Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 27, No. 24

Ja m e s^H.

^IcGmw^PrZident Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business

E . J . Me h r e n, V ice-P residen t

Problems of the Coal-Mining Industry

E n gineering E d ito r Volume 27_______________ ____________________ Ne w YORK,

W o r k W e l l o r P l a n W e l l

O

Too m any executives burden them selves w ith small duties that a subordinate could ju st as well perform.

They should alw ays be asking them selves w hat work they can shirk, not w hat work they can do. A ny class o f work thus definitely avoided should be put into the hands o f some subordinate w ith full responsibility for its perform ance and he should be given definite but not crippling instructions as to the course he should steer.

Occasionally the work can be taken up by sample and inquiry made as to the punctiliousness w ith which the instructions have been followed.

Thus relieved, the executive can plan largely. He can v isit other m ines, he can spend hours m astering the details of some new process, he can test some part of the operation to see i f it is being efficiently conducted, he can direct the keeping o f records. B ut he m ust beware o f being the m aster worker and make sure that he is the m aster thinker o f the organization, the stim u­

lating, in sp irin g and directing force of the institution.

W h e n G o v e r n m e n t B u r e a u s F a il

T

sion, according to recent W ashington news dis­

patches, is threatened by a com bination of Congressmen representing varyin g shades of political opinion.

O bservers, w ise in the w ays of P ennsylvania Avenue, point out th at the activities o f the com m ission may be ended by a refusal on the part of Congress to vote fu rth er appropriations for its support. That method has been used before to end the life o f agencies that fell from Congressional grace. It is sim ple, direct and effective.

O rdinarily the business men o f the country would not be interested in the causes of the dem ise o f th is d is­

credited in stitu tion . The boon o f dissolution is so great th at it borders on churlishness to inquire whence and w hy such a precious g if t comes. In the present case, however, the source and m otives for the contemplated action are as im portant as the deed itself. T hese put a cross-section of the political reactions tow ards busi­

n ess enterprise under the slide where all who will may exam ine them .

W hen the Federal Trade Commission w as first pro­

posed, business men generally welcomed th e idea o f the establishm ent o f a bureau th at would counsel w ith, rather than chastise, legitim ate commercial initiative.

The first chairm an, E. N . H urley, one o f th e few men who have been big enough to become part of the gov­

ernm ent m achinery w ithout succum bing to the political control complex, justified th eir hopes. B ut those hopes vanished w ith Mr. H urley’s resignation. Since that tim e the Federal Trade Commission has been a storm center, condemned by sober business men, petted by radicals, reversed more often than sustained by the

J U N E 11, 1925___________________ _______________ Number 24

courts, abusing its access to publicity and the public confidence w ith accusation and innuendo.

Surely here w as a course o f action sufficiently de­

structive to arouse the antagonism o f Congress. Alas, the head and fron t o f the com m ission’s offending is not that it is p ersistin g in that course, but th at it has taken steps to mend its w ays! Under the reorganization recently effected, says Chairman Humphrey, the com­

m ission would not in the fu tu re be used as a sm elling com m ittee or a detective agency for any other depart­

m ent of the governm ent. N eith er is it goin g to be used as a publicity bureau to spread socialistic propa­

ganda, nor to advertise the political or personal fortunes o f any person or party.” For the expression of such sentim ents the com m ission is denounced as a body th at has outlived its usefulness, as a creature of sin ister powers and no longer in a position to protect sm all busi­

ness interests.

W hat is happening to the Federal Trade Commission is likely to happen to any governm ent regulation bureau. The gen esis of m ost attem pts at regulation is destructive. The essence o f control is “thou sh alt n ot.”

Even in those cases in which new agency is pictured as an instrum ent o f helpfulness, its offer to a ssist is usu- ally prefaced by the demand that the industry to be aided m ust first conform to such rules o f conduct and m anagem ent as the agency m ay see fit to prescribe.

Where, as apparently is now the case w ith the Federal Trade Commission, the governm ent bureau m akes a genuine effort to aid instead o f ham pering, its quondam political friends become its foes.

The business world may take a cynical satisfaction in the present controversy over the fu tu re of th e Federal Trade Commission. The decease of th at body as it existed prior to the last reorganization would have been a b le ssin g ; its dem ise today probably would be no great loss.

R e a l C o sts o f L o a d in g

B

creased; the number o f locom otives needed fo r gath er­

in g and the m ain-line haulage is reduced, savin g supplies, m aintenance, labor, depreciation and in terest charges. Also less rails and w ire are needed. In figur­

ing the overhead due to the investm ent in the m achine, its depreciation, supply and m aintenance costs, th ese savin gs in other equipm ent should be deducted even though the operator cannot save all th ese costs but has to meet m ost o f them by reason of the fa ct that he has the equipment and cannot sell it to advantage.

V entilation, drainage, supervision and tipple costs m ay be lowered, but it may be difficult to evaluate precisely the exact amount thus saved.

The operator needs to know ju st w here he would be 863

864

C O A L A G E

27, No. 24

if he had to equip a new m ine instead of an old one, and to rem ember th at in tim e, w ith the extension of the mine, he will need the equipment that is now laid by. Tem porarily he may have to bear the triple burden o f the equipment discarded for the tim e being, o f the equipment still in use and o f new m aterial that the introduction o f new methods entails, but later he will not be so encumbered, and the real value of the machine should be estim ated w ith th is ultim ate saving in mind.

Too often the in terest on the whole cost o f the new equipment, the depreciation on it and its cost o f opera­

tion and repair are figured again st th e m achine. Why not lower these overheads by estim ating the savings on elim inated machinery, development and housing thus gettin g the true cost o f operating in a m ine designed for this particular system ?

Those superintendents seeking to obtain further m echanization can prove th eir case forcibly by such a method o f calculation. It is the correct w ay to e sti­

mate costs, though it w ill give a false im pression o f the im m ediate value o f the installation.

