Driven by Sweat & Steam

Driven by Sweat and Steam. The Energy Behind Bulow Sugar Mill. Running a successful sugar plantation like mine required a lot of energy. Before the 1800s, sugar mills were largely operated by animal power. Horses or oxen turned the gears that moved the large rollers used to crush cane. By the time I built this sugar mill in 1831, steam-powered mills were available. These provided greater power and allowed cane to be processed faster., This building housed the engine that produced steam to power the sugar mill. A pipe carried steam from this building to the second floor of the sugar house, where the large three-roller cane press was located. You can see the sugar house just beyond this building. When the sugar mill was not operating, the steam from the boiler house powered the plantation saw mill., Even with the mechanical energy provided by a strong steam engine, I could not produce sugar or operate my plantation without a large quantity of human energy. Although the number of slaves I used here changed over the years, the 1830 census shows 193 slaves were present on my plantation., (captions) , Bulow's slaves lived in houses forming an arch between the plantation house and the sugar mill. , Slaves at work harvesting sugar cane.