The Holland was equipped with a two cylinder internal combustion engine manufactured by the Otto Engine Company of Philadelphia. It was capable of generating 45 horsepower and consumed about one pint of gasoline per horsepower per hour. Combined with a 1500 gallon fuel tank, this gave the Holland a theoretical range of over 1000 miles on the surface.
According to Frank Cable, John Holland spotted a gasoline engine connected to a generator at an exposition in Philadelphia, and bought the engine on the spot. The above photo lends credence to this story, yet the drawing obtained by Richard Compton-Hall is labelled "45 H.P. Marine Engine."
In a letter from Lewis Nixon (owner of Crescent Shipyard where the Holland was built) to Arthur Busch (former superintendent of the Crescent Shipyard), Nixon thanks Arthur for giving him credit for suggesting the clutch arrangement that allowed the gasoline engine to charge the battery when it was not need for propulsion.
Instructions for operating the engine were found in the John Lowe manuscript located in the Library of Congress.
The drawing of the engine is reproduced here as four images:
Title Block
Front View
Top View
End View
ÓCopyright 1999,2000,2001,2002 Gary McCue