Speaking at the Am erican M ining Congress E xposi­

tion, G. B. Southward, chief engineer of the V irginia Coal & Coke Co., said that the number of main-line haulage locom otives could be reduced 20 per cent, gath ­ ering locomotives 50 per cent, and m ine cars 25 per cent and that the length o f m ain track could be cut 50 per cent, ligh t steel haulways 66 per cent, and the area under development 75 per cent. W ith such large reduc­

tions in cost ignored, the true conditions under which the m ine is operated cannot be correctly estim ated if the reductions are not made part of the calculation.

The introduction of conveyors and m achines for load­

ing means the elim ination o f much of the equipment that cruder methods make necessary. It m ay be con­

servative to dism iss this fa ct from the mind, but the conservative method o f estim ation is not alw ays the most constructive. W hat is desired is not a one-sided calculation but the true facts of the case.

T h e W a s h in g t o n F o r m u la

T

agogues.

That, in effect, w as the argum ent advanced in favor of acquiescence to the Freylinghausen program ; it be­

in g re-echoed by supporters of the Oddie bill; it is in the background of every discussion of governm ent regu­

lation, every suggestion to extend bureaucratic control over the industry. “It is our plan— or som ething very much worse— that threatens you,” is the w arning. If the coal trade, w eary of Greek g ifts, m ildly protests, the g r ie f o f its political friends is painful to behold.

Such brutal rejection o f friendly services passes the understanding, wounds the sen sib ilities and sours the natural sw eetness of the gentlem en who sit on Capitol

Hill.

S ta n d a r d iz a t io n R e d u c e s W a s te

T

facturer and operator and saves money for the con­

sum er of the final product. When a standardized machine is produced the m anufacturer can give careful consideration to every element o f design, know ing th at the cost of the labor thus expended w ill be spread over a large production.

The larger the number o f units made the more readily will the workman learn w hat m anipulations are neces­

sary for such construction. Few er m istakes are likely to be made. The mechanics need less supervision a t every stage of the work. The routing of the mechanical operations can be more effectually planned. A s a result the cost of the machine is much reduced.

Then again the m anufacturer has few er patterns to make, less parts and patterns to keep in stock, few er blueprints to file, less item s to catalog, and there is less chance of error when parts are ordered. By reduc­

ing the number of types the m anufactui’er can keep safely few er completed m achines in stock, and thus he reduces the investm ent charge and the cost o f storage fa cilities. He also has an opportunity to keep records of the performance of a large number of m achines all precisely sim ilar and to learn in consequence how the models should be improved.

But the operator who buys the machine is also advantaged. He gets a better price because the m anu­

facturer can make the machine at lower cost. He has less parts to store and can cut the outlay for spares to a minimum w ithout risk o f running -short. He can save storage room and reduce the expenses o f keeping a record o f his stock. The savin gs thereby effected may reach surprisingly high figures if a large number o f m achines are in use, for w ith several m ines he will need only a sligh tly larger stock than would serve for only one or two, should they be equipped w ith m achines o f a m ultiplicity of models.

H is men will know the characteristics of the m achine and how to repair and replace parts w hen needed. The managem ent will learn where the mechanism is likely to fail and ju st w hat care should be expended on it to keep it in good order. The mine employees can be sh ifted from machine to machine and from m ine to m ine and prove equally efficient despite the change. When m akes o f machine vary, the man who is sh ifted is some tim e in learning how to use the equipment and h is efficiency is decreased accordingly. He may even have to experi­

ment, w ith costly results.

Standardization reduces w aste and should be applied to every type and capacity of m achine as soon as th e design has reached such a point o f efficiency and dura­

bility that standards can be determined. The desire of some engineers to demand changes w ithout due reason and the practice of dem anding the duplication o f machines of an antiquated type add greatly to cost and som etim es jeopardize safety.

In m any cases it would pay, when the parts fa il, to m odify old types so th at the newer design o f parts could be inserted and the old machines transform ed to the new standards, i f that be possible. In some in­

stances the rem odeling or replacement could be done on a large scale w ith ultim ate gain as, fo r instance, where a mine has a gage of track which has become obsolete, been found uneconomical or has been chosen by some whim , for which nothing but an idiosyncrasy o f a form er owner o f the m ine can be alleged as an excuse.

J u n e 11, 1925 C O A L A G E 865

M ine P lan t G enerates P ow er from P u lverized B one

U ses Unsalable H igh-A sh Refuse w ith Ease— Ob­

tains Better Results than Stokers—No Difficulty Is Suffered from Slagging of Furnace W alls or Bottom

B y F r a n k H . K n e e la n tl

A s s o c i a t e E d i t o r , C o a l A g e , N e w Y o r k C i t y

S

m ine power plant th at burns powdered fu el is th at o f the U nited States Coal & Coke Co., at Gary, W. Va. So fa r as I am aware, also, this is the only installation of its kind in the U nited S tates th at utilizes pulverized bone in the generation o f electric energy.

Some m ine power plants are planned and built com­

plete and entire; they are fu lly equipped and sufficiently large w hen th ey are first put into com m ission to m eet all requirem ents o f the m ines th ey are intended to serve throughout the whole anticipated life o f these operations. Such plants ax-e efficient but few in num­

ber. Others spring from small beginnings and grow piecem eal by a process o f m ore or less haphazard ac­

cretion, unit a fter unit of equipm ent being added to m eet the demands o f a m ounting load. Such plants are seldom efficient but, unfortunately, they are fa irly com­

mon in the coal fields.

