Conventional designs at the time used the reciprocating motion to pump water into a reservoir and turn a waterwheel, or used other complex arrangements of gears and chains.
I would ask, then, why is not a waterwheel excluded?
They could also be hydraulically powered, with a turbine or waterwheel arrangement giving the mechanical force to turn the barrel and pump the bellows.
The waterwheel drove three pairs of millstones via two lineshafts, each driven by a 2 ft diameter cast iron gear.
The waterwheel had been replaced by a turbine which drove the millstones via a great spur wheel that was only 3ft3 in diameter.
It had two waterwheels for two grist runs and one husking run.
They also made large mechanical puppet theatres driven by waterwheels and carriage wheels and wine-serving automatons driven by paddle wheel boats.
The aqueduct begins at the waterwheel and flows behind it.
