What's inside of the Flume House?

Now that we have the Flume House, we are focusing on building the components found inside. The cable drum, seen below, is nearing completion and will be installed on site soon. 

Seen above is one side of the cable drum that is being constructed by Martin Developments.

Engineering Features of the Flume House Machinery

When the Marine Railway was in operation it was water powered. The water was brought into the Flume House and then it was discharged through the reaction turbine (first image), rotating a vertical shaft that drove the crown and bevel gears and, through a third gear, drove the 12 foot diameter cable drum (second image). The drum hauled a 2 inch diameter cable attached to the boat cradle. The boat cradle and its load were lifted from Halifax Harbour to Sullivan’s Pond along the Marine Railway.

Model of a reaction turbine

Model of the gears and cable drum

In this photo from the Morris Canal you can see the cable that pulls the boat cradle. 

Shubenacadie Canal Significant Dates

While there are no specific dates here is archaeological evidence for First Nations use of the Waterway for over 3,000 years. The earliest known settlement in the Province is in the Debert area approximately 11, 000 years ago. However, there is no evidence these people used the waterway.

1797 - Legislature voted L250 for a survey to assess the practicability of construction of “a navigation” from Halifax Harbour to Minas Basin.

1801, 1814, 1820 - Follow up surveys were conducted.

1824 - Michael Wallace, President of the Legislature contracts engineer, Francis Hall, to prepare plans for the canal.

1825 - July 25th Official Sod Turning in Port Wallace – Lord Dalhousie and James Kempt officiating.

1831 - Construction ceases.

1854 - Work on Canal resumes under the supervision of Engineer Charles William Fairbanks.

As sections of the Canal were completed boats began to make use of it – for example as early as 1857 boats were going from Portobello to Maitland.

1861 - Construction of Canal fully completed and in November Avery makes the first trip from the Harbour to Maitland thus satisfying the requirement placed on the Company by the Provincial Government.

1870 - Last recorded revenue from the Canal

1872 - Lock Keeper, Henry Findlay leaves his job..

Sketch of the Avery. The Avery was the first vessel to make the complete journey from the Dartmouth Cove to Maitland.

Penstock pipe has been installed on the Flume House!

The newest edition to the Flume House is a six foot diameter penstock pipe that delivered water from Sullivan’s Pond in the elevated timber flume to the turbine located in the below ground chamber of the Flume House, a total vertical drop of 47 feet.

Students get a close up view of the Flume House

Dartmouth High School students had a chance to visit the Flume House in the Canal Greenway Park in Dartmouth. The students, under the guidance of teacher Maurice (Terry) Sampson, are putting together a time capsule to be installed by them in the Flume House in the Spring of 2017. An installation ceremony will be part of a grand celebration for the official opening of the Canal Greenway Park to help commemorate the “CANADA 150” year long event.   Students displayed great enthusiasm developing ideals for items to be included in the time capsule.   During their visit the students viewed the 600 mm deep opening for the time capsule left in a granite stone wall inside the Flume House. Safety Gear was not required because no contractors were working on site and the students were not allowed inside the Flume house.

-Doug Brownrigg

Did you know that the Dartmouth Inclined Plane was still in operation 150 years ago during  Canada’s Date of Birth (1867).

Bill MacIntyre, SCC Chair  and Sam Austin, Councillor District 5 (far left) with the students.

Three persons on the left are Bernie Hart, SCC Resident Historian, teacher Maurice Sampson and HRM Councillor Sam Austin, District 5.