Finally got back to the old homestead Warning: Lots of pictures!!

[lafatlife]

Well after waiting since the fall I was finally able to get back to what appears to be an old homestead although you will see something in the pictures that suggests it was something else. This site is in the middle of the woods and unfortunately I will not be going back. While coming out of the woods I saw the signs that said it was water company property. Oops.

Enjoy the pics

 

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[Tnmountains]

that thing with the two wheels is the steam engine. the two wheels would have had leather belts running off to power a water pump,rock crusher,generator for lights, etc. if you look close at the bottom between the wheels you will notice the shaft is actually a crankshaft. the two holes into the back were for steam lines or pipes. my dad would have gone nuts and had me carry it out.

he was a stationary engineer and loved old steam engines and trains. he used to tell me all about the steam engines on the shipwrecks we dove. definately get back in there if possible.

He is right its an old steam engine from the industrial revolution. A friend of mine restores them for musuems. some of the valves are brass and make for very interesting collections. Tell them you are into returning the land to its original state and want to clean it up.Water companys are usually pretty easy to get along with about right of ways.
Here is the last one he was working on so you can see some of the parts.Value was around $20,000.00
Cheers.
TnMountains

 

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[lafatlife]

Well a steam engine would work due to the nickel mine being nearby. I did not find that but then I wasn't looking for it either.

As you can see in the pics someone cut portions out of it. As soon as I can ask someone, I will let everyone know if I can go back. I know right now they are cutting down trees in the area and people can hunt there.

That is all I know. I figured that if people can hunt there, I should be able to go in there too right Just as long as it is not hunting season that is....well animal hunting anyway. It is always Treasure hunting season in my book!!!

 

[OPUS1]

Great site and great pictures. Please keep us posted when you get permission ans send more pictures

 

[hikeinmts]

Saw much of the same stuff in the old Cornucopia Gold Mining area in Eastern Oregon. Get back in there, if at all possible. There is stuff - good stuff - there.

 

[lafatlife]

I will try my best to get back in there. I just have to find someone who can give me an answer. If I get back there, where do you all suggest I start looking?
There is so much iron and metal stuff there I'd be digging forever.

 

[crazyjarhead]

Thanks for sharing Looks like an old factory of some sort. Looks like it might be a tough hunt. Good luck

 

[Mr.Jody]

Its definatly going to be tuff hunting.I would suggest taking along a"poker"(long rod) to when you get back out there.Something that you can jam in the ground to check for voids....

 

[lafatlife]

Its definatly going to be tuff hunting.I would suggest taking along a"poker"(long rod) to when you get back out there.Something that you can jam in the ground to check for voids....

That is a good point. There are still open wells there that we have to watch for. One that I found had a slab of stone over most of it and another was open but the hole was only about a foot across.

I didn't get pictures of all the stone walls that are located around this property. There is an old road in there that I followed for about 1/4 to 1/2 a mile and there is a stone wall all the way. I would love to visit the local historical society to see if they have any pictures of the area from the past to give me a better idea of what was there.

 

[lafatlife]

Well found a phone number today for the water company and was transferred to someone else. That person was not in so I left a message. I will try again tomorrow to see if I can get to speak to someone about it.

I think I might have a chance as they are just chopping down trees in the area right now and equipment is leaving tracks in the mud.

Who knows, I might have a shot at it. I will keep you all posted.

 

[oldhippiecoinhntr]

Hi lafatlife! A couple of things. First off, the piece of equipment with flywheels is NOT a steam engine, or part of the boiler laying there. In fact I think the boiler may just be a heating boiler. The machine with the flywheels IS A VERTICAL EARLY GAS ENGINE! This engine could be over a 100 yrs old. I really would suggest you do all you can to secure it! Offer to buy it. It is a vertical inverted, inverted meaning the pistons travel down, with crank shaft at top. This is one feature that makes this particular engine unique and valuble. Second, it is also a two cylinder, whick again is unique, as most of these were one cylinder. Also looks like it could be as large as 6hp, maybe even 12 hp. The two holes shown in pic, are actually threaded holes for pipeing to go to a cooling tower, or tank, whick of course maybe gone, as I dont see in pic. Cooling tower sometimes was a galvanized tank with a screen for water to run over.But good chance it may be buried. One thing that would help, is to try to turn over the engine. The side not showing may tell you exactly the make. It could be a Masterworkman, or another one of several makers that made these. If you turn it over, you will find the name cast into base, or side of cylinder. Depending on make, you also should find the carbuator, or mixer as they called them at the time, and if it has spark plugs or hot tube ignition. Though hot tube ignition unlikely. I may possibly have ignitors. But if you turn over, you should see a name cast in base. However, seeing someone has robbed some brass, it may have a brass name tag also stolen. Also some working parts such as mixer could also be brass, and stolen.But at any rate, it has some pretty fair value as it is, because of the unigue engine design. DO NOT COAST ON THIS MATTER. It should be saved from the scrappers torch! There is collectors in your part of country that would be willing to pay a premium. In fact, would suggest Ebay or Feebay if you like. It will bring the best price there. At any rate, I have owned/sold many early engines, and assure you, this should be pursued. Once you tell me make if you find name, I can advise you on selling it. If I was closer, and had extra money, I could be interested. But not to be. I can direct you to a couple sites to get info and to sell. Good luck! Take care of this matter, before a someone gets ahead of you, or before the scrappers haul it away. It will bring you some cash for more detecting fun. I have a number of books, and maybe able with a little research to tell you for sure, the make. You can email me thru here if you like. Old hippie.

