I thought it was a hammer...what is it??? Any takers???

[ashleysflyr]

I found this in a Missouri ghost town.
This town had a number of points of interest, like a lumber yard and some railroad tracks. I actually found this next to a very large tree within 100 feet of a very old school. It was about 4 inches deep, between roots. The rest of the tree was surrounded by lava looking bubbly hard stuff that registered in the iron range. Other finds from this sight include a number of railroad ties, and an old sign from the 50's in a previous post, and half an old horse shoe. So, here it is!


This is the part that threw me off. I thought it was a hammer until I saw this hole. It's at an angle, about 3" deep, but only about an inch in diameter.


Here's a closer look at the hole.


I love the shape of this thing. It's about 8" long and 8 pounds.


These things attached are also confusing...one on each side, in the same place and at an angle.


It also has this definate seem right up the center.


I had to lug it for about half a mile, with a pocket full of RR nails, a lagre sign, and half of a darn horse shoe so ANY help IDing would be greatly appreciated!
(my fiance' just read that I lugged it, and told me I better tell the truth, so, she lugged it for a while too!) Thanks in advance guys and gals!

~Tom

 

[Tavis]

Some sort of metalworking device maybe? Does the hole look like it would have gone through, maybe it was to help pour molten metal into molds, maybe the end got plugged and they threw it out?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Looks like it might be a counter-weight, but to what I can't say. Don't know nuffin 'bout mining equipment, but I've seen similar on old metal press-brakes. Made pretty well so it has to have a particular purpose.

The little "arms" look almost like it would have been spiked into wood.

 

[SgtSki in MI]

Hmmmmm...........could it be the counterweight for RR Semaphores? Or maybe for a mailbag hook so the arm swung up after the bag was snatched? I saw someone else say counterweight in this string so just a guess. It's too small to be a counterweight for a RR switch lever.

Just my guess.

-SgtSki

 

[thepoolguy]

looks like a tooth of from a steam shovel bucket or some early mechanical excavator

 

[thepoolguy]

my guess is that its an old tooth from a steam shovel used to load the ore into the rr cars.....makes sense being it was found with ore.

 

[ashleysflyr]

All good guesses, and I do appreciate them...
I think I should add that it was at the top of a very steep hill, that seemed to be fairly steep all the way around. That is not to say someone didn't carry it up there. The hole doesn't go all the way through, but it does go in about at least 3 inches deep. I will throw it in a fire, knock the rust off and polish it up a bit. Keep the juices flowin' and the tries comin'. I know you guys can figure this one out!

~Tom

 

[Lora the Explorer]

I have no idea, but your fiancee is a keeper for carrying it. Keep on digging....

Laura

 

[ashleysflyr]

She's a keeper for a lot more reasons than that!

~Tom

 

[ron lord]

Look like a RR Hammer . Use to nail in RR nails, the hook on the hammer would be to line the rails while they are being nail . The type of Rail in those Day's would have 75 rail,meaning 75 lbs. per foot. Today we 85 Rail.

 

[Monty]

Looks a lot like a RR Spike sledge. They have a small head and hitting surface, not at all like you would imagine. Monty

 

[ashleysflyr]

Monty,
hey, it's funny you should say that. While I was reading your post I was watching Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs and he was hammering in RR spikes with a madern hammer, and it was almost as small in circumferance as the spike head. His was almost a foot long though. Come to think of it, that's all I've seen, here's a pic of Pres Harding driving a spike, and some other guy as well...lol. Still kinda curious about the extra metal sticking out.

~Tom

 

[ashleysflyr]

No other opinions, guesses, answers I am working on cleaning it, but I don't think it will help much...

~Tom