Volume 36 (1878) (432 pages)

An Illustrated Journal of Mining, Popular Science and General News. BY DEWEY « CO., Patent Molleltora. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1878. VOLUME X3AXXVI. Number 1, An Improved Car Starter. Mr. James Pritchard, of this city, has patented through tho Mixixa AND Screnriric Press Patent Agency an improved arrangement of that class of devices ior starting horse cars from a state of rest, in which tho initial pull of the horses is applied directly to a ratchet wheel fixed in the ear axle. This car starter has now been at work for four months ona car on the Mission street lino of horace cars in this city, and has done its duty satisfactorily to the Superintendent, who acknowledges that its use materially helps the horses in starting the car and that it is simple in structure and durahle. The engraving on this page shows the device as applicd to a one-horse car or a two-horse car without a pole. A represents oue end of a street car and B the axle which connects the wheels at that end, Dis the ratchet wheel, which is tirmly fixed to the axle. This wheel is. made in two parts, so as to ho bolted on without taking off the wheels, and is formed with side flauges, which extend above the teeth on each side. The dog, or pawl, £, is pivoted at its middle to one end of a lever, #, tho opposite end of which is pivoted tothe end of a draw bar, G, so that the pawl will he directly above the ratchet wbcel. The paw] is mado, as shown, with teeth on its rear end and an enlargement, /, on its forward end, and it ig pivoted at its middle to the rear cna of the lever, /, the forward end of which is attached hy a rivet to the rear end of a draw bar, G. The forward end of the lever, /’, passes hetweeu two guides, 2, n, and has a downward rojecting lug, A, at its extremity, against the ront faco of which the end of a flat spriug, /, presses, so that the rear end of the lever is pressed upward against the bottom of the car and retained there until it is necessary to use it, as hereinafter descrihed. Tbe draw har, G, extende forward underneath the ear floor to a poiut under the platform uear the end of the car, being supported and and guided at suitable pointe by loops, n, n, A casting is secured to the underside of the front heam of tbe platform, which bas a downward pralettigg arm, OQ, on one side of which is a stud or pin, A lever, P, passes np through the platform, its lower end having a cireular recese which clasps the pin, while its upper end above the platform is attached to tho rear end of a bar, S. The forward end of the draw bar, G, has a pin on one side, which enters a hole iu the middis of the lever, P, so that when the upper ond of the lever is drawn forward the draw har is also drawn forward, T is the whiflletree; « ie a slot in a small piece of iron, V, holted to the front end of the platen over which the whiftletree moves, eing attached so that it can move the lengtb of the slot. ‘The forward end of tbe bar, $;, is attached to the middle of the whiffletree by a belt passing down tbrough tbe whifiletree and through tbe slot, thus counecting the whitHetree with the draw bar, G, Now when the initial pull or draft comcs upon the whiflletrce, the upper end of the lever, P, and draw bar are drawn forward until the piniutbe whiffletree reaches the end of the slot, u. As the dog or pawl, 2, was in engagement with the ratchet when the draft commenced, this initial pull is directly. exerted upon tho ratchet, which by reasou of the lover. age and dircet application of the power, starts ) the car easily forward, A pawl, IV, is attached . to the upper end of the lever, P, which engages with a notch or projectiou, X, in the car. oor, when the upper end of the lever has been . fully drawn forward and retains tbe entire arrangement in this positiou uutil it is released by the foot of the driver. By this same motion, by means of the connections and the spring, 4, the lever, F, with the pawl, Z, is raised up so that the pawl stands against the bottom of the car and clear of the ratchet, until the driver releases the pawl, Wf, when the spring, /, throws tbe whole arrangemeut iuto gear again. This ia intended for oue-horse cars, but there is a simple method of disconnecting and clearing the main platform of ohstructions, when a pole or without, as desired. The cutire arrangement is simple and free from the many objections heretofore urged against this class of ear starters. In this class of devices the method heretofere adepted was to eonnect the rear end of tho pole with the pawl which engaged the ratchet on the axle, so that the polo had a forward motion when the first pull came on it. This motion of the pole is objectionahle. By Mr. Pritchard’s method tho pele, when used, is fixed in the ordinary manner and the whifiletree is connected with the mechanism that engages with the ratchet on the axle. The whiffletree is arranged to move a shert distance in and be guided hy a slot in the rear end of the pole, or a slotted bar and link, such as is described, when no pole is used. The use of this device is a great relief to the horses, inasmuch as the labor of starting the load is greatly