Sylvanus Bowser: Difference between revisions

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Sylvanus Freelove Bowser (August 8, 1854 – October 3, 1938) was an American inventor who is widely credited with inventing the automobile fuel pump. Bowser Avenue in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana is named after him.^[1]

Bowser marketed his patented kerosene pump starting in 1885. The introduction of automobiles, mainly powered by gasoline, led him to develop it into the "Self-Measuring Gasoline Storage Pump", launched in 1905.^[2]

Bowser's invention operated with a manual suction pump, which dispensed the gasoline into the car through a flexible hose. The 50-gallon metal storage tank, housed in a wooden cabinet, could be set up at the curbside in front of a store.

Under the banner of his company, S. F. Bowser & Company, this activity expanded to the measurement and handling of many commercial liquids. Bowser opened branches around the world, and bowser became a generic term for fuel dispensers, then fuel tankers (especially on airfields),^[3] then finally for any kind of self-propelled liquid tanker with the ability to dispense direct to consumers.

In New Zealand and Australia, Bowser is still a generic term for consumer fuel pumps. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to wheeled water tankers (either automotive or towed) used to supply fresh water to areas where normal supplies have been interrupted.

The Bowser company was acquired in 1960^[4] by Keene Corporation in Greenville, Tennessee. The vacuum oil purification side of the business was divested by Keene in 1978, subsequently trading under the name Enervac.^[5] Keene filed for bankruptcy in 1993 due to a large number of asbestos-related lawsuits.

References[edit]

^ Zuber, Connie Haas (October 25, 2000). "Then - Bowser Avenue in the 1920s was the center of the universe to many". The News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 21, 2005. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
^ Alfred, Randy (October 1, 2008). "Sept. 5, 1885: Pay at the Pump". Wired.com. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
^ ""Bowser - definition of bowser", The Free Dictionary". Farlex, Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
^ Jack Sim, Gas Pumps, Krause publications, 2008
^ "Enervac Corporation". Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2006.

This article about an American inventor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Zuber, Connie Haas (October 25, 2000). "Then - Bowser Avenue in the 1920s was the center of the universe to many". The News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 21, 2005. Retrieved August 29, 2006.

[2] Alfred, Randy (October 1, 2008). "Sept. 5, 1885: Pay at the Pump". Wired.com. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

[FreeDictionary-3] ""Bowser - definition of bowser", The Free Dictionary". Farlex, Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2016.

[4] Jack Sim, Gas Pumps, Krause publications, 2008

[5] "Enervac Corporation". Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2006.

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+{{Short description|American inventor}}
-'''Sylvanus Freelove Bowser''' (died 1938) is widely credited with inventing the [[gas pump|automobile fuel pump]]. Bowser Avenue in his hometown of [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]] is named after him.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jordan.fortwayne.com/ns/projects/south/se1.php | title=Then - Bowser Avenue in the 1920s was the center of the universe to many | last=Zuber | first=Connie Haas | publisher=[[The News-Sentinel]] | date=2000-10-25 | accessdate=2006-08-29}}</ref>
+{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
+[[File:The Architect and engineer of California and the Pacific Coast (1917) (14802067363).jpg|thumb|right|1917 advertisement of S. F. Bowser & Co.]]
+'''Sylvanus Freelove Bowser''' (August 8, 1854{{spaced ndash}}October 3, 1938) was an American inventor who is widely credited with inventing the [[gas pump|automobile fuel pump]]. Bowser Avenue in his hometown of [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]] is named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jordan.fortwayne.com/ns/projects/south/se1.php |title=Then - Bowser Avenue in the 1920s was the center of the universe to many |last=Zuber |first=Connie Haas |publisher=[[The News-Sentinel]] |date=October 25, 2000 |access-date=August 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050421032659/http://jordan.fortwayne.com/ns/projects/south/se1.php |archive-date=April 21, 2005 }}</ref>
-Bowser, marketed his patented kerosene pump starting in 1885.  The introduction of [[automobiles]], mainly powered by [[gasoline]], led him to develop it into the "Self-Measuring Gasoline Storage Pump", launched in 1905.
+Bowser marketed his patented kerosene pump starting in 1885. The introduction of [[automobiles]], mainly powered by gasoline, led him to develop it into the "Self-Measuring Gasoline Storage Pump", launched in 1905.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alfred |first=Randy |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/09/dayintech_0905 |title=Sept. 5, 1885: Pay at the Pump |publisher=Wired.com |date=October 1, 2008 |accessdate=December 10, 2011}}</ref>
 Bowser's invention operated with a manual suction pump, which dispensed the gasoline into the car through a flexible hose. The 50-gallon metal storage tank, housed in a wooden cabinet, could be set up at the curbside in front of a store.
-Under the banner of his company, S. F. Bowser & Company, this activity expanded to the measurement and handling of many commercial liquids. Bowser opened branches around the world, and [[Bowser (tanker)|bowser]] became a generic term for fuel dispensers, then fuel tankers (especially on airfields), then finally for any kind of self-propelled liquid tanker with the ability to dispense direct to consumers.  In [[New Zealand]] and [[Australia]] it is still a generic term for consumer [[gas pump|fuel pumps]], while in the [[United Kingdom]] it refers to wheeled water tankers (either automotive or towed) used to supply fresh water to areas where normal supplies have been interrupted.
+Under the banner of his company, S. F. Bowser & Company, this activity expanded to the measurement and handling of many commercial liquids. Bowser opened branches around the world, and [[Bowser (tanker)|bowser]] became a generic term for fuel dispensers, then fuel tankers (especially on airfields),<ref name="FreeDictionary">{{cite web | url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bowser | title="Bowser - definition of bowser", The Free Dictionary | publisher=Farlex, Inc | accessdate=February 2, 2016}}</ref> then finally for any kind of self-propelled liquid tanker with the ability to dispense direct to consumers.
+In New Zealand and Australia, Bowser is still a generic term for consumer [[gas pump|fuel pumps]]. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to wheeled water tankers (either automotive or towed) used to supply fresh water to areas where normal supplies have been interrupted.
-The Bowser company was acquired in 1969 by Keene Corporation; the vacuum oil purification side of the business was divested by Keene in 1978, subsequently trading under the name Enervac.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.enervac.com/index2.html | title=Enervac Corporation | accessdate=2006-08-29}}</ref>  Keene filed for bankruptcy in 1993 due to a large number of [[asbestos]]-related lawsuits.
+The Bowser company was acquired in 1960<ref>Jack Sim, ''Gas Pumps'', Krause publications, 2008</ref> by Keene Corporation in Greenville, Tennessee. The vacuum oil purification side of the business was divested by Keene in 1978, subsequently trading under the name Enervac.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.enervac.com/index2.html | title=Enervac Corporation | access-date=August 29, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004210815/http://www.enervac.com/index2.html | archive-date=October 4, 2006 | df= }}</ref>  Keene filed for bankruptcy in 1993 due to a large number of [[asbestos]]-related lawsuits.
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowser, Sylvanus}}
-{{US-engineer-stub}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowser, Sylvanus}}
-[[Category:American inventors]]
-[[Category:19th-century births]]
+[[Category:1854 births]]
 [[Category:1938 deaths]]
-[[Category:Date of death missing]]
 [[Category:Place of death missing]]
+[[Category:19th-century American inventors]]
 [[Category:American automotive engineers]]
+{{US-inventor-stub}}

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