A visible gas pump.
The early pumps were ‘visible gas’ pumps, with a clear glass cylinder, usually 5 or 10 gallons on top of the pump, so you could see what you were getting, or if the gas was dirty (a big problem at that time). There was a manual pump you’d pull back and forth to pump the gas out of the underground tank into the cylinder, which was 8 or 10 feet tall. From there the gas flowed by gravity down the hose into the car.
Later models used compressed air to pump the gasoline, replacing the hand crank. The photo is representative of the earliest gas stations.
Additional Resources
- An Illustrated Guide To Gas Pumps: Identification And Price Guide (Illustrated Guide to Gas Pumps: Identification & Price Guide) [Paperback]
- An Illustrated Guide To Gas Pumps (Illustrated Guide to Gas Pumps: Identification & Price Guide) [Kindle Edition]
- Ultimate Gas Pump ID and Pocket Guide Identification [Kindle Edition]
- Roadside Memories: A Collection of Vintage Gas Station Photographs (Schiffer Book for Collectors & Historians) [Paperback]