Download - Water and Wind Early Rangeland Partners By Karl Wood, Director Water Resources Research Institute
Hundreds of slow moving and cumbersome mills throughout the English,
French, Danish, Swedish, German, Portuguese, and Spanish settlements
These European derivativeswere not suitable for the western U.S.
“The great want of Texas is sufficient water…. There is a million dollars lying waiting for the first man who will bring us… a windmill, strong, durable and controllable.”
Scientific American 1860:
The grasslands of the arid and semi-arid West were grazable!
Grazing by domestic livestock and wildlifewas limited to areas near perennial streams
due to a lack of drinking water.
A windmill was needed that would:
1. Automatically turn to face the wind
2. Govern it own speed to prevent its destruction
5. Be transportable to rural areas
3. Require low maintenance
This won’t do!
4. Be portable compared to traditional windmills
Daniel Halladay, a mechanic, in Ellington, Connecticut
invented a machine that became known as
“the Halladay Standard”
Patented 1854
Blades could be turned parallel with the vane so that the wheel ceased turning.
Demand for this type of mill was not great in New
England
Makers moved to near Chicago in Batavia, Illinois
in 1856
Railroads became important buyers as
they expanded across the West.
Reverend Leonard H. Wheeler, a missionary among the Ojibway Indians in Wisconsin made major modifications in 1866
1. A solid pattern that did not foldin any direction
2. Speed controlled by changingangle to wind
3. Became one of most commonmills until early 20th Century
Catered mostly to railroads
4. Sizes varied from 8.5 to 30 ftin diameter
Many farmers and rancher chose to build their own mills
Although cheap (<$5), most weremade on affluent farms and ranches
Most made by the farmor ranches’ resident blacksmiths with
spare time and a scrap pile
Both steel and wooden mills manufactured from 1870 to 1940
Steel mills were more durable and self-oiling
Wooden mills were easier to repair
with nails, wire, & rawhide
Windmill Designs
Many different designs, especially the blades
Each manufacturer claimed theirs to be the best!
Windmill DesignsA Scientific Approach
Thomas O. Perry (Engineer) conducted studies from 1882-83for the U.S. Wind Engine and Pump Company
Tested more than 50 designs in over 5,000 experiments
Developed a completely new wind wheel!
- 87% more efficient than the wooden mills of the day
Windmill DesignsA Scientific Approach
1. Concave sheet steel blades set on a specific angle to the wind2. Blades fastened to steel rimes and arms which presented the least
possible wind resistance 3. Retained sufficient strength
His company rejected the new design because of retooling requirements!
In 1888 he joined LaVerne Noyes to organize a company called
Aermotor
Further Improvements
1. A gear box allowing 3 revolutions per stroke of the pump
2. Gearing allowed rotationwith winds of 4 mph
3. Gearing gave the pump a long, easy stroke instead of short, quick,
jerky strokes of other mills
4. 1890 - Galvanizing with zinc alloy became standard
5. 1915 – Included a housing needing oil only once a year
Manufacturers
1888 77 companies
(Aermotor produced 50%)
1919 31 companies
1950 Aermotor claimed to have manufactured over 800,000
1970 Aermotor moved to South America
1973 2 companies
Well Drilling
Approaches:
1. Hand-dug pits
2. Hand boring with an augers - 25-30 ft
3. Sledge hammers to pound a pipe
4. Percussion type or cable-tool rigs
Maintenance and Repair
Originally done by the owners
After several hundred thousand sold in West, windmillers
provided service
Windmillers:
1. Lubricated the mills2. Repaired pumping cylinders3. Repaired wind-damaged wheels and ironwork4. Replaced bearings 5. Fished out and repaired broken sucker rods
Uses of Windmills
RailroadsHomes
Livestock
Recreation
Lighthouses on the Plains
Irrigation
Drain Swamps
Drain Mines
Claimed by the 132 ft high one on the XIT ranch at Littlefield, Texas (where its height was necessary due to being built within a canyon). It blew down in 1926, and the current "replica" in the town is a mere 114ft tall.
The Tallest AmericanWindmill?
The magnificent and rare twin-wheel.
Built in Hutchison, Kansas, it has two 12' wheels on a single tower.
Without this windmill, there would be no livestockor wildlife on this part of the Gray Ranch, New Mexico
Today• Electric pumps common – not perfect solution - storm damage
to transmission lines
- low voltages
- high utility rates
• Gasoline engines – problems with frequent fueling and fuel costs
• Windmills, parts, accessories, and repair are available on internet
• Costs ~ $3,000 for a 6 ft diameter mill on a 21 ft tower to $15,000
for a 16 ft diameter mill on a 47 ft tower
• Farmers, ranchers, and back-to-nature types still experiment with scrap metal and wood
Today
• Aermotor San Angelo, Texas
• Dempster Industries, Inc. Beatrice, Nebraska
• Muller Industries, Inc. Yankton, South Dakota
• KMP Pump Company Earth, Texas
• The American West Windmill Company in Amarillo, Texas imports from Argentina
• Second Wind Windmill Service in Ft. Worth, Texas imports from Mexico
• O’Brock Windmill Distributors in North Benton , Ohio imports from South Africa
Final Remarks
Scribbled on the outhouse wall of a one-room school in Cherry County,
Nebraska:
We like it in the sandhills,We like it very good,For the wind it pumps our water,And the cows they chop our wood