|
Plunger Pressure Relief Valve
This item, believed to be a plunger pressure relief valve, was reported to be recovered near the Boiler area of the wreck. The makings on the valve have resulted in no definitive answers to its origin. The only discernable markings are found on each three sides of the square block area near the top of the valve. The forth marking I did come across a note about a patent for a steam valve. I have included high resolution pictures here for viewing. Just click on the gallery picture to view the high resolution picture. If you can provide any assistance identifying or explaining any of these items or answering the Questions below would be greatly appreciated. Statistics:
Valve Length
------------ 5 1/4 Inch Pictures: Synopsis: Some sort of pressure relief valve for the boiler system. We have seen valves like this with a single rabbit ear lever, like those found on fire extinguishers, attached to the top to actuate the plunger. We presume there was a gauge attached to the valve on side number one with hole. Although we can make out the word Pitts, we are not sure if that is the famed Buffalo-Pitts Engine. We have had little luck finding anything specific on "Binghams Patent". Side four of the valve has numbers that appear to have been stamped over. This could be an inspection date. Type Of Ship: No conclusions from this item. Cargo: No conclusions from this item. Sinking Date: The numbers 79 and 34 are interesting. The 79 is most likely having to do with the patent date and would be superseded by the item dated 1898 that was recovered. The number 34 in conjunction with the appearance of being stamped over the number 33 would suggest a possible annual inspection date. Required inspection seems a lot more plausible in the 1900s then in the 1800s so one could conclude a date of 1934. This is not good science but it is worth considering, especially if we could determine that there were required inspection during that time period. This would greatly reduce our current sinking date range. Cause Of Sinking: No conclusions from this item. How It Sank: No conclusions from this item. 1. Is this a pressure relief valve of some sort? 2. Do we know the manufacture? 3. Can We determine an approximate manufacturer date? 4. Were inspections require for these types of ships/boiler during the early 1900s? |