B etw een these two extrem es lie a vast number o f installations that are the result o f engineering skill o f a high order, and represent an evolution th at is the product o f increasing power requirem ents on the one

T h e h e a d p i e c e s h o w s t h e G a r y p l a n t . N o t e t h e t o t a l a b s e n c e o f a n y t h i n g t h a t m i g h t l o g i c a l l y b e c a l l e d s m o k e . M o d e m m e t h - o d s o f c o m b u s t i o n , w h e t h e r b y w a y o f t h e s t o k e r o r b y m e a n s o f p o w d e r e d f u e l , a r e d o i n g m u c h t o l e s s e n t h e s m o k e n u i s a n c e , p a r ­ t i c u l a r l y i n t h e l a r g e r c i t i e s . B e s t o f a l l , h o w e v e r , t h e a b s e n c e o f s m o k e i s a f a i r l y r e l i a b l e i n d i c a t i o n o f c o m p l e t e c o m b u s t i o n w i t h i n t h e b o i l e r f u r n a c e .

hand and im proving equipment on the other. The plant at Gary belongs to th is latter classification. It has undergone several changes and im provem ents and has been enlarged from tim e to tim e, y e t each succeeding change has been carefully considered and each piece of equipment installed has been chosen from the best avail­

able at the tim e the change w as made. A s a result, at every stage o f its m etam orphosis th is plant has been an efficient unit.

A s originally constructed, tw enty or tw enty-five years ago, th is plant w as equipped w ith four hand-fired boilers and two reciprocating steam engines. As new m ines w ere opened and the power demands upon the plant in ­ creased, the tw o buildings— boiler plant and engine house— w ere extended and new equipm ent added until about 1920 w hen the apparatus installed comprised tw elve stoker-fired boilers, two cross-compound, h ig h ­ speed engines, two cross-compound Corliss engines, and tw o turbines, together w ith the necessary auxiliary and condensing equipment, boiler-feed pumps and the like.

Even w ith th is complement o f m achines the plant became overloaded and still further additions w ere necessary. In the m eantim e, such im provem ents had been made in the use o f powdered coal as a fu el for stationary boilers th at its p ossib ilities for use in th is plant w ere carefully considered. N ot only th is but the effective fuel utilization w as carried a step further.

8 6 6 C O A L A G E Vol. 27, N o . 24

Boiler Room

Conveyor C Bin M Engine Room

Top o f roil over track hopper^

TRDe/t\ery

truck "“'ConveyorA -j Bottom o f coat bin M '

Engine room floors \ Present boiler room floor

In this region, the beds of Pocahontas coal worked are overlain w ith from 3 to 12 in. of black ra sh or bone.

In some places also th e coal ca rries a bone p artin g . On analysis th is m aterial o rdinarily shows from 20 to 40 per cent of ash. Thus it is burnable b u t not m ark e t­

able. Because of the rugged and ab ru p t topography of th e district, disposal of refu se from th e picking tables usually presents a big problem. To a lesser ex ten t this is tru e also of sweepings from the railro ad track s be­

neath the tipples as well as from the m ine tracks both above and below ground.

I t was decided, therefore, to utilize these various refuse m aterials in the company’s power plant, thus tu rn in g a w aste substance, which could be disposed of only a t an appreciable expense, into a useful product—

electric energy. Accordingly, the power plant was again remodeled and enlarged. Two of the old boilers w ere removed and two new ones, fitted fo r bu rning powdered fuel, added in th e ir place.

The boiler capacity of th is plan t now consists of two 779-hp. S tirlin g superheating boilers fitted fo r burning powdered fuel, five 520-hp. B. & W. (A ultm an-T aylor) boilers fired by Jones stokers and five 300-hp. boilers of the same type fired w ith Taylor stokers. The old boilers w ere built fo r 150 lb. pressure of satu rated steam. The new units are designed fo r a w orking p re s­

sure of 225 lb., but are now operated a t 150-lb. pressure and 150 deg. of supei'heat.

In th e pow er-generating portion of th e plant the two, high-speed, engine-driven un its w ere removed and a 3,000-kw., back-geared, turbo -g en erato r installed in th e ir place. The arrang em ent of piping is such th a t th is m achine is supplied w ith superheated steam from the new boilers, any surplus m ixing w ith sa tu ra te d steam from the older units, and the m ixture passing to the other m achines in the plant. The older engines and tu rb in es th u s are supplied w ith steam th a t is super­

heated to a certain extent, bu t not so highly as th a t reaching th e new turbine.

In te re st in th is plant, however, centers in the utiliza­

tion of th e refuse fuels. I t will be interesting , therefore, to trac e the course of th is m aterial to and th ro u g h the boiler house (th e general plan and elevation of th e plan shown in F ig. 1).

A t present, bone and trac k sweepings from Mines Nos. 2, 6, 9 and 11 are shipped to th e power p lan t fo r fuel. A rrangem ents are being m ade w hereby bone and rash from Mine No. 8 m ay be utilized in a sim ilar way.

T his m aterial, as it accum ulates a t the various plants named, is shipped in open-top cars, covered w ith canvas tarp au lin s to keep out m oisture.

, Upon arriv al a t the upper end of th e power plant, th e bone is discharged into the tra c k hopper F (see F ig. 1). Bone o r coal from No. 3 mine, th e tipple of which is nearby, reaches th e same p oin t by w ay of the chute D and conveyor A. F rom the bottom of the hopper F the m aterial is delivered by a reciprocating feeder a fte r passing a m agnetic sep arato r to th e crush er

This is a Jeffrey, 30x30-in., single-roll m achine having a capacity of 50 tons per hour. F rom the crusher, the m aterial is delivered to the conveyor B by which it is elevated and tran sp o rte d to eith er of th e chutes H or J.

By the chutes H th e fuel is delivered to th e bins L above the pulverizing mills. These bins are of about 50 tons capacity each. Small reciprocating feeders in the bottoms of these bins deliver the bone to th e pul­

verizers, which are 46-in., F uller-Lehigh mills w ith a capacity of about 60 tons of coal or 50 tons of bone p er hour. Only one m achine is operated a t a time, the oth er being held as a spare. F rom th e pulverizers, th e ground fuel passes to a F u ller Kinyon tra n sp o rt system by which it is delivered to eith er of th e two powdered fuel bins K over boilers Nos. 1 and 2.

