Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-08-10

Coms,ock mining companies have in the
grand old lode Is living one. a. their
works show. 1t is sxsmplifsd in the
great shafts to the east and in the pom
dsrous machinery and extensive prspa.
rations making to follow the lode to
untold depths. Theirs 10 also we'll
grounded faith. for they have studied
the lode for years and have compared Its
characteristics with those OF other lodes
famous in history.
One Of the most formidable obstacles
to deep mining on the Comstock is
water. The flow IL immense and hot;
and hot water. with its allies Of heat
and steam and consequent discomfort
aud danger. Ia more terrible than an army
with banners.
At the Chollsr.N orcross-Savage shaft
an attempt to conquer this obstructive
element by means Of hydraulic pumps
is 10 be made. 1t is like fighting the
devil with frs. Water Is to DO sent to
Dust water. This will do away with the
costly necessity Of starting and stopping
$50 tons Of weight (bobs aud rods. etc.,.
say fourteen times per minute.
The plan OF operations Is to place
from the surface to the 2400 level two
water pipes. one having sufficient
strength to sustain Q pressure at the
bottom OF 5000 pounds to the square
inch. This pipe will carry in the army
Of invasion. which, while at the
24OO level, will operate two pumps. and
force by a single stroke the hot water
up 500 feet to the Sutro tunnel level.
where Il will DO allowed to escape.
Having performed the important service
of ousting the enemy. the column OF
attacking water will take the other pipe
and return to the surface.
The driving force Of the water hurled
to the 24O0 level and made to work the
pumps there will be derived from two
sources. The first Is an accumulation on
the surface which will DO two feet In
diameter and twsnty.four feet high.
This a~ccumulstor will have q valve.
movable like the piston Of q steam cyl
Under, but resting on the top OF the col.
umn OF water in ii; aud that valve will
have u constant weight upon II OF 25O
tons, giving to the water in the accumu
la,or a pressure Of 1850 pounds to the
square inch.
The second source Of power will be a
monster engine on the surface which
will force water into the accumulstor
and under the immense pressure above
described. This will send the water
down the operating column above men-
toned, cause 1t to work the pumps on
the 240O level and drive 1t up the return
| pipe to the surface again. to DO again
and again forced into the operating col.
umn. and again and again returned to
the surface after doing its work.
No great force will be lost In thus re-
turning the water to the surface, since
one column OF water will balance the
other. except 30 far ~ the friction oil
the stream flowing along the pipes may
cause q slight loss OF power.
The thinking may ask : why not
discharge this water with that pumped
at the Sutro tunnel level and utilize the
1900 feet OF pressure in the working
column ?" This would be done. only
the supply OF water to thus drive the
pumps cannot be obtained on the
Comstock. II II could be. and
the dow bs taken from the Wa
ter Company's tanks on the side OF the
mountain, an additional pressure OF 500
feet could DO obtained and that with the
1900 feet above the Sutro tunnel level,
would give sufficient force to drive the
pumps on the 2i00 level without the
use OF the proposed engine to force the
water into the accumulation. The en-
CINE, under the circumstances. and the
use Of the water over and over. will b
the less expensive Of the two.
The power OF the column OF water to
operate the pumps will, under the pre-
sent arrangements, be limited only BY
the strength Of the material used In
constructing the operating column. Ex'
psriments will be made In San Francisco
with Q view OF testing materials and
a~sosrtaining the required thickness,
etc., Of this pipe. The pressure In
IL will DO immense. a. may be IN
ferred FROM the fact that boilers usually
sustain 100 to 100 pounds only to the
square inch, while this starts from the
surface with q pressure Of 1850 pounds,
and at the bottom will have the addi
tional pressure OF q column OF watel
1000. feet high. As above stated. oil
this pressure Is estimated at about 5Oot
pounds to the square inch. This forc'
ILL .,.rata tha numna
These pumps will each have q capacity
Of 800 gallons per minutes-l60O gal
Ions for both. This 10 q greater cspacit,
than any pumping apparatus o oil
the Comstock possesses. The present
pumps Of the Q. n. s. shaft have . ca
pacity Of 1000 gallons per minute; com
bined capacity OF the two systems o.
pumps 2600 gallons per minuts-whict
will be ample.
The foundations for the new pumping
engine are laying. The excavation fol
them was l4IliI54 feet. The engine
will be q compound. c~ondensipg. direct
acting engine. the offenders operating
tandem. The initial cylinder will be 81
inches in diameter, the expansion cylin'
der 70 inches In diameter; stroke OF eacf
10 feet. To operate this engine th'
boiler-houss will be extended east sufh
Gent to accommodate two more sets o
boilers. :.
The force pumps on the surface vii
be near these cylinders. The sccumu
lator will be on the level Of the lowe
foor and north Of the shaft. Pipes vii
connect the forcing pumps with the &C
cumulator. and the accumulation in turf
with the pipes running down TO tn
pumps at the 2400 level.
To this new pumping apparatus thu
south compartment Of the shaft. nov
unused, will be given up. A sheav'
will be put up similar to those in use a
present, aud the hosting engine from
the old Chollar-P otosi works will DO Sc
for use in placing the apparatus in tn
,haft. This engine Is now on IT,
ground and the foundation for 1t nsarl!
completed. --...
--u..nt oumninO machinery o