Glad to be Here!

NorthCountry

Hello everyone,

I came across this website a few months back and just joined a few weeks ago. I am an apprentice plumber from the Midwest. Like the title says, glad to be here!

God Bless!

JUGHNE

Glad to have you onboard.

Where are you in the Midwest, if I may ask.

NorthCountry

South Dakota!

Jamie Hall

Learn as much as you can as fast as you can -- we need folks out your way!

Steamhead

NorthCountry said:

South Dakota!

What part?

NorthCountry

Thank you Jamie and Mike. I am in Sioux Falls these days. Lived in ND and MN half my life as well, so now I've made the full your out of the three.

DanHolohan

Great to have you with us. Thanks. 

Erin Holohan Haskell

Welcome, @NorthCountry !

Steamhead

NorthCountry said:

...........I am in Sioux Falls these days.

Do they still have signs advertising "Wall Drug" that far east?

NorthCountry

Thank you Dan and Erin! Yes they do! I don't know if they go into MN though. 

JUGHNE

Where is that Dempster hand pump located?

Is it still working?

Plenty of them here in Nebr.

My father and grandfather were well drillers and installed a lot of their windmills.

NorthCountry

That is on my grandpa's farm up in ND. It still works but it takes a while to get the water out.

That is awesome. Did they install a lot of these?

JUGHNE

Windmills were often placed over these hand pumps.

You disconnect the handle and the windmill would operate the pumping action.

A cup and pipe would be placed on the pump spout and run to a stock tank which might have overflow pipes filling up to 3-4 tanks......storage for the days with no wind.

Or ditch irrigation for gardening.

The grandfather's house had a set up that would lift water up into a tank in the attic above the kitchen/bath
to give running water inside.
The tank had an overflow pipe spilling outside so you knew when to shut the mill off.
The operating pump cylinder was in a pit well below frost line.

A small hole drilled in the outlet pipe allowed the riser pipe to drain down for freeze protection.
Attic tank insulated with 1900's newspaper.
The back side of the house had extra windmill tail blades for wall shingles.

Only 15-20' here to good water supply then......still at that depth but not always so good.

This well drilling picture is showing a "wash down" drilling for a sand point.
Great grandfather is to the left watching as he leans on his cane.
Grand dad is running the lever on the barrel pump which puts water up to the top of the pipe.
The guy with the pipe wrench is rotating the drive pipe back and forth as it is washed down.

Simple labor intensive operation in the 1915 era. No fossil fuels involved..
That water tank wagon is today in our museum.

You would not do this in ND or SD.....we are in the sandhills south of the Niobrara river.

The Dakota's water table is much deeper than us. And from my experience is hard water.



This is an Uncle drilling in Wyoming, date unknow. What year is that car?

This is a 1 HP machine.

We have one in our museum, I have never seen it operate.
From studying the operation one might call it a "widow maker".

The 12" drill bit/clamshell had to be pulled up every 3' to swing away and empty.

The museum machine has 3 10' stems. That may have been the max depth needed.

The horse rotated the entire turntable. Then you engage the winch to pull the clamshell up to swing away and empty.

I have been told that often horses employed in this kind of work would learn their duties and a few simple commands would suffice.