What is it? Set 325

[Rob H.]

Just posted another set of items:

[Alexander Thesoso]

1862 Bell. Fire Bell / Alarm Bell / Town Meeting Bell.

1864 From the incense sticks, I'd guess incense burner.

[John Husvar]

1864: Rushlight holder - holds certain plant stems that burn much like candles. Many were made with candle cups on the curved portion so they could be used for either light source. Bet I've made a hundred of 'em. They work well as recipe card holders too.:)

[Northe]

Agreed. Actually, the rushlights themselves were made by soaking the peeled stem of a rush in animal fat such as tallow.

[Andrew Erickson]

1861 - Binder for cornstalks (or other grain)? I'm pretty sure I've encountered this before...but can't remember much more than that. 1862 - Alarm gong/bell?

1863 - Harrow, dragged along the ground (presumably by horse power) to cultivate the soil

1864 - Holder for flaming sticks, I'd guess either as a light or to keep the fire when you didn't care to have the fireplace grate full--probably the latter.

1865 - Primitive doghouse

1866 - Booby trap, with small guns (perhaps firing blanks) triggered by pressure or motion of the pointed bits. It would appear that this is intended to kill or frighten some wild animal, rather than human prey.

[Northe]

1866: I believe that it's a trip-wire alarm. It looks as if there is a lanyard on the left side to fire the miniature cannon. I'll assume that it uses a gun cap that fires the powder charge when the lanyard is pulled.

Northe

[John Husvar]

Oops! Yup, you're right. I'd forgotten that bit of the byte. It's that the rushes are well suited to absorbing the fat, making them candle-like, neh?

[Steve W.]

1861 - very early portable winch?

1862 - Well it wouldn't make a lot of sound but it could be used as a simple bell. I know of a FD near me that has a railroad driver wheel with a notch cut out as a back-up bell for meetings and such.

1862 - Fixed tooth harrow. Can also be used to prep seedbeds by making closely spaced rows for the seeds to drop into so they don't blow away. Such as in a rice paddy or wheat field.

1864 - Old rush light. Holds pieces of reed that burn like a tallow candle because of the waxy sap in them.

1865 - Pedestrian pass through cut in a tree? Sort of like the redwoods with the tunnels cut through them?

1866 - Well it almost looks like some type of weird bayonet/gun combo. If those are muzzle-loading barrels on either side.

[Bill]

1861 - If I had to move a railroad tie a short distance, I might be tempted to try to use 1861. The point looks like it is designed to be stuck in the ground rather than, say, on a ship to help lower the sails.

Bill.

[Bill]

1866 -It's got a "safety" on it, so it means business. Maybe it was used to slaughter cattle?

Bill

[steamer]

1863 Pretty sure this is an implement that would be dragged by a draft animal thru a field.

[Michael Kenefick]

1861, well bucket wench 1862 Wreathes frame? 1863 Hay rake? (I wish I could remember where I have seen one of those. Amish Country?) 1864 Bell on the door to let the shop keep know some one has entered or left. 1865 How wide? Oh never mind. I have no idea. 1866 No Idea. Looks like maybe a lock.

Rob H. wrote:

[Rob H.]

Fire alarm bell is correct.

Rob

[DoN. Nichols]

1861) Hmmm ... it will behave like a screw, with the rope going from one side of the cross board to the other as it is cranked.

Not sure whether it is to drive into the earth for planting something or to serve as a jack, with the point in some kind of hardened socket.

1862) Almost certainly it (when struck) serves as a gong to call the population's attention -- perhaps as a fire alarm, perhaps to indicate an imminent attack, perhaps just of marking the time. 1863) Perhaps to be used to stretch animal pelts when curing? 1864) Looks like an incense holder to me.

Or perhaps used to hold tapers to light pipes.

1865) Perhaps a beehive? 1866) Hmmm ... looks like a harpoon point without a shaft which has two small guns mounted. It looks as though there is a missing crossbar which goes in the notch of the hammer to strike two percussion caps at once -- probably triggered by a strong tug on the ring at the back.

The 1850s was a strong period for the whaling industry, though I've not seen anything like this before.

Now to see what others have suggested.

Enjoy, DoN.

[Matthew Russotto]

1862: Ye Olde Hulae Hoope? 1863: A frame for some sort of stage scenery? 1864: Looks like drug paraphenalia to me. Looks like you stuck whatever those things were in it to hold them, then burned the ends. 1865: It's a hollow tree stump, what else? I imagine the hole at the top is important. 1866: You've heard of guns called "hand cannons"? That's the original hand cannon. With optional extended sights. Assuming the cannon actually works, perhaps for signalling of some sort. Or maybe just a gunsmith's novelty.

[Alexander Thesoso]

1866 After looking for a while, I can make a guess: An animal trap. Bait is held by the barbed points at the right. The animal (Raccoon, other medium-large carnivore) grabs the bait, moving one or both of the extensions, firing the gun. Ring at the left is to anchor the trap so the animal doesn't take it away. I have no good idea of the function of the pin and notched extension on the left front.

[Rob H.]

Correct, as Alexander also guessed, it's a trap for animals, the gruesome details of how it works can be found starting on line 70 of the patent.

They've all been answered correctly this week, more details can be seen here: