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Title: James Williamson, California, to Robert Williamson, Co Armagh
ID3355
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileWilliamson, James/28
Year1859
SenderWilliamson, James
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationworks at flour mill
Sender Religionunknown
OriginCalifornia, USA
DestinationRichill, Co. Armagh, N.Ireland
RecipientWilliamson, Robert
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipbrothers
SourceT 2680/2/13: Copied by Permission of W. P. Williamson, Ahorey House, Richhill, County Armagh. #TYPE EMG James Williamson, San Jose, California, U.S.A., to Robert Williamson, Richhill, County Armagh, 4 December 1859.
ArchivePublic Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.9007154
Date04/12/1859
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
Log31:07:1990 S.C.#CREATE created 04:01:1991 SB input
Word Count1106
Genre
Note
Transcript9 am [?] December 4th 1859.

Dear Robert,
It is now almost a year
since you wrote your last letter to
me and I am almost ashamed to
answer it, However I will give you a
few items just by way of excuse & perhaps
do better in future. I am still in the
old stand & in good health plenty of
work to do I have been down to see Bill
& stayed a month with him helping
him build a house. he has sold out
his farm & moved up into the redwoods
he & two others have taken up six quarter
sections of timber land & are going to
build a sawmill I wish you could see
the timber they have from 2 to 6, 8, & 10
feet in diameter & not a limb for 100 feet
up, the location is in a steep canyon
& it will take time & perseverance & hard
work to accomplish the undertaking
The parties wanted me to take a share
in it but I declined the offer for
reasons best known to myself. They have
a resonable supply of water if they put up
the machinery correctly I think there will be
enough (that is) at the driest season of the year
& [?] a m[?]ley air & an [?] fast
enough to cut 4 or 5000 feet a day.
the woods around will be good pasturage
for cattle so that they can raise as much
as they please. Now as regards
a flouring mine I will tell you what I can
about it. In the first place the stones 1 1/2 feet
in diameter should be dressed (Diagram) known as the
straight 3/4 dress with gouge furrows ________3/8 deep
on the track edge & 3/4 wide to the feather edge
& may if seen proper extended to an inch at the
hem the furrows should be laid out on
3 1/4 or 3 1/2 draft which will discharge the flour each
quarter of the stone as [part?] as ground they ought
to run with a velocity of from 210 to 250, revolutions
per minute any holes that may be in the stone can
be filled up a cement composed of white sand
or bun dust alum & plaster of paris melted
together & put in while warm after it has
hardened it may be drest off with a pick .
The bale should next be put in true with the
face of the stone, the driver also, the stone is
then balanced when filling up the back as true
as possible, You will want a smut machine
& I cannot tell which is the best. I have seen
only 2 kinds & either works very well. If wheat
is very smutty mix quick lime with it the more
smuts the more lime you will have to use your
own judgement in this case I have had some
wheat lie all night in the lime, the next thing
is the cooler say 8 or 10 feet in diameter made in
the shape of a tub in which a rake [?]
carrying the flour from the outside to the centre
the rake is a horizontal stick 4 inches square
the teeth are as wide as the stick and set at such
an angle that as the rake turn it carries the
flour in furrows towards the centre or outside
as is thought best when it drops in to a spout
which conveys it to the bolts. The bolts should
be 18 or 20 feet long 40ins.in diameter two for
each run of stone covered with bolting cloth
Smut from cooler
|----------------|---------------------
|___No 9 24in | No 10
-------------|---------------------
conveyor ///////////////////////////////
-----------------------------------
|.| |.| |.|
-----------------------------------
4 | S 6 | M 7 | R 8-----------Spout from up centre lower bolt
----------------------------------- No 9 & 10 on the first bolt
B 1 /////////////////////////////////// 8 7 6 & 4 on the 2nd bolt.
----------------------------------- The flour enters at No 9 & passes
| | |1| |1| |1| through the bolt on the conveyor
which carries it to the flour bin |.| represents gates whereby a more or
less quantity of flour can be sent to the bin
according to the quality |1| gates underneath
the conveyor which regulate the returns [middling?]
bran & shorts. the returns pass up to the cooler & into
the bolts again & by the use of the gates more
or less may be made to pass according to the
quality of wheat & flour. The bolts should be set
at such an elevation so that they will keep themselves
free their speed about 40 or 45 p minute B bran S shorts M middle
R returns. The reason why No 9 is placed at the head of the
bolt is it keeps the bolt free as the flour drops on it lets
greater quantity of flour through & No 10 will dress
the balance. First quality of wheat should yield 70 lbs.
of flour to each 100 lbs. wheat, 65 lbs. is the poorest
[yield?] that I have seen. I think I must [write?] to you
a [?] sometime & th[?] I [?] to you more about or
I have had a few papers from John Entitled
The British Messenger I would like very much if
you would send a Telegraph or a Guardian they will
get here soon enough. They are having a high old time
in religion on the [?]ld [art?] I wonder it it is all
so far I am disposed to doubt most of the
yarns I have read on the subject at the same
time I believe that some of it must be true
I may possibly go into the mines again next year
& see some of the near diggins [diggings?] there are some
great discoveries made lately of silver mines in carson
valley & gold at Mono lake but the snow is deep
on the mountains so that it is impossible to
go now. I hope Mother is well & in good health
it would be a great pleasure to me to see her
again as well as all the balance of the
family wherever situated. Any word of Hugh
& Sally doing anything for themselves. I had a letter
from John some time ago I see he is going into
business for himself I wish him good luck
in it What are those girls going to do in Australia
What is John McClure Jr. [Junior?] doing since his sisters
left. I must conclude this letter so I'll bid you
good night With love to all I remain your
afft [affectionate?] Brother Jim Williamson