Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WINCH AND CABLE WEIGHT

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1990

Materials

STEEL, LEAD, WOOD

No. Pieces

4

Height

22.2

Length

107.6

Width

23.5

Description

1. WINCH. METAL IS PAINTED DARK BLUE, AND SHOWS SIGNS OF WEAR; NO VISIBLE CORROSION. FRAME BASE IS LONG AND MADE OF TWO NARROW PIECES OF METAL. AT THE END OF BASE FRAME IS A WHEEL THROUGH WHICH THE CABLE WOULD RUN. THE WINCH ITSELF IS PLACED ON A SUPPORT PIECE NEAR THE OPPOSITE END. THIS OPERATES VIA A SAFETY CATCH SYSTEM WHERE THE WINCH CAN BE DRAWN IN SIMPLY BY TURNING THE HANDLE, BUT IN ORDER TO RELEASE THE WINCH, A SMALL LEVER HAS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE CATCHES ON THE WINCH. WRAPPED AROUND THE WINCH, IS A THIN METAL WIRE APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MM IN THICKNESS. NEAR THE WINCH END OF THE FRAME, THERE IS A METAL HANDLE AND A THIN LINKED METAL CHAIN (SILVER). NEXT TO THE WINCH, THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PLUG WHICH CAN BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN AUDIBLE BEEP BOX FOUND WITH ARTIFACT P20010036008-GA. 2. LEAD FISH WEIGHT. 13.5(H) X 55.4(L) X 11.7(W). WEIGHT WAS ATTACHED TO WINCH. IT IS TORPEDO SHAPED WITH LARGE STABILIZER FINS AT THE BACK. ENTIRE ITEM IS PAINTED RED. AT THE TOP THE ID MARKINGS "C-30" ARE ENGRAVED IN THE METAL. 3. WEIGHT CASE. 19.2(H) X 61.3(L) X 15.2(W). CASE FOR ABOVE ARTIFACT. LARGE BLUE WOODEN BOX, HAS A YELLOW ROPE ATTACHED FOR CARRYING. THERE IS A METAL LATCH AT THE FRONT. 4. HANDLE FOR BOATSWAINS CART. BLUE. HANDLE AT ONE END, AT THE OTHER THERE ARE TWO HOOKS AND A LARGE SCREW. AT THE VERY END IS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A CANVAS LOOP ATTACHED TO THE HANDLE VIA A SINGLE SCREW.

Subjects

MECHANICAL T&E

Historical Association

INDUSTRY

History

USED BY THE ST. MARY RIVER IRRIGATION DISTRICT. NOTE: NO. 4 IS MIS-LABLED AND MIS-ASSOCIATED. IT IS ONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE BOATSWAINS CART (P20010036011-GA). IN 2008, UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND GALT PROGRAM STAFF MEMBER DYLAN JOHNSON PARTICIPATED IN A UOFL APPLIED STUDIES PROGRAM, CONDUCTING RESEARCH WORK ON ST. MARY’S IRRIGATION DISTRICT (SMRID) OBJECTS DONATED TO THE GALT IN 2001. THE OBJECTS WERE ACQUIRED AS PART OF A GALT IRRIGATION EXHIBIT (STREAMS IN THE DESERT) IN 2000 AND WERE SEVERELY UNDER DOCUMENTED. JOHNSON CONSULTED WITH FORMER AND PRESENT ST. MARY’S IRRIGATION DISTRICT STAFF MEMBERS AS PART OF HIS RESEARCH. THE INFORMATION BELOW IS EXTRACTED FROM INTERVIEW(S) CONDUCTED BY JOHNSON. TO DETERMINE WHICH INTERVIEWS ARE RELEVANT TO THIS ARTIFACT, PLEASE REFER TO THE ARTIFACTS’ PERMANENT FILE (20010036001-11) AND THE RESEARCH PAPER’S REFERENCES. THE WINCH AND CABLE WERE SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF EQUIPMENT IN IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT ON ACCOUNT THAT THEY WERE PART OF A MOBILE RECORDING DEVICE. IT WAS USED FOR IRRIGATION DITCHES IN 25 LOCATIONS, INCLUDING LETHBRIDGE, MEDICINE HAT AND TABER. THE WINCH AND CABLE DROPPED A 30 LB FISH INTO A CANAL IN ORDER TO RECORD FLOW VELOCITY (WHICH IS DIFFERENT AT CERTAIN DEPTHS THAN OTHERS). CERTAIN CANAL LOCATIONS’ FLOW VELOCITIES WERE OF INTEREST AND, THUS, THE WINCH-CABLE SYSTEMS WERE SET UP AT INLETS AND OUTLETS TO UNDERSTAND INCOMING AND OUTGOING WATER FLOW AND TO SOME EXTENT QUANTITY. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO RECORD WATER FLOW AT THESE INLETS BECAUSE IF TOO HIGH A QUANTITY OF WATER WERE TO RUSH INTO THE CANAL IT WOULD SPILL ITS BANKS AND POSSIBLY FLOOD FIELDS OR ROADS. IT WOULD ALSO BE USED BY HAVING A FLOW RATE METER ATTACHED TO THE CABLE WHICH WOULD SEND OUT ELECTRICAL SOUND BEEPS AT REGULAR INTERVALS TO THE WINCH WHICH WOULD BE HEARD BY THE OPERATOR WHO WAS WEARING HEADPHONES. HE WOULD MARK DOWN EACH BEEP HEARD IN A GIVEN TIME FRAME AND THIS WOULD TELL HIM THE WATER’S VELOCITY. THE WINCH AND CABLE WERE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EDGES OF BRIDGES OR BOATSWAINS CARTS. BOATSWAINS’ CARTS GAVE BETTER READINGS VERSUS BRIDGES ON ACCOUNT THAT GARBAGE AND DEBRIS ACCUMULATE AROUND BRIDGES’ FOOTINGS, SKEWING VELOCITY MEASUREMENTS. THE WINCH AND CABLE WERE USED BEFORE 1963 - LIKELY IN THE 1950S (MEANING IT WAS GIVEN FROM THE SMRID TO THE SMRID MANAGEMENT) - AND WERE UTILIZED UP UNTIL 1997/1998. THERE WERE, HOWEVER, RISKS AND PITFALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EQUIPMENT. TECHNICIANS WOULD HAVE TO STAND ON THE BUSY HIGHWAY BRIDGES WITH FAST MOVING TRAFFIC AS THE TECHNICIANS ATTEMPTED TO RECORD THE DATA. THE INTRICATE NATURE OF CHANGING THE INCREMENTS OF DEPTH ALSO MEANT THAT THIS PROCESS COULD BE LABORIOUS AND TIME CONSUMING. CANALS WOULD GET CLOGGED WITH WEEDS AND – IN ORDER FOR THE DEVICE TO ACCURATELY RECORD DEPTH AND VELOCITY PROPERLY - THE CANALS NEEDED TO BE DREDGED. ULTRASONIC BOAT SYSTEMS HAVE REPLACED THE NEED FOR THE WINCH AND CABLE.

Catalogue Number

P20010036007

Acquisition Date

2001-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail