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P u b l i s h i n g C o m p a n y , I n c . D e v o te d to t h e O p e r a t i n g , T e c h n ic a l a n d B u s in e s s
Ja m e s H . McGr a w, P r e s i d e n t _ . . . . . _ . , _ _ t> T )a t v s o n Ha l l
E. J . Me h r e n. V i c e - P r e s i d e n t ProblGIIlS 01 th6 COcU-Mining’ Industry E n g i n e e r i n g E d i t o r
V olum e 29 N E W YO RK , M A Y 6, 1926 N um ber 18
Strik e in Great B ritain
A
T L A S T T H E P E O P L E of G re a t B rita in face th e . g e n e ra l s trik e so long th re a te n e d an d so m uch discussed. S y m p a th y w ith th e m in e rs w ill doubtless be q u ite g e n e ra l in th e U n ited S ta te s. T hey a r e no t p aid a n y w o n d e rfu l w ages th o u g h th e y a re well in line w ith th o se p aid o th e r w age e a rn e rs in G re a t B rita in . C om pared w ith o u r own w orkm en, th e y a re u n d erp aid , an d th e ir w ages would be still low er if th e ow ners of th e m in es h ad reduced th e m in a degree n ecessary to m eet com p etitio n.B u t i t is easy to d iscuss w ages in a vacuum . I t m u st be re m em b ered th a t G re a t B rita in is in E u ro p e and m u st com pete w ith E u ro p e , t h a t h e r beds of coal a re in m an y places q u ite th in an d in m ost places, as she would say, q u ite “ fiery.” T he ro o f is b ad an d th e d a n g e r o f sp o n tan eo u s com bustion, especially in one th ic k seam , is such t h a t th e need fo r close sto w in g of ru b b ish ad d s g re a tly to cost. T he o bjection to th e use of tro lle y locom otives h a s also h am p ered p ro d u ctio n .
W hen m en produce less th a n one to n p e r m an p e r day, w h en th e y have to com pete w ith o th e rs h av in g low w ag es an d have to supply coal to in d u s trie s w hich, in tu rn , have to m eet th e co m p etitio n of th o se in o th e r c o u n trie s w hich b u y t h e ir coal fro m o p e ra to rs p a y in g low w ages, w h a t can be done to keep th e w age scale up to A m eric an levels?
T he la rg e m ass of w orkm en w ho a r e ta k in g p a r t in th e g e n e ra l s trik e d o u b tless feel th e y hav e a r i g h t to com bine. T h e public o f G re a t B rita in believes also t h a t i t h a s th e r i g h t to e n te r in to a com binatio n as a g a in s t th e firs t g ro u p . N o one know s w h a t such an actio n a s th is m ig h t effect. T he first g ro u p declines to serv e th e second g ro u p , an d th e second g ro u p m ay re fu s e to se rv e th e first, an d w ith o u t g o in g in to details, it m ay be su rm ise d t h a t th e firs t g ro u p m ay find th e re a c tio n to its a tta c k on th e second g ro u p ex trem ely d isa stro u s. T h e re is so m e th in g om inous in th e w o rd s
“ O rg a n iz a tio n f o r th e M a in ten a n ce of S u p p lies.” T he id ea w as n o t in te n d e d d o u b tless to be m en acin g , b u t w h a t m ay n o t h ap p e n if th e second g ro u p , w hich h a s th e ro a d tr a n s p o r t fa c ilitie s in its h an d s, decides to m a in ta in sup p lies fo r its own a d v a n ta g e solely.
G row ing O ld
T
OO M U C H H A S B E E N S A ID by th e c ritic s o f th e coal in d u s try a s to its a rc h a ic m eth o d s. I t is indeed n o t up to d ate. N o in d u s trie s a re . I f th e y could be, th e y w ould be obsolete to m o rro w . P ro g re s s is a m a tte r of t e a r in g dow n an d b u ild in g up, re je c tin g old e q u ip m e n t an d b u y in g new . M ost in d u s trie s a r e none too ac tiv e in th u s clea n in g h ouse an d w ip in g o u t e q u ip m en t t h a t h a s ceased to h av e value. A b ig m in e ta k e s a b o u t five y e a rs to c o n s tru c t an d a b o u t tw e n ty , t h i r t y o r f o r ty to e x h a u st.I t w ould be a slow in d u s tr y t h a t w ould n o t develop
in th e qu in qu enn iu m som e new m eth od o f o p eratio n , and in th e lo n g er p erio d s m an y developm ents m ay ta k e place. P e rh a p s th e a p p ro p ria te ch an g e in m eth o d s can and will be effected, b u t if th e re v isio n is la rg e an d re q u ire s ru th le s s sc ra p p in g of re cen tly p u rc h a se d eq u ip m en t o r of recen tly c o n stru c te d developm ent th e ch an g e m ay n o t be m ade.
