Volume 11 (1865) (424 pages)

Che lining and Scientific Press. 227 hattery, made at the Miners’ Ponndry in San Franciseo, has been erected, the wood-work of which is the strongest of uny [ have ever seen. The amalgainating capacity consists of twelve . of Wheeter’s amalgamators and settlers. After leavius tbeaev, the tailings will be passed over coneentraters of my own putterns, by which both the quicksilver and sulphurets will be saved in thy mest ceonomicat manner. ‘The company is also building large ronating Inrnaces, and itis the intention of the Colonel to render this establishment the best redaction works in the State of Nevada. ‘The company also owns several mines in the neighborhood, which ure ns yet only partinily worked. ‘I'he outcroppings tu one of their minns about hnif a mile from the works, show several ludes, uud indicate that large deposits of ore mny be met with. From the nature of the ground t shauld judge that they will have to sink from 450 to 500 fect before the mine will yield any riett ure. The eroppings are several liundred feet inextent, and assay frem five to twenty-five ounces ef silver per ton, and some gold. ‘The mining gronnd is easily worked nnd perfeetly dry, so that the work is not expensive. LBesites this, the compuny owns about 1,200 neres of land of the best quahty in the vatley, all of which cun he irrigated by the canat shove named. ‘I'he experinients tried here this yeur show that this land is capable of predncing an abundance of whent, corn, barley, potnteea, ond other vegetnbles. A towo has ulse been laid out. called Aubnrn, and several houses have ulready heeu huilt. Within unether year itis the intention to muke this property not only one ef the handsomest, but also one of the inest protitable in Nevada, and I trust that Col. O’Couner will be rewarded with alt the success he deserves, for lis energy and erseveranee in making this as tle only Engish cowpaoy io Washee, a successful conceru. J. Mosier. Traekoe Meadows, September, 1865. ne} The Ohemistry of Silver Veins, Dr. Blatehly, of Austin, Reese River, bas recently made an interesting report 00 a series of veins in or near the Yankee Blade district @ portion of whieh will be read with interest’ as explainiog the peculiarities of the veins in that rieh sectioo of the Reese River wineral rezion. ‘The claims embiaced in this repor are the New York Centrul. Purdy, Kearsarge aed Metropolis. Weeopy from the ieveille : These four veins preceut all the peeuliarities of the most renowoed ledges in the districts— as the Midas, Romeo, andthe General Sigel, whieh did uot show much ore on the surface, hat os they were followed down proved to be quite valuable. It ie probuble thnt all the silver in these veins exi ted ut one time iu the form of a sulphuret, aod that this ore was forincd under water. By the operation of internal forees, thlese veins were thrown nbove the water, and exposed to the action of the atmospfiere, whieh decomposed tho eulphuret af silver, forming sntphuric aeid, and leaving the silver free. This aeid reacted 00 the silyer and formed a sulphate ol’ silver, whieh is soluble in water. ‘I'he water from the surfuee, filtering through the veins slowly but eurely, washied the silver away, and left the veie barreu. We find many veios nearly barren on the surface, but rich belowthe water level, as the ures below were covered by wnter, and_protected from the aetion of the oxygen. These ehomieal changes are eellom or ucver completed, and heoce we rarely find a vein whieh is entirely barren on the snrface, rich beneath. But, still, a lurge number of the veits that are richest helow the wnter level, exhibit only traees of silver on the surfaee. If chlorine were present, it would deeompose the sulphate af silver, and form ehtoride of silver, whieh is not soluble in water, but would remain fixed in thevein. ‘These changes, whieb Nature works iu her seeret laboratory, in the eourse of ages, under a low temperature, are effected io afew bours in a reverheratory furnaee. The same elements produe> similar ehauges in either case. The eauses cited seem to afforda sufficient reason for the laet, that all the veins in this district require to be opened below the water level before they exbibit rich ore or permanent ehuraeteristics. ‘I'he veins under eonsideration will not prove exceptions to this genera] rule. : Ratriesnake Quanrz Munino Company. We havo received n eopy of the by-laws, etc., of tbe Rattlesnnke Quartz Mioing Company. This eompany was incorporated in September last, for the purpose of mioing 00 eertain quartz veins knowu as the Mississippi, Trinidad and Fairview veius, situated io Big Oak Flat District, Tuolumee