# Was This An Early Producer Gas Engine?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-early-producer-gas-engine/200141>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 7, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-early-producer-gas-engine/200141 "2003-09-07T19:01:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-early-producer-gas-engine/200141/1 "2003-09-07T19:01:11Z")

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In one of [Jay Leno’s columns](http://popularmechanics.com/automotive/sub_coll_leno/2003/7/unknown_american_classic/index2.phtml) he describes the following engine:

> [@](#):
>
> Morey returned to Orford, and quite by accident invented the “American Water Burner.” He discovered that when you combined steam and heated carbon, you had a very potent fuel. Morey tried everything that would burn as the source of carbon: tar, resin, coal, oil, pitch, fat, wood, even sunflower seeds. People thought Morey was a nut for attempting to “burn water.” Some were certain he had discovered a mysterious magic spring that produced “inflammable water,” and a few people even searched for it.

It _sounds_ like a producer gas engine, but I’ve not heard of one which used steam before. I’ve heard of one’s that generated steam from whatever it was that was being heated (usually wood), but not one that used steam injection.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-early-producer-gas-engine/200141/2 "2003-09-09T22:38:31Z")

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Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-an-early-producer-gas-engine/200141/3 "2003-09-09T23:47:51Z")

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Sounds like an IC engine running on water gas.