In all in d u s trie s th e tro u b le is t h a t w e do n o t re c ognize “obsolescence.” I t is n o t c a rrie d on th e books like depletion an d d ep reciatio n . T h e U n ite d S ta te s Steel C o rp o ratio n is q u ite a g g re ssiv e in k ee p in g its p la n ts up to th e m in u te . T h e a u th o ritie s te r m th is
“plow ing in p ro fits.” R ecently i t h a s been q uestio n ed w h e th e r t h a t is a c o rre c t te rm . Is it n o t r a th e r c o rre c t
in g obsolescence? C e rta in i t is, t h a t u nless th e m in in g m an is to spend m oney ste a d ily to b rin g eq u ip m e n t to d ate he is go in g to fall b eh in d in co m p etin g w ith new p la n ts w hich h av e new n ess an d n e a rn e s s to th e s h a f t to give th em th e ju m p on th e o ld er developm ents. A t one p la n t eig h t-m ile h au ls a r e n e c e ssa ry to g e t coal to th e su rfa ce. To cope w ith such a h a n d ic a p th e r e is no solution o th e r th a n t h a t affo rd ed b y a n e x tre m e in efficiency; y e t th e old m ine, b u ilt as a le a d e r som e decades back, c a n n o t be aban do ned . C an it re n e w its yo u th a f te r so m an y y e a rs ? U n less i t does, i t c a n n o t hope to be in th e ru n n in g .
L e t us be in all th in g s f a ir . A re th e re n o t in W a sh in g to n inefficiencies a n d b u ild in g s o u t o f d a te ? Is th e a n c ie n t P a te n t Office an d th e fu rb elo w ed T re a s u ry B u ild in g up to th e m in u te ? Is th e fire tra p P r in t in g Office even p erm issib ly su ita b le to its p u rp o se ? W a sh in g to n d re am s n o t only f o r a b e tte r coal in d u s try b u t fo r its e lf b e tte r d e p a rtm e n ta l conveniences a n d b e tte r o rg a n iz a tio n o f its own m a n y e sta b lish m e n ts. T h e p ra c tic e of all o f u s fa lls ev er m e a su ra b ly below o u r s ta n d a rd s of p ra c tic e an d o u r d re a m s of possible p e r form ance.
A W ord to th e Farm ers
S
U C H D IS T R E S S h a s com e to th e f a r m e r s t h a t th e N a tio n al I n d u s tr ia l C o nference is a p p e a lin g to th e public to do so m eth in g w ise an d c o n s tru c tiv e to p u t th is la rg e p o p u latio n on its fe e t. T h e case th e C o n feren ce m akes is excellent. I f th e f a r m e r s w e re m a k in g m o re m oney th e y w ould be b e tte r b u y e rs a n d so h elp in d u s tr y in g en eral. In p a r tic u la r th e y m ig h t well consum e m o re coal. M any fa rm e rs h e a t t h e i r h o u ses only in sp o ts b y th e use of stoves r a th e r th a n th ro u g h o u t by th e a id o f fu rn a c e s an d as th e y use little fu e l can affo rd in t h e i r idle m om ents to s p lit wood fo r t h e i r needs a n d so do w ith o u t coal a lto g e th e r. G ive th e m so m ew h a t la r g e r profits, an d th e stove w ould g iv e w a y to th e fu r n a c e a s i t h as alre a d y done in m an y places.T he f a r m e r h a s su ffe red fro m a s h rin k a g e in la n d values t h a t h a s je o p a rd iz e d all h is in v e s tm e n ts a n d in som e cases b ro k e n th e b a n k s fro m w h ich h e h a s b o r
row ed, in w h ich h e h a s in v e ste d o r b y w h ich h is lo an s 627
have been ca rrie d . B u t coal lan d s have also s h ru n k in value. In some cases th e p rice s quoted m ay be little low er th a n th e y have been, b u t th e lan d s h ave no sale, an d if th e y w ere sold th e y would have to be sacrificed.
A n ow ner a d v e rtise d recen tly a piece of land in th e E lk- h o rn d is tric t w ith v irg in tim b e r, f o u r seam s o f good coking coal w ith oil an d gas. H e w ill sell it fo r $35 an
acre. , . ,
F a rm e r s in Iow a, w ith lan d a t $150 to $275 w hich u sed to ra n g e a b o u t $400 an acre, sell y o u r corn lan d s an d buy fo r $35 an ac re lands u n d e rla id w ith fo u r fa r- fam ed seam s of coal! You have h e a rd t h a t th e coal b a ro n s h av e fleeced you fo r g e n e ra tio n s. N ow is y o u r chance to fre e yourselves fro m dependence upon th em an d m ake an easy fo rtu n e . W hy h e s ita te ? You have a ssu ra n c e s fro m all q u a r te rs t h a t fa rm in g is ill-paid an d coal m in in g h ig h ly profitable. A s coal lands can be b o u g h t cheaply w hy n o t re trie v e y o u r fo rtu n e s by a s h if t in b u sin ess? O r does th e p rice its e lf m ake you w onder if w h a t you have h e a rd h as been a ta le w ith o u t su b stan ce.
