Show THE ELECTRIC locomotive IN MINE OPERATION WRITTEN FOR THE MINING MIMING REVIEW BY FRANK C PERKINS the accompanying illustration shows a train of empty ore cars being hauled by a twenty four horsepower german electric mining locomotive the best system to be adopted for mechanical ch anical underground haulage is one of the most important problems with which tle engineer has to deal in the operation of mines of every description even with the advanced state of the electric mining locomotive and its rapid introduction into important mines in And america erica as well as europe the compressed air rope and even mule haulage may each be considered best in certain fields where no other system would be so well suited the steam locomotive with the bad eff effects acts of smoke gas sparks heat and steam which are so very objectionable in the underground der ground working of mines is practically eliminated from th mining field the first cost of equipment of there is danger from fire damp and other explosive gases as there are no sparks or 01 flame absolutely necessary in connection connect lon with its operation it also has many advantages claimed for it which are more or less important the compressed air power plants however not only involve high first cost but are also expensive to maintain and the losses in leakage and transmission are frequently very heavy strutted ted considerably higher for a given output this interferes to a certain extent with its flexibility and makes it difficult to operate on the short curve and the low entry usi usually lally met with in mines on very heavy grades the compressed air locomotive and the ordinary traction electric locomotive are both at a disadvantage and in some cases rope haulage has been sound aund necessary where the grades have been so greatus great as I 1 A A 7 jr electric mining locomotive and train at cactus mine newhouse utah a mine using steam engine is very much lower than for compressed air or electric power for mine haulage but the maintenance and the depreciation are excessive with the steam locomotive while the objections above referred to leave the steam locomotive tive out of the question entirely for this class of work the compressed air locomotive is an ideal power for mine haulage work where anether neither disadvantage of the compressed air di f r locomotive is practically the same as that of the storage battery electric locomotive in that it requires frequent charging which often seriously interferes with the regular operation of the system unless ample reserve locomotives are provided the compressed air mining locomotive has a wheel base very much greater than the electric locomotive and must be con not to mounted by either of the above types of engines the large number of rollers sheave wheels and other apparatus causing a large amount of friction make the rope haulage system objectionable as well us as the fact that the operator must be guided entirely by signal not being able to note the condition of the load personally it has been satisfactorily facto rily demonstrated that mule haulage is expensive and slow the cost of feeding feadin 1 I and care being high and the very much less than any of the mechanical systems using rope steam or compressed air haulage with the compressed air as well as the electric system of mine haulage the same source of power may be utilized for operating other mining machinery such as compressed air and electric drills the electric power may be utilized however to even greater advantage than the compressed air as by its means electrically operated pumps electrical hoists and ventilators rs as well as many other mining ani sn nal chines may be operated ta mintage yin tage to t 1 which compressed air ap is not so well adapted among thet a advantages claimed for the electric for mining e c c are a small ass bowar aal light weight for a given d n t y a na its operation on curves of very small radii it shares the advantages of the compressed air mining locomotive in the absence of heat smoke steam and gas and also consumes 1 power only when doing work and in direct proportion to the output the com W 1 9 aa 11 4 4 NAW vo lug hip 0 ut twenty four H P german electric mining locomotive pressed air locomotive as mentioned above may be used in mines where dangerous explosive gases exist exist while the electric locomotive is not available on account of the sparking at the trolley or third rail A number of direct current as well as three phase alternating current mining locomotives have been contracted at loo barsdorf budapest by ganz company A direct current mining locomotive was recently built at this plant for the barry con sols extended gold mine aline company of melbourne it was designed for a range of sixteen inches and is operated by a te ten an horse power continuous current electric motor the current being supplied by a single overhead conductor through a flexible cable A number of three phase mining locomotives J vp abee been n installed in hungary and france aiji A power from ten to forty horse power sten ten t horse power three phase mining emotive oey motive of the ganz type was I 1 re reent dently ly installed at Per ezzes hungary and a n other nother one of twenty horse power capacity at gealer while a forty horse power locomotive of the ganz tarsa type arranged on two trucks was recently installed at the mines de la mure in france most alost of the foreign as well as american mining locomotives are constructed very low the operator controlling the locomotive while seated although where there is plenty of overhead room some foreign mining locomotives have been constructed with a cab and controlling apparatus sufficiently high for the driver to control the same while standing notably in a type recently constructed ted by the swiss firm of brik Oer likon most of the electric mining locomotives in america as well as in europe are supplied with current from overhead trolley wires but in some cases the conductors have been supported at the side of the galleries or tunnels |