The WHITE Automobile

WHO’S WHO IN AUTOMOBILIA

By Walter 0. Macllvain. 

Note: This article was originally published in The Bulb Horn, July 1945.  Recompiled for the internet by W. N. Sullivan, 2010.

It is generally conceded that Leon Serpollet of France liberated the steam road vehicle, with his invention of the flash boiler in 1887, for this rendered unnecessary the attendance of a ‘chauffeur’ to stoke the fire while the vehicle was in motion.

When, in 1899, one of these vehicles was purchased by the White family of Cleveland, Ohio, an inventive son, Rollin H. White, made several changes and incorporated them in an experimental vehicle which was built in his father’s sewing machine factory. More of these were built in 1900 and the White steam car, many of them finished in white, was offered on the market the following year.

Thomas H. White, an inventor in the sewing machine industry, was born at Phillipston, Mass, in 1836. He patented his invention in 1859 and with W. L. Grout made sewing machines at Orange, Mass. thru the Civil War period. White, in 1866, moved his business to Cleveland while Grout continued at Orange. It is interesting to note that both men built steam motor vehicles at the turn of the century, both later turning to the internal combustion motor, altho the eastern manufacturer did not survive the first decade.

In 1876 the White Mfg. Co. became the White Sewing Machine Co. From 1880 on, a diversity of products brought the company into the field of highway transportation, with roller skates and bicycles. Automatic factory machinery was also a White interest and this branch of the business was the foundation of the Cleveland Automatic Machine Co., with a remarkable interweaving of names vitally concerned with the building of the automotive industry. For example, Elmer Sperry, gyroscope inventor, designed an electric in this plant, patents of which later served as the basis of the (Pope) Waverley electric. A. L. Moore another Cleveland Automatic man, employed H.J. Edwards, a young English engineer, to design the Cleveland runabout. Mr. Edwards later engineered the Stoddard-Dayton, which became a Knight (sleeve valve) in its latter years; also the Edwards-Knight which came down to the 1930’s as the Willys-Knight. The Cleveland company also built the Berg, a French type car, for Hart 0. Berg, who later developed the Royal Tourist.

A.L. Garford, long-term president of Cleveland Automatic, manufactured the Garford at his bicycle plant at Elyria, Ohio, also building chasses for such cars as Ranier, Studebaker, and Cleveland. The bicycle end of the business was merged with the Pope interests in the American Bicycle Co.

Walter C. Baker, one of the earliest makers of electrics, was employed at Cleveland Automatic.

The White Company was formed in 1906 to carry on the automobile business of the White Sewing Machine Co.

Some Comparisons with the Stanley

Although it operated on nearly the same principle as its chief competitor, the Stanley, the White steamer differed in several respects, particularly as to the boiler, which was a water tube or flash type, into which water was pumped constantly, flashing into steam instantaneously, as driving conditions required.

In the Stanley the boiler was the fire tube type in which steam was maintained at a nearly constant pressure. There was also a difference in positioning the various units. In the White the boiler, or generator, was under the driver’s seat, and the motor was vertically placed in front with shaft drive rearward, as in a gas car, while the Stanley carried the boiler under the hood in front with motor horizontally placed in unit with the rear axle. Both motors had two cylinders, but that of the Stanley was simple acting while the White was compound, i.e., the steam was used over again in a larger cylinder after being used once in the smaller or high pressure cylinder. The respective cylinder bores were 5 and 3 inches. Later White models had an additional ‘emergency’ gearing of 1 to 7, the regular gear ratio being 1 to 3.

In getting under way the driver of a White would first light the burner and let it warm up a little, pump a little water into the boiler, then it would be simply a matter of using the throttle, brake, and steering. If starting from the cold, pushing a foot button would actuate the simpling device, admitting live steam into both cylinders (without the compounding feature), Unlike the Stanley, the driver of a White did not have to build up steam pressure before starting, and could, therefore, make a quicker get away. The water pump would deliver as long as the car was in motion. Steam pressure also governed the supply of water to the generator. Occasionally when encountering a steep hill or desiring an extra spurt of speed, the driver would reach down and pump a few strokes by hand (in later models open a valve). The flow of water to the boiler also governed the flow of gasoline to the burner for generating and super- heating the steam. In the White the exhaust steam was seldom visible; it went into a condenser at the front of the motor where it was returned into water and used over again.

