A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine built to lift and move rock and soil, and it was the earliest type of power shovel. Grimshaw, an engineer working for Boulton and Watt, built the first steam-powered excavator in 1796; William Otis received the primary United States patent for a practical steam shovel design in 1839, and his cousin Oliver Smith Chapman later developed the design further. Steam shovels drove major nineteenth and early twentieth century infrastructure projects, including railroad construction and the Panama Canal, before cheaper diesel-powered and electric excavators made the steam shovel obsolete during the 1930s.
Facts
Patent or First-Use Date YearEarlier steam-powered excavators existed (Grimshaw 1796, Brunton patented 1833), but the steam shovel itself is credited to Otis. SignificanceSteam shovels assisted mining operations worldwide, from the iron mines of Minnesota and the copper mines of Chile and Montana to open-pit mines from Bingham Canyon, Utah onward, and were also used for construction, road and quarry work. 2 FAQs
Did steam shovels disappear as soon as newer excavators arrived?
Not at once; hundreds of Thew shovels worked into the 1950s.
No. Hundreds of Thew shovels still worked mines and road cuts into the 1950s, and a few can still work up a head of steam today.
Connections
Associated With
Source William Otis Steam Shovel Patent US1089 (Google Patents)
In Field
Source Steam Shovel (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Invented By
Source Steam Shovel (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. William Otis (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, patent date sentenceQuote, Lead section, patent date sentence
Otis received a patent for his creation on February 24, 1839.
2. Steam Shovel (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Otis invention sentence
The steam shovel was invented by William Otis, who received a patent for his design in 1839.
Body text, mining applications sentence
Steam shovels assisted mining operations: the iron mines of Minnesota, the copper mines of Chile and Montana, placer mines of the Klondike, all had earth-moving equipment.
History
The steam shovel was invented by William Otis, who received a patent for his design in 1839.
In Field: Mechanical Engineering, Lead section
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil.
Invented By: William Otis, History section
The steam shovel was invented by William Otis, who received a patent for his design in 1839.
View the Source William Otis Steam Shovel Patent US1089 (Google Patents)
Google Patents / United States Patent OfficeAssociated With: William Otis, SpecificationQuote, Associated With: William Otis, Specification
have invented certain improvements in the apparatus for and mode of excavating earth for the construction of railroads, canals, or other purposes where excavation may be necessary
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