eounty. ‘The eapital stoek of the eompany is $27,000, divided into 4,650 shares of six dollarseach. The principal place of busiuess of the corporation ie in the town of Alameda, Alameda eounty. Thomas A. Smith and Joel Ray o! Alameda, aod Joseph C. Boyd of San Franciseo, are the corporate trustees. “Wechanicat, ‘THE FOUNDRIES. Owing to the lateness of the seaseo, and the prospect of difficult nnd expensive transpertntion during the winter menths, the heavy orders tur minieg machinery are uot so numerous as in the early summer; hut the demand for shoes und dies, and the lighter articles of machinery for (the winter supply, is mmmeauully netive. Some smnll mills huve also been ordered, which are to by finished nud shipped to their destination before the winter sets in. Among these may he mentioned a 10-stump mill for Mr. S. Reynotds, of Clear Creek, ‘T'ulare county, shipped hy Geddard & Co. of the Pneilic Jron Works, on Wednesday last, this being the filth mill shipped te thnt locality by this estabhshment within tbe last few mouths. Messrs. G. & Co. are also manufacturing a number of Varney’s ninnignmators, tor purties in Ifumbeldt, Nevada, and the machinery fer a Intge flaring will for the Rogue River vnlley, in Oregon, in additieu to which they have on unusunily lurge aniount of jobhing work oe linnd. At the Miners’ Foundry, the monster sngar mill for the Sandwich Islands, noticed seme time since, continues to be the principal leature. The copper werk fer tbis mill is being made hy Mr. James Macken, on Fremoot street, nnd is of the best quatity, to correspood with the iron work oow io eoestruction at the * Miners’.” Like all the others, this establisbment bas an immense amount of miseellaneous work ou haod, including all kiods of niintog, iil], und oil-well boring moehieery, amnng which last we ooticed no very beantiful herizontal engioe, with eytinder 6x14 inches, intended for the Southern coast, whieh was almoet ready for shipment. The Golden State Iron Works, though they have turned out nothing very striking, within the last few weeks have been working to their full capacity, baviug melted over 200,000 ibs. of iron within a month’s time, aod have exceeded in thie department some of their neighbors whose capaeity for work is more than double their owa. Direct-Acting Pumping Engines and DirectActing Winding Engines, Ata meeting of the North of England Institute of Mining Eoxineers, assembled in eession, by invitation, with the Sonth Laucashire and Cheshire Coal Association, also nn ussoeiation of mining eogineers, reeeutly held at Manchester, England, wueb interesting diseussion was had, and several very valuable papers were read, having a bearing upon the mining interests of Great Brituin, aod the world, as well. The nature of the papere read, and the facilities whieh have been afforded to the meobers of these associations for obtaining iuformation, have been such, as, in the estimation of the British pubhe, to render that meeting one of the most important of the kind which has taken place for a great number of years, raod the information disseminated hy it as most fully reliuhte, combiuing as it does the uoited experienee and wisdom of the two most intelligent engineering assoeiations on the globe. Amoog tho papere read, was one by Mr. Joho Knowles, “ On Direct-Acting Pumpiog Engines and Direet-Aeting Winding Engiues ;” which is of especial praetical interest at tbis time on the Paeifie coast. The enormous eost nttendant upon the class of pumping eogines whieh aro required to draio the deep mines that are oow heing opened on this coast, for gold, silver! and eonl, renders of the utmost practieal im-. portunee to all, any information caleulated to. reduce this heavy portion of the expense of! deep mioing. The loeg experience and the} elose habits of ohservation, with the view of economizing power aod expense, which charneterizes tho leading mining enyineer associations of Great Britain, wonld eeem to assure us thnt there is no other source than those to whieh we ean look with greater degree of eonfidenee for the ioformatioo we desire in tbis direction. Witb this view we append the . sahstance of Mr. Knowles’ paper, as given in the London Mining Journal > As the pnmping cngine had greater and earlier nttention puid to it, in consequence of the enormous expense that some collieries had been subjected to, on necount of the large quantities of water raised, it was, perlurps, desiruble to state the improvements made with respect to it. In doing this he (Me. Knowles) woald take the engine at the culliery nenr Littleborough, us a sainple ef this kind of engine. It was a direct-acting engine, with a cylinder 