Guess the purpose of this machinery

[Inspectorjoe]

This is just for fun. Lets see if anyone can guess the purpose of this 111 year old machinery. It's muddy from a flood.

I gave a hint already.

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[Marc]

Grain dryer?

Marc

[Inspectorjoe]

Nope.

[John Kogel]

It's a giant tumbler like they would use to separate lime to make cement.

But the cylinder has wooden sides.

[Inspectorjoe]

It is like a giant wooden tumbler. What's its purpose?

[Jim Katen]

I've designed and built stage machinery that was very similar. Something tells me that this would be too noisy for use on a stage, though.

[Inspectorjoe]

It was actually really quiet when it was running. I think it last turned in 2006. It's big. More than big enough to walk through.

Kibble will know it.

[AHI in AR]

You mentioned that there had been a flood, so I'm going to jump to the conclusion that it is near water. Are there slots that we can't see where smaller materials would fall out of the cylinder? Is it to mine minerals from a stream bed? Is it a huge industrial washing machine? Was Jimmy Hoffa in there? Are the ring and pinion gears from a '28 model A?

As you can guess, I don't have a clue.

In any case, the halogen lights are an anachronism.

[Inspectorjoe]

It's about 200 feet from a stream, but that's incidental.

There are no slots. The interior is solid, smooth hardwood. It's not intended to ever be wet.

I didn't smell anything, but by now, Hoffa would be only dry bones. Saw no bones.

As far as I know, everything (except replaceable things like bearings, motor brushes, etc.) is original from 1902.

Remember, this is just for fun. Think outside the box.

[Bill Kibbel]

B. P. in Easton, right?

[AHI in AR]

It's from an amusement park--you walk through it while it spins

[Inspectorjoe]

I knew Kibble would know it. That's right, Kevin, it's the rotating walk-through barrel in the Bushkill Park funhouse. "This is just for fun" was the hint. This funhouse is the oldest one in the country, and at the time the park closed, had the only operating barrel in the country. The park was featured on a segment of American Pickers 2 or 3 years ago.

Out of the blue, I got a call from the park owner this morning asking if I'd be interested going through it. Would I?!?! Of course I would! He spent over an hour and a half taking me through the remaining buildings, giving me updates on what's happened, what is happening and what he hopes to make happen. It was really cool.

Here is a video of the funhouse I shot in 1989, not too long after 'Mom' Long had died. She and her husband began leasing the park in 1933 and bought it in 1939.

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[John Kogel]

I shoulda known it was for tumbling kids. Thanks, Joe. That's a fun video, too.

[kurt]

That is one cool piece of machinery.