Monday Mystery Artifact
Help me out, here - do me a favor and light up the gaslight over there, with the gaslight igniter!
The gaslight igniter held a wick in its stem and a tiny candle in its terminal prong, for lighting the gaslights in one's home. I'm actually not 100% sure that this was used for home gaslights, many fixtures for which still exist in historic Ypsi homes, or for street gaslights. Could be either. At any rate, we had some good guesses.Lisa Bashert noted, "it looks just like the candle lighters that were used in the Catholic church I attended as a girl. See the little knobby below? That was a slide to advance the wicking enclosed in the stem." Cmadler said, "A pole used by a lamplighter?" I'd say both guesses are close enough to win. Good guesses!
Ed Vielmetti's guess of "A marsh mallow roasting stick, for marsh mallows made back in the day when you dug the roots of the mallow plant right out of the ground" gets this week's Obscure Edible Plant Historical Factoid award.
This week, however, I'm afraid that kind readers will be left in the dark. We have a tool here that's so unknown, so weird, and so specialized that...well, you might have to (cough) call on friends for help! (hint!). Take your best guess and good luck!
WINNER'S LIST: 8/3/09: erksnerks 8/10/09: Larissa 8/17/09: no winner 8/24/09: erksnerks, (2) 8/31/09: erksnerks, (3); Larissa, (2) 9/7/09: no winner; honorable mention to goblue18 9/14/09: erksnerks (4), Larissa (3), Janice A., Edward V. 9/21/09: a2dancelady, Mark Maynard, Creative Use of an Orangutan award to Lisa Bashert 9/28/09: erksnerks (5), Lisa Bashert (1.5), suem, Cindy Heflin, 10/5/09: Lisa Bashert (2.5), cmadler; Obscure Edible Plant Historical Factoid award to Ed Vielmetti
Mystery Artifact is published every Monday on AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Lisa Bashert
Sat, Oct 10, 2009 : 3:13 p.m.
I'm so scared. Maybe it's a tooth extractor??? Aaaaargh!!!
Laura Bien
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 : 1:32 a.m.
Ed: That is a very interesting reply, and I liked the links. Thank you. But I have to say that Lisa B. is closest thus far. Take that info, and the duck comment, and I bet you of all people can find the answer. :D Hint: Wichita.
Laura Bien
Mon, Oct 5, 2009 : 4:13 p.m.
Lisa: You are precisely correct!: Parker's Hair Balsam, in addition to soothing and cementing, offers a fragrant distraction during difficult moments. Available at Ypsilanti druggists. As for your guess...you are much closer than you think, in your colorful (if toe-curling) vignette!
Lisa Bashert
Mon, Oct 5, 2009 : 3:05 p.m.
It's obviously an early manual dental drill. You flip that little pointy piece, insert it in the handle-like thingy, apply to tooth and start twisting. Oh, and the cap come off the handle, there, to focus the sound so the dentist can hear you try to answer his questions about your new spectacles, your new Parker's Hair Balsam treatment, and your numerical pain rating. "It's an 8, doctor!!! No, a 9! Stop! STOP!!!"
Laura Bien
Mon, Oct 5, 2009 : 8:38 a.m.
Good morning erksnerks: Duck call...hmm, well, good guess, but unfortunately, not unless that duck were using advanced communication technology (yet another hint!) :D
erksnerks
Mon, Oct 5, 2009 : 7:25 a.m.
Greetings, a duck call? :)