Rock breaker 10 effective horse-power Amalgamating pan 5 ” ” Grinding pan 6 ” ” Single stamp of 750 lb. dropping 90 times per minute 1·25 ” ” Settlers 4 ” ” Ordinary hoisting lift 20 ” ” Allow 10 per cent. in addition for overcoming friction. Besides this electrical distributing power, which should not cost more than three farthings per effective horse-power per hour, the electrical energy can be employed for lighting the drives and the shafts of the mine. The modern electrical mine lamps leave little to be desired. Also it is anticipated that once the few existing difficulties have been surmounted electric drilling will supplant all other methods. Electric power can be employed for pumping, for shot firing, for hauling, and for innumerable purposes in a mine. Electricity lends itself most advantageously to so many and varied processes, even in accelerating the influence of cyanide solutions on gold, and in effecting the magnetic influence on metallic particles in separating processes; while applied to haulage purposes, either on aërial lines (Fig. 26) or on tram or railroads, it is an immediate and striking success. [Illustration: FIG. 26. ELECTRICAL AËRIAL TRAMWAY.] It is anticipated that in the near future the mines on the Rand, South Africa, will be electrically driven from a coalfield generating station located on the coalfields some thirty miles from Johannesburg. Such a plant made up of small multiples of highly efficient machines will enable mine-owners to obtain a reliable power to any extent at immediate command and at a reasonable charge in proportion to the power used. This wholesale supply of power will be a godsend to a new field, enabling the opening up to be greatly expedited; and no climatic difficulties, such as dry seasons, or floods, need interfere with the regular running of the machinery. The same system of power-generation at a central station is to be applied to supply power to the mines of Western Australia. CHAPTER X COMPANY FORMATION AND OPERATIONS All the world over, the operation of winning from the soil and rendering marketable the many valuable ores and mine products which abound is daily becoming more and more a scientific business which cannot be too carefully entered into or too skilfully conducted. The days of the dolly and windlass, of the puddler, cradle, and tin dish, are rapidly receding; and mining, either in lode or alluvial working, is being more generally recognised as one of the exact sciences. In the past, mining has been carried on in a very haphazard fashion, to which much of its non-success may be attributed.