NH,

This is neat stuff. I'll try to get more info on the undershot wheel. When I met w/ one of the historians/restorers here in August, we talked by the river about the wheel. I took notes (that are somewhere), but I remember him discussing the wheel, that it was a way to harness a lot of the river's energy. Very powerfull. And it could do so in a river / setting that was not particularly deep.

I'll have to check, but I think the "wheel" (really shaped more like a log), was about 12" in diameter and maybe 10' long. If you wanted more power, you just made a longer wheel.

I always pictured waterpowered mills having large diameter and tall, but relatively narrow wheels. This "log style" that grabs a wide swath of current seems much better for power as well as ice concerns...the small diameter allowed it to stay submerged, etc.

I'll see if I can get an old picture or more info from them on this.

Best--