lessoncd. Tho Oakland Socicty for the Prevention of Cruelty to Auimals, after examiuation, passed a resolution urging the adoptiou of this car starter on tho different lines, The Wood Boring Shrimp. The Limnoria Terebrans is a crustacea of the fsepoda order. The limnoria is abent two lines in length, or ahout tho size of a grain of rice, and of adark ash gray eolor. The front outline of the body isa long oval, though the bead is large, round, and strongly defined. The eyes are hlack, and are composed of numerous ascelli placed close together. Tho general appearance is like that of a wood louse. When disturbed or handled they roll themselves up like a hedgehog. These little creatures are wonderfully destructive to submerged timber, such as piles, docks, piers, bulkheads, etc. In the Bay of San Francisco they eat piles off entirely in a short time. The contents of the atomacb consist of comminuted wood, showing that food is the ohject sought. They attack a PRITCHARD’S IMPROVED CAR STARTER. believing that it would be beneficial to poe . pile about half tide. horses. The car does not start with a jerk when this device is used, hut movee slowly at first, which will he a reliof to passengers and avoid many accidents. Those desiring further information can address the inventor at No. 1006 Minna street. It may he well to state that the device can he applied to one-horse cara for an expense of 320 each. ‘ Marivosa Estate.—The Mariposa Land and mining company have won again in the action brought in their behalf, as well as bis own, by Enlarged Limnorla. F. D. Walker, against Eugene Kelley and Joseph A. Douahoe, to restrain them from foreclosing a mortgage upon the Mariposa estate, and from taking any-other proceedings against tbe estate or the personal property upon it. An injuuction was granted hy the Supreme Court of New York, sitting in Kings county on the 4tb of October last, restraining such action. Tbe Supreme Court, on the 28th inst., holding that this injunction had been violated, granted an order requiring Kelly show cause why he sbould not he punished for contempt of court. . Britisu CotumbiA Minus,—A dispatch from Victoria says: The formation of quartz mining companies proceeds briskly. New discoveries at Carihoo are reported daily. The two latest are the Wilkinson ledge, assaying $90 in tbe outcroppings, and the Ricbfield ledge, assaying $1U6 to the ton. These assays are made at the government office. used on a two-horse car, It can be used with OAKLAND city property is valued by the asseessment $25,845,028. J The limnoria swarm around the timhers attacked in great numhers. They excavate little cells along the annual rings of growth, and while eating the wood for its alhumen, as is presumed, make a sheltering place for protection from enemies, and in which to hreed. The outside of the wood has a spongy lock, and is very frail, A mas3sof these perforations as large as a hase ball taken into the hand and the water squeezed out leaves a mere A Pile Eaten Off by Limnoria, Limnoria. pulp of woody fiber many times reduced from its original bulk. ‘The illustrations on this page show this timber-boring shrimp enlarged seven times. Another engraving shows the appearance of a pile eateu off hy limnoria, and auother shows how they leave the knots iu their work. Mr. John P. Culver, an engiueer of this city, has been investigating tbe habits of these ereatures, and also the Teredo navalis, aud has devised a plan to prevent their ravages, whicb we sball sbortly descrihein detail. A veRY gpratifving feature of this New Ycar’s day in Washington was the general ahsence of wines and other intoxicating beverages from the tables of persons, either in public or private life, who received visitors. Washingtan has set at least one good examplo to other cities. Tue steamer Whipple and Chin-du-wan collided duriug a fog in tbe Sacramento river, one day last week. The injuries were comparatively slight, Double Seal Valve Trap. We cxamined this weck, at the model aud machine shop of I. A. Heald, 514 Comimercial street, a new sewer trap of peculiar construetion, the invention of C. W. Garland of Oakland. The trap is of the same general shape of those commonly in use, its peculiarities consisting in the method adopted for shutting off the sewer gas, and preventing the siphoning off of water, which is the great drawback to most traps. In the proper place in the curve is a ehamber in which a hollow ball is fitted, and tbis acts as a valve. When water is passing through the ball floats, and when it bas stopped running the hall falls to its seat and shuts off any gas that may attempt to rise, remaining iu this positicu when no water is passing. It also acts as a seal against the results of fermentation and prevents evaporation. On top of the valve chamher is another small vertical trap. This is screwed in the tep of the main cbamber, and as soon as there is a tendency in the water to siphon off the little hall in the vertical trap stops the flow of water hy admitting air proportionate to the bulk of water which has escaped. This valve takes the place of veut pipes and no sewer gas is allowed to escape iuto the air, as, whilo the