The discharge end of conveyor B is fitted w ith a butterfly valve, or its equivalent, by which th e coal handled by th is conveyor, or any desired portion of it, may be sen t to e ith e r th e pulverizers or to th e conveyor C. This la tte r conveyor is installed above the bunker, or bin, M serving boilers Nos. 3 to 12 inclusive.

This conveyor is equipped w ith a traveling or autom atic trip p er, which norm ally moves back and fo rth along the bin, d ischarging coal as it goes. I t can, however, be stopped a t any desired p o in t or be moved from place to place by hand. The bunker, accordingly, m ay be filled uniform ly or th e coal may be delivered to any portion of it.

The pulverized coal bins K over boilers Nos. 1 and 2

- S Z 9 .S 4 '--- - - —6f-if*--- >1

Pulverizing plant- F ig . 1— General Plan and Elevation of Power Plant

T h i A s h ^ a r e h& m o v t r t H r n i i ^ l ”^ ® 'l t a n d ° i bui l d i n i l S!' c o n v e y o r s , b o i l e r s , c r u s h in g - e q u i p m e n t a n d t h e lik e A s h e s a i e i e m o v e d f i o m t h e l o w e r o r r i g h t - h a n d e n d o f t h e p l a n t a n d a c o o l i n g t o w e r , t h r o u g h w h i c h c i r c u l a t ­in g w a t i r I " " " ' a. c o o lin g r o w e r , t n r o u g n w m c n c i r c u l :

i n g w a t e r f o r t h e c o n d e n s e r s i s p a s s e d , is i n s t a l l e d a b o v e t h e p l a n t . T h i s i s n o t s h o w n In t h i s d r a w i n g .

J u n e 11, 1 9 2 5 C O A L A G E

867

w ill hold about 200 tons each. F ive screw feeders, each driven independently by its own motor, mounted on the bottom of each bin deliver the powdered fuel to five vertical, flat, or fish-tail burners in the top of the boiler furnace. D etails o f these boilers may be seen in F ig . 3.

D ra ft for the burners of each boiler is furnished by a small motor-driven fa n mounted on the fireman’s platform which is at a sligh tly higher elevation than the top of the furnace. Additional air for com bustion reaches the furnace through a series o f suitably damp- ered openings in the fron t wall. Products of combus­

tion, a fter leaving the boiler settin g s, enter a T-shaped breeching by which they are delivered to a self-sup­

porting, reinforced-concrete stack slig h tly over 200 ft.

high. The old or stoker-fired boilers have individual steel stacks each 125 ft. high.

In ligh tin g a fire in the furnaces o f boilers N os. 1 or 2, if powdered coal is the fuel, an ordinary oil-soaked w aste torch is used. I f the fu el is pulverized bone, a wood fire is first kindled in the bottom o f the furnace, and when th is gets burning briskly the powdered fuel supply is turned on. All the burners o f one boiler w ill ig n ite from any one w hen th is one begin s burning.

It is the intention to install perm anently on each of th ese boilers a large kerosene blowtorch by aid of which the pulverized fuel burners m ay be lighted w ith ease.

A shes from the new, or powdered-fuel, boilers are w ithdraw n by hand and wheeled in barrows to the ash bin, as are also those from th e old or stoker-fired units.

The ash bin is a wooden structure located near th e lower end (in F ig . 1 the right-hand end) of the plant.

This is o f such a h eigh t th at a w agon or truck m ay be driven under it, into which the ashes m ay be drawn off through gates. This m aterial is hauled aw ay and used at present for su rfacin g roads and m aking fills.

H eretofore the ch ief obstacle encountered in burning

fu lle r Kinyon transport system

F ig . 2— Pulverizing Plant and Boilers

T h i s s h o w s t h e p o s i t i o n , in p l a n , o f t h e v a r i o u s p u l v e r i z e r s , t r a n s p o r t e q u i p m e n t , p o w d e r e d f u e l b i n s , b u r n e r s a n d t h e lik e , r e l a t i v e t o t h e b o i l e r s . T h e p u l v e r i z i n g e q u i p m e n t is h o u s e d in a s e p a r a t e b u ild in g - f r o m t h e b o i l e r p l a n t . A v e n t t o t h e a t m o s p h e r e is p r o v i d e d a b o v e t h e c r u s h i n g m i l l s . A l l a u x i l i a r y e q u i p m e n t is d r i v e n e l e c t r i c a l l y .

F ig. 3— Section Through Boiler and Furnace

I t i s r o u g h l y 23 f t . f r o m t h e d i s c h a r g e o p e n i n g o f t h e f l s h - t a i l b u r n e r s t o t h e f lo o r o f t h e f u r n a c e , a n d a p p r o x i m a t e l y 17 f t . in t h e c l e a r f r o m f r o n t w a l l t o b r i d g e w a l l . T h u s c o m b u s t i o n s p a c e is a m p l e a n d t h e p a t h o f t h e f u e l lo n g . T h e f la m e r o l l s l a z i l y d o w n w a r d a n d t h e n t u r n s b a c k w a r d a n d u p w a r d a l o n g t h e t u b e s t o w a r d t h e b a ffle o p e n i n g t o t h e s e c o n d p a s s o f t h e b o ile r . I n c a n ­ d e s c e n t b u t s o l i d o r e x t r e m e l y v i s c o u s p a r t i c l e s o f a s h r e a c h t h e f u r n a c e flo o r. N o t r o u b l e f r o m s l a g g i n g i s e x p e r i e n c e d , n o m a t t e r h o w h a r d t h e b o i l e r is d r i v e n .

powdered fu el under stationary boilers has been the effect upon the brickwork of the intense heat generated.

In some of the earlier installations, the fine particles of ash in a liquid sta te “condensed” upon and ran down the furnace w alls w ashing the fire brick w ith it. Liquid slag collected on the furnace bottom in a sta te too viscous to be tapped off. In tim e, the boiler had to be shut down and this m aterial, upon cooling, had to be mined out w ith picks and gad chisels.