F rien d ly C ou n sel
T V T O B O D Y C AN A C C U SE th e N ew E n g la n d re ta il
IN
coal m e rc h a n ts of u n frie n d lin e ss to w a rd th e a n th ra c ite in d u stry . W hen th o se dealers in co nv en tion assem bled ex p ress r e g r e t t h a t th e p ro d u c e rs m ade no re d u c tio n in p rices on A p ril 1 an d couple t h a t e x p re s sion w ith a plea to th e o p e ra to rs to m a in ta in s ta n d a rd s o f p re p a ra tio n , th e opinions th u s m ildly voiced c a rry m ore w e ig h t th a n s te rn c e n su re fro m sou rces less closely allied w ith th e h ard-coal in d u s try . T h e r e ta il d istr ib u to r is th e re a l co n tac t m an b etw een th e p ro d u c ers a n d th e public. W hen he speaks, a s in th is case, he reflects n o t only h is own feelin g s, b u t th e re a c tio n s of th e m an w ho b u rn s th e coal.
C e rta in g ro u p s o u tsid e th e tr a d e h av e ca p ita lize d th e fa ilu re of th e o p e ra to rs to c u t p rice s th is s p rin g in a w ay pro b ab ly n o t co n tem p lated or a n tic ip a te d by th e p ro d u c ers. I t w as a p o in t s tro n g ly p re sse d by C o ngressional advo cates of coal re g u la tio n , som e of w hom endeavored to re a d in to th is a c tio n a b e tra y a l o f th e public t r u s t reposed in th e in d u s try d u rin g th e re c e n t s trik e . T h a t h ousehold ers, too, re s e n t th e denial o f t h e i r ex p e ctatio n s w as ev id en t in th e discu ssio n w hich preceded th e ad o p tio n of th e re so lu tio n of r e g r e t by th e N ew E n g la n d re ta il asso ciatio n .
P o ssib ly if th e in d u s try could have fo re se e n how its policy w as to be in te rp re te d , a d iffe re n t actio n , o r a t le a s t a full ex p lan a tio n of th e re aso n s f o r th e d e p a rtu re fro m tra d itio n , m ig h t have re su lte d . T o r e tr e a t now, how ever, w ould accom plish n o th in g b u t to m ak e a bad s itu a tio n m uch w orse. E v en b elate d ex p la n a tio n o f th e re a so n s b ack of th e c h a n g e in policy p ro b a b ly w ould in c re a se in ste a d o f d im in ish c ritic is m an d a n ta g o n ism .
T h e q u estio n o f p rice s is deb atab le. T he sam e th in g c a n n o t be sa id o f p re p a ra tio n . Good f a ith a n d sou nd m e rc h a n d is in g alik e o b lig ate th e p ro d u c e rs to m a in ta in a s a m in im u m th e s ta n d a r d s w h ich th e y th em selv es fixed. A n y ch a n g e m ad e should be in th e d ire c tio n of m o re e x a c tin g s ta n d a rd s , an d a ch an g e in t h a t d ire c tio n sh ou ld n o t be p ostponed too long. P re p a r a tio n w hich fa lls below th e e x is tin g s ta n d a r d s o u g h t n o t to be co u n ten a n ced . N e v erth eless, since th e s tr ik e ended som e coal w hich did n o t m e a su re up to g ra d e an d size h as e n te re d th e ch a n n els o f in te r s ta te com m erce. Com
p la in t a g a in s t q u a lity an d siz in g is still to o com m on fo r
th e good of th e in d u s try . T h e d is c re e t h i n t in th e re so lu tio n of th e N ew E n g la n d Coal D e a le rs ’ A sso cia
tio n w ill n o t b e lo st upo n a g g re s s iv e p ro d u c e rs.
A G E Vo l. 2 9 , N o . 18
V isu a liz in g th e P r o b le m
T
O A N A L Y Z E A P R O B L E M c o rre c tly is a b ig ste p to w a rd its so lu tio n . To v isu a liz e t h a t a n a ly s is an d to m ak e th e m a jo r p o in ts s ta n d o u t so t h a t re m e d ies o r c o rre c tiv e m e a s u re s s u g g e s t th em selv es is a s h o rt c u t to a p ro m p t an d effective solu tio n .A b e tte r a id to effective m a n a g e m e n t th a n g ra p h ic c h a r ts w ould be h a r d to find. T h ey a r e ea sy to con
s tr u c t once th e re q u ire d d a ta a r e a t h a n d . W e a r e all in te re s te d in p eak load s a n d d em an d c h a rg e s. I f we knew th e n a tu r e a n d c h a ra c te r of th e load, w h ich th e d em an d m e te r does n o t show , a n d th e tim e o f th e oc
c u rre n c e of peak s w e ca n sw itc h th e u n its a ro u n d u n til we a p p ro a c h a s n e a r a s p o ssible to a s t r a i g h t lin e w h ich w ould be 10 0-per-cent load fa c to r.