47 inches diameter, andu 10 feet stroke. It wns pluced over the pit, und used to pump the water during the sinking of the shnft. The steam was used on the underside ef the piston, nt o pressnre of 40 ths. per square inelt, nnd was cnt off ata port of the stroke, and when . the up-stroke was cempleted, the steam was ullewed to gothrongh a regulating valve to the top side, und muke the down stroke, which was then ready fer cendensing for the next up-stroke. Vhe engine had a heam, with a small bulance to counteract the weizht of the draw-lift rods. ‘The top set of pumps were 80 yards tong, with a rani 20 inches in dinmeter, and the rods were so arranged that their weight would force up the water to the top ef the pit. The lower set of pumps had » hucketlift, [8 ieches iu diameter und 46 yurds long, and these rods were balanced by the weights en the engine-beam. When the pit wus sunk 8) yards, the 20-inch ram-pnmp was put in, and connected directly with the top red,aed the lewer draw lift was put to it in the usuat manner. Durteg the siuking of tho pit, which was ae oval eee, there was u feeder of 600 gallons of wuter per minute to eontend with it, and when the engine stopped it rose up the pit 1 foot per minute, and when the clucke had required changtog, the ehange had to he nade in 145 minutes. Conneeted with this engine there was au nrrangement by which the haedles opening the valves eould he so arranged that they would open at any speed, and cause the engine either to work fast or slow at the upstroke or down-stroke. or, if requisite, remain stationary n short time. There was also a registering indieator, so arraoged that every stroke or part of a stroke was counted, whieb had been at work sinee the engioe started, and it was possible to ascertain tho number of etrokes it had made since its erection. The first of these iudieutors was used in J851, at the Bell Field pumping-engine, and was found so useful that they had since heen adopted at alt the pun:ping-engines owned by Messrs. Knowlee. One of the advantuges of the eogine was that thera was very little friction hetween the power exerted upon the piston and the work of raising the rods and water, and of heeessity, must u-e less Iuel. Another advan tage was that it ohviated the risk aed chance of sueh ao aecideot as that which occurred at the Hartley Colliery.as tne beam which was used as a balanee was kept in such a positioe that it was almost impossible for it to fall down the shaft. Vhe first direct-aeting pumping eegiue erected by the late Mr. Andrew Knowles, of Eagley, was at the Eecleston Colliery, near St. Hetens, in 1829. when there were many difficulties to contend with, not only cn aecount of the engine, hut also us this was the first plaee where the ram-pump was tried. Sinee then a great numher had been erected, and no doult the idea of the steam-hammer and the eteam piledriving machines was takeu from these. Mr. Knowles had taken the engine at the Clifton Halt Colliery as n sample of the direet-neting winding engine io Lancashire, 00 aceouot of its being the largest ereeted by Messrs. Knowles, and having n compensating drum. It was also used for winding water, which gave the opportunity of testing its eeonemical value. ‘The eylinder was 42 iu. in diameter, and had a G-feet stroke; the pressure of steam 45 ths. erineh. ‘I'he eonnecting rod was 18 ft. long, and shaft I4 io. sqnare, and of wrought iron. Vhe compensation drum eommenced at 15 ft., and ended at 25 ft. diam. The ropes lapped ou the drum from eaeh outside, and their tendency jo ascending was to lio against the side of the drum, aed avoid slipping off. The outside of the drum was made of Knglish oak, and tho grooves were eut into it, irou-plate guards being on some parts.of the reroll. A steam bruke was used at this engine, and was under the eommand of the engineer, who could throw on the steam at any monient; and it was so powerful that it would stop the main engine in less than two etrokes if it was going at fult epeed, with all steam on; but if the steam was off it would stop it iostantly. The engiueer used the brake in his ordiuary work, so that it had always to be kept in order, and, theréfore, ready for nny emergency. The pulleys over the pit were 3 ft. 6 in. from eaeh other, and were 15 ft. diameter, with wrougbt-iroo arms, and the outside rim was arranged to he filled up witb timber, so thut the rope would net be so nuch injured. At preseot the engine had not full work, and the average amount { . mainieg depth, and had two rnpesin it. ‘Tha cargoes had two decks, with two wneens of conl, containing 7 ewts. each, on each deck, making 28 ewts. of coal raiser at one lift, und it