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

lafatlife · Mar 16, 2009

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

Curious The George · Mar 26, 2009

lafatlife,

Being female has nothing to do with not understanding 100 year old engines. If you have never seen one you wouldn't know what it is. And yes, oldhippy is talking about the pyramid shaped thing with the two wheel looking things on it.

It is very likely the big thing, the steam boiler, was cut open to prevent it's being fired up again. Old riveted, iron boilers can be very dangerous. They tend to explode if the person operating it doesn't know what they are doing.

When they are operated regularly and kept wet, with water in them, they hold up pretty good. But, take the water out and let air get to that old metal and it starts rotting rather quickly.

And those things that you are calling wheels are not wheels in the sense you are using the term. They are flywheels. Not made to transport the thing. It is sitting upside down in your photos. It would normally sit on the square base that is pointed up. The flywheels are there to keep the engine running between the cylinders firing. Each piston, two of them, must go up and down four times for each time they fire and produce energy. They cylinders fire alternately, so there are at least two up and down strokes of each piston between each piston firing. Something needs to keep the crankshaft turning while that is going on. The heavy flywheels provide circular motion to the shaft while we are waiting for the pistons to add more energy to the process.

One of the flywheels may have had a belt on it to use the power from the engine to drive something else.If this was a mining operation there likely was a hammer mill there to break up rock to extract what ever was being mined from it.

My guess would be that when who ever abandoned it, they neutralized it by cutting out a big enough piece so that repairing it would be impractical. Or, it was cut open for a major repair and found not worth repairing. I'd go with the first option here.

lafatlife · Mar 26, 2009

Mac, thanks for the explanation. Now I can see how it would work. I didn't realize it was upside down.

There is no doubt in my mind that they destroyed it on purpose because I just don't see how they would have gotten it out of there. Heck, I don't know how they even got it in there unless it was built there.

There is an old road of sorts that I followed for a bit as i mentioned but I didn't follow it to the end as it rounded a corner and I was way out of site of my friend. I supposed it could have been pulled on something by oxen.

lafatlife · Apr 21, 2009

Bad news everyone. I finally got a hold of the water company and the VP said no to detecting. He said it would be a liability issue and it is a watershed area.

That was it for the conversation. BUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tnmountains · Apr 21, 2009

Bummer I have been watching your post to see what happens. Usually water companys are easy to get along with. I am sure the person you talked with was clueless and just stating company policy. If they were worried about a water shed they would clean up the rusted things on the surface,,lol. Better luck next time.

TnMountains

STH69 · Apr 21, 2009

cool is that an old steam thresher?

lafatlife · Apr 22, 2009

TnMountains said:
Bummer I have been watching your post to see what happens. Usually water companys are easy to get along with. I am sure the person you talked with was clueless and just stating company policy. If they were worried about a water shed they would clean up the rusted things on the surface,,lol. Better luck next time.

TnMountains

I agree but in order for me to tell them that I saw that, it would acknowledge that I trespassed on their property. Don't want to get arrested!!

wwwtimmcp · Apr 22, 2009

I see no valves,spark plugs or spark plug holes. there had to be a way to fire the cylinders if it were a gas engine.

sniffer · Apr 22, 2009

in the first pictures, the foundation with the foundation in the middle, could be a blacksmith shop.
the inside foundation could be a part of a forge

Layne · Apr 22, 2009

What you have found appears to be a Temple Wizzard engine. Pictures and info here: http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36430
This is an extremely exciting find as any engine of the inverted vertical is extremely rare and desirable, even more so for a 2 cylinder. Restoration will be long and hard as all the moving parts are now underground, and zero parts will be available. Welcome to another obsession.

Layne · Apr 22, 2009

Personally I would stop at nothing to get the engine (but I'm crazy). At the very least please do this: find a local tractor and engine club (they are everywhere, trust me there is one within 50 miles). Give them the pictures and tell them to go to the water company and say that a friend of a friend was hunting or cutting trees or whatever and passed along the picture. They can explain that they are interested in preserving this old stuff, and very often people will donate these things to them. They should have enough members with trucks and chains to haul it back to their showgrounds and at least if it won't be restored it can be saved from scrapping.

Preserving history is everyone's obligation! They will never make machinery like that agiain.

Company F · Apr 22, 2009

I love hunting old places like that. Those are some good photos, too.

lafatlife · Apr 22, 2009

Layne, I really wish I could. I would love to go back but they told me no. I understand that it is a water shed and don't want anyone in there but where I wish to go is no where near water except for a brook. If I take the pictures with me and show them, then I risk getting in trouble for trespassing as there are signs posted. I am at a loss on this one.

Ironically, there are people there cutting trees down in the area I wish to hunt. Go figure.