Drill

Steam-powered traction number three Keystone drill

Large metal prospecting machine on four wheels with a steam stack on one side and drill on the other. Metal front and rear wheels. Steel frame. Steam boiler placed on back. Front wheels 30" diameter, 14 metal spokes 12" long. Wheel held on with 2" square bolt. Rear wheels 54" diameter, 20 steel spokes 21" x 1 3/4" x 1/2". Rear wheelsframe rounded metal, cap on hub 3 1/2" diameter, 3" long. Steel wheel held together with steel plate 16" x 4" x 1/4" on inside wheel. Metal bolts are affixed from the outside. The rear wheels are tracked on the outside with strips of steel 18 1/2" x1 1/4" x 1/4". There are 21 tracks on each rear wheel. The metal wood boiler is at the rear of the drill, between the rear wheels. Boiler is 71" high. Metal Door 14 1/2 x 10" x 1/4" faces back of drill. Metal latch 10 1/2" x 1 1/4" x 1/4" affixed to door for handle. Latch on door lifts up and fits into grooved piece of metal 5" x 1 1/2" x 1 1/4" affixed to door. There is a smoke stack at top of broiler 4' high. The Keystone Drillers manufacturerd only by the Keystone Driller Company, Beaver Falls, PA, USA. Traction Driller number 3: for 500 feet, made both with cog hoist and friction hoist.

The keystone punch drill was used to prospect for ores. A small hole would be drilled into the earth and a hallow tube would take a core sample in order to measure the earth's riches. The drill crew consists of four men: the driller, the helper, the panner and a fireman. The panner had the job of panning all the samples from the drill, and to keep a written log showing the depths at which core samples were taken, the number of colours in each pan and the character of the formation drilled. The driller and his helper manned the drill while the fireman took care of the fire needed for the boiler. The drill operated on steam, which powered the mechanics of the drill as well as the steam point which thawed the ground before drilling. The driller would lower the punch into the ground. A series of ropes, winches, and pulleys powered by the boiler would raise and lower the punch, pounding it into the ground. After drilling five feet the whole point would be lifted out of the hole and taken off the pulley. A hallow point would take its place and a core samples could be taken. Once removed the core sample would be panned for gold, silver or ore. They would sample every five feet until they reached bedrock. The Keystone drill could reach depths of 200 feet. The only limitation on the drill was the length of the rope on the drum.