Having as one of its main objects the reduction of accidents from falls of roof, the annual meeting of the Holmes Safety Association of Alabama was held Jan. H. Fies, vice-president, DeBardeleben Coal Corporation, Birmingham; James L. Davidson, secretary, Alabama Min
ing Institute; H arry L. Gandy, execu
tive secretary, National Coal Associa
tion, and Erskine Ramsay, chairman of the board, Alabama By-Products Cor
poration. Harold McDermitt, vice-president, Newcastle Coal Co., and president, Alabama Council of the Holmes association, was chairman.
These officers were elected for the
lurgy. Annual meeting, C hateau Frontenac, Quebec, Canada, M arch 7-9.
American M ining Congress, m anufactur- ers’_ division. F if th annual convention and national exposition, M av 7-11, Cincinnati,
'Ohio, '
National Coal A ssociation. E leventh annual meeting. M ay 23-25, Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio.
National A ssociation o f P urch asin g Agents. T h irteen th international conven
tion and inform -a-show , M ay 28-31, A m er
ican Royal B uilding, K an sas City, Mo.
American Society fo r T estin g M aterials.
Annual meeting, June 25-29, Chalfonte- Haddon H all, A tlan tic City, N . J.
R
EN EW ED outbursts of violence in -the Pittsburgh (P a.) coal field have resulted in an investigation being started by order of Governor Fisher and a Congressional probe now looms as a possibility following first-hand observation of conditions by Representative LaGuardia of New York. police with shocking brutality and utter disregard of the law.
“It seems to me,” he declared, “the operators are trying to provoke the un
fortunate strikers to retaliation in order to justify, perhaps, some acts of violence already committed. This strike could be settled in one hour, provided Jacksonville wage scale of 1924.”
“I shall hear the operators’ side of
tracts between employers and em
ployees embody a clause providing for voluntary arbitration of differ
ences. This attitude has been shown in communications in re
sponse to a proposal of the sub
committee of the committee on commerce of the American Bar Association to give legal standing to such voluntary contracts and make them enforceable.
Julius Henry Cohen, chairman of the sub-committee, has received a large number of acceptances to an invitation to attend public hearings on the subject on Feb. 16, 17 and 18 at the headquarters of the Bar Association of the City of New York.
Matthew Woll, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor,
tigation be started immediately.
Suggestions that the coal controversy be ended by an armistice, after which
•negotiations would be opened, elicited conflicting statements from leading coal operators and representatives of the United Mine Workers.
burgh Terminal Coal Corporation, said:
“The time for compromise has passed. Coal Operators’ Association, suggesting a conference on Jan. 16 to discuss a possible settlement of the wage con
troversy. The Senate Chamber of the State Capitol, Columbus, was designated as the place for the proposed meeting.
Lee Hall, the Ohio union president, readily expressed the willingness of the mine workers to meet the operators’ rep
resentatives in an effort to compose their differences. The producers,', however, refused to take part in the proposed con
ference, a committee headed by Mr.
Robbins, which called on the Governor, stating that they felt that entire respon
sibility for unemployment of Ohio
■February, 1 9 2 8 — C O A L A G E 117
miners rested with the union and that and Crooksville districts the scheme contemplates the formation of a joint association of operators and miners to be known as the Hocking Mutual Mining Association. Officered by a board of directors consisting of four operators and four miners, the organization would govern the operation of mines, determin
ing wages to be paid, working condi
tions and other matters coming within the scope of negotiations between oper
ators and the union. proportionately, being decreased if the price goes below that figure. Anthracite Mine Inspectors’ Examining Board, two of the members being min other members are Cadwallader Evans, Jr., Scranton, mining engineer; Frank was considerable discussion of legisla
tion recently proposed in the Kentucky Legislature and the national Congress.
Brent Hart, president, H art Coal well-known selling organization with headquarters in New York City. He prominent engineers and scientists have accepted appointment by Secretary Herbert Hoover, as honorary chairman, on the American Committee of the American Federation of Labor; William L. Batt, E. M. Herr, John W. Lieb, operators and coal mining engineers will be on the program of the Ameri
can _ Institute of Mining and Metal
lurgical Engineers’ meeting Feb. 20-23.
E. C. Mahan, president of the National Wednesday forenoon on “Cleaning Bituminous Coal.”
Holbrook, respectively as chairman.
