Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine facts for kids
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Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine
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Illustration from E.P. Allis Co, manufacturer. Note figure at left for scale.
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Kent St., Iron Mountain, Michigan |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Edwin P. Reynolds |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000305 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 9, 1981 |
The Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine, also known as The Cornish Pump, is a giant machine powered by steam. It is located in Iron Mountain, Michigan, USA. This amazing engine is the largest steam-powered pump ever built in the United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. It was also named a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958.
Contents
History of the Giant Pump
Iron ore was found in the Iron Mountain area in 1878. Things moved quickly after that. The town of Iron Mountain was planned in 1879. The Chapin Mine Company also started that same year. The Chapin Mine became the busiest mine in the Menominee Range.
But there was a big problem: water. Part of the mine was under a swamp. Water kept leaking into the mine. At first, smaller pumps were used. But as the mine shafts went deeper, the water problem got worse.
In 1889, after some accidents, the mining company needed a powerful solution. They asked the E. P. Allis Company from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to build a special water pump. Edwin P. Reynolds, their chief engineer, designed a "Cornish Pump." This design was like the pumps used in tin mines in Cornwall, England.
The company built the pump between 1890 and 1891. It was then set up at the Chapin Mine's "D" shaft. The pump engine was placed above ground, close to the boilers. This helped save energy from the steam. It also protected the engine if there was an emergency.
The pump was housed in a huge red sandstone building. This building was about 60 feet (18 meters) tall. Its base was 36 by 42 feet (11 by 13 meters). The foundation was 23 feet (7 meters) thick! The pump itself cost $82,000. The whole setup cost about $250,000. The pump started working on January 3, 1893.
In 1896, the ground shifted underground. This caused the engine to move out of place. More shifts later cracked the engine house and the ground around it. So, in 1899, the giant pump was taken apart and stored away.
Meanwhile, the Chapin Mining Company grew bigger. In 1894, they bought the nearby Hamilton and Ludington mines. These mines had been closed because of too much water. Chapin Company pumped the water out of these mines. They also connected them underground to the Chapin Mine.
In 1901, the Oliver Iron Mining Company bought the Chapin Mining Company. Oliver was part of U.S. Steel. In 1907, Oliver put the pumping engine back together. They moved it to its current spot near the Ludington Mine "C" shaft. They built a new metal building on a red sandstone base for it. The pump then helped drain water from the Chapin, Ludington, and Hamilton mines. It worked until 1914, when newer electric pumps took over.
By the time the Chapin Mine closed in 1932, it had produced over 27 million tons of iron ore. This was the most from any mine in the Menominee Iron Range. Two years later, the Oliver Iron Mining Company gave the Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine to Dickinson County, Michigan. It was meant to be a "relic for sightseers to visit." The county tore down its building. They painted the engine to make it look nicer for tourists.
The engine was almost melted down for metal during World War II. The steel frame nearby was taken apart. But local people wanted to save the pumping engine, and they did!
Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum
In 1978, Dickinson County gave the pump to the Menominee Range Historical Foundation. This group built a museum around the pump in 1982-1983. The pump was named a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958. It was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 1987, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers called it a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. This means it's a very important machine in engineering history.
The museum that holds the pump is called the Cornish Pumping Engine and Mining Museum. It also shows many other mining tools. These tools were used in the local iron mines. The museum is open for everyone to visit.
Gallery
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Chapin Mine D Shaft, where the Cornish Pump first stood, around 1900.
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The Cornish Pump being installed at Ludington Mine C Shaft, around 1909.
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The pumping engine around 1950.
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The Mining Museum in 2019.
How the Pump Works
The Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine is a huge steam engine that stands upright. When it worked at its fastest, it could spin 10 times a minute. It created over 1,200 horsepower (900 kW) of energy. To run, it needed 11,000 tons (10,000 metric tons) of coal each year!
The engine is 54 feet (16 meters) tall. It has a giant wheel called a flywheel that is 40 feet (12 meters) across. This flywheel alone weighs 164 tons (149 metric tons). The whole engine weighs 600 tons (544 metric tons). The main shaft that drives the pump is 24 inches (61 cm) wide. The parts that use steam are 50 inches (127 cm) and 100 inches (254 cm) wide. Both move 10 feet (3 meters) with each stroke.
At the Ludington "C" shaft, the engine was connected to eight pumps. These pumps were linked by a 7-inch (18 cm) wide shaft. The deepest pump was 1,500 feet (457 meters) underground. (At its first location, the deepest pump was 600 feet (183 meters) down). Each pump had plungers that were 28 inches (71 cm) wide. They also moved 10 feet (3 meters) with each stroke.
Water was pumped by each machine through a vertical pipe. It went to a tank just below the next pump. This way, water was lifted in eight steps all the way to the surface. The entire system could pump 3,400 US gallons (12,870 liters) of water every minute!
Even though it's called "The Cornish Pump," it's not exactly a Cornish engine. True Cornish engines don't have spinning parts like a connecting rod, crank, or flywheel. The name comes from how similar it was to the pumps used in tin mines in Cornwall in the 1800s.
