The steam crane that is on display on Avenida de Anaga, in front of the Nautical School, is the one that Cory Brothers and Company Ltd. installed in 1934 for the coal dock in vallesecoto carry out the tasks of unloading and loading the coal to and from the ships anchored in the bay.
When the British-flagged coal steamers –Colliers– arrived at the anchorage loaded with Tyne, Clyde or Cardiff, coming from Wales, the coal barges came alongside them to fill their holds with black mineral.
As the filling was carried out in the open sea, between the band of the ship and the barge they placed wooden planks so that the mineral slipped off; Then, these boats went to the dock where the Crane was in charge of hoisting it to the wagons that, pulled by mules, transferred it to the interior of the three warehouses, using the railway tracks installed on the dock. To expedite work, there were two railway lineswith the consequent change of needle.
The barges repeated the operation again, but in reverse, when the ocean liners –Liners– that had arrived with cruise passengers requested the precise tons of coal (one hundred for each puff).
While the “charring of the donkey” lasted, the boats and decks of the ship were covered with tarpaulins to prevent the black dust from dirtying them. At the same time, the passengers went ashore in the landing craft and rented horse-drawn carriages –Landó– to take them to La Matanza de Acentejo, a place where they enjoyed a beautiful panoramic view of the Teide.
This operation of loading and unloading coal with wagons originated a cloud of black dust that was deposited on the skin and lungs of the workers of the “black cargo” (loaders and boatmen).
Crane
the steam crane Tenerife nº 2261, manufactured in 1920 in Bedford-England, by Grafton&CºEngineer, has the particularity that rotates on a vertical column or treeformed from a single casting piece.
The crane, called jib, jib or jib, can perform three movements: longitudinal, vertical and in an arc.
The longitudinal movement, carried out on the railway line installed on the pier, was done at a speed of 6 kilometers per hour. To carry it out, the machinist used the levers: Arrow, Stop and March. The vertical movement was executed with the metallic arm (pen), 6 meters long. To raise or lower the hook, the operator used the levers: Raise, Stop and Lower. With its arc movement, the crane was capable of turning 360º.
He engine of the crane is formed by a high pressure vertical steam engine, without condensation and with variable expansion.
The boiler or steam generator is attached to the crane and follows all its movements with it, serving as a counterweight. The aforementioned boiler is equipped with a pressure gauge, water level, safety valve, cleaning doors, taps, conduction tubes and steam outlet.
The boiler produces all the steam necessary for the machine to work at five atmospheres, with a nominal force of six horsepower.
Behind the boiler, under the chimney, is the water tank which also rotates with the apparatus. The crane itself produces the necessary energy to inject water into the steam boiler, since the accumulated pressure is used as a generator of movement.
In order for the steam engine to reach the required pressure and generate the necessary driving force, the water was heated with mineral coal; as the water turned into steam under pressure, the pistons of the different elements of the machine began to move.
The exit of the smoke and gases from the combustion takes place at the base of the chimney, a short distance from the ceiling of the stove.
The lathe or drum is cast with two large flanges so that the links of the chain will not escape. The lathe spindle bearings and sprocket shafts are fitted in two vertical frames.
The toothed wheels, which communicate movement, are located on the same axis of the drum, on the outside of the frames.
The 94-tooth wheel meshes with a 12-tooth sprocket which, in turn, is mounted on a horizontal shaft, fitted with a 95-tooth wheel which meshes with a 16-tooth sprocket, mounted on a handlebar shaft. This tree directly receives the action of the steam cylinder plunger and is provided with a flywheel to regulate the march and facilitate the passage of the dead points of the engine.
After having spent 90 years outdoors, all its parts continue to be perfectly adjusted and assembled..
