Wheal Union, 1777

Cornish Mine Engines (11 items).

1291. Wheal Union. Oct., Nov. 1777. 11 items.
Single-acting engine, with 63 inch cylinder, 8 foot stroke, chain connection.

Set of numbered coloured drawings, Oct. 1777:
No. 1 - General view of the engine; No. 2 - plan of the engine and 2 round boilers; [No. 3 wanting]; No. 4 - outside front view of the engine; No. 5 - plan of the beam, chain link, piston rod cap, gudgeon etc. (with copy); No. 6 - sections and plan of cylinder, condenser, nozzles etc. marked "Drawings of Wheal Union sent to Bersham".

Also general view of the engine - partially coloured drawing marked "No. 1" but larger scale than the version above; plan of the engine and round boiler, outside front view of boiler and condenser - shaded unmarked large scale drawings; sections and plan of cylinder, condenser, nozzles etc. marked "Drawings of Wheal Union sent to Bersham" - partially shaded drawing, larger scale than the numbered version above; nozzles and cross pipes - partially shaded drawing marked "No. 6".

Original Portfolio or 'Book' No. 7 [in the Drawing Office Index only].
Catalogue of Old Engines p. 300, 304.

For Wheal Union. Wheal Union was made up of two mines, Owen Vean and Tregurtha Downs, where the engine was erected. According to the List of Engines made at Soho, the engine was stopped in Aug. 1780, and removed to the Kestal Adit, where it began work in Jul. 1781. Dickinson & Jenkins [p. 340] give the name of this mine as "Castle Adit". It was stopped again in Jun. 1784 and sold to the North Downs Mines, who erected it first at Wheal Hawk, where it worked from May 1786 to May 1788, and then at Wheal Rose, where it began work in Nov. 1792, and where it was still at work in May 1798. Henry Hazleton listed the engine twice in the Catalogue of Old Engines.

See also: Engine Agreements.