Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-03-17
THE NINE MULE OUSTED.
Improved Machine y Supplants the
Little Animal
sAIutIon of a Problem That VIII Min
imize the Cost of Mining DE
scrIDtiOn of the New Con-
trIvsnce.

BY spending thousands upon thou
sands of dollars, and after many years
of unsuccessful experimenting, an air
engine has been perfected, and an
economical method furnished Q trans
porting coal from the interior of mines
to the bottom of the slope. The new
device was built by the Baldwin loco
motive works, and will, it is expected,
be the means of saving millions of dol
lars per annum to the mineral mining
companies While the locomotive has
been undergoing a severe test in the
mine near Girardville for the past few
months, all have awaited the result
with much anxiety, and now that it is
declared success, most of the prin-
cipal mining concerns are making hur-
ried preparations 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 occupa-
tions. The leading coal companies have
long been endeavoring to obtain me-
chanical substitute to replace the mine
mule that would reduce the immense
cost entailed in getting the coal from
the underground workings TO the bot
toms of the slope. They tried engines
propelled by steam. electricity, gas,
etc, but all proved complete failures.
The steam locomotive was abandoned
because the vapor had tendency to
loosen the "top," or roof of the gang
ways, and various chambers through
out the mines. 1t also ratified the pine
timber used for legs" collars" and
laggings, and caused the top to cave in
frequently, entailing large losses.
1 ectricity and gas were abandoned be-
cause either was liable to ignite the gas
in the underground workings.
The new air locomotive was built al
most year ago and is the invention of
Philadelphia man. With the excep-
ton of huge air boiler or tank. the
construction of the air locomotive is
similar in every respect to a steam To-
connective, and it is propelled in the same
manner. The air tank is not unlike the
steam boiler of an engine, and is car
ried in the same position, thus doing
away with tender. On account OF
its pointed head it is better able to cut
its way through the heavy air of mine, |
attaining high rate of speed The air
is supplied by an air compressor To-
Gated on the surface.
The air is pumped through two FIVE
inch pipes into the mine at pressure
of 500 pounds per square inch. One of /
these pipes runs to the bottom of the |
slope and the other TO the nd of the I
underground workings. These pipes /
serve as reservoir for the air At the I
ends of the lines and along the route I
of the locomotive are stations where the I
air tank of the engine can be refilled /
when exhausted. Exhaustion frequent I
~ occurs. and without the station
pumps the engine would be useless.
The air tank on the locomotive has /
capacity of l64 cubic feet, a sufficient |
amount of mir TO carry train, includ- I
ing eight or ten heavily loaded mine I
cars. The speed is regulated according |
10 the number Of mine cars attached I
and TO the track. On a level and straight |
railway one of these engines can carry |
from ten to twelve loaded mine wagons |
at the rate of % to IS 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 |
pitch of from 40 to 90 degrees. From |
there they were conveyed through |
small gangways by teams of mules to
the main gangways where bigger teams
MI ga1 IL A-l
the bottom OF the slope. Here they were
hoisted TO the surface in self-dumping |
car.
Taking all this into consideration. |
the air locomotive is the solution of the |
problem and will reduce the cost OF
mining to minimum. -philadelnhia |