Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-11-23
INCREASED OUTPUT.
New Mining Machinery in the Wash
burn Mine Will Increase Out
put Largely.
Officials of the Road Much Pleased
With Successful Operation of
Machines.
Capacity in the Near Future Will
Reach Over 400 Tons Daily
Output.

Output.
Wilton News: The coal operators
here are excessively jubilant over the
successful operation of the new electric
machines recently purchased and put
in place in the new mine. The opera
ton of the electric drills and electric
undermining machines was witnessed
by General Manager E. c. Washburn,
Chief Engineer Dixon, the editor of
the News and a party of commercial
travellers, last Wednesday. The work
done was pronounced excellent in ev-
cry particular, the machines being op-
Grated by moderate power cut into
the coal bank without any friction or
interference whatever. The motive
power is transmitted by cables from
the dynamo at the electric light plant,
a continuous current being the medium
of propulsion.
The work that has been accom-
plished at the new mine the past two
months is something wonderful. Great
difficulty was at first experienced in
not being able to work a sufficient
crew of men to advantage. Now this
has been overcome, but scarcity of lab
orers is now and has been retarding
element Of late. 1t is necessary, in
order to work systematically and ad-
vantageously, that a crew of men be
employed, Independent of the miners,
in laying and repairing track and
switches. The mining machines which
are now in successful operation will
turn out, if worked to their full capac-
ity, a larger amount of coal than can
be taken care of by the force of men
now employed.
Manager Washburn said that while
some difficulty is being experienced at
present in getting expert miners it is
due, no doubt, to the fact that full
realization of the great development
in progress here is not felt abroad
These matters, although retarding, are
trivial, as they will soon be overcome.
The operators hope, under favorable
conditions, to be enabled within the
month to increase the output to 200
tons daily. About one-half of this
will be consumed in Bismarck while
the balance VIII be shipped to points
throughout tie state. Orders are
daily arriving f.om distant points, both
in and out of the state, for carload
quantities.
AS the work progresses it is found
that the quantity of the Ignite be-
harder than that first encountered
when the coal vein was at first oper-
ated. near the foot of incline This is
gratifying, although the coal at this
mine has from the very start proved
more satisfactory to the trade than
any other Ignite in the state.
A neat office building is now in
course Of construction and will be COM
pleted this week. Owing to the scare
ity of carpenters the buildings have
been enclosed but not finished. But
work of finishing is now in progress
and can be done more easily than out
side work at this season of year.
The electric light plant is running
nicely. Preparations are being made
to light the interior of the mine, and
poles are now being erected and wires
will be stretched next week which will
connect the elevator, depot, hotel and
busin 'ss houses in the city with the
plant, and then electric lights will re-
place the old kerosene lamp. The ad-
visibility of putting in couple Of
arc lights is being considered with
some favor by the management.
The demand for Ignite is so great
that it was deemed advisable to recon-
mence work at the Ecklund mine.
which had been leased by Manager
Washburn, but temporarily aban-
doned, and now contract has been
made whereby the Ecklund mine op-
orators will furnish at least fifty tons
a day on cars which will be furnished
at the new mine. This will enable the
ma, agcment to supply consumers with
an additional fifty tons daily.
1t is expected that by January the
output at the new mine will reach
400 tons day. This speaks well for
the coal operators. Great difficulties
are encountered in the opening up of
new mines that are not fully realized