Sheaves Tower - Water Mills on Waymarking.com

In about 1876 the Sheaves Tower, sometimes known as the Power Tower, was built by Allan Bowman to provide extra power for the flour-mill. The tower was erected on Bowman Creek and was located two hundred and forty feet from the mill. It was thirty-one feet high and had a twelve-foot square base. Inside was a water-powered turbine that turned a vertical shaft that ran from the turbine to a horizontal shaft mounted at the top of the tower. The horizontal shaft extended through the east wall where it was attached to an eight-foot diameter cast-iron wheel. The wheel was designed to permit installation of hardwood blocks around the rim. The blocks had deep grooves or sheaves cut into them through which ran a wire cable. This cable was connected to a similar wheel attached to the west side of the mill. To keep the tower from collapsing from the strain imposed by the cable, a brace cable was installed on the backside of the tower. The Sheaves Tower is particularly significant because it represents a unique method of the mechanical transfer of power and may be the only early example of this technology still extant.