Newark in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Wind-Powered Archimedes Screw-Pump

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, circa Mar. 1990

1. Wind-Powered Archimedes Screw-Pump Marker

Inscription. Regional Historic
Mechanical Engineering Landmark

Wind-Powered Archimedes Screw-Pump
ca. 1890
Newark, California
This late example of the wind-driven Archimedes screw-pump shifted brine from on salt concentrating pond to one of next higher salinity in the age-old process of recovering salt by solar evaporation. The screw-pump concept was attributed to Archimedes (287 – 212 B.C.). The windmill drive on the pump shaft originated in Holland before 1600.
Andrew Oliver, who founded the Oliver Salt Company (absorbed by the Leslie Salt Co. in 1936), designed this version of the wind-driven Archimedes screw-pump. It was restored to working condition by Donald Holmquist. It represents a mechanically simple method used for more than a century in the San Francisco Bay Area, from about 1820 to 1930.

Erected 1984 by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, San Mateo County Section.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. Marker has been reported missing.

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It was located near 37° 31.337′ N, 122° 1.835′ W. Marker was in Newark, California, in Alameda County. Marker could be reached from Central Avenue near Morton Avenue. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 7220 Central Avenue, Newark CA 94560, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies. Carter Brothers (approx. 0.7 miles away); Leal Tank House (approx. 2.6 miles away); Ardenwood Historic Farm / George Washington Patterson Ranch (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Beginnings of Centerville Presbyterian Church (approx. 2.9 miles away); The Chadbourne Carriage House (approx. 3 miles away); Machado House (approx. 3.4 miles away); Pioneer Schoolhouse & Chapel (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Shinn Family Nursery and Ranch (approx. 4 miles away).

More about this marker. This marker was originally located at the Leslie Salt salt museum, an outdoor exhibit. Cargill took over the Leslie Salt operations at Newark, California in 2008. The salt museum had been decommissioned. Photographs 1 and 2 are taken from slides taken during a Leslie Salt plant tour.

Also see . . . Tjasker - Wikipedia. The tjasker... is a small type of windmill used solely for drainage purposes. It is distinctive for its
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, circa Mar. 1990

2. Wind-Powered Archimedes Screw-Pump
simple construction, featuring only a single inclined shaft that carries the sails on one end and an Archimedes' screw on the other, in this way avoiding the need for any gearing. (Submitted on January 19, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Additional commentary.
1. The marker's temporary location
The marker is temporarily stored at a Hayward Recreation & Park District facility (as of October 2014).

— Submitted October 9, 2014, by Henry Pratt of Hayward, California.

Former site of the salt museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, January 9, 2014

3. Former site of the salt museum

Model of a wind-powered Archimedes screw-pump image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, January 19, 2014

4. Model of a wind-powered Archimedes screw-pump

This model is located at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center.

What is that windmill thing? image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, January 19, 2014

5. What is that windmill thing?

This is an artistic representation of an Archimedes Screw, a device imagined by the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes (287-212 B.C.E.), and created again in the late 1870s by Andrew Oliver to move water between salt ponds. The Oliver Salt Company owned this land for much of the twentieth century and used it to harvest salt by moving water through a series of shallower ponds, letting sun and wind do the evaporative work to produce crystallized salt.
An Archimedes Screw is wind-powered and can pump up to 2,000 gallons of water a minute. The windmill blades turn the long screw at the base, which carries water up and into troughs that moved (flowed) other ponds. You can still see the frame of an old screw pump farther out, towards the highway. Rather than pumping water, it is now a common roost for Red-Tailed Hawks and White-Tailed Kites. – information sign posted at a nearby kiosk

This "artistic representation" is located near the Hayward Shoreline Interpretative Center.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,250 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 19, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.