Laxey Mine ton, and this would be used to glaze lower end earthenware. During the height of prosperity of the Great Laxey Mine, the Laxey Wheel was erected. The wheel was named the Lady Isabella, after the wife of Sir Charles Hope, who at the time was the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. During its working life the wheel was capable of pumping 250 gallons of water a minute from a depth of 200 fathoms. By the beginning of the 20th Century the yield from the mine had begun to decline dramatically. During the first six months of 1900 the
SS Ellan Vannin (1854) by two oscillating marine engines with tubular boilers, built by Messrs. Fawcett, Preston & Co. (similar to those installed in the "Countess of Ellesmere") which developed , driving two paddle wheels of 16' diameter which were fitted with feathered floats. The paddle floats were "feathered" so as to help to reduce vibration which could be common in early marine steam engines. She was divided into five water tight compartments had accommodation for 100 tons of cargo and a bunker capacity for 40 tons of coal. "Ellan Vannin" was said to be a remarkably handsome vessel, having a smart rakish appearance,