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A penal treadmill (penal treadwheel or everlasting staircase) was a treadwheel or treadmill with steps set into two cast iron wheels. These drove a shaft that could be used to mill corn, pump water, or connect to a large fan for resistance. [1] Penal treadmills were used in prisons during the 19th century in both Britain and the United States ...
British penal treadwheel. A treadwheel, or treadmill, is a form of engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference (treadmill), or by a human or animal standing inside it (treadwheel).
The crank machine was a penal labour device used in England in the 19th century. It consisted of a hand-turned crank which forced four large cups or ladles through sand inside a drum, doing nothing useful.
However, regularly exceeding its capacity supporting over 200 prisoners, overcrowding was an early problem and with its small cells and poor living conditions contributed to its reputation as one of the worst prisons in London (worsened when Brixton became one of the first prisons to introduce penal treadmills in 1821). There is an illustration ...
Example of modern treadmill. A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place.Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type of mill operated by a person or animal treading the steps of a treadwheel to grind grain.
Treadmill at Brixton Prison in London, c1817, British Library. Note: The broadside features an illustration and description of a treadmill at Brixton Prison in London; it shows prisoners serving 'hard labour' engaged in grinding corn. The machine was designed by William Cubitt and was able to accommodate up to 24 prisoners at one time.
Description: An Interior View of a Jamaica House of Correction, c.1837. Caption: An Interior View of a Jamaica House of Correction, this illustration shows a scene during the Apprenticeship Period (1834-38); man on left being flogged, in center at bottom, a woman has her hair cut off.
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