As constructed today, m ost powdered coal boiler fu r ­ naces are made either w ith air ducts w ith in the walls through which air fo r com bustion is drawn, thus cooling the walls, or w ith the inside of the furnace protected by m eans of fin tubes, through which w ater circulates and which thus, in reality, form part o f the heating surface. S laggin g on the furnace bottom also is pre­

vented by m eans o f a w ater shield or bank o f tubes placed above the furnace floor through which the ash m ust pass in order to come to rest on the furnace bottom. T hese tubes cool the particles to such a degree that they solid ify before com ing to rest and do not slag.

N one of these expedients are resorted to in th e Gary plant— the furnace w alls are solid and the furnace floor is unprotected. T hese boilers have been operated for several m onths, often at capacities fa r above normal rating, y et no difficulty has been experienced from either deterioration o f th e brickwork or from slaggin g. The reason for th is is doubtless two-fold. In the first place, the furnace volume is large and the m ovem ent o f the burning fu el through it is slow w hile the path tra ­ versed by the individual particles is a long one.

C O A L A G E Vol.

27, No. 24

A D istant View of the Power Plant at Gary with Old Coke Ovens in the Foreground

.^ ta c k s s e r v e t h e t e n s t o k e r - f l r e d b o i l e r s a n d t h e c o n c r e t e s t a c k s e r v e s t h e t w o p u l v e r i z e d - f u e l u n i t s . T h e s t e e l s t a c k s s o m e t i m e s e m i t a s m a l l a m o u n t o f s m o k e , e s p e c i a l l y i f a f u r n a c e d o o r o f t h e b o i l e r s e r v e d

is o p e n . T h e c o n c r e t e s t a c k n e v e r e m i t s a n y t h i n g b u t a g r a y h a z e . I t is s m o k e l e s s a t a l l tim e s .

Secondly, the tem perature necessary to fu se the ash o f Pocahontas coal is unusually high.

As a m atter o f fact, ash adheres to the furnace walls in plenty as may be judged from F ig . 5, but it form s a protective rather than a deteriorative coat. An exam i­

nation o f the ash deposits on the furnace walls, made at the tim e th is photograph w as taken, showed that the ash apparently adhered particle by particle. Thus the deposit was built up much as a fall of damp snow builds up on th e side o f a building or other object.

In other words, all ash accum ulations w ith in th ese fu r­

naces are o f a porous and powdery nature w hich, when cold, m ay easily be broken down or scraped off w ith the bare fingers. An ordinary garden rake would be an effective tool for rem oving th is deposit.

A more effective insulation fo r the inner walls o f a furnace than th is ash deposit would be difficult to im agine. A fte r it had been entirely removed from a small area o f the surface, so as to expose the fire brick lining, the brickwork appeared not to have been affected in the least by the intense heat developed. It was noticeable also that there w as no indication either of extrem e heat or o f ash adherence on the first baffle.

These boilers have been operated fo r several months w ith entire satisfaction and w ithout difficulty. D ur­

in g this tim e th ey have been driven throughout a wide la n g e o f capacity from a fraction o f normal ratin g to heavy overloads. It is characteristic o f boilers fired on pulverized fuel th at they are extrem ely flexible and w ill respond alm ost im m ediately to wide variations in steam demand. The boilers at Gary are no exception to this general rule.

One in terestin g problem, or rather possibility, in­

volved in the operation of th is plant is that of utilizing the powdered coal ash for some more useful purpose than filling in ground. It has been suggested th at th is m atei ial m ight well be employed in rock dusting the m ines. Under the microscope, m ost o f the ash particles appear to be smooth and globular in form or at least to have well rounded edges and corners. It m ay be pos­

sible that th is ash could be utilized in th is manner w ith ou t endangering the health o f the employees.

E xperim ents also have been conducted, although on a som ewhat lim ited scale, looking to the utilization o f

these ashes in the building o f walks and pavements.

Mixed w ith asphalt, they make a m aterial th at takes an excellent surface when placed upon concrete, brick or other suitable foundation. How w ell or how long th is surface will endure under the action of traffic re­

m ains to be seen.

How such experim ents as these m ay turn out, how­

ever, is a small m atter. The prim ary object which prompted the building o f the latest addition to th is plant w as not the production of ashes but th e genera­

tion of power from a m ine product that otherw ise was not only unsalable but which could be disposed o f only at an appreciable expense. Beyond question or cavil this object has been attained. Today p erfectly good kilow att hours are b eing generated from a fuel the cost o f w hich am ounts to the fr e ig h t or sw itching charge entailed in b ringing it from th e outlying m ines to the power plant. Less difficulty has been exper­

ienced in burning th is bone in a pulverized form than is encountered in burning it in m echanical stokers.

F ig . 5— A View Inside the Furnace

f r o n t a n d s i d e w a l l s a s w e l l ' a s t h e f u r n a c e f lo o r f r o m w h i c h a l a r g e p o r t i o n o f t h e a s h e s h a s b e e n r e m o v e d . T w o a i r n I®ts, a p p e a r n e a r t h e t o p o f t h i s i l l u s t r a t i o n . B e ­ t w e e n t h e s e a i r i n l e t s i s a n a r e a f r o m w h i c h a p o r t i o n o f t h e a d h e r i n g a s h h a s b r o k e n a w a y a n d f a l l e n . N o w h e r e i s t h e a s h c o a t i n g h a r d a s i t r e a d i l y y i e l d e d t o t h e b a r e h a n d

J u n e 11, 1925 C O A L A G E 869

B an k er A dvises B igger, B etter E q u ip p ed U nits For M ining th e N ation ’s Coal

J . E . A l l e n T h i n k s S e n s i b l e C o n s o l i d a t i o n s W i l l E l i m i n a t e S m a l l I r r e s p o n s i b l e C o m p a n i e s T h u s S t e a d y i n g P r o d u c t i o n a n d I n c r e a s i n g P r o f i t s

B y J. E r n e st A lle n

H a y d e n , S t o n e & C o ., N e w Y o r k C i t y

T

m ent banker is to supply the public w ith sound secu rities fo r in ­ vestm ent. The coal i n d u s t r y controls, produces, prepares and m arkets a com­

m odity essential to the life o f the na­

tion, and it thus possesses in marked degree one elem ent w h ic h a p p e a l s stron gly to the in­

vestor. And yet, painful as is the reflection to those o f us who are inter­

ested in coal m ining, the public is loath to in v est in coal secu rities, and only a very small percentage of the tw o to three billions o f dollars annually invested by the A m erican public finds its w ay into th e treasuries o f coal companies, a percentage entirely incommen­

surate w ith the relative importance of the industry.

