Author Topic: Very Old Windmill  (Read 2015 times)

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Offline OTG

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Very Old Windmill
« on: August 18, 2018, 12:34:12 am »
I've got an old "Goold, Shapley & Muir" Windmill, circa early 1900's, on the block (to my surprise - I found an old catalogue - https://archive.org/details/brantfordwindmil00goul) and I've been wondering what I might be able to get out of this old bore.

The windmill itself is beat to hell and beyond service, however the 32mm (1-1/2") Galvanised Drop Pipe is still in very good condition (jeez they laid the zinc on thick back in the day) with the discharge pipe coming out the side of a tee piece and a rusty old pump (sucker) rod poking out the top.

Standing on a ladder I can (just - it's gut busting heavy) pull the sucker rod up/down and hear water sloshing around down there - promising. But there was no sign of the well casing... given it's situated on the side of a dry creek bed, I figured silt had probably covered it up over the years. So I started digging... and almost 1m down, no sign of any well casing or concrete, just the Drop Pipe going down and down (about 1/2m down they had stuck some big rocks around the pipe!?).

My hope was to find the top of the well casing, weld on an extension to get it back above ground level, pull the drop pipe out and chuck a solar pump in - easy water!

Obviously, this hope is presently dashed, and I find myself confused as to how this bore was installed? Anybody knowledgeable in circa early 1900 bores/windmills out there? Am I likely to find well casing if I just keep digging? Were caseless well's how they did it back in the day (no end strainer?), how in hell did they do it? ???, is there another way I could possibly salvage this bore (I can't afford a new windmill, but what about a motor driven sucker rod, or does anybody have an old Beam Pump I could "borrow" - long shots, I know!  ;D)?

Any and all knowledge/thoughts/suggestions appreciated.