Agricultural horse engines in Devon have variable diameter crown gears, from about 4 feet up to 8 feet in diameter. I presume this may be an aspect where size can vary dependent on size of chamber/building?
Robert Waterhouse
>
> From: Martin Roe <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thu 12/Jun/2003 12:13 GMT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: horse winding
>
> Having just recorded an underground gin chamber in Arkengarthdale i have
> been asking very similar questions. In this case the gin has long gone but
> by recording the position of timbers sockets and a pile of "organic matter"
> on the floor, (yes 200 year old horse manure), it has been possible to
> locate the position of the vertical center post and the horse track around
> it.
>
> The horse track at about 6m diameter is almost haf the diameter of surface
> sites which are on avarage about 11m dia. The gin was mounted off center
> which allows extra space to one side which apears to be where the gin driver
> sat on a shale ledge. The gin chamber is linked to the shaft via an eye hole
> at roof level which suggest that the drum was probably above the horses
> head, which as has already been suggested would create more space to turn
> the animal around. It is probably better to think about the horse being a
> pony. These can have quite a small turning circle (able to turn around in
> the space of a stable) and if a wisbone yoke is used this would be easily
> achieved without the need for complicated engineering.
>
> The size of the rope drum is something which could affect the amount of
> space below. If the rope is simply winding on and off the drum this would
> need to be bigger (deeper) than one where a reciprocating system is used
> with one end down the shaft when the other is at the top.
>
> I don't think though that the Cornish can take the credit for designing gins
> more likely that they came from Europe (see De Re Mettallica). They were
> certainly widespread in coal mining areas, but then most people forget that
> there were more "Cornish" engine houses in the coalfields than in Cornwall
> and that many technologies applied to metal mining had already been tried
> and tested on coal mines.
>
>
> Martin Roe
>
>
> Conservation Officer NAMHO
> National Association of Mining History Organisations http://www.namho.org
>
> Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales
> http://www.mroe.freeserve.co.uk
>
> The Industrial Heritage of Calderdale
> http://www.halifaxcouriertoday.co.uk/ftpinc/calderheritage
>
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