I was looking at a reprint of Oneida Community's Animal Traps and American chains. Originally printed in 1893 and reprinted in 1976. My question is about the timeline for the use of the cast 8 chain on Newhouse Traps. The trap collectors guide list 1872-82 as the timeframe for the use of the cast 8 chain. I have been told the chains were still used on traps into the mid 1880's but if this booklet was first published in 1893 and all the traps displayed covering the zero though 14, are shown with a cast 8 chain. This leads me to beleive that chain was used far longer than what is shown in the literature.

Does anyone know what is the correct timeline?

Drawings pictured were artist's conceptions of traps as they knew them and often were used for years without change. I would not attempt to date from those drawings, at least not closer than a decade or so.

Thanks Jim

Walt, When it comes to Oneida Community chain the end dates are not fixed. The dates in the collector Guide 1872-1882, come from the start of cast figure 8 being 1872 and the patent date of the machine that made the American pattern, cut link chain in 1882 but that was not the end of cast 8. As Jim said, they did not change the illustrations because it cost money to change them and the cast figure 8 chain was still available. The #3 and #4 Newhouse clutch traps were patented in 1886 and came out with cast 8 chain. I have a #3 The Victor with the 1886-1887 patent dates on the pan with a cast 8 chain. And, a #4 The Sure Grip with three patent dates on the pan, 1889 and two 1890, one being for the sheet metal "Kenwood" swivel, which the cast 8 chain is attached to. So, there is not a hard date for the end of production. The 1895 Oneida Community catalog shows most of the Newhouse traps with the Niagra pattern wire chain, in the illustrations, they only changed the chain. This is because they were pushing the new chain, even showing a full page of the strength test results. Very few Newhouse traps were made with wire chains but there were some.

Thanks Dean