Information required on this item please South Africa

 

Hello all my friends

I have been thinking about this item that I found while out hunting a few weeks back, I have no idea what it might be, but on it there are the following words.

Silvertown
1885
It seems to be made from brass.

I did think that it was for a rope or such item?











 

Is that a spot of melted lead on the bottom? Could it have something to do with holding wire to set a bag seal?

Silvertown telegraph or cable device related?

Time frame in line with underwater cables in Africa.

http://atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/Silvertown/index.htm

Spike, the date also conforms to the rebuilding of the Silvertown station (possibly railroad related).  I'm still wondering about that splash of lead though? This relic has a lot of consistent bruising which seems to favor one end of the front like it was banged around a lot and might have been an attachment on something heavier. Do both ends of the openning flair or just the one side? With that splash of lead I may have bag seal on the brain, but could it have been a bottom blank die on a pair of bag seal pincers? (are there such thing as bag seal pincers )

I've been starring myself blind on pics of telegraph transmitter keys  If it is a splash of lead it may just be a spill/drop.

Are there any threads inside the cap?

Thankyou for all the info so far, just to maybe enlighten you all, there is in fact a railway line running through his farm as well.
There are no threads inside and it is the same shape both sides.

Maybe it was thrown off a train or fell off, what about maybe a cable or seal to lock doors on a carriage?

that splash looks like some sort of glue.

I made up this display case 450mm x 300mm of various items that I have found on this person's farm, during The 2nd Boer War there was a tented British camp on his farm, his grandfather bought the farm in 1907, The Boer War ended in 1902 thus as far as he knows (his father is still alive) his father told me that nobody has hunted on their farm since 1907, thus these items that you see in this display case are items that have been found on his farm, we are going back there this Sunday.

I give back to museums, farmers who own the land and schools these display cases as a Token of Goodwill, I required this info on No. 14 for the detailed list that I also have to write up on what each item is in the display case, so No. 14 was the only item I was not sure about.

Just for the fun of it, you all can start at number 1. and tell us what you think the other various items are?













That about does it, however item no. 5 is also a problem, it might even have come out of item no. 14, but it is made from some sort of copper, no4 is a coin, but the pic is not too good, no. 23 is an interesting piece, I know what it is, no. 21 look carefully at it, it is different from no. 20, I will give you a hint on no. 18 it is made from lead and is related to bullets, no. 25 is very interesting as well, not forgetting item no. 13, but 13 goes with item no. 9.

Have fun, chat later

Africa, can you scan #5, and if it is just glue can you chip it off and put in in a frying pan just to confirm it's not lead? If it's lead it will bead up. If it's glue your kitchen will smell like hell. 

My other friend Ben who has just come around, reminded me that the railway line is in fact electrified with overhead lines, the trians are electric and there are also electric overhead cables criss crossing the farm lands.

Africa, although electric railways existed prior to 1885, it's very unlikely this train ran on electricity when this object was made. There still would have been telegraph, signal, and switch lines. Now that you say both ends of the opening have the same curve, it does seem almost certain this was used with wire. Maybe we have to consider types of splicing objects that held two wire loops which might be under too big a strain for a simple splice, and where perhaps the  ends might have been looped first 9with the curve preventing cutting), and loose ends soldered into the depression? Please check out that "glue splash " and scan object #5.

Hahahaha!

Africa, can you scan #5, and if it is just glue can you chip it off and put in in a frying pan just to confirm it's not lead? If it's lead it will bead up. If it's glue your kitchen will smell like hell. 

Wife is fed up with me  she said I am bluddy mad to think I am going to use her pan on the stove with this stuff that I scrapped off the back of this item, Ben my friend who was here this evening, said that it is glue, however I have taken some more pic's of it and the other item and will upload Thankyou

"Wife is fed up with me   she said I am bluddy mad to think I am going to use her pan on the stove with this stuff that I scrapped off the back of this item"

Hey Africa, what's a little stank on the old saucepan? Come on man, grow a pair. This is what my wife is going to be coming home to today, and it's  smack next to her herb garden.        p.s. if I don't show up on the board for a few day tell the cops to look under the newly turned earth next to my wife's herb garden.

You by some chance lost something in the garden, you sure need a metal detector maybe loan my Minelab and you will not have to dig such a huge hole to look for whatever you are looking for

No didn't lose anything (except perhaps mind). Just digging and sifting, digging and sifting, and all to show today for it was this and a few pounds of square nails.

That item looks like a pop off valve to let pressure off of something perhaps steam operated?  Just a WAG.  Monty

Silvertown and the year 1885 giving multiple possibilities. Noticed Silvertown golf, but can only find golf balls. Did they make golf clubs, shoes or other related items with metal? Did follow a lead on syrup, which was a dead end. Trust the splash is not syrup