Roman Column
This famous “Roman Column” Wayne Model 491 gas pump was the fanciest and most beautiful gas pump ever built by the Wayne Pump Company. It was built in the early 1920s and while the Column is actually of Greek design, it is called a Roman Column. Our Pump originally came from a Salt Lake City Supplier and was sold to the State Line Service Station in Wendover NV in the 1920s where a previous Employee of the Station purchased it as a memoir because both he and his father had worked at the Station as young men. When he found that his father had never actually pumped gas with it he lost interest and sold it to us at Lakeside a Storage in 2014 for our Collection.
The Pump has a 10 gal glass cylinder on the top in to which the operator pumps the gas and visually approves of it before dispensing it in to his vehicle. Remember that there were no filters in those days and lots of gas was very dirty and plugged carburetors. These were hand lever operated pumps and required no electricity. The fuel generally contained tetra ethyl lead to keep engine pinging down but was very toxic and is no longer used. These pumps are very rare and valuable selling at more than $25,000 these days! We feel very fortunate to have one at the Lakeside a storage Free Museum.
The Pump has a 10 gal glass cylinder on the top in to which the operator pumps the gas and visually approves of it before dispensing it in to his vehicle. Remember that there were no filters in those days and lots of gas was very dirty and plugged carburetors. These were hand lever operated pumps and required no electricity. The fuel generally contained tetra ethyl lead to keep engine pinging down but was very toxic and is no longer used. These pumps are very rare and valuable selling at more than $25,000 these days! We feel very fortunate to have one at the Lakeside a storage Free Museum.
