Beth that is probably the answer - something made on the spot as needed with whatever materials they had on hand. Wish I had thought of it first... Cool thing to find in a tunnel too.
Roy

Just a quick search online regarding rivets and it doesn't look like that's gonna be much help dating the thing. I'll keep looking, but as Beth said, it's probably a "home made" item. Still a neat relic to find deep in a tunnel like that

Paul,

Please do not refer to it as a "relic". Someone from the Forest Service will be over here taking it away from me. (They all know where I live)

Oh well... On second thought, they would have to prove it's age to claim it falls under the protection of the Antiquities Act wouldn't they?

That might be the only way we would ever find out how old it is.

For the record: Kurt carried out, I didn't. (Just joking)

Jim

Roy,

You should listen to Beth more often. She's a pretty sharp 'ole Gal about some things.

Jim

Perhaps the stopper cap from an old thermos bottle? The riveted bracket may have been the retainer for the cork or rubber stopper(plug),and the small hole in the rim for a small chain to prevent loss.

Regards:SH

Wayne,

For what it's worth... There are two small holes in the rim, directly opposite each other. My first thought was that they were for a wire handle to hang it by.

Jim

Sorry bout that Jim - heck, who knows - it could be a rusted piece from an old Coleman lantern someone used back in the tunnel on a cold night stuck out in the mountains.

It's hard to say with stuff like that - I probably would have carted it away as garbage like all the junk out by Crazy Jake's old campsites on Peter's Mesa.

Somone ought to take a bunch of pack horses out there and load em up with junk. I know last year a few of us suggested Greg Davis get ahold of some boy scout troops and see if they would work on the trail out to Peter's Mesa and clean up along the way - thought it was a good idea, but it never got off the ground

Hi Jim:
My first though was that it was the bottom cap,with the bracket supporting the vacuum flask inside.The apparent lack of a second hole,for a fastener on each side, made me look to the stopper end as more likely.Also looked at old mining lamps,but not much in the way of similarities there.Have seen a few small bells with ringers like that,though.The ones that sometimes have two bells on each side of a single clapper.

Regards:Wayne

If it was a bell,that could explain the bullet hole.

Wayne

Indeed... A .38 Special slides right through it - perfect fit!

Bet there's another interesting story behind that!

Jim