Skip to main content

Boyden

Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Water Era: 1870-1879 DateCreated: 1871 Harmony Mill No. 3 Cohoes State: NY Zip: 12047 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/mechanical-power-production-water/-5-boyden-hydraulic-turbines-%281871%29, http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5507.pdf Creator: Boyden, Uriah Atherton
These two water turbines were probably the largest and nearly the most powerful ever built in the United States, supplying direct mechanical power to a manufacturing plant. Their installation between 1871 and 1873 makes them among the oldest surviving water turbines. A dam at Cohoes diverted water to mills and factories along a power canal system. The vertical-shaft turbines at the mill were said to run at 800 horsepower (600 kilowatt) under a head of 20 feet and were connected to an overhead shaft by bevel gearing.
YearAdded:
1975
Image Credit: Public Domain; Produced prior to 1/1/1923 Image Caption: An 1879 sketch of the Boyden Hydraulic Turbine, drawn by James Emerson for his book "Treatise relative to the testing of water-wheels and machinery" Era_date_from: 1871
Subscribe to Boyden
These two water turbines were probably the largest and nearly the most powerful ever built in the United States, supplying direct mechanical power to a manufacturing plant. Their installation between 1871 and 1873 makes them among the oldest surviving water turbines. A dam at Cohoes diverted water… Read More

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support this 70-year tradition of trusted historical writing and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to American Heritage.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.