Howard Elmer and his associates established the Cayuta Wheel and Foundry Company in 1873. It was located in the area across from Croft Lumber Company on Spring Street. It produced railroad wheels, valves, and fire hydrants. Christian Loetzer was their assistant superintendent. He was the inventor of the Loetzer valve.

About 1900 the foundry was moved to Bradford Street and its old location became part of the expansion of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. There is nothing remaining of the old site.

In 1903 Cayuta Wheel merged with the other car wheel compaies in the eastern United States to become the National Car Wheel Company. In 1925 National Car Wheel was purchased by the American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company and the foundry in Sayre became the Southern Wheel Division.

In 1955 Southern Wheel became R. & E Pattern Foundry and in 1961 became Ajax X-Ray and Foundry. Dr. King ran the business until he died recently. The oldest buildings there today would have been used by the National Car Wheel Company.

Our local historican has a copy of the book Loetzer wrote. In his book he addresses the problem of not having a national standard for hose and fire hydrant threads.

Most of the above information appeared in the T.E.T. Industrial Edition and 50th Anniversary edition.
--- contributed by Mary Lou Palmer, Sayre Historical Society, Sayre, Pennsylvania

Further information

In an issue of the Fireman's Herald, a firefighting magazine, published in 1905, there is an ad for "The Loetzer Universally Interchangeable Hydrant and Fire Hose Connection" of the National Car Wheel Co, Sayre PA.

National Car Wheel Co is also listed as one of the leading manufacturers of fire hydrants in this same issue.

Patent No. 677362 was issued to Christian Loetzer for a fire hydrant and assigned to Cayuta Wheel & Foundry in 1901.

If you have additional information about either of the companies listed above, or their hydrants, please E-mail us.

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	2247 Markings: K-U-T-A Notes: Hydrant is just 25" tall. Photo courtesy of Michael J. Vacanti