Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-09-19

! ELhNAl1Nd AM" A1bAA5A "
an article clipped from the columns Of
the st. Louis Democrat, Of the 10th,
| giving q description Of the Patent Ele-
vator Belle Ida.n We learn thst she
will be here this fall and winter for the
| purpose of supplying the city contractors
/ and builders with pure SILICA sand:
Some months since we paid a visit, in
| company with q number of prominent
citizens, to the sand elevator, originated
by DR.. J. H. Mclean, of this city, then
in operation at the foot of Mound street,
and at the time gave a description Of the
machinery, etc. Since then Capt.
| Thomas Lapsley has taken charge of the
elevator, and the improvements he has
made on the original machinery is al
most beyond conception. Everything
| works smoothly, and ever without the
least jar, and with the regularity Of
clock work. The stopping on the
! center and jerking Of the machinery,
a. when first put in operation, having
been entirely remedied by the genius and
| mechanical skill Of Capt. Lapsley. The
elevator on the Belle Ida consists first of
! a staging or frame work hfty-two feet in
length, which is so fastened to an up
right frame work, just forward of the
wheelhOuse, where il works upon iron
NOlLlAEa aAAoN lAE AAC CAA1 ANALAAhE AAN
stern to be lowered by q windlsss, 70 such
depth as may be necessary to reach the
sand bed-the elevation at the stationary
point, and the length Of the frame being
such as to enable the elevator 10 work in
any depth OF water, from five to twenty
five feet. Over this frame, working upon
long iron points, so arranged as to form
an endless chain, work thiTty-twO iron
buckets or rather scoops, eighteen inches
long, fifteen broad and ten deep,
which, descending upon the under side Of
the staging, strike the sand bar at an
angle sufficient to ill them, and passing
up they run along the upper side until
they reach the highest point Of the frame
work, when passing around, the water
contained in the bucket is first thrown
out clear over the hopper, which receives
the sand dropping from the scoop as it
reaches a perpendicular, the scoop then
passing On to again be filled, and being
followed ia endless succession by other
full scoops, and preceded by the empty
ones. AS the sand is emptied in the
hopper it is received on another endless
chain, this time carrying nat iron
plates, running at right angles with the
q elevator" which in turn carries 1t to
the barge, where a half dozen men
EEllku Will EANoNGAH uL5LLlBuAC II tNcLaN
around the deck. All the machinery is
driven by an engine which drives the
boat, but which differs from ordinary
boat engines by working with q driving
wheel Instead Of shafts, by which ar
engagements the cOg-wheels are thrown
out of connection with the running-gear
OF the boat, and into connection with the
elevator machinery, the boat meantime
being anchored by dropping four spars or
timbers, two just forward and two just
aft Of the cabin, and all close to the hull,
holding her steadily TO the spot while the
machinery is loading the 53rges. The
sand raised by theelevator from the bed of
the river, where the current 10 strongest,
is pure SILICA. the action of the water
freeing it from sll loan or foreign
substance, and when properly mixed
with lime, forms a cement harder than
rock itself and perfectly imperviOus to
water walls in the construction OF
which il is used being free from ell mOis-
ture or dampGess. Such is not the case
with the sand that hiss been used by our
builders, as it is procured frohi bars at
low water, and is very fine and dusty, |
and composed of over thirty-three per
cent. Of loan, which becomes alb
sorbed by the lime, leaving the mortar
porous and spOngy, and Of a necessity
weakening the wall, which in course
Of time cracks and crumbles 10 the
All this is remedied by the use
Of the pure silica sand, procured by the
elevator from the bed Of the river,
and persons engaged in building would
find it greatly to their advantage il they
would give this matter their serious at
t~entiOu, and see that contractors use
brf fha hasf ~ruafffu Of 1onH In fha /
construction Of their ediices. For sewer
building end street improvement pur-
poses, there can be no comparison be-
tween the silica and sand generally
used. In laying the NicOlson pavement,
thousands Of dollars would be saved 10
the city yearly in repairs, were the con-
tractors required to use pure and good
sand instead of the light, lOamy stuff
with which the streets are now laid
and as it can be furnished in any
quantity and cheaper than the poor stuff,
would respectfully call the attention
Of Mr.. Homer, city engineer, to the sub
'ect, hoping that he may have an eye
single TO the interests OF the now over
buTdened taxpayers, and see that con
are required to use none but
pure and lasting sand in the cOnstruc-
ton Of both streets aud sewers. In con-
with the subject, we would state
proof Of our assertion as to the great
superiority Of the silica furnished by the
the Belcher sugar refining
company had the bar sand, so generally
used, analysed by competent chemists,
and find il to contain thirty-three per
cent. Of clay and vegetable matter,
and in order TO give durability to the
-eservoir and the immense stack con
lected with their works, would use none
Dut sand procured by the elevator from
he bed CT the river in their construction.
The sand elevator, we understand, can
from five to seven hundred loads
per day, and that, too, twenty per cent.
than bar sand, and the only excuse
by contractors, who will admit its
,uperi0rity, for not using it exclusively,
$ the fact that it requires g little more
abOr and a little more lime than the
and which they now use. If those out
If whose pockets the money really has
% ooRe viii longer submit to the use OF
IN inferior material in the construction
# their buildings, We, at least, are not TO
TuE MTTTTGAN CASE This ease