# Do any dopers know what this old large iron tool / artifact is? (with photo) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821 "2015-07-21T21:12:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/1 "2015-07-21T21:12:09Z")
[Article and photo here](http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/virginia/2015/07/21/artifact/30456291/) > [@](#): > > On a sweltering day, Harborton resident Bagley Walker stepped inside the Eastern Shore News office in Accomac looking for a little help. > > In the back of his pickup truck was an ancient looking, weighty iron implement nearly as long a man’s leg. > > The artifact — a large hook attached to an iron circle — was found some time back in the woods on a farm near Pungoteague. > > “It was handmade by a blacksmith probably 100-plus years ago,” Walker conjectured. > > He has exhausted his circle of acquaintances in the effort to determine what the implement is and what was its use; now Walker is turning to the readers of the Eastern Shore News for insight. > > “I’ve had it for six months, trying to find someone to identify it,” he said. > > Perhaps among the readers of the News is someone who can solve the puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/2 "2015-07-21T21:19:54Z")
Looks like a rock remover to me. Basically a crowbar. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/3 "2015-07-21T21:21:14Z")
Looks like a hay hook to me. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/4 "2015-07-21T21:59:22Z")
I wonder if it is for prying things apart? A crowbar, but not for removing, for breaking. Rocks, maybe (but I don’t think there are many rocks big enough to pry apart in Pungoteague). I shoulda stopped and looked - I drove by there yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/5 "2015-07-21T22:04:20Z")
Something for lifting storm grates would be my guess Declan ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/6 "2015-07-21T22:09:20Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Looks like a hay hook to me. Way too large, and hay hooks have a sharp point on them to dig into the bale you’re grappling: [https://www.google.com/search?q=hay+hooks&rlz=1C1GGGE\_enUS453US453&es\_sm=122&biw=1209&bih=1035&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0CKEBEPwFKAFqFQoTCMWl2ued7cYCFQykiAod5C8C2A#tbm=isch&q=hay+hook](https://www.google.com/search?q=hay+hooks&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS453US453&es_sm=122&biw=1209&bih=1035&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0CKEBEPwFKAFqFQoTCMWl2ued7cYCFQykiAod5C8C2A#tbm=isch&q=hay+hook) The storm grate tool seems like a good guess to me. Or some similar purpose. ---
**Author:** ![AdamF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/adamf/32/6246_2.png) [@AdamF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AdamF)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/7 "2015-07-21T22:35:50Z")
The iron circle looks like an attachment point for a rope or a chain. It could be a logging hook. > **[Mysterious artifact found in woods near Pungoteague](https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/virginia/2015/07/21/artifact/30456291/)** > > A man wants help identifying an iron artifact found in the woods in Accomack County. [http://www.rubylane.com/item/316717-10737/Early-1900x27s-Hand-Forged-Iron-Logging](http://www.rubylane.com/item/316717-10737/Early-1900x27s-Hand-Forged-Iron-Logging) ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/8 "2015-07-21T22:42:21Z")
Looks like a gate latch for someone with really mean cattle, or possibly dinosaurs. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/9 "2015-07-21T22:46:27Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Looks like a hay hook to me. Much too hefty for that purpose. Unless you were lifting 2 ton bales of hay! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/10 "2015-07-21T22:47:48Z")
My vote is for drain/manhole tool. Most rock crowbars are straight, although there’s nothing that says they have to be. They’re also long and this one is short, it wouldn’t get much leverage. Manhole crowbars are about that size, I see one company advertising them in 24, 30 and 36 inch sizes. He’s holding it at his side and it just touches the ground, it seems to be the perfect length. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/11 "2015-07-21T22:57:40Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > My vote is for drain/manhole tool. Most rock crowbars are straight, although there’s nothing that says they have to be. They’re also long and this one is short, it wouldn’t get much leverage. > > Manhole crowbars are about that size, I see one company advertising them in 24, 30 and 36 inch sizes. He’s holding it at his side and it just touches the ground, it seems to be the perfect length. What’s the purpose of the iron ring at the end then? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/12 "2015-07-21T23:14:36Z")
Something says shipbuilding to me or some other nautical purpose on old steamships. Perhaps a hook to help load or secure cargo? I think it’s too big for manhole covers or drain grates. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/13 "2015-07-21T23:29:38Z")
