The Brucer
Essolene visible gas pump - Forest, VA
Visible gas pumps first appeared around 1915, and went out of use in the 1930's. This particular pump is located at Rick's Antiques in Forest, Virginia.
"Essolene" was a special motor fuel introduced by Esso in 1933, advertised as containing an additive that guaranteed smoother engine performance. The ads claimed that this gasoline contained a proprietary "special solvent oil that cleans valve stems, piston rings, and piston-ring grooves". Esso's 1933 ads proclaimed: "Make one simple, convincing test -- try Essolene once in your car, under any conditions you choose. Essolene will speak for itself." I would appreciate hearing from anyone having further background on what this special solvent additive was, and how effective it was. Essolene seems to have been marketed only during the decade of the 1930s.
This vintage pump was moved to this site from another location, to serve as part of the outdoor display at Rick's Antiques (a "vintage Esso service station" motif). It is possible that the body of the pump and the Essolene globe on top might have come from different locations.
With visible pumps, gasoline was pumped from underground tanks into the visible glass cylinder at the top of the pump. The operator watched the level of gas in the cylinder and stopped the flow when the gas reached the desired gallons. There were three different mechanisms for drawing the gas from the underground tank into the overhead glass cylinder: manual hand operated, electric motor-driven, or air-operated. Once in the glass cylinder, the gas seems to have flowed by gravity into the car's gas tank, controlled by the nozzle seen on the right of this pump.
Many states banned visible pumps because of fire hazards and inaccurate measurements. Clock meter pumps replaced visible pumps in the 1930s.
Essolene visible gas pump - Forest, VA
Visible gas pumps first appeared around 1915, and went out of use in the 1930's. This particular pump is located at Rick's Antiques in Forest, Virginia.
"Essolene" was a special motor fuel introduced by Esso in 1933, advertised as containing an additive that guaranteed smoother engine performance. The ads claimed that this gasoline contained a proprietary "special solvent oil that cleans valve stems, piston rings, and piston-ring grooves". Esso's 1933 ads proclaimed: "Make one simple, convincing test -- try Essolene once in your car, under any conditions you choose. Essolene will speak for itself." I would appreciate hearing from anyone having further background on what this special solvent additive was, and how effective it was. Essolene seems to have been marketed only during the decade of the 1930s.
This vintage pump was moved to this site from another location, to serve as part of the outdoor display at Rick's Antiques (a "vintage Esso service station" motif). It is possible that the body of the pump and the Essolene globe on top might have come from different locations.
With visible pumps, gasoline was pumped from underground tanks into the visible glass cylinder at the top of the pump. The operator watched the level of gas in the cylinder and stopped the flow when the gas reached the desired gallons. There were three different mechanisms for drawing the gas from the underground tank into the overhead glass cylinder: manual hand operated, electric motor-driven, or air-operated. Once in the glass cylinder, the gas seems to have flowed by gravity into the car's gas tank, controlled by the nozzle seen on the right of this pump.
Many states banned visible pumps because of fire hazards and inaccurate measurements. Clock meter pumps replaced visible pumps in the 1930s.