Indian Air Cooled Tank of some sort...

[hosman321]

I can't seem to find anything about this thing online. It says it's patented but there's no date or number on it. I only bought it because it reminded me of that flame thrower on Pawn Stars. But I don't think it is one. It smells of gasoline, has a divider inside and a chain inside. The back has air slots to keep the tank (or person?) cool. Anybody know what it is? The antique shop lady said WWI era, around 1910-ish. I got it fairly cheap and plan on selling it because I bet an Indian collector would want it. Thanks for any info!

By the way, the hose/nozle has been cut off of it.
Can't find my memory card for the camera, sorry for the cell pics.

[fancypants]

Cool forestry/fire item , hosman321 .

Sometimes people think that these are for starting fires & use them as such .
Very dangerous non-designed use , but good for 'Bevis & Butthead' style/intelligence type stunts .

It's a 'back-pack' unit to hold water .
It would of had a hose , with a pump-wand (to pump the liquid with) at it's end .

These units were used for quenching remote 'controlled-burn' fires , where underbrush presents a high fire hazard .

Also used in a variety of other fire-control situations .

The pump-wand would sort of 'clip' to the handle on the top of the tank .

[KC]

Fancy....naughty reference to B&B!!! LOL

I kinda liked the flame thrower idea!  But agree with the water back pack!!

[hosman321]

Found the little sucker.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=bihVAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=D.b.+Smith+fire&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1910&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1950&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q=D.b.%20Smith%20fire&f=false
Disappointed it wasn't made by Indian. Just called an Indian. Thanks for the great info! I would have never figured that out. 

[regularjoe2]

I like your louvered-back model Indian , hosman321 .

These lil' "Indians" are still used today , most fire-fighters know them simply by the name "Indian" .

Now there's one more cool Indian item to be found on-site !

[waywardangler]

I actually used one of those 30+ years ago when there was a big fire that burned many, many acres around Black River Falls, WI.  Our group had the task of walking around putting out hotspots with those cans strapped to our backs.  Known by all that use them as, pardon the expression, "piss cans".  It was a dirty, dirty job and made more uncomfortable if you were one of the lucky ones that had a can that leaked down your back, pants, and boots all day.

[hosman321]

I think it's really cool. Beat up and rustic but still looks cool. I keep looking for "man cave" stuff for when we move and have a garage. I'm supposed to sell it though. I have a feeling It'll stay like everything else though.
What is the chain inside for? And what's the purpose of the divider? Reading patents just confuses me with all the mumbo jumbo mixed in. Also, do you think I got a fair deal for $35?

[cogar]

The chain inside was at one time, or should have been, connected to the lid, so that one could not lose it.

The "divider" inside is characteristic of most all "liquid transporting tanks". It is actually a "baffle" to prevent sudden or quick shifts of the contained liquid.

In large tanker trucks, without said baffles, when the truck encountered a sharp curve, even at reasonable speed, the contained liquid would quickly shift toward the outside of the cure and would up-dump the whole rig. 

[KC]

US  http://www.olive-drab.com/od_infweapons_flame.php

Germany  http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/portft/

You can still get a flamethrower here with Joe!  

http://www.amazon.com/G-I-WWII-U-S-Infantry-Flamethrower/dp/B000W8G20W

[hosman321]

Ha! That's awesome KC. Probably the closest I'll get to findin' a flamethrower. And the closest I'll let my husband get to one, too!