wns mised 13 ft. iu. in 45 seconds, or at the rate of nearly 20 miles per honr. The greatest speed of the cage when in the middlo of the pit was 25 miles per hour. ‘There was nlsv n lowering platform used, which was a great ndvautage, The experiments showed that 106.975 gallong could be raised 100 yards hy the consumptien of one tou of slack, proving thot the system wos much better than using hedinengines, wheels, und L-legs, but not so economient as the direct acting pnmping-engine. In deciding upon this impertant matter muny considerations must be weighed. If the quantity of water to be raised wus hot small and ut u great depth, witb sufficient lodge room fora week, then this plau would perhaps be tho best—one of the considerations being the great expense of erecting 2 pumping-engine fer u small quantity, when the winding-engine ceuld easily de the werk. If the quantity of water was furge, even at uny depth, the direct-acting puinpingengine would be found te be the most ecenomical in the end, and it was certaio to he so with n moderate depth. Mr. Greenwell asked whether he had rightly understood Mr. Knowles that the apparatus could not be stopped till two strekes of tho engiee had been made? ‘That would be something like 24 lathems. Mr. Knewles had only wished to show the great pewer of hrake which could stop the engine, although it was at full speed, but the steam could be taken off, and the brake upplied simultaneously. * 2 * * Myr. Diekinsoo thought it very important that so many practical questions should be suggested betore the diseussion wos adjourned ; for, if there was one thing more than nnother in whieh the Institutioo might expect to find excellence in this district it was maehiuery. It would hear eomparisoo witb ney he had seen elsewhere in this eounty or out of it. Mr. John Knowlee, heing connected with a firm whieh had so mauy colleries at work in the distriet, had had so many opportunities of comparison, that he thought that gentleman’s prper would he snfficieet to estahlish the superiority of direct-acting engines over those whieh were indirect. But, although that was the result of his experienee, and it would probahly be adopted in this county from tbat date, there were parts of the county where at present direet-acting engines were not used. For instance, in one eolliery district the opinion prevailed that the intervention of wheels, soas to make a difference between the velocity of-the pump-rods in tbe pit nnd the velocity of the piston in the eylinder, was advantageous, and more than eoueterbalanecd the friction iuherent te indirect-acting eugioes. Io Cerewall, also, from whence, perhaps, they had the heet pumping engines, the old view was that the stroke of the pump-rods ehould not be the saine as the stroke of the eylinder, and for many years he believed ult the Cornish engines were made witb a difference of about a loot between the two strokes. But latterly, in Cornwall, he had found new cogines made with the two strokes equal, so thnt the theoretieal difference was disappearing, and that little balance against the frietion would have to be taken off Motasses rrom Maize.—The firm of Berthold & Thompsen, of St. Louis, assisted by a Freneh chemist named Delmie, are manufacturing molasses Irom Indian eorn by a new process, with imported machinery. The St. Louis Democrat of the 10th iest., says tbe quality is not inferior to that extraeted from the best eane, not hahleto fermentation, and of good flavor, body, eolor, aed sacehurine properties. The Democrat speaks of the cheap rate at whieh this article ean be furnished, aod adds From one hushel of grain three gallons of molasses can he extraeted at least. ‘I’he market value, therefore, of the corn staple of our own fields will decide the quotations of imolasees, and preelude the possibitity of these prime neeessaries from presenting, us has often heen the case,a wide differenee io prices. Indeed, the farmer is thas made the reeipient of the additional advantage and profit of raisiog his own saccharioe, and saved the treuhle and expense of making an exehange of products through commercial chaunels for the purpose. Tse New Overnanp ‘l'e.vorarx.— Work hag heeo eommeneed on tho new Overland Telegraph between this place and Austin, says the Virginia Enterprise. ‘Vhe Iino will extend from Chieago to San Francisco. The eastern end of it is already built aod working to near Denver, and work has been done beof eoal raised was 280 tons per day, from a pit 427 yards deep. The pit was 9 feet diameter for 220 yards, and 10 feet diameter for the retween here and San Franeisco. Beforo many months elnpse we shall have two lines of telegrapbic wire cross the plains.

