Volume 033-2 - April 1979 (10 pages)

These writers are Elisabeth Egenhoff and Otis E. Young’. According to them, the Cornish beam pumping engine as it is officially called, literally made possible deep mining in Europe as well as in North and South America. As Young states, this pumping engine and the underground pumps which were connected to it: “\.gave birth to the Iron Age, supplied it with materials, and died out only when the Age itself was about to pass away. Like the cockroach, it was very humble but very enduring’’, In simplest terms, the Cornish ' system consisted of four major parts: one, a pumping engine (prime mover); two, a bell crank or “bob” for changing direction of pump rods; three, the pump rods, located in the mine itself; and four, a series of push and lift pumps attached to the rods to raise the water (see illustration no. 3).7 The pumping engine was thus only part of this complex system. While it was the most visible, it was not necessarily the most important element of the aggregate. In their first applications, Cornish pumps were powered by steam. According to Young, their operation was based on the fundamental theoretical work of Hero of Alexandria and the French scientist Denis Papin. The actual task of developing working engines on this early theoretical base was accomplished by Thomas Savery (1650?-1715), Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) and James Watt (17361819). In Savery’s design, steam was admitted directly into the cylinder of the pump; the water acted as the piston. The pumping action was achieved by admitting the steam (pushing the water out) and condensing the steam (sucking the water up) in alternating fashion. CROWN WHEEL OF CORNISH PUMP BEING MOVED TO MUSEUM SITE. 10 PHOTO BY MICHAEL HALE. DJ iéouJryyy Ye WHA Z, Z © ‘4 Yj ‘t) tify UY}; WH ; 4 Lig NS 4 1640 fe. \ \\ \\ nls 3 oe uN SAQA SV Ss MQ 4 eRe TT Fae ILLUSTRATION #3. TOP AND SIDE VIEWS OF CORNISH PUMP OF SAME KIND AS PHOENIX. SHOWS “BOBS” AND PUMP RODS AS NORMALLY CONNECTED. PHOTO SOURCE: HANS BEHR, “MINE DRAINAGE, PUMPS ETC.”* *SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA STATE MINING BUREAU, BULLETIN NO. 9, AUGUST 1896. See pp. 40-60. Newcomen built upon what Savery had accomplished. He contributed the valuable principle that the generation of power could more efficiently be done when separated from the actual working of the pump. As Young put it: ‘*..that radically different operations were best performed by specialized machinery or, to putitin the other way, that an all purpose “system (such as that of Savery) performed none of its functions very well.’’8 Young claims that Watt should be credited with two major developments which greatly expanded the usefulness of the Cornish pumping system. The first came because Newcomen’s system used large quantities of water to cool the main steam cylinder, thus wasting much fuel in the successive heating and cooling off of the cylinder which his system required. Watt corrected this by installing a condensor and saved thus much valuable fuel which had previously been wasted heating the eylinder. He further separated the condensing and vacuum phase of the operation, thus obtaining a wider range between highest and lowest steam pressure, which increased the power generated. After achieving a measure of financial success™ converting old Newcomen engines ana installing new ones of his own design/ Watt also developed a completely new engine. According to Young, this engine involved:

These writers are Elisabeth Egenhoff and Otis E. Young’. According to them, the Cornish beam pumping engine as it is officially called, literally made possible deep mining in Europe as well as in North and South America. As Young states, this pumping engine and the underground pumps which were connected to it: “\.gave birth to the Iron Age, supplied it with materials, and died out only when the Age itself was about to pass away. Like the cockroach, it was very humble but very enduring’’, In simplest terms, the Cornish ' system consisted of four major parts: one, a pumping engine (prime mover); two, a bell crank or “bob” for changing direction of pump rods; three, the pump rods, located in the mine itself; and four, a series of push and lift pumps attached to the rods to raise the water (see illustration no. 3).7 The pumping engine was thus only part of this complex system. While it was the most visible, it was not necessarily the most important element of the aggregate. In their first applications, Cornish pumps were powered by steam. According to Young, their operation was based on the fundamental theoretical work of Hero of Alexandria and the French scientist Denis Papin. The actual task of developing working engines on this early theoretical base was accomplished by Thomas Savery (1650?-1715), Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) and James Watt (17361819). In Savery’s design, steam was admitted directly into the cylinder of the pump; the water acted as the piston. The pumping action was achieved by admitting the steam (pushing the water out) and condensing the steam (sucking the water up) in alternating fashion. CROWN WHEEL OF CORNISH PUMP BEING MOVED TO MUSEUM SITE. 10 PHOTO BY MICHAEL HALE. DJ iéouJryyy Ye WHA Z, Z © ‘4 Yj ‘t) tify UY}; WH ; 4 Lig NS 4

1640 fe. \ \\ \\ nls 3 oe uN SAQA SV Ss MQ 4 eRe TT Fae ILLUSTRATION #3. TOP AND SIDE VIEWS OF CORNISH PUMP OF SAME KIND AS PHOENIX. SHOWS “BOBS” AND PUMP RODS AS NORMALLY CONNECTED. PHOTO SOURCE: HANS BEHR, “MINE DRAINAGE, PUMPS ETC.”* *SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA STATE MINING BUREAU, BULLETIN NO. 9, AUGUST 1896. See pp. 40-60. Newcomen built upon what Savery had accomplished. He contributed the valuable principle that the generation of power could more efficiently be done when separated from the actual working of the pump. As Young put it: ‘*...that radically different operations were best performed by specialized machinery or, to putitin the other way, that an all purpose “system (such as that of Savery) performed none of its functions very well.’’8 Young claims that Watt should be credited with two major developments which greatly expanded the usefulness of the Cornish pumping system. The first came because Newcomen’s system used large quantities of water to cool the main steam cylinder, thus wasting much fuel in the successive heating and cooling off of the cylinder which his system required. Watt corrected this by installing a condensor and saved thus much valuable fuel which had previously been wasted heating the eylinder. He further separated the condensing and vacuum phase of the operation, thus obtaining a wider range between highest and lowest steam pressure, which increased the power generated. After achieving a measure of financial success™ converting old Newcomen engines ana installing new ones of his own design/ Watt also developed a completely new engine. According to Young, this engine involved: