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Article: Thew Steam Shovel.
- Article from:
- Construction Equipment
- Article date:
- March 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Keith Haddock, Contributing Editor
Captain Thew's unique steam shovel was America's first fully revolving excavator of any type
Captain Richard Thew is credited with building America's first fully revolving shovel and, like most inventions, it originated from an idea to serve a specific need. Back in the 1890s, Thew, captain of an ore-carrying boat on the Great Lakes, often encountered the problem of handling iron ore once it was deposited on the docks. At that time, such work was done with "railroad-type" steam shovels that traveled on railroad tracks. They were heavy, cumbersome, and could only swing their booms from side to side in a half-circle. ...