Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 27, No. 25

McGr a w- Hi l l Co m p a n y, In c. Ja m b s H . McGr a w, P residen t E . J ..Me h r e n, V ice-P resident

Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business

Problems of the Coal-Mining Industry E n gin eerin g E d ito r^{R. Da w s o n Ha l l}

Volu me 27 N E W YORK, J U N E 18, 1925 N um ber 25

P r o c e e d w it h C a u tio n

T

T h e se r v ic e th a t coal tra d e a sso c ia tio n s can render th e in d u stry , th e con su m ers o f coal and b u sin e ss g e n ­ erally, is la r g e. F a ir , prom pt and accu rate d isse m in a ­ tio n o f data on p rod uction , sto ck s and d istrib u tio n o f coal by cla sses, to g e th e r w ith closed q u otation s w ill se rv e in th e fu tu r e , as it h a s in th e p ast, to add a sta b ility to coal m in in g and se llin g such a s could n ot o th e r w ise be en joyed . P u b lic a tio n o f p rices is an effec­

tiv e sa fe g u a r d o f th e c o n su m e rs’ in te r e sts. It m a in ta in s co m p etitio n and en ab les local b u y ers to h a v e all th e a d v a n ta g es o f fu ll in fo r m a tio n . N obod y can be v ictim ized w ith su ch a sy ste m in effect. P r ic e s o f coal w ould a lw a y s be as low as le g itim a te co sts o f prod uc­

tio n and d istr ib u tio n p erm it.

T he S u p rem e Court h a s p erform ed a g re a t se rv ic e fo r th e tra d e a sso c ia tio n s o f th e land, actu al and p o te n ­ tia l, by it s d ecisio n s w h ich clear th e track o f m an y open d era ils and unknow n d a n g e rs lu r k in g around cu rves ahead. B u t by t h is v e r y f a c t th e tra d e a sso c ia tio n a s an in s titu tio n is m ore th an ever in th e sp o tlig h t.

N o t m an y se cr et in te r c h a n g e s o f p rices, fo r in sta n c e, w ill be n eed ed in order to b r in g ab out a bad w reck.

T he w is e m en o f coal w ill re co g n iz e th is f a c t and be a le r t to m ake th e a sso c ia tio n s in th is in d u str y fu n ctio n fu lly b u t le g itim a te ly .

bered w ith g r a titu d e th e c o m fo rt o f an E n g lis h fireplace th a t w arm ed h is broad back as h e acted as an effectu al fire screen fo r th e re st o f th e fa m ily . T h e read er w ill p erh ap s recall p ic tu r e s in P u n ch sh o w in g an E n g lis h ­ m an th u s r e g a lin g h im self.

B e th a t as it m ay, th e B r itis h e r referred to is said to have called on th e steam fitter to rem ove th e ra d ia to rs from h is hom e— th o se rad iators th a t g a v e su ch a w ell- d iffu sed h ea t th a t w hen th e y w er e fu ll o f stea m he could not ob tain th e co m fo rts o f hom e as h e con ceived them . H ow lon g did he con tin u e to be allow ed to th u s v io la te our ch erish ed A m erican tr a d itio n s? He, d ou b tless, w as th e b u tt o f th e su rr o u n d in g n eigh b orh ood , a byw ord to h is n eigh b ors. Such is h ab it. Such is also sty le.

N ow it is n ot im p ossib le to crea te th e reason able n otion th a t th e ad ven t o f sp r in g is treach erou s, th a t th e first w arm days are follow ed by th e k illin g fr o s t, th a t it is n ot w ell or, indeed, s a fe and sa n e to p u t ou t th e fires early. S om e h ou seh old ers end th e firin g lo n g b efo re th e ap a rtm en t-h o u se k eep er is allow ed to do so. S ev ere colds and g r e a t d isco m fo rt a r e in ev ita b le. P n eu m o n ia is n ot an u n lik ely resu lt. A w ord to th e con su m er g e n ­ e rally repeated by th e reta iler, w h o lesa le r and o p erator w ould le n g th e n th e end o f th e fu r n a c e h e a tin g sea so n and m ig h t also m ake th e s ta r tin g o f h ousehold h e a tin g earlier, fo r it is e a sy to a rg u e a g a in s t d isco m fo rt.

T h ere is, in n early every h ousehold , th e “w arm body,"

m an, w om an or child w ho reb els a g a in s t th e cold h ouse.

A d v e r tise m e n ts in th e d a ily p apers w ill b rin g th a t s e n t i­

m en t to lig h t an d b r in g an in s is te n t dem and fo r m ore reason able liv in g co n d itio n s. W hich is j u s t w h a t th e coal prod ucer n eed s to g iv e a n ea rer a p p roxim ation to stea d y op eration .

I t ’s t h e S t y le

T

“h e is co m fo rta b le a t th e office b u t h e le ts h is w ife and k id d ie s fr e e z e a t h om e.”

A N e w Y ork m a g a zin e re ce n tly told a sto r y ab out an E n g lish m a n w h o cam e to A m erica and w as en g a g ed to ten d th e g r e e n s on th e lin k s qf a g o lf club. H e rem em ­

I n t r o d u c i n g W e s t V ir g in ia

A C Q U A IN T A N C E , or as th e pub lic n ow p lea se s to i ~ \ . term it co n ta c t,” is th e b est w a y o f ov erco m in g p reju d ice. T h e soon er th e coal man r e a liz es th a t f a c t in h is p u b lic re la tio n s th e b etter. C on sid er fo r in sta n c e th e sta te o f W est V ir g in ia . It h as su ffered g r e a tly from iso la tio n , and it w ill n ev er fu lly r e ­ esta b lish it s e lf till th e public h a s an o p p o r tu n ity to see th e sta te , its people, its in s titu tio n s , and its scen ery.

