Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-02-10
THE LOGAN SHAFT.
A Description of the Works Erected
on the Premises.

eOAS A"O PuSV ~ h"s
sire to present to the readers of the SENTI
MEL q general description Of the new
hydraulic machinery lately erected at thu
LOGAN shaft. We have watched with in
terest its various movements, but have
preferred to wait until it had established
itself either as a success or a failure, and
we now state with pride that its operations
have more than justified the most san
guine expectations on the part of its projec'
tors. Many of its features are entirely
original, and it may not be generally
known that the only hydraulic sinking
pump in the world to-day is now in sue
cessful operation at the LOGAN shaft.
H PUMP RoD SUPERSEDED.
1t will be remembered that years ago.
when the mining companies of the Com.
stock decided to search for ore at great
depths below the surface, it became evi
dent to the managers that the pump roc
system then in use would have to be aban'
doned, and some other means devised
which would successfully drain the i'm.
mense quantities of water which seemed
to increase with the depth Of the mine
The pump rods were made to enormous
sizes, but owing to the action upon them
of steam and water from the shafts, it be.
came x to impossible, and entailed only
the greatest expense to keep them from
continually twisting and breaking. It was
about this time that plans for draining the
mines by a hydraulic pumping system
were first prepared and presented by
Joseph Moore of the Risdon Iron Works,
San Francisco, but on account of the op-
position then met with it was some years
later before they were adopted by the man.
ayers of the Combination shaft, Virginia
City, and only then, as I. L. Requa, the
superintendent, was willing to
STAKE HIS REPUTATION on THEIR SUCCESS.
Since their construction over two years
ago the pumps at the above mine have
been in constant operation, raising over
1900, coo gallons of water per day and
costing absolutely nothing for wear and
tear. The success of the system was now
assured, and plans for the working of the
Eureka Con. mine were Immediately pre-
pared and adopted, and while they are
somewhat difficult to explain without the
aid OF proper drawings, yet we will en-
deavor to make clear the principles upon
which the system is worked, and also to
briefly refer to some of its most interest
ing points.
THE SURFACE MACHINERY,
Belonging to the system, is as follows:
Two sets of ordinary tubular boilers, only
one-half of which is fred at a time. This
set of boilers supplies steam to the
main pooCer supply engine, which is OF the
condensing, fly-wheel class.
The purpose of this engine is to store up
water, under pressure, in an accumulator
or reservoir, from which it is drawn off to
work the underground pumps as required.
This water is forced into the accumulator
by means OF eight plunger pumps, the
rams or plungers of which are connected
with the crossheads Of the main steam
power engine.
The accumulation, which contains this
water under pressure, is of cast iron, 80
feet high by 8 feet diameter, the metal
being Az inches thick. The working pres
sure of the water IN this accumulation is
l 200 pounds per square inch, and has
been tested as high as $500 pounds. The
upper portion of it is filled with air, so
that when the water is being drawn off to
work the underground pumps this air will
expand and keep up the pressure until the
power engine has had time to start up and
in another supply of water. The
action of this engine is automatic, shut
ting itself off when the pressure of the
water exceeds 1000 pounds, and instantly
up as soon as the pressure is
lowered.
H UNDERGROUND MACHINERY
Consists of two hydraulic pumps at the
600 station and the sinking pump at the
OF the shaft. The latter raises the
water from the pump and discharges it on
the 900 station, from whence it is pumped
to the surface by means OF the under
ground pump situated on the 600 station.
This latter is connected with the accumu-
lator by suitable pipes, through which it
its pressure, and the water, after
doing it's work, is again returned to a tank
the surface and pumped back under
pressure into the accumulation. 1t will
thus be seen that in this system the same
is used over and over again, no adj
ditional supply being required after the
pipes have nee been filed. The hydraulic
pump is constructed and operates
as follows:
THE PUMP PROBE
Consists OF a ~oloister Of three cylinders,
lying side by side, with their ~plungers con-
nected with the same crosshead, the mid
plunger, that which does the pumping,
being operated by a column of water act
ing on the two outside plungers. These
latter are in turn connected with pressure
pipes to al actuating pump on the 600
station, which again receives its pressure
from the accumulation. Now in order to
the sinking pump the actuating
pumpon the 600 is first put in motion and
the column of water to the outside
.plungers Of the sinking pump is thereby
moved s distance Of six feet backward and
forward, carrying with it the crosshead
above referred to, which in turn gives the
stroke desired to the main plunger. 1t
will be seen from the above that the pump
is operated by q balanced vibrating column
of water, thus doing away with cumber-
some pump rods and awkward balance
hobs. 1t has no mechanism connected
with it to get out OF order, and works
equally as we'll under 800 feet OF water as
when entirely clear. This latter fact has
been recently successfully demonstrated
During q period Of three months, while
the new accumulation was being con-
structed, the water raised over 100 feet In
the shaft, and, Of course, submerged all
traces Of the sinking pump. As soon,
however, as the aooumulator was ready
dLu tGO pkSbbutC ldlnCu AtiAa ty WV
pump, out OF sight for over three months,
was started up from the 600 station and
the mine drained in 4 very short time. 1t
is atted also with q neat arrangement, by
which means it can be, In a moments
time, raised clear OF the bottom when
blasts are fred and lowered back again
into place at the will of the miner. En-
gineers, capable Of judging, predict that 1t
will be the pump OF the future, and its
inventor, Joseph Moore, who has patented
it, should feel proud Of his success. 1t is
now pumping about 200 gallons Of water
per minute at 81 single strokes, and has
been run as high as Is strokes.
HYDRAULIC HOIST.
We come next to the hydraulic hoist,
which, on account Of Its many new features,
is attracting considerable attention. 1t is
fitted with movable pins, capable Of being
adjusted ct the viii of the engineer, to