Historic Hood River
Fruit Warehouse
1-19-2012
Notes
Conveyor belt or inspiration for Watson and Crick? This steel double helix delivered boxes of packed fruit for cold storage. There is still a conveyor similar to this in the Union Building, though I am not sure this is the same one.
Charlott
Lots of old types of packing equipment around. Lots much older still in the little old buildings around that valley that served as packing houses. Many of the farmers long before this had their own little packing houses, even around the turn of the centurty going into the 1900’s.
Esther Smith
Growing up on the west side I had neighbors who had an apple packing house (no longer in use) which still had conveyor belts just like these on the main floor. Their daughter and I used to play on them (without permission, I’m sure), with or without boxes to convey us. Probably could have hurt ourselves, but we didn’t think about that!
I recently found out my grandfather (Charles Johann Kesti) had a patent for some kind of switch mechanism for these conveyors. I’ve got the elaborate drawings and patent number, etc.
Connie
Wow – I bet those boxes came flying down that shoot.