R ecen tly a n um ber o f fine roads h ave been m ade in t h a t s ta te w h e re tw e n ty or th ir ty y e a r s ag o in th e dry season th e people traveled th e creek beds. In th e w e t w ea th e r th e y sta y ed a t hom e. N o w w ith th e aid o f th e stea m sh ovel, w id e and w ell-grad ed road s h ave been excavated alo n g th e slo p es o f m ost o f th e la r g e r w a te r ­ cou rses. T h ese road s h ave been su r fa c e d w ith con crete.

T he people are s till road -con sciou s, and th e p rogram w ill ra p id ly exten d . S tr a n g e to say, th e coal com p an ies, w ho p ay m o st o f th e ta x e s, are am o n g th e fo re m o st a d vocates o f road co n stru ctio n . One com p an y h a s b u ilt and p resen te d ten m ile s o f fine co n crete road s to th e public.

A ll th is road w ork w ould do b u t lit t le to b r in g v is ito r s i f W est V ir g in ia w ere n o t a lik ely can d id ate

8 9 5

896 C O A L A G E VOL. 27, NO. 25

for honors as the m ost beautiful o f all the Eastern states of this Union. The m ountains are covered w ith verdure even where the valuable lumber long ago has been harvested. In P ennsylvania the hills are often covered w ith briars, burned tree tops, and fallen logs, but, for some reason, possibly because the hunting is not good and there are no careless cam pers to light fires, W est V irgin ia has woods that retain all their p ristin e beauty.

B etter hotels are needed, it is true, but nevertheless, the towns o f W est V irg in ia are fa r better equipped than places of equal size in the Middle W est. The operators have shown a recognition of the need foY hostelries, and the hotel accommodation is fa r beyond w hat m ight be expected. We prophesy th at in a fe w years the state will be dotted w ith roadhouses. When that tim e comes the general public w ill know W est V irginia, and that sta te will know the rest of the world, and m any of the recrim inations of the past w ill be buried as a result of th e contact.

The operators and cham bers of commerce o f W est V irgin ia wrill do well to prepare that sta te to welcome visitors to its glorious hills and sparkling stream s.

In no other way can they more firmly convince the pub­

lic that the state has an honoi'ed place in the Am erican commonwealth. H aving made the necessary prepara­

tion why should not W est V irg in ia advertise itse lf as a health resort like Florida or California, and entice transcontinental travelers from the well-beaten road­

w ays of P ennsylvania to the rom antic beauty o f her southern sister state?

W eld in g A u to g e n o u sly

U

sure.

When mild steel largely supplanted w rought iron for industrial use, w elding became som ew hat more difficult.

Steel is “slippery,” and consequently in w elding it some kind o f flux, such as borax, is necessary in m ost in ­ stances. The quality or relative strength of an ordinary weld in m ild steel is much more uncertain and proble­

m atical than in w rought iron, even though greater care and skill is exercised by the sm ith.

W ithin recent years, however, autogenous w elding by several distinct m ethods has been perfected. This process is different in principle from the time-honored hand method. In the autogenous weld not only are the parts to be united actually fused a t the w elding point but the added m aterial as well. Thus, regardless of w hat particular process is used the weld i f properly made, is alm ost certain to be more uniform and homo­

geneous than where the union is secured by ham m ering or pressure w hile the m etal is m erely plastic.

Welded pieces pulled apart in a testin g m achine show conclusively the com parative stren gth s o f the welds made by hand and autogenously. Hand-welded pieces alm ost invariably fail at the w e ld ; autogenously welded pieces usually fa il at almost any other point. T his

is proof positive of the com parative efficiencies of the unions made by the various methods.

B ecause o f its strength, hom ogeneity and ease w ith which it can be made, many m ines have adopted the autogenous weld for much o f the work com ing to their shops in place of the more ancient and less certain hand method. B y th e same token m any others may well follow their example.

M o r e M ile s t o n e s

R

For some tim e alert bitum inous coal producers have realized the desirability of m eeting com petition fo r ton­

nage w ith a service w hich embraced a scientific analysis of th e fuel problems o f the prospective custom ers as well as a bid for business upon price. More recently the anthracite shippers have also made the combustion expert an integral part of th eir sellin g organizations and, through the co-operative arrangem ents w ith the retail trade in some o f the larger eastern cities, have made this service available to the public at large.

W ith m any of the larger retail d istrib u tin g com­

panies the com bustion engineer is a recognized, valued m ember of the sales staff. He is applying trained knowledge to the solution o f problems which his non­

technical, but am bitious, predecessors sought to unravel w ith hit-and-m iss, uncorrelated, personal experiences and often praisew orthy ingenuity. B etter still, the com bustion engineers are becom ing the nuclei about which progressive m erchants are building up real serv­

ice departm ents.

The m ost prom ising feature o f th is development is that it is not wholly confined to the larger distributors.

R etailers whose tonnage runs to more moderate totals are encouraging th eir em ployees to study combustion engineering. In com m unities where the association sp irit is healthy the retailers are doing effective work through th eir organizations. K ansas City dealers, for example, employ a combustion engineer w hose services are free to the consum er; in addition, the retailers make a careful check of heating plants during the slack season to see if deliveries have been made properly and during the coal-consum ing m onths to see if the consum ers are burning the rig h t kind of coal and are gettin g efficiency out o f their plants. Some companies have gone so fa r as to make provision for the removal o f ashes from consum ers’ cellars.

The movement, o f course, it still much in its infancy.

Much rem ains to be done both in the extension of the service to groups not now p articip atin g in the work and in the expansion of the service in units th at already have taken the pioneering steps. The day w hen all coal is merchandised upon a service basis may be fa r d is­

tant, but every step in th at direction is a step nearer to stab ility and profitableness in operation and a step farther away from public distrust. Producers who blind them selves to the new era in coal m erchandising and continue to fo ist im perfectly prepared or inferior products upon the m arket are flirting w ith disaster.