hall admits air to prevent siphoning it also prevents any air or gas getting out, confining it within tbe pipes and sewer. Without this valve, when rooms or houses are not in constant use and the water in an ordinary trap evaporates, the pipes act asa chimney for the induction of sewer gases. Tbe whole arrangement is very simple taken as a whole, althougb it was somewbat difficult to make the first models, In fact, Mr. Garland tried to have the models made hy several others before Heald took hold of it. The hall valve bae to be made in halves in order to have it hol. low, and in joining the halves together after. wards it was found ditfeult to have it exactly spberical, Those made hy Heald are very true. The ball is weighted so that the same side falls into the seat each time it opcrates making a perfectly water-tight joiut. ‘Tbe little vertical valve is a perfectly new idea and does away witb the necessity of vent pipes, making a perfect douhle seal valvetrap, The first onee bave just heen completed. Mr. Heald having just finished the model, hut tbey will soon be on sale at the various plumher and hardware etores. Brack Hitis Mines Sotp.—A dispatcb from Deadwoed, D. T., states that the Golden Gate mining eompany has consummated a sale of tbeir four mines, tbe Father Desmet, Golden Gato, Justice and Belcher, to California capitalists, for the sum of $400,000. This is the heaviest mining transaction tbat has occurred in the Hills. This heing the case we sball prohahly see some Blick Hills mining stock on tbe market hefore long, unless the mines are unusually ricb, when the huyers will keep the stock themselves. ComPLeTs returns of the business transacted at tbe Bankere’ Clearing-house in this city for tbe year 1877 show that the total amount of exchanges effected during that period was $519, 948,804, of which $497,407,380 was in gold and $22,541,424 in silver. THE settlement at the Mint preparatory to tbe incoming of the new Superintendent, is now in progress. During the year now ending the operations of the Mint have hcen unprecedented in the record of coinage in any institution in / the world. OrricraL intelligence has heen received anneuncing the success of the Chinese troops in Kashgar. They had fortified Touchtongaran and Ask, two strong strategical points. Tbe inhahitants were fleeing in terror into Russian territory. SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND tons of Scranton coal were sold at auction at New York Friday by order of the Lackawanna Company. There was a large attendance, and prices were from 10 to 45 cents perton more than last month.

An Illustrated Journal of Mining, Popular Science and General News. BY DEWEY « CO., Patent Molleltora. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1878. VOLUME X3AXXVI. Number 1, An Improved Car Starter. Mr. James Pritchard, of this city, has patented through tho Mixixa AND Screnriric Press Patent Agency an improved arrangement of that class of devices ior starting horse cars from a state of rest, in which tho initial pull of the horses is applied directly to a ratchet wheel fixed in the ear axle. This car starter has now been at work for four months ona car on the Mission street lino of horace cars in this city, and has done its duty satisfactorily to the Superintendent, who acknowledges that its use materially helps the horses in starting the car and that it is simple in structure and durahle. The engraving on this page shows the device as applicd to a one-horse car or a two-horse car without a pole. A represents oue end of a street car and B the axle which connects the wheels at that end, Dis the ratchet wheel, which is tirmly fixed to the axle. This wheel is. made in two parts, so as to ho bolted on without taking off the wheels, and is formed with side flauges, which extend above the teeth on each side. The dog, or pawl, £, is pivoted at its middle to one end of a lever, #, tho opposite end of which is pivoted tothe end of a draw bar, G, so that the pawl will he directly above the ratchet wbcel. The paw] is mado, as shown, with teeth on its rear end and an enlargement, /, on its forward end, and it ig pivoted at its middle to the rear cna of the lever, /, the forward end of which is attached hy a rivet to the rear end of a draw bar, G. The forward end of the lever, /’, passes hetweeu two guides, 2, n, and has a downward rojecting lug, A, at its extremity, against the ront faco of which the end of a flat spriug, /, presses, so that the rear end of the lever is pressed upward against the bottom of the car and retained there until it is necessary to use it, as hereinafter descrihed. Tbe draw har, G, extende forward underneath the ear floor to a poiut under the platform uear the end of the car, being supported and and guided at suitable pointe by loops, n, n, A casting is secured to the underside of the front heam of tbe platform, which bas a downward pralettigg arm, OQ, on one side of which is a stud or pin, A lever, P, passes np through the platform, its lower end having a cireular recese which clasps the pin, while its upper end above the platform is attached to tho rear end of a bar, S. The forward end of the draw bar, G, has