Historical information

FROM - McCLURE Family of Mitre Lake
The BLACKSTONE oil engine was a prominent internal combustion engine manufactured by BLACKSTONE & Co., a British engineering firm established in 1837 in Stamford, Lincolnshire. These engines were widely used in agricultural and industrial applications during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In Adelaide, South Australia, the CLITTERBUCK Brothers served as agents for Blackstone oil engines. The CLUTTERBUCK Brothers were known for their involvement in the agricultural machinery sector, acting as distributors and agents for various equipment manufacturers. Their representation of BLACKSTONE & Co. facilitated the distribution and maintenance of these engines in the region, supporting local agricultural and industrial operations. An oil engine is a type of internal combustion engine that runs on heavy oil-based fuels like Kerosene, Distillate, Crude Oil and later, diesel. These engines typically used compression ignition, though some early ones used hot bulb ignition, a primitive method predating the diesel engine. Usually located near a well or dam (for pumping water), a threshing area or silo (for driving belts) or a homestead or dairy (for powering lights or cream separators).