J u n e 18, 1925 C O A L A G E 897

Long-Face Loader A verages 90 T ons per Man

Loading Unit Stands on Entry While Huge Scraper, Ingeniously Guided, Gets Coal at High Speed-—Mining System That Is Safe and Economical Is Developed

B y J. H . E d w ard s

A s s o c i a t e E d i t o r o f C o a l A g e H u n t i n g t o n , W . V a .

C

^ t h e n ew A ce loader, a 5-m an sc ra p er -ty p e m ach ine th a t h a s a v era g ed 450 ton s o f coal from a lo n g fa c e to a lo a d in g p la tfo rm in an 8-hr. s h if t. T w o m a ch in e s o f t h is ty p e I re ce n tly sa w w o rk in g in M ine A o f th e P ik e C ounty Coal C orporation, P e te r sb u r g , Ind.— th e com ­ p any w h ich developed th e m ach in e. T he v is it w a s u n ­ an nou nced . T h is m ade th e p erform an ce th e m ore im ­ p ressiv e. It w a s n ot a d em on stration c a r e fu lly sta g ed , b u t a re g u la r d ay’s w ork by eq u ip m en t th a t is k eep in g in o p eration a m in e th a t ru n s in th e fa c e o f co n d itio n s w h ich h ave sh u t dow n p ra ctica lly ev ery oth er m in e in Indiana!

A g en er a l id ea o f th e A ce m ach in e is b e st g a in ed by r e fe r e n c e to F ig . 1. T h e loa d in g m a ch in e proper, ( A ) , is k ept on th e e n try an d th e coal b ro u g h t to th e m ach in e b y a coal g a th e r in g b ucket, ( B ) , w h ich is propelled a lo n g th e fa ce by a h o is tin g en g in e, ( C ) .

In m an y fe a tu r e s th e A ce load er d iffers fro m th e sev era l load ers w h ich u se a h o is tin g e n g in e to d rag a scoop, or scrap er. T h e first and m ost im p o rta n t d iffe r ­ ence is it s h ig h e r ca p a city . T h is is m ade p o ssib le by th e u se o f a la r g e b ucket in co m b in ation w ith a b u ck et- d um pin g p la tfo rm w h ich h a s a sto r a g e ca p a city and can, th e r e fo r e , co n tin u e to fill m in e cars a f te r th e b u cket h a s go n e back fo r a n o th er load.

A n o th e r d is tin g u is h in g fe a tu r e is th e r u g g e d n e ss o f th e b u cket and it s a b ility to tea r in to and d islo d g e th e s ta n d in g coal. T h e d e sig n o f th e b ucket is su ch a s to w ith sta n d a fa ll o f sla te or rock w h ich p ra ctic a lly w ould d estro y an y m a ch in e h a v in g a p ow er-d riven m ech an ism w ith in its e lf.

It is sig n ific a n t th a t th e load er w a s developed and p a ten ted b y a coal op erator, N . H . M cC levey, g en eral m a n a g e r o f th e P ik e C ounty Coal C orporation. A good deal o f m on ey w a s sp en t in th e com p an y’s ex p erim en ta l m in e w h e re m an y ty p e s o f lo a d in g m a ch in e s an d m in in g s y ste m s w er e g iv e n a th orou gh tr ia l b e fo r e th e A ce load er w a s con ceived and p erfected .

A n id ea o f t h e e x te n t and v a r ie ty o f th e w ork done in th e e x p er im en ta l m in e can be g a in ed fro m F ig . 2 w h ich is a rep rod u ction o f a se ctio n o f th e e n g in e e r ’s m ap. T h is ex p er im en ta l m in e is in a corn er o f th e la rg e a cr ea g e tap p ed by M ine A , in w h ich th e p erfected A ce load ers are n ow in re g u la r use.

T h e th ic k n e s s o f th e N o. 5 In d ian a seam in th is m in e

T h e h e a d p i e c e s h o w s t h e f i v e - t r a c k t i p p l e o f M in e A o f t h e P i k e C o u n t y C o a l C o r p o r a t i o n a t P e t e r s b u r g , I n d . T h e A c e l o a d e r s w e r e r e c e n t l v m o v e d h e r e f r o m t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l m in e . T h i s m i n e is l o a d i n g 2 ,\'0 0 t o n s p e r d a y .

v a r ie s fro m 7 f t . to 9 f t . and th e r e is no p a r tin g o f sla te or rock to be h andled. O v erly in g th e coal is a s tr a ta sev era l f e e t th ic k o f g r e y sla te, above w h ich is a lim e sto n e. B e lo w th e coal is a h ard fire clay c o n ta in ­ in g som e p y r ite co n cretio n s. T h e a v er a g e cover is 120 ft., th e s h a ft h a v in g a depth o f on ly 105 f t.

T h e ex p er im en ta l m in e w a s opened se v er a l y e a r s ago.

E n tr y -d r iv in g m a ch in e s w ere th e first to b e trie d . T h ese w er e fo llow ed b y oth er lo a d in g m a ch in es o f both th e sm all, lig h t-w e ig h t ty p e, and o f th e la rg e, h ea v y typ e. E n tr ie s o f d ifferen t w id th s, and room s o f v a rio u s w id th s an d le n g th s w er e driven, a ffo r d in g o p p o r tu n itie s to g iv e each m a ch in e a th o r o u g h tria l, and to d eterm in e th e a ction o f th e roof.

