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FEATURED CARBINE: Underwood Presentation E 255

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    Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 10:07am
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2020-G
Featured Carbine
Underwood Presentation E 255
Presented to William Hanson Ingle

By Ted Sidehamer

E 255 was purchased in the North-Eastern part of the US. After the purchase, additional information was requested from the seller. A series of conversations yielded the following results: the consignors were an elderly couple and a family member’s contact information was obtained. Initial attempts to contact the family member were unsuccessful. With the club’s help, research found that the family was closely related to William Hanson Ingle, a Divisional Superintendent at Underwood.

The club’s theory fit, but without family confirmation, it was just a theory. With a little persistence, contact was made with William Hanson Ingle’s grandson, William F. Brooks. It was then time to put the club’s theory to the test.

The provenance of E 255 is a combination of club research and conversations with Mr. Brooks. While the date of the presentation is unknown, Mr. Ingle started at Underwood in 1905 and retired after 39 years of service. Mr. Brooks stated, "The story that my mother and aunt told was that their father (my grandfather) was in charge of converting the Hartford plant from typewriters to munitions, and the carbine was presented as a gesture of thanks."

After Mr. Ingle passed away in 1951, E 255 remained with his wife Eleanor. In the mid-1950s, it was passed to parents of William F. Brooks, Howard D. and Marjorie Ingle Brooks. Howard served in the European theater during WW2 achieving the rank of Colonel. Mr. Brooks speculated the World War 2 connection might be the reason why E 255 ended up in the possession of his parents. In 1997, the carbine was passed to Mr. Brooks' aunt and uncle, Jim and Emmy Smith. E 255 was sold at a location 5 miles from the Smith residence. It is believed they are the elderly couple who brought E 255 into the auction house.

William Hanson Ingle
December 12th, 1876 - December 22nd, 1951


Photo: Courtesy of grandson, William F. Brooks


William Hanson Ingle was born in New Hartford, Connecticut on Christmas day, 1877 to John and Mary Ingle Gates. In 1902, William married Eleanor A. Greenleaf. The couple had two daughters, Marjorie Ingle Brooks (mother of William F. Brooks) and Eleanor Ingle Bagley (mother of Midge Marshall and Emmy Smith). In 1932, a house was purchased in West Hartford.





William H. Ingle family home newspaper clipping: Source: Hartford Courant (03/20/1932)





William H. Ingle family home newspaper clipping: Source: Hartford Courant (03/20/1932)



Former home of William H. Ingle, recent image: Photo: Google Street View


L to R: Sisters Marjorie Ingle Brooks (Mr. Brooks’ mother), Eleanor Ingle Bagley (Mr. Brooks’ aunt) and their parents Eleanor and William Hanson Ingle (Mr. Brooks’ grandmother and grandfather) upon arrival at the Pratt Institute in New York where the sisters studied art
Photo: Courtesy of grandson, William F. Brooks

William started his career with Underwood Elliot Fisher as a toolmaker in 1905. At age 40, he was listed as a mechanical engineer eventually becoming a Divisional Superintendent at the Hartford facility before retiring.


1905 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, William H., toolm., 581 Cap.

1906 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, William H., toolm., 581 Cap.

1910 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, William H., forem., 581 Cap.

1914 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, W. H., forem., 581 Cap.

1933 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, William H (Eleanor G.), Mech eng, UEFCo

1941 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, William H (Eleanor G.), UEFCo

1942 Hartford CT City Directory

Ingle, William H (Eleanor G.), UEFCo



His work address in the 1905 Hartford Connecticut city directory (shown above from ancestry.com) is listed as 581 Capitol Avenue. This is the address of Underwood’s main factory in West Hartford, Connecticut. Interestingly, a World War 1 draft registration card lists William Ingle as a mechanical engineer and his work address as 821 Capitol Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut.


