Surveyors Stake?? Part of the mystery may forever remain a mystery

[Ohio Jerry]

Surveyor's Stake?? Part of the mystery may forever remain a mystery

Found this at an 1800's cellarhole site. It is solid copper almost a foot long. The tip with the cross cut in it was around 4 inches down and gave me a "cheap thrill" with a nice 92 vdi that pinpointed real nice. I'm guessing surveyor's stake but wondered if anyone here had ever dug one or seen one like it?? Thanks in advance for any input,
Jerry
update:
This item has been positively identified as a one foot long section of trolley wire used in deep coal mining so there's no mystery remaining as to what it is. What is was used for is another question. Since it was obviously driven straight down into the ground and has cross cut marks on the top edge I'm assuming it was used as some sort of marker. I thought it may have been one of four corner markers for the cabin that was built here back in the 1800's but after working over the other three logical areas for other stakes and coming up empty I'm not so sure. Sorry there was no cache of gold coins under it mpostma...THAT would have been a good story Thanks for having a look,I'm afraid this one is "case closed"
Jerry

 

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[RELICDUDE07]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

cold be a old style copper ground rod.... Electric service

 

[imafishingnutt]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

looks like some sort off an old cotter key pin of something big was it found around farms maby off a tractor

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

looks like some sort off an old cotter key pin of something big was it found around farms maby off a tractor

This was found at a cellarhole site, deep in the woods about a mile from the nearest road or electric lines. Just the tip was showing after digging down about 3-4 inches like it had been driven into the ground at one time like a stake.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

Sounds like some good $$$ for the next recycling trip!

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

Sounds like some good $$$ for the next recycling trip!

This thing is 15 oz..what's copper up to these days?

 

[wesfrye53]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

A surveyor's stake is usually marked with a center point "after" the stake has been driven in the ground. If a cross were cut into this after being driven it could alter the location. If it were cut into it prior to driving it in the ground it would be extremely difficult to drive it so that the center would be perfectly in place.

When I surveyed we used wooden stakes with a small metal nail/brad that was sunken in on top. We would drive the stake as close to the spot as possible and then use a plumb bulb, pull the iron chain as taut as possible, and locate the exact point. Then we would drive the brad in. It was not unusual for the brad to be anywhere BUT the center of the stake.

The few times we used iron rods (for marking property line starting points, the rod was driven, the point located, a center punch was used to mark the point, and then the point was verified.

I believe it's something else.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

Sounds like some good $$$ for the next recycling trip!   

This thing is 15 oz..what's copper up to these days?

About $3.34/pound.    Beats the heck out of digging three bucks in change. 


We recycle everything now that we're 100% sure isn't a keeper. 

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

A surveyor's stake is usually marked with a center point "after" the stake has been driven in the ground. If a cross were cut into this after being driven it could alter the location. If it were cut into it prior to driving it in the ground it would be extremely difficult to drive it so that the center would be perfectly in place.

When I surveyed we used wooden stakes with a small metal nail/brad that was sunken in on top. We would drive the stake as close to the spot as possible and then use a plumb bulb, pull the iron chain as taut as possible, and locate the exact point. Then we would drive the brad in. It was not unusual for the brad to be anywhere BUT the center of the stake.

The few times we used iron rods (for marking property line starting points, the rod was driven, the point located, a center punch was used to mark the point, and then the point was verified.

I believe it's something else.

Thanks for the input wesfrye, i appreciate hearing from someone who has actually been involved in surveying. It seems a little too elaborate but i wonder if it isn't just one of a possible 4 stakes that were layed out when they were building the cabin? I worked the area over pretty well but now I'm wondering...

 

[wesfrye53]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

A surveyor's stake is usually marked with a center point "after" the stake has been driven in the ground. If a cross were cut into this after being driven it could alter the location. If it were cut into it prior to driving it in the ground it would be extremely difficult to drive it so that the center would be perfectly in place.

