Help to ID artifact

[Rafael]

While diving a shipwreck in the Boston Harbor i found a brass artifact but i can't tell what is it.

Is brass as i mention before has a rectangular shape looks like it was attached to a wall or console by two screws, and has some values carved on it on the top par says Open then goes to 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 then the word Shut in the bottom, looks like it had a lever (which i couldn't find) which was use to choose the desire values, i'm not sure if this is an electric switch or part of the steam system? the artifact is about 8 X 2 inches, the ship was build in the late 20's and sunk in 1938, this boat was from England, the home port was Liverpool.

Thank you for your help on advance.

 

[Aquanautchuck]

Pictures would help. May be a control plate for a gas light. Just my guess.

 

[mikerault]

Probably a valve position indicator, we had similar ones still in use in the sub fleet, a floating threaded collar with an indicator tab that would point through the slot would ride up and down on the valve stem as it was opened and closed to give an indicaiton of the valves position. Was probably mounted to the valve body on the yoke, not a wall.

Mike

 

[Doc]

Assumably the recovery necessitated a removal from the ship.

So- where was it mounted? If you just "found" it near the wreck, I would not make any assumption that they were connected.

This is a basic tenet of forensic/archeological quality recovery. Where did it come from? That's a broad question that has many applications. It doesn't just mean the name of the ship, it refers to ever specific involved in the encounter, removal, etc.

The above would hold a lot of clues/indicators as to the use of the item. If mounted on fine wood, it would mean something different that if it were removed from a steel bulkhead with other specific gauges. Even if the wood had rotted, the position relative to other objects would be a key piece of information.

 

[mikerault]

Something like this perhaps? Darn, won't allow attachments still, it still sounds like a valve position indicator for a rising gate type flow control valve.

Mike

 

[Rafael]

Thank you guys,

Mike, it makes sence to me the valve theory sounds right.
RoatanMan, when i found it it was on the wreck, but it was no need for me to do any work in order to remove it from the ship, the screws were totally gone, so i just picked up from the body of the ship, i found it in an area with alot of pipes, but again it wasn't mounted in anything, all it has is a couple holes where the rosted screws where, plust is bent, looks like the impact of the boat sinking or the dinamite use to break it later on could release this object from the original position. This ship is upside down in the bottom of the floor, but since is almost 70 years since, plus the CG dinamite the wreck is pretty much all broken, you can find sheets of metal all over the place, the part where i recovered this object is one of the few that are almost intact, but at the same time a big portion of it is very corroted.

But well let me give you more information about this ship.

Her name is "The City of Salisbury" AKA "The Zoo Wreck"
Went down in 1938 just north of the Graves light, Boston, Ma
Biggest lost ever in this area, the cargo value was about $2,000,000.00
went down after stricking a pinnacle (which wasn't mark in charters of that time)
broke in two and sunk, since it is located in a high trffic area of this important port in order to prevent for other ships to hit her the wreck was broken with dinamite.

I will post a picture so you can take a look i think the attachments are working now or if you want to i can send it to you by e-mail, the main reason why i haven't post a picture is because it was very dirty, a very thick black coat covered all over, so i been taking my time cleaning it, soaking it in mild acid, then in a baking soda and water solution, then in fresh water and changing it as many times as i can but i think is almost ready for her first Photoshoot.

Thank you guys again.

http://www.mwdc.org/Shipwrecks/CityofSalisbury.html

 

[Rafael]

This are some pictures from the artifact

 

[Diesel298]

i dunno but its pretty cool..
look for more

 

[TheFoggyMask]

That was not yours to take. I am passionately against activites exactly like this. Lets get a ton of divers together and have them all try to wretch off a piece of a ship and see what we have left?

 

[sean22]

This are some pictures from the artifact

Very nice. It looks like it might have had an indicator needle which rode up and down to show the status of a Valve, door, liquid? By the way, ignore the troll that is posting the garbage about looting. The City of Salisbury has long been classified by the State of Massachusetts as an "exempt wreck" In their own words, Casual Artifact collection is permitted, as long as there is no major disruption of the site. Have fun!