Hazard A Guess: Week of July 26, 2001

Hello from Hazard!

Gee whiz! Even the words “automatic fireless torpedo” didn’t help.

Well, we did have two brave souls who hazard-ed a guess. Joe Betz of Library, Pa., ruled out several of his earlier thoughts with the clue of the wording on Item No. 624, and now simply guesses it is a dart gun (although he admits he really has no idea what it is! I like an honest man.).

Sue Groh of McKean, Pa., is thinking along the same track, guessing that it’s a device used for stunning animals prior to slaughter, similar to the compressed air guns used now. “The fact that the manufacturer was based in Chicago in the early 1900s would be a clue to this assumption,” she adds.

Thanks to both Sue and Joe for their bravery. We may have to leave Item No. 624 unsolved, or concur with both our guessers.

They say the mind is the first thing to go, but I’m sure we’ve featured our next gizmo, Item no. 625, before in our 10+ years of Hazarding. But, since we really didn’t expect this thing to take a life of its own and have never kept an index, let’s have another go-round since it might be new for some readers.

Take a look at the item sent in by Chauncey Forbush of New Castle, Pa., and tell us what you think it is. Write: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or send us an e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com.

Until next week.