Volume 34 (1877) (434 pages)

An illustrated Journal of Mining, Popular Science and General News. BY DEWEY & CO., Patent Solicitors. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1877. VOLUME XXXIV. Wumber 26, Notices of Recent Patents. Among the patents recently obtained through Dewey & Co.’s Screnturic Press American and Foreign Patent Agency, the following are worthy of mention: Imrroven Demmous Case,—Carlton Newman, 8. F. The necessity of protecting euch large bottles or demijohns as are intended to eontain corrosive, dangerous or valuable liquide, has resulted in establishing encased bottles as att article of commerce, These encased bottles consist of an ottteide wooded case or boxing, inside of which the bottle or demijohn is placed and surrounded with suitable elastic packing, which protects it from being broken by ordinary jolts and jars, etc. A necessary feature of this business is that the box or case shall be so constructed that the contents of the bottle or demijobn can be poured out without taking the tle or demijohn out of the case, and without spilling duy of its-contents. This has been accomplished heretofore by narrowing the top of the box on two sides; from a point opposite the swell of the bottle upwards towards its top and leaving a side opening through whieh the liquid could be poured when the box or case was tipped upon its edge; or by making the top of the box flat and allowing the neck of the bottle to project above it through a hole in the top. In the firat named class also the fastening screw which secured the cover to the box was left to project above the cover. These cases are, however, objectionable, because they cannot be placed one on top of the other, so that in packing them in cars or other vehicles the cost of transportation is heavy. The object of Mr. Newman’s last invention in this direction therefore, is to construct the cases or boxes of a uniform size from bottom to top, and leave this top perfectly flat and unobstructed, and at the same time rovide means by which the contents of the Bottle or demijohn can be poured out without removing the bottle or demijohn. The invention also includes other improvements. Mr. Newman as proprietor of the glass works in thie city has use for m large quantity of these cases, Conpenszrs.+Wm. H. Long and A. W. Castle, Santa Clara. In the condensation of mercurial vapors it has long been customary to perform this work in dry chambers, which are kept cool in various. ways, and in some instances a spray of water has been showered down through a tower to meet the upwardly rising vapor 80 as to condense it. It has not hitherto been found possible to introduce mercurial vapors beneath water so as to condense them by actual contact, on account of the difficulty in properly discharging such vapors at the bottom of a tank, and because of the pressure necessary to overcome the weight of the water and the consequent back pressure and attendant leakage of fumes between the furnace and condenser. These difficulties these inventors design to overcome by the use of this invention. The condenser consists of a vessel where the vapors are conveyed beneath the surface of the water contained therein, by the centrifugal force caused by the motion of hollow open-ended arms which unite with the central hollow conveying tube, and are caused to rotate with it by suitable mechanism. A supply of cold water is kept up, a suitable trap is provided for, withdrawing the metallic mercury without the water, and stops are placed within the condenser to prevent the rotation of the water by the action of the arms. Each chamber is provided with its own exhausting or vacuum-producing mechanism, so that as many as desired can be used without producing any back pressure or influence upon any of the others, Or 810 acres in the city boundaries of St. Johns, N. B., 400 acres are burned over, and 20,000 residents are rendered homeless. They have left the city or are under tents. The loss is still estimated at $20,000,000, and the insurance, so far as known, is about $8,000,000. It is said all the offices will pay. The Imperial, Etna, etc., lose $2,000,000; North British, $1,000,000; Queen, $800,000; Northern, $500,000; Royal, Stadacona and others, heavy but not ascertained; Commercial Marine, $300,000. Pacific Coast Coal Mines. We have received from Bancroft & Co. ‘“‘The . Coal Mines of the Western Coast of the United States,” by W. A. Goodyear, M. E. This work isa most valuable addition to our industrial literature, filling, as it does, a hitherto neglected but important field. The reputation of the author is sufficient guarantee that the book is no trashy compilation, but has been written with care and an intelligent and scientitic knowledge of the subject. Mr. Goodyear was for a long time connected with the State all py cencusot a bea.’ , ®) THE Geological Survey, and his professional duties have given him exceptional advantages for obtaining information concerning the coal mines of the coast. The volume before us is mainly the result of his own work, travels and observations, extending over a period of nine or ten years, during which period he has done more work in, and been personally “LIGHTNING DUMPER.” WILLES more familiar with the actual condition and workings of the various coal mines of the Pacific coast than any other engineer has done. Mr. Goodyear says in the preface that the object he has had in view has not been so much to diseuss the geological character of the Pacific coast coal fields as to give, what has never yet been published, a full and intelligible description of the mines themselves, as they exist tod ay. The book jis divided into four chapters, The “SHERIDAN” first treats of the California mines, the Mount Diablo coal field and details concerning it, the Corral Hollow field, the Livermore mine and other coal localities, The second chapter treats of the Oregon coal fields, the third describes the coal mines of Washington Territory, and the fourth gives the cost of production at the Mount Diablo mines, statistics of production and trade, and relative values of different coals. In speaking of the Coos Bay coal mines, Mr. Goodyear gives some striking examples of the recklessness with which the money of stockholders is squandered by ignorant men, and costly works put up before they were sure of CAMP LOUNGE. any mines, He states that in the immediate vicinity of Coos Bay not less than a half million of dollars have been lost in this way, ninetenths of which might have been saved if the advice of a competent engineer had been sought and followed. Mr. Goodyear concludes that the daysof the old Mount Diablo mineare numbered. Since the miners strike in October, 1876, the Pittsburg Co. ceased operations on the Clark bed entirely, and withdrew the pump from the lowest level of that bed. Since that time their mining has been confined to the ‘‘little vein” in th: old Eureka ground, and to the Black Dia mond bed. The Union mine was entirely closed on the Ist of December, 1876, and the mine entirely abandoned, Of the old companies, there only remain at work the Pittsburg and Black Diamond companies. In the face of heavy and increasing cost of mining, these mines must succumb to the better quality,and eventually, the lower cost of production and transportation of the coals of Washington Territory and British Columbia. Outside of the hitherto unworked eastern portion of the Mount Diablo coal field, Mr. Goodyear thinks there is no other coal field yet ki own in California which gives promise of being able to compete, to any reasonable extent, with the northern mines, In conelusion, the author says : Neither is it probable that the mines of Coos bay, the only ones yet worked in Oregon, will be able many years longer to continue work at a profit in the face of the Washington Territory coals. For, though the distance from San Francisco to Coos bay is only about one-half as great as it is to Puget sound, yet the shallow and often unsafe character of the bar at Coos . bay, the small sizeof the vessels that can go there at all, and the uncertainties which often attend the movements of even these small vessels, are such that the rates of freight from Coos bay have generally ranged as high and have often been actually higher than they were from Seattle; while it is more than probablethat a company that owned and ran its own suitable steam colliers, could transport coal from Seattle to San Francisco at a considerably lower cost er ton than they could do from Coos bay. Wiss the cost of mining at Coos bay is greater than it is at Seattle, while at the same time the quality of the Coos bay coal, for domestic purposes as well as for steam, is decidedly inferior to the more northern coals. It is unquestionably to the mines of Washington Territory and of British Columbia that this Pacific coast must look hereafter both for its chief domestic and its nearest and most reliable foreign supplies of that indispensable necessity of all civilized communities—a good article of coal, A ¥eaRFuL tornado occurred in Towa, Missouri and Ilinois on Sunday night, destroying a great deal of property. Improved Dumping Device, The illustration on this page shows an improved dumping device, invented by Wm. Willes, of Salt Lake City, which is excellently suited for loading and unloading carts and other vehicles, vessels, etc., when the same are used for transporting any substance which may be dumped without injury, such as ore, earth, stone, coal, and grain, The invention will also be found useful in building operations, for handling mortar and concrete. It consists of a receptacle, triangular in section, and shaped either as shown in the engraving, or in forms slightly modified therefrom. This is suspended by a looped bail from the sides, as shown. One side, A, Fig. 1, is secured to a rod which enters apertures in the adjacent ends, so that said side, A, is pivoted or hinged so as to swing open, and thus allow the contents of the vessel to escape. To the middle of side A, is pivoted a bar, B, the motion of which is limited by long keepers, and the extremities of which, when the * side is closed, fall into hooks on the ends of the bucket. One of these hooks turns upward, the other downward, so the bar B, by being simpl. turned on its pivot, becomes engaged wit! them, It may then be fastened (so as not to be dislodged by any chance shock), by