Any of the drums you guys have, do they have hex bolts? The hex bolt was not commonly used on musical instruments, slot head screws mostly. Square head screws were invented in 1908,
JR - Mine came with original everything on it. The rods are hex head but the thread pitch is different/tighter, and the rod comes to a point at the threaded end tip. The drum had single-point mount tube lugs, clips and single-flange hoops. But to get back to your question, yes, hex heads. The drum had the original label inside dated 1910 - Oliver Ditson Co.
Lee - I did some research and discovered the connection between, O. Ditson (along with several other companies,) and Nokes/Nicholai. I'm not certain if your article was even one of the sources, I consulted several. But in all likelihood, it was probably a part of the material I digested at the time I was making the inquiry.
Drum history and drum companies in general, especially around the turn of the last century, is muddy/murky at best.
John