Che lining and Scientific Press. 227 hattery, made at the Miners’ Ponndry in San Franciseo, has been erected, the wood-work of which is the strongest of uny [ have ever seen. The amalgainating capacity consists of twelve . of Wheeter’s amalgamators and settlers. After leavius tbeaev, the tailings will be passed over coneentraters of my own putterns, by which both the quicksilver and sulphurets will be saved in thy mest ceonomicat manner. ‘The company is also building large ronating Inrnaces, and itis the intention of the Colonel to render this establishment the best redaction works in the State of Nevada. ‘The company also owns several mines in the neighborhood, which ure ns yet only partinily worked. ‘I'he outcroppings tu one of their minns about hnif a mile from the works, show several ludes, uud indicate that large deposits of ore mny be met with. From the nature of the ground t shauld judge that they will have to sink from 450 to 500 fect before the mine will yield any riett ure. The eroppings are several liundred feet inextent, and assay frem five to twenty-five ounces ef silver per ton, and some gold. ‘The mining gronnd is easily worked nnd perfeetly dry, so that the work is not expensive. LBesites this, the compuny owns about 1,200 neres of land of the best quahty in the vatley, all of which cun he irrigated by the canat shove named. ‘I'he experinients tried here this yeur show that this land is capable of predncing an abundance of whent, corn, barley, potnteea, ond other vegetnbles. A towo has ulse been laid out. called Aubnrn, and several houses have ulready heeu huilt. Within unether year itis the intention to muke this property not only one ef the handsomest, but also one of the inest protitable in Nevada, and I trust that Col. O’Couner will be rewarded with alt the success he deserves, for lis energy and erseveranee in making this as tle only Engish cowpaoy io Washee, a successful conceru. J. Mosier. Traekoe Meadows, September, 1865. ne} The Ohemistry of Silver Veins, Dr. Blatehly, of Austin, Reese River, bas recently made an interesting report 00 a series of veins in or near the Yankee Blade district @ portion of whieh will be read with interest’ as explainiog the peculiarities of the veins in that rieh sectioo of the Reese River wineral rezion. ‘The claims embiaced in this repor are the New York Centrul. Purdy, Kearsarge aed Metropolis. Weeopy from the ieveille : These four veins preceut all the peeuliarities of the most renowoed ledges in the districts— as the Midas, Romeo, andthe General Sigel, whieh did uot show much ore on the surface, hat os they were followed down proved to be quite valuable. It ie probuble thnt all the silver in these veins exi ted ut one time iu the form of a sulphuret, aod that this ore was forincd under water. By the operation of internal forees, thlese veins were thrown nbove the water, and exposed to the action of the atmospfiere, whieh decomposed tho eulphuret af silver, forming sntphuric aeid, and leaving the silver free. This aeid reacted 00 the silyer and formed a sulphate ol’ silver, whieh is soluble in water. ‘I'he water from the surfuee, filtering through the veins slowly but eurely, washied the silver away, and left the veie barreu. We find many veios nearly barren on the surface, but rich belowthe water level, as the ures below were covered by wnter, and_protected from the aetion of the oxygen. These ehomieal changes are eellom or ucver completed, and heoce we rarely find a vein whieh is entirely barren on the snrface, rich beneath. But, still, a lurge number of the veits that are richest helow the wnter level, exhibit only traees of silver on the surfaee. If chlorine were present, it would deeompose the sulphate af silver, and form ehtoride of silver, whieh is not soluble in water, but would remain fixed in thevein. ‘These changes, whieb Nature works iu her seeret laboratory, in the eourse of ages, under a low temperature, are effected io afew bours in a reverheratory furnaee. The same elements produe> similar ehauges in either case. The eauses cited seem to afforda sufficient reason for the laet, that all the veins in this district require to be opened below the water level before they exbibit rich ore or permanent ehuraeteristics. ‘I'he veins under eonsideration will not prove exceptions to this genera] rule. : Ratriesnake Quanrz Munino Company. We havo received n eopy of the by-laws, etc., of tbe Rattlesnnke Quartz Mioing Company. This eompany was incorporated in September last, for the purpose of mioing 00 eertain quartz veins knowu as the Mississippi, Trinidad and Fairview veius, situated io Big Oak Flat District, Tuolumee eounty. ‘The