B efore you indict the investm ent banker for th is fact, I w ant you to rem ember w hat h is fu n ction s are.

Investm ent bankers are prim arily m erchants who stock up only such goods as th ey can sell, and, like other m erchants, can operate profitably only by rapidly turn­

in g over the goods upon th eir shelves. Hence, w e m ust not only consider the inherent sa fe ty o f any given secu rity before w e purchase it, but w e m ust ask our­

selves the question, “Can we sell it, or w ill we be obliged to carry it for a more or less indefinite period as a frozen a sse t? ”

Fa v o r On l y Pr o v e d Co m p a n i e s

It is perfectly true that w ith in certain lim its our custom ers accept and act upon our advice as to the investm ents th ey make, but we encounter great difficulty in overcom ing the sales resistance o f an in vestin g pub­

lic imbued w ith a fixed d istru st of any given industry.

W e find, as regards coal secu rities in particular, that only the issu es of large and long-established companies w ith exceptional records as to earnings are at present looked upon w ith any degree o f favor.

The reasons for th is attitu d e on the part o f the in­

v estin g public are not fa r to seek. The vital part your industry plays in th e world and th e very direct contact

T h i s a r t i c l e i s p a r t o f a n a d d r e s s d e l i v e r e d b y M r . A l l e n a t t h e A m e r i c a n M i n i n g C o n g r e s s , i n C i n c i n n a t i , O h io , M a y 28 , 192 5 .

it has w ith m ost of the householders o f the country n aturally cause you to receive much attention at the hands o f the public press, through w hich the public at large has received certain fixed im pressions, some true and som e erroneous. Your labor difficulties have, as you know, received great publicity, and the public is not altogether uninform ed as to the irregu larity and spas­

modic character o f your production, as to the unfor­

tunate interruptions to your car supply and as to the im portant fa c t that th e developed production of your industry has fa r outstripped the normal demand o f the country fo r your product. The banker, w ith better fa c ilitie s fo r securing exact inform ation than the gen­

eral public, can perhaps better appreciate not m erely your problems but th e efforts being made to m eet them.

T o o Ma n y Sm a l l Op e r a t i o n s

Several phases of your industry particularly in terest us. It seem s to us th at you are plagued as an industry w ith too m any sm all and ill-equipped operations which shut down w hen the m arket fo r coal is low but are reopened at every period of increased demand. They flood the m arket w ith ill-prepared coals w hich th ey sell in com petition w ith your superior products at prices w hich frequently bear no relation w hatever to th eir costs o f production. In fact, they are them selves, as a rule, profoundly ignorant o f w h at th eir costs are.

I f the industry in som e w ay could purge itse lf of such undesirable producers, and i f it could be guaran­

teed as w ell a g a in st any fu rth er increase in its pro­

ductive capacity until such tim e as th e normal consum ption of th e country has grow n sufficiently to catch up w ith it, th e financial standing o f th e industry would im prove im m easurably by reason o f the fa r greater degree of sta b ility it would attain. T hese diffi­

cu lties are, I think, generally recognized throughout your own industry as one o f the principal causes of the lack of popularity of coal securities.

W ith respect to m odernization of plant and equip­

m ent, m ost bankers feel that, in such a h igh ly com­

p etitiv e industry as coal m ining, th ey can only consider the financing o f properties w hich are adequately equipped w ith the m ost up-to-date plant and m achin­

ery. L arge units so equipped make fo r low costs and a better prepared product, and low costs and a well- prepared product make fo r steadier production and greater profits. The trend tow ards such large, well- equipped u n its w ill, w e believe, eventually play an im ­ portant part in the elim ination o f th a t elem ent w hich I have referred to as one o f the plagues o f your industry, the small, irresponsible m ine.

One is struck by the fa c t th at th e largest u n it of your industry, by w hich I mean th at group o f m ines under one control w hich has the largest output, pro­

8 7 0 C O A L A G E VOL. 2 7 , N o . 2 4

duces only about 3 per cent of the total output o f the country, the balance o f production, 97 per cent, being divided among some 4,000 or more different interests.

T his fact, and an analysis of the character of many o f the u nits o f your industry, lead us irresistab ly to certain conclusions. We believe th a t the logical solution o f m ost of your problems w ill be found in consolida­

tions, in the gradual m erging o f the innum erable sm aller units of your industry into a reasonable number o f large, highly organized units.

The advantages to the industry itse lf o f such m ergers, when w isely made and soundly financed, can

hardly be overestim ated.

The large unit can afford to employ the h igh est tech­

nical skill, which the small unit usually cannot; it has financial strength sufficient to modernize its equipment and reduce costs; it can confine production, in tim es o f lax demand, to a few collieries operating fa irly s t e a d i l y , reopening its closed m ines only as the demand for coal justifies.

It can effect great savings through the standardiza­

tion o f equipment, through centralized purchasing and through the elim ination of much adm inistrative over­

head. And last, but by no means least, such m ergers will go a long w ay toward

curing the overproduction evil and toward ridding th e industry o f the unfair, cutthroat com petition of irre­

sponsible operators.

