Posted by Clint Dixon [108.162.237.57] on Friday, May 20, 2016 at 10:01:11 :
In Reply to: hand dug wells posted by Jerry in Idaho [162.158.68.47] on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 21:25:12 :
Yes, I have seen some of those.
Fortunately, this concrete platform is very old and appears to be original to the well. The hand pump mounts to a dedicated hole off to one side. The cooler (I don't even really know what to call it) also had a dedicated hole off to the opposite side. This hole is about 18 to 24-inches in diameter. The brackets for the supporting structure (tower) were cast right into the concrete.
The fully operational one I saw as a child. So you know that was LONG time ago. Have not determined if it still exists. As I remember, there was a supporting structure - kind of a skeleton of angle iron, that stood above the hole - probably about 4-foot tall. One this was the gears, pulleys, and crank to pull up the "lazy susan". The lazy susan had a flat steel or cast iron top on it that was larger in diameter than the hole, about 26-inches or so. When lowered into the well, this top sealed off the hole and made it even with the rest of the platform. The "lazy susan" was 3 or so feet tall and probably 16 inches in diameter and made mostly of sheetmetal over a steel frame. There was a door on the side that one opened to access the chilled food.
If I knew what company made these, or what they were actually called, I could probably find some old ads.
Junior
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