It’s #whatsitwednesday!
Be the first to guess what the pictured item is by leaving a comment below. If you have your own whatsit, our editors can include it in a future post. Please send an email to editor@kovels.com and attach a clear picture, the size and any markings. Hopefully, we will be able to identify it for our readers!
The pictured item is 17 inches high by 14 1/4 inches width at top.
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Photo: Atlee Raber Auctions
10 responses to “It’s #whatsitwednesday!”
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Answer from Kovels: Pictured is a stoneware distillery jug.
I’m going to be contrary to the earlier answers and say that it’s some kind of trap, like a grease trap, p-trap, etc.
Ponderosa is so close to the reason for this labrotory device which was primarily used by Pharmacists in 1800s. Because it is ceramic, very few exist. And none still have the metal base that allowed it to be heated by a candle or oil lamp. In late 1800 was taken over by Corning and was converted to Pyrex glass. Two unlike liquids, often volitile, are layered the container and it is swirled to create a solution, opposite of Jame Bond’s famous “shaken and not stirred”. Volatile chemicals could explode if shaken! Originally for preparation of elixers, it found many uses as TRay suggests. Was also used to add kerosene
or “performance” additives to gasoline and used by vintors and distillers to create tastee blends of their products. This led to more consistency from batch to batch. Unfortunately, most were destroyed with prohibition.
Some sort of a mixing device for liquids. “feed” could mean input. “dis” could mean discharge. “a.i.” could mean active ingredient. Why this chemical mixing devise is in an antique newsletter is beyond me.
A Botijo
Jvdl has hit the right note. The mountain folk who used this instrument would add liquid to the jug to change chords. At the end of an evening of whistling the Hit Parade, they would cool their pipes by swigging down that liquid, or would add it to the gas tank of their Model T.
Carborator
Oil lamp?
By golly ‘jvdl’, you could very well be correct, and the different lengths of the tubes would change the notes. I like your answer.
Musical interment, 2 handled whistle jug