Such a proposal as th is involves no conflict w ith the w ise law s o f our country designed to prevent combina­

tions in restrain t o f trade. Reasonable com petition is desirable. M ergers such as I have in m ind, capable o f effecting every benefit I have named, could be car­

ried out in practically every field in the industry and still result in a large number o f com peting corporations entirely w ith in the law.

The development o f such m ergers should be gradual and should proceed along natural lin es— th at is, w ith com binations o f properties located in th e sam e fields, whose problems are sim ilar and w hose geographical locations w ith respect to one another point clearly to the unm istakable advantages to be derived from unified m anagem ent and consolidated acreage. W hether such relatively small local m ergers can later be combined w ith others, w ith advantage to the trade and to the public, can well be le ft to the future, when experience will point the way.

The soundest kind o f a m erger will be th a t effected w ithout calling upon the in vestin g public for financial assistance. It will be one where the controlling in ter­

ests o f the various properties to be consolidated have sufficient vision to see the great benefits to be derived, sufficient broadmindedness to be w illin g to surrender a little o f th eir independence, and where each has a sufficient sense o f fa irn ess to concede th e equitable value o f h is neighbors’ properties as well as to adm it a reasonable value fo r h is own. It w ill be a consolida­

tion effected by the owners them selves, each tak in g such

proportion of the issued stock o f the consolidated cor­

poration as the value o f h is property and b u siness bears to th e total. The banker will be glad to lend all the assistance in his power, and can be of real value in su g g estin g sound plans o f capitalization, and, per­

haps, in b ringing harm ony out of conflict.

I recognize th at such financially self-contained m ergers cannot alw ays be accomplished. A t tim es it is necessary to refund the indebtedness o f some proposed constituent company. In such cases it is often essen­

tial th at some public financing be done. W herever possible, such financing should be in the form o f stock—

not bonds. On account of the h i g h l y fluctuating nature o f th e coal industry, fixed charges should be avoided w herever possible.

Many a coal enterprise, which, had it been soundly financed by stock issues, could have outlived the storm , has been wound up by foreclosure because, in a dull coal m arket or strike period, it could not m eet the in terest and sink­

in g fund paym ents o f its bonded debt.

Bond issu es should be resorted to only as a last expedient in th e financing o f coal properties. They should seldom be issued in excess of 40 per cent of the reasonable value o f fixed assets, and in order for them to be salable today a long record o f sa tisfa cto ry earnings is abso­

lutely essential. The proper safegu ard s fo r the in ­ vestor, which should attach to an issu e o f coal bonds, and th e m any factors w hich determ ine them , have been the subject o f careful study fo r m any years by investm ent bankers who specialize in such se c u r itie s;

but such considerations, im portant though th ey be, I have not considered germ ane to m y m ore general topic.

Co n f id ew it h Your Ba n k e r

B efore closing m ay I su g g est that, i f and when you need to consult an investm ent banker, you select one who has knowledge o f your industry and experience in the handling o f coal secu rities. There are m any such.

Then, a fter you have picked your banker, be absolutely frank w ith him ; lay every card upon the table. I f he is to. help you he m ust have all the facts. H e cannot work w ithout tools, and fa cts are h is tools. Do not be afraid th at w hat you tell him or the figures you give him w ill be betrayed to others. I am proud to be able to say o f m y callin g th a t probably no other class of business m en is so continually entrusted w ith such im ­ portant confidences, and that none has better deserved the fa ith thus placed in it.

And one other thing, when handling an issu e of your securities, the banker m ust see to it th a t such secu rities are properly safeguarded; he ow es th at duty to his custom ers. B u t h e does not w ant to run your business, or in any w ay to have a hand in th e running of it. H is business is banking— not operating coal m ines. H e knows the form er and is satisfied to stick to it.

iiiiiiiiHiiiiiinmiuiiiiiiiinniHinniiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiinniiiiiiiiimiiinumiiiiiniiiiniiiiiHiiiiimiiHiiiiiiniiiimiiniiiiiniiui T H E B A N K E R ’S “S L A N T ”

“ TW TO ST B A N K E R S f e e l th a t, in su c h a h ig h ly c o m p e titiv e in d u s tr y as coal m in in g , t h e y can o n ly c o n sid e r th e fin a n c in g o f p r o p e r tie s w h ic h are a d e q u a te ly eq u ip p ed w ith th e m o st u p -to -d a te p la n t and m a c h in ­ e r y ,” sa y s M r. A lle n . “L a r g e u n its so e q u ip p ed m ak e fo r lo w c o s ts and a b e tter-p rep a red p ro d u ct, and lo w c o s ts and w e ll-p r e p a r e d p r o d u c t m ak e fo r ste a d ie r p r o d u c tio n and g r e a te r p ro fits. T h e tren d to w a rd su ch large, w e ll-e q u ip p e d u n its w ill, w e b e lie v e , e v e n ­ tu a lly p la y an im p o rta n t part in th e e lim in a ­ tio n o f th a t e le m e n t w h ic h I h a v e refe r re d to as o n e o f th e p la g u e s o f y o u r in d u s tr y — th e sm a ll, ir r e s p o n s ib le m in e .”

iiiiuiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiniiiiii

Ju n e 11, 1 9 2 5 C O A L A G E 8 7 1

W est V irg in ia Coal M ining In stitu te A ssem bles

A H u n d r e d M e n a t L o g a n D i s c u s s G a s e s , S u b s t a t i o n s , G e o l o g y , a n d C o a l C l e a n i n g — T h e y V i s i t T h r e e M o d e r n M i n e s i n t h e L o g a n

R e g i o n t o S e e N e w I d e a s A p p l i e d

B y R . D a w so n H a ll Engineering- E ditor of C o a l A g e

W

sion the party devoted the second day to v isitin g three modern m ines in the Logan region. A t the June 2 m eeting, in the absence o f B. H. M ulvihill, of the W heel­

ing Trent Corporation, W heeling, W. Va., who w as to talk about the Trent process, Chairman R. M. Lambie, ch ief inspector o f m ines o f the State o f W est V irginia, introduced W illiam Y ant o f the U. S. Bureau o f M ines, who presented an article entitled “Some Practical E ffects o f M ine Gases and T heir D etection.”

