UP Goes Total Tonnage!

S

ment was the downfall of many of those corporations which failed to survive the trem endous eco­

nomic changes of recent years. In general, coal mining, like most other enterprises, cannot be conducted in th at “same old way.” T h e m anage­

ment m ust be open-minded and ready to adopt new ideas and methods to meet the press of competition. T he Boone County Coal Corporation, ope­

rating in the Coal R iver field of W est V irginia, stands out as an example of a company where the existing m an­

agement spied the beacon of progress and set a course in that'direction.

A num ber of small mines w ere shut down, the output of other mines in­

creased, and the w ork concentrated by system atic w orking and robbing, which heretofore had appeared to be impossible in that locality. M ain haul ways were c h a n g e d from undulating tram w ays to “ railroads”

equipped with 80-lb. steel, and me­

chanical cleaners w ere installed at the tipples. Commissaries were changed from “ordinary company stores,” struggling against the com­

petition of chain stores, to neat m er­

cantile establishments that reduce the cost of living fo r the m iner and ope­

rate on a paying basis.

H oldings o f t h e Boone County Coal C orporation comprise an area of 35,000 acres, owned in fee and bear­

ing several workable coal seams.

A few years ago the corporation ope­

rated twelve mines on the property.

Now it has closed all but two, and produces m ore coal than it did fo r­

m erly from the twelve. In August, 1929, the No. 2 mine shipped more coal than any other mine on the en­

tire Chesapeake & Ohio Railway sys­

tem.

T h e coal, which is in the Chilton

By J. H . Edwards

A ssociate E ditor, Coal A g e

bed, lies generally level, averages 6 ft. in thickness, and is w ithout regular parting. Above it there is a 2-ft.

ceiling of draw slate which cuts ra p ­ idly when exposed to the air. T he roof above this is generally strong, consisting of a hard slate in some places and of sandstone in others. In the mining, 6 in. of coal is left in place at the top to hold the drawslate.

T he top cutting is done with Jeffrey 29B arc wall machines.

T his mine, like others in the vicin­

ity, was operated fo r many years without successful pillar robbing, and consequently, considering the tonnage produced, it was spread over a large area. I t is a d rift operation with cover ranging up to 1,200 ft. A t­

tem pts have been made to rob pillars on a line parallel to the room entry.

R oof weight, however, caused aban­

donm ent before sufficient span was developed to bring the first break. In the robbing now being done, the pillar lines are at a 45-deg. angle to the room entries and the locations fo r starts favorable to first breaks were selected so far as possible w ith proper respect to the contour of the m ountain sur­

face above. “ It is ju st as necessary to study elevations as it is to study the plan,” was the brief comment of A. S. W ilson, general superintendent, regarding the roof action.

T he pillar blocks, which are ap­

proxim ately 78 ft. square, are worked by driving across the open end and at the same tim e along the back, as shown by the accompanying sketch.

Illustrating M ethod o f R obbing P illars and S h o w in g Camera Locations W h en P illar Photographs W ere M ade

744 C O A L A G E — Vol.34, N o .12

Loaded Tracks, W ith Tipple Show ing in the B ackground

Pillar Robbing V iew From P oint "b” on Sketch

N e w 80-Lb. T ra ck on a Section o f the M ain H aulw ay, W here 5 / F t. o f Top H a s Been S h o t Dozen. T he L ine A long the R ib Just A bove the B ottom Is the Top o f the Coal.

Filling the T ra ck Is Y et to Be Done

P illar R obbing View> Prom Point "a” on S ketc h

Pillar R obbing V iew From P oint "c"

on S ketc h

L e ft to R ig h t: Col. IV. M . W iley, V ice-President and General M anager; H . L. Copher, Superintendent N o . 2 M in e; and

A . S. W ilson, General Superintendent.

T he end place is kept four cuts ahead o f the other. By this plan, providing tw o w orking places per block, produc­

tion is concentrated and the robbing speeded. N early 50 per cent of the tim ber is recovered and not often is any appreciable quantity of coal aban­

doned at the corner next to the gen­

eral line of break. T h e pillar coal is top cut w ith the same type of mining machine that is used in driving the rooms and entries.

M ore than 4,000 ft. of main haul­

way has been re-laid w ith 80-lb. steel on 7-in.x9-in.x6-ft. ties. Along one stretch of 1,200 ft., this haulway has ju st been graded to an average of 6 ft. T he mine tracks are 44-in.

gage, and the main haulage equip­

m ent consists of one 10-ton and three 15-ton locomotives. T h e gathering is done by 13 cable reel locomotives, of which 8 are 6-ton General Electric and 5 are 6-ton Jeffrey. T h e mine cars have a capacity of 2 \ tons and are equipped throughout with anti-friction bearings.

F rom a rotary dump the coal goes to a preparation plant which has five loading tracks. In the plant is a M arcus screen equipped with a pick­

ing table, and fo ur Sim plex jigs. Two of the jigs clean 2-J-x4-in. egg, and the other two, l-|x2f-in. stove.

T he production per loader at No. 2 mine has been raised to an average of over 14.5 tons. Closer co-ordina­

tion of jobs, improved car distribution and m ore strict supervision has brought this result.

In addition to these general im ­ provem ents in m i n i n g practice, Col. W . M. W iley, resident vice- president in charge of operation, views w ith great satisfaction the re­

sults of a radical change in the policy V iciv in the S to r e at B lair—

D ry Goods and N o tio n s at L e ft, and M eats at R ig h t

of conducting the company stores or commissaries. Presum ably t h e s e stores once had the typical air and appearance of the ordinary coal-mine commissary, but now no suggestion of such a picture is left.

Colonel W iley affiliated his stores w ith the Independent G rocers’ A lli­

ance, known as the “ IG A ,” and dressed up the buildings according to its recommendations. E ight hundred to a thousand dollars per store was spent in building new shelves, effect­

ing rearrangem ents and decorating.

T he shelves are of the type which dis­

play the m axim um am ount of goods within the norm al angle of vision.

Price tags are displayed on each g ro ­ cery item, and the other classes of goods are arranged, each in its own section or shelf space, w ith th at space labeled, “ N otions,” “U nderw ear,”

“H osiery,” or otherwise, as the case m ay be.

R eduction of prices to compete w ith the chain stores and the run­

ning of weekly specials to call at­

tention to the low prices brought a trade increase which put the stores on a paying basis. One m iner, who has a large family, declares th at the price reduction is saving him $20 per m onth on his grocery bill.

M uch has been accomplished to­

w ard m odernization of equipm ent and methods at the Boone County Coal Corporation mines, but the manage­

m ent disclaims any approach to the ultim ate ; in fact, it has plans for m any other im provem ents to further fo rtify the company’s position.

G rocery S id e in the N o . 12 M ine S to re at B lair

746 C O A L A G E — Vol.34, N o .12