Any idea on what this is? Or what it was?

[cogar]

But, but, but I wasa thinkin that ya had to “flush up” ……. to getit ta ”go down”.

 

[mart]

     But water goes down first to get it to go up !!  At least in mine it does,, I think !!

[cogar]

When I was a young boy we lived on a farm and I remember using an automatic “sideways” flushing toilet, …….. similar to the one pictured here, to wit:



Our outhouse was built “astraddle” of a small creek and thus it was “self flushing”. 



Pleeeeeeeese, ……. someone post a collectibles question.

[mart]

Ahhh,,, The good old days !!     Cogar,, at least we were discussing something !!

[fancypants]

Perhaps it could also have been a 'counter-top' ice container , from a saloon/speakeasy , as the sides are tilted to 'drain' condensation .
Saw something like this in a shop in Kansas City , in the 1980s , if memory serves ; that one had another 'pan' it was sitting on , without a drain .... inside it had a perforated piece of stainless to keep the ice out of the drain-water .

I don't know what it is for certain , but that's my guess !

[mart]

Where have you been Fancypants ??  Its been ages since you posted !!  Only problem with that theory is that it is metal and not insulated in any way !!  Ice would not last long enough to finish drink number 1 !!  Rest would be watered down !!

[cogar]

AAAAAWWWW, ……. gee whiz, Mart, it’s fer shur that you were never one of the after work “Happy Hour” crowd in your younger flirt-taceous days. 😊

On a Friday after work “Happy Hour”, …… especially with a “standing-room-only” crowd, ……. a good bartender could serve 30 or 40 “iced” drinks per hour via the “ice” in such a container. The ice in that “backbar” container (if that’s what it is) wouldn’t be in it long enough to do much “melting”,

By the way, ……. me thinks a great guess, …… fancypants

[mart]

AAAAAWWWW, ……. gee whiz, Mart, it’s fer shur that you were never one of the after work “Happy Hour” crowd in your younger flirt-taceous days. 😊


I led a very sheltered life Cogar !!   Our Happy Hour consisted pooling our change for a six pack if we could get someone with a car to take us over on Second Ave.  After I went to work at Ma Bell`s  the neighborhood I had to drive through to get home was no where I would have stopped for anything less than a flat tire and I am not sure I would have stopped then !!

[cogar]

Mart, I had a really good friend here in Burnsville, and of the several businesses he owned and operated, one was a “bar” that served beer, whiskey, etc., which he designed and built himself (with a little help from ones like myself). Use to “hang-out” there a lot, talking and sipping on a beer.

Now Rodney had a big “ice cube” machine in the back room, but he installed a “small” single bowl stainless steel kitchen sink, with a drain, in the countertop of the “back bar” ….. and would just dump a gallon bucket of ice cubes into it when the bar was “open”. Made access to the ice cubes really quick and easy. And another bucket of “cubes” only took a couple minutes.

[mart]

Sounds like a friendly little Cheers type bar !!  Didn`t have those where I was !! 

[cogar]

Didn`t have those where I was (Texas) !!

Mart, that doesn't surprise me any.

Ya gotta remember that alcoholic beverage (beer, whiskey, wine) Laws mandated "sale or no sale" and varied from State to State …….. and even from County to County within each state.

And those Laws even dictated what hours during the day sale was permitted as well as what days (Sunday, election days) sales were not permitted.   

For instance, WV had State Stores for purchasing whiskey/liquor … and the sale of "liquor-by-the-drink" did not become Legal until the late 60's or early 70's.

Pennsylvania had liquor stores and beer stores …….. and "liquor-by-the-drink" but you couldn't buy beer or whiskey on Sunday except in big hotels. And New York Laws were different that that.
 

[mart]

Well,, I lived in Mesquite but worked downtown at Southwestern Bell !!  Had to drive down Haskell Blvd to get to I-30 to get home !!  Not a good area back then !!  Just low end bars and pawn shops ect !!  I don`t even remember what the laws were back then but there were few regulations that the bars couldn`t  figure  a way around !!  I carried a gun back then going to and from work !!  One night I had worked a split shift and didn`t get off til 9 at night so I was driving down Haskell and had to stop at a red light when out of the blue my passenger door opened and a guy jumped in !! Started to reach for the gun but he said "wait a minute",,  as it turned out it was a friend of mine who had  went bar hopping with a bunch of guys he knew!!  They had left him and as he was outside looking for a pay phone to call a ride he saw me at the light and just figured he would ride home with me !!  I had forgotten to reach over and push the button to lock my car door !!  He came pretty close to being history !!
Mesquite was totally dry so everyone had to go to Dallas city limits for liquor !!

[fancypants]

Hey there mart !

Just hit & miss for a long time here & elsewhere .....
Still tending to a very ill fellow , which leaves me little free time to do much ... he's due to go to some hospice joint soon , though , so maybe I'll be around more (& get back to having a life of my own !!!) in a few months .

I'm still not sure about the item in question , esp. since I have never seen one in use ... just heresay from a shop owner , decades ago ...

[mart]

Sorry your friend is not doing well !!   But will look for you back !!  Hope the friend improves !!  Taking care of the ill can be a bit un- nerving at times !!  Just pop in when you can !!

[KC]

Hi Fancypants!  So sorry that your friend is going thru this.  But you are one-heck-of-a person to take care of them.  These days this is a rare quality.  Prayers going up for both of you for strength and guidance/direction.

I still stick with the planter.  Those short legs/feet would only slip/slide on a counter top and cause havoc to anyone that tried to use it for an ice bucket.  Agree with mart that the ice would melt fast because of the thin nature of the metal.  I have seen ice bins (and food bins) that have a single slot to insert the handle for a scoop.  However, that wouldn't work with this piece - you wouldn't leave the scoop sticking up and grab that due to health concerns (plus there are two slots in this one).