Ships wheel

I was browsing a unusual junk shop in the foot hills of the Chugach mountains,
Just outside Eagle River Alaska.
The shop is semi buried in the side of the mountain. There is a natural spring inside that sort of meanders thru the store . little foot paths among the junk and small bridges to cross.
I found an old ships wheel along the back wall*
The owner said he had had it for 50 years and it was old when he aquired it.
I bought it because it was nicer than mine. *the quadrant has 8 spokes all wood felloes* The issue is that*the brass boss or hub*has a square center instead of round.
*I can have fabricated a square nut to fit.
Anyone have any idea how old something like this is. I can't find any refrence to square shaft ships wheel.

I will post a pic later.
SD

-- Edited by skipperdude on Tuesday 2nd of March 2010 04:12:56 PM

-- Edited by skipperdude on Tuesday 2nd of March 2010 04:41:27 PM

Greetings,
** I had a square shaft steering column on previous boat.* It was 1970's vintage so you may have to try another method of dating it.* At least you know it's 50+ years old.* Other than it's nicer than your current wheel, the only thing you're missing is an interesting story.* I'm sure the creative members here could come up with one or three.
** Tell 'em it's off the Mary Celeste.

Dude:

That sounds like my Uncle Bud's wheel. In 1949 he was bringing 1 ton of gold from somewhere in Alaska when his boat struck a Killer Whale pod and sunk in about 30 feet of water. He saved a very mean young male whale and took it to a group in Vancouver. Only the wheel survived which he used to mark the nearest shore spot where the vessel went down. WHERE DID THE SHOP OWNER FIND THE WHEEL? All I need is longitude - Uncle Bud saved the latitude. One case of Rothschild 1886 red is in the hold too! You can have the wine.

-- Edited by sunchaser on Wednesday 3rd of March 2010 09:36:31 PM

Sunchaser;* Unless you're yanking our chain, that's one hell uv a story!

You know what it very well could be.
The shop owner said he got it off of a pures seiner out of Skagway. Who said he found it on the beach on the north shore of Naked Island. by Liljegrin passage.
He said he wrote down the cordornates on a piece of drift wood with red paint. The catch is a Caribou sat on the still wet drift wood. smeared it up pretty bad except it was then tattooed to the south end of a northbound caribou headed for the brooks range.
Funny thing is there was a story of a Canadian hunter out of White Horse With a Caribou hide with red paint on the rump hanging on the wall of his cabin Just south of the Arctic circle. I just may make a trip up there if I can get the dog sled fixed. It seems a pack of wolves found the Whale bone runners to there liking.

SD

Dude:* Not to worry, that hunter in Whitehorse is my Uncle Bud. He will get the wine.

Dang!!!

And I was looking forward to a little treasure hunt.
You Know I dout if he is at the cabin all winter. Hummm

SD

And I was looking forward to a little treasure hunt.

We fiund the best treasure hunting on Canadian swimming holes.

Their $1.00 and $2.00 units are coins , not bills ,(Looney and Tooney) so tend to get lost in the sand.

With taxes in AHHHH land as high as they are few folks have metal detectors.