Hoist

About the sound

The hoist, which was built cooperatively by the Gutenhoffnungshütte (GHH) and the company AEG (construction by GHH, Elektrik: AEG) in the 1980s, is in use in shaft 10 of the Prosper-Haniel colliery. It manages the transportation of people, coal and material inside the shaft.
In order to enter and exit the mine (men hoisting) there is an electric drive engine, which can move one cage up and another cage down at the same time. Both cages are attached at different places on a steel cable and are also connected by a weight-compensation cable. The steel hoisting cable is conducted by a pulley hanging from the head frame.
When the motor-driven steel drum of the hoist turns, the cable is put in motion, which moves one cage downwards and the other cage upwards.
The entire hoisting system is controlled by a computer. The hoist operator supervises the procedures and is able to step in when a problem occurs during operation.
The sounds of the hoist are made by the drive engine and the turning of the cable drum. These sounds will be heard at the Prosper-Haniel colliery until 2018. Then, anthracite coal mining in Germany will come to an end.

Sound recordist: Konrad Gutkowski
Photographer: Konrad Gutkowski/Julian Blaschke