I have collected things, not like a hoarder, but items of esoteric interest for some time, thinking with a little ingenuity and stunning insight I might solve a problem or unravel a mystery.
Some “treasures” have been fetched from one auction or another, or from wayward antique dealers and even “found“ rotting in a friend’s discard lot. At the moment, I have in my possession a “few” hundred-year-old single cylinder stationary engines and at least one bulbous, but interestingly attractive, water pump. For reasons not fully known to me, this massive bulb, much like the cranium of a commonly imagined space person, was attached to this pumping device. While I suspect it was put there to maintain a constant pressure on the exit hose, it seems excessive in size and weight, but rather aesthetic. That’s right, aesthetic. It is a thing of beauty.
In a moment of ingenuity, it was decided to combine my Associated Chore Boy 1.3/4 horse power cast iron engine, weighing in at 300lbs with a Reliable, made by Sears, water pump. Coupled with the three hundred pound majestic throbbing engine, the seventy five pound piston pump makes a very handsome configuration almost reflective of American innovation and industrial power, the type of which laid the groundwork of this fine country---even if the pump looks like an alien.
The idea of this assemblage was to be able to pump the water out of my three hundred and fifty gallon rainwater storage tank and flood it on our sometime thirsty garden. Rain water is, of course, better for the garden than chlorinated city water as it has more nutrients and, in this case, lots of mosquito larva which will add some needed protein and wiggling compost to the soil.
Most importantly and part of my rationalization for spending untold hours on this effort, was to also save money by keeping the water bill down. By doing the math, it seemed the savings was close to five dollars over the summer---but I didn’t take into account the cost of the fuel for the engine which has a piston the size of a coffee can because fuel for the summer was given to me by the neighbor who couldn't remember if he had added the two stroke oil to his container. The Chore Boy simply didn’t care but it does prefer cheap whiskey better know as ethanol. Then there is also the possibility of using left over fry oil from the Ambrosia restaurant. It is all about innovation here in Amurika.
Ya,ya, ya, there was the cost of the “pile” of cast iron and the parts that had to be made or found. This portion, like the infamous wood pile, was written off as adventure, and educational gain. So, there was, with creative conjuring, the huge financial gain of five dollars to consider. I say this with great pride because there have been individuals who in their need to be critical, have scoffed and said this was a fool’s errand.
These very exciting, and notably aesthetic symbols of the industrial revolution were hooked together by a number of pulleys, jack shafts, line shafts and belts to ultimately make the seventy-five year old pump run at an appropriate 250 rpms. One belt runs to a large wooden pulley attached to the ceiling of the shed and then from the other end of the very rustic jack shaft, made artistically of cast iron with babbitt bushings, drops down to the elegant pump some five feet away.
Once fired up, with oil flying about and belts pulling in full muscle, it is a tremendous spectacle that even if the outfit could only pump ten gallons a minute, the day would be made brighter from raw show-casing of American ingenuity. The act of walking around applying oil to various exposed bearings and spinning gears is in itself an opportunity to dip into our glorious history.
I suppose it would be easier to just to hook up a 120 volt half Hp Chinese motor to a shinny Chinese centrifugal pump and just plug it into the wall. Maybe invest in a 12 volt Mexican motor and plug it into my Japanese photo voltaic system. No noise, no smells, no mining----here in town at least. Oh, I did learn a few things maybe not what I thought I would, but I did learn.