William H. Ingle World War 1 draft registration card from ancestry.com

821 Capitol Avenue

Built in 1915, this address is now an apartment building. It appears this building was used by Underwood Typewriter Co., though its purpose is unknown. It is located in close proximity to Underwood's Research facility as well as just down the street from the main factory. It wasn't until 1927 that the parent company Elliott-Fisher, reorganized Underwood Typewriter Co. and Sundstrand Corporation into Underwood Elliott Fisher.


Source: Hartford Preservation Alliance
Photo: HPA Parkside Historic District

When WW2 broke out, the company converted from typewriter manufacturer to maker of items in support of the war effort. During the war, Underwood Elliott Fisher produced M1 Carbines, airplane instruments like rate of climb indicators, gun parts, ammunition components, and other miscellaneous war items. A sampling of Mr. Ingle’s activities at Underwood is shown below. Some of the names listed played an important role in the history of Hartford and the state of Connecticut. As Divisional Superintendent, Mr. Ingle chaired the factory safety committee. He also presented other employees with retirement gifts.

Underwood Safety Discussion
A discussion of safety in factories was conducted at the monthly meeting of the University Club of the Underwood Elliott Fisher Company held in the Heublein Hotel Monday night. It was led by William H. Ingle, Divisional Superintendent of the factory and chairman of the factory safety committee. Assisting him was William H. Fischer, Assistant Superintendent and a member of the safety committee.

Source: Hartford Courant (01/26/1937)

Haun, Leaving Underwood, is Given Watch and Bag
A gold watch was given to John Paul Haun, or 94 Vera Street, West Hartford, Saturday, by co-workers at the Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, where he resigned as foreman Friday. William H. Ingle, Department Superintendent, made the presentation in behalf of the superintendents, foreman and executive force of the company.
Employees in Mr. Haun’s department expressed their esteem by giving him a traveling bag. Briefly he expressed his appreciation, thanking his benefactors for their loyalty to him as foreman and voicing the hope they would be as loyal to his successor.

Source: Hartford Courant (01/05/1930)

W. H. Ingle Dies Retired Underwood Official
William Hanson Ingle, 74, of 5 Plymouth Road, West Hartford, Divisional Superintendent of the Underwood Corporation until he retired in 1943, died Saturday morning at his home after a long illness.
He was born in New Hartford, December 25th, 1876, a son of the late John and Mary Gates Ingle, and had been a resident of Hartford and West Hartford since 1904.
He started working for the Underwood Corporation as a toolmaker in 1905. He worked there for 39 years.
He was a member of the Rosewell Lee Lodge, AF and AM, of Springfield, Massachusetts and was a member of the board of Hillyer College during its early years.
He leaves his wife, Eleanor Greenleaf Ingle, two daughters, Mrs. Clifton V. Bagley of Scarsdale, N. Y., and Mrs. Howard D. Brooks of Penns Grove, N. J., a brother, Henry W. Ingle of Windsor, and three grandchildren.
The funeral will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at the Immanuel Congregational Church Chapel. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Friends may call at the Newkirk and Whitney Funeral Home, 776 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, until 11 a.m. Monday.

Source: Hartford Courant (12/23/1951)


CCNL 375 introduced a rare type of carbine reported by club members sporadically over its 40+ year history. The club calls these E Code carbines.


There are two known Underwood presentation variations: One variation and the subject of this article have a 3-digit number prefixed by the letter E stamped on the receiver. The other variation usually reserved for the Chairman and Board of Directors are inscribed with the recipient’s initials instead of a serial number.

Underwood E Series Carbine Characteristics

The characteristics are hard to pin down since the factory used whatever parts they had on hand to assemble. Some E Series carbines show the following characteristics. Stocks lack an acceptance stamp since they were not accepted by the government. The barrel may be devoid of markings. Parts are generally late Underwood, but sometimes include transferred parts from other manufacturers.

The Carbine Collectors Club remembers

Underwood M1 Carbine E 255

Stock Group



The sling is unmarked and the oiler, made in Meriden, Connecticut by International Silver Co., is marked IU. The recoil plate is marked AU and the screw is partially threaded.


The sling well is marked with a sideways M-U and like the stock was made by Marlin Firearms Co. of New Haven Connecticut.