eapital stoek of the eompany is $27,000, divided into 4,650 shares of six dollarseach. The principal place of busiuess of the corporation ie in the town of Alameda, Alameda eounty. Thomas A. Smith and Joel Ray o! Alameda, aod Joseph C. Boyd of San Franciseo, are the corporate trustees. “Wechanicat, ‘THE FOUNDRIES. Owing to the lateness of the seaseo, and the prospect of difficult nnd expensive transpertntion during the winter menths, the heavy orders tur minieg machinery are uot so numerous as in the early summer; hut the demand for shoes und dies, and the lighter articles of machinery for (the winter supply, is mmmeauully netive. Some smnll mills huve also been ordered, which are to by finished nud shipped to their destination before the winter sets in. Among these may he mentioned a 10-stump mill for Mr. S. Reynotds, of Clear Creek, ‘T'ulare county, shipped hy Geddard & Co. of the Pneilic Jron Works, on Wednesday last, this being the filth mill shipped te thnt locality by this estabhshment within tbe last few mouths. Messrs. G. & Co. are also manufacturing a number of Varney’s ninnignmators, tor purties in Ifumbeldt, Nevada, and the machinery fer a Intge flaring will for the Rogue River vnlley, in Oregon, in additieu to which they have on unusunily lurge aniount of jobhing work oe linnd. At the Miners’ Foundry, the monster sngar mill for the Sandwich Islands, noticed seme time since, continues to be the principal leature. The copper werk fer tbis mill is being made hy Mr. James Macken, on Fremoot street, nnd is of the best quatity, to correspood with the iron work oow io eoestruction at the * Miners’.” Like all the others, this establisbment bas an immense amount of miseellaneous work ou haod, including all kiods of niintog, iil], und oil-well boring moehieery, amnng which last we ooticed no very beantiful herizontal engioe, with eytinder 6x14 inches, intended for the Southern coast, whieh was almoet ready for shipment. The Golden State Iron Works, though they have turned out nothing very striking, within the last few weeks have been working to their full capacity, baviug melted over 200,000 ibs. of iron within a month’s time, aod have exceeded in thie department some of their neighbors whose capaeity for work is more than double their owa. Direct-Acting Pumping Engines and DirectActing Winding Engines, Ata meeting of the North of England Institute of Mining Eoxineers, assembled in eession, by invitation, with the Sonth Laucashire and Cheshire Coal Association, also nn ussoeiation of mining eogineers, reeeutly held at Manchester, England, wueb interesting diseussion was had, and several very valuable papers were read, having a bearing upon the mining interests of Great Brituin, aod the world, as well. The nature of the papere read, and the facilities whieh have been afforded to the meobers of these associations for obtaining iuformation, have been such, as, in the estimation of the British pubhe, to render that meeting one of the most important of the kind which has taken place for a great number of years, raod the information disseminated hy it as most fully reliuhte, combiuing as it does the uoited experienee and wisdom of the two most intelligent engineering assoeiations on the globe. Amoog tho papere read, was one by Mr. Joho Knowles, “ On Direct-Acting Pumpiog Engines and Direet-Aeting Winding Engiues ;” which is of especial praetical interest at tbis time on the Paeifie coast. The enormous eost nttendant upon the class of pumping eogines whieh aro required to draio the deep mines that are oow heing opened on this coast, for gold, silver! and eonl, renders of the utmost practieal im-. portunee to all, any information caleulated to. reduce this heavy portion of the expense of! deep mioing. The loeg experience and the} elose habits of ohservation, with the view of economizing power aod expense, which charneterizes tho leading mining enyineer associations of Great Britain, wonld eeem to assure us thnt there is no other source than those to whieh we ean look with greater degree of eonfidenee for the ioformatioo we desire in tbis direction. Witb this view we append the . sahstance of Mr. Knowles’ paper, as given in the London Mining Journal > As the pnmping cngine had greater and earlier nttention puid to it, in consequence of the enormous expense that some collieries had been subjected to, on necount of the large quantities of water raised, it was, perlurps, desiruble to state the improvements made with respect to it. In doing this he (Me. Knowles) woald take the engine at the culliery nenr Littleborough, us a sainple ef this kind of engine. It was a direct-acting engine, with a cylinder 47 inches diameter, andu 10 feet stroke. It wns pluced over the pit, und used to pump the water during the sinking of the shnft. The steam was used on the underside ef the piston, nt o pressnre of 40 ths. per square inelt, nnd was cnt off ata port of the stroke, and when .

