This oil pump, often referred to as a lubester, was made by the Phillips Pump & Tank Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. It stored up to 60 gallons of oil. This particular oil pump has a "Diesel 300 oil" label. It may have been set up at a service station or at a general store.
In order to operate this oil pump, a person turned the crank (which is facing the wall) nearly two full turns while holding a glass container up to the spout, which is at the end of the extended arm at the top of the pump. The two turns would dispense a quart of oil into the container.
An interesting bit of trivial knowledge, especially for fans of the blues: John Lee Hooker, who lived in Cincinnati in the 1930s, worked at the Phillips Pump & Tank factory during the day and played the blues at night.
Notes
The information on John Lee Hooker is from Steven C. Tracy, Going to Cincinnati: A History of the Blues in the Queen City (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993).
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