Paul Bunyans Pail Handle????

[mtnbay]

Paul Bunyan's Pail Handle?

Found this little relic today in a 1880's to 1930's era gold camp near an old stamp mill. It is made of iron and very strong. It is about 14 inches wide and about 14 inches tall including the "hangers". It seems to be a handle of some kind with 2 hangers for who knows what Any help would be appreciated.

 

[tamrock]

I'm only guessing here. I was an underground miner in the 70's. The place we changed are clothes was called the dry. We were referred to are work clothes as your diggers. The mine I worked in was wet as piss and water ran down on you all the day long. At the end of the day you got out of your diggers and hung them on a basket with hooks around it that had chain attached that ran through a pulley at the ceiling and you hoisted your wet work clothes or diggers up to hang high so they'd be dry the next day. To me that thing looks like a type hanger you could put your wet shirt or coat over and your OshKosh B'gosh bib coverall by each suspender on and hoist it all up to dry out for the next day. It would need to be allot more heavy duty then just a standard hanger because you hoisted your tool belt full of the tools also along with your wet clothes. The basket type thing we used was so you could toss your boot in the basket. That's my 2 cents on what you have there.

I would think a mill-man in those days would get very wet from all that splashing water used at a mill in those times also.

 

[mtnbay]

Thanks Tamrock for all of the detail and your interesting personal history as well.

 

[cw0909]

i dont know what your item is, and i think this is what tamrock is talking about

vintage c. 1930's hanging metal wire shoe basket with coat rack and coat hooks
J H Channon Union Ceiling Hung Sanitary Clothes Hangers Mines 1951 Ad Mining | eBay

 

[tamrock]

i dont know what your item is, and i think this is what tamrock is talking about

vintage c. 1930's hanging metal wire shoe basket with coat rack and coat hooks
J H Channon Union Ceiling Hung Sanitary Clothes Hangers Mines 1951 Ad Mining | eBay

That's it CW... Thanks!

 

[tamrock]

I guess you could also try and look through the rust for an area that would be stamped with a name of a manufacture. I can't say for sure what you have. It could be anything. Do you know anymore on the history of the area. Was this place a small mining community or a once large mining town? If it had been found in an area that manufactured metal parts once for the war efforts, I'd a thought the function of your item would have been used to dip parts in a plating process or hang items to be painted. It does look like it was designed for some kind of special purpose.