Posted by John Wilson on August 16, 2000 at 22:58:52 from wn-d124.actrix.co.nz:
In Reply to: Re: Picts and Martyrs - oddities index posted by Robert Hill on August 15, 2000 at 15:30:40:
While Beckfoot had a telephone (probably on the Fellside manual exchange like Col. Jolys), the poles may not have been used for power lines also if the British Post Office was cautious about having phone lines close to power lines. With a “country house” local generating set I believe that it was common to have a storage battery to provide the 110v DC supply when the engine closed down. And the “Onan” farm set from America in the forties had a detector which started the 2- cylinder petrol engine if someone switched on a light.
A hydro generating plant with a Pelton (sic) wheel could be used with a high head of water, or a turbine with a low head of water. Beckfoot would use water from a stream - not the lake. The Amazons were not allowed to drink water from the lake which is why they originally got the puncheon (SA). But they boiled water for tea (cuppa anyone?) and used the puncheon for grog!