Odd Find in an Old Well

[DARKCYDE]

I have recently discovered an old well on my friend's farm and have pulled out all sorts of interesting items so far but I found one that puzzles me. Behind the old pipe for the pump I found an intact jar full of clear liquid sitting perfectly upright. It has a zinc lid with the word PRESTO on it. I originally thought I found an old jar of moonshine, but it does leak and does not smell like alcohol.
Does anyone have any idea what this could possibly be, and why it was hidden behind the pipe in the well?

 

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[tim185]

I have recently discovered an old well on my friend's farm and have pulled out all sorts of interesting items so far but I found one that puzzles me. Behind the old pipe for the pump I found an intact jar full of clear liquid sitting perfectly upright. It has a zinc lid with the word PRESTO on it. I originally thought I found an old jar of moonshine, but it does leak and does not smell like alcohol.
Does anyone have any idea what this could possibly be, and why it was hidden behind the pipe in the well?

Well... the obvious guess would be the jar of liquid would be used to prime the well pump. Often, one would leave a container of water after use. An old well pump doesn't work unless primed. Meaning you pour the container of water down a hole in the pump while pumping and "presto"... water comes out. With no water to prime.... you could pump a lifetime and literally get no water to come out.

 

[vhs07]

I would think that water would have evaporated long ago.

 

[diverrick]

Lube for the old pump parts exposed to weather. They would keep the jar near by and either pour it on oruse a small brush. Old pumps had a lot of moving parts above ground

 

[johnnyi]

It's a canning jar.

 

[Produce Guy]

Hooch,white lightning.xxx?

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Grain alcohol is odorless, so I would think that moonshine would be odorless as well.

 

[DARKCYDE]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys!
If anyone is interested, I can take pics of some of the other stuff I have found so far.
I should be going back to the property sometime this week.

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

Presto is just a brand of canning jar, like atlas, or ball, so it does not identify the contents.
I would guess depending on where it was, and how easy to get at, that the idea that it is 'priming water' would be the best guess.
Water in a sealed jar in a shaded well would not likely evaporate, but since you show that you are in OHIO, it would likely FREEZE! and break the bottle if it were just water..... Hmmmmmm, Moonshine would not likely freeze, so maybe you should take some out and see if you can light it up, good grade moonshine should burn ;-)

 

[BosnMate]

Bump. I want to find out what's in the jar.

 

[bungyboy]

The old pumps had a leather flap in them that had to be moistened. I wonder how many people have died playing the odds of do I drink it or do I prime it to get more water and risk it not working.

 

[parsonwalker]

The old pumps had a leather flap in them that had to be moistened. I wonder how many people have died playing the odds of do I drink it or do I prime it to get more water and risk it not working.

 

[Tnmountains]

I have torn out old hand pump wells. They had a leather washer you have to replace. You would not want to oil or pour anything bad down the well where you drink….

 

[DARKCYDE]

I have tried to light some as suggested and it did not ignite.

 

[bungyboy]

Parsonwalker, that was awesome. My grandfather taught me that long ago. What a great song. I thought man, this band is awesome, someone should record them then I realized it was the Kingston Trio, just an older version of them and didn't recognise them from the old album covers lol. Never heard that song. Now it's stuck in my head.