Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-11-15
THE EVENING NEWS.

w AN AHNa
brief notice of the start and progress Of
the famous Yellow Jacket mill, but in this
article propose to enter more minutely into
details, and give as nearly as possible an
accurate history Of the best reduction
works in Nevada. Monday afternoon
through the kindness of John b. winters,
President and er otFeio superintendent OF
the Yellow Jacket mine and mill, we VISIT
ed the mill, one of the most favoraoly To-
Gated on the Carson river, and a short dis
lance northeast of Empire City and the
Spanish reduction works. The place Of
Location was well selected, for the road
thi,her is direct, and the facilities for
obtaining wood and lumber are excel
lent. The mill, as built by James Nor
gan, was originally intended as q water
power mill, and the force was procured
from water of the Carson, taken through
a aune from the Spanish mill, which with
an iron turbine water wheel seven feet in
diameter, was capable Of running twenty
stamps and sixteen pans. When the YELL
low Jacket Company had completed the
purchase, Mr.. Winters, with usual tact,
decided to at once add thereto, with an
entire seperate set Of gearing, steam power
adequate to run the entire machinery, if
required. This decision was al once acted
upon, and the finest engine and boilers we
have ever seen on this coast have been
added thereto, and the whole establish
ment is now apparently complete, and as
near as possible of description as follows:
The ore room is eighty feet in length, and
20 constructed that teams drive and I'M
load directly in front of the batteries-of
which there are eight of five stamps each,
twenty of the number weighing eight
hundred and fifty pounds each, and
twenty weighing nine hundred and fifty
pounds each. all set in solid frames bolted
with heavy iron and on solid foundations.
Overhead is a walk, which permits the
workmen to oil and repair the cams and
other gearing. Each Battery is supplied
with fine wire screening that will only
permit the passage of the ore when re-
duced to the required pulp. From the
batteries the ore passes through II series OF
connecting va,s, twenty in number, and
each eight feet square and three feet six
inches in depth. TO the southwest end OF
the mill. where a huge slum tank has been
constructed ten feet in depth and eighteen
by twenty-four feet in size. divided INTO
three compartments. Along the entire
line OF watts, and TO the slum tank, is a
miniature railroad, on which are placed cars
for supplying the pans, which are thirty
in number, OF the Hepburn make. Each
two pans is furnished with an improved
separator that perfects the work OF
matchmaking. and runs directly at the
side and below the pans, so that 1t
only requires the turning Of a cock to fill
the one from the other. At the extreme
south end of the mill are the various APP
paratus tor cleaning up" and four I'M
proved retorts set in brick, and capable OF
melting a ton Of amalgam at a heat. Ad-
iacent is a huge stone vault, tire-proof and
burglar-proof, where the bullion is depos-
tied until ready for shipment. This por-
ton of the mill is eighty-four feet in
length by one hundred and 6fty-six feet
in depth, substantially constructed, and
kept as neat and clean as the kitchen Of a
New England farmer. The Foreman, Mr..
O.. S. Neary, kindly showed US the vari-
Gus parts Of the reduction works, and his
pride u, the neatness, order and general
good looks OF this department is certainly
commendable. He Is a model Foreman.
After a thorough inspection OF this portion
of the works, we passed to the southeast.
ern addition OF the mill. containing the
engine and boilers. THIS is eighty feet in
length and forty-rine feet in width. The
engine room is twenty feet wide and fifty
long, admirably lighted and Of lofty CELL
ing, painted white and %glistening with
cleanliness. The head Engineer and
Machinist, Mr.. y. Slack, courteously re-
ceived us and with evident pride gave Us
a full description of the magnificent en-
gine, which, glistening in every piece,
moves noislessly but with (when at full
capacity) two hundred and seventy horse
power. This engine is of sufficient power
10 run all the stamps, pans and gearing
of the mill, if required, and so arranged as
70 run the pans only, or the stamps, or
both. 1t was built for the company al
. the Vulcan Iron Works, San Francisco.
The cylinder Is twenty-five inches IN
diameter. and boxed after the Corless
STYLE. The enormous fy-wheeL eighteen
feet in diameter, and weighing $4,000
pounds, moves with hardly a jar, as the
foundation on which the engine rests Is
bull, of solid cut granite, in three blocks,
each eight feet in length, eight or ten feet IN
depth. The main shat is nine inches IN
diameter. One of Meyers self.adjusting
pa,en, cut-ofs is attached to the engine,
and we were informed worked most ad-
mjrably. After a long and pleasant visit
in this ROOM, we could hardly tire Of see
ing the beautiful engine work, we passed
10 the east, where are set four tubular boil
ers in solid masonry, each htty-tour inches
In diameter, and so constructed that each
sc, Of two can be used TO run the engine
without stopping the mill for even a mo
ment, The boilers have attached TO them
a patent injector, so that when It Is not
necessary TO use the engine, that a small
amount of steam for pan use can be gen.
Grated. Directly in front of the furnace
are four ash watts, so constructed that all
the Goals and ashes drop into the river
below, while the blow-off pipes and gauges
also discharge beneath the floor. The en-
zine in full work requires but twelve cords
per twenty-four hours, costing at the mill
but IS so q cord-afording q very Halter
ing contrast to the cost Of running the
Gould s. Curry engine. At the south OF
the boiler room is u huge water tank, con-
s,ructed of heavy timbers, thirty-six feet
long, sixteen feet wide and seven feet Deep
This is supplied from the river by two
humps, separate from each other-one be-
ing run by the engine and the other by
water power. The affable engineer, Luke
Dale, gave US all the required information
touching the engine and boilers, for which
we are obliged. Still further east, about
sixty feet from the mill, is q fine stone
ar~e.proof store-house, amply stocked with
chemicals, oils, etc. The mill is protected
from fire BY two force pumps and two
hundred feet Of leather hose. two inches
in diameter. is ready to be attached at an!
moment. thus q large stream OF water may
be conveyed instan,aneously over the en-
tire building. The building has recently
been painted with dark brown hre-proot
paint, which is durable and comely. The
mill employs but ,hirsy.,hree men, reduc-
ing daily ninety ons Of ore; and to sum
up the evidence in a strictly impartial