a pin on one side, which enters a hole iu the middis of the lever, P, so that when the upper ond of the lever is drawn forward the draw har is also drawn forward, T is the whiflletree; « ie a slot in a small piece of iron, V, holted to the front end of the platen over which the whiftletree moves, eing attached so that it can move the lengtb of the slot. ‘The forward end of tbe bar, $;, is attached to the middle of the whiffletree by a belt passing down tbrough tbe whifiletree and through tbe slot, thus counecting the whitHetree with the draw bar, G, Now when the initial pull or draft comcs upon the whiflletrce, the upper end of the lever, P, and draw bar are drawn forward until the piniutbe whiffletree reaches the end of the slot, u. As the dog or pawl, 2, was in engagement with the ratchet when the draft commenced, this initial pull is directly. exerted upon tho ratchet, which by reasou of the lover. age and dircet application of the power, starts ) the car easily forward, A pawl, IV, is attached . to the upper end of the lever, P, which engages with a notch or projectiou, X, in the car. oor, when the upper end of the lever has been . fully drawn forward and retains tbe entire arrangement in this positiou uutil it is released by the foot of the driver. By this same motion, by means of the connections and the spring, 4, the lever, F, with the pawl, Z, is raised up so that the pawl stands against the bottom of the car and clear of the ratchet, until the driver releases the pawl, Wf, when the spring, /, throws tbe whole arrangemeut iuto gear again. This ia intended for oue-horse cars, but there is a simple method of disconnecting and clearing the main platform of ohstructions, when a pole or without, as desired. The cutire arrangement is simple and free from the many objections heretofore urged against this class of ear starters. In this class of devices the method heretofere adepted was to eonnect the rear end of tho pole with the pawl which engaged the ratchet on the axle, so that the polo had a forward motion when the first pull came on it. This motion of the pole is objectionahle. By Mr. Pritchard’s method tho pele, when used, is fixed in the ordinary manner and the whifiletree is connected with the mechanism that engages with the ratchet on the axle. The whiffletree is arranged to move a shert distance in and be guided hy a slot in the rear end of the pole, or a slotted bar and link, such as is described, when no pole is used. The use of this device is a great relief to the horses, inasmuch as the labor of starting the load is greatly lessoncd. Tho Oakland Socicty for the Prevention of Cruelty to Auimals, after examiuation, passed a resolution urging the adoptiou of this car starter on tho different lines, The Wood Boring Shrimp. The Limnoria Terebrans is a crustacea of the fsepoda order. The limnoria is abent two lines in length, or ahout tho size of a grain of rice, and of adark ash gray eolor. The front outline of the body isa long oval, though the bead is large, round, and strongly defined. The eyes are hlack, and are composed of numerous ascelli placed close together. Tho general appearance is like that of a wood louse. When disturbed or handled they roll themselves up like a hedgehog. These little creatures are wonderfully destructive to submerged timber, such as piles, docks, piers, bulkheads, etc. In the Bay of San Francisco they eat piles off entirely in a short time. The contents of the atomacb consist of comminuted wood, showing that food is the ohject sought. They attack a PRITCHARD’S IMPROVED CAR STARTER. believing that it would be beneficial to poe . pile about half tide. horses. The car does not start with a jerk when this device is used, hut movee slowly at first, which will he a reliof to passengers and avoid many accidents. Those desiring further information can address the inventor at No. 1006 Minna street. It may he well to state that the device can he applied to one-horse cara for an expense of 320 each. ‘ Marivosa Estate.—The Mariposa Land and mining company have won again in the action brought in their behalf, as well as bis own, by

Enlarged Limnorla. F. D. Walker, against Eugene Kelley and Joseph A. Douahoe, to restrain them from foreclosing a mortgage upon the Mariposa estate, and from taking any-other proceedings against tbe estate or the personal property upon it. An injuuction was granted hy the Supreme Court of New York, sitting in Kings county on the 4tb of October last, restraining such action. Tbe Supreme Court, on the 28th inst., holding that this injunction had been violated, granted an order requiring Kelly show cause why he sbould not he punished for contempt of court. . Britisu CotumbiA Minus,—A dispatch from Victoria says: The formation of quartz mining companies proceeds briskly. New discoveries at Carihoo are reported daily. The two latest are the Wilkinson ledge, assaying $90 in tbe outcroppings, and the Ricbfield ledge, assaying $1U6 to the ton. These assays are made at the government office. used on a two-horse car, It can be used with OAKLAND city property is valued by the asseessment $25,845,028. J The limnoria swarm around the timhers attacked in great