When I surveyed we used wooden stakes with a small metal nail/brad that was sunken in on top. We would drive the stake as close to the spot as possible and then use a plumb bulb, pull the iron chain as taut as possible, and locate the exact point. Then we would drive the brad in. It was not unusual for the brad to be anywhere BUT the center of the stake.

The few times we used iron rods (for marking property line starting points, the rod was driven, the point located, a center punch was used to mark the point, and then the point was verified.

I believe it's something else.

Thanks for the input wesfrye, i appreciate hearing from someone who has actually been involved in surveying. It seems a little too elaborate but i wonder if it isn't just one of a possible 4 stakes that were layed out when they were building the cabin? I worked the area over pretty well but now I'm wondering...

Jerry,

Now that's a possibilty. I could see stakes like that so that they could line strings in the slots in order to lay straight and square lines.

Wes

 

[Silver]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

This is a easy one for me. It is trolly wire used in a coal mine. The skinny part on top with the grove is where the clamps hooked on. The clamps hung from the roof of the mines along the track. The cars that carried us coal miners in and out out of the mines had a spring loaded arm that ran on the wire. The wire carried the power the tracks were the ground.

 

[mpostma]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

Driven in the ground? Just wondering if someone used it to ground lightning rods? Did they do that?
Mark

 

[Silver]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

Yes it could have had that use later in it's life. But after working in the coal mines 20 years i know a piece of trolley wire when i see it. Didn't mean to sound smart but if its not ill eat my 32 years worth of finds pull tabs first

 

[Silver]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

Thanks Nick .I was still typing when you posted if i wasn't sure i would have not said i would eat all them pull tabs.

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Surveyor's Stake??

This is a easy one for me. It is trolley wire used in a coal mine. The skinny part on top with the grove is where the clamps hooked on. The clamps hung from the roof of the mines along the track. The cars that carried us coal miners in and out out of the mines had a spring loaded arm that ran on the wire. The wire carried the power the tracks were the ground.

Silver,Thanks for the info and positive ID on the trolley wire and Nick,son thanks for the research. I have an idea the guy who built this cabin in the woods must have been a miner, took a hack saw and cut 4 pieces of this trolley wire to use as stakes for the layout of his cabin. It would explain the lines cut in to the top of it. Now to prove that part of it i only have to hike back to the site and see if I can come up with the other 3!!! Stay tuned...Jerry

 

[mpostma]

Re: Surveyor's Stake?? Part of the mystery SOLVED

Hey Silver!
I wasn't doubting your ID!!!! I was wondering why driven in the ground.

I really don't want to see you eat all those pulltabs! And I sure don't want to hear what about the day after!

Mark

 

[Silver]

Re: Surveyor's Stake?? Part of the mystery SOLVED

Hey Mark your right . I live in southern WV t here are old mines around here old coal camps going back to around 1900 or so. I don't know when they started using trolley wire but i have found loads of it. All that i have found was laying flat any where from half inch to 4 inches deep. My longest piece was 35 foot long back around 1977 it was a beast to pull up but i was 16 then my first year detecting. I agree with you if it was drove in the ground it was done for a reason. Lightning rod\property marker\bored kid when Jerry finds 3 more well know for sure.

 

[Dirt Fishin Dale]

Re: Surveyor's Stake?? Part of the mystery SOLVED

It took me two weeks to run that boundary, and you pulled out my stake? Just kidding, I have seen old gun barrels for corners but nothing like that. Then again they used trees and what ever else they could find back then. Trolley wire as a corner marker?
Why not?

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Surveyor's Stake?? Part of the mystery SOLVED

It took me two weeks to run that boundary, and you pulled out my stake? Just kidding, I have seen old gun barrels for corners but nothing like that. Then again they used trees and what ever else they could find back then. Trolley wire as a corner marker?
Why not?

my bad...sorry Dale,I THOUGHT it was a silver dollar or half dollar,sure looked like it on my DFX... LOL
Tomorrow I'll have a couple hours to hit that site..I'm anxious now to see if there are three more there!!

 

[Shortstack]

Re: Surveyor's Stake?? Part of the mystery SOLVED

Did you dig a little deeper to see if the stake was marking that spot for something else?