T a b u la te d d a ta a r e h a r d to analyze. T ak e th e sam e d a ta an d c h a r t it, a n d w e h av e a p ic tu re o f th e e n tir e s tr u c tu r e , w h e th e r i t be m in in g , o rg a n iz a tio n or th e p o w er sy stem .
G ra p h ic lo a d -d is trib u tio n c h a r ts a r e n o t difficult to c o n s tru c t an d th e y an aly ze th e load an d i t s c h a ra c te r w hich a g ra p h ic re c o rd in g d em an d m e te r does n o t do, th e g ra p h ic re c o rd in g m e te r m ere ly sh o w in g th e peak d em an d an d th e tim e o f its o ccu rren ce. O ne o f th e se com pleted c h a r ts w ould s u g g e s t m a n y sw itc h e s in loads fro m th e d ay to th e n ig h t.
I n te r e s t in lo w e rin g p ea k s in c re a se s a s th e ch an g es a r e effective. M uch can be done i f f u r t h e r s tu d ie s a re m ade. F o r in sta n c e , su m p ag e a r ra n g e m e n ts m a y be m ad e to h a n d le six te e n h o u rs ’ s to ra g e a n d p u m p only a t n ig h t. T h u s i t m ay be p ossib le to ta k e m a n y h o rs e pow er off th e d ay load an d sw itc h i t to th e n ig h t load. U sin g p u rc h a se d p o w er th is w ould be a la rg e sav in g , a n d even u n d e r c o m p a n y -g e n e ra te d p o w e r i t w ould be w ell w o rth w hile.
C heaper to W ash O ut R e fu s e T h a n to G ob It
I
T H A S L O N G been th e p ra c tic e a t coal m in e s to sep a r a t e th e gob fro m th e coal w ith in th e m in e s a n d n o t allow i t to re ach th e lig h t o f day. T h is s e p a ra tio n is n e c e ssa rily m ade by h a n d a n d co nsum es m u ch tim e . A s a re s u lt i t w as co rre sp o n d in g ly ex pensiv e.W h e re sufficient room is av a ila b le on th e s u rfa c e fo r th e d isp o sal o f gob i<r w h e re th is re fu s e is flu sh ed back in to th e m in e f o r ro o f su p p o rt, im p ro v ed m eth o d s of w a sh in g re n d e r i t p ro fitab le f o r th e coal co m p an ies to b r in g o u t an d t r e a t a f a r l a r g e r p e r c e n ta g e o f rock th a n w a s fo rm e rly p ossible fro m a co m m ercial s ta n d p o in t. T h u s w h e re b in d e rs o f such c o n siste n c y t h a t th e y m ay be p assed th ro u g h th e ro lls a r e e n c o u n te red , th e se im p u ritie s m ay be loaded, b ro u g h t to th e su rfa c e , c ru sh e d an d th e n w a sh e d o r floated o u t o f th e m in e p ro d u c t a t less expense th a n th is re fu s e can b e pick ed fro m th e coal an d gobbed w ith in th e m in e.
C on dition s in th is re g a rd , h o w ev er, d iffe r w id ely . A n a rtic le th is w eek show s th e p ra c tic e of th e W o o dw ard Iro n Co., t h a t finds i t m o re p ro fitab le to leav e th e d i r t in th e m in e th a n to h a u l it a lo ng w a y u n d e rg ro u n d , to h o ist it, to du m p it, to h a u l i t to th e w a s h e r, to w a sh it an d th e n to h a u l th e w a s h e r r e je c t to th e dum p fo r disposal.
8 Ma y 6, 19 2 6 C O A L A G E 6 29
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R o c k an d P ic k in g T a b le R e je c t F a ll I n to S t e e l B in a n d I s L o a d e d A lt e r n a t e ly I n to O n e o f T w o 2 -to n C ars W h ic h C arry I t O u t o n a L e g o f th e T r ia n g u la r T r a m w a y S y s t e m
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fro m th e tip p le in cre ased fo rm in g an a r e a sh ap e d like a h a lf fu n n e l w ith its m o u th a t th e tip p le , w h e re i t is no t m ore th a n 50 f t. w ide. T he le n g th of th e fu n n e l is ab o u t 800 f t. an d th e w id th acro ss th e f a r end ab o u t 600 ft.
Sl a t e Had to Be Lif t e d Ou t of Va l l e y
As all slate b ro u g h t fro m th e m in e a s w ell a s all re fu se fro m th e p ick in g ta b le s a t th e tip p le w e re to be dum ped into a b in below th e level o f th e m in e -c a r tra c k , th e ta s k o f ra is in g th e re fu s e to piles o f an y co n sid e r
able h e ig h t so as to o b ta in m ax im u m a d v a n ta g e of th e d um ping a r e a available, p re s e n te d a difficult problem .