 

[oldhippiecoinhntr]

Hi again. One more thing. Be clever when trying to buy the engine. Dont tell them its a 100 yr old gas engine, someone who is a ametuer self appointed antique dealer/appraiser that may work for the water company, may suddenly decide any offer you make wont be as much as they think its worth, or can get from some friend. Since yourself nor anyone on this post so far has regonized it as an early engine, to the present owners, its likely iron, thus the danger of it going soon to a scrappie. Scrappie's here are notorius for cutting up valuble iron just to tic off collectors.

I would just ask about the old machine, that looks like an old water pump, or compressor, and ask if you could buy? Tell them you will give them twice iron price, as you just hate to see it get scrapped, and you would love to paint it up for display at your local car show, or fair, or farm show, or to display in your yard with your old plows( no, they dont know if you have any or not) whatever sounds good enough to you. I would quess it to wiegh about 1200 to 1600 lbs. Here iron is going for about $70.00 a ton now unprepared. But dont loose it for a few bucks. Just make a fair cash offer. I have had lots of experience over the years at this, and am good at it. Let me know your result.

 

[kansas coin hunter]

wow dude thought you found another csn submerine like the hunly lol awesome place pound it hard

 

[cwdigger]

Well a steam engine would work due to the nickel mine being nearby. I did not find that but then I wasn't looking for it either.

As you can see in the pics someone cut portions out of it. As soon as I can ask someone, I will let everyone know if I can go back. I know right now they are cutting down trees in the area and people can hunt there.

That is all I know. I figured that if people can hunt there, I should be able to go in there too right Just as long as it is not hunting season that is....well animal hunting anyway. It is always Treasure hunting season in my book!!!

I will advise you to wear some blaze orange, IF hunting season is in, I dont know how the folks down your way are but folks up here will just shoot at sound long b4 they ever see anything,so be careful, as a hunter myself when the season is in I almost always wear an orange hat when Im in the woods swingin. Good luck with your site, looks like a real promising area

Cw

 

[Curious The George]

Oldhippie,
You likely have forgotten more than I know about old engines. But I can't help but observe that we have a steam boiler laying there with the engine.

Is it possible that this engine is not a gas powered engine, but a steam powered one? I get the inverted part and I agree that the two flywheels are hooked to a crank shaft. It does have what looks to be piston rods going into the engine block. But from there on I don't see gas or kerosene powered engine. I see at least two holes that would take a piece of pipe. Pipe fittings would be needed to feed live steam to the pistons.

Just a thought.

 

[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

sweet finds, and i would be looking all around those foundations!!...gregg

 

[Tnmountains]

I will advise you to wear some blaze orange, IF hunting season is in, I dont know how the folks down your way are but folks up here will just shoot at sound long b4 they ever see anything,so be careful, as a hunter myself when the season is in I almost always wear an orange hat when Im in the woods swingin. Good luck with your site, looks like a real promising area

Cw
[/quote]

The advice above should have a topic or post of its own. That is great advice to people metal detecting. We have several old home sites at my hunting club and we have put off hunting in that area till Turkey season is over. If you do venture out please wear some orange. If you think about how slow you hunt and the sweeping motion of the detector you may come upon someone set up for Turkey and not hear them calling the birds. Thank you CW for great advice !!!!!!
TnMountains

 

[oldhippiecoinhntr]

You can take my word for it, its a gas, or gasoline engine. Over the years, I have owned and sold over 2000 gas engines, belong to several early farm clubs, seen hundreds of collections, attended hundreds of shows, auctions, and have hundreds of books on the subject. I am just qualifying my experience here, so you will believe my correct assesment here. I hope lafatlife will try to turn the engine, and hope there is some identifying marks. I could go into why this is not a steam engine on seeing the pic, but would add to my long contributions here already.

Also, at any site of industrial or commercial activity, there is a mixture of machinery, espcially when it goes out of operaption. But glad you are part of dialoge, it adds to the idea of friendship and shareing of experience.

 

[kdismuke1]

great pictures and story. try and get permission to hunt there and get what you can.

 

[Curious The George]

Oldhippie,
Like I said, you likely have forgotten more than I know about old engines.

The two holes that look like they have hex pipe bushings in them very well may be for cooling water going into the jacket around the cylinders.

There is a gear on one end of the crank shaft with a metal rod or bar running north and south to the gear. I would guess that has something to do with timing of the spark or timing of the valves.

I don't see an exhaust port or ports so they must be on the down side of the engine block.

My father had an old cement mixer in the middle 1950's that had a one cylinder engine that ran it. I really got a kick out of that thing when it was running. Clank, clank, clank - POP.

 

[lafatlife]

oldhippiecoinhntr, when you speak of the engine, are you talking about that smaller thing with the wheels? Sorry, I am a girl and don't know about these things.

I can try to sneak back in there and turn it over to see if something is on it but as far as getting it out, I don't think I would be able to. It is in the middle of no where. There really isn't a road and stream would have to be crossed too.

I might.....be able to get the thing out that is on wheels...the other part as you can see in the pictures was cut into already and has a fairly large size pipe that runs through it. I know I wouldn't be able to move that but perhaps I can get some better pictures for you.