The Mill That Turned Without Power: What Alan Saw Inside
Show notes
The Mill That Turned Without Power: What Alan Saw Inside
A rhythmic mechanical thrum bled through corrugated siding of a decommissioned textile mill at 6:17 AM in the third week of January 2019, in eighteen-degree weather, coming from a building that had no electricity since 1992. What Alan Stroud saw through a gap-an eight-inch-wide leather drive belt looping over a shaft and turning-made him call 9-1-1; how could a line shaft move in a mill documented as powerless for twenty-seven years?
In this episode, we tell how a routine morning run became a logged police call, then a freelance journalist’s lead, and finally a four-person inspection that pulled together engineering, archival records, and local authority testimony to ask a single question: what was really turning that belt inside the Harwick Textile Mill?
Person: Alan Stroud
Date: January 2019
Location: Harwick Textile Mill east wing, Dunnmore
Status: Power formally disconnected in 1992
Witnesses: Mark Hunt, Phil Garrett, Diane Cho, Laura Rogers
- The 9-1-1 call about the sound was logged at 6:17 AM.
- The air temperature that morning was eighteen degrees Fahrenheit.
- The Harwick Mill had been closed since 1989 and its power disconnected in 1992.
- The drive belt seen turning was approximately eight inches wide and entered service in 1961.
- The line shaft had been removed and documented at a scrap dealer in Breck Junction with a receiving signature in 1991.
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© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
A rhythmic mechanical thrum bled through corrugated siding of a decommissioned textile mill at 6:17 AM in the third week of January 2019, in eighteen-degree weather, coming from a building that had no electricity since 1992. What Alan Stroud saw through a gap-an eight-inch-wide leather drive belt looping over a shaft and turning-made him call 9-1-1; how could a line shaft move in a mill documented as powerless for twenty-seven years?
In this episode, we tell how a routine morning run became a logged police call, then a freelance journalist’s lead, and finally a four-person inspection that pulled together engineering, archival records, and local authority testimony to ask a single question: what was really turning that belt inside the Harwick Textile Mill?
Person: Alan Stroud
Date: January 2019
Location: Harwick Textile Mill east wing, Dunnmore
Status: Power formally disconnected in 1992
Witnesses: Mark Hunt, Phil Garrett, Diane Cho, Laura Rogers
- The 9-1-1 call about the sound was logged at 6:17 AM.
- The air temperature that morning was eighteen degrees Fahrenheit.
- The Harwick Mill had been closed since 1989 and its power disconnected in 1992.
- The drive belt seen turning was approximately eight inches wide and entered service in 1961.
- The line shaft had been removed and documented at a scrap dealer in Breck Junction with a receiving signature in 1991.
Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA.
Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: https://obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-7198320
© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].