T he sla te -h a n d lin g eq u ip m en t w as d esig n ed a n d con
stru c te d by th e I n te r s ta te E q u ip m e n t C o rp o ra tio n of N ew Y ork. In g e n e ra l i t co n sists of a tw o -c a r ty p e of a e ria l tra m w a y , an u n u su a l f e a tu r e how ever, b e in g th e placin g o f th e o u te r te rm in a ls , o r ta il to w ers, a p p ro x i
m ately 360 f t. a p a r t m e a su re d h o rizo n ta lly , g iv in g , in effect, tra m w a y s w ith a com m on lo ad in g p o in t lo cated below th e slate b in a t th e tip ple. T h is a r ra n g e m e n t u til
ized p ra ctically th e e n tire av ailab le a r e a fo r d u m p in g purposes.
In plan, th e tra m w a y lay o u t fo rm s a tria n g le , each leg b ein g a p p ro x im a te ly 800 f t . long w ith th e b ase, o r distan ce betw een ta il to w ers, 360 f t . in le n g th . T h e an gle betw een th e tw o legs o f th e tra m w a y a t th e lo ad in g te rm in a l is a p p ro x im a te ly 24 deg. A sin g le fo u r- w heeled c a r of 2-ton ca p acity rid e s on fixed tr a c k cables betw een th e loadin g te rm in a l an d ta il to w e r on each leg of th e tra m w a y .
The c a rs a re a tta c h e d to an en dless h a u l ro pe w h ich passes over a d riv e w heel a t th e lo ad in g te rm in a l, th e n
A
S T R IK IN G exam ple of th e aw ak en in g of coal o p e ra to rs to th e n ec essity o f m o d ern iz in g th e ir eq u ip m en t is affo rd ed by th e new W a rd en m ine, of th e P itts b u r g h Coal Co. located a t M cA dam s, P a.From firs t to la st, th e th o u g h t b eh in d th is p la n t h as been to o b ta in a la y o u t t h a t w ill provide a m axim um ou tp u t a t low est u n it cost.
One of th e m o st difficult p roblem s fa c in g th e design-
dH ing en g in ee rs w as t h a t of h a n d lin g an d d isposin g of the slate and re fu se . T h e s ite chosen fo r th e tip p le w as in a long an d co m p a ra tiv e ly n a r ro w valley w ith h ig h h ills on both sides. T h e ra ilro a d tra c k s , s to ra g e tra c k s and public h ig h w ay p ra c tic a lly fill th e floor of th e valley, th e tipple s tr u c tu r e its e lf e x te n d in g fro m th e b ase o f th e hill behind it, h a lf w ay a c ro ss th e flat lan d a d ja c e n t to the stre a m . To find d u m p in g room f o r re fu se an y w here in th e valley w ould be im p ra c tic a l, y e t th e coal com pany’s e n g in e e rs e s tim a te d th e re w ould be a t le a s t 400 to ns of re fu s e p ro d u ced d aily w hen th e m in e reached its m axim um p ro d u c tio n . W ith such a la rg e q u a n tity of m a te ria l to be d isp osed of, it w as n ec essary to find , dum ping a r e a n o t only sufficient in size to ta k e care
of several y e a rs ’ re fu s e , b u t also n e a r enoug h to th e tipple to keep down h a n d lin g costs. B eh in d th e tipple, and a t r ig h t a n g les w ith th e valley is a b re a k in th e hillside fo rm in g a tr i a n g u l a r sh ap e d “ d ra w ” som e 10 , acres in ex ten t. T h is w as th e only d u m p in g a r e a a v a il
able. T he sides of th e “ d ra w ” w id en ed a s th e d istan ce
In th e h e a d p ie c e F ig . 1 s h o w s t h e t r a m w a y w i t h t h e lo a d in g i te r m in a l in th e fo r e g r o u n d . F ig . 2 is a v ie w lo o k in g u p th e
d r a w ” fr o m t h e tip p le . T h is s h o w s t h e s p r e a d o f th e t r a m w a y (j le g s w h ic h is s u ffic ie n t to e n a b le t h e d u m p to c o v e r t h e e n tir e
a v a ila b le s p o ilin g a r e a . F ig . 3 s h o w s t h e t a i l t o w e r s w it h th e Dp c o u n te r w e ig h te d g u id e s h e a v e f o r t h e h a u l r o p e . T h e h e ig h t o f
th e t r a c k c a b le s a b o v e t h e g r o u n d in d ic a t e s t h e p o s s ib le h e ig h t o f th e d u m p p ile s .
F ig . 4— L o o k in g D o w n “ D ra w ” fro m T a il T o w ers T o w a rd th e W a rd en T ip p le
S h o w s h o w d r a w d ip s to w a r d c e n te r lin e . R e *"®®h plt h* Tull p r o b a b ly o v e r la p a t th e b o tto m w h e n t h e p ile s r e a c h th e c o n t e m p la t e d h e ig h t.
