The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-22


Spect0t Correspondence Of The EUenipq TELEGRAPH.
PoTTsvILLE, May 81.
Your correspondent was informed on Friday
that the Reading Company had chartered a spe-
cial train 10 take a party of gentlemen up into
the coal regions yesterday. He had scarcely
been made aware of this fact before he also re-
ceived card of invitation which it was deter
mined to accept This invitation was also ex-
tended to Chief Engineer Graeff and the Water
Committee of the Councils of Philadelphia by
Colonel Barton H. jerks, President of the Hy-
droetatic and Hydraulic Company of Pennsyl-
vania. The object of the visit was to witness
the operations of a compound propeller pump
800 feet long and inches diameter. This inven-
tion throws up 1000 gallons of water per minute,
and is placed in Glen Carbon colliery by the CON-
pany above named. The invitation stated that the
train would leave the depot at Thirteeeth and
Callowhill at exactly half-past o'clock in the
morning. Your correspondent determined to
meet it at Reading, and for that purpose was on
hand when it rolled into the station in that city.
From Philadelphia to this point the
cars containing the party had been
attached to the regular train, bat now
THEY WERE CUT LOOSE,
and special engine attached which would run
the party through in less than it would take to
say Jack Robinson back wards. After stoppage
of about ten minutes, perhaps more, the shrill
whistle of the engine sounded, few groans
were heard, aud we were off. / now had time to
take a look at the gentlemen present. and find
out what company 1 was in. First of all 1
took notice of the eight members of the Water
Committee, this important committee of the
Philadelphia Councils numbers eighteen members
nine from each branch aud were as follows
Messrs. McIlvain, Devine, Mead, Briggs, Glass,
Dorian, Rowan, Charlton. Besides these gentle
men there were Strickland Kneass, of the Sur
vey Department, General Robert Patterson, the
old hero of many hard-fought battles, especially
gastronomic ones, Colonel Barton H. jerks,
President of the Hydrostatic and Hydraulic
Company, Joseph G. Mitchell, George j. Rich
ardson, DIR. L. r. Koecker, Thomas Shaw, the
inventor, John Esenbrey, Jr., Lewis Cooper,
General Lansing, Gustavus s. Benson, Samuel H.
Rotherme Jay Cooke, Judge Ryan, and num-
ber of mining engineers aud coal operators.
The time whiled away pleasantly until Glen
Carbon colliery, in Schuylkill county, was
reached, which was about half-past IL o'clock.
Here the train stopped, and
THE PARTY ALIGHTED
and began to make tracks for the colliery just
mentioned, which was about half a mile off over
a rough road. But under the excellent guidance
of Messrs. Mitchell, jerks, and William H.
Bnes, Superintendent of the Mine Hill Railroad,
the distance "a half mile) was soon overcome,
and our destination was reached; for which we
were very glad, as the sun was very hot. Now
this wonderful propeller pump which we had
been invited about hundred miles to see was
in successful operation at the Glen Carbon COL
liery, leased by John Lucas e. Co. from the
Richardson estate. Upon reaching the large
shaft from beneath which those who delve in
the bowels of the earth disappear at stated in
tervals, we found the pump
IN SUCCESSFUL OPERATION
and running beautifully. The party, to the
number of about fifty, Immediately began to
inspect its workings, and were, from the express
sions of appreciation heard on every side, per-
fectly satisfied that it could do even more than
it's manufacturers claimed for it. Although this
pump, or one built on the same principle, has
heretofore been fully described in THE TELE-
GRAPH, still will give another account of its
operations which may have few more facts.
This pump is really an elevator. Its peculiar
features are a cast iron pipe about inches in
diameter and 800 feet long, cast in longitudinal
sections, and bolted together, each section being
6 feet in length. In the intervals
BETWEEN THESE SECTIONS
are shorter ones foot long, constructed in the
same manner, with bearings supporting shaft
made of steel one and three-fourth inches in
diameter, extending the entire length of the
pipe. Mounted on this shaft, at intervals of
about three feet, are screw-propellers, with two
blades seven and half inches in diameter, with
an angular pitch of sixty-fve degrees, and re-
volving with the shaft. Midway between these
propellers and attached to the walls of the pipe
are wings or blades of the same pitch and form
as the blades of the propellers, but of reverse
angle. At the lower end of the elevator is {
basket or guard of cast-iron, to prevent stones
COAL or other distractions from passing into th'
pipes. The top of the elevator has spout o.
nozzle to direct the stream of water as 1t passes
out, above which is a contrivance to supper
the weight of the shaft with its propellers ant
the column of water.
There is disc about sixteen inches in di-
ameter secured permanently to the top of tn
pipe upon which rests
RING OF BRASS,
about twelve inches in diameter, on top of whicl
is another disc about fourteen inches in diane
ter, and embracing the outer periphery of tn
brass ring. This upper disc is permanent
secured to the propeller shaft. By means of
small donkey pump water is forced between tn
two discs under sufficient pressure to slight
separate them, so that the top disc, propelle
shaft, and column of water are supported by tn
film of water between them, and thus the rots
tion of the propeller shaft revolving on th
water causes only very small amount {
friction.
The donkey pump receives the water from
small tank or barrel, and any surplus wat'
forced between the discs raises the ring of bras
and is discharged back into the same tank. IT
propeller shaft is revolved by wire rope pas
ing around groove pulley above the upp'