Stacy,

Of all the responses, Lyle's shows he certainly has the most knowledge 
about utillities in old habitations (as has been the case on many a 
previous occasion in the past years).

I was a plumber (before becoming a now-retired archaeologist, lo! 
long-ago, in a previous life.... but, not quite as long ago as  your 
system, but in the 1960s-1970s, the systems and their parts were still 
little changed from those of the 1910s). They are standard gas 
outlets.for space heaters. Space heaters sat on the floor, connected to 
a gas-cock (that was once screwed onyo the ends of your pipe stubs 
instead of the current caps) with a rubber hose, and had no exhaust 
ventilation, at that time (as mentioned by Lyle for gas-lighting, they 
relied on the draftiness of early construction to avoid lethality from 
CO buildup).

Regards,
Bob Skiles
Austin, TX




On 12/11/2012 2:42 PM, Stacy Kozakavich wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> This is a bit tangential to archaeology as it deals with the old operating systems of an extant house, but I'm sure there will be many people on this list with the experience and expertise to answer this question:
>
> I'm trying to figure out what a couple of old utility/service connections are in the second-floor bedrooms of a 1911 house in the San Francisco Bay area.
>
> Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/105553509479038352556/Utilities?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Nzfby4rTl0QE&feat=directlink
>
> I know I *should*  know what these are, but am drawing a blank - they don't quite look like water/steam heat system pipes as they're narrow diameter and there aren't any other traces of past radiators on the walls or floor. They seem too close to the floor to be connections for gas lighting.
>
> Anyone recognize these?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Stacy Kozakavich
> Oakland, CA
>
>