Fire pump from 1800s
I found a most peculiar item in the attic. I had no idea what it was so I e-mailed my old colleagues at the folk museum. They informed me that what I had found was a very old water pump.
Naturally, we had to test it.
Luckily, Harald the Smith is visiting, and he has some serious international engineering skills.
Duct tape.
So we patched up everything that seemed to be the cause of a leak.
The pump consists of three connected wooden tubes.
First one has a piston, to pump water in to the tube through the bottom.
The second one - we believe - is for ensuring the right pressure.
The third one is for discharging the water (pump it out, I was looking for a synonym to Ejaculating).
The bottom of the piston staff has linen thread wound around it.
We believe this is to allow a seal.
On the third tube there is a stick going through the tube.
I'm pretty sure this is to narrow the tube, to increase the pressure before the water exits the pump.
Clever.
Now, imagine a hose connected to the nozzle.
You put the pump in the lake or river and voila!
Saves you a lot of running...
I love how this pump has been mended many times with leather and nails.
The leather is nailed to the tubes with tiny wooden nails.
If you ever owned a barrel you will understand why.
Wood expands when wet.
Im always impressed with clever solutions from the past.
