Cornish Mine Terms
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Term Definition Examples
Wash water  The flow of water carrying ore and waste rock through dressing processes. Tin processing used large amounts of wash water and the layout of the dressing floors was designed to make best use of the water supply
Water wheel  Wheel fitted with buckets or paddles and driven by the weight or force of water 
Wheelpit  Structure built to house a water wheel sometimes a stone line pit, sometimes free standing. 
Whim A Winding engine powered by horse,water or steam used for  hauling from a shaft. Consists of power source and winding drum.  
Whim engines  (Fire whims) were smaller than those used for pumping the maximum cylinder diameter was 36".The engine houses are therefore smaller and have  have masonry loading for the crankshaft in front of the bob wall with a large deep slot for the large flywheel.   
A Whim engine was normally double acting and was it was aligned with the shaft with a rope passing from the cage to pulley wheels on the headgear.
Whim plat  Part of a horse whim. A level, usually circular platform on which a horse whim was sited. It was 
Wing walls The Side walls of an engine house 
Wing walls are often first to collapse as a result of rotting of roof trusses and internal woodwork
Winze An underground shaft driven downwards between two levels. A winze does not reach the surface.  
  
Wipers Part of a set of Cornish stamps.Wipers are cams  on the  powered camshaft that lift and drop the stems by pushing on tappets.