The Kinsey Fire Observation Room

[dave ziegler]

Today I will tell some stories and information about Kinsey. When I first started going back to Kinsey after being so sick in Feb 2007 that I almost died. I was sick in bed lookig at an old Brosure of the Plant from 1980. In it there was a Aerial Picture of the whole Plant and I spotted the Fire observation Room on the Picture. Memories flooded my mind. I thought of the great idea of making this fire escape on the High point of the plant a place to put a room to do fire watches for safety. When I was able to get out of bed and travel very weakly I made my Childhood Friend Don help me to get to Kinsey and check out the Fire observation room. He also climbed the dangerous side ladder to the room on top for Looking across the roof. Discovering that the floor had fallen in leaving a sealed pit with no escape if you walked through the door, and He took pictures of the upper room for me.

Also I found labels there and in wondering how they got there I found out later something I had forgotten from Ludy. We would place labeled bottles and Labels on the window sills in the sun to test there ability to hold up from fading. This was a tipical type of thing for Publicker, they were aways doing inovative things in every operation they ran.

Q warehouse like the rest could hold 333,333 barrels per floor and was one of more used warehouses in my days in the warehouse gang.

On any given day we could be racking barrels in the afternoon and dumping barrels in the morning. We would ride on the back of one of three flat trucks to warehouses any distance, and walk to close ones.

At Lunch the Lunch room at O building, the Government building was the Place to be. Also a truck with sandwiches from a local mobel catering service would drive up most days and we would buy treats or sandwiches. Also we could leave at lunch and come back as the flat trucks would drop and pickup people leaving and coming back at the front gate.
Our Little soda machine was very important to the guys who liked to mix their whiskey with soda and the Ginger ale was always well used out of the machine. The machine carried A Treat Sodas from the Allentown area.

Our machines back in those days were run by ARA services no longer around this area. And for the smokers even though you had few places to smoke,we had a cigarette machine filled with the days best brands!

We had really nice heavy wooden picnic benches to sit at and a large round sink to wash up. Also some lockers and the only in Plant warehouse area bathroom.
They were wonderful days for me of youth and my memories are very fond of those days and friends still here,and those gone!
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
Dave Z

[dave ziegler]

As I get parts to save for History from Kinsey I find how bad it got there after Mr Neuman died and the lawyers and outsiders took over. An example is a switch I got from Warehouse M. When I pulled it from the wall I discovered that the plug on the other end had never been turned in tight. I put my Finger on the driver slot and screwed it riight out. A bad seal in that high Vapor area could have blown them into eternity. Nothing on the newer special line was tight or sealed good.

When Publicker was run by Mr Neuman things like that were built right and no hurring or short cuts by Shorty.
1. This is one of two late 1940's/1950's style switches and both had a loose Plugs in the bottom part of the Box and fully conected to Power.

It is sad for me to see how the place went under but I learn more everytime I go there.
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
Dave Z

[dave ziegler]

Everytime I walk around Kinsey memories come back to me. How well I remember days back dumping at the back end of the plant at warehouse #38 the only numbered warehouse due to it pumping whiskey to the scale house across the road. Many times there would be rail tankers of Whiskey coming up from Phila pulled behind the scale house. The whiskey would be weighted and pumped down by pipes to the large tanks down in the woods near the water Pump house that supplied the back water tank!

Those tank in the woods were 1/2 million gal tanks like the ones mid Plant are. From What Ludy remembers. The tanks would say Publicker Industries on the sides and the Blue and white colors.

After #38 warehouse the road became stone and ran down to the Old House by the river. How well I remember doing the Lawns down their. Mr Bryant had an above ground swiming Pool and the Old House was beautiful.

Now it is in complete Ruin with half of it fallen down. It was one of the most Historic Houses in Limerick township being originaly built by William Evans and sold to Jacob G Kinsey in around early 1891. The Distillery Opened in 1892. It survived for 94 years. Mr Kinsey Lived to be 94 years old having reopened the Distillery in 1933 after Prohibition at the age of 75 Years old.

The Name Publicker Industries ended 94 years after starting in 1913.

