That's a familiar sight. That windlass is in the same building as the blacksmith shop I work in. The building is called the Tan House, where the Shakers tanned leather. This windlass was used to lift large crates of wet hides from the vats in the basement to the second floor for processing. I would expect it could lift 1,000 lbs quie easily. (Sorry, my interpreter training kicked there. :))
Dave
