Common Dipper

[readyaimduck]

That dipper allowed one child to fetch a drink while the other operated the handle. When the water came up, the child operating the handle then dashed to the mouth of the pump and drank from their hands.

If I remember right, it took 3-4 pumps to prime (if it wasn't dry, and you had to water prime it), then 1-2 more huge pumps to get the water so you could run to the spigot and drink with the hands...and then you had better drink, as there were always 10 seconds of running water that hopefully went into a bucket and not to waste!

[readyaimduck]

Maybe only 5 seconds of water...since I am older, time goes slower than I remember.

[Roma Jean Turner]

I remember getting my hands and head right down in front of the cistern.  Then my older cousin would all of a sudden pump real fast as the water started to come out and it would often go up my nose.

[jarhead]

Waldo,
I think the first time I saw those cone shaped paper cups was when I would go on "train trips" with my Dad back in the 50's. A big ol galvanized water cooler in the way-car (caboose ). The cups held about two gulps of water, then run to the back of the way-car and throw the crumpled cup out between the rails as they flew by---then repeat the process over and over.All my trash on the tracks is probably why they shut the ol Howard Branch down

[W. Gray]

Did you ever put a penny down on the track for the loco to run over?

I never did but a friend says they did several times and the penny would come out something like a thin quarter.

One time he said they put a penny down and then sat nearby and waited for a train they knew would be coming by.

Along came a motorized hand car with a couple men on it and they hit the penny, which caused a slight bump.

They stopped to find out the problem, saw the penny, saw my friend and his kids, and then got back in the work car and moved on. That was according to my friend.

Seems to me track vibrations from a big locomotive might have a tendency to not keep the penny on the track.

[Janet Harrington]

What I remember about drinking water at Grandma Hancock's was the taste. Grandma had the best tasting water and it was always cool when it was freshly pumped out of the cistern. I can just taste it now.

[Wilma]

Grandma's cistern water was quite often Howard City water hauled like most everyone else had to do.

[Diane Amberg]

In spite of being thought of as a city girl, I grew up out in the country also. Had a wonderful sweet well, but had a hand pump for several years before we modernized the place, had one electric circuit,  a nice two holer and a bucket a day coal stove in the living room with a stove pipe that went up through the ceiling and provided the heat for my room upstairs. It was a big deal every spring when it was finally warm enough to take the pipe out of my floor and put the living room stove down in the barn until fall. Mom always put summer slip covers on the furniture and changed the rugs over from wool to sisal. One summer when I was little, probably 6, my mother's father came to visit and we took him out to the huge famous Longwood Gardens a few mile up the road. It is a wonderful place with many acres of gardens and big glass conservatories. Out in one of the areas was a great bubbling fountain with a big polished copper dipper hanging from it. Grandpa Boyd took a big dip and thoroughly enjoyed the refreshing ice cold water. He commented that it reminded him of his youth. I too remember my first experience with the cone paper cups was on the train headed for Kansas. Great memories!

[Judy Harder]

What a great thread. I kept passing it up with the "I'll be back" and oh I am so glad I did.
You all have helped (not that I need help, brain seems to enjoy remembering when a lot lately) and
I too enjoyed the shared metal cup and the bucket of water.
During the summer, not often enough Mom would let me go spend either a weekend or a week with  cousins who lived on acreage with no running water and lots of room to play.
My mom didn't like anything outside and since I was one of the "Tom-boys" in my area, I just ate it up.
Leroy's (cousin) had a well almost a hand's span from a creek and we had to haul by hand buckets of water for the house.
During the night we had a chamber pot, outhouse was too far and all were afraid of snakes...I would give anything to
go back and actually inhale the smells most of all and running though the creek with barefeet and letting our toes feel that oosy-gooey mud between my toes. I could almost bet you now it was full of animal waste and who knows what. The water was very bracing when it was 100 in the shade.

My grandparents lived near Topeka and when we drank their water If we used glass it turned the glass black. Had so much iron in it and tasted wonderful.

Thanks

[Wilma]

Another thing that could be in that creek were those little bloodsucking leeches.  There was one spot in my grandfather's creek where you could always come out with one or two on you.