66 AN EXPERIMENT WITH A STEAM DRILL 



The prices given above are about those that will be accorded 

 to any careful buyer. It will rarely be necessary for a town 

 at the start to secure the boiler or the forge. In almost any 

 town may be found small stationary boilers that may be hired 

 at certain seasons and made portable by mounting upon anv 

 low truck. By putting a few dollars extra into steel, the 

 blacksmith work may be economically done at any shop in 

 town, a part of the drills being used while others are carried to 

 the shop. The special blacksmith tools, however, will still be 

 necessary. Under these circumstances, the necessary expense 

 of outfit may be reduced to about $300. 



The following force will be required to run the machine: 

 one man for the drill ; one man at the boiler; one blacksmith, 

 or one boy to carry drills to shop ; and one laborer working 

 near to be called upon as needed. If either the man at the 

 drill or at the boiler be a blacksmith, the drill may be run 

 till all the steel is dull. Then shut down and sharpen up. 



In the work now being described, the person who was to 

 learn the use of the drill acted as assistant, and gradually was 

 allowed to assume control of the machine. 



In most cases, more or less stripping of earth from the rock 

 is necessary. This should be thoroughly done well ahead of 

 the drill, which may then be placed in the most advantageous 

 positions. 



WORK DONE 



Seventy-four holes, averaging 3 feet, 3 inches, in depth, or 

 238 feet in all, were drilled in 67 hours, or at the rate of 3^ 

 feet per hour. This time included one breakdown, using up 

 3 hours, and various delays due to seamy rock, stopping to 

 instruct blacksmith, moving boiler, lack of steam, etc., but did 

 not include 7 hours spent in blasting, 10 hours setting up and 

 taking down twice each, and 1^ days, time of operator com- 

 ing, going, and waiting for drill, all of which are included in 

 the tabular expense account heretofore given. The rock 

 drilled was syenite, exceedingly hard, quite seamy, and conse- 

 quently slow drilling. 



In comparison with hand work, not only is the amount done 

 per dollar of expense more, but a class of work may be 