Reports of sub-committees will be presented by Dan Harrington, metal mining; Frank Haas, coal mining;
R. R. Sayers, physiological; A. C.
Callen, fans and ventilation physics.
W. S. Weeks will read a paper on
“The Air-Current Regulator,” the dis
cussion being led by A. C. Callen.
“Propeller-Fan Computation” will be the title of F. E. Brackett's paper, with
“Surface Subsidence From Anthracite Mining.” H. G. Moulton will be chair
man of the afternoon session, when these topics will be trea ted : “Barrier Pillars,” by George H. Ashley; “Oxida
tion Subsidence,” Augustus Locke, and
“Bursting of the Gros Ventre Land
Lubelsky on “Blasting Coal Effectively
118 C O A L A G E — Vol.33, N o .2
and Safely in Southern Illinois” ; John Washing Tables,” and “Re-treating Middlings Front Coal-Washing Tables by Hindered-Settling Classification."
Classification of coal will be dis
cussed at morning and afternoon ses
sions on Feb. 23 with these partic
ipants: Eugene McAuliffe, Malcolm Macfarlane, R. V. Wheeler, Clarence A. Seyler, H. J. Rose and others. Colo. Morning and afternoon sessions will be held each day, with a banquet followed by dancing in the evening of Feb. 27 and a theater party the follow
ing night.
The program, which is practically complete, will include the following:
Feb. 27, registration, organization, re
ports and appointment of committees in the morning. In the afternoon a paper on “The Mine Circuit”- will be read by L. W. Birch, Ohio Brass Co., followed by an address by H arry L. Gandy, ex
ecutive secretary, National Coal Asso
ciation, and concluding with “New Analysis of Some Colorado Coals,” by Prof. C. B. Carpenter and Mr. Manuel, Colorado School of Mines.
W. J. Elwood, Standardville, Utah, will describe “Driving a Rock Tunnel”
on the morning of the second day and C. E. Karstrom will tell about “The Cardox Cartridge.” Two papers will feature the afternoon session, “Modern
izing an Old Tipple,” by W. J. Schenler, Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., and “The Castlegate (U tah) Tipple of the Utah Fuel Co.,” by Andrews Allen, of Allen
& Garcia.
“Some Modern Developments in Washing Coal” will be described by
Waddell, Phelps Dodge Corporation, address the afternoon session on Experiences at Dawson W ith Mine- Car Greasing,” after which officers will be elected.
lo rm M in e -R u n Sales A g en cy Stabilization of mine-run coal in western Kentucky is sought through the rmation of a sales agency, which, it is arrangement with the National Safety Council for disseminating accident-pre- vention information to all who use ex Bowman Building, Scranton, Pa.
Fr a n k A. Le a r n e d, mechanical and construction engineer, has been made assistant to A. J. Maloney, president of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co., with headquarters in Pottsville.
Fr a n k Ro s b o t t o m, of Duquoin, 111., state mine examiner, for the Ninth district, has been appointed assistant Director of Mines and Minerals for the state.
T h e Su n d a y Cr e e k Co a l Co.,
Columbus, Ohio, announces the appoint
ment of Howard H. Upson as assistant to the president.
Ch a r l e s A. Wa r d e n has resigned as general manager of the Kingston-Poca- hontas Coal Co., it was announced chemical engineering at Purdue Uni
versity, Lafayette, Ind. He plans to mechanical equipment, operating from Shamokin. formerly superintendent at the New Orient mine. John R. Foster becomes
poration and the Philadelphia & Read
ing Coal & Iron Co. on Jan. 27. He succeeds Robert J. Montgomery, re
signed. Charles A. Hurff was elected vice-president and Martin P. McDer
mott secretary.
Ed w a r d Gr i f f i t h has been ap
pointed general manager of the Lehigh
&- W ilkes-Barre Coal Co., Wilkes- Barre, Pa., succeeding the late Douglas Bunting. Charles E. Ash, formerly secretary and treasurer, has been made vice-president and secretary.
C. H. Bonham, hitherto auditor of payrolls, was advanced to the post of treasurer. J. B. Tamblyn has been named assistant general manager, be
ing succeeded as superintendent of the W ilkes-Barre division by W. L. Davis.
February, 1928 — C O A L A G E 119
U rg es R em oval of B uch an an as South P e n n Receiver In a petition filed in U. S. District Court in Philadelphia, Pa., W arren T.
