Any Idea What This Is?

[Stephen Musial]

While we were cleaning out the furnace room in an 1924 house, came across this. Anyone know what it is?

Description: About 6' long and made from solid 3/4" iron/steel. One end has a scoop of sorts welded on. Scoop is about 7" long and 2" wide and maybe 1/2" deep and the iron is 3/8" thick. Other end has a U shaped thingie that has also been welded on. It reminds me of something that you might use to melt lead but why such a long handle and what's the other thing opposite the scoop?





WhatIsIt.jpg

[ray hampton]

if you use a furnace to melt your lead then you could use this to dip into the melted lead and transport it to pour into a mold

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The "U" shaped thing reminds me of the devices we use to turn our irrigation water systems off. We use a waste-drain-stop. Mine has a handle at one end and "U" at the other end. The "U" fits over the valve "knob" and you rotate 90º CW to close & drain and CCW to open.

[Mel Fulks]

I think Ken got it. City uses them to turn water off at meter,around here they are called "water keys".

[John McClanahan]

I have heard of them referred to as a Street Key.


John

[Stephen Musial]

So a little shovel to expose the valve head or dig out the sleeve and then the other end to turn it on or off? Probably the hole is on the shovel end so you can put a bar in there and get some added leverage for a sticky valve.

Thanks everyone!

[ray hampton]

So a little shovel to expose the valve head or dig out the sleeve and then the other end to turn it on or off? Probably the hole is on the shovel end so you can put a bar in there and get some added leverage for a sticky valve.

Thanks everyone!

the shovel could be to remove the snow or dirt that are covering the the hole that the valve are in