18 bladed fan, mounted on a brick built two storey open tower with battlements.
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The section titled "Earlier use of windmills in Ceylon" within Wind power for agriculture in Jaffna Peninsula report relates:
Two windmills of a heavy pattern are installed at the salterns at Elephant Pass. These are utilized to lift salt water into the evaporating basins for the precipitation of salt.
In the 1952 report "Wind power for agriculture in Jaffna peninsula" there's a section titled "Earlier use of windmills in Ceylon".
That section relates:
Earlier use of windmills in Ceylon
One of the earliest windmills set up was at Dr. Paul's bungalow at Keerimalai. The windmill is said to have worked spasmodically for some time and gone out of action later, due presumably to want of skilled attention. [mention of Walawe, and of Elephant Pass, qv] Unfortunately it is not possible to collect authentic records of the behaviour of any of the windmills so far.
The section titled "Earlier use of windmills in Ceylon" within Wind power for agriculture in Jaffna Peninsula report relates:
Windmills are also said to have been installed by the Agricultural Department at some of their agricultural farms for purposes of watering garden crops. Such a mill is said to function satisfactorily in the Walawe area.
The publication Transactions of the Engineering Association Of Ceylon from 1952 contains a report titled: "Notes on Visit to Irrigation Schemes, Jaffna Peninsular 2nd August, 1952" By the Director of Irrigation. The second part of the report is about "Wind power for agriculture in Jaffna Peninsula".
It relates:
Windmill Experiment at Yama, Urulu.
In February, 1949, the Hon. Minister for Agriculture and Lands issued a directive to the Director of Irrigation to examine the possibilities of the use of windmills in the Jaffna Peninsula as a source of power for lift irrigation.
A study of this subject was then made in the Hydraulic Research Laboratory involving the consideration of various aspects and kinds of windmill and their usage with particular reference to the expected wind velocities prevalent in the Jaffna Peninsula during the various months of the year. Pursuant to the reports that were prepared, it was decided in November 1949 to carry out an experiment on the working of windmills in the area. A suitable site was selected at the Yama or Pokune ar Urulu in the Jaffna Peninsula for the siting up of a windmill.
'Hercules' 18' x 40' windmill of the oil bath type, costing about �350 was ordered from Messers. A H J Godwin Ltd., Windmill and Pumpmill manufacturers. Gloucestershire, England. The windmill was complete with pump, which has a capacity of 5,200 gallons p.h. when working at full speed of 20"-12" double strokes per minute. and is specified to work up to a total head of 50 feet. The windmill was received in November, 1951, and set up at the site.
Further on the report continues:
Windmill Experiment at Urulu
The site selected for the experiment is usually known as Yama or Pokune at Urulu. Here the nature of the terrain is in the shape of a basin, the surface area of which is about 80 acres. At the bottom of the basin is the Pokune or the well. The well really is a puncture into the limestone strata and is about 10' to 20' in diameter. It is about 8 feet in depth. The water level inside the well is about 2' to 3' and this level is more or less maintained throughout the year. During the dry months the water never goes dry nor does the Pokune every become empty. During the wet months the surface flood flow gathers up into this sump or Pokune and is known to rapidly subside. it has, therefore, to be presumed that the well has some connection to the sea. It has been reported that pumping out the water from the Pokune with the use of two Trailer Pumps for three days did not lower the top water level in the Pokune.
The scheme visualised is to pump with the use of windmill the water in the well and convey it along a channel system on the ridge of the basin. From here, the extent of 80 acres could be cultivated with garden crops. Should the windmill function with favourable results, the water would be pumped by the windmill when there is sufficient wind, and fill a tank on the top of the ridge from where it could be drawn for purposes of irrigation.
Should the experiment prove a success, then it would open out possibilities for lift irrigation for the growing of garden crops in the Jaffna Peninsula. Granting that such a form of power will never be large enough for the successful irrigation of extensive paddy cultivation, it would nevertheless prove a boon for the farmer who cultivates crops such as onions, chillies, yams, vegetables, etc. It would relieve the farmers from his greatest worry in finding labour to lift the water from wells for irrigating his gardens.
Progress of observations - April-June 1952
The windmill was erected in March this year and experiments were started in April. Observations taken so far indicated that the mean delivery of water is about 36 gallons per minute or 51,200 gallons per day. The SOuth-West Monsoon established itself in the middle of May and the wind speeds showed a marked increase after that. From May onwards the average delivery of water was about 71,000 gallons or .263 acre feet per day.
The windmill is operated through the 24 hours to determine the reaction of the Pokune to continuous pumping. The anticipated reaction of the Pokune are, a lowering of the water level and a change in the quality of the water. On April 25, 1952 the level in the Pokune was 1.8 above mean sea level, on May 19, the level was 1.3 above mean sea level. A heavy shower of rain on the 19th and 20th May raised the level to a maximum of 2.0 above mean sea level, and the Pokune with continuous pumping was able to maintain this level till about the 23rd. Up to the end of May after 2 million gallons of water had been pumped out, the level dropped slowly to a minimum of 1.3 above mean sea level and it has maintained at this level so far.
Samples of relatively undisturbed water at different levels were taken in March, 1952. The analyses of these samples were carried out by the Government Analyst and they indicated that the water was quite potable in other words suitable for domestic use. Sampling of water was carried out at intervals as pumping progressed. The last sample taken on 2nd June, 1952 after removal of more than 2 million gallons of water showed that the salinity had increased slightly reaching a maximum of 5.9 parts per 100 thousand parts at the lowest depth. This restricted change over a period of 3 months in the quality of water in the pokune affords an indication that under the narrow pumping ability of the windpower plant, a depreciation in quality to the point of unsuitability for irrigation cannot be foreseen not at least with the evidence so far collected. However, as the dry period is still in advance, viz. June, July and August, it is to be seen whether continuous pumping at a higher rate than has been done in the past would maintain quality of water suitable for irrigation.
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