The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1920-04-17
SHovElINc MACHINES BEING GIVEN
TRIAL At TINE BRISTOL
ARMSTRONG HoAR MACHINES
Shortage Of Labor Necessities the
Introduction Of Machinery
Wherever Possible

Ane Hoh mines are turning more
and more TO machinery. For the past
ten years efforts have been made to
devise shoveling machine to take the
place OF the men who are called upon
to do that work. II is the heaviest
work OF the mine and therefore shov-
elers are hardest to get.
Several types OF machines have been
brought out within the past six years
but none OF them have been put to the
real test because OF the limited a
mount OF work that could be done with
such such machine and the high ini-
tial cost OF the same The great ad-
vance made in the pay OF mining lab
or coupled with the scarcity OF labor
TO be had has turned the attention OF
mining operators more and more to
the machine shoveler.
The Halby loader has been tested out
quite extensively at all or the mines
and for some classes OF work Il Is ad-
mirable. However. Il is a heavy ma
chine and its radius OF work Is limited
The Armstrong and H0ar
Now other types OF machines are
| coming TO the front; new types that
have proflted by the experience of the
pioneers. These machines are design
ed to overcome some OF the shortcom-
ings OF the first type of machine and to
allow OF use to a much greater extent
One OF these is the machine designed
by Frank Armstrong Of the Penn
mines. Mr.. Armstrong was at one
time mechanical engineer for the Cor
rigan-McKinney people in this district
and was located in Crystal Falls. He
went to Vulcan from here and has de-
signed and patented the machine that
bears his name Mr.. Armstrong; ma
chine is said TO overcome the objection
to weight as much as can be expected
in a piece OF machinery built for such
heavy work as shoveling iron ore.
Another machine is that patented by
Captain Hoar. a vetern mining man OF
the Minnesota ranges. The machine is
comparatively new 10 this range but "
Is said to embody all OF the advantages
OF the latest design of such machines.
Two mt the Bristol
The Bristol mnie has received one OF
each OF these machines during the
week and Is to give them both a thor
ough test in its underground opera
tions. Close detailed account Will be |
kept OF the operations of each and at
the end OF the testing period the min
ing men will have a very good com
parative test OF these two shovelers.
The conditions I'm the Bristol are
such that both machines may have
similar working conditions, a condi-
tion that is the first requisite for
fair test.
Supt. Bjork Is as thorough on de-
tails as any mine manager in the busi-
ness and better man couldn't have
Deen beltClcu tO hdNc tuiS 'Vo' 'h""N
under.
Methods Charged Much
Not alone i'm the matter of machin-
cry has great change taken place but
also In the methods OF catching up the
broken ore and rock SO as to avoid
shoveling has mining methods advanc-
ed. One OF the hardest departments OF
mining work Is the sinking of shafts
In the days gone by that task was
dreaded for Il meant hard work every 4
minute OF the time, Now days shafts
are not sunk; they are raised. In 9TH
err words the shaft opening Is driven
from the bottom up instead OF from
the top down. This OF course, doesn't
include the first sink from surface,
which must be made from the top.
Instead OF carrying down a great
opening from the working level 10 the
one intended to be opened next. the
miners are set az work sinking small
winze. From the bottom fof this
winze a drift is run TO the location Of
the shaft and then the workmen start
going up. letting the dirt fall away
when IL is blasted Two small
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