| Show SERVICE STATIONS IN THE 1850 Iillian Fox 140 North Manti UT Senior Third ist West 84642 Citizen Division Place Anecdote Long before there were trucks automobiles motorcycles or campers pulling into Service Stations for gas or oil there were Service Stations where wheeled vehicles stopped forgrease job--pitch tar was used to grease anything that turned on axles Nanti being the only town between Fort Provost Provo and Dixieland in the early 1850had suchsupply station tend One of the jobs of my grandfather Jens Hansen was totar pit He described his assignment as follows In those days the wagons had wooden axles withnarrow strip of iron on the top and bottom of the ends where the wheels revolved Pitch pine was used to grease these sections Pitch tar was obtained in the following manner hole was dug in the ground large enough to holdload of wood pitch pine which was cut into small pieces and placed in the hole small trench was dug in the bottom of the hole and leading to another smaller but deeper hole close by in which was placedbucket The bucket hadspout which comnected it to the larger trench The pit was filled with the pine knots and ignited and when well afire all was covered with earth and left to smolder This roasted the tar out of the wood and it ran into the bucket uncle Joseph Hansen made this comment have seen men coming to Manti from Dixie where they would stop traveling forshort time and having four one-gallon buckets they would place one at each wagon hub to catch the tar that dripped from the axles Source This tar could be used Jens Hansen family history Manti Public Library -91 over and over again Copy in the |
