Crane Mine, 1784, 1785

Cornish Mine Engines (6 items).

1303. Crane Mine. Apr. 1784, Oct. 1785. 6 items.
Double-acting engine, with 15 inch cylinder, 4 foot stroke, link and roller motion. Made rotative with sun & planet wheels Oct. 1785.

General view of the engine, plan of the engine and boiler and T bobs - reverse drawings (these drawings show the engine directly connected to the pump work, without any rotative motion); brasses for connecting rod and saddle plate - reverse drawing; "view of jointed motion…in lieu of rack and sector"; draft general view and plan of the engine and parts of jointed link motion.
Also the following later item: rotative wheels and connecting rod - reverse drawing marked "The rotative wheels same as Mr. Dobbs'…", Oct. 1785.

Original Portfolio or 'Book' No. 53. Catalogue of Old Engines p. 302.

For Crane Mine. The engine was ordered at the same time as the Wheal Towan 18 inch engine; several drawings were prepared which applied to both engines, and all the drawings were kept in the same book, No. 58. Like the Wheal Towan engine, this engine was originally intended to have a rack and sector motion, but this was replaced with a link and roller motion. The drawings note the size of the cylinder as 15 inches, but the List of Engines made at Soho gives it as 14¾ inches, while the Catalogue of Old Engines gives it as 18 inches.
In Sep. 1785 the engine was stopped and sold to Chacewater Mine. It was used at Chacewater for winding ore, and was fitted with rotative sun & planet gear for this purpose. It began work at Chacewater in Feb. 1787, but was stopped again in Mar. 1789. It later moved to Wheal Carpenter, where it worked until Dec. 1796, drawing water using the rotative motion. In 1797 it was sold to United Mines, where it was set to work in Apr. 1798, winding ore.

See also: Portfolio 5/1302.
Published references: Dickinson & Jenkins, p. 143.