The handguard is shallow, has two rivets and is marked MU. The butt plate is the diagonal type.


Receiver Group


The receiver has two notches and the forward receiver trigger housing lug is marked with a 3. The font of the 3 is the same as found on the trigger housing. The feed ramp is in the white.


The flip sight is marked S on one side and ·U· on the leaf. The pin is held in place with type 2 staking. The front and right rear of the flip is chisel staked in place. Note the front right dovetail has also been bashed with some type of blunt instrument.


Bolt

The flat bolt is marked ·U· below the left lug. The type 1 firing pin is marked WU and the type 3 extractor is marked MU.


Slide

The slide type is E279A marked with a circled ·U· on the inside bottom of the box. The arm is marked with an ordnance bomb and the color is best described as a medium grey. The slide stop is early and it is blued.


Trigger Housing

The trigger housing is a type 4 brazed and has two marking. On the right rear side, is the number 3 stamped sideways. The ·U· marking is found on the inside wall of the magazine well. The type 3 hammer is marked WU and single strike marks can be seen on the left rail. The hammer plunger spring has 26 1/2 coils. The type 3 safety is unmarked and the ·U· marking is found on the magazine catch, trigger and sear.


Barrel Group

The barrel group is completely devoid of markings except for the front sight. Unmarked barrels have been observed on some Underwood presentation carbines. The barrel does, however, have the typical machining marks observed on Underwood barrels. The stamped/brazed front sight is marked SI U and the pin staking is type 1 on the club's datasheets. IBM used a stamped/brazed front sight marked SI B made by Simpro Mfg. Co. of Newark, NJ. Could this be the supplier of SI U front sights to Underwood? More research is needed. The blued barrel band is unmarked, has two spot welds and shows signs of wear or climate oxidation.


Easter Egg

This carbine has been reported as observed. Contained in this article is an unusual factory oddity which might be tough to spot, except for those who know and reviewed it. 5 bonus points for the first member able to spot it. Hopefully, once discovered, it will lead to insightful discussion.


Thanks

As the current owner of Underwood E 255 and writer of this article, I would like to thank William F. Brooks for allowing me to preserve the memory of his grandfather and share a rare example of an Underwood presentation carbine with our members. Mr. Brooks expressed interest in additional information about the Underwood factory and his grandfather. If another member has information, please contact the club.

Also, a special thanks to the members of the Carbine Collectors Club for their assistance with this article and connecting me to the family.

References

War Baby! by Larry Ruth
The Carbine Club Newsletters: 127, 128, 271 and 375
Underwood Elliott Fisher Newsletters

Data Sheet


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This article and/or its images are the property of the author. They're not to be copied without prior written permission. (Title 17, Chapter 5, Section 501(a) U.S. Code)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote W5USMC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 10:55am
Great article Ted, Thanks for sharing. 
S on the right side of the rear sight base instead of left, the the leaf itself is correct?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 11:49am
Thanks Wayne.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a 5 point winner!

The staking is as one would expect, right side front and rear chisel. Also, there are two additional blunt instrument "bash" stake marks, one of which is visible in the pictures above. I have seen this type of blunt instrument staking on other carbines, but have a hard time imagining what such a tool would look like. (A chisel with a flattened tip?)

A big thanks to "eagle eye" Dave Tennent Thumbs Up who first brought this factory mistake to my attention resulting in a review by those with way more knowledge than me.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 1st M1 88 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 7:09pm
Great article on a stunning carbine.  Thanks.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dave Tennent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 8:16pm
Speaking of UEF rear sight base markings. I saw mention of E158 in CC Newsletter #48. It shows that the rear sight is marked .U. on the leaf only. No S at all. Great article and fantastic factory mistake.
Dave
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hunterman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 8:53pm
Great article and terrific carbine!  Thank you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jangle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 13 2020 at 9:29pm
Fantastic article.  I appreciate the research that went into this!
Thanks for posting it!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Charles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 14 2020 at 8:51am
An exceptional article as would be expected. Thanks Ted.


