Thursday, July 14, 2011

More from Suquash


The top photo is a large steam winch for lifting the coal cars in and out of the mine.



The bottom photo is a steam donkey a more portable steam powered winch usually used for logging back in the day.



10 comments:

  1. Paul these photos are very well put together. Sharp, well composed, and with a documentary feel to them. Historical in the early European development of Vancouver Island.

    Hope this series contains more photos of the artifacts and ruins that the early miners left behind. This is Good Stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm torn between these two. The top one really gives you that "look what I found in the jungle" feel but I like the contrast of the dark and rusting steel agaisnt the ferns in the bottom one.

    Nice shots!

    The bottom one looks like it was taken with the wide angle. The uphill shot gives the picture a little something I just can't describe. It's a good thinkg, I just don't know how to express it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another good find Paul! Your composition really bring the main object to my eyes, and I like the colors a lot. Good Work!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The bottom photo is a Washington Iron Works donkey built in Seattle around 1905. Where is it?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello John T

    The Washington Iron Works Steam Donkey should be within a few feet of these coordinates:
    50°38'20.11"N 127°14'45.77"W

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've seen another donkey that looks like the one in the bottom photo, which has the number 511 cast in the frame above an oval shaped builder's mark cast in the frame that says MF'D BY WASHINGTON IRON WORKS CO. SEATTLE. I was wondering if anyone knows if 511 is the model number and if so, if there's any published information about that model.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Anonymous

    I had a look back at my pictures from that day at Suquash and was able to find the picture of the Washington Iron Works stamp in the casting. I added it to this blog entry below the original pictures. Hope this helps. I've never taken the time to follow up on Washington Iron Works but would be interested if you find any information. If you do Please post it here!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you very much! I haven't found any information yet other than what you have shared, but will certainly post here any Washington Iron Works Company specifications that I may happen to find for this particular model. Thanks again for the help!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This information from John T. via an email to me.

    The steam donkey shown is Washington Iron Works #1309 a 10x12 Roader (for hauling logs on a skid road) built in early 1906.

    The Washington Iron Works #511 mentioned in one of the replies was most likely built in June 1902.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to look at our blog, we appreciate your comments!