M r. M cC levey sta te d th a t, as a r e su lt o f th e ea rly e x p er im en ta tio n w ith th e a v a ila b le ty p e s o f lo a d in g m ach in es, th e fo llo w in g fu n d a m en ta l con clu sion w ere reach ed : F ir s t, th a t th e problem o f h a n d lin g th e ro o f on a lon g fa c e w a s g r e a tly lessen ed b y sp eed in m in in g th o se fa ce s. Second, a n y com b ined g a th e r in g and load ­ in g m ach in e, o f d esira b ly h ig h ca p a city , m u st n e c e s­

sa r ily b e too la r g e an d h ea v y to m ove to th e coal. T h er e­

fo re , to in su r e e ig h t h o u rs o f co n tin u o u s o p eration th e load in g u n it m u st be o f th e sem i-p o rta b le ty p e an d th e coal m u st be b ro u g h t to th e u n it w h e re lo a d in g can be done over th e sid e s o f th e ea r s w ith o u t u n cou p lin g th em .

K eep in g th e se co n clu sio n s in m ind, also k e e p in g in m in d th e n e c e s s ity fo r s im p lic ity an d r u g g e d n e ss in m in e eq u ip m en t, th e A ce load er w a s b u ilt and g iv en an 18-m on th s tr ia l in th e e x p er im en ta l m in e. T h e coal- g a th e r in g b u ck et o f th e lo a d in g eq u ip m en t is th e only p a rt exp osed to th e d a n g e rs a t th e fa ce. T h is bucket is 10 ft. lon g, 5 f t . w id e and 32 in. h ig h , and w e ig h s,

T h e l o a d e r p r o p e r , o r s o - c a l l e d b u c k e t - d u m p i n g p l a t f o r m ( A ) , s t a y s o n t h e e n t r y . T h e g a t h e r i n g b u c k e t ( B ) i s p u l l e d b y t h e h o i s t ( C ) . P o s i t i o n s o f t h e fiv e m e n c o m p o s i n g t h e o p e r a t i n g c r e w a r e i n d i c a t e d b y t h e f i g u r e s C l ) . ( 2 ) , ( 3 ) . ( 4 ) a n d ( 5 ) .

898 C O A L A G E VOL. 2 7, N o . 25

F I G . 4

Loading U nit

O n e o f t h e t w o m a c h i n e s w h i c h w a s s e e n in o p e r a t i o n in t h e 2 ,5 0 0 - to n m i n e o f t h e P i k e C o u n t y C o a l C o r p o ­ r a t i o n . D u r i n g t h e t e n d a y s p r e v i o u s t o t h e t a k i n g o f t h i s p h o t o g r a p h t h i s m a c h i n e l o a d e d a n a v e r a g e o f 4 5 2 t o n s p e r d a y . T h e m i n e c a r l o a d i n g b o o m is

feature elim inates the n ecessity o f frequently changing the position of the tail rope sheave, and affords a means o f governing the path o f the bucket.

The double-drum, friction-clutch, 125-hp„ electric hoist w hich drags the bucket is o f a special design in that the custom ary bed plate is elim inated and tw o side fram es used instead, these fram es being tied together by steel cross members and bolts. T his design fa cilita tes the handling and erecting of the hoist in the mine. The gear ratio from the m otor to the drums is such as to move the bucket toward the loading m achine at a speed o f 350 ft. per m inute and aw ay from the m achine at a speed of 500 ft. per m inute. The size o f the main rope is 1 in. and the tail rope f-in .

The loading m achine proper, which Mr. McClevey chooses to call the “coal-gathering-bucket dumping plat- fo im , is illustrated in F ig . 4. An apron conveyor, operating along the bottom o f the platform and up over an adjustable loading boom, carries the coal into the m ine car. The bucket-receiving end o f the platform is a short, sloping chute w ith flared sides for gu id in g the bucket into the platform . The coal is le ft on the con­

veyor as the bucket is pulled out o f the machine.

The machine headfram e, on which is mounted two

F ig. 2— The Ace Loader Was Developed Here

T h i s e x p e r i m e n t a l m i n e w a s s h u t d o w n A p r i l 18 1 9 2 5 M a n v t y p e s o f l o a d e r s w e r e t r i e d b e f o r e t h e A c e w a s p e r f e c t e d T h e n u m b e r s o n t h e d r a w i n g i n d i c a t e a f e w o f t h e p o s i t i o n s o f t h e a t “ o f i s 4 5 0 r ft.* l o n g 0 m in in g : t h e r e s p e c t i v e f a c e s . T h e f a c e

5,400 lb. It is m erely a box having no cover, no bottom, and no fron t end. The sides and back end are made of solid plates of 3-in. steel, and on the bottom of the side plates are steel runners to prevent the bucket from dig­

g in g into the m ine bottom. Two special featu res o f the bucket are the adjustable m ain- and tail-rope attach­

ments, and the chrome, nickel-steel, d ig g in g teeth which are fastened to the fron t ends o f the bucket sids-plates.

These features are shown in the sketch, F ig . 3.

The exact line o 1 travel of the bucket is governed by the position o f the rope-clevis hitching. B y attaching the main rope to the hole near one side, the bucket can be made to run 35 ft. out o f line on a 350-ft. face. T his

F ig. 3— A Gathering Bucket “Built Like a B attleship”

T h e s i d e s o f t h e b u c k e t a r e o f s o lid 3 -in . s t e e l p l a t e s . T h e b u c k e t is 1 0 f t . lo n g , 5 f t . w id e a n d 32 in . h ig h , a n d w e i g h s 5,4 0 0 lb. T w o i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e s o f t h e d e s i g n a r e t h e c h r o m e , n i c k e l - t h e h n c 'l F I t 'i f ia V t h e a d j u s t a b l e r o p e a t t a c h m e n t s b y w h ic h t h e b u c k e t is g u i d e d in i t s t r a v e l .

pairs of 32-in. sheaves, is designed to w ithstand the g reatest strain s which can be imposed by the 125-hp.

hoist. Only the pair o f sheaves on the side at which coal is being loaded are used at one tim e. A 15-hp.

m otor drives the apron conveyor which is the only m oving part o f the loading platform . A clutch is inter-

Ju n e 18, 19 2 5 C O A L A G E 89 9

F I G . 7

Tearing Down The Coal

T h e r e is n o h e s i ­ t a t i o n w h e n t h e b u c k e t t e a r s in t o t h e s t a n d i n g : c o a l . T h e p a t h o f t h e b u c k e t is g o v e r n e d b y t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e r o p e c le v is . In t h i s c a s e , i t is s e t w e ll t o w a r d o n e s i d e c a u s i n g t h e b u c k e t to b e d i ­ v e r t e d t o w a r d m e o p p o s i t e s i d e . A f e w s e c o n d s a f t e r t h e p h o t o g r a p h w a s m a d e t h e b u c k e t w a s p r a c t i c a l l y c o v ­ e r e d b y f a l l i n g c o a l , p u l l i n g i t s e l f o u t e a s i l y .

