After taking a tour of the Mohawk No.6 hoist building’s lower levels, we made our way to the building’s top level to do more of the same. This “top level” is actually the building’s main level, with those tunnels having been technically part of the building’s basement. Here is where the hoist itself would have sat, atop the concrete foundations that formed the walls of the tunnels below. This is also where the men who operated and maintained this giant machine would have worked – standing atop the same ground we stood now. I wonder if they were as impressed as I was standing within that massive building today.

Gazing about I found myself surrounded on three sides by towering rock walls that stood easily a dozen feet or more in height – even more so when you take into account the far walls peaked top. The inside surfaces of those walls are covered by a layer of white washed mortar, which unfortunately provides a perfect surface for taggers to do their business.

Some of those taggers are represented here, thanks to their foresight of writing their names upon the wall for all to see. More interesting to me here is the large window opening, which would have let in a generous amount of light in its day.

Across the way on the building’s opposite side there are even more windows to be found. Protruding out of the top of this wall were a series of iron beams, or at least what was left of them. These beams would have once help up the building’s considerable roof but looked to have been cut down at some point and time. Most likely done to facilitate the removal of the valuable equipment that once sat inside here.

Looking down between the two walls sits the remains of the old hoist. Atop the foundation on which we stood would have sat one of the engine’s cylinders – you can still see where it was bolted to the floor. The slot directly in front of us was used to provide egress through the foundation for this cylinder’s steam inlet. The same configuration can also be seen across the pit, where the engine’s second cylinder would have been mounted.

A closer look at one of those cylinder mounts.

Another angle of those steam inlet openings. Note the remains of the brick lining which once graced the opening. The bricks are gone but the mortar that once held them in place remains.

In front of those steam inlets was the large opening that once housed the cable drum itself. The hole is partially filled today, thanks to the debris from the building’s ruined from wall. Unlike the rear wall that we saw at the beginning of this post, this wall didn’t survive. This is actually common, and I have yet to find any hoist ruin where this front wall is still intact. I think it has to do with that wall’s inherent instability due to the slots that were cut through them to allow hoist cables to exit the building.

Back at the other end of the hoist foundation we found this concrete “bridge” which made its way across the pit to the other side. No idea what it was for, but it served as an excellent method to get over to the other side ourselves.

This side wasn’t any different from the side we had just came from. The same cylinder foundation greeted us along with the steam inlet, white washed wall, towering windows, and stairway opening. (They don’t call it a duplex hoist for nothing) But what we did get from this side was a great panoramic of the ruins that surrounded us. The size and scope of the building was amazing, and to stand their in the midst of such grandeur was an experience we treasured for a few moments before moving on.

OK. Moving on now….

To Be Continued…

The Mohawk No.6 Hoist ruins are on private property and are not open to the public