Steam Power in the Early Oil Industry

“The 19th century was driven by steam.  The oil industry’s need for steam power in the 1860’s wasn’t based solely on drilling or pumping oil wells but also for refineries and even for river vessels that transported oil and products from Oil Creek to Pittsburgh and returned with oilfield supplies. Steam locomotives of various railroads were bringing trains to the oil region and hauling away oil and refined product in wooden tanks mounted on flat cars beginning 1865 (and oil in barrels before that).  Pipelines commenced to use steam pumps in 1865.  Steam hammers made some of the fittings and parts of the drilling paraphernalia.  Even some of the coins in circulation in Drake’s day were stamped at the mint by an automated steam press. ” … http://www.petroleumhistory.org/OilHistory/pages/steam.html

Steam Powered Battery Charger

“This page is a diary about our effort to build a steam powered ‘backup generator’ to charge our batteries. For the most part we have all the power we could ever need from our small 600 Watt solar array and our 20′ diameter wind turbine, but on occasion I do need to run a generator and I always figured that a steam engine would be the most fun, plus… I don’t need to rely on petroleum – I have lots of wood all around me!”–  http://www.otherpower.com/steamengine.shtml

Steam Powered Coin Press (1830s)

“This device is the first “powered” coining press to be used at the United States Mint in Philadelphia. Thonnelier invented the press in France in 1833. It was operated by steam, while earlier presses were operated by hand. Philadelphians Merrick, Agnew, and Tyler imported the press in 1836. When it arrived in Philadelphia, Franklin Peale of the U.S. Mint made improvements to this model. The coining press was first operated on March 22, 1836 … ” more at http://www.fi.edu/pieces/knox/