THis afternoon I got this old ratchet with my $2. Don't really find it in Alloy. Its 1 3/16 square. Says pat pend but only Dresser pat at Alloy was not for this rat. anyone recognize it or know its usage or know about patent ?

 Got this sign at same sale. Would it be proper to post this in my pickup window to warn people that this territory is already spoken for ?

I have Dressser No 1. Looks pretty much like yours but the socket is four sided and measures 1 1/8 across the flats.

dresser did and still does make gas line/water/oil fittings for underground lines most are bolt bandage type fittings . I would guess the ratchet was made for the nuts on thew fittings   . i have a small collection of utility tools and would be interested in the ratchet worked for the power company foe 33 years    . bob w,

 This could be 1 1/8 across flats and be a tad oversize. I just took a quick measure with my pocket yoyo. Will keep for a while and do a little research but will keep you in mind Bob if I decide to pass it on. We used large collar leak clamps on pipeline 50 years ago and removed some from old pipeline from era when they used screw threads to connect the sections of pipe.
                                                                                                                                   Jim