In the rest of the Americas there are too, lots and lots of carbon roads,
all late XIXth cen. and XX th cent. of course, from pencil to phone
batteries, most from german factories, some few France and some USA too. If
any of you have a chronology, or do it, will be great! We publish the trade
mark of some of them from Buenos Aires (somewhere...). If you need I can try
to find the references.
Daniel




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Howe" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: use of carbon battery rods


> I found over 100+ various diameter carbon rods and some still with battery
casing here on the Sequoia NF. These came from a mining site and were in the
trash piles dating from 1880- 1980. Many newer archeologists would not know
a carbon rod if they saw one. Education on this is important. My 2 cents.
Mark Howe Arizona State University "Life is how you make it, the future is
how you leave your past." > Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:30:08 -0500> From:
[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: use of carbon battery rods> To:
[log in to unmask]> > I have to admit that the carbon rods were low on my list
of things to > research on the U.S. Army, Fort Rosecrans archaeology. I
recall observing a wide > variety of carbon rod shapes. These varied from
pencil sized up to very thick > rods. There could be dozens of them.
Depending on how this thread runs, I may > pull up the catalogs and see what
we have to offer. If there is a typology, I > could sure use it. Fort
Rosecrans was under construction from
>  1872-1874, > stopped, and then began again in 1895 and the first
batteries staffed during the > Spanish American War of 1898. I expect the
search light carbon rods began to > appear at that time. The post really
began operation in 1902 and went into > full compliment a year later with
drilling a standard practice. The place shut > down in 1922 and gradually
reopened after 1935. We probably had a lot more > carbon rods from 1940
through 1959. Then the place shut down and the Navy > occupied the place
around 1962. Based on this, I should think the carbon rods > would date
between 1898 and 1946.> > Ron May> Legacy 106, Inc.> > > In a message dated
1/23/2009 5:39:55 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, > [log in to unmask] writes:> >
Jake - > > I found about a half dozen C and D cell batteries (with carbon
rods) at Fort > Johnson last year in a deposit dating between 1930 and 1941.
I found (thanks > wikipedia) that dry cell batteries were invented in 1898.
> > Stan South found carbon arc light rods
>  in his excavations on campus (the > Horseshoe) at USC. I did lab
analysis. As I recall, those rods were thicker and > longer than dry cell
battery rods, and drawn to a symetrical point on the arc > end. You could
probably get access to those and measure them for comparison.> > I'll put
measuring battery rods on my list of things to do.... > > Carl Steen> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----> From: Robert L. Schuyler
<[log in to unmask]>> To: [log in to unmask]> Sent: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 7:55
am> Subject: Re: re-use of carbon battery rods> > > > > > > > > > Keep
working on that inventory and chronology. If there is a > narrowing perhaps
we will end up with "carbon rod dating" similar to > pipe stem dating minus
the hold. I have always wondered if it was > possible to do something with
an artifact we all fine on almost all > sites and your comments on function
and use are really interesting. I > have seen catalogs on batteries but not
on the rods. How were they > made and who made
>  them - the battery makers or some more specialized > companies??> ?> >
Bob Schuyler?> ?> > At 03:07 AM 1/23/2009, jakob crockett wrote:?> >
>Hello,?> > >?> > >I have no useful info re: modified carbon rods, but I am
in the?> > >process of putting together a typology/chronology of carbon
rods,?> > >which may be of interest to the list in general. The?> >
>typology/chronology is based on primary documents gathered at?> >
>Winterthur, including manufacturing, distributing, and retailer trade?> >
>catalogs of the late 19th and early 20th century. This is a low?> >
>priority project right now, as it only fits tangentially into my?> >
>research, but I poke at it when I've the time. So far, it appears?> > >that
the typology will be useful--in some cases--for identifying the?> > >size of
the battery (in terms of current, which might be useful in?> > >narrowing
down the range of circuits it may have been used for, e.g.?> > >telephone or
door bell) or arc lamp. There also seems to be
>  narrowing?> > >of ranges available over time in terms of diameter, which
could aid in?> > >dating.?> > >?> > >I'll let the list know when the
typology is (more) complete.?> > >?> > >Best wishes,?> > >Jake?> > >?> >
>--?> > >Jakob Crockett?> > >?> > >Department of Anthropology?> >
>University of South Carolina?> > >Hamilton College, Room 317?> > >Columbia,
SC 29208?> > >?> > >http://mannsimons.freehostia.com?> > >?> > > > Date:
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:45:29 -0600?> > > > From: Alasdair Brooks
<[log in to unmask]>?> > > > Subject: re-use of carbon battery
rods?> > > >?> > > > Dear All,?> > > >?> > > > I have a sneaking suspicion
that this has come up before, so apologies > for?> > > > potentially raising
an old topic, but...?> > > >?> > > > Over the last few years, I've worked on
or been associated with sites in?> > > > both Australia and the UK where
large numbers of late 19th- to early?> > > > 20th-century carbon battery
rods were recovered.?> > > >?> > > > A small, but
>  noticeable, portion of these - some (if memory serves) > found?> > > > in
the same context as slate pencils and writing slates - had clearly > been?>
> > > sharpened at one end in manner similar to a sharpened pencil. I'm?> >
> > currently doing the glass for a Sheffield (UK) based project where >
another?> > > > colleague has been identifying these 'sharpened' battery
rods in some?> > > > quantity.?> > > >?> > > > My question is: do any of you
know of any citations in the > archaeological?> > > > (or other) literature
that addresses this phenomenon, particularly as?> > > > regards confirmation
(or otherwise) of the recycling of carbon battery?> > > > rods as pencils.?>
> > >?> > > >?> > > > A quick google search reveals some references to the
reverse (how to use > a?> > > > pencil's graphite core in a home-made
battery), but not to battery rod?> > > > recycling.?> > > >?> > > > Please
send (or cc) replies off-list in the first instance as the other?> > > >
colleague involved
>  doesn't subscribe to HISTARCH - but I promise to?> > > > collate any and
all references (if there are any) into a single handy?> > > > post.?> > >
>?> > > > Anecdotal reports, rather than academic citations, of the
occurrence of?> > > > re-used battery rods are also welcome.?> > > >?> > > >
Thank you,?> > > >?> > > > Alasdair Brooks?> > > >?> > > > > > >
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