The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-08-02
Raising 400 Feet in the Hecla Mine;
Details of Operation and Difficulties
(By Charles H. Foreman Engineer for Heca Mining Co..
Engineering Mining Journal)

The Hecla Mining company, oper-
ating at Burke, Idaho, recently open
courses that ventilate the old work.
ings. 1t was proposed to drive raise
from the No 3 adit tunnel level to the
surface, a distance of approximately
400 feet, to properly ventilate the
new workings and all development
work contemplated in their vicinity.
This raise would also greatly improve
the ventilation in the old Hecla
slopes. The work was begun in No
vember, 1915, and has progressed
steadily, except for delay of four
months, during part of which time a
station was cut on the 57th and 5Sth
floors.
The raise was driven about 9x18
feet in the clear and is timbered by
four sets of timbers, making three
compartments. A timber slide is car
ried In one compartment, a chute in
the center and manway in the third
The ventilating pipe and air line are
carried in the chute or center COM
partment, leaving the manway clear
for the passage of men. The vertical
distance between floors Is feet while
the horizontal distance between caps
is feet. Stull sets are used, the
caps averaging IA inches and the posts
8 inches in diameter. The floors are
covered with 3-inch tagging, random
width and feet II inches long.
Methods of Raising Used.
A crew of four men on each shift
consists of two miners, one timber
man and one timberman's helper, two
shifts being worked, the day shift go
ing on at 1880 a. m. and the night
shift at 400 p. m. Room was made
on the first floor for a timber hoist,
and the four men hoisted their own
material until the 40th floor was
reached, when it was found necessary
to add hoistman, who also acted as
general handy man around the bot
tom of the raise, to each shift. These
men continued the raise until the 64th
floor was reached, when the climb .oc-
cupied so much time that some other
method had to be adopted.
The work of raising was then stop
ped and a station fitted up on the 57th
and 58th floors, the former being used
as a working station and the latter as
the hosting station. The timber slide
was fitted with guides from the No
level to the 5Sth floor, and a work.
ing cage equipped with safeties was
installed. An Sx10-inch air hoist was
placed on the 5Sth floor and connect
ed by ga inch cable to a cage
weighing 1900 pounds; telephone
electric bell and flash system were
Installed on the 57th floor The sta
lions are equipped with electric lights
1t was necessary for the hoistman
to climb the 81 floors on going to
work in the morning and going of
the night shift. but the day hoistmar
started in time to be at his station
when the men were ready to go tc
work Men, tinfbers and all supplies
were hoisted to the 57th floor by this
cage, the manway being used only
), by the hoistman and in cases of EN-.
Urgency.
A 5x7-inch hoist with " Inch cable
and steel bucket was installed on the
58th floor to hoist timbers and sup
plies UP the timber slide from thu
57th floor to the top of the raise. TIT
raise at this point was Offset, giving
room for transferring supplies. A
eager was added to the crew, to han
die supplies from the No. level t.
the 57th floor.
When work was again resumed IL
the raise, 1t was possible for the mel
to ride to the 57th floor, but 1t wa
necessary to climb from this point tt
the top. The work continued unit
the 18th floor was reached, wher
the climb was again getting to be
big problem and some other mean
OF Transportation WdS CoHoiuOiOu hO
cessary to get the men to and from
their work. 1t was not CONSIDERS
advisable to continue the guides iron
/ the 57th floor to the top of the tim
Der slide as 1t would necessitate cut
ting another station or the installa
ton of a much larger hoist. The lad
ders in the manway were taken on
from the 57th to the 111th flool
guides were installed and a small Gag
holding four men and weighing liz
pounds was handled by 5x7-inc
hoist using SIS inch cable, set
the 5Sth floor. The ladders from tn
57th to the 111th floor were placed
the chute set to be used only in cas-
of emergency. This scheme Above
the men to ride to the 10Sth floor be
fore starting to climb. All hoists o
the 5Sth floor were fitted with ind