Mr. Y ant remarked that though m ethane w as directly or indirectly the main cause o f m ine explosions, only rarely did the quantity o f gas in a m ine reach such a percentage as to make an exten sive explosion of gas in a m ine possible. U sually the gas w as m erely the prim er or in itiator o f the explosion which, in the main, is a dust explosion. M ethane is quite harm less w hen breathed.

I f there is plenty o f oxygen present an atm osphere having even 40 per cent of m ethane could be inspired w ith ou t harm.

Large q uantities o f hydrogen sulphide have been found in the sulphur m ines o f Europe. T his gas is som etim es generated in the m etal m ines o f A m erica—

those, fo r instance, w orking sulphide ore— but in Am erican coal m ines enough hydrogen sulphide to be dangerous is only likely to occur from the incomplete com bustion o f black powder. One would suppose that the rotten-egg smell o f the hydrogen sulphide would be

■enough to prevent accident as sufficient w arning would

be given, but, strange to say, w ith the larger concentra­

tion s of th is sulphide the olfactory nerves become fatigu ed and even paralyzed and so the stin k damp fa ils to create aversion. When the gas takes effect the respiratory centers are instantly paralyzed and death follows.

In d iscussing m ine fires Mr. Y ant said that when the percentage o f oxygen in the sealed area falls to between 16 and 17 the flames die out, but that does not end com bustion, fo r flam eless com bustion w ill continue slow ly until the percentage fa lls much lower. When the oxygen fa lls below 12 per cent m ethane cannot explode.

I f the m ethane rises to the explosive lim it before the oxygen fa lls to such a level th at it w ill not support an explosion, the blast m ay occur if a source o f ign ition is present.

In d ic a t e Na t u r e o f Sa m p l e

In sending m ine air sam ples to a laboratory for test it is well to indicate w hat is the nature o f the sample and w hat one is desirous o f estab lish in g. Suppose it is, what m igh t be termed, normal m ine air w hich is su f­

ficiently contam inated so that the m ine owner desires to know w hether it can be breathed safely. Then, in te stin g the g a s fo r carbon m onoxide it will not be sufficient to use the well-known Orsat apparatus, w hich is correct only to 0.1 or 0.2 per cent. The Haldane apparatus w ill g iv e resu lts to 0.02 or 0.03 per cent.

However, in the event o f a m ine fire, if the te st is to be made o f g a s from behind a seal, then the Orsat apparatus w ill give resu lts close enough fo r the need o f the hour. B ut it w ill not determ ine w hether the air is pure enough fo r human breathing.

H aulage Equipment and Track and Line M aterial Are of th e B est at the Properties of the Gay Coal & Coke Co., Mt. Gay, W. Va.

C O A L A G E

Furtherm ore, the chem ist should be told if the air sample taken is explosive, otherw ise in te stin g it he may accidentally explode it, w ith danger of injury to him self or h is assistan ts. A sample o f m ine air taken in the m ain return is a good control on the quantity of methane generated but not the final word in determ ining the sa fety of the m ine. It is m erely an average of a m ultiplicity of conditions, some bad and some good, and tests should be made at the w orking faces.

Te s t s f o r Ca r b o n Mo n o x i d e

The effect of carbon m onoxide on the blood fu rnishes the best test for that gas in its lower concentrations, Mr. Y ant said. The blood need not be in a human body.

Carbon monoxide can be m ixed satisfactorily w ith blood which has been drawn from the body. Mr. Y ant ex­

plained that, ow ing to the im perfection o f the ven tila­

tion in a sealed area, the sam ples taken at the seal gave a w holly inadequate idea o f the conditions at the fire or o f the average conditions throughout the occluded area.

Requested by Mr. Cameron, he elaborated on th is point.

He said he had found that sam ples taken in rubber- stoppered bottles m ight be regarded as utterly valueless three or four hours a fter taking. He had great faith, however, in vacuum tubes w ith a sm all hole which w as sealed w ith w ax a fter filling. These tubes should con­

tain 250 cu.cm. each. The difficulty w as to have such tubes readily available in case of an em ergency.

C. E. Krebs, Clark and Krebs, Inc., Charleston, W. Va., ..said that hydrogen sulphide escaped in explosive quan-

■ titie s from clay vein s in the U nited States. Mr. Yant said he had not heard of any instances o f th at kind.

He added, in answ er to an inquiry, th at by tapping a seal at the bottom and top the effect o f stratification could be avoided.

Mr. Y ant’s paper w as follow ed by one by J. E. B or­

land, o f the W estinghouse E lectric & M anufacturing Co., Bluefield, W. Va., on “M ining Sub station s.” Mr. Borland expressed h is preference for a copper conductor in the return circuit to supplem ent the work o f a bonded rail.

Will German, E. I. Dupont de Nem ours & Co., made a humorous address and the m orning m eeting came to a close.

A t the afternoon session C. E. Krebs delivered an address on the coals o f Logan County, sayin g th at the Logan County coals had been successfully correlated w ith those o f the Kanawha region, a certain fo ssilfero u s lim estone fu rn ish in g the clue. The Logan field lies in the Coalburg basin. The m easures all thicken as they reach the Logan area. Thus the Island Creek coal in the d istrict m entioned is from 9 to 12 ft. thick. The sam e bed in the Kanawha district, which is known as the W. J. German

E . I. d u P o n t d e N e m o u r s & C o ., I n c .

C. E. Krebs

C o n s u l t i n g e n g i n e e r , C h a r l e s t o n , W . V a .

W illiam Yant

U . S . B u r e a u o£ M in e s , P i t t s b u r g h , P a .