Harry E. Steam Hoist Demolition

Chris · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 12:23 am

so i got word today that the steam hoist at the harry e breaker site has been demolished. just one more blow to the northern field, not sure how many more it can take :cry:

Mike Piersa · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:08 am

Are there any pieces left? The steam powered clutch is worth saving â€“ it can even fit in the back of a pickup truck.

Chris · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:36 am

not sure mike, i didnt see it, just heard the news

AbandonedPhotography · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 4:16 am

such a shame. there are so many places I've seen pictures of that I never got to see and I know I want to, Harry E Breaker included.

Chris · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:20 am

i can see slightly justifying the cause of removal for some sites if some development is being built, you cant stop the commercial hammer. however to get rid of historical sites just to get rid of them is just ridiculous! Just like what happened at slope 179.

UGMiner Banks · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 5:08 pm

mike, how does a steam clutch work?

AbandonedPhotography · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 6:36 pm

Chris wrote:

i can see slightly justifying the cause of removal for some sites if some development is being built, you cant stop the commercial hammer. however to get rid of historical sites just to get rid of them is just ridiculous! Just like what happened at slope 179.

do you know what became of the land the Locust Summit breaker was on? thats another I really wish I could have seen before it was torn down.

UGMiner Banks · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 6:37 pm

I think they're stripping it now....

Chris · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 7:01 pm

yep they are stripping right through the site. its a big hole now!

rail haulage miners · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:46 pm

Hey Banks,

The clutch on a steam hoist actually uses wood. The clutch is always in motion for the most part using a ring housing. The operator pulls the clutch lever & that in return pulss the ring into the hoist drum using a tight friction to engage the drum. The brake band uses wood as well.

Mike Piersa · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:07 am

The interesting thing about the Harry E hoist clutch was that instead of being manually applied by a lever (which the slate quarry hoists all have), this clutch was applied mechanically using a steam engine cylinder (you can see it in the above photo mounted on a vertical bottle engine style frame). Instead of spinning a crank disc, the driving rod on the clutch engine only moved up or down and worked the clutch via a series of arms and rods. The steam cylinder for the clutch was operated by a handle that shifted the slide valve to control which direction the piston moved. In short, the steam cylinder replaced the lever that was manually pulled on smaller hoists.

The clutch piston might actually have been moved with compressed air instead of steam. Also, the brakes did not use levers either, but pneumatic cylinders (the hoist had air brakes). They even had Westinghouse components.

Miner Greg · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:37 am

I hadn't seen the site, but Mike, is that a picture of it pre-demolishion? Too bad.. I wonder what is left?

Mike Piersa · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:47 am

Yes, my photos are pre-demolition, taken in December of last year. Here is a link to more:
http://news.webshots.com/album/556380098pmKURy

Miner Greg · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:56 am

As that is obviously a hoist, I assume there is a shaft there as well? It is capped / filled? Was there anything left outside before demolishion?

Miner Greg

Mike Piersa · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 2:35 am

I added some photos of the exterior and surrounding buildings as they appeared when I saw them last year:
http://community.webshots.com/album/556380098pmKURy?start=12

Harry E. Steam Hoist Demolition

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