Keith,

Are you absolutely sure that it's CWI [C.W.I. ?] and not CWT ? Have you 
ever seen how the lengths of pipe are joined (bell & spigot, butted, 
flange-and-bolt) ??

Perhaps the easiest approach to identification is an archival approach. 
For such a major project (a 30" water main would be considered a "major" 
project, even in Texas) there were doubtlessly copious records in the 
books of the governmental authority (county / city ?) who actually 
bought-and-paid-for installation of the pipe. On such projects, it is 
not uncommon to find recorded lengthy discussions prior to the project 
over which particular pipe/manufacturer would be best, then there's the 
bidding records (usually replete with historical information on the type 
of pipe / manufacturer testimonials / comparative testing results / 
pertaining to usually several bidders). I would go down to the 
local-temple-of-justice (courthouse / municipal records building) and 
give a quick perusal through the purchasing / bidding records for the 
water projects for the period you suspect the pipe was laid (if they 
have not all been incinerated in past courthouse fires, like a lot of 
them have been across the South where we stupidly built wooden 
courthouses during earlier settlement).

SOMETIMES the archival approach in local records may give surprisingly 
quick-and-easy answers (for example, I was once working on trying to 
identify various fragmentary construction artifacts from a previous 
Texas courthouse covered by the modern one ... quite a problem until I 
found the record book of the Commissioners Court where every single item 
that was purchased for the old courthouse had been tediously itemized as 
to cost and supplier).

Bob Skiles


On 2/23/2017 7:31 AM, Keith Doms wrote:
> Unfortunately, my copy of American Iron is awol.  Can anyone out there check the index to give me a clue please?
>
> Keith R. Doms
> Newlin Grist Mill
> Site Manager
> 219 S. Cheyney Rd.
> Glen Mills, PA  19342
> (610) 459-2359
> [log in to unmask]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Patrick Martin
> Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2017 10:19 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Cast iron pipe
>
> Must be some ironworks with CW name. Don't have resources at hand out on a road trip, but I would start with Bob Gordon's American Iron as a key source.
> PEM
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Feb 22, 2017, at 6:34 AM, Keith Doms <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone come across cast iron pipe with the Letters "CWI" molded on it?  We have a 30" id. Pipe with "CWI 1884".  Any thoughts about the manufacture?
>>
>> Keith R. Doms
>> Newlin Grist Mill
>> Site Manager
>> 219 S. Cheyney Rd.
>> Glen Mills, PA  19342
>> (610) 459-2359
>> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>