The Sack Hoist
The sack hoist, located on the lower Garner floor, is driven by the Diesel Engine. The hoist control rope, seen in the left picture, is attached to the top lever of two connected wooden levers. The free end of the hoist control rope extends down to the Ground Floor to enable the hoist to be operated from all floors. The sack chain, lying slack in the right picture, has one end attached to the chain drum and the second end free. The free end can be lowered through the trap doors, down to the Ground Floor, where it can be attached to a sack of grain to be lifted to the Garner. Pulling the hoist control rope will, via the two levers, push a friction wheel on the chain drum shaft into contact with a smaller friction wheel being constantly driven through a series of belts from the diesel engine. The chain drum starts rotating, winding on the chain to pull the sack up through the trap doors. The miller knew when the sack had reached the Garner by counting the number of 'bangs' as the trap doors closed after the sack had passed. Releasing the control rope stopped the chain drum and the sack would rest on the Garner floor trap door. If the miller was working alone, he would then have to climb up the narrow stairways, remove the chain from the sack, move the sack off the trap door, lower the chain through the trap doors to the ground floor and then go down the stairways to attach the next sack. And repeat for all the remaining sacks! During our Open Days, grain lifted up to the Garner by the sack hoist is tipped into a hopper for initial cleaning by the Aspirator as it falls through to the small storage bin on the Stone Floor.