The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1910-04-02
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Of the Week
surance William Hotchkiss
a year pension. President

ing blast in the raise occasionally tC
dislodge the chunks that may block the
run of the ore.
The system was used in he Henne
pin pillar and worked admirably aud
is working wonderfully within the
Tobin pillar The loss of ore Is very
little as the entire body comes down
in one gob and there is M water 10
wash the sand ahead OF the ore.
The Tobin is big mine. but II is
not the size Of the ore body that i'm
pressed us so much as the methods of
mining which we saw IN vogue and
the track arrangement. We will leave
the mining methods fer another time
and endeavor TO point out the good
features OF the track arrangements.
As we stated, the shaft is approached
hy long rock tunnel. 90 feet wide and
l2 feet high The tramming il all
done by electricity, two motors being
employed in summer time when ship
ping is at its height The shaft is ap.
preached through the main tunnel run
ming north and south and at conven-
lent distance, the main east and west
tunnel crosses it. These are the two
main arteries OF the level and they are
double tracked with 3O-pound rails
throughout their entire distance.
Branch, or feeder tracks run off, the
east and west tunnel into the chutes.
leading from the slopes on the sub
level twenty feet above.
The track arrangement Is such that
the loaded cars all switch themselves
onto the east side of the landing APP
proach. This track will hold twenty
or thirty cars. The empty track is on
the extreme west side Of tine tunnel
and a switch arrangement at the north
end of the landing approach is so fixed
that, automatically. the motor, after
IL drops its load, is switched over to
the empty track
That arrangement for switching the
motor was about the most advanced |
improvement that we noticed. IL is
a spring switch. Away set for the
load track Once between this switch
and the shaft the motor can hack over
a diamond crossing TO the empty |
track and in returning with the
smpties, the motor wheels open the
switch which closes a. soon as the
train passes by.
AT the landing END OF the tracks.
diamond crossings are so arranged that
the landers take the cars from the load
track and shove them TO either skip
where rocker dump is provided that
makes the labor of dumping very easy.
After the cars are dumped they can 90
but TO one track. the empty track. No
guiding or switching Is necessary.
This Is due to the crossing arrange
nents which are patterened after tue
crossings in the large cities.
The diamonds are all securely fast
med TO steel plate so that there Is
10 trouble with the tracks once they
ire put In place.
BY an electric signal line the tram.
ners can show red light mt the juno.
ion OF the east and west and the
lorth and south tunnel 40 that the
motor man in returning always knows
where he can find train OF loads.
'he spring. switch arrangement Is
'rovided at the end Of the tunnel track
4 we'll as the landing approach 10 that
he brakeman never has to throw n I
witcn.
Mining men contemplating Install.
ng an electric tram would be amply
epaid by n trip through the Tobin.
At later date we shall have some q
hing TO say about the mining method a
'hich is peculiar 10 the Tobin and +
cry interesting. t