In answer to my own question, putting his name in inverted commas
brought lots of detail:-
Carl Friedrich Koepe was a pioneer in conveyor technology for the mining
industry.
He was born on July 1, 1835 on the family farm in Bergkamen, the second
youngest child of farmer Friedrich Sr. and his wife Friederike, née
Telgenkämper.
He began his career in the mining industry as a pitman and hauler in an
underground mine in Ibbenbüren in the Teutoburg Forest. After attending
the Märkische Bergschule (Mining School) in Bochum, he worked as an
overman and machine foreman in various coal mines in Ibbenbüren and the
Ruhr region. In 1873 he became the technical director of various mines
owned by the Krupp Mining Company.
In 1876/1877 Koepe developed the groundbreaking invention that would
later completely revolutionize coal hoisting technology and at the same
time lay the foundation for modern elevator technology: friction as
drive. He developed an elevation device based on a traction sheave
(Treibscheiben-Förderung) that was technically superior, more economical
and more versatile than the traditional cable drum (Trommelförderung).
The Koepe hoist technology became the standard elevation device
throughout the mining and similar industries. By the turn of the
century, his new technology was already being used in mines in England
and America.
The terms "Koepe Hoist" and "Koepe Winder" have kept their same
technical meanings to the present day and are now part of standard
mining terminology. "Four-rope Koepe Hoist" and "Endless-Rope Winder"
are similarly established concepts in the industry.
Carl Friedrich Koepe died in Bochum in 1922, at the age of 87.
Mike
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