﻿224 
  Forty-seventh 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum, 
  

  

  No 
  record 
  of 
  matters 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  sinking 
  of 
  the 
  shaft 
  

   was 
  kept 
  until 
  my 
  arrival, 
  but 
  from 
  various 
  sources 
  I 
  learned 
  that 
  

   ground 
  was 
  broken 
  on 
  the 
  15th 
  day 
  of 
  September, 
  1890. 
  From 
  

   that 
  date 
  to 
  the 
  13th 
  day 
  of 
  August, 
  1892, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  sinking 
  

   was 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  slight 
  cessations 
  day 
  and 
  night, 
  Sundays 
  

   excepted. 
  

  

  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  shaft 
  before 
  the 
  lining 
  of 
  timbers 
  and 
  plank 
  was 
  

   put 
  in 
  was 
  twenty 
  -four 
  feet 
  long 
  by 
  fourteen 
  feet 
  wide. 
  The 
  

   average 
  daily 
  rate 
  of 
  sinking 
  was 
  2.7 
  feet, 
  about 
  1,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  

   of 
  rock, 
  weighing 
  nearly 
  eighty 
  tons, 
  being 
  hoisted 
  out 
  for 
  each 
  

   working 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  process 
  employed 
  in 
  sinking 
  the 
  shaft 
  in 
  the 
  rock 
  may 
  be 
  

   briefly 
  described 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Machine 
  drills, 
  driven 
  by 
  compressed 
  air, 
  which 
  was 
  supplied 
  

   by 
  a 
  compressor 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  engine 
  house, 
  1 
  25 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  

   shaft, 
  were 
  used 
  to 
  drill 
  two 
  rows 
  of 
  holes 
  across 
  the 
  shaft, 
  three 
  

   or 
  four 
  in 
  each 
  row, 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  each 
  

   end. 
  These 
  holes 
  were 
  not 
  drilled 
  perpendicularly, 
  but 
  at 
  such 
  

   an 
  angle 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  the 
  two 
  rows 
  would 
  nearly 
  meet. 
  

   The 
  holes 
  were 
  two 
  and 
  one-half 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  top, 
  

   one 
  and 
  one-half 
  inches 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  nine 
  feet 
  deep. 
  

   Into 
  these 
  holes 
  eight 
  to 
  ten 
  sticks 
  of 
  dynamite, 
  eight 
  inches 
  

   long, 
  one 
  and 
  one-half 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  weighing 
  

   one-half 
  pound 
  each, 
  were 
  inserted. 
  One 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  these 
  

   sticks 
  contained 
  a 
  fulminating 
  cap 
  or 
  exploder, 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  

   small 
  wire 
  was 
  attached. 
  After 
  the 
  dynamite 
  had 
  been 
  placed 
  

   in 
  position, 
  the 
  holes 
  were 
  filled 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  with 
  wet 
  sand 
  and 
  

   finely 
  pulverized 
  rock 
  rammed 
  in. 
  Then 
  the 
  fine 
  wires 
  of 
  the 
  

   exploders 
  were 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  larger 
  wire 
  connected 
  with 
  an 
  

   electrical 
  battery 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  

   above, 
  in 
  the 
  timbers. 
  When 
  the 
  workmen 
  had 
  been 
  hoisted 
  out 
  

   and 
  everything 
  breakable 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  the 
  dynamite 
  

   was 
  exploded 
  by 
  electricity, 
  and 
  the 
  V 
  shaped 
  mass 
  of 
  rock 
  

   between 
  the 
  rows 
  of 
  holes 
  was 
  lifted 
  out 
  and 
  broken 
  into 
  frag- 
  

   ments. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  broken 
  rock 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  sink 
  " 
  was 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  removal, 
  

   rows 
  of 
  holes, 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  described, 
  but 
  more 
  nearly 
  perpen- 
  

   dicular, 
  were 
  drilled 
  and 
  loaded 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  benches," 
  as 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  

  

  