The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-10-12
ALASKA JUNEAU WASTE BARCES
 ARE EXPLAINED
Metho ds of Disposing of Rock from Mine Is
 Told in Magazine

The Alaska Juneau Gold Mine which frequently breaks into na- tional and international prominence because of it's size, efficient opera ton, and numerous technical in- Dovations designed and adopted to fit it's particular needs, was the subject of an informative and in teresting article, well illustrated with familiar Juneau and Gastin- eau Channel scenes, recently pub- liShed in the Engineering and Mining Journal The article deals with the barges now used for hand ling the waste rock from the mine and which many Juneauites have seen in operation
 To those residents who have not seen / the interesting method in which the barges are dumped and then lighted, an automobile ride, or walk down the Thane road while the process is taking place would prove most interesting.
 The Engineering and Mining Journal with accompanying pictures explains:
 One of the most interesting op- erations at the property of the Alas ka Juneau Gold Mining Company at Juneau, Alaska, is the novel method of disposing of coarse waste by speci- ally built wooden barges. Previous to this installation, and from the time sorting of ore was begun in 1920 until 1881, coarse waste was sent to Gastineau Channel by gra- vity tramming to a bin on the shore and thence by conveyor belt to stackers on the edge of the ad- vancing waste pile.
 Tn 1881, when the limit of the stacker belts, was seen to be ap- preaching, 2,000 it. of trestle was built at the lower end of the gravity tramway Since the slope from the storage bin at the mill to the waste dump was not sufficient to handle the material further by gravity, a 9-ton trolley locomotive was added |. to the system. This construction added materially to the cost of waste disposal for the year 1881, and since from time to time more of such additions would be required, with attendant capital outlay, together with increasing operating costs, in- vestigations into other methods oi waste disposal were begun by the management
 Raising the level at which waste was being dumped and trammine altogether by trolley was considered but since this would mean a ma terial construction cost for a tunne and other appurtenances, coupled building of public roads, fumes and other appurtenances coulpeo with the uncertainty of the action of higher waste pile, with its &C., companying weight attention was directed to the disposal of waste into the deep waters of Cas- tineau Channel by barge. According ly, naval architect was consulted and much information was gathered as to the relative merits of hopper barges and various types of self dumping barges. The advantages oi steel and wood construction were also carefully investigated After considering all the information available, it was decided to builc self-dumping wooden fbarges, eact of 600 tons capacity, designed after the Vincent patents, and a suitable tugboat to handle the barges.
 Late in 1884 the contracts fol three self f-dumping' barges and a 72-ft. tugboat powered by a 275- h.p. diesel engine were let. The tug registers 6333 gross tons, 43 nei tons, 67.8 it. length, 1765 it. breadth and 9.95 fit. depth. The boat equip ment includes a towing winch anc 2 6-in. centrifugal scow pump, botf driven by clutch from the main en- Gine; and an anchor winch driver by air from the compressed -ail ftarting system. The scow pump i. for pumping out scow in the even of defective valve or the barge fail ing to dump its load by being under. loaded. The pump discharge line Ii fitted with a valve and a monito mounted on the engine-room roo to provide fire protection along tn, water front.
 "The dimensions of the barges ar, as follows: Length, 101 it.; beam 34 it.; and depth from deck to deck 10 it. These barges are double sid