The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-23
THE PASSING OF THE NINE MULE.
Compressed Air Motors to Take His
Place and Save Much.
From the Philadelphia Times.

rom the FnllaQelphla Times.
BY spending thousands upon thousands
Of dollars and after many years of unsuc-
cessful experimenting, an air engine has
been perfected, and an economical method
furnished of transporting coal from the
interior of mines to the bottom of the slope.
The new device was built by the Baldwin
Locomotive works, and will, it is expected,
be the means of saving millions of dollard
per annum TO the mineral mining compan.
les. While the locomotive has been under
going severe test in the mine near Gil
rardville for the past few months, all have
awaited the result with much anxiety, and
now that it is declared a success, most of
the principal mining concerns are making
buried prepare lions to adopt it.
This state of affairs means a boom to
the locomotive builders of the world 1t
also means that thousands of men and
boys employed IN conveying coal from the
breasts" and gangways of mines will
have to seek other occupation. The lead
ing coal companies have long been endeav-
oring to obtain a mechanical substitute
to replace the mine mule, that would re-
duce the immense cost entailed in getting
| the coal from the underground workings
| to the bottoms of the slope. They tried en-
| gines propelled by steam, electricity, gas,
etc, but all proved complete failures.
The steam locomotive was abandoned
because the Vapor had a tendency to loos-
en- the top" or roof of the gangways, and
various cha mbers throughout the mines.
| 1t also ratified the pine timber used for
legs" collars" aud laggings, and caus-
ed the top to cave in frequently, entailing
| large losses. Electricity and gas were
abandoned because either was liable to
ignite the gas in the underground work.
ings.
The new air locomotive was built almost
a year ago and is the invention of a Phila-
delphia man. With the exception of a
huge air boiler or tank, the construction
OF the air locomotive is similar in every
respect TO a steam locomotive, and II is
propelled in the same manner The air
tank is not unlike the steam boiler of an
engine, and is carried in the same position,
thus doing away with a tender. On ac-
count of its pointed head, it is better able
to cut its way through the heavy air of
a mine, attaining a high rate of speed The
air is supplied by an air compressor To-
Gated on the surface.
The air is pumped through two 5-inch
pipes into the mine at a pressure of 800
pOuAlbS lSA 0HdciLC liiN+As OhC VI tHcSG
runs to the bottom of the slope
and the other to the end
of the underground working. These
pipes serve as a reservoir for the air. At
the ends OF the lines and along the route
of the locomotive are stations where the
air tank of the engine can be refilled when
exhausted. Exhaustion frequently occurs.
and without the station pumps the engine
would be useless.
The air tank on the iocomtve has a ca
pacity of 164 cubic feet, a sufficient amount
of air TO carry train, including eight or
ten heavily loaded mine cars The speed
is regulated according to the number OF
mine cars attached and to the track on
level and straight railway one of these
engines can carry from ten to twelve load
ed mines wagons a the rate of twenty
five or thirty-five miles per hour. BY the
old method the mine cars were loaded
| from a chute, which ran directly up to
the face of the breast" at a pitch of
from 40 to 80 degrees. From there they
were conveyed through small gangways
by teams of mules to the main gangway,
where bigger teams picked them up and
carried them to the bottom of the slope.
Here they were hoisted to the surface in
a self-dumping car.
Taking ali this into consideration, the
air locomotive is the solution of the prob
lem and will reduce the cost of mining
to minimum.