numhers. They excavate little cells along the annual rings of growth, and while eating the wood for its alhumen, as is presumed, make a sheltering place for protection from enemies, and in which to hreed. The outside of the wood has a spongy lock, and is very frail, A mas3sof these perforations as large as a hase ball taken into the hand and the water squeezed out leaves a mere A Pile Eaten Off by Limnoria, Limnoria. pulp of woody fiber many times reduced from its original bulk. ‘The illustrations on this page show this timber-boring shrimp enlarged seven times. Another engraving shows the appearance of a pile eateu off hy limnoria, and auother shows how they leave the knots iu their work. Mr. John P. Culver, an engiueer of this city, has been investigating tbe habits of these ereatures, and also the Teredo navalis, aud has devised a plan to prevent their ravages, whicb we sball sbortly descrihein detail. A veRY gpratifving feature of this New Ycar’s day in Washington was the general ahsence of wines and other intoxicating beverages from the tables of persons, either in public or private life, who received visitors. Washingtan has set at least one good examplo to other cities. Tue steamer Whipple and Chin-du-wan collided duriug a fog in tbe Sacramento river, one day last week. The injuries were comparatively slight, Double Seal Valve Trap. We cxamined this weck, at the model aud machine shop of I. A. Heald, 514 Comimercial street, a new sewer trap of peculiar construetion, the invention of C. W. Garland of Oakland. The trap is of the same general shape of those commonly in use, its peculiarities consisting in the method adopted for shutting off the sewer gas, and preventing the siphoning off of water, which is the great drawback to most traps. In the proper place in the curve is a ehamber in which a hollow ball is fitted, and tbis acts as a valve. When water is passing through the ball floats, and when it bas stopped running the hall falls to its seat and shuts off any gas that may attempt to rise, remaining iu this positicu when no water is passing. It also acts as a seal against the results of fermentation and prevents evaporation. On top of the valve chamher is another small vertical trap. This is screwed in the tep of the main cbamber, and as soon as there is a tendency in the water to siphon off the little hall in the vertical trap stops the flow of water hy admitting air proportionate to the bulk of water which has escaped. This valve takes the place of veut pipes and no sewer gas is allowed to escape iuto the air, as, whilo the hall admits air to prevent siphoning it also prevents any air or gas getting out, confining it within tbe pipes and sewer. Without this valve, when rooms or houses are not in constant use and the water in an ordinary trap evaporates, the pipes act asa chimney for the induction of sewer gases. Tbe whole arrangement is very simple taken as a whole, althougb it was somewbat difficult to make the first models, In fact, Mr. Garland tried to have the models made hy several others before Heald took hold of it. The hall valve bae to be made in halves in order to have it hol. low, and in joining the halves together after. wards it was found ditfeult to have it exactly spberical, Those made hy Heald are very true. The ball is weighted so that the same side falls into the seat each time it opcrates making a perfectly water-tight joiut. ‘Tbe little vertical valve is a perfectly new idea and does away witb the necessity of vent pipes, making a perfect douhle seal valvetrap, The first onee bave just heen completed. Mr. Heald having just finished the model, hut tbey will soon be on sale at the various plumher and hardware etores. Brack Hitis Mines Sotp.—A dispatcb from Deadwoed, D. T., states that the Golden Gate mining eompany has consummated a sale of tbeir four mines, tbe Father Desmet, Golden Gato, Justice and Belcher, to California capitalists, for the sum of $400,000. This is the heaviest mining transaction tbat has occurred in the Hills.. This heing the case we sball prohahly see some Blick Hills mining stock on tbe market hefore long, unless the mines are unusually ricb, when the huyers will keep the stock themselves. ComPLeTs returns of the business transacted at tbe Bankere’ Clearing-house in this city for tbe year 1877 show that the total amount of exchanges effected during that period was $519, 948,804, of which $497,407,380 was in gold and $22,541,424 in silver. THE settlement at the Mint preparatory to tbe incoming of the new Superintendent, is now in progress. During the year now ending the operations of the Mint have hcen unprecedented in the record of coinage in any institution in / the world. OrricraL intelligence has heen received anneuncing the success of the Chinese troops in Kashgar. They had fortified Touchtongaran and Ask, two strong strategical points. Tbe inhahitants were fleeing in terror into Russian territory. SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND tons of Scranton coal were sold at auction at New York Friday by order of the Lackawanna Company. There was a large attendance, and prices were from 10 to 45 cents perton more than last month.