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Mr Monkey at The People's History Museum, 14th April


"It's a little bit complicated"

Mr Monkey looking around the Engine House Mr Monkey looking up into the accumulator tower

Mr Monkey looked around the old engine house. From 1909 to 1972 six pumps in this room supplied hydraulic power to over 600 customers in Manchester*; until 1927 these pumps were powered by triple cylinder steam engines made by Galloways of Manchester. Now it's a big open multi-purpose space. Mr Monkey examined the fine, but slightly old, tiling on the walls, then went into the accumulator tower. Originally starting in the basement, two floors down, the room had two accumulator cylinders each with a piston held down by two weights to exert pressure on the water in the cylinder. This increased the water pressure to 1,200 psi.

 The power was mostly used to work hoists or presses in cotton mills, but also raised the safety curtain at the Opera House and wound the Town Hall clock.

 Which is the same as if the water was coming from a tank at the top of a 620 metre high tower.


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