I have been going through my many archives of photos which I have taken over the years, I wanted to start a thread on Horse Whims. For those who do not know, a Horse Whim is basically an animal powered hoist. You would generally have a large drum with a rope or ropes wound around it. The drum would either be at ground level, or high in the air, but as the animals attached to the whim would walk in a circle, this act would either raise or lower an ore bucket / kibble up or down a shaft. The rope would be wrapped around the drum and then it would go through a sheave wheel on top of a head frame which would be located above the mine shaft. This would be used for hoisting ore, water for dewatering a mine, and even miners. Some of these whims were pretty complicated devices, but before there was steam, you had to resort to animal power. While I am concentrating on Horse Whims which were used when mining, any horse whim photos will due for this thread.

Miner Greg

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The foundation surrounding the whim.




Another view of the foundation. In the center of the photo you can see the peg sticking out in the center of the whim.




Another view observing the size and field of the whim.




This is a close up as the whim stone and the original peg, all entirely intact. This site is an example of a very original untouched site. The whim would be placed on the peg and balanced there. The horses would go around in a circle to raise or lower the hoisted material.

Finding a horse whim at a mine site is always an exciting discovery. It is a striking landmark on a landscape long reclaimed by forest, and presents a strong visual cue to the past. They are not always obvious and when you find examples that are well built with stone work that stands the test of time, it is worth the trip, if just to find a horse whim. Here are a couple more to add to this thread from several years back. The latter picture is one of my favorites.


Note CT Mike is holding a torn section of hoisting cable associated with the horse whim operation.


The stonework is high and still rigid despite a lapse of 130 years since this mine was abandoned.

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"If you thought old, abandoned mines were only in the west, then you haven't been to IronMiners.com!"

http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?20031346+CHS-B1346



There are a number of these photos scattered through out my mining books. I always thought it would be a good way to power my incline but my mate who owns the horse disagreed. Oh well back to using the Ute.

Chris
in New Zealand

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Alive and Well....for now

Really impressive. we want more photos here. Please post your collection.
with regards

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carpet cleaning Kansas City

I found a horse whim years ago at the Sunk Mines. I unfortunately can't find a photo at this time but it was located toward the far end of the mine complex, past the tunnels and a little ways into the woods. There is a water filled opening (shaft) with a steel cable coming out of it. If you follow the cable there is a flat area where you can see very clearly the circular path the horse walked. The whim hardware itself its gone.

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Jim Musser
http://mussersteelmill.blogspot.com