Hazard A Guess: Week of Oct. 15, 2009

Hello from Hazard!
Each week Farm and Dairy challenges readers to identify a small tool or gadget (or at least ‘hazard a guess’ as to its use).
We had one lone guess on Item No. 873.

Steve Zerefos of Howland, Ohio, shared these photos of a #16 sledge. He wanted to know why there’s a hole cast in the back that’s about 58-inch in diameter and 114-inch deep and what it was used for.

Item No. 873

Frank Ehrman of Medina, Ohio, called to say the wooden flag was placed in the hole in the sledge hammer to warn motorists about road construction on highways.

Thank you Frank!

* * *
We’ll move on to a new object, Item No. 874, sent in by Ralph Stroede of Wellsville, Ohio. Ralph said he picked this item up for $1 and uses it as a door stop. He has no idea what it is and would like some help identifying it.

Item No. 874

Think you know what it is? Write to: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com.

And if you’ve got a Hazard-ous item in your shed, barn or basement, send us a photo or digital photo file, along with a complete description of the item and its use. You can use the contact information above, or even send a photo via our Web site.