its also called a "goat" wrench.. they are still made today, popular with some utility companies, and i think the one you have "might" be for telephone work. the single sided i "think" were more geared towards pipes, and i believe were very popular for working on locomotives back in the day.. some new ones today also feature a "hammer" side, and thread restorers in the handle, but are marketed mainly towards lineman for work on pole mounted arial hardware.
here:
Alligator or “Goat” wrenches have been around for a while. The name “alligator” alludes to the shape of the jaws which look like alligator jaws, but I’m not sure how the name “goat” became attached to these type of wrenches. Two different companies market what appears to be the identical wrench under the two traditional names of Goat Wrench and Alligator Wrench.
Along with the traditional use of turning iron and steel pipes, the wrench has been re-purposed for turning hex and square nuts from 9/16″ to 1-1/8″. It’s designed so you can use ratcheting action to turn nuts without repositioning the jaws. The 12″ long wrench also has 3/8″ through 5/8″ thread restorers — we assume the middle one is 1/2″ – and the funny-looking jaw can also be used as a hammer.
Made from forged steel and chrome plated, the wrench weighs 1 lb. 7 oz. You can purchase an Alligator wrench for about $73 shipped from Craftwork Tools.
