Saturday 25 February 2012

The sea defences diaries - a mystery find ?

The guy on the left digging in the trench found this item. It is brass or bronze and it still operates like a small pump, the problem is what is it and what is its purpose ? Ideas please.



5 comments:

Michael Child said...

Tony in view of where it is, it if it sucks it may be for getting the oil out of a marine engine, you can’t drain it out of the plug under the sump as the keel is usually in the way.

A J Ovenden said...

Michael, they are digging in an area where a marine engineering business operated from one of the buildings. Also I have found what I believe to be engine parts in the same area.

On another point I spent low water this morning behind the clock house working out how to tackle the mud and shingle for a exploritory dig in the area in the future. At low water the area is indentical to the banks of the Thames and the mud and shingle has settled in the same fashion.

Ken Gregory said...

Tony,

Have seen a similar thing on the tv programme Mud Men... Looks very like a thing to introduce mercury to a male appendage.. to get rid of syphillus!

A J Ovenden said...

Ken

It sounds painful

Anonymous said...

Almost certainly a pump fop removing oil from engine sumps i had one on my boat just attatch a small gauge pipe to the bottom and push down in the dipstick hole a slow process to remove the oil