The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-13
FIGHTING SUBTERRANEAN FLOODS
The Working Miners and Their
Organization.
A RULE OF SILENCE.
Temperatures in the Depths and Mode of
Regulating Them.
AVERAGE DAILY WAGES.


The greatest drawback to deep mining is the in
cessant trouble from water. 1t is this element
than anything else that eats up the assessments of
the older mines. 1t has hitherto been very costly,
but its reign of terror superintendent is hasten
ing to close There is diversity of opinion about
where it comes from. The seapage, with the surface
of the mountain for beginning, accounts for some
of it, but there are incidents in mining experience
that cannot be covered by that; and a large mine
has recently been afflicted by it and has peculiar
and special experience / select that mine for the
water question.
In February of 1876, while the miners were pros
pecting north from their incline on the 1900 foot
level they tapped body of water that burst in upon
them with such rush that the miners in the lower
levels had to fly, leaving behind them their tools.
clothing and everything they had with them, and
runnp the incline to save their lives. The pump at
that time was but an s-inch plunger, and although
bang tanks of l. 800 gallons capacity were put on
and run as rapidly possible both together could
not keep the water in check. 1t gradually gained
upon them until it rose to fifty live feet below the
100 foot level where it seemed to find its own level
and. very sngularly. when it got to that point it
ebbed and flowed like the sea- rising and falling ten
feet every twenty-four hours.
Believing in the eventual richness of the mine the
management resolved to fight the intruder, and in
July or the same year l4-1ncn plunger was put
running the bottom of the vertical shaft depth of
1900 feet, and i3nch punger down the incline fol
lowing the water and adding other lifts the water
receded. The expense enormous-the pumping
engine alone costing S275oOo. and the immense
rods constructed from timber 14x14 aud 60 feet long
joined together with iron slabs inches wide. inch
thick and % feet long The whole together was
nearly half mile in length and cost about as much
as the pump. The various machinery necessary to
complete the pumping apparatus-compressor for
COMPRISING air order to work the donkey pumps,
&c-cost fully much.
The new pump has been running since August,
1876 and has made 900 strokes every twenty-four
hours, throwing ffty-three and a half gallons
of wate- per stroke. $4,000 gallons
day. Several times the water has been re-
duced to within seventy five feet of its source--the
1900 foot level-bu owing to the intense heat 57 de
grees) and the difficulty of keeping in thorough repair
such long system of pumps it has again forced its
way upward. and now stands above the 2.1oO foot
level The expense Of pumping this water is fully
$4,000 per month
CONVERSATION SHAFT.
The adjoining mines being also troubled with the
water, have joined with the described and have
nearly completed combination shaft" the pump
ing machinery of which is expected to pump out the
whole OF the water from the three mines and keep
them "as dry bone" Following the new idea of
sinking shafts far to the eastward of present work
ings. this combination shaft is being sunk 227 feet
of the ChoarPotosi present shaft and nearly in
the centre of the properties of the three mining
panes. 1t is magnificent piece of work and
hibits Enthusiastically that the owners believe
in the long continuance of deep mining on the Com
stock The location of the shaft far east will
quire the sinking of 5000 feet before it strikes the
west wall or west casing of the Comstock lode. and
in its course downward it will enable the miners to
prospect directly from the shaft at all desirable
depths, which is great advantage the incline
working which had to be adopted from the old shafts
ITS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES THE sUTRo TUNNEL.
This shaft has four compartments. Three are
Exc feet in the clear. and the fourth which is used
for the pumps, is Gx1 feet 1t is timbered with red
spruce 14x14. which is unexcelled for durability and
is panked outside with the material , inches
thick. "sets of tmbers" Az feet from centres
and when complete and in place consume about
1900 of lumber The excavation for the shaft is
about 10 feet in width and about 30 feet in length
At the depth of 1888 feet drift north feet
and ntersects the Sutro Tunnel. AT the depth of
1908 feet drift west connecting with the neigh
boring incline. giving ample ventilation. the fresh
air passing down TO the bottom of the shaft then up
and through the drift the incline and the shaft. The
air blows gale through this drift. The shaft has
been sunk 1926 feet. and there work suspended
in order to occupy the entire force in putting in the
pumps, rods, &C.. for raising the water.
PUMPING
is a compound vertical beam engine with two cylin-
ders. the large 65 inches in diameter. the smaller
~ inches and about 10 feet stroke. These cyln-
dcrs stand over the beam and are connected to
end: with the other is connected the pump rods of
Oregon pine Is inches square and in lengths of feet
each They strapped together with iron plates on
the four Sides inch thick inches wide and "a feet
long
There are double line OF pumps, 10 inches in
diameter which will throw at each stroke 1t7 gallons
of water and VIII raise water than any three of
the largest pumps now working on the Comstock.
The pump rods and pumps handled by large
steam winch. capable OF raising weight of sixty TONS
The sinking 90 the present depth has been done with
. single engine 20 inches in diameter. 80 inches
stroke, running two reels arranged that raises
the rope while the other lowers IL. up, the
other down"
THE "sKEET."
The rock excava;ed in sinking the shaft and the
water encountered up TO this time is raised in
"skect which is automatic in its action. and FIRST
introduced at this shaft The 'skcet" consists of
rectangular iron box, set in frame sash of iron
and of capacity for about four and half tons OF
rock On the arrival of the skeet nj the surface the
box il turned and the contents discharged into
dump or bin" at the side of the shaft, from
which the water away and the rock is taken by
the "carman'' and dumped into the waste pile"
On lowering the "skcet' the box instantly resumes
its upright position two latches drop into place and
hold 1t in position. and 1t slides down the shaft
ready for another load The cost OF the shaft ma
chinery, building &c. has been about s1,0G0,o00
Work was begun January o. 1875; grading for site for
the shaft and buildings began the LIST of January
In 1876 ar feet sunk In 1876 feet: in 1871
755 feet and in 1873 AS feet. The work
pended for the purpose of putting in the pumps on
the 10Th OF june The bottom OF the shaft Is now GG7
feet below the Sutro Tunnel.
WHO DO THE WORK.
There are seasons of dulness in mining in every
thing else. arising sometimes from the inability of
some companies TO procure all the money necessary
90 prospect or do dead work" Others, again, may
want 10 straghten up their shafts make other