the up-stroke was cempleted, the steam was ullewed to gothrongh a regulating valve to the top side, und muke the down stroke, which was then ready fer cendensing for the next up-stroke. Vhe engine had a heam, with a small bulance to counteract the weizht of the draw-lift rods. ‘The top set of pumps were 80 yards tong, with a rani 20 inches in dinmeter, and the rods were so arranged that their weight would force up the water to the top ef the pit. The lower set of pumps had » hucketlift, [8 ieches iu diameter und 46 yurds long, and these rods were balanced by the weights en the engine-beam. When the pit wus sunk 8) yards, the 20-inch ram-pnmp was put in, and connected directly with the top red,aed the lewer draw lift was put to it in the usuat manner. Durteg the siuking of tho pit, which was ae oval eee, there was u feeder of 600 gallons of wuter per minute to eontend with it, and when the engine stopped it rose up the pit 1 foot per minute, and when the clucke had required changtog, the ehange had to he nade in 145 minutes. Conneeted with this engine there was au nrrangement by which the haedles opening the valves eould he so arranged that they would open at any speed, and cause the engine either to work fast or slow at the upstroke or down-stroke. or, if requisite, remain stationary n short time. There was also a registering indieator, so arraoged that every stroke or part of a stroke was counted, whieb had been at work sinee the engioe started, and it was possible to ascertain tho number of etrokes it had made since its erection. The first of these iudieutors was used in J851, at the Bell Field pumping-engine, and was found so useful that they had since heen adopted at alt the pun:ping-engines owned by Messrs. Knowlee. One of the advantuges of the eogine was that thera was very little friction hetween the power exerted upon the piston and the work of raising the rods and water, and of heeessity, must u-e less Iuel. Another advan tage was that it ohviated the risk aed chance of sueh ao aecideot as that which occurred at the Hartley Colliery.as tne beam which was used as a balanee was kept in such a positioe that it was almost impossible for it to fall down the shaft. Vhe first direct-aeting pumping eegiue erected by the late Mr. Andrew Knowles, of Eagley, was at the Eecleston Colliery, near St. Hetens, in 1829. when there were many difficulties to contend with, not only cn aecount of the engine, hut also us this was the first plaee where the ram-pump was tried. Sinee then a great numher had been erected, and no doult the idea of the steam-hammer and the eteam piledriving machines was takeu from these. Mr. Knowles had taken the engine at the Clifton Halt Colliery as n sample of the direet-neting winding engine io Lancashire, 00 aceouot of its being the largest ereeted by Messrs. Knowles, and having n compensating drum. It was also used for winding water, which gave the opportunity of testing its eeonemical value. ‘The eylinder was 42 iu. in diameter, and had a G-feet stroke; the pressure of steam 45 ths. erineh. ‘I'he eonnecting rod was 18 ft. long, and shaft I4 io. sqnare, and of wrought iron. Vhe compensation drum eommenced at 15 ft., and ended at 25 ft. diam. The ropes lapped ou the drum from eaeh outside, and their tendency jo ascending was to lio against the side of the drum, aed avoid slipping off. The outside of the drum was made of Knglish oak, and tho grooves were eut into it, irou-plate guards being on some parts.of the reroll. A steam bruke was used at this engine, and was under the eommand of the engineer, who could throw on the steam at any monient; and it was so powerful that it would stop the main engine in less than two etrokes if it was going at fult epeed, with all steam on; but if the steam was off it would stop it iostantly. The engiueer used the brake in his ordiuary work, so that it had always to be kept in order, and, theréfore, ready for nny emergency. The pulleys over the pit were 3 ft. 6 in. from eaeh other, and were 15 ft. diameter, with wrougbt-iroo arms, and the outside rim was arranged to he filled up witb timber, so thut the rope would net be so nuch injured. At preseot the engine had not full work, and the average amount { . mainieg depth, and had two rnpesin it. ‘Tha cargoes had two decks, with two wneens of conl, containing 7 ewts. each, on each deck, making 28 ewts. of coal raiser at one lift, und it wns mised 13 