a pin passing through the bill of one hook, as shown at C, Of course, while the earth, etc., is in the bucket, the side, A, is kept closed; but when it is desired to dump the contents, the pin, C, is removed, the bar moved out of the hooks, and the side, A, is forced open by the weight of the material above it, which is thus discharged. In the bucket shown in Fig. 2, a partition D, is used inside the swinging side, A, so that the orifice made by the opening of the latter is thus rendered smaller. This arrangement is best suited for buckets used for sacking grain, where the discharge is made into a comparatively small aperture, For further particulars address Messrs. Willes & Rowe, Salt Lake City, U. T. Comfort in Camp. During the hot weather that has prevailed of late we doubt not that many a dweller in the city has wished that he could take to the woods and for a time imitate the life of the “noble savage.” There are some thing’, however, about camp life that are not altogether agreeable, as, for cxample, rheumatic twinges from sleeping on the ground, and in some places the mosquitoes are an intolerable nuisance at night. We give herewith an illustration of the “‘Sheridan” camp lounge, which is coming ‘into very general use among military men, sportsmen, prospectors and others who wish to carry a light bed that can be set up anywhere. The frames are of wood and iron, covered with strong canvas. The support for the mosquito bar is made of copper wire, so that it also can be folded for packing. The ‘‘Sheridan” camp lounge has jointed side rails, mosquito bar canopy and pillow attachment. Size of case, two inches by seven inches by 23 inches. A beautiful, compact, comfortable and convenient lounge, Mr. C. H. Mosely, of 415 Sansome street, is the agent for these goods upon this coast. The main points of excellence which he claims for them are strength, comfort and portability. The testimonials from purchasers include many names of prominent persons who use them in almost every situation; in houses, on the lawn, and in the wilderness. The article is so compact and light when folded that itcan be sent by mail or express to any address. Parent Suit.—An action has been brought in the United States Circuit Court by W. T. Garratt, the owner of the Hooker pump patent, against W. C. Wilcox and B. F. Baker, manufacturers of the Wilcox steam pump, to enjoin the defendants against infringing upon a certain patent granted to William D, Hooker on the 6th of December, 1870, for ‘‘an improvement on direct-acting steam engines, constructed with auxiliary valves,” and for an accounting, etc. i

An illustrated Journal of Mining, Popular Science and General News. BY DEWEY & CO., Patent Solicitors. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1877. VOLUME XXXIV. Wumber 26, Notices of Recent Patents. Among the patents recently obtained through Dewey & Co.’s Screnturic Press American and Foreign Patent Agency, the following are worthy of mention: Imrroven Demmous Case,—Carlton Newman, 8. F. The necessity of protecting euch large bottles or demijohns as are intended to eontain corrosive, dangerous or valuable liquide, has resulted in establishing encased bottles as att article of commerce, These encased bottles consist of an ottteide wooded case or boxing, inside of which the bottle or demijohn is placed and surrounded with suitable elastic packing, which protects it from being broken by ordinary jolts and jars, etc. A necessary feature of this business is that the box or case shall be so constructed that the contents of the bottle or demijobn can be poured out without taking the tle or demijohn out of the case, and without spilling duy of its-contents. This has been accomplished heretofore by narrowing the top of the box on two sides; from a point opposite the swell of the bottle upwards towards its top and leaving a side opening through whieh the liquid could be poured when the box or case was tipped upon its edge; or by making the top of the box flat and allowing the neck of the bottle to project above it through a hole in the top. In the firat named class also the fastening screw which secured the cover to the box was left to project above the cover. These cases are, however, objectionable, because they cannot be placed one on top of the other, so that in packing them in cars or other vehicles the cost of transportation is heavy. The object of Mr. Newman’s last invention in this direction therefore, is to construct the cases or boxes of a uniform size from bottom to top, and leave this top perfectly flat and unobstructed, and at the same time rovide means by which the contents of the Bottle or demijohn can be poured out without removing the bottle or demijohn. The invention also includes other improvements. Mr. Newman as proprietor of the glass works in thie city has use for m large quantity of these cases, Conpenszrs.