Identify this structure?

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,054
3,327
Pestletown, N.J.
Well, the USGS doesn't agree, they call them "gages" and that is how they are labeled on the topo map (look at the screenshot you posted).


No big deal, either way is correct, but why include a silent letter in a word when it isn't needed?
Agreed Boyd. I don't know how to gauge Bob's response:D.
 
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bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,658
4,834
Pines; Bamber area
You guys agree because you are old fuddy-duddies. But I'm right on this, and you are not. And either way is not correct. If you are measuring something it's gauge. You better go back to school.







 
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RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,054
3,327
Pestletown, N.J.
You guys agree because you are old fuddy-duddies. But I'm right on this, and you are not. And either way is not correct. If you are measuring something it's gauge. You better go back to school.







Here you go Einstein.
Boyd and I shall remain triumphant in this battle.
 
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bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,658
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Pines; Bamber area
Here you go Einstein.
Boyd and I shall remain triumphant in this battle.
From your article:

"Newell is purported to be the person responsible for the adoption of the USGS spelling of “gage” instead of “gauge”. Around 1892, Newell reasoned that “gage” was the proper Saxon spelling before the Norman influence added a 'u'. USGS historian Robert Follansbee speculated that Newell might have also been influenced by the adoption of “gage” in the Standard Dictionary (the first dictionary produced by Funk and Wagnalls)"

Newell reasoned wrong. He's not an english major, he was a USGS flunky. You do not remain triumphant, you remain incredibly wrong here.
 
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Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,951
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When he was still working I wrote Jerseyman's relative who was in charge of the gages and asked abut the pipe into the water. I found they were pumping out air causing bubbles in the water. He wrote this back to me.


The pipe that goes into the stream at the Pump Branch gage is bubbling
compressed air into the stream. By monitoring how much pressure it take to
push a bubble out, we can measure the water level. The solar panel runs a
small air compressor.
 
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stiltzkin

Explorer
Feb 8, 2022
540
807
Medford

gauge (v.)

"ascertain by exact measurements," mid-15c., from Anglo-French gauge (mid-14c.), from Old North French gauger "standardize, calibrate, measure" (Old French jaugier), from gauge "gauging rod," a word of unknown origin. Perhaps from Frankish *galgo "rod, pole for measuring" or another Germanic source (compare Old Norse gelgja "pole, perch," Old High German galgo; see gallows). Related: Gauged; gauging. The figurative use is from 1580s. "The spelling variants gauge and gage have existed since the first recorded uses in Middle English, though in American English gage is found exclusively in technical uses" [Barnhart].
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,658
4,834
Pines; Bamber area
"Exclusively in technical uses" means used there and nowhere else, but does not mean 'used in all cases' within the technical field. It's like the metric system; a bunch of american hardheads refuse to go along with the rest of the world. I used to work in a machine shop, and the federal metric push was on in the late 70's, but resistance was just too strong.

 

Boyd

Administrator
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Jul 31, 2004
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Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
I am finishing up my big Northeast USGS 24k legacy topo map (over 2,600 quads) and am using the USGS 100k and 250k maps as you zoom out. Was looking at elevations on the USGS 100k topo's and they were all wrong for some reason... then I realized they were metric. I suppose they started the project in the 70's and were confident the US would switch to metric in the future. It's pretty funny, I used to carry a copy of this map around with me in the pines in the days before GPS. Never noticed that it was metric even though it clearly says so in the title! :D

Screen Shot 2022-08-24 at 3.36.02 PM.png
 
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ecampbell

Piney
Jan 2, 2003
2,889
1,029
The reason Europe has metric is because they have ten fingers and ten toes and they like to count on them. I do my work in octal and hexadecimal. I only used metric when dealing with in nanometers to angstroms.
I was a scanning electron Microscopist for a decade, materials research.
 
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stiltzkin

Explorer
Feb 8, 2022
540
807
Medford
I was checking out one of these last week, right here, although this is clearly a different one than the OP. Right by the road. Looks like there's a few on the McDonalds Branch.
A7502379.jpg

As you can see, a real talented artist did some work on the door.
A7502377.jpg

There's an empty attached metal shed with a gas line hookup running to it. I assume that has something to do with the bubbler system?
A7502378.jpg

"Gaging" without the U ;)
 
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