CAPITOL GEARS, INC. (SAINT PAUL, MINN.):

Capitol Gears, Inc. was a family-owned machine shop in St. Paul's Midway District that manufactured marine engines, transmissions, and gears for fire boats, coast guard vessels, work boats, fishing boats, and pleasure craft. The firm was founded in 1905 as the Auto Engine Works by John D. Mooney and five other incorporators. In 1960 the name of the company was changed to Capitol Gears, Inc.

The firm's original purpose was to manufacture automobile engines. Around 1908 effort was shifted to the production of marine and special engines and transmissions. In the 1920s and 1930s the company was converting surplus Liberty, Wright, Packard, Thomas-Morse, Curtiss, and other aircraft engines to marine uses. In 1934 it developed a cylinder head and fuel distribution system for gasoline and diesel railroad engines. Transmissions for marine engines eventually emerged as the primary product. The manufacture of automobile engines was discontinued by about 1912, marine engines in 1938.

The 1980s were years of precipitous decline at Capitol Gears, with slumping sales, bulging inventories, recurring financial losses, and layoffs of employees. In 1989 Capitol sold its marine transmissions business to the Durst Division of the Regal-Beloit Corporation (Beloit, Wis.), and concentrated its efforts instead on the manufacture of high-performance beveled gears, a strategy which was hoped would save the company. The firm finally folded in 1990 citing intense competition, particularly from the Japanese. There apparently were also management and other problems that contributed to its demise.

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Corporate records and subject files, most of which were saved by vice president Robert F. Anderson when Capitol Gears went out of business. The collection includes an incomplete set of corporate record books; two stock certificate books; miscellaneous financial statements and information; photographs of the company's plants and facilities, products, and employees and executives; and advertising samples.

There is information about the company's various product lines and services, which included marine engines; aircraft engines converted for marine use; reverse and reduction gears; transmissions; pistons, piston rings, and pins; beveled gears; and cylinder and crankshaft grinding. There is information about transmissions and related mechanisms patented by John D. Mooney and George P. Torgersen, who were officers of the firm.

The collection contains historical sketches, newspaper and magazine articles, and other material documenting the history of the company, the development of its products, and changes in its product line. Internal memoranda by Anderson include his observations about the management of the business over a period of more than twenty years, his warnings about the decline of the company, and his ideas for trying to save it.

In addition to Anderson, correspondents represented in the collection include presidents John D. Mooney, his son George M. Mooney, and John Stella; executive vice-president George P. Torgersen; attorneys; and officials of the Regal-Beloit Corporation.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Capitol Gears, Inc. (Saint Paul, Minnesota). Corporate Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 14,630

Processing Information:

Processed by: David Peterson, November 3, 1993.

Catalog ID number: 990017299840104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Airplanes -- Motors.

Gearing -- Manufacture.

Industrialists.

Inventions, Employees' -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Machine shops -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Marine engines -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Midway District (Saint Paul, Minn.)

Plant shutdowns -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Ships -- Transmission devices.

Persons:

Anderson, Robert F.

Mooney, George M.

Mooney, John Daniel, 1878-1955.

Stella, John.

Torgersen, George P.

Organizations:

Auto Engine Works (Saint Paul, Minn.)

Regal-Beloit Corporation. Durst Division (Beloit, Wis.)

Places:

Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Saint Paul (Minn.) -- Manufacturers.

Document Types:

Advertising.

Patents.

Photographs.

Stock certificates.

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