Robert Waterhouse <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Can anyone tell me when galvanising was introduced for wire ropes used in
>mine/canal/railway haulage? The date I've got is mid-late 1850s, which seems a
>tad early. A 4 mile long rope of 2in diameter was made for hauling barges in
>the Tavistock Canal Tunnel, but was a failure, probably due to the weight!!! A
The technique of galvanising iron with zinc was developed about 1836,
and wire ropes in the 1820s-30s, with possibly the first use in Britain
(Cornwall) in 1840. So it is possible that galvanised wire ropes were
being made by the 1850s.
Kelvin Lake
Shropshire Caving & Mining Club, www.serve.com/scmc/index.html ^o^
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Members of: Midland Cave Rescue Organisation, BCA, and NAMHO
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