Edited by Charles - Nov 14 2020 at 9:43pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 14 2020 at 12:16pm
@EEDT ("Eagle Eye" Dave Tennent): Great article find! Thanks. Also scouring the newsletters and web for more information.

The following links were provided by Dan (Thanks Dan Thumbs Up)

Another link provided by Dan. Great discussion by jackp1028 and blackfish (Thanks to both Thumbs Up)

@hunterman: Have an affinity for UW's. Probably just another carbine collecting phase.

@jangle: Have been reviewing your carbine posts with photos. Excellent photo taking skills! I joke with Eagle Eye Dave T. that I should subcontract picture taking to others. I've been experimenting with the Marcus Rust cardboard background photo taking technique and it works well. It really helps reduce shadows. I mentioned it in the article, but I can't say enough about other club members who helped me with this article...over a year in the making. A lot of effort searching, writing, documenting and editing/formatting...worth every minute of it. The whole process has provided me with an appreciation for the research process and what the CCC does to create content.

@everyone - Signed up for newspapers.com recently in an attempt to find the same clippings provided to me early on in the research process. Great site, except the search feature, and one never knows where a search might lead. Easy to lose focus and go down the newspapers.com rabbit hole like I did with names listed in other events attended by Mr. Ingle. A lesson learned on staying focused on the task at hand. Have already started the next article. First, I'll gather the information discovered during the research process, but not necessarily related to UW E 255 and pass it along. Some of it is a who's who in the history of Hartford, Connecticut and one parts maker.

Members are encouraged to share their carbines. Every carbine, IMO, is a teachable moment. All types and formats are appreciated. I think a few other members, with club assistance, have used previous Featured Carbine articles as a template to share.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nevinator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jul 19 2020 at 11:51am
Excellent article and references.  Thank you!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mrorange Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jul 19 2020 at 2:44pm
Brilliant. Very interesting read.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jul 20 2020 at 5:08pm
Thanks guys.

Accidentally removed some files while not paying attention during a routine cleanup operation. Think everything has been fixed. If not, please let me know.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Patrick_B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 14 2020 at 8:44am
What a nice article, and interesting thread. Thank you to all the contributors. 

I found this after discovering that UEF #E 276 Is about to come up for auction. If there is a thread on that subject, my apologies. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote painter777 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 14 2020 at 2:56pm
I've looked at E255 numerous times.
But just seen that The Extractor Plunger is the Early Full Cone,
I'll assume 'Long Stem'

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 14 2020 at 5:11pm
Not a T1 Extractor Plunger. Just a regular ole T2 and a mistake which has been corrected.

Thanks Ch-P777.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GotSnlB28 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 14 2020 at 5:43pm
Seeing this great article again, and that the rifle has an unmarked barrel... happened to recall that I have an early featured Standard Products with what appears to be an original unmarked Underwood barrel based on the style and milling. Old pictures are here (with another STD PRO Marlin barrel next to it for comparison of staking and proof P).

https://imgur.com/a/5DT28bk

Anyway, I just thought it interesting with respect to unmarked barrels. If not appropriate for the thread feel free to remove the post.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote SSNPingjockey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 18 2020 at 9:50pm
I have E230 and it also has a completely unmarked barrel. It does not even have the small “P” or any kind of proof mark.  It is most likely (or definitely) an Underwood barrel based on the normal Underwood milling characteristics. Additionally, the receiver does not have the small punch mark proof forward of the sight.

So, a carbine with no evidence it was ever proofed or accepted by the military, which makes sense because it was not a rifle intended for or delivered to the military. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 22 2020 at 10:26pm
The club does have record of E codes with some type of marking on the barrel as noted in CCNL 375. Think there were in the E 1XX range. Also mentioned were sporterized E codes. Would love to view one of them, the one with a name on the receiver ring or the initialed versions in person. Someday...

The ones I’ve seen in person had completely unmarked barrels with Underwood characteristics. Some with all Underwood parts and others with a few non Underwood lateral support? parts.

As Dan and others have mentioned previously, UW used whatever they had lying around.
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