New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-28

matters above ground and IN tho SHAFT ther CO. II
blacksmith and his helper who are ehgnso,. ~,
Tho driDs and nkering at brOken-d owfp machinery
there are two engineers to the hosting engines ar
comressors etc. and two laooreIs 10 hahe ,o cS h
rock and earth that are hOstcd M rom tuc ioo W
shait There are also three topmen who divide tho
twenty hours between them ana loon OUT Oi r
bnIs and see that no pne tumbles down tie smart hIs
makes seventeen working above ground IN every
twenty four hours Below ground tnee are nnine in
headings. the two parts OF IDe tuhueI I'm, r. orn
opposite directions are called IN escl neta,Is III Ias
are twenty seven men w0rklns AT tne SANE UNIT four
men who work under ground IN every "en'S ioui
hours. $1,000, ,,o.,,,, - a ,oran,an
Nrvt IN him in importance arc the six machine runners
each of whom las charge OF power drlll driven "
compressed air Tie machine runners guide Tue dr'i.
n Zoe tIat rverythinc ia going right. Each one has
helper whose general duty Ia 10 90 Whit 81 90, Inv,
While his particular occupation is to twist the scre% "
which the drill is fed M to its work FOR tns st ne ~
sometimes called taller Bchlnu anu aoput .mo -.
"muckers" The subter1anean mucker IL not IKE MS
brother OF the upper world whose song s, ey, gu TN on
TO dc dude and VINO neither tolls nor spins. lne
underground muckor ia tue hardest worked man on
the shift With pick aud shovel he breaks up 'ne rUch
that blast has broken down ana Oas II on !no c
ana then either he an equally bard worked mule
draes the car 10 the foot OF the hatt ana on %
and water carrier. There is also billman ior ehch
heading lie measures up me progress maze eaon e naS
keeps account of the explosives nsed etc ue 1e" VI
the npper much more pacific than wCuld De sup
posed from the name MS merely nebnd ~ Them by the
machine runners takes them ont to tfe blacksmith 10
nippcI whose lite was niPpen snort be ,n bif
ago 10y singular accident While gong up iho hois
with trlll IN Ills nhuu lie ChlCltNNIl
to side so that the en- struck proectlmg roGk OF
timber Quicker than thought the other end aougc mo
his abdomen and Pinned him against tue oppO'o S"o VI
There are between 800 and 400 rngersoll and Rand
and bai inches in diameter Tue first thing in cutting
tunnel is TO drive heading which is the entire width
of the tunnel and about five feet In height measuring
from tho root down. This leaves the rest OF the material
winch is to be removed in the shape or a Deh9n
tho dimensions Of the bench about fifteen feet or the
entire breadth OF the tunnel by ten feet in height Inc
II heinz left to afford foothold to the drls OF these
latter thcIc SIX four working AT the hellhs anu t~o
which are vedged in between the roof and tho bench
Each column upIOrts two drills They are al dfSon
Ivy compressed air under pressure OF eighty pouhS 10
the square uc brought down from the surface IN pipes
The drills drive holes in at the outer odeos OF the u
ing some straight into the rock and some Staining
toward tho centre, 80 that the explosion VIII tehu %
drive the face Of the rock outward Ihere are tWe1ty
~ tcU Thn rock Tins broken down is removed by
the industrious mncker." The two drills On the bench
mounted on tripods They drive holes dGwnwhfI
their charges easily upse's the bench.
The rate OF advance has been estimated az aDouI zen
The advance for each blast In the heading from four
feet TO five nine inches according To the hardness OF
tho rock In the bench it Is sir feet per blast Expert
used per blast to he from sixy-hve pound. OF Inro
iny eiicutS were mixed with the gelatnc Inc ayerafe
cost OF l,sives Tor each foot OF tunnel driven i
while the variation Is between the two extremes q,
and $40 Tue amount OF explosives used Tor every zoo"
OF tunnel driven varies with the conditions nh gehet
ally falls bet Wcsn twonty five and thirty pounds Chhg
the lower limit this makes the amount going Gown eah
ynft from which heading, are being driven To lie
900 pounds every twenty fouI hOurs. while the tnth
amount used the aquchuct reckoning from weekly
progress OF third oi mule, would he liooo IohnIs
week. or over 1000 pounds day THIS seeming us
clepancy is due the fact that ~ some 0 the SHAFTS no
work is being done. while from many o. me otn.i7 og
one heading is at present being driven Iho rate OF ten
feet per shift /. also probably much above tc hNtAk
These figures give io' the total length OF ouo ie,t o
the cnnI etcd agucduct, consumption 81 hrt"ehn roar
and hgc million pounds ui explosives II the"NPosoh OF
hcgr1rly 10 pounds neHry blew the annexed district
ou OF the ttao the other day, what an enormous t"G
here being chained down 70 the work oi
water 70 tho future blue ribbon hrigadcs OF York!