[LM240084], Letter from Walter Seeley Mallory to Harry Scott Gay, March 6th, 1900
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LM240084
Transcription
March 6, 1900
Mr. H.S. Gay, Supt
Edison, N.J.
Dear Sir:--
Enclosed please find a recapitulation of the work at the Ogden out for the month of February, showing a total cost per ton of $23.25, which I am sure, will be as disappointing to you as it is to me. You will note that of the total time only about 38% was used in loading, and that the two items of "waiting" and "track repairs" make up nearly one half of the total time. It is very evident from this that it would be necessary for us to make as far as possible the changes in the track at night, also to provide care and skips enough to keep the steam shovels at work. Also the stripping, to do as much of it as possible at night.
As there will be stripping to do both at the Ogden out and Davenport cut, do you think it would save any money if we organize gangs to work nights and arrange to dump the stripping in some particular place, so it will not go all through the rocks that are blasted out and then used on steam shovels, to get this dirt out of the way when they are not loading rock to the mill. If we do this, will it not be necessary to arrange for some dump cars? My impression is that we could easily have paid for double the number of dump cars we now have out of the savings which could have been made if we had built them some months ago.
I think you will agree with me that this is a serious matter as every cent of cost here multiples by four in our finished product, and it is a thing to which we should give our best thoughts. I would be glad to have you think the matter over, and will go over it with you in detail when I come up the last of the week.
Yours very truly,
W.S. Mallory Ogden Cut, February, 1900
Time Loading 79.53 hours 53%
Time Waiting 73.07 " 35%
No Locomotives 1.30 " 1/2%
Water 1.50 " 1/2%
Moving 13.20 " 5%
Blasting 15 " 4%
Track 25.15 " 12%
209.55 97
Cars 1410
Tons 8460
Cost $1,967.13
Cost per ton $23.25