| Title: | James Williamson, California, to Robert Williamson, Co Armagh |
|---|---|
| ID | 3355 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Williamson, James/28 |
| Year | 1859 |
| Sender | Williamson, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | works at flour mill |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | California, USA |
| Destination | Richill, Co. Armagh, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Williamson, Robert |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T 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. |
| Archive | Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007154 |
| Date | 04/12/1859 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | 31:07:1990 S.C.#CREATE created 04:01:1991 SB input |
| Word Count | 1106 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | 9 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 |
