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] >