Bond Location Records,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1970; paper.

The assistant foreman used these paper records to record the daily movement of barrels in and out of the warehouses.  The exact location of all the stored barrels had to be known at all times.  The introduction of computers in the 1980s simplified the process of inventory control.

Barrel Cart,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1940; wood, metal; 92.15.32.

The task of moving barrels in and out of the warehouses was made easier by the use of carts such as this one.  Two men were needed to stand a 500-pound barrel up on its end.  Former warehouse worker Donald Oberholzer described the process: "One man stood on each side of the barrel.  The barrel was laying down and you grabbed the barrel on each end and you rocked it back a little bit and then you both had to be coordinated to lift it up."

Barrel Hooks,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1930; iron; 93.2.12.

These hooks were attached to the ends of barrels when they were being moved or weighed.

Electric Button,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1965; 96.3.2.

Warehouse #7 had a mechanical device for moving barrels in and out of the wooden racks.  The button was used to guide a barrel's vertical and horizontal movement and required a great deal of skill to operate.  Donald Oberholzer recalled that, "They never let you on the button right away when you're first on the crew.  You had to work into it.  You could practise without a barrel on it how to make the button react."

Work Gloves and Storage Box,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1990, 1980; cotton (coated with rubber/plastic), wood, metal; 96.3.1, 96.3.19.

Workers wore gloves in the warehouses to protect their hands from injury.

Flashlight,
Waterloo, Ontario; circa 1990; plastic, glass, metal; 92.15.15.

"You could easily get hurt in the warehouse if you didn't watch yourself, especially in the racks, because there were no lights.  You had to string a light in and use a flashlight too."

Donald Oberholzer, barrel warehouse worker, 1953 to 1965.