Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-23

from the surface through q pipe rum
ming down from the top of the shaft,
whereas the Cornish pumps are run by
huge steam engines.
By means of the hydraulic pumps
they were enabled to sink the shaft to
thee 6O0level, and extended the Cornish
pumps to that point, where another
set of hydraulic pumps was put in.
They then sunk the shaft to the $500
level, when they ran another drift
westward, and tapped the vein. The
prospects at this depth in the Hale &
Norcross and Chollar mines were SO
encouraging that the management de-
cided to sink the shaft to the depth of
5000 feet. On reaching the 5000 level,
they ran a third drift through to the
vein. The distance from the shaft to
be only $50 feet. At the depth of 5000
feet they put in n of the pair of n.y.
draulic pumps that are to be set up
there. The second pump is now ar
irving from San Francisco. and as soon
as the several parts are on the ground,
it will be at nee put in place alongside
its fellow on the 5000 level. This adj
ditional pump will increase the capa-
city from 600, 900 to 700, 600 gallons in
twenty-four hours, or about forty-five
miners inches.
Owing to the excellent showing of
ore obtained on the 5000 level by the
Hale & Norcross Company and to the
continuation of the ore below that level
Gas shown by a Wine sunk in the vein),
the management determined this sum
mer to sink the shaft to the vertical
depth of 5000 feet. 1t is now 3,l2O
feet deep, and it is safe to say that it
will reach the depth of 5000 feet early
in September, when it will lack but
eighty feet of being as deep as the shaft
at Przibram vas at the time of tho
great festival. Although the shaft is
of great size--about thirty feet by ten
feet before the timbers are put in-the
workmen lower it at the rate of about
three feet a day, in rock as hard as
flint.
Standing at the 3,0oO-foot level and
looking up a compartment of the shaft
that is five by six feet in size, the little
spot of daylight seen at the top appears
to be about four inches square. At
this great depth even a bit of rock of
the size of a hickory nut falling from
the top is dangerous. Before reaching
the bottom it whistles like a rifle ball;
indeed, its velocity is about the same
as if it had been fired 1000 yards from
a cannon, If a man fell that distance
there would only remain of his body
and limbs fragments. Such is the
care, however, of all employed about
the shaft that accidents are Of rare oc-
currence, and the men working at the
bottom Of the shaft feel quite secure.
The hydraulic pump now working at
the 3,000-foot level of the shaft is the
deepest in the world. In Europe the
deepest is in a mine in the Hartz noun
tains, Germany, which is working at
the depth of 2 ZOO feet. 1t is. however,
a small pump, not half the size of the
one in the Combination shaft. AL
though these pumps We're the first used
in Europe those in operation here are
far superior in size, and in every other
respect, to those of the Old World,
several valuable improvements having
been made in them by the machinists
of the Pacific coast.
The capacity of the two Cornish
pumps, which the water from the s. 900
foot level to tho Sutro drain tunnel Cat
the 1000 level), is about 1000. 900 gal
Ions in twenty-four hours, and the ca
pacity of the present hydraulic pumps
is $4,000 gallons in the same time.
They are now daily pumping. with
both hydraulic and Cornish pumps,
about 100000 gallons, but could
pump at least5 200, 600 more in twenty
four hours than they are now doing.
The daily capacity with the hydraulic
pump now coming, and which will be
set up as mate to that now in operation
at the 3,OOO-foot level, will be 5000, OOO
gallons.
The water which feeds the pressure
pipe of the three sets of hydraulic
pumps is brought from near Lake Ia
hoe, in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The distance is about thirty miles, and
the greater part of the way the water
flows through iron pipes, which at ono
point cross a depression 1920 feet in
depth. The pressure pipe takes this
water from a tank situated
on the eastern slope of Mount
Davidson, $500 feet west of the
shaft. At the tank this pipe is
twelve inches in diameter, but is only
CISuU luCuCS WLclC ~ culCES LuC uOD o.
the shaft. The tank whence the water
is taken is 1926 feet higher than the TOP
of the shaft, therefore the vertical pres.
sure upon the hydraulic pump at the
3,O00-foot level is 1926 feet. The
pressure pipe is of ordinary galvanized
iron where it receives the water at the
tank. but gradually grows thicker anc
stronger. and at the 5000 level it is
constructed of east iron. and is 2!
inches in thickness. The pressure al
this point is 1900 pounds to the square
inch.
In the early days Of hydraulic min.
ing in California the miners thought
that with a vertical pressure of 3O(
feet they could almost tear the worlc
to pieces, and not a man among then
could have been made to believe tina
any pipe could be constructed tina
would withstand a vertical pressure O
1000 feet: but we now see that q thick
ness of two and a half inches of cas-
iron will sustain a vertical pressure O
over 3,400 feet.
There is only one pressure pipe fol
all the hydraulic pumps. This extendl
from the tank on the side of the mqln
tain to the g .00O-fOot level. is tannec