V O L . 29, No . 18
P arr, G iv en C h an d ler M edal, D isc u sse s Coal
along one leg of th e tra m w a y to th e ta il to w er, down th e ta il to w e r to a co u n terw eig h ted sheave, acro ss to th e second ta il to w e r an d back to th e loading te rm in a l.
T h e c a rs a r e p erm a n en tly fa ste n e d to th e h au l ro pe in su ch p o sitio n t h a t w hen a c a r is a t th e loadin g te rm in a l o f one leg, th e o th e r c a r is a t th e ex trem e le n g th of tra v e l of th e opposing leg.
Pil e s to be On e Hu n d r e d Fe e t Hig h
T he g ro u n d level a t th e o u te r end of th e tra m w a y is a b o u t 100 f t. h ig h e r th a n a t th e lo ad in g te rm in a l an d to prov ide ad d itio n al h e ig h t fo r dum p in g th e re fu se , th e ta il to w ers w e re m ade 125 ft. h ig h . E ac h leg of th e tra m w a y h a s one in te rm e d ia te s u p p o rtin g to w er located 300 ft. d is ta n t fro m th e loadin g te rm in a l. T hese to w e rs a re 75 f t. h ig h th u s g iv in g a clea r d u m p in g space u n d e r each leg of th e tra m w a y ap p ro x im a te ly 500 f t . long w h ere slate m ay be dum ped in piles 100 ft. h ig h .
T he h e ig h ts of th e tw o in te rm e d ia te su p p o rtin g to w ers above th e lo ad in g te rm in a l cause each c a r to clim b a g ra d e of 35 deg. b efo re re a c h in g th e d um p in g sp an , th e incom ing c a r on one leg of th e tra m w a y h elp in g to offset th e pow er pull n ecessary to ra is e th e loaded c a r on th e o th er. A 40-hp. electric m o to r located a t th e loading te rm in a l fu rn is h e s th e pow er. I t is b elt-con
nected to a c o u n te rs h a ft w hich in tu r n is g e a re d to th e drive-w heel sh a ft.
On e Ma n Ha n d l e s En t ir e Op e r a t io n
T h e tra m w a y c a rs a r e loaded fro m a steel b in u n d e r th e tip p le th ro u g h tw o u n d e rc u t g a te s, each lo cated over one leg o f th e tra m w a y . T h e g ate-o p en in g m ech an ism a n d m o to r co n tro l is b ro u g h t to a p la tfo rm co n tro l s ta tio n , so t h a t one m an easily co n tro ls th e w hole o p e ra tion. No trip p in g device is re q u ire d in th e d u m p in g s p a n a s each c a r h a s an in te g ra l open in g m ech a n ism w hich m ay be a d ju s te d by th e o p e ra to r in a few seconds so a s to cause e ith e r c a r to d isc h a rg e its load a t an y d esire d p o in t along th e d u m p in g sp an s. T h is solves a difficult prob lem as th e sla te dum ps w ill p ro b a b ly catch fire an d m ake it in co n v en ie n t or even d an g e ro u s f o r m en to w o rk on th em .
T h is tra m w a y w as placed in o p e ra tio n e a rly in J a n u a r y an d, alth o u g h th e m in e is n o t a s y e t p ro d u c in g m uch coal, th e o p e ra tin g cost of th e tra m w a y ev id en tly w ill n o t exceed 2c. p e r to n of s la te h an d led , in clu d in g pow er a n d lab or. A s im ila r in s ta lla tio n to h an d le 1,100 to n s o f re fu s e d aily is now b e in g in sta lle d a t th e M o n to u r N o. 9 m in e o f th e sam e com pany.
S
W. P A R R , h e a d o f th e d iv isio n of in d u s tria l . c h e m is try a t th e U n iv e rs ity o f Illin o is, in v e n to r of a c o rro s io n -re s is tin g alloy k no w n as illium , w h ich serv es as a s u b s titu te fo r p la tin u m in th e la b o ra to ry , an dd ev iser of th e P a r r c a lo rim e te r, d eliv ered on A p ril 23, th e C h an d ler a d d re s s a t C olum bia U n iv e rs ity a n d w as a w a rd e d th e C h an d ler m edal g iv en by t h a t bo dy in re c o g n itio n of o u ts ta n d in g a c h ie v e m e n t in. ch em ical science. T h e a d d re ss w as e n title d “ T h e C o n s titu tio n of Coal w ith S pecial R efe ren c e to P ro b le m s o f C a rb o n iz a tio n ,” th e e ig h th of a se rie s of le c tu re s fo r w h ich p ro vision w as m ade in 1910 by th e e s ta b lis h m e n t of th e C h arles F re d e ric k C h an d ler F o u n d a tio n in h o n o r of t h a t p io n eer in th e A m eric an C hem ical in d u s try .