Strange how these things turn up.
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
Dave Z-

[dave ziegler]

I just got the wired part of my Explosion Proof Lamp back today completely wired by a professional Electrian friend of Mine. Now once I get my Base from Rod the lamp will sit in front of My Bottle collection shining up on some of my bottles and Plant signs. I will post the finished Lamp soon! Here is a Picture of it a friend in the office held it for me to take the picture.

1. The Inner wired shaft is from the Old Jacob G Kinsey Bottle House ( Happy House ) as the girls called it. The inner Bayonet glass explosion proof scew in housing is also from the old Bottle house. The Green Shade and bell which I will be mounting when finished are from Explosion Proof Warehouse L second floor Barrel elevater area. This is a dream come true to have this to remember those great old days!
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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Dave Z

[spiderblues]

Lookin' good Dave! Picking up the base on Friday. See you Sunday!

I just got the wired part of my Explosion Proof Lamp back today completely wired by a professional Electrian friend of Mine. Now once I get my Base from Rod the lamp will sit in front of My Bottle collection shining up on some of my bottles and Plant signs. I will post the finished Lamp soon! Here is a Picture of it a friend in the office held it for me to take the picture.

1. The Inner wired shaft is from the Old Jacob G Kinsey Bottle House ( Happy House ) as the girls called it. The inner Bayonet glass explosion proof scew in housing is also from the old Bottle house. The Green Shade and bell which I will be mounting when finished are from Explosion Proof Warehouse L second floor Barrel elevater area. This is a dream come true to have this to remember those great old days!
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon
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Dave Z

[dave ziegler]

This little treasure was found by Rod for me it has a little rust on the edge and inside but I was it a building built in 1892, so it is a very old example of Crouse / Hindes explosion proof lighting. It takes a large glass globe without a cage and luckly I found one to use tonight I am going to wire brush the metal holder and then do something with it. It was the Only remaining Light in the old Grain Process building and I spent many happy Hours sitting on the other side of the wall where the tunnel was and our lockers some of which still remain sitting outside now as the rest of the building has been torn down. We used the bathroom in this building it was the only other Plant bathroom. This hung over the grain machines and Rod climbed up and got it for me.
Here is a Picture of both sides of this 100 year old green enameled Shade.
1. The green outside of the shade. It has some rust on the edge but I cleaned it with a brilo and will put some clear nail polish to seal the rust.
2. The white inside has some rust but not bad for a building from 1892 that was abandoned 26 years ago with no heat and wide open.

I feel it is a priviledge to be able to save things like this for History, this is the last and only one so it is History. I gave Rod a green shade the same size I got years ago but it needs a different type of insert so we will be looking to find him the right one. I had his for years forgot I had it as had no shaft for it. I brought it to show Rod and He really liked it so we did a trade when he got this old guy for me.

These were the Only small green shades in the whole plant as the old buildings are either striped or never had any.

I also got the only White hooded light from the old Locker Room in the lunch room of O building warehouse. It is not Explosion proof but is made by a company called Bengimin Electric's.

Check out my Explosion Proof Floor Lamp on the Memories thread and another Lamp I am building.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[spiderblues]

Looks good Dave. Glad to help. Maybe we'll find another one somewhere. You never know. I found 2 yesterday! And found another thermostat for you
If you do the nail polish, be careful to not get any on the green enamel. It will be very noticeable. Personally, I would leave the edges as is. Just remove any lose rust. I didn't think it was too bad.
Let me know what you do.

And I managed to get the screw & band of the old hood you gave me.

This little treasure was found by Rod for me it has a little rust on the edge and inside but I was it a building built in 1892, so it is a very old example of Crouse / Hindes explosion proof lighting. It takes a large glass globe without a cage and luckly I found one to use tonight I am going to wire brush the metal holder and then do something with it. It was the Only remaining Light in the old Grain Process building and I spent many happy Hours sitting on the other side of the wall where the tunnel was and our lockers some of which still remain sitting outside now as the rest of the building has been torn down. We used the bathroom in this building it was the only other Plant bathroom. This hung over the grain machines and Rod climbed up and got it for me.
Here is a Picture of both sides of this 100 year old green enameled Shade.
1. The green outside of the shade. It has some rust on the edge but I cleaned it with a brilo and will put some clear nail polish to seal the rust.
2. The white inside has some rust but not bad for a building from 1892 that was abandoned 26 years ago with no heat and wide open.