Acker, of Scranton, Pa., asks for the dismissal of R. H. Buchanan as receiver of the South Penn Collieries Co. Mr.
Acker urges that the court appoint a disinterested person as the coal com
pany's receiver, holding that alleged im
prudent management by Mr. Buchanan forced the company into difficulties.
It also is contended by Mr. Acker that the appointment of Mr. Buchanan as receiver was the result of collusion among the officers and directors of the company after he had brought suit in court in Scranton to enforce payment of a claim of $500,000 against the com
pany.
Franklin S. Edmunds, Philadelphia attorney, has been named special master in the case. He was appointed after the attorney for the receiver had said the only solution of the coal company’s difficulties was a sale of the assets under a foreclosure of a second mortgage of
$2,000,000 or a general sale to pay the claims of creditors. Mr. Acker ob
jected to any sale until his status as a creditor and the charges against the company officials had been passed upon.
The South Penn company is supposed to own coal lands valued at $17,000,000.
D i s m i s s M i n e r f o r S m o k i n g W h e r e B l a s t K i l l e d 21 Caught with a lighted cigarette in his hand five days after the explo
sion of Jan. 9 which resulted in the death of 21 miners in No. IS mine of the Industrial Coal Co., West Frankfort, 111., a machine man in that operation was summarily dis
charged. The Peabody Coal Co., which manages the mine, withheld the offender’s name out of consid
eration for his future. A fellow miner notified the management of the violation of the company’s rule against smoking in the mine.
M i n i n g Congress Sets D a te Dates for the spring meeting of the American Mining Congress and the National Exposition of Coal Mine Equipment have been definitely set for May 7-11. As in recent years, the meeting will be held in the Music Hall, which has been completely remodeled.
Dr. L. E. Young, operating vice- president, Pittsburgh Coal Co., is chair
man of the program committee, which meets in Pittsburgh Feb. 10 to work out details.
In d ia n a F u e l Conference T o Be H e l d at P u r d u e A two-day Indiana Fuel Conference will be held at Purdue university, Lafayette, Ind., April 5 and 6 under the direction of the engineering extension department and the school of mechani
cal engineering with the school of chemical engineering of Purdue co
operating. According to tentative ar
rangements authorities on Indiana fuel resources, preparation of coal for com
mercial and domestic uses, marketing and storage will have places on the program.
Among the subjects to be discussed will be “The Fuel Resources of In
diana,” “Fuel and Power as Affecting Progress,” “Fuel Research Problems”;
a symposium on “Burning Indiana Coal
— Commercially and Domestically”;
“How May Engineers, Producers and Consumers Co-operate” ; “Coal Storage,”
“ Smoke Elimination,” “Coal Market
ing: (a) Fitting the Coal to the Plant;
(b) Standardizing Marketing Methods.”
L o a d e r C o m p a n y F orm ed By U . P. Officials
The Rock Springs Loader Co. has i been organized with these officers: j Eugene McAuliffe, president; George f B. Pryde, vice-president; A. W. Dick- inson, treasurer, - and Frank Tallmire, ; secretary. Mr. McAuliffe is president of the Union Pacific Coal Co. and the other officers also are connected with that company. Headquarters of the new concern will be at Rock Springs, Wyo.
Patent rights have been acquired on s the McCarthy Duck Bill and the Erns- barger Universal shaker loader, which j when attached to shaking conveyors of the Eickhoff, Mavor & Coulson, Link- Belt, Ottumwa, I ronton and other types j converts these devices, nominally used as room or modified longwall trans
portation equipment, into mechanical ; coal or ore loaders, which eliminate hand shoveling.
The new corporation will manufac- | ture and distribute the Duck Bill, which j was developed in the mines of the Union | Pacific Coal Co., where 33 units were used in the latter part of last year, the company having loaded 1,108,000 tons of coal mechanically in 1927. The Union Pacific company has found the device adapted to entry and room driv
ing, pillar drawing, driving break
throughs and loading coal on a modifi
cation of the longwall face system.
F u e l R esearch G o in g Ahead The American Society of M e chan to Engineers has approved a number ot recommendations to its special com- rnittee on research in fuels, of which F. R. Wadleigh is chairman. The com
mittee has assigned to each member the collection of data in his special fie®- and reports of definite progress are expected at an early date.