science

Levant Mine and Beam Engine

Levant Mine and Beam Engine is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Levant Mine and Beam Engine rather than just read about it. In short: Levant Mine and Beam Engine is a National Trust property at Trewellard, Pendeen, near St Just, Cornwall, England, UK. Its main attraction is that it has the world's oldest Cornish steam winding engine still working in its original location (and the last such engine still in steam in Cornwall).

Key takeaways

Levant Mine and Beam Engine belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Levant Mine and Beam Engine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Levant Mine and Beam Engine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Levant Mine and Beam Engine is a National Trust property at Trewellard, Pendeen, near St Just, Cornwall, England, UK. Its main attraction is that it has the world's oldest Cornish steam winding engine still working in its original location (and the last such engine still in steam in Cornwall). There is also a visitor centre, a short underground tour, and the South West Coast Path leads to Botallack Mine, via a cliff-top footpath. In 1919 the engine used to transport men between the different levels of the mine failed, leading to the deaths of thirty-one men. Since 2006, the area has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.

Location

The property is on the site of the former Levant Mine, established in 1820 and closed in 1930, where tin and copper ores were raised. The mine reached a depth of about 600 metres. It got the nickname "mine under the sea", because tunnels were driven up to 2.5 km from the cliffs under the sea. The surviving beam engine was built c. 1840 by Harvey's of Hayle.

History The mine yields both copper and tin and was opened in 1820 with twenty shares of £20 each. From first opening, to circa 1883, the mine gave a profit of £171,000 from approximately £1,300,000 worth of ore. In 1882 the mine was taken over by new owners on a 21 year lease, who replaced machinery and improved the surface-works. In 1883 three shafts were open. One shaft is occupied by the man-engine, a second by a pumping-engine and the third for hauling out the skips. Since the introductions of skips, for bringing ore to the surface, two shafts were abandoned. There were six engines on site,

pumping-engine, 45 inches (1,100 mm) cylinder – pumps water from the mine stamping, 30 inches (760 mm) cylinder – breaks up the ore winding-engine or whim, 26 inches (660 mm) cylinder – raises the ore to the surface man-engine, 24 inches (610 mm) cylinder crushing-machine, 18 inches (460 mm) cylinder winding-engine, 14 inches (360 mm) cylinder. A description of the working conditions of the mine was described in The Cornishman newspaper in 1883. Around 366 men, boys, and girls were employed compared with about 600 prior to 1882. The mine was worked in three, eight-hour shifts, (except on Sunday) with fifty to sixty men working underground in each shift. Access to the underground levels (i.e. passages) was by ladder and the temperature was around 92 °F (33 °C). The men were all more or less working in a nude state and sweating profusely. They were provided with spring water which was stored in huge canteens. Few are able to work underground after the age of 35. The width of the levels are 7 feet (2.1 m) high and 3–4 feet (0.91–1.22 m) wide, while the width of the lode is from 6 inches (150 mm) to 3 feet (0.91 m) wide. Thus a quantity of hard rock on each side of the lode has to be cut away at great expense. The levels are expanded by explosives. First a hole is made by hand-drill 20 inches (510 mm) deep, taking about two hours and the hole is charged with gunpowder. Premature ignition causes many injuries and fatalities. A 14 inches (360 mm) cylinder engine raised the ore to the surface in skips on two parallel inclines, one ascending as the other was lowered.

1919 disaster On 20 October 1919 an accident killed 31 miners, when a metal bracket at the top of a rod broke on the man engine. To use the man engine, the miners stepped on to a ladder, were transported 12 feet (3.7 m) up or down, climbed off onto a sollar, waited for the ladder to reset its position, then stepped back on to the ladder, repeating the process. The rod broke in several pieces and heavy timbers crashed down the shaft. A large scale rescue operation was able to save some of the miners. The engine was not replaced and the lower levels of the mine were abandoned.

Minerals and ores silver bismuth calcspar aragonite vitreous copper ore or grey sulphuret of copper

Mineral Statistics

From Robert Hunt's Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Levant Mine and Beam Engine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Levant Mine and Beam Engine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Levant Mine and Beam Engine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Levant Mine and Beam Engine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Levant Mine and Beam Engine

In research: Levant Mine and Beam Engine appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Levant Mine and Beam Engine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Levant Mine and Beam Engine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1919 disasters in the United Kingdom, Copper mines in Cornwall, Grade II listed buildings in Cornwall, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Levant Mine and Beam Engine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Levant Mine and Beam Engine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Levant Mine and Beam Engine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Levant Mine and Beam Engine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Levant Mine and Beam Engine in simple terms?

Why does Levant Mine and Beam Engine matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Levant Mine and Beam Engine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Levant Mine and Beam Engine.