I was filling grease zerks before I was old enough to drive the tractors. That's what I heard them being called, so that's what I called them, too.
Today I learned about Oscar Zerk. Read to the very end to learn of his other inventions.
@holy-cow Oscar Zerk was for sure a cool guy, but whoever wrote "While still in his teens, he devised an electrically operated textile machine controlled by a then-unheard of punch card system," is off the mark, in regard to the "then-unheard of" claim. Zerk would have been in his teens in the 1890s. Joseph Marie Jacquard around 1804 had developed a punch-card-controlled loom, and even he was building on the works of prior inventors. With improvements by others, Jacquard's invention soon achieved major commercial success, about 80 years prior to the efforts of the teenaged Zerk.
By the way, the lead photo in the Wikipedia article below is a posthumous portrait of Jacquard, woven by a Jacquard loom. Pretty good for the first half of the 1800s (and I like the tool rack in the background).
Once again this site has proven that one can learn almost anything sooner or later. From lawyers to grease zerks to the origin of punchcards for computers.
@james-vianna this actually seems like a reasonable question. "Occupied for cemetery purposes" doesn't necessarily mean there are any graves yet. Most cemeteries own land "occupied for cemetery purposes" that don't have any graves in them.
If I was I'm court and asked, "are you certain there any graves there", the answer would have to be no, if the only information I had was that note on the plat.
@aliquot If that were the case I think Jim would have labeled it "Unoccupied, but held for cemetery purposes"
Hey, it is a lawyer thread:)
As one of the trustees for a cemetery I can not understand why it would make one bit of difference if burials had already occurred within a tract designated as a cemetery. One possible situation would be the case of a private, family cemetery that has graves but no set dimensions of record.
The other, rare circumstance would be when a parcel has been acquired that is not contiguous to an existing cemetery and the first burial on said parcel has yet to occur.
Another rare case would involve something like a pipeline that might desire to slice across a portion of a cemetery and pay well for that privilege. If that section had no burials and none of the lots had been sold, it could be used for the pipeline, but, at a high price.
An example of that rare case involves a cemtery for which I laid out enough lots to last a thousand years. The cemetery was created about 1870 and contained about three acres but located several hundred feet from the nearest public roadway. There was a strip purchased from an adjoining landowner at some point in time to form the access lane. Jump forward in time more than 110 years to the 1980s. The elderly adjoiner who had numerous relatives buried in the cemetery, donated ten acres to the cemetery with the condition that he be the first one buried on the tract at a place of his chosing. That happened rather soon after the donation. Today, there might be ten burials on that ten acres.
@aliquot If that were the case I think Jim would have labeled it "Unoccupied, but held for cemetery purposes"
Hey, it is a lawyer thread:)
But how would the lawyer know that?
@holy-cow the obvious reason is that someone wants to do something different with the land (anything, doesn't need to be a pipeline). Bodies in the ground would make that significantly harder.
Nearby US highway that runs from southern Texas to Canada is wedged between two, separately-controlled cemeteries. Increasing the road width at all would involve moving bodies. A complete realignment would be the other option. Or, a fly-over stretch of overpass in the middle of the countryside. Probably could purchase air rights.
Back in the early 80’s I spent a year in charge of the surveying at several strip coal mines operated by the guy who also owned the road construction company I worked for. At the largest one the highwall was 7000’ long and 120’ high, and as it progressed to the east there was an old cemetery in the way. I’m not sure what hoops were jumped thru, but one night the occupants all got relocated to somewhere else.
Allow four hours for the KC to STL drive. Roughly 250 miles with Columbia very close to the midpoint if you need a break
Google says:
@aliquot Yes, I realize the lawyer will argue about the meaning of "occupied" in reference to "cemetery purposes". Could be a bunch of living people squatting there waiting to die so they don't have to be carried so far, or want to be first in the ground. What is the meaning of is:) That's what makes it so funny.
Allow four hours for the KC to STL drive. Roughly 250 miles with Columbia very close to the midpoint if you need a break
Google says:
Depends on where in KC you're leaving and where in StL you are arriving. TOD makes a huge difference in both as well. Rush hour in either one can add 30-45 minutes.
My boys enjoy the taking the Amtrak River Runner back in forth.
Did you hear about the Philidelphia lawyer ? It was soooo cold this past winter he had to keep his hands in his own pockets !
