Stationary steam engines, once the prime movers of industry, powered trains, ships, and mills in an age when there was no electric power. By the 19th century, American industry, especially in England, was rapidly outgrowing the capacity of the ater power that had been its principal prime mover. The need for a new power source inspired an intense development of the steam engine, the work of inventors directed mainly at imporving fuel efficiency by reducing steam consumption. The leader in this effort was George H.
Corliss
YearAdded:
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikicommons/The-daffodil (CC BY-SA 4.0)Image Caption: Corliss steam engineEra_date_from: 1964
1992
The largest mine hoist in the world, it serves the two incline skipways of Shaft No. 2, almost 9,300 feet long. The overhead winding drum has a diameter of 30 feet, of which the cylindrical center section is 10 feet long. The two 10-foot long end sections taper down to a 15-foot diameter. Wire hoisting ropes (almost 27 tons) could be wound onto a small end of the cylindrical drum as the other rope unwound from the cylindrical section.
YearAdded:
Image Credit: Public DomainImage Caption: Quincy Mine No 2 Hoist House. Two cooling ponds sat alongside the hoist house which served the cross-compound condensed Nordberg engine. After passing through the condenser, hot water went through sprays to be cooled before recycling.Era_date_from: 1920
1984