W. H. Kane and Co
of Sampson Engine Works, Cuba Street, Belfast
1915 Four-stroke Sampson oil engine in 3, 4, 6 and 8 bhp sizes.
1918 Moved to The Inver Engine Works, Ballyloran, Larne
1929 W. H. Kane and Co, Larne. Engineers, Millwrights and Founders.[1]
1970 'THE FIRM of W. H. Kane and Co. Ltd., at Larne Foundry was established about 75 years ago. It was started by the firm of Kane Bros., of Ballymena, who were quite a large manufacturing company at that time. The late Mr. W. H. Kane, who died in 1954, a son of that family, was sent to Larne in about 1900 to manage Larne Foundry and eventually the business was made over to him. At that time Mr. Kane did the work in a few small sheds, but hard effort and patience, built other workshops and bought machinery to do various kinds of work. During the 1914-18 war the firm was given the task of serving the minesweepers that were based at Larne Harbour and as many as 200 steam trawlers were being serviced while the war lasted. After the war a boom period of trade was experienced but by 1926 a general depression had seftled over the whole country and W. H. Kane & Co., together with many other firms had a very grim time to keep going.” Men were given work in a rota system, one week's work with two on the dole. However, by 1935 business began to pick up again and with the beginning of World War II in 1939 this firm was ready when- asked, to take over the duties of servicing the small naval craft patrolling this part of the Western Approaches, one of the food lines to these islands....'[2]