R e fe rrin g to h is own re se a rc h e s P ro fe s s o r P a r r de
clared t h a t w hen coal w a s s u b m itte d to th e e x tra c tio n process u s in g phenol as th e solvent th e re s in ic m a te r ia l w as dissolved fro m th e m a ss le a v in g th e lig n ite m a te r ia l behind . T h is lig n ite re s id u e w ould n o t coke b u t th e re sin ic h a d th e coking q u a lity in h ig h deg ree.
A s a re s u lt of stu d ie s alo ng t h is line i t is revealed t h a t coals, esp ecially o f th e m id -c o n tin e n ta l a re a , a re m uch m ore se n sitiv e in t h e i r chem ical c h a ra c te ris tic s to a lte r a tio n th a n th e co king coals of th e e a s te rn p a r t of th e U n ite d S ta te s , b u t by u tiliz in g th e in fo rm a tio n th u s a tta in e d , it is p o ssib le to follow m eth o d s o f p ro c ed u re w hich w ill conserve th e s e co k in g c o n s titu e n ts , th u s fo rm in g a coke o f excellen t d e n s ity a n d s tr e n g th . S tu d ie s of th is ty p e on th e c o n s titu tio n of coal re v e a l th e con
d itio n s w h ich m u s t be follow ed.
Ex o t h e r m ic He l p i n Ca r b o n iz in g
I t m ay be sa id f u r t h e r t h a t th e s e c o n d itio n s s u g g e s t w h a t is know n as th e lo w -te m p e ra tu re ty p e of p ro c ed u re in p re fe re n c e to th e h ig h e r te m p e r a tu re s o f th e s ta n d a rd coking process. I t is f u r t h e r o f i n te r e s t to n o te that by o bserv an ce o f th e co n d itio n s re v ealed b y th e s e stu d ie s it is possible to accom plish a lo w -te m p e ra tu re c a rb o n i
za tio n in a c ro ss-sectio n al a r e a o f fro m 12 t o 14 in.
in s te a d o f th e n a r ro w e r sectio n of 5 o r 6 in. o rd in a rily assu m ed to be n ec essary . In t h is co nn ectio n P ro fe s s o r P a r r d esc rib ed th e f e a tu r e s o f th e r e t o r t a n d o f th e p ro cess f o r th e c a rb o n iz a tio n of Illin o is coals w hich h ave been developed o v er a co n sid erab le p e rio d o f y e a rs by h im se lf an d h is a sso c ia te s a t th e U n iv e rs ity of Illin o is. T h e coke p ro d u c ed is sm okeless a n d especially a d a p te d to ho useh o ld ap p lian ces, an d th e b y p ro d u c ts a re o f special in te r e s t b ecau se of th e f a c t t h a t u n d e r th e co n d itio n s p re s c rib e d a la rg e y ield of g a s is o b ta in e d — fro m 4 to 4 J f t. p e r po und o f coal. T h e o th e r m a in b y p ro d u c t, th e t a r , is o f in te r e s t b ec au se o f its ty p e, w h ich h a s an e sta b lish e d co m m ercial value.
Tw o step s a re involved in th e p ro c ess t h a t P ro fe s s o r P a r r d e sc rib e d ; in (1 ) th e coal is g iv en a p re lim in a ry h e a tin g to a p o in t s h o rt o f fu s io n an d in (2 ) i t is coked in a v e rtic a l s h a f t r e to r t o f n a r ro w cro ss se c tio n h e a te d ex te rn a lly to 1,100 to 1,300 deg. F . P r o f e s s o r P a r r s a id t h a t th e e x o th e rm ic re a c tio n w h ich too k place a f t e r th e p re lim in a ry h e a tin g w ould do little to coke th e coal if th e h e a t i t su p p lied w e re a v a ila b le w h en th e m o is tu re w as s till p re s e n t b u t co m in g as i t did w h e n th e coal w as un ab le to ab so rb h e a t w ith o u t a ris e o f te m p e r a tu r e it h a d an im m en se effect an d aid ed th e p ro c ess o f c a rb o n izatio n m a te ria lly .
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6, 1926
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K e e p s D irt in th e M ine
A n d O n ly Coal o n th e P a y ro ll
W o o d w a r d Iro n Co. S a m p le s E a c h M in e Car, S a v in g b y N o t P a y in g C o a l P r ic e fo r R o c k a n d b y N o t H a u lin g R o c k U n d e r g r o u n d or o n R a ilr o a d
B y J . H . E d w a rd s
A s s o c i a t e E d i t o r H u n t i n g t o n , W . V a .