F ig. 5— Bucket D elivering Its Load to the Platform

I n t h i s c a s e t h e b u c k e t c a n n o t b e p u l l e d a n y f u r t h e r o n t o t h e p l a t f o r m u n t i l s o m e o f t h e c o a l a l r e a d y o n i t is l o a d e d i n t o t h e c a r s . T h i s , h o w e v e r , n e e d n o t d e l a y t h e b u c k e t . I t w i l l b e p u l l e d b a c k l e a v i n g a p a r t o f i t s l o a d o n t h e c h u t e l e a d i n g to t h e p l a t ­ f o r m . T h i s c o a l w ill b e p u s h e d o n t o t h e c o n v e y o r b y t h e T iex t b u c k e t lo a d .

posed b etw een th e m otor an d con veyor. B y m ea n s o f t h is clutch th e con veyor is stopp ed a fte r each m in e car is filled, and a g a in sta rted a fte r th e tr ip h a s been m oved fo rw a rd one car len g th .

A ctio n o f th e c o a l-g a th e rin g b uckets alo n g th e fa c e is in d ica ted by F ig s . 6 and 7. T h e first p ictu r e sh o w s how th e coal h eap s up in th is scoop and h ow a certain am ou n t is d ragged in fro n t. T h e p h otograp h , F ig . 7, w a s taken to illu str a te h ow th e b ucket te a r s in to a sta n d ­ in g sh ot. A fe w secon d s b efo re th is p h otograp h w a s m ade, sev era l to n s o f coal fe ll in to th e b ucket, an d a f e w secon d s la ter it w a s p ra ctic a lly covered by fa llin g coal sh ow n in th e p ictu r e as sta n d in g a t it s fr o n t corner on th e fa r sid e. T h is coal w a s b rou gh t down b y th e d ig g in g a ction o f th e tooth in th e rib. T h e clev is a tta c h in g th e m ain rope to th e b ucket is, in t h is case, se t in a hole n ea r one end o f th e bar. T h is p o sitio n c a u se s th e b u ck et to s w in g over and cu t in to th e rib.

C h a n g in g th e c le v is to a n o th er p o sitio n is done by one o f th e tw o m en w h o are sta tio n e d alon g th e fa ce. T h ese m en (p o sitio n s 4 and 5 in F ig . 1 ) o rd in a rily sta y w ith in th e p ro tectio n o f th e p o sts a t a p o in t ab ou t o p p o site th e place w h e re th e b u cket is p ick in g up its loads. One o f th e se m en s ig n a ls th e h o ist o p erator by m ean s o f a

F ig . 6— Moving N early Ten Tons of Coal

T h e l e v e l - f u l l c a p a c i t y o f t h e b u c k e t i s a b o u t 3 t o n s , h o w e v e r , i t s a v e r a g e w o r k i n g c a p a c i t y is m u c h g r e a t e r b e c a u s e c o n s i d e r a b l e c o a l is c a r r i e d o n t o p a n d in f r o n t . N a r r o w s k i d s o r r u n n e r s e x t e n d i n g t h e l e n g t h o f e a c h s i d e p l a t e p r e v e n t t h e b u c k e t f r o m d i g g i n g i n t o t h e b o t t o m . T h e l o a d e d b u c k e t t r a v e l s 3 5 0 f t . p e r m i n u t e . R e t u r n i n g e m p t y i t s s p e e d i s 5 0 0 f t . p e r m i n u t e .

portable, p u sh -b u ttom sta tio n , and th e oth er m an ch a n g es th e p o sitio n o f th e c le v is d u r in g th e fe w secon d s th a t th e b ucket is stopped fo r th a t p u rp ose by th e sig n a l m an.

T h e A ce load er is op erated b y a crew o f five m en, in clu d in g th e tw o m en tion ed . In a d d itio n to th e tw o, a m an sta tio n e d a t (1 ) o p era tes th e m ain h o ist, an oth er sta tio n e d a t (2 ) o p era tes th e trip -m o v in g h o ist and the co n veyor clutch o f th e d u m p in g p la tfo rm , and an oth er at (3 ) sp o ts and tr im s th e cars.

T he ca p a city o f th e load er d ep en ds upon th e am oun t o f coal th a t can be sh o t down a t once on th e lon g-w all or slab fa ce . T h e problem is to se lec t a le n g th o f fa ce th a t can b e clean ed up e a s ily in an 8-hr. s h if t or in tw o s h if ts . I sa w a n um ber o f cars loaded to an a v er a g e o f 2.25 to n s in 35 sec. each, co u n tin g th e tim e requ ired to sp ot th e car. A t th is rate th e m ach in e could load 1,800 to n s in 8 hr. B u t th e S im p lex L oad in g M ach in e Co.

w h ich m a n u fa c tu re s th e A ce r a te s th e eq u ip m en t a t only 1,200 to n s in 8 hr. T h is ra te could no doubt be reached in h ig h coal w ith fa c e s o f th e p roper len gth .