ft. iu. in 45 seconds, or at the rate of nearly 20 miles per honr. The greatest speed of the cage when in the middlo of the pit was 25 miles per hour. ‘There was nlsv n lowering platform used, which was a great ndvautage, The experiments showed that 106.975 gallong could be raised 100 yards hy the consumptien of one tou of slack, proving thot the system wos much better than using hedinengines, wheels, und L-legs, but not so economient as the direct acting pnmping-engine. In deciding upon this impertant matter muny considerations must be weighed. If the quantity of water to be raised wus hot small and ut u great depth, witb sufficient lodge room fora week, then this plau would perhaps be tho best—one of the considerations being the great expense of erecting 2 pumping-engine fer u small quantity, when the winding-engine ceuld easily de the werk. If the quantity of water was furge, even at uny depth, the direct-acting puinpingengine would be found te be the most ecenomical in the end, and it was certaio to he so with n moderate depth. Mr. Greenwell asked whether he had rightly understood Mr. Knowles that the apparatus could not be stopped till two strekes of tho engiee had been made? ‘That would be something like 24 lathems. Mr. Knewles had only wished to show the great pewer of hrake which could stop the engine, although it was at full speed, but the steam could be taken off, and the brake upplied simultaneously. * 2 * * Myr. Diekinsoo thought it very important that so many practical questions should be suggested betore the diseussion wos adjourned ; for, if there was one thing more than nnother in whieh the Institutioo might expect to find excellence in this district it was maehiuery. It would hear eomparisoo witb ney he had seen elsewhere in this eounty or out of it. Mr. John Knowlee, heing connected with a firm whieh had so mauy colleries at work in the distriet, had had so many opportunities of comparison, that he thought that gentleman’s prper would he snfficieet to estahlish the superiority of direct-acting engines over those whieh were indirect. But, although that was the result of his experienee, and it would probahly be adopted in this county from tbat date, there were parts of the county where at present direet-acting engines were not used. For instance, in one eolliery district the opinion prevailed that the intervention of wheels, soas to make a difference between the velocity of-the pump-rods in tbe pit nnd the velocity of the piston in the eylinder, was advantageous, and more than eoueterbalanecd the friction iuherent te indirect-acting eugioes. Io Cerewall, also, from whence, perhaps, they had the heet pumping engines, the old view was that the stroke of the pump-rods ehould not be the saine as the stroke of the eylinder, and for many years he believed ult the Cornish engines were made witb a difference of about a loot between the two strokes. But latterly, in Cornwall, he had found new cogines made with the two strokes equal, so thnt the theoretieal difference was disappearing, and that little balance against the frietion would have to be taken off Motasses rrom Maize.—The firm of Berthold & Thompsen, of St. Louis, assisted by a Freneh chemist named Delmie, are manufacturing molasses Irom Indian eorn by a new process, with imported machinery. The St. Louis Democrat of the 10th iest., says tbe quality is not inferior to that extraeted from the best eane, not hahleto fermentation, and of good flavor, body, eolor, aed sacehurine properties. The Democrat speaks of the cheap rate at whieh this article ean be furnished, aod adds From one hushel of grain three gallons of molasses can he extraeted at least. ‘I’he market value, therefore, of the corn staple of our own fields will decide the quotations of imolasees, and preelude the possibitity of these prime neeessaries from presenting, us has often heen the case,a wide differenee io prices. Indeed, the farmer is thas made the reeipient of the additional advantage and profit of raisiog his own saccharioe, and saved the treuhle and expense of making an exehange of products through commercial chaunels for the purpose. Tse New Overnanp ‘l'e.vorarx.— Work hag heeo eommeneed on tho new Overland Telegraph between this place and Austin, says the Virginia Enterprise. ‘Vhe Iino will extend from Chieago to San Francisco. The eastern end of it is already built aod working to near Denver, and work has been done beof eoal raised was 280 tons per day, from a pit 427 yards deep. The pit was 9 feet diameter for 220 yards, and 10 feet diameter for the retween here and San Franeisco. Beforo many months elnpse we shall have two lines of telegrapbic wire cross the plains.