"I am well aware of that. You will remember that I had a load dropped on me once," smiled Steve.
"We wear out, I should say, on an average of six motors a year. That runs into money. And the repairs on them, in the meantime, are very expensive."
"Would any arrangement that would tend to lessen the strain on the motors be of advantage to the company?"
"That is self-evident. Of course it would. What is more, relieving the cars of the strain to which they are subjected would save a few thousand dollars a year. Have you something in mind?"
Mr. Penton smiled good-naturedly on the young man who was standing before him.
"Yes, sir, I have a plan by which I think you ought to be able to save your electric motors considerably and at the same time make greater speed in getting ore to the chutes."
"If you have a practical plan for doing that you will have accomplished a great deal, young man. What is your plan?"
"Well, sir, it is an engineering problem. Not being an engineer, I perhaps shall not be able to overcome all the difficulties in the way. I can tell you, though, what I think would help."
"I find that in most of the levels there is a considerable up grade to the chutes where the tram cars are dumped."
"Would it not be much better to have the loaded cars run down grade to the chutes? Then they would go back up the grade empty," suggested Steve half hesitatingly.
"Do you know, my boy, you have made a suggestion that even the keenest of our engineers evidently never have thought of?"
"I am glad if I have suggested something worth while," said Steve, with a pleased smile.
"But how do you propose to go about it? The levels are made and the tracks are laid to fit the conformation. How are you going to get over that condition?" asked the superintendent, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I have watched the trackmen grading on the railroad and I do not see why you cannot do the same thing here. You have plenty of waste dirt and rock in the mine. It is being taken out every day. Why not utilize some of it in raising the tracks at the 'rises'? That would give the cars a good start and the electric motor would not have to wear itself out getting the cars started. Continue doing this, even if you have to begin cutting the level lower down by the chutes. I am sure that that feature could easily be overcome by your engineers. In the sub-levels and new drifts you could do the same thing."