In le ss th an a m on th fro m th e tim e th e ex p erim en ta l m in e w a s closed tw o o f th e fo u r m a ch in es had been put to w ork in M ine A and th e r e st w ere on th e ir w ay. One

B arrier

<* J* -— Worked-cut slab

' “A”

i U ft in tv protect . .advancing

| \ \ v r k y ^ Worked-out slab

Worked-out slab

Blocks Jeff to 'to fcct entry, to be '^w p rk td during Worked-out slab

Tati post entry ■ Pane! entry

Pant./ No. 3 mg h t

Pillar left after panel

C O A L A G E

IUL_

F i g . 8— S y s t e m t o B e F o ll o w e d in t h e P r o d u c in g M in e T h i s a d v a n c i n g - p a n e l , p r o t e c t e d - r e t r e a t s y s t e m w a s d e c i d e d u p o n a s a r e s u l t o f t h e d i f f e r e n t m e t h o d s t r i e d in t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l m in e . T h e m a n a g e m e n t is c o n f i d e n t t h a t i t w i l l w o r k o u t a s o u t ­ lin e d . T h e t r i a n g u l a r p i l l a r s t o b e l e f t o n e a c h s i d e w ill a f f o r d a m p l e p r o t e c t i o n to t h e p a n e l e n t r y d u r i n g t h e a d v a n c e .

o f th e tw o had, in ten d ays, a v era g ed 450 to n s per day and on one day loaded 640 to n s. In tw o co n secu tiv e d ays d u r in g t h is period, 506 and 552 to n s w ere loaded.

T h is w a s done on a 3 2 5 -ft. fa c e w h ich w a s clean ed up e a s ily in one s h ift. T h e coal is u nd ercu t w ith sh ortw all m ach in es h a v in g 7 J -ft. c u tte r bars. T h e sh o t h oles are d rilled 12 f t . a p a rt and th e w hole fa c e sh o t a t once by e le c tr ic ity fro m th e d irect cu rr en t tro lley lin e. V ery lig h t ch a rg e s are used, th e am ou n t o f exp lo siv e b ein g j u s t en ou gh to snub th e coal, le a v in g m ost o f it sta n d in g .

T h e w o rk in g fa c e is p rotected by a lin e o f wood props

k ep t w ith in ab ou t 15 f t. o f th e fa ce . O rd in a rily no a tte m p t is m ade to recover th e tim b er s. H ow ever, in one place, ab ou t 150 p o sts w er e recovered in an attem p t to produce a break in th e roof.

T h e m in e o f th e P ik e C ounty Coal C orp oration is b ein g developed fo r th e ad van cin g-p an el, p rotected - r e trea t sy ste m o f m in in g , sh ow n in F ig . 8. T h e panel e n tr y is p rotected on th e ad vance by th e tr ia n g u la r p illa r s le f t on each sid e. On th e re trea t, a p art o f each tr ia n g u la r p illar w ill be draw n. T h e sy ste m should r e su lt in a recovery o f ab out 85 per cen t o f th e coal.

T he lo n g e st fa c e w ith th is sy stem w ill be ab ou t 450 f t., w h ich , w h en u n d ercu t w ith a m a ch in e h a v in g a Y i-ft.

cu tte r bar, w ill y ield m ore th a n 800 ton s p er cut.

T h e op erator o f th e b u ck et-m ovin g h o ist is paid $12 fo r an 8-hr. day, and th e o th e r fo u r m en receiv e $7.50 per day. T h is is in c o n fo r m ity w ith an a g re em en t m ade w ith th e local union.

A fe a tu r e o f th e A ce load er is th e p rotection afforded to th e m en an d th e eq u ipm en t. A ll o f th e cr ew excep t th e c lev is ch a n g er are in p o sitio n s w h ich can be am ply p rotected by tim b er, and it is on ly d u r in g a com p ara­

tiv e ly sm all p erc en ta g e o f th e tim e th a t even h e is com pelled to w ork u n d er unsu pp orted roof. It is s ig n i­

ficant th a t d u r in g th e e ig h te e n m o n th s th a t th e load ers h ave been used n ot a sin g le m a jo r a ccid en t h a s occurred.

Up to d ate, th e b ucket h as been c a u g h t fifte en time.s under h eavy fa lls o f sla te and in each ca se h a s been pulled ou t from u nder th em by th e h o ist. U su a lly th e h eavy fa lls are m oved in to th e gob by th e bucket, al­

th ou gh , in som e in sta n c es, th e ta il rope is d iscon n ected from th e bucket and tie d around a la r g e ch unk and a tem p orary ta il sh ea v e is se t so as to d ra g th e chunk in to th e gob. P ie c e s w e ig h in g as m uch as tw en ty -fiv e tons have b een m oved in t h is w ay.

R u g g ed n ess, sim p lic ity , h ig h ca p a city , and th e a b ility to load la r g e lum ps are c h a r a c te r istic s o f th e A ce loader.

S e e in g th e b ucket te a r in g in to sta n d in g coal and la ter c a r r y in g its load o f th r ee to five to n s a t a r a te o f 350 f t. p er m in u te ca u se s one to m arvel a t th e te n a c ity w ith w h ich a scoop in th e h an d s o f “p u n y m an ” has clu n g to th e jo b o f loa d in g a prod uct so h ea v y and bulky as coal.

Aids in Guarding ^ “ainst Fire at Mine Buildings

I t i s n e c e s s a r y , e s p e c i a l l y a t o l d m i n e p l a n t s w h e r e m a n y o f t h e b u i l d i n g s a r e o f d r i e d - o u t w o o d , to m a k e p r o v i s i o n f o r f i g h t i n g fir e . A t t h e N o . 4 m i n e o f t h e C o n s o l i d a t i o n C o a l C o ., E c k h a r t , M d .t

s u n d r y f ir e f i g h t i n g a p p u r t e n a n c e s a r e k e p t r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e . T h e s e a r e i n a h o s e h o u s e , a s s h o w n i n o n e o f t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n s . T h e t y p e o f c o n s t r u c t i o n u s e d i n b u i l d i n g t h e h o s e

h o u s e is p i c t u r e d i n t h e o t h e r v ie w .

