Hazard A Guess: Week of March 7, 2002

Hello from Hazard!

We received an additional correct guess, after presstime but before you all received the paper, on Item No. 639. Jeff Sutherland of Mogadore, Ohio, described it to a “T,” adding that his father had one of these fuel consumption gauges.

Thanks, Jeff, and to everyone who guessed on that and other Hazard-ous items!

When Martha McBride’s church quilting group received Item No. 640 after a friend passed away, they wondered exactly what it was used for, and turned to Hazard for answers. And Randy Winland of Prospect, Ohio, didn’t disappoint the quilters.

Item No. 640 wasn’t used for quilting, but with fabric. It is a device used to estimate how many yards of fabric are left on a bolt. The ends move like calipers and there is a “window” on one side that is used to determine the amount of fabric left.

McBride’s example is marked “Putnam’s Improved Cloth Chart, A.E. Putnam, Mfr., Washington, IA.” It was also marked “pat’d May 14 May 21 ’07.”

I’ve actually used this gadget while taking inventory many, many moons ago at Schlabach’s store in Walnut Creek, Ohio. Pretty slick.

Item No. 641 comes from Kenneth Wilson of East Palestine, Ohio. Do you know what the tools are used for? Wilson does, but he’s curious as to the odd bend in them.

Give us your answer: Write, Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail: editorial@farmanddairy.com.

Don’t forget you can go online to www.farmanddairy.com and check out the past month’s Hazard a Guess photographs and columns. Just click on the “Hazard a Guess” link on the left hand side of the home page.