1910 Portable Air Compressor

Again, hit "VIEW HI-DEF IMAGE" for detail.

Upstairs, Downstairs: 1910 | Shorpy Historic Photo Archive

Paul

Check out the lunkenheimer whistle on the compressor!

And, the pneumatically-powered oakum calking gun the man is
wielding!!

Those are probably sewer pipes being installed there.

Did you notice the small child behind the screen door at the far left? The noise probably woke him up. I never noticed that hi def gizmo on Shorpy before. Really enhances the details.

Let's see, that engine is probably in the 800lb range and so is the compressor. Add the tank, weight of the wagon, etc.......I sure hope they gave the poor guy a horse to pull it!

The "caulking" gun is an air hammer with a tamping bit in the end. I've got an old Thor brand air hammer at the shop just like it. The bit is off-set, no doubt so that the hammer would clear the pipe sides.

I thought the "armored" air hose was rather interesting.

A couple of things that caught my eye: This was obviously an upscale neighborhood. Beyond the dandy standing on the step, the houses are all brick, and trimmed and belted in Indiana limestone. These were not cheap row houses, and at this period in time, were the homes and offices of the upper middle classes. Note that one is the office of a "Dr. Silver, Physician/Surgeon". Too, the state of maintenance/repair was superb; steps swept and painted, total lack of rubbish, but most of all, the "polished window glass". This is evidence of a high level of pride in the occupant's homes and neighborhood.

Interestingly, we can also see that what was considered important and meaningful then, is somewhat different today. While we share with those long ago Americans a desire for a modern, comely, and fashionable home and street, we are much more concerned today with the appearance of our lawns than they were. Just look at that grass, or should I say, what grass is left growing. On the right-hand side of the photo, that small plot must be shin deep. And, even if you discount the damage caused by the construction of the utility line at the curb, on the other side of the sidewalk, huge chunks of lawn are just packed dirt. This is something I have noticed in old photos repeatedly. And, when you read period articles, books, and news/gossip columns, scant mention is ever made as to the condition of one's lawn, unless it has been allowed to grow into a jungle.

A changed value set I suppose, along with a different generation, and a different time.

J.D.

Whenever I visit my relatives in Oregon, I always notice the neatly manicured lawns surrounding the farm houses built back in the 20's and 30's. Most of these folks are pretty elderly now, but they'll tell you that mowing the lawn was a real chore. They might have the latest whiz bang tractor, but lawn cutting was done with a push mower. No wonder they stayed in shape.

I think the interest in nice lawns was spurred by the availablity of affordable POWER mowers!

I stand corrected - that is not a whistle, but rather a safety valve!

And that is a caulking iron in the end of the gun. For caulking the oakum
into the bell end of the joint.

I think the engine is indeed a two lunger, there are two plug wires coming
up from the coil box below. I can't find the fuel tank though.

Alright Jim, inform me as to how you can "caulk" oakum inthrough a gun?

J.D.

jdleach said:

Alright Jim, inform me as to how you can "caulk" oakum inthrough a gun?

J.D.

Click to expand...

Not "through" but "with" as in packing or tamping. I think caulking was a poor verb choice.

Walter A.

I believe Jim's choice was completely correct given the vintage of the photo. The caulk we know of today is the replacement of the hard way caulk of yesterday.

As for the horse to pull the wagon, look at the tee handle. No four legged horse was ever attached to that wagon.

While the term "caulk" in this context is correct given the usage of the day, the tool to ram the oakum into the pipe bell is not a gun, but is just a lowly ole air hammer with a tamping bit.

As I said, I own and have used, one just like the hammer in the photo. The only thing that gun shoots is the occasional spark from a chisel, or the chisel/bit itself if you don't have a good grip on it.

My intention was to clarify what exactly the gent was holding. To those not familiar with the tool, or with the process of sealing old iron or clay/ceramic pipe, a reasonable person may come to the conclusion that the apparatus on the wagon pressurized some goop, which was then duly applied by the worker from the end of his gun. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Semantics, semantics.

J.D.

jdleach said:

My intention was to clarify what exactly the gent was holding. To those not familiar with the tool, or with the process of sealing old iron or clay/ceramic pipe, a reasonable person may come to the conclusion that the apparatus on the wagon pressurized some goop, which was applied by the worker from the end of his gun. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Semantics, semantics.

J.D.

Click to expand...

And my statement was used to point out Jim's use of Caulking as a verb rather than a noun which changed the meaning of his remark. Intentionally or not.

