19th century 'Aluma' pipe

[archaeo]

Hello here folks

Was hoping someone might be able to help me. I am currently researching some tobacco pipes from a late 19th/early 20th century well and have come across a complete composite pipe marked across the shank ALUMA. Try as I might I have not found anything online regarding this manufacturer or brand and was hoping someone here may have come across the name at some point.

As for the pipe itself I had initially thought it was made of wood, but now I'm not so sure. It is very smooth and has an almost swirly colouration throughout. The stem is likely vulcanite/ebonite. I have attached an image and hope it helps.

Any information on this one would be fantastic.

 

[jguss]

Hi,
A) is there anything else whatsoever stamped on the briar, shank or stem? A missing country of origin would be suggestive
B) can you post pictures of the mortise, tenon, slot, etc
C) is there anything useful you can say about where the pipe came from
This might not help, but it won't hurt for the forum to have more data
Thx,

Jon

 

[didimauw]

How come the New guys have no problems posting pictures?? I've been doin this for years and still have issues sometimes!

 

[jguss]

Hi again,
To clarify the provenance question a bit, in what country is the well located, and did you find anything else in the same (or adjacent) stratum dating from later than early 20th c?
I ask because the pipe looks like it might be later.

 

[archaeo]

Hi jguss

i will have to photograph more tomorrow, its late at night here atm. But to answer your questions there is no other markings on the pipe to give any hint as to where it was manufactured.
The provenance is a well likely infilled with household debris from 1870s onwards when town water supply was put into the houses, so we do have a mixture of items and dates of manufacture, mainly from glassware and ceramics, however none of the other items have a manufacture date past 1904 (of course it doesn't mean they werent deposited c1915 or later). the houses were demolished and the land built over in the early 1920s

 

[archaeo]

oh #$%@ sorry guys, this is in Auckland, New Zealand

 

[jpmcwjr]

Interesting indeed! Were other pipes found in same dig?
More photos are of interest, but may lead no where towards a positive ID. Top view, at least, and photographed in subdued light (to lower contrast on a light background)
Was ground water present at the level of the pipe when found?
Hope NZ gets no more quakes this C!

 

[hmhaines]

Very interested in hearing more about this!

 

[huntertrw]

According to Wilczak & Colwell in their book titled "Who Made That Pipe?" Aluma was a brand manufactured by W.B. Haas & Co. of England. Perhaps Forums member jguss can provide additional information regarding this company?

 

[jguss]

Hi Hunter,
Good catch!
I do have some material on Haas but I'm out the country this week and my resources (including W&C) are back home.
Still, I'll root around when I can.
Rgds,

Jon

 

[mso489]

Impressive to come up with that! Impressive to come up with the pipe at all. Pipe archeology.

 

[condorlover1]

You should see some of the broken clay pipes that come out of my late mothers garden!

 

[kanse]

Make sure it's not Asbestos before smoking

 

[sablebrush52]

Excellent catch, Hunter! Joinery is a factor in determining the likely age of a pipe. 19th century pipes of this kind were joined using a bone screw-in tenon. The use of the modern friction tenon didn't come into wide use until the second decade of the 20th century. The other design element is the type of smoke hole at the end of the stem. If it's circular in shape then the pipe is pre-1930's at the latest.

 

[archaeo]

Wow, great responses. Have done a search for W B Haas & Co and have so far come up empty so will continue with that, thanks for that information.

Have uploaded two more images, apologies for the quality, my photo person is on other business so currently stuck with me!

The tenon is bone screw-in so that gives a rough latest date of manufacture, and the hole at the stem end is round. There are no other markings on the pipe indicating manufacturer or location aside from the brand name Aluma.
There were other pipes found in the well, in very wet fill above the main waterline. All of the wells in this location were found to still be actively functioning as wells. The other partial pipes found were clay tobacco pipes we see fairly often in 19th century sites
So based on the information you all have provided so far we can say this pipe was made pre-1920ish?

 

[sablebrush52]

Thanks for the extra pix. Definitely pr-1920's and probably pre-1900's. Jon Guss had contacted me about this thread and the shape of the pipe reminded me of one of my older Barling pipes from 1896.

 

[hmhaines]

Looks almost ready to smoke!
Thanks for further photos. Enjoying this thread quiite a bit!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, good photos. Wonder if the crack in the bowl was the reason the pipe found the well.... Very interesting thread.

 

[huntertrw]

"Wonder if the crack in the bowl was the reason the pipe found the well..."
I wonder if the pipe's original owner might have been drawing water from the well and inadvertently have dropped the lit pipe therein? If so, then perhaps the sudden drastic change in the bowl's temperature might account for the crack?

 

[crashthegrey]

That's a fairly astute and reasonable assumption huntertrw. I like to believe that. This is an amazing thread. I feel like that pipe should be restored and smoked.