The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-06-19
Dubuque EarbOr.

At meeting ofthe City Council, some week
since, Aldermen Randall and Langworthy wer
appointed committee to ascertain the cost OF
Dredge Boat, such as is in use on the Fo:
and Wisconsin River Improvement also, in TIN
Harbor of Chicago, and upon the Illinois canal
and to report upon the practicability of using
such u boat i'll the improvement of our Harbor
The Committee addressed letter of inquiry
to the owners of the boat at Chicago, and have
seceived the following letter in reply.
CHICAGO, June 10Th, 1850.
>Icssrs. Randall g. Lamgworthy, Dubuque:
GENrLEMEN:-Yourl letter Of the 9th ult
making enquiry in relation to our Dredging Ma
chime arrived here during my absence from tho
city, and was not received until yesterday
will, with pleasure, answer your questions
as nearly as the case will admit of, and give you
any other information that may suggest itself te
me. You inquire
/. elbow many cubic yards can you ordinari
y remove or excavate per day az hours) lcom
mon clay, sand and gravel deposit?
.2ns,ccr. OF aiiuvial deposit, sand, or gravel
not too coarse, in good shape for the machine
to work on, from five to seven hundred yards
per day.
9. sHow far do you remove the dirt from the
boat, and to what height above the level of the
watcr?'
.3nsuer. Thirty feet, the length of the arm
of the crane, and raise it eighteen feet above the
level of the water.
3. s'What is the ordinary cost per day az
hours,) all expenses considered, to work the
boat and machinery successfully.
.7ns~er. About twelve dollars
!. "Coud a contract per cubic yard be made:
II 50, at what price?
.7nswer. | would do your work by contract,
hut cannot name price, without examining in
TO the character Of it, so to Judge how well it
may be adapted to machinery.
5. "What depth will the boat work to advan-
sage''
.7nsmer 1t can be made to work any reason
able depth. The machine here has dug eigh-
teen feet below the surface Of the water. 1t can
dig from SIX to eight feet to good advantage
In working through cut, it can dig two or three
feet above the surface Of the water as we'll as
below.
q. "What would such boat and machinery
cost, delivered at this point, all complete and
ready for successfully operating'
.4nsper. A new machine, such as ours, wo' d
cost $1,000, including the patent right.
7. "What would the machinery all complete
cost delivered here without the boat, and what
would the boat alone cost
+.4nSarer. The machinery would cost about
$4,000 and the boat about s 200 exclusive of
patent right
8. CHOW many hands does it require to man
the boat? How many cords of wood does it con-
sumo per day.
.4nsmer. Five men is the crew required to
work the dredge, and it will CONSUME one and
Il half cords Of wood per day.
"Will an ordinary engine answer if so,
what powcr''
.7nSucr. The eng inc is of the ordina-
~ kind, of fifteen horse power
In talking with several gentlemen from your
neighborhood, they have mentioned your work
to me, and from what understand of it, there
is no doubt that our machine is lust the thing
you want
There is excavation of the clay kind that
is attended with much difficulty. The material
here approaches very near hard pan, which in
the ordinary mode of excavation often requires
the pick, still the engine of fifteen horse power
works shovel containing 80 cubic feet without
any hndrance. The shovel can be regulated to
the quality of the work; in good easy digging,
it might hold l 81 cubic yards.
We are now setting up machine on the Hi
nois river, which will be ready for operations by
the middle of next month. Had received your
communication two weeks earlier, | have no
doubt we could have offered you that machine
on such terms you would have found to your
advantage to have purchased The materials
could have been freighted to your place at less
expense than boat can be towed there.
have consulted with my partner, George
Steele Esqr of this place, and we have come to
the conclusion to offer you the dredge at Lasalle,
in complete working order, for $4,000. 1t is
nearly good as new, having been used but a
bout two years on the Calumet feeder to the
nal. 1t draws, every thing on board, 2 feet in
chcs water, but could be lighted up at little cost,
to foot 6 inches. We could send along with
it crew Of men, competent to work it. The
above price includes the patent right to use the
machine.
*The seventh question have answered in its literal
sense, the hull alonea great part of the consists
of say, timber, crane, anchors, &c, &c.
Yours truly,
@ GEORGE ARMOUR.