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Author Topic: Mystery word  (Read 20881 times)

Ric Gillespie

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Mystery word
« on: March 28, 2018, 04:18:13 PM »

We're making cleaned up facsimiles of the bad photocopies of original documents for inclusion in the Electra book.
We've hit a snag in the November 27, 1936 Bureau of Air Commerce Inspection Report.
On the "Remarks" line at the end of the form there is a handwritten notation as shown in the attached image. We think it says, "unknown word or words fuel tanks installed by original mfgrs".  We can't figure out what that first part is. We think it's a single long word that ends in "ed". 

A little background might help decipher the sentence.  This inspection was occasioned by an error made back in August 1936 when the aircraft was inspected and licensed at a time when the long-range fuselage fuel tanks were removed to correct some problem.  The airplane was thus licensed for a fuel capacity of only 394 gallons instead of 1151.  Nobody noticed the error until months later.  Putnam wrote to the Bureau of Air Commerce and said the license was wrong.  The Bureau said the license reflects the inspection that was done. If you want to change the license you need a new inspection.  So the November inspection is describing work that was done back in July.

The word at beginning of the sentence is probably an adjective that describes some change that was made to the fuel tanks to correct the problem (such as "modified" but that's clearly not the word).  We don't know what the problem was that occasioned the removal of the tanks but we do know that part of the solution was to install a second layer of plywood - described as a "falsehoods floor" - over the original floor. We also know that the system of filling the fuselage tanks was changed.

Anybody have a suggestion about what that first word is?

« Last Edit: March 28, 2018, 04:20:29 PM by Ric Gillespie »
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Albert Durrell

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2018, 04:44:38 PM »

Reinspected?
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2018, 05:05:51 PM »

Reinspected?

I like the "Re" because it fits the context but I can't find a "p" and that sure looks like a "t" in the middle.
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Jerry Germann

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2018, 06:22:06 PM »

Is the little area (circled in red) an attempt to add another word after the sentence was already written, or just an ink transfer from a sloppy pen?
« Last Edit: March 28, 2018, 06:24:35 PM by Jerry Germann »
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Jerry Germann

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2018, 06:33:39 PM »

Boy that is tough to make out....I like Albert's idea of what it might be,...but was also trying to make Re positioned work, and see if that could possibly be the word.
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Greg Daspit

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2018, 07:23:29 PM »

What he might want to remark on is to explain the reason for the new inspection.
Aug Insp. Incld. fuel tanks installed by original mfgrs
or
Orig Inspt. Incl. fuel tanks installed by original mfgrs
Or something like that.
One of the middle letters looks like it may have been crossed out.
3971R
 
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2018, 07:24:58 PM »

I don't think it's an attempt to add a word.  There re lots of stray marks on the horrible photocopy.

Repositioned is good but I'm having a hard time finding the p.
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Ted G Campbell

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2018, 08:43:15 PM »

All,

Her is my two cents - the message reads:

"reinspect status of tank transfer in calibrate (?) by T T's (an inspector maybe) revizion (?) i. e. my guess."

Ted Campbell
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2018, 11:37:44 AM »

So far, I think "repositioned" comes closest because:
• I think "Re" is a good possibility for the beginning of the word.
• I think the word ends in "ed".
• The end could be "tioned".

I'm still having trouble seeing "posi" between "Re" and "tioned".

In the original July 19 inspection when Lockheed applied for an Experimental license, the plane had seven fuselage tanks; 2 @ 118 gallons, 3 @ 149 gallons, 1@ 70 gallons, and 1 @51 gallons.  In the November 27 inspection there are only six fuselage tanks.  The 51 gallon tank is not there.

We don't have a photo or diagram that shows all of the seven original fuselage tanks in place so we don't really know where the 51 gallon tank was located, but it's entirely possible that removing the 51 gallon tank meant that the other fuselage tanks had to be "repositioned."

One interesting tidbit that comes from all this is that the fuselage tanks were apparently not manufactured by Lockheed.  Thats new information.
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Bill Mangus

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2018, 02:52:30 PM »

How about "Re-installed" ?
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2018, 02:57:28 PM »

How about "Re-installed" ?

Reinstalled fuel tanks installed by original manufacturers?  Would that make sense?  Why wouldn't you say "Fuel tanks reinstalled by original manufacturers?


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Pat Fontaine

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2018, 03:27:48 PM »

I can’t make out the mystery word, but I took a good look at the rest of the sentence and have these thoughts that I hope might spark something with somebody else.
Initial thoughts - (assumption that this was written by one person)
1. Note how spaced out the writing is: ‘tanks’ at the end of the first line, and ‘mfgrs’ at the end of the second.  See how much space each of these five letter words uses.  Whoever wrote this writes in a relaxed spacing of letters that suggests the mystery word might well include less (not more) letters than first meets the eye.
2. Note the spacing of ‘installed’ at the start of the second line, immediately below the ‘mystery word’.  At nine letters, it takes up about the same space as the mystery word.  From this, I believe the mystery word is nine letters long. 
3. I do not believe the mystery word is two words totaling nine letters as the gaps between the words are consistently prominent and I do not see any gaps in the mystery word to suggest it’s actually two words.
4. Note the ‘tails’ hanging down below the line of the letters ‘g’ and ‘f’ in ‘fuel’ ‘by’ ‘original’ and ‘mfgrs’.  The tails are distinct ‘fat’ loops compared to the upper strokes in ‘f’, ‘t’, and ‘d’.  I do not see any trace of a ‘fat tail’ in the first work - I don’t think there’s letter with a tail: p, g, y, etc.
5. Note the letters ‘t’ in ‘tanks’ and ‘installed’. The upper portion of the ‘t’ is a single line (not a loop), and has a distinct ‘cross’ to make the ‘t’.  The letter ‘f’ in ‘fuel’ cannot be mistaken for a ‘t’ (fat loop below); it looks like the mystery word has two ‘t’s with two letters between them.
6. Note the ‘s’ in ‘mfgrs’.  It looks similar to the small letter just prior to the second ‘t’.  ‘st’

What I think I’m looking at is a capital letter followed by two small letters then a ‘t’; one more small letter and then ‘st’.  The last three are almost nonexistent, but look to me like three small letters and a ‘d’.  Some endings that meet these criteria include: timed, tuned, but they dont’ fit with the rest of the word.
Just my two cents.  Time to feed the livestock, but I’ll get back to this after dinner.

Pat
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Pat Fontaine

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2018, 03:58:32 PM »

Ric,
I forgot to see if you might have any other notes written on the document.  If so, they might give clues as to how the person writes, composes their thoughts, etc.  If other written notes exist, could you share them so I can get a sense as to how they might help crack this word? 
Thanks,
Pat
Pat
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Bruce Thomas

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2018, 08:23:27 PM »

Ric,
I forgot to see if you might have any other notes written on the document.  If so, they might give clues as to how the person writes, composes their thoughts, etc.  If other written notes exist, could you share them so I can get a sense as to how they might help crack this word? 
Thanks,
Pat
Pat, if you click on this link https://tighar.org/smf/index.php/topic,1824.msg39755.html#msg39755, it's a 2016 post of Ric's that has a link at its end that will bring up the 3-page Air Commerce report.
LTM,

Bruce
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« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 08:28:22 PM by Bruce Thomas »
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Pat Fontaine

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Re: Mystery word
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2018, 05:15:14 AM »

Thanks, Bruce
Pat
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