Images(2)

Toy

Object number96.110.1

Manufacturer Wolverine Supply and Manufacturing Company (1903 - 1962)

Datec. 1905

MediumPressed; Sheet metal; Wire

Credit LineGift of Marilyn Erwin

DescriptionPressed sheet metal toy pile driver.Dimensions16.75 x 6.75 x 12.5 in. (42.5 x 17.1 x 31.8 cm)
InscriptionsMarks: lithographed on sides of trough: "PANAMA PILE DRIVER."

MarksLithographed the front: "PAT. DEC. 1905. OTHER PATS PENDING."
Lithographed on bottom: "MFG. BY WOLVERINE SUP. & MFG. CO. PITTSBURGH, PA."

Historical NotesThis toy was made to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal, the pile driver's mechanisms stimulate the workings of the canal. The weight suspends the bucket underneath the trough. When a marble is rolled down the trough, it releases the arm, and the marble falls into the bucket. The bucket falls as the weight rises. The arm of the base causes the levers on the bucket to rise, releasing the marble into the space underneath the trough. The weight pulls the empty bucket up to the trough. The pile driver has simulated how the Panama Canal works, and it is ready to repeat the process.

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