I also have an old air hammer such as this but have no air pump at my home capable of supplying the volume of air needed to make it function.

Walter A.

Either way the photo and the rig both provide a clear window to the past. Much thanks to Paul39 for posting!

In the description of the photo, when I looked at it a couple of days ago, the commentator mentioned these were city gas lines.

Don't shoot the mesenger.

Caulking Irons

I'm 71 and have lived in old houses most of my adult life. Currently one built in 1910. They usually had cast iron hubbed sewer pipes.

Before plastic pipes and stainless steel and rubber connectors, one had to call a plumber, or lacking funds, learn to do it yourself.

I have cut out a damaged cast iron pipe with a hand hacksaw, bought a replacement, scrounged a handful of oakum from a friendly plumber, caulked that in the bell around the spigot end, heated lead in an old pot on the kitchen stove and poured it into the joint in the horizontal line.

The dam to keep the lead from running out was made by winding clothesline around the spigot at the end of the bell, leaving a gap at the top.

The lead shrinks when it cools, so you take your caulking iron and go all around the joint and expand the lead to make a gas and water tight joint.

Unless the line is disturbed it lasts for 50 to 100 years.

See at bottom of page for caulking iron set:

Plumbing Caulking Irons for Lead & Oakum Pipe Joints

Paul

Yep, first you push the oakum into the joint, then ram it in with a caulking iron.
Then the molten lead is poured in to hold the oakum in place. The oakum swells
when wet and provides the actual seal. The lead only holds it in place, and as
mentioned has to be caulked in place itself once it solidifies because the lead
shrinks as it cools.

The tool is indeed a caulking iron, and if one wants to be completely, 100 percent
technically correct, the pneumatic hammer gun has a caulking iron mounted on the
working end. Does that make it a "caulking gun?" Well you folks decide for
yerselves.

As for the pipes in question being city gas mains being laid in? Doubful. No matter
what the commenters say on that web site, those are water pipes. Most likely
drainage pipes.

Well, we got the caulking horse flailed to death !

Now the question I have, is how you were supposed to seal the clay/ceramic pipe? I remember my father packing what he called "jute" (another name for oakum in some common dialects, and the fiber often used to make oakum), into the joint, then troweling in some sort of mud (this was a drain line from our kitchen sink).

Didn't work too well, as there was always real green grass in the lawn at each joint, and tree roots had a field day with the drain tile.

But I digress from machinery.

Do you think the long rectangular tank-looking thing is the coolant reservoir?

J.D.

jdleach said:

Well, we got the caulking horse flailed to death !

Click to expand...

Naw, we can still go another round, because the same term was used in regards to making the riveted lap seams in steel boilers, tanks, and ship hulls water tight, except it was the parent metal that was upset. After the joint was riveted and had cooled, a "caulking iron" was applied to the inside corner of the end of the overlapping sheet, to displace the metal into any gaps between it and the sheet it was riveted to.... it actually put the metal in compression so a tight seal was maintained. In all instances the term caulking refers to driving material tightly into a joint, and I suppose that pertains to modern day elastomer "caulk", if you consider that the gun forces it into the joint under pressure.

jdleach said:

Do you think the long rectangular tank-looking thing is the coolant reservoir?

J.D.

Click to expand...

It's the air reservoir. If you look closely at the right end, you can see the head rivets, and the pipe the air hose is attached to appears to come right out of its center, which was the common place to have pipe connections on these cylindrical tanks.

Dennis

I'd guess the rectangular tank is for thermo-syphon cooling, both the engine and compressor. They fuel tank is probably under the engine. The underslung tank is for air. OK, what make is the 2 cyl. engine. NewWay?

I think it is.......I had a 1 cyl. New Way years ago and the heads looks very similar. A well built engine with a hinged crankcase of all things, along with a little belt driven fan for cooling (they were air cooled).

I also disagree with the large box being an air tank. All the air resevoirs I've seen from that era were cylindrical and usually rivetted. I would guess that the box is for storing the hose and gun, as it looks like the air tank is under the cart.

Pipes are either large sewer mains or storm water drains. Gas piping would have been iron or lead.

Notice the coat on the stair post on the left? Also the case on the lawn.

I wonder if they belong to the worker (not likely) or maybe to the doctor? That case may be for holding a large format camera. He may have come home and decided to take a picture with his new toy.

Also notice the streetcar rail in the foreground. With a little investigation you might be able to find this building today. My father grew up a block away from East Grand Boulevard and used to take the street car all the time. The city was a lot smaller back then.