+Wm. H. Long and A. W. Castle, Santa Clara. In the condensation of mercurial vapors it has long been customary to perform this work in dry chambers, which are kept cool in various. ways, and in some instances a spray of water has been showered down through a tower to meet the upwardly rising vapor 80 as to condense it. It has not hitherto been found possible to introduce mercurial vapors beneath water so as to condense them by actual contact, on account of the difficulty in properly discharging such vapors at the bottom of a tank, and because of the pressure necessary to overcome the weight of the water and the consequent back pressure and attendant leakage of fumes between the furnace and condenser. These difficulties these inventors design to overcome by the use of this invention. The condenser consists of a vessel where the vapors are conveyed beneath the surface of the water contained therein, by the centrifugal force caused by the motion of hollow open-ended arms which unite with the central hollow conveying tube, and are caused to rotate with it by suitable mechanism. A supply of cold water is kept up, a suitable trap is provided for, withdrawing the metallic mercury without the water, and stops are placed within the condenser to prevent the rotation of the water by the action of the arms. Each chamber is provided with its own exhausting or vacuum-producing mechanism, so that as many as desired can be used without producing any back pressure or influence upon any of the others, Or 810 acres in the city boundaries of St. Johns, N. B., 400 acres are burned over, and 20,000 residents are rendered homeless. They have left the city or are under tents. The loss is still estimated at $20,000,000, and the insurance, so far as known, is about $8,000,000. It is said all the offices will pay. The Imperial, Etna, etc., lose $2,000,000; North British, $1,000,000; Queen, $800,000; Northern, $500,000; Royal, Stadacona and others, heavy but not ascertained; Commercial Marine, $300,000. Pacific Coast Coal Mines. We have received from Bancroft & Co. ‘“‘The . Coal Mines of the Western Coast of the United States,” by W. A. Goodyear, M. E. This work isa most valuable addition to our industrial literature, filling, as it does, a hitherto neglected but important field. The reputation of the author is sufficient guarantee that the book is no trashy compilation, but has been written with care and an intelligent and scientitic knowledge of the subject. Mr. Goodyear was for a long time connected with the State all py cencusot a bea.’ , ®) THE Geological Survey, and his professional duties have given him exceptional advantages for obtaining information concerning the coal mines of the coast. The volume before us is mainly the result of his own work, travels and observations, extending over a period of nine or ten years, during which period he has done more work in, and been personally “LIGHTNING DUMPER.” WILLES more familiar with the actual condition and workings of the various coal mines of the Pacific coast than any other engineer has done. Mr. Goodyear says in the preface that the object he has had in view has not been so much to diseuss the geological character of the Pacific coast coal fields as to give, what has never yet been published, a full and intelligible description of the mines themselves, as they exist tod ay. The book jis divided into four chapters, The “SHERIDAN” first treats of the California mines, the Mount Diablo coal field and details concerning it, the Corral Hollow field, the Livermore mine and other coal localities, The second chapter treats of the Oregon coal fields, the third describes the coal mines of Washington Territory, and the fourth gives the cost of production at the Mount Diablo mines, statistics of production and trade, and relative values of different coals. In speaking of the Coos Bay coal mines, Mr. Goodyear gives some striking examples of the recklessness with which the money of stockholders is squandered by ignorant men, and costly works put up before they were sure of CAMP LOUNGE. any mines, He states that in the immediate vicinity of Coos Bay not less than a half million of dollars have been lost in this way, ninetenths of which might have been saved if the

advice of a competent engineer had been sought and followed. Mr. Goodyear concludes that the daysof the old Mount Diablo mineare numbered. Since the miners strike in October, 1876, the Pittsburg Co. ceased operations on the Clark bed entirely, and withdrew the pump from the lowest level of that bed. Since that time their mining has been confined to the ‘‘little vein” in th: old Eureka ground, and to the Black Dia mond bed. The Union mine was entirely closed on the Ist of December, 1876, and the mine entirely abandoned, Of the old companies, there only remain at work the Pittsburg and Black Diamond companies. In the face of heavy and increasing cost of mining, these mines must succumb to the better quality,and eventually, the lower cost of production and transportation of the coals of Washington Territory and British Columbia. Outside of the hitherto unworked eastern portion of the Mount Diablo coal field, Mr. Goodyear thinks there is no other coal field yet ki own in California which gives promise of being able to compete, to any reasonable extent, with the northern mines, In conelusion, the author says : Neither is it probable that the mines of Coos bay, the only ones yet worked in Oregon, will be able many years longer to continue work at a profit in the face