually is!

There was probably a reason for that and it comes up in Part 2: "Motor Cycle City."

Anyone want to guess what I'm hinting at?

[HarleyCreation]

The Big Man

Those later Pennington articles make me smile. You gotta admire the sheer audacity of the guy and what he managed to do with larger than life ideas and force of personality. You can see it from those 1909 articles that he went back to his early airship roots towards the end. (He died in 1911). That was his first love and orginal claim to fame as told in part 1.

The Motor Cycle "growed" out of his c1890 airship, specifically the engine, which was unique and different from anything else in existence at the time. It's not like he was totally a fraud by any means, and yet he was!

That makes Pennington almost impossible to fully understand. He was a phenomenon, an enigma. Almost like he stepped off an airship from another planet, bringing wonderful ideas to mankind, and yet delighting in being a trickster too. I've studied the guy for years, and I still don't fully understand him. It's like he's a being out of Greek or Native American mythology, and yet he was operating in our own American Midwest: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Wisconsin, Iowa, etc.

You can't get get any closer to home for many of us that that!

[23JDCA 808]

This piece (June 5, 1909) preceded the piece above:
PENNINGTON AIRSHIP BACK.; $50,000,000 Company Ready for Business as in the Days of Yore.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...609C946897D6CF

[23JDCA 808]

From the New York Times, August 28, 1909, Saturday page 16 we read...

PENNINGTON HAZY ABOUT HIS CAREER; Denies Rogues' Gallery Picture Is His, but Admits He Was Once Known as John Howard. INDICTED IN PITTSBURG, TOO Doesn't Know What Government Has Bought $50,000,000 Concern's Airship -- Testifies in His Libel Suit.

From…
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...6E9C946897D6CF

…and click on the View Full Article button. …bill

[HarleyCreation]

The Big Man

Could the The Standard Oil Company have been a sponsor for Pennington's project? My lookers aren't up to the task tonight, but I haven't quite given up yet on deciphering what I can of the ad. It does sort of look like there should be at least another page as it appears the text ends abruptly on this page. I did a search last night but the only thing of interest was a few patents, which I'm sure you already have. I guess I shouldn't be asking too many questions though as the answers could be in part 2 and I don't want to spoil it for everyone else!

You make a good point. Why would Standard Oil Co. be mentioned by name in the text like that if there wasn't some connection? I can't think of Pennington doing that any other time. He normally only mentions the guys he's working with, and not other companies.

Here's a notion.

Standard Oil started out in Cleveland, Ohio, and was headquartered in Cleveland until moving to New York City in 1885. But there was still a strong Cleveland presence and later a "Standard Oil of Ohio" (Sohio) operation probably HQ in Cleveland too.

Pennington and The Motor Cycle were very active in Cleveland during 1894 and somewhat into 1895. Could there be a Pennington & Standard Oil Co. connection during his sojurn in Cleveland that we don't know anything about? It's highly likely!

In fact, we know very little of Pennington's doings in Cleveland between March and November of 1894. Plently of time for additional exploits we know nothing about.

[HarleyCreation]

Many of the old newspapers have been scanned and the images convertered into searchable text by computers. These are on the Internet. If you can make out a string of eight to ten words, you could Google/search for that ad. Put a quote mark (") before and after the string. ...bill in oregon

Good suggestion. We might find something that way.

[23JDCA 808]

Many of the old newspapers have been scanned and the images convertered into searchable text by computers. These are on the Internet. If you can make out a string of eight to ten words, you could Google/search for that ad. Put a quote mark (") before and after the string. ...bill in oregon

[c.o.]

Could the The Standard Oil Company have been a sponsor for Pennington's project? My lookers aren't up to the task tonight, but I haven't quite given up yet on deciphering what I can of the ad. It does sort of look like there should be at least another page as it appears the text ends abruptly on this page. I did a search last night but the only thing of interest was a few patents, which I'm sure you already have. I guess I shouldn't be asking too many questions though as the answers could be in part 2 and I don't want to spoil it for everyone else!

[HarleyCreation]

This just came to mind..........imagine back to a time when an advertiser could write something as vague as...... "It may be run at any speed from one to as many miles per hour as the operator has the courage to ride"...... Talk about a Wow factor to the naive and innocent. Could you imagine an advertiser making such a statement today?

This just came to mind..........imagine back to a time when an advertiser could write something as vague as...... "It may be run at any speed from one to as many miles per hour as the operator has the courage to ride"...... Talk about a Wow factor to the naive and innocent. Could you imagine an advertiser making such a statement today?

Cory,

That's good info. It appears NOT to be some unknown connection with Standard Oil & Pennington, but only that The Motor Cycle used a product (gasoline) made by the Standard Oil Co. The rest is pretty clear and seems similar to other info.

However, I think there may be another page or more not shown here. There should be big bold wording about "THE MOTOR CYCLE COMPANY" of Chicago, Cleveland, etc. and I don't see that here.

Yes, Pennington was a master at advertising. The way he promoted The Motor Cycle you'd SWEAR it had electric start. Collister's quote about "touching the electrical button" (part 2) and zooming off is a perfect example. Almost sounds like a rocket ship which wasn't an accident as Pennington saw The Motor Cycle as a "land airship" as told in part 1. Maybe a crook, maybe a genius too!

[c.o.]

This just came to mind..........imagine back to a time when an advertiser could write something as vague as...... "It may be run at any speed from one to as many miles per hour as the operator has the courage to ride"...... Talk about a Wow factor to the naive and innocent. Could you imagine an advertiser making such a statement today?