168 MINING. 



galena, zinc blend and rock at one operation and deposit 

 each material in separate receptacles ; but when the Dr. 

 went to Mexico he could do nothing with the machine 

 as there was not water enough in that part of the coun- 

 try to supply it, although the mine had to be pumped 

 night and day to keep the water down, by a Cornish 

 pump, 9 inch bore and 6 foot stroke, running 10 strokes a 

 minute. So Dr. Stapf ordered great tanks to be dug in 

 order to retain the water from the mine pumps for the 

 use of this machine, and ordered two large Knowles 

 steam pumps from New York, at a cost of $3,000, to sup- 

 ply the water from these tanks when dug. All Dr. 

 Stapf s operations cost over $30,000, and then when 

 the tanks were completed and walled up they could not 

 be made to hold the water, for the tanks were built over 

 the mine and the rock was stratified limestone, all the 

 water ran back into the mine and blocked the mine 

 pumps, so this plan had to be abandoned. Then Dr. 

 Stapf was not satisfied with the way the galena was 

 smelted, and built large, high stack smelting furnaces, 

 capable of smelting all the ore raised from the mine in a 

 year in less than a month ; but here again this dis- 

 tinguished scientist made a sad mistake, because there 

 was no chance to get fuel in Mexico to run such fur- 

 naces. Then he could not get along with the workmen, 

 who knew more than he did of practical life, and so 

 made fun of him and the great airs he put on, and he 

 left the place in disgust, and other noted metallurgists 

 came there and did no better, and the company sunk a 

 half million dollars in that mine. At last a manager 

 went out who knew nothing of this particular business, 

 either theoretically or practically, but did understand 

 mechanics and the laws of nature, and with common 

 sense and business principles looked over the business, 

 studied its surroundings and the business itself, made a 

 slight change in Dr. Stapf s machine to suit the water 



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