I feel it is a priviledge to be able to save things like this for History, this is the last and only one so it is History. I gave Rod a green shade the same size I got years ago but it needs a different type of insert so we will be looking to find him the right one. I had his for years forgot I had it as had no shaft for it. I brought it to show Rod and He really liked it so we did a trade when he got this old guy for me.

These were the Only small green shades in the whole plant as the old buildings are either striped or never had any.

I also got the only White hooded light from the old Locker Room in the lunch room of O building warehouse. It is not Explosion proof but is made by a company called Bengimin Electric's.

Check out my Explosion Proof Floor Lamp on the Memories thread and another Lamp I am building.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

Hey Rod not going to do the Nail polish on, it is good the way it is with the lose rust removed. I am now waiting for my new lamp made with the parts from the old scale weigh / house building out back.

Have the metal cage cleaned up and it will also have red Pilot light to go with the light with a cage on it! I am very thankful a friend at work has got her Husband who is a really good resistered electrian to wire it for me!

I really feel I am a very fortunet person. And I will post pictures of the finished Lamp. I have one goal and that is to save as much History I can of Kinsey Distillery, and Publicker Industries/Continental Distilling I can. My Hope is that everything I post is interesting and tells the whole story of the Company!
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest People Drink Old Hickory
America's Most magnificent Bourbon

[dave ziegler]

Well My Goose Neck Lamp made from parts of the Old KInsey Scale/Weigh house is complete and shining in front of my Kinsey Floor Lamp and here are some shots of the working unit.
1. My big Kinsey Floor Lamp with the goose neck in front.
2. The Goose Neck Crouse / Hinds explosion proof lamp at the foot of my other lamp
3. A closeup of the Goose neck lamp lit with a Red Globe and metal Crouse hinds cage!
4. Here is one of two switches from the Old Scale House mounted on a Pilot light on my desk. The others are safe at home.

I am glad I got these parts before vandels could crape them. There are none left for them to do that to now!
I have fond memories of the Old Scale House with its windows facing East and West so you would get natural light at dawn and dusk. It looked like a small castle back in the day its falling down now.

The only lights in the building were these lights hanging down and the only switchs for them are here at work and home and are explosion proof bobben switches 1930's. There was also an oil filled explosion proof switch which I saved a couple of years ago. I found this switch thrown out on the ground and left in the rain and oiled cleaned and restored it. These are some of the rarest switches there.

Many a time working in the last warehouse #38 the only one with a number having something to do with the scale House walking over to the scale house and admireing it with its two 2,000 plus gal tanks mounted on weigh scales so they could gauge and weigh the amounts of total whiskey going down to the big 1/2 million gal tanks long gone that were down in the woods.

You would be working and you would hear the train coming and see it pushing a large rail tanker with Publicker Industries written on the sides.
It would pull just a couple of feet from the building unhook from the locomotive leave it and a hose would be hooked up to the tanker and they would using the pumps inside the building fill and weigh the whiskey tank after tank till it was all pumped by above ground pipes to the tanks in the woods. Then the totals from pumping were compared to the amount that was supposed to be in the tanker all while a Government man was there to supervise.

Once the totals tallied the same the tanker was taken away by the Locomotive again. The train would come back most times early the next morning!

More great memories of a Place a Job and People I loved back in the day. Working at Kinsey was something to Really be Proud of back in the Day as you were working for the Greatest Distilling and Chemical Company there ever was Publicker Industries.
Dave Z
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It Seems All The Nicest people Drink Old Hickory
Ameria's Most Magnificent Bourbon

[Jono]

Dave, in a way, Kinsey lives on in its restored lighting etc. A small part of the plant brought to life. Great job.