The earliest White steamers were in Stanhope form, having the motor under the seat and chain drive, with the boiler under the rear deck, There was a tiller for steering, the vehicle had wire wheels and reach rod underframe.

In 1902 a condenser was added, vertically in front, resembling the radiator of a gas car. This was the year of the first White truck.

The 1903 White more nearly resembled a gas car, with motor under a bonnet in front, and wheel steering. The body had rear entrance tonneau, which was readily detached at the back of the driver’s seat and replaced with a Limousine body, heated by the steam generator.

The familiar White hood contour was seen on the 1905 models. Walter C. White and Webb Jay were making speed records, the latter in ‘Whistling Billy’ doing a mile in 48.3 seconds.

The 1906 steamer was a larger car with side entrance bodies. Two models, 20 and 30 h.p. were seen in 1907. The larger car was later a 40h.p. and cost twice as much ($4000) as the 20 h.p., although both were similar in design, the difference being in size, only. Production reached 1500 in 1908. In 1909 the Joy valve gear replaced the familiar Stephenson link motion, Either gasoline or kerosene could be used for fuel in steamers from 1910 up thru 1912, or as long as this type of car was built.

With servicing problems becoming increasingly acute increased thought was given to developing a gasoline engine-driven White and a car of this type was announced in June, 1909. The motor castings were imported from France, of the European monobloc design, long stroke, with enclosed valve springs. Ignition was by Bosch magneto, the clutch was cone, and the gearset had four speeds, with direct drive in third. The wheelbase was 110 inches. Features stressed were simplicity, accessibility and economy, price, $1800. The new car was licensed under the Selden Patent.

The White gasoline truck went on the market in 1910, of three tons capacity.

A second chassis model was added in 1911. A truck sold to the city of Cleveland that year was still in service in 1937 with over one million miles to its credit.

The White Six of 1912 also used a bloc-cast motor, probably the largest motor so constructed at that period. Left drive was adopted in that year. This model featured an electric starting and lighting system.

The ‘most perfectly streamlined car on the market,’ was the White of 1914, with a really beautiful design of double cowl body, the first car to the writer’s knowledge having a slanting windshield. Spare tires were carried in fender wells with a trunk rack at the rear. The new ‘one man top” was fitted and fenders were not lacking in graceful contour. This design was carried thru as long as the White passenger car was built.

The 60 h.p. Six was built to order along with 30 and 45 h.p. fours until 1917, when the sixteen valve four came out. This was built until Government orders for war vehicles forced White to abandon passenger car manufacture. The truck business enjoyed a steady growth after the war.

Rollin H. White left the White Co. in 1914 and started the Cleveland Motor Plow Co., makers of the Cleveland tractor, later called Cletrac, featuring Caterpillar traction. A later endeavor of Rollin White was the 1924-’26 Rollin car.

White built bus chasses in 1920. Six cylinder busses were out in 1928, and, of late years, the street car type bus introduced the “pancake” twelve cylinder horizontal motor mounted beneath the floor, this in 1933.

In the fall of 1932 the White Co. was brought under Studebaker Corporation control, combining Indiana, Pierce-Arrow and Studebaker trucks, with White. Some Pierce-Arrow trucks were built in Cleveland.

White truck prices were lower in 1934; $1085 would buy a 75 h.p. six-cylinder chassis with a 4-speed gearset. White effected a separation from Studebaker in that year.

The C.O.E. (cab over engine) White trucks of 1937 were streamline designs of Count de Sahknofsky, in various styles of truck and trailer combinations.

Further steps forward were taken in 1938 with the “Merchandor” using the Divco stand-drive principle, and a small six motor under the floor, and the ‘White Horse”, introduced in 1939 with the Air-Cooled Motors Corp’s engine. White later built its own air-cooled 4-cylinder power unit for this stand-drive truck. The entire power unit was easily removable for servicing. These were in addition to the extensive line of regular White models.

Half track vehicles were built for the U.S. Army during World War II.