Try the Society for Industrial Archeology people.  They are very helpful. 
GE might also be a source--some GE installations maintain historic 
records/quasi-museum exhibits (at least they did a thousand years ago when I 
was a GE employee).

Lucy Wayne
SouthArc, Inc.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "D'Angelo, James (Atlanta,GA-US)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 8:35 AM
Subject: Re: HISTARCH Digest - 4 Aug 2008 to 5 Aug 2008 (#2008-179)


>I am working on a mill site in Roswell GA and am trying to get
> information on the remains of a hydroelectric generating system was
> installed circa 1920.  There are no visible markings on the badly
> corroded machinery or remaining parts - penstock and housing were in
> process of being cut up for scrape during WWII when effort to do so was
> abandoned for some reason.(see Figures 1-4 at:
> http://www.thegars.org/MysteryArtifacts.html).
>
> The system employed a horizontal shaft which is connected to a General
> Electric generator (Figure 2).  Figs 3 & 4 show what remains inside the
> forward half of the housing. No better view of this "wheel" or flywheel?
> is possible, but in the foreground one can see the breaking system.
> Because an approximately 6' section connecting the penstock to the elbow
> that enters the top of the housing is missing, I also have no idea of
> how water from the penstock may have been directed to whatever kind of
> wheel was in there. One large butterfly valve was found in partial
> excavation of the wheel pit (see bucket loader Fig 1) but not sure if it
> belonged to this or early turbine.
>
> The Sanborn maps (1880-1911) depict a wood flume (as opposed to iron
> penstock by the 1920's) leading to a horizontal turbine with vertical
> axis. The 1853 Mill originally had a large breast wheel.  I excavated a
> large (61" d.) iron turbine wheel (Figures 5-6) as well as pieces of its
> housing from the earlier 19th c. turbine.
>
> If you have any thoughts on the identification of the penstock and
> housing, or the earlier wheel I would greatly appreciate it. If you
> haven't already done so, please take a look at other mystery objects on
> this web page...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
> James J. D'Angelo, RPA, Ph.D.
> Archaeologist
> TRC
> 4155 Shackleford Road Suite 225
> Norcross, Georgia, 30093
> 770.270.1192  x125 phone
> 770.270.1392  fax
> 404.580.2079 cell
> [log in to unmask]
>