From the Virginia (Nev.) Enterprise, Aug. 12.
The Bodie Free Press says: “lt is reported that Jim Townsend has six of his arastras running to their full capacity. The remaining four will be started up next week.” The most interesting thing about these arastras - the power by which they are driven - is, curiously enough, left unmentioned by the Free Press. From a millwright who assisted in putting up the machinery we have some particulars regarding the novel apparatus, which is Mr. Townsend's own invention. The arastras are placed in a little sandy flat, where only sufficient water for drinking purposes and to moisten the ore operated upon is to be obtained. The arastras are actually operated by sand, which drives a large overshot wheel. On this wheel sand takes the place of water. It was at first Mr. Townsend's intention to run the arastras by means of a large wind mill, or wind wheel, but as this wheel would run too slow at times, at other times so fast as to be liable to tear everything to pieces, and again would not run at all, he hit upon a regulator. This regulator is sand, a great pile of which has been raked up to the works. The wind-mill runs a belt containing a great number of buckets, and these carry the sand up to a big tank, just as grain elevators carry wheat in a flouring mill. A stream of sand being let out upon the overshot wheel, it revolves just as it would under the weight of a stream of water, and the arastras move steadily on at their work. When there is much wind, sand is stored up for when calm prevails, so the arastras are never idle. After a sufficient quantity of sand has once been accumulated there is no more trouble on that score, the same sand being used over and over. [Published: August 19, 1883 Copyright © The New York Times]