> [@AdamF](#): > > The iron circle looks like an attachment point for a rope or a chain. It could be a logging hook. > [Mysterious artifact found in woods near Pungoteague](http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/virginia/2015/07/21/artifact/30456291/) > [http://www.rubylane.com/item/316717-10737/Early-1900x27s-Hand-Forged-Iron-Logging](http://www.rubylane.com/item/316717-10737/Early-1900x27s-Hand-Forged-Iron-Logging) It was found in the woods after all. The ring bothers me, too much investment for a simple decoration or to hang on a wall. Otherwise I’m was going to say something with the railroad. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/14 "2015-07-21T23:55:21Z")
Given the nautical nature of the area, and the large ring, perhaps a portion of a broken anchor? ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/15 "2015-07-22T00:02:51Z")
I wonder if several men, each using one of these as pry bars, could raise a section of railroad track long enough for another man to level the railroad ties underneath? The ring makes more sense if you consider that it helps you carry the thing around all day long. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/16 "2015-07-22T00:03:28Z")
I’m going to say a pry bar / lifter at a stone quarry. The ring would be hitched to horses. There _were_ quarries in the area in blacksmith days. > **[Public Quarry at Government Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Quarry_at_Government_Island)** > > The Public Quarry at Government Island in Stafford County, Virginia is the principal source of Aquia Creek sandstone, a building stone used in many of the early government buildings in Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Capitol and the White House. A quarry was established just off the Potomac River at Wigginton's Island on Aquia Creek by George Brent after 1694, providing stone for tombstones and to houses and churches in northern Virginia, including Gunston Hall, Christ Church in Alexandria,... I’m seeing it as being used to get large stones raised just a few inches so one could then place more conventional lifting devices under them. A railroad tool is possible too… ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/17 "2015-07-22T00:05:42Z")
Could that be used to lift up/tear up stumps? The round part just looks like a handle to me. Edit: kind of short for that. You’d probably want more leverage, even if something that shape could be used for that. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/18 "2015-07-22T00:22:56Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > I wonder if several men, each using one of these as pry bars, could raise a section of railroad track long enough for another man to level the railroad ties underneath? > > The ring makes more sense if you consider that it helps you carry the thing around all day long. [Gandy dancers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandy_dancer) used pry bars to straighten sections of track that had become misaligned: > **[Gandy dancer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandy_dancer#/media/File:Workers_Adjusting_Railroad_Tracks,_Texas_Gulf_Sulphur_Company.jpg)** > > Gandy dancer is a slang term used for early railroad workers in the United States, more formally referred to as section hands, who laid and maintained railroad tracks in the years before the work was done by machines. > The British equivalents of the term gandy dancer are navvy (from navigator), originally builders of canals, or inland navigations, for builders of railway lines, and platelayer for workers employed to inspect and maintain the track. In the Southwestern United States and Mexico, M... the railroad worker’s pry bar didn’t have a handle on the end, or as pronounced a “toe”. They were also typically longer: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Railwayworkertools.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Railwayworkertools.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/19 "2015-07-22T12:54:29Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > I wonder if several men, each using one of these as pry bars, could raise a section of railroad track long enough for another man to level the railroad ties underneath? > > The ring makes more sense if you consider that it helps you carry the thing around all day long. As someone who has done [that exact thing](http://www.bera.org/etc-photos.html) (link has pictures) several times within the last year, I can tell you that the last thing you want is any extra weight. Your basic rail tools will be a long pry bar with a little bend at the end (sometimes with a notch so it can also be used as a spike puller), rail and tie tongs, and a very large wrench. Not light work, either - 4 people (2 each on 2 rail tongs) are expected to move a 39’ piece of rail. That’s on the order of 250 lbs per person. No wonder this type of work has been mechanized and later automated. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821/20 "2015-07-22T16:33:20Z")
I’ll stick with a drain grate or manhole lifter. “Manhole hook” images look pretty close: [https://www.google.com/search?q=hay+hooks&rlz=1C1GGGE\_enUS453US453&es\_sm=122&biw=1209&bih=1035&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0CKEBEPwFKAFqFQoTCMWl2ued7cYCFQykiAod5C8C2A#tbm=isch&q=manhole+hook](https://www.google.com/search?q=hay+hooks&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS453US453&es_sm=122&biw=1209&bih=1035&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0CKEBEPwFKAFqFQoTCMWl2ued7cYCFQykiAod5C8C2A#tbm=isch&q=manhole+hook) Plus, I found it convenient to bend something about that size and shape out of a section of rebar to lift the cover on my water meter to read it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-dopers-know-what-this-old-large-iron-tool-artifact-is-with-photo/725821.md?page=2)