Ju n e 1 8, 19 2 5 C O A L A G E 901

Saving Money

M a n y m e c h a n i c a l p r o c e s s e s In c o a l m i n i n g a t t a i n t h e i r g r e a t e s t u t i l i t y o n ly w h e r e c o n d i t i o n s a r e d if f ic u lt. H a n d d r i l l i n g i s m o s t l a b o - r i o u s in lo w c o a l a n d c lo s e q u a r t e r s , b u t t h e s e v e r y c o n ­ d i t i o n s a c t t o t h e a d v a n t a g e o f t h e p o w e r d r i l l . D r i l l s in c o a l m u c h l o w e r t h a n t h i s h a v e e f ­ f e c t e d l a r g e s a v ­ i n g s t o t h e m i n e o w n e r . T h i s l i a s r u n u p t o 5 0 c. a to n w h e n c o m b i n e d w i t h u n d e r c u t t i n g a n d p r o p e r s u p e r ­ v is io n .

M achine D rills and S k illed Sh ootin g Cut Costs

L ess Slack Is Made, Roof Is Safer, Timbering Costs Are Lowered, Miners Are Spared a Grueling Task and Quantity of Powder Used Is Reduced Considerably

B y F. E. T a y lo r

S t. L o u i s , Mo.

O

in g coal is accorded scant consideration. I f this problem were attacked and solved in the proper m anner a much larger proportion o f lump coal unques­

tionably could be obtained for the m arket. The first step in th is direction would be for .the coal operators to take charge of all drilling and shooting operations.

When th is is done these operations can be placed in the hands o f trained specialists. Today only men ex­

perienced in th eir use are allowed to operate cutting and loading m achines, and it is logical to employ only men who have been properly schooled in th eir duties for the equally im portant operation of shooting down the coal.

Of course shooting has long been regarded as the m iner’s job, and under present arrangem ents the m iner not only drills the shotholes but loads and fires them as well, fu rn ish in g the explosive w ith which they are charged. For various reasons, however, th is work should be under the direct supervision of the mine operator. I f th is plan w ere adopted he would have only trained men in charge of th ese various m ining processes, the quantity of explosive used in any particular hole would be under accurate control, all holes would be placed to the best advantage and drilled to the proper depth.

I t is certain th at all th is would result in the^ pro­

duction of a larger percentage of lump coal w ith a corresponding decrease in the proportion of screenings.

The number o f accidents resulting from m issed holes

and blown-out shots would also be reduced, as the men handling explosives would soon become experts. W ith power drills the shotholes can be placed closer to th e roof than w ith hand augers. This results in better shooting and few er roof fractures. These latter in many m ines are the cause of much danger and expense.

B etter roof also m eans less tim ber and deadwork.

It m ight appear th at tran sferrin g the burden o f shooting from the m iner to the operator would greatly increase the cost o f production. The added expense, if any, is, however, so small as to add little to the cost. Furtherm ore, th is practice increases the sellin g realization, because a bigger proportion o f large-sized coal is produced at approxim ately the same total ex­

pense.

A study o f the reports of the departm ents of m ines of the various coal-producing states, during the past three years w ill reveal the fa c t that both the percentage of slack and the consum ption of explosives per ton pro­

duced have increased. T hese reports show th at the cost of explosives per ton o f coal m ined ranges from 0.027c.

to as high as 7c. I f the operator did the blasting on either a day w age or a tonnage basis the cost fo r explo­

sives, in m ost cases, could be lowered from 30 to 50 per cent. If the m iner could be induced to perm it the present cost o f h is explosives to be deducted fio m his w ages, the operator, as a rule, could do this work w ithout incurring additional expense. Even i f th is alone w ere not enough to cover the expense to the operating company, the m iner ought to be w illin g to

9 02 C O A L A G E VOL. 27, N o . 25

concede a ce rta in m a rg in o f h is to n n a g e ra te in retu rn fo r b ein g reliev ed from th e g r u e lin g w ork o f d rillin g and th e tim e lo st in ch a r g in g and sh o o tin g , th u s b ein g enabled to d evote m ore tim e to load in g.

One o f th e m an y m in e s em p lo y in g th is m ethod o f b rin g in g down th e coal o b ta in s th e re su lts s e t forth in th e fo llo w in g su m m ary. T h is p a rticu la r op eration is located in M isso u ri, in a u nion field and p ays th e fu ll union scale fo r all cla sse s o f work.

Sum m ary of C onditions and R esu lts W idth of room ...

Average thickness of co a l. . . . *.. *. . . * ’ ‘ * D epth of undercut.

... f t.

... in.

N u m b e r o f h o le s d r i l l e d in e a c h r o o m ... ^ D e p t h o f h o l e s ... ...r ’ t t D i a m e t e r o f h o le s ... . . . ...21 in L o a d i n g o f r i b h o l e s ... 2 0 in o r 2 J Ih L o a d in g o f c e n te r h o le s ... . 10 in.' o r i f lb!

T o t a l p o w d e r p e r r o o m ... 50 in n r fit ih

C ^ ? o ° / n OW? e r USed ■ S ize F . 'b l a c k , D u P o n t

C o s t o f p o w d e r , p e r p o u n d ... 8 2 8c Av. N o. p la c e s d rille d , lo a d e d a n d fired b y o n e m a n ... 7 Av. N o. h o le s d rille d , lo a d e d a n d f i r e d ... ’ " » ! A c tu a l tim e c o n s u m e d in d r i l l i n g ... .. 5 h r L a b o r c o s t p e r d a y , drilling:, lo a d in g , s h o o tin g . . . . 5750 I o n s o f co al p ro d u c e d p e r h o l e ... (i’cc C o st o f d r illin g p e r h o l e ... 22 32c C o s t o f d r illin g p e r to n o f c o a l p r o d u c e d ... 9 31o C o st o f p o w d e r p e r r o o m ...

