 |
 |
Chain pumps are shown in Agricola (16th Century - Germany) and might be horse-powered. Newcomen engines (from c.1712 - Wolverhampton etc.) probably used cylinder pumps. Of course one could dewater a mine by winding up a bucket of water, but it would be a comparatively slow process. I suppose in theory there must be a point at which the weight of the rope is so great that the pay-load becomes too small to be viable, or where the rope would not be strong enough to support its own weight without breaking, but I assume that these depths would be enormous. Peter King 49, Stourbridge Road, Hagley, Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 0QS 01562-720368 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Lyle E. Browning Sent: 13 October 2008 02:28 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Horse Whim to Steam Question The info about the practical depth limitations of Horse Whim systems was enlightening to say the least. The first use of steam engines to dewater coal mines in the New World was in 1816 in Midlothian, Virginia, and about a mile from where I live. The cinder piles are visible from their use. Pondering that a bit, steam engines obviously meant that bigger ropes could be used, and therefore deeper mines could be dewatered and coal obtained therefrom. But one assumes practical limits to rope diameter. Is that correct? Or are we talking apples and oranges with belt systems in use for dewatering? And if belts are used, is there info on the max depth of a run? The wire rope was invented in the 1830's and was it used in mines early on or did it have a more torturous path from another initial application first and then get adapted to mines? Lyle Browning