The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-08-08
DEEPEST IN THE WORLD.
Something About the New Red
Jacket Shaft of the Calumet
4 Hecla.

The following is from the copper
country department Of the Mar
quette Mining Journal:
Considerable interest centcrs in
the new Red jacket vertical shaft
OF the Calumet & Hecla Mining com
pany from the fact that it is the
deepest shaft and is also equipped
with the most powerful hosting
machinery in the world. This shaft
is ID! by % feet, inside diameter,
contains six compartments and is
1. 900 feet in depth. 1t is opened TO
the old mine. The distance from the
bottom of the shaft to the lode is
about 1900 feet, and it is supposed
a years work will be required to
reach the lode. Two crosscuts will
be worked continually, in all proba-
bility at depths of 400 and 4, 900
feet respectively. AS an Indication
of its richness it might be stated
that 80, 900 worth. of copper were
taken out of this shaft while sink
ing it through the lode.
The Red Jacket vertical shaft was
planned after the two fires OF 1887.
in order to insure the company
against the loss of the northern ex-
tremity of the mine in case of a
similar disaster in the future and to
give access TO the lower levels of the
The shaft was, however.
not started until the fall OF 1899.
and nothing but the terrible losses
incurred by the succession of fires
from 1884 to 1888 would have war
ranted them in starting so expensive
an undertaking. and one of SO doubt
full utility at that time for the or
binary working of so narrow belt
As the Calumet conglOmcratc. which
can be worked far more economically
by slopes such as are laid out at the
South Hccla and with a far less ex-
pensive equipment, the copper pro-
iuct OF the shafts and drifts neccS-
,ary for opening that end Of the
nine having actually paid for the
equipment of the South Hecla.
The shaft is equipped with hoist
ny engine house built OF red sand
tone, 20 by 20, and contains two
'air Of triple-expansion Leavitt en-
'lnes of 1903 horse power per pair. |
aving cylinders 2os, 3li and 80
inches in diameter by 6-foot stroke,
o run 90 revolutions per minute. and |
tilted with the Whiting drum sys-
EN- arranged to hoist ten tons per
Dad at d speed of 60 feet per second. |
he tail house for the fleet gear is !
II by - feet and is placed at the
orth end Of the engine house. The
neave house is at the south end and
, ~ by ~ feet. These engines are
alculated to hoist from maximum
critical depth of 5000 feet. The
oiler house is also built of stone, |
ID by Is feet, and will contain ten
oilers, each 30 inches in diameter
y "a feet six inches long, with 49,
BOT hues, 6-foot combustion chamber
nd S-fOot fire box. and adapted to a
'orking pressure OF lS5 pounds, at
hitch they will each furnish steam
)r |. 900 horse power. There are at
resent six boilers in the house
he stack is of brick, l2I feet inside
iameter, and 250 feet high. The
cost of this gigantic hoist
~ plant is placed at 81, 900. 900.
The foundation of the rockhouse
onsists ofeight parallel stone walls,
ach 30 feet in length, 10 feet in
cpth and 8 feet wide at the base
nd tapering to width of 30 inches
t the top. This is without any ex
option the most substantial rock
ouse foundation ever built. The
dollhouse will be of structural iron,
nd the contract calls for Hs-com-
letion on or before the first of !
october. Ii is said that when in
order this shaft will turn
ut as much copper as that of the
our Calumet shafts combined.