C o s t o f p o w d e r p e r t o n ...1 785c C o s t o f lo a d in g h o le s a n d s h o o tin g p e r d a y ...

(3 h r. {§) 5 t .50 p e r d a y ) ... ~... $2 SI 25 C o st o f lo a d in g h o le s a n d s h o o tin g p e r h o l e ... 13.39c C o st o f lo a d in g h o le s a n d s h o o tin g p e r t o n ... 1 3S6c l o t a l c o st, d r illin g , p o w d e r, lo a d in g a n d s h o o t i n g ...

p e r to n o f c o a l p ro d u c e d ... 5 4 Sc I n t h e a b o v e t a b u l a t i o n t h e c o s t o f c u r r e n t n e c e s s a r y t o o p e i a t e t h e d r i l l , a l s o t h e d r i l l u p k e e p , h a s n o t b e e n t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t . I n a s m u c h a s t h e m a c h i n e e m p l o y e d u s e s a f r a c t i o n a l - h o r s e p o w e r m o t o r a n d , p r o b a b l y , d o e s n o t o p e r a t e c o n t i n u o u s l y f o r m o r e t h a n a b o u t 4 h r . p e r s h i f t , t h e c u r r e n t c o n s u m p t i o n p r o b a b l y d o e s n o t e x c e e d 3 c . p e r d a y . W h e n f i g u r e d d o w n t o t h e c o s t p e r t o n t h i s r e p r e s e n t s a f r a c t i o n s o s m a l l a s t o b e n e g l i g i b l e . R e p a i r s t o t h i s m a c h i n e a l s o a r e e x t r e m e l y s m a l l .

A t t h i s m i n e l o a d i n g o f c o a l i n t o c a r s i s p e r f o r m e d a t t h e u n i o n r a t e o f 8 7 c . p e r t o n . U n d e r t h e o l d a r - l a n g e m e n t t h e m i n e r s s h o t o f f t h e s o l i d f u r n i s h i n g t h e i r

own tools and p ow der and w ere paid $1.25 per ton.

A g a in s t th is d ifferen ce o f 38c. per ton m u st be placed th e co st o f u n d er cu ttin g and th a t o f b r in g in g down th e coal as alread y tab u lated . A p p reciab le sa v in g s in tim b e r in g are m ade, how ever, by th e m eth od now used, as th e p resen t sh o o tin g does n ot ja r th e ro o f su fficien tly to ca u se it to break. It, th e re fo r e, is e stim a ted th at, all th in g s co n sid ered , u n d er cu ttin g and p la cin g th e sh o o tin g u nder th e su p e rv isio n o f th e com p any is r e ­ sp on sib le fo r a to ta l actu al sa v in g o f a t lea st 50c.

per ton.

As h Co n t e n t De c r e a s e d

N o r is th is all. U n d er th e old m ethod th e prop ortion o f sc r e e n in g s— th e g ra d e th a t alm o st a lw a y s se lls fo r less th an th e cost o f p rod u ction and m u st, con seq u en tly, be “ca r ried ” by th e la r g er siz e s — am ou n ted to 28 per cent. U n d er p resen t m eth od s th e sc r e e n in g s ru n from 12 to 14 per ce n t o f th e m in e ou tp u t or a little le ss than on e-h a lf th e ir fo rm er p rop ortion . F u rth erm ore, th e ash co n ten t o f th e m in e p rod uct h as been deci’eased and th e h ea t co n ten t corresp o n d in g ly in creased . T h is ren d ers th e e n tir e p rod uct m ore m ark etable. T he re a li­

zation fo r th e m in e ou tp u t th u s is ra ised appreciably.

T h is m in e is n ow o p era tin g under th e Jack so n v ille agreem en t, a local co n tra ct w ith th e u nion c o v e rin g th e d etail o f d rillin g , lo a d in g and sh o o tin g . T he m in ers ap pear as w ell sa tisfied a s th e com pany w ith th e p resen t arra n g em en t. In co n v er sa tio n m an y o f th em sa y th a t th e y w ould not th in k o f g o in g back to th e old hand m eth od s. U n d er th e p r e se n t a rr a n g e m en t th e y can m ake m ore m on ey th a n fo rm er ly and are n ow able to keep th e ir turn and produce clean er coal w ith le ss real w ork.

“W h a tev er m an h a s done m an m ay d o.” I f su ch r e ­ su lts as th o se h ere se t fo r th can be ob tain ed by one com p any it w ould appear h ig h tim e th a t th e oth er coal p rod ucers d evoted som e tim e and th o u g h t to th e ad op ­ tio n o f m ach in e d rillin g .

T est Fires Show E ffectiveness o f Rock Dust Against Flam e in Coal Mines

T

On th e oth er sid e is a p hotograp h o f th e low colum n o f d u sty, flam eless sm oke th a t ro se fro m th e drum in to w h ich a cu bic fo o t o f d u st from a m in e road w ay w as blow n by a cem en t p rojector. T he m otor road from w h ich th is sam p le had b een tak en had been d u sted acco rd in g to th e com p an y’s sta n d a rd m ethod . O f th is d ust, th a t p a rt co a rser th a n 40-m esh con ta in ed 92.5 per cen t ash , th a t b etw een 40- and 100-m esh, 97.5 p er cen t ash and th a t finer th an 100-m esh, 66.4 p er ce n t ash.

S am p les are tak en fro m e v e r y p a r t o f th e co m p a n y ’s sev era l m in e s a t 60-d ay in te rv a ls and te ste d in th is w a y , e ith e r in a w a ste fire or th r o u g h an elec tr ic arc.

Coal D u st B urns F iercely

Rock D u st P rev en ts F ire