Gwennap OPC
Michael Loam
The Inventor of the Cornish Man Engine
The gravestone of Michael Loam in Gwennap Church burial ground.
The Man Engine
A mechanical lift for lowering and raising miners in a shaft by means of a reciprocating vertical rod of heavy timber with platforms at intervals, or of two such rods, moving in opposite directions. In the former case stationary platforms are placed in the shaft, so that the miner in descending for instance, can step from the moving platform at the end of the down stroke and step back upon the next platform below at the beginning of the next down stroke. When two rods are employed, the miner steps from the platform on one rod to that on the other.
(From Glossary of Mining Terms by Rossiter W. Raymond, 1881)
To see a working graphic of the engine click here
Cost of Man-Engine.
The cost of a man-engine, with driving engine, complete to a depth of 200 fathoms, exclusive of the cost of the shaft itself, cannot be taken at less than £2000 to £2500. The interest on the larger sum at 5 per cent., with 10 per cent. added for depreciation of plant and repairs, amounts to £375 per annum. The cost of coal and attendance for driving the engine, for oil, grease, etc., will amount to, say, £250 per annum in addition. The labour of climbing from an average depth of 100 fathoms cannot be taken at less than 1 hour daily, or, with 3 shifts of 50 men at an average of .5d., the amount lost by climbing will be each day 62s. 6d. ; or, for a year of 260 working (lays, say, £800, showing a clear gain of £175. For a depth of 300 fathoms the advantage is many times greater, since the. exhaustion of the men from the labour of climbing and the time occupied will increase in a geometrical ratio. However, setting aside all calculations of cost, it is only necessary to look at the men 'who have just come up by ladders from deep mines to see that some mode of relieving them from such excessive toil is most necessary. I The man-engine originated in Germany, where it is called the "fahr-kunst." The idea occurred to some of the German miners, who saw the reciprocating action of the pump rods, to attach steps to it, and this was actually carried into practice. In Cornwall the idea of a man-engine was first carried into effect by Mr. Loam, in 1835, at Tresavean Mine in Gwennap. The man-engine was so great an advantage to all concerned both workmen and employers -that it would soon have become generally used in deep mines but for its great expense. But the improvements in the manufacture of wire rope within the past 25 years have been so great, that the chief danger in connection with the use of lifting-cages or skips has now disappeared. And the cost of putting in a " skip way," as well as of working the skip, is far less than that of erecting and working a man-engine, so that it is hardly likely any more will be erected.
From "Principles of Metal Mining" by J.H. Collins FGS
The following comes from the West Briton 18 November 1842
The TRESAVEAN MAN
ENGINE A CURE FOR THE LIVER COMPLAINT
"There was never a better machine than that at Tresavean mine, invented for
the miner," said an old and venerable man, a short time ago, "it will
do wonders. Old Doctor ___ of Truro, used to say that the average age of our
miners scarcely exceeded 29 years, and he attributed it entirely to climbing up
from the deep mines; and in that opinion I perfectly agree. Nor do I doubt but
the miners will now live very much longer than they have been used to. Besides
this, see what it will do for the liver complaint. Now, when I was young, and
the mines were not so deep, I scarcely heard of such a disorder; nor is it known
any where hardly but in Cornwall. I will tell you how the disorder is brought
on; when the men climb up so far, you observe the whole frame is in confusion,
and the heart beats so violently up against the liver as in time to beat a hole
into it, and follow in course the liver complaint." At this expression the
old man's auditor burst into a fit of laughter, which much incensed him; and he
turned on the heel and said - "you young gentleman may laugh at what you
call foolish, but what we old people know true by experience; and I say again I
believe MR. MICHAEL LOAM'S Man Machine will do more good for the liver complaint
than all the pills in Truro."
Cornish Newspaper Reports on Man Engines:
Available at the Cornwall Studies Centre, Redruth
Royal Cornwall Gazette: 24.11.1837 / 6.4.1838 / 31.12.1841 / 7.10.1842 / 21.10.1842 / 6.1.1843
West Briton: 5.10.1838 / 19.10.1838 / 13.9.1839 / 11.10.1839 / 25.10.1839 / 15.11.1839 / 14.1.1842 / 11.2.1842 / 18.11.1842 / 6.1.1843 /
Penzance Gazette: 19.7.1843 / 4.10.1843 / 3.7.1844 / 25.12. 1844 / 19.2. 1845 / 21.1. 1846
