IEEC2.2 15 The Boulton & Watt Winding Engine for the Duke of Devonshire’s Ecton Copper Mine, Staffordshire 1787-1790

The Boulton & Watt Winding Engine

for the Duke of Devonshire’s

Ecton Copper Mine, Staffordshire 1787-1790

William Kay Whitehead

An off-print from

Transactions of the 2nd International Early Engines Conference – 2 pp77-120

Summary

In 1787, the depth of Ecton mine was such that it become too slow and difficult to extract the ore using horse whims. This paper is presented as a diary of the design and construction of a rotative steam engine to replace these whims. Boulton & Watt had installed two such engines in Cornwall, using a new method of balancing (equalising) the winding ropes. The technical difficulties caused by the position of the mine-shaft, high on the steep sides of Ecton Hill meant that it took a year to design and build the engine. Finding someone to produce tapered ropes was also a challenge, as indeed is still the case in the 21st Century.