of the Washington Territory coals. For, though the distance from San Francisco to Coos bay is only about one-half as great as it is to Puget sound, yet the shallow and often unsafe character of the bar at Coos . bay, the small sizeof the vessels that can go there at all, and the uncertainties which often attend the movements of even these small vessels, are such that the rates of freight from Coos bay have generally ranged as high and have often been actually higher than they were from Seattle; while it is more than probablethat a company that owned and ran its own suitable steam colliers, could transport coal from Seattle to San Francisco at a considerably lower cost er ton than they could do from Coos bay. Wiss the cost of mining at Coos bay is greater than it is at Seattle, while at the same time the quality of the Coos bay coal, for domestic purposes as well as for steam, is decidedly inferior to the more northern coals. It is unquestionably to the mines of Washington Territory and of British Columbia that this Pacific coast must look hereafter both for its chief domestic and its nearest and most reliable foreign supplies of that indispensable necessity of all civilized communities—a good article of coal, A ¥eaRFuL tornado occurred in Towa, Missouri and Ilinois on Sunday night, destroying a great deal of property. Improved Dumping Device, The illustration on this page shows an improved dumping device, invented by Wm. Willes, of Salt Lake City, which is excellently suited for loading and unloading carts and other vehicles, vessels, etc., when the same are used for transporting any substance which may be dumped without injury, such as ore, earth, stone, coal, and grain, The invention will also be found useful in building operations, for handling mortar and concrete. It consists of a receptacle, triangular in section, and shaped either as shown in the engraving, or in forms slightly modified therefrom. This is suspended by a looped bail from the sides, as shown. One side, A, Fig. 1, is secured to a rod which enters apertures in the adjacent ends, so that said side, A, is pivoted or hinged so as to swing open, and thus allow the contents of the vessel to escape. To the middle of side A, is pivoted a bar, B, the motion of which is limited by long keepers, and the extremities of which, when the * side is closed, fall into hooks on the ends of the bucket. One of these hooks turns upward, the other downward, so the bar B, by being simpl. turned on its pivot, becomes engaged wit! them, It may then be fastened (so as not to be dislodged by any chance shock), by a pin passing through the bill of one hook, as shown at C, Of course, while the earth, etc., is in the bucket, the side, A, is kept closed; but when it is desired to dump the contents, the pin, C, is removed, the bar moved out of the hooks, and the side, A, is forced open by the weight of the material above it, which is thus discharged. In the bucket shown in Fig. 2, a partition D, is used inside the swinging side, A, so that the orifice made by the opening of the latter is thus rendered smaller. This arrangement is best suited for buckets used for sacking grain, where the discharge is made into a comparatively small aperture, For further particulars address Messrs. Willes & Rowe, Salt Lake City, U. T. Comfort in Camp. During the hot weather that has prevailed of late we doubt not that many a dweller in the city has wished that he could take to the woods and for a time imitate the life of the “noble savage.” There are some thing’, however, about camp life that are not altogether agreeable, as, for cxample, rheumatic twinges from sleeping on the ground, and in some places the mosquitoes are an intolerable nuisance at night. We give herewith an illustration of the “‘Sheridan” camp lounge, which is coming ‘into very general use among military men, sportsmen, prospectors and others who wish to carry a light bed that can be set up anywhere. The frames are of wood and iron, covered with strong canvas. The support for the mosquito bar is made of copper wire, so that it also can be folded for packing. The ‘‘Sheridan” camp lounge has jointed side rails, mosquito bar canopy and pillow attachment. Size of case, two inches by seven inches by 23 inches. A beautiful, compact, comfortable and convenient lounge, Mr. C. H. Mosely, of 415 Sansome street, is the agent for these goods upon this coast. The main points of excellence which he claims for them are strength, comfort and portability. The testimonials from purchasers include many names of prominent persons who use them in almost every situation; in houses, on the lawn, and in the wilderness. The article is so compact and light when folded that itcan be sent by mail or express to any address. Parent Suit.—An action has been brought in the United States Circuit Court by W. T. Garratt, the owner of the Hooker pump patent, against W. C. Wilcox and B. F. Baker, manufacturers of the Wilcox steam pump, to enjoin the defendants against infringing upon a certain patent granted to William D, Hooker on the 6th of December, 1870, for ‘‘an improvement on direct-acting steam engines, constructed with auxiliary valves,” and for an accounting, etc. i