The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-02-03
GLENDALE.
An Ignoramus Impaled.
A Prominent Citizen Explains What the
"Atlantis'' Could Not Comprehend.


JSeA iuIhC lllo-
spelled in the gazette" If misstateme nts and
misspelling will produce fame, this CAMP is in
a fair way to become the most famous of
owns. think it probable that the circula-
ton of our i home organ," the Atlantis, is not
so extensive as to cause any apprehension
that the meaningless and unreliable accounts
OF things in general and lie Hecla compapy's
works in particular, will be read by enough
to cause any perceptible excitement in the
Territory at large. But if by chance any
practical man should read, and by a more
emote chance still, should believe. he would
be convinced that either a new order of
things had been established, or else we were
all fools. The old recipe says, First catch
your rabbit" etc, and if the astute rcporter.
editor, or man in charge of the ATLANTIS would
Irst get information ard then publish it, his
articles would be more correct, and doubtIess
July as readable. The senior editor and re-
puted proprietor of the said home organ as
aforesaid, remarked While rustling for encour-
agement to establish his paper, that he had
been around smelling furnaces for years, and
knew all about them, and he declined to take
the time to make a thorough examination of
the works on that ground. In his article in
the opening number lie, among other useful i'll
formation, described the process Of reduction.
He stated that ':old sledgc'' was crushed and
fed in the furnace with the ore, and that the
copper matte settled l. at the bottom Of the old
sledge i'll the shape OF a button. From this
it Is fair to infer that the process of reduction
as carried OH by the IIecla company is o sor
OF high, low, jack and the game business.
Last week, the mechanical editor, armed with
a note book and pencil, paid u visit to the
Hecla works, and in the last Issue the public
is entertained by his account thereof. First
he states that the water for the new wheel is
drawn through a ten inch pipe with a vertical
head of 145 feet, to a 26-inch Leffel "breast'
wheel. Fancy a column of water 10 inches
in diameter, l45 feet high playing on a
"breast' wheel.
This little wheel, lie further adds with but
one fourth of its power, drives a 16-inch
rubber belt at a speed of 40 to so feetper min
"te, giving 100 horse power. This is a
remarkable showing, and unless the makers
of the said breast" wheel publish the same
they are blind to their own interests.
As the new water power of the Hecla
Company is among the few successful at
tempts at using a small volume of water I'LL
der a high head, I think a brief description
will prove interesting to mill men and others.
The minimum supply of water available Is
about 237 cubic feet per minute, as per meas
urements made by rules laid down in lief
fel's circular" This is conveyed in a fume
one mile long to the brow of the hill above
the works. From the end of the tlume an
iron pipe IA inches in diameter runs down
the hill 225 feet, at all angle of 30 degrees;
from there to the wheel the pipe is lS3 feet
long and II inches in diameter, running near
ly horizontal. The wheel is a 15-inch l.efel
Double Turbine with a 10 inch discharge.
The wheel IS of a pattern known as Il s!min-
ing wheel" the wheel being vertical, with the
shaft horizontal. The power is transmitted
by means of a 1G-inch rubber belt from a
20-inch pulley on the water-whcel shaft to an
S-foot pulley on the main shaft. When run
at a maximum speed, the wheel makes 1900
revolutions per minute, giving a speed of
over $500 feet per min,.te to the belt. The
operation Of the wheel is perfectly noisele>s,
as there are no gears used, is is the case in
the ordinary turbine wheel. There is no
shock or jar experienced in starting or stop
ping, the whole being under is easy control
as the ordinary wheels under low pressure.
About one half of the minimum supply OF
water is used under a head Of 40 feet. driving
machinery rated as requiring about 80 Horse
power. The pipe is of boiler or plate IRON
three siXtecnths of an inch thick for the fuur-
lie twelve incl pipe. The wheel is made OF
brass and steel, cased in a cast iron globe
about rs inches in diameter. The whole ar
rangement is above the floor of the wheel
house. and as easy to get at as any engine.
Any man that has ever had OCCASION to
make repairs on IL wheel with IA .'deckrd
pcn>tock'', will appreciate the advantage of
this. The old wheel heretofore il use was a
% inch double turbine with b feet head.
With the minimum supply of water about
half OF the maclliner! could he run al once,
and at much less than average speed. With
the - inch wheel under 40 feet head. one
half Of the same water supply drives all the
machinery to its full capacity.
Now, Mr.. Editor, with the request that
when you see anything ridiculous or eNtrava-
gant in its tone in our '.hone oroan,' YOU
will not believe it. rs we are not that kini of
| will close. II.
---
a resumption of hostilities between the
capital dailics is the man feature of Helena
The Herald opened up on the
because the latter paper secured