Collection: Directories and Documents

About This Item:

Title: A Descriptive Treatise on Mining Machinery, Tools, and Other Appliances Used in Mining - Volume 1 (1877) Collection Type: Directories and Documents Author: George G. Andre Published: 1877 # of Pages: 311 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2025-05-04 16:56:34 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 4.1.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-05-05 01:05:02 Last Updated: 2025-05-05 05:59:57

Digital Copy Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 311  

EXPLORING MACHINERY. , 15 spear, the “spud” or “spoon,” Fig. 112, is frequently used. This instrument is simply half a hollow reamer. The “horn-socket,” Fig. 111, is a tapering iron tube, designed to be dropped over and wedged upon the head of a lost tool. The “slip-socket,” Figs. 116 and 117, is also intended for the same purpose; but this instrument is provided with dogs or teeth to fall out and catch the tool under the collar. Another and somewhat similar kind of “fishing” or extracting tool is the “grabs” shown in Fig. 118. The “rope-grabs” represented in Fig. 121 are used for grappling the rope or cable; for severing the rope in the bore-hole the “ rope-knife,” Fig. 120, is used. The “hook,” shown in Figs. 114 and 115, is used for grappling lost tools that are leaning against the side of the hole. The “slip-spear,” Fig. 119, is used to extract tubing. Tools for Extracting Tubes.—When the bore-hole has been completed, and the end for which it was undertaken attained, it becomes desirable to recover the tubes used to line the hole. Also when more sets of tubes are required than anticipated, and the diameter of the bore-hole has consequently been so reduced that farther progress is impracticable, it becomes necessary to withdraw the lining and to enlarge the hole from surface. The operation of withdrawing the tubes is always a difficultone, and when the hole is deep is seldom altogether successful. But in most cases a large proportion of the tubing may be recovered if suitable means are employed. These means consist of tools for disconnecting and lifting the several lengths of tubing, or for lifting them altogether. Of the former kind, the simplest and most effective is the screw-plug. This instrument consists of a conical plug having its lower end slightly less in diameter than the bore of the tube, and its upper end slightly greater, and provided with a left-handed steeled screw-thread. This plug terminates upwards in a shank and screw-socket for the purpose of fixing it to the rods. The latter, which are constructed specially for this purpose, are of large section, and are connected by lefthanded screw-joints. The screw-plug is lowered at the end of these rods into the end of the tube, and turned slowly round till the thread has bitten. When the plug has obtained a firm hold of the tube, the latter will be unscrewed by the continued left-handed motion of the former, and may be lifted by it. The same operation is repeated for each length of tubing. Of the tools designed to lift the whole length of tubing, the best is that known as “ Kind’s plug,” Fig. 123, from its having been first employed by Kind. It consists of a block of oak of an ovoid form fixed upon the end of aniron rod. This rod passes through the centre of the plug, which it holds by means of a nut, and terminates upwards in a screw-plug for the purpose of attaching it to the ordinary boring rods. The diameter of this wooden plug at its largest part is slightly less than that of the tube, so that a little amount of play is allowed between it and the sides of the tube. When it is required to raise the tubes, the plug is lowered to the desired depth, and one or two shovelsful of coarse, gravelly sand, washed and sifted, are thrown down upon it. This sand fills the space between the sides of the tubing and the plug, and the latter is thereby firmly wedged in. The rods being then hauled up, the tubing is raised with them. If it be desired to make the plug leave go its hold on the tube, it is only necessary to lower it below the lining, when the sand will run out. When the tubing is too firmly held by the friction against the sides of the bore-hole to allow of. it being raised altogether, and it is deemed undesirable to have recourse to the special rods required for the screw-plug, Kind’s plug may be used in conjunction with another kind of tool to raise the ‘tubing in portions. The use of the latter tool is to cut through the lining so as to divide it into portions capable of being raised at once. Numerous forms of tools have been invented for this purpose. One of the simplest of these is that represented in Figs. 122 and 125. By suspending this tool at ’