Dear List,
I recently came across a claim that an 18hp (horizontal, I think) steam
winder on an 1840s Cornish mine was set up so that it could wind from four
shafts.
The furthest of the shafts concerned was no more than 300 yards from the
engine, but they were located in a variety of different directions and
elevations from it.
I imagine that there must have been four drums, geared and declutchable from
the main driveshaft, but the evidence on the site only supports two drums at
most.
Please can anyone supply other examples of this, and suggest how it was
managed? I'm aware of how haulage ropes could be taken to the shafts
over pulleys on stands, but am most interested in how the winding and
changes in direction were managed.
Robert Waterhouse
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