Spacing reader David Creelman sent us this photo a few weeks ago of a metal lid embedded in the sidewalk on Cambridge Avenue (Broadview/Danforth) and wondered if is evidence of a lost civilization that built Toronto’s infrastructure and/or some kind of Klingon lettering. Since then I’ve seen them everywhere. Who knows the secret of this ancient script?
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Tilt your head to the left and it looks like the letters “bb” and a water tap with a drip coming out.
On second thought….those “bb” symbols look kind of like backwards “Toronto Unlimited” logos!
Or maybe it’s the year ’66.
Vic is right — a ‘bb’ symbol and a water tap icon.
BB could be a utility company.
This is the cover for a water valve. By removing the cover, and using a long rod with a socket on the end, work crews can close the valve and shut off the water for repairs. I don’t know what the ‘bb’ refers to, it may be the manufacturer’s mark.
There is one of these covers on John Street north of Queen with the image of the tap, but the “bb” is missing and the manufacturer’s name “Emco” is in its place.
The Emco website doesn’t talk about a predecessor company with “bb” as its initials, but does mention the original name “Empire Brass”.
Piles of these valve covers around KW, I’m quite used to them. The ‘bb’ must be the manufacturer, I think it’s something like ‘Bibby Brothers’ (Google was unhelpful in a quick look).
I saw the same thing on the sidewalk on Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville over the weekend too.
The photo should be rotated 90 degrees clockwise.
This is the cap of a water valve, and it is manufactured by Bibby Ste Croix whose symbol is the “bb” above the picture of the water tap.
http://www.bibby-ste-croix.com/
Steve