Matt R.

These are called 'Stepping Hammers' by the Bell System, since they were sized to correspond to the distance between the climbing spikes (steps) driven and then screwed into telephone poles. The hole slipped over the bent end of the spike and the handle length provided leverage to thread the screw into the pole. Handy thought, but now it's all obsolete, since climbing poles is risky business, much less having to hammer in your own steps as you went up. Bucket lifts sent these and a lot of other tools out of action.-giovannimeola.com