I
N T H E S E D A Y S of a co n tin u o u s d riv e fo r low er p ro d u ctio n costs, m o st m ine m an ag e m en ts th in k it a cause fo r c o n g ra tu la tio n if th e y can reduce th e nu m b er o f m en above g ro u n d o r p o in t to th e in s ta lla tion o f e q u ip m en t w h ich h a s se p a ra te d one o r m ore nam es fro m th e sem i-m o n th ly payrolls. A t th e M ulga m ine of th e W oodw ard Iro n Co., in A labam a, how ever, not only is th e r e g u la r tip p le crew em ployed b u t th e re are e ig h t a d d itio n a l w o rk e rs w ho a r e k ep t busy sam pling th e coal to d e te rm in e th e p e rc e n ta g e o f slate in each c a r dum ped. A nd th e e x tr a serv ice actu ally saves m oney.The M ulga m in e is o p e r a tin g in th e P r a t t seam , w hich a v e ra g e s 4 i f t . in th ic k n e ss. F o u rte e n inches from th e b o tto m is a 6- to 8-in. s tr e a k of sh aly ro ck ; n ea r th e to p is a n o th e r p a r tin g 2 i in. th ic k . T he coal is shipped a s m in e -ru n to th e w a sh e ry , w hich is o p er
ated in conn ection w ith th e b y p ro d u c t ovens.
B efore th e in tro d u c tio n of th e p re s e n t sa m p lin g sy s
tem th e re fu s e h au led aw a y fro m th e w a sh e ry a v e rag e d
T h e h e a d p ie c e s h o w s th e t o p - w o r k s o f t h e M u lg a m in e . On th e e n d n e x t to th e s h a f t t h e t ip p le h a s th r e e d e c k s . T h e s a m p lin g m a c h in e s a r e lo c a t e d o n t h e lo w e r d e c k . H o is t in g a t t h is
mine i s b y m e a n s o f d o u b le -d e c k c a g e s . W h e n t h e p h o to g r a p h w a s t a k e n f r o m w h ic h th e ill u s t r a t i o n h a s b e e n p r e p a r e d , th e w o r k o f t e a r in g d o w n a la r g e w o o d e n s t o r a g e b in , w h ic h s to o d 8* t h e le f t , h a d j u s t b e e n c o m p le te d , b u t t h e old lu m b e r h a d
not b e e n c le a r e d a w a y . G e t t in g rid o f t h is b in e lim in a t e d a w o r r is o m e A re h a z a r d .
F ig . 2— Show ing S am p lin g Car B elow R otary Dum p
T h e s a m p l e s a r e t a k e n f r o m h o l e s i n t h e b a f f l e p l a t e b e l o w t h e d u m p . B e c a u s e o f t h e r e s t r i c t e d h e a d r o o m g r a v i t y c h u t e s f r o m t h e r e c e i v i n g g a t e s t o t h e s a m p l e r s c o u l d n o t b e i n s t a l l e d . T h i s c o n d i t i o n n e c e s s i t a t e s t h e u s e o f t h e s m a l l d r o p - b o t t o m c a r f o r c o n v e y i n g t h e s a m p l e s t o t h e c h u t e s a b o v e t h e r e s p e c t i v e s a m p l e r s . B e c a u s e p r a c t i c a l l y e v e r y c a r i s s a m p l e d , i t r e q u i r e s t w o m e n t o o p e r a t e t h e s m a l l c a r f a s t e n o u g h t o k e e p u p w i t h t h e d u m p i n g .
19 p er cen t of th e coal m ined . N ow th e a v e ra g e is 12 p er cent. T h is 7-per ce n t re d u c tio n re p re s e n ts a la rg e saving . T he m in e rs a re n o t p a id f o r lo ad in g it. F e w e r m ine ca rs an d o th e r e q u ip m en t a r e r e q u ir e d to h an d le th e sam e q u a n tity of u sab le coal. In consequence, th e costs of m ine h a u la g e a re red u ced . F r e ig h t c h a rg e s
632
C O A L A G E VOL. 2 9 , N o . 18
F ig . 1— One o f Four S am plers
T h e sa m p le r s a r e a r r a n g e d in tw o p a ir s b a c k to b a c k . T h e sc r e e n s a n d p ic k in g t a b le s a r e 24 in . w id e . T h r e e m e n d o th e p ic k in g on e a c h p a ir o f s a m p le r s . T h is m e a n s t h a t o n e m a n m u s t d iv id e h is tim e b e tw e e n t w o o f t h e m a c h in e s . T h e w e ig h h o p p er, w h ic h is m o u n te d o n t h e s c a le a t th e lo w e r r ig h t, h a s tw o c o m p a r tm e n ts, o n e f o r r o c k a n d o n e fo r c o a l.
on th e tr a n s p o r t of coal to th e w a sh e ry an d on th e re fu se from th e w a sh e ry to th e dum p a re also low ered.
F ig . 1 is a close-up of one of th e f o u r sam p lers used.
E ach co n sists of a double-deck sh a k in g screen, a p ick in g tab le an d a tw o -c o m p a rtm en t w eigh h o p p e r m o u n ted on a dial-equipped p la tfo rm scale. T he screen s an d p ick in g ta b le a re 24 in. w ide an d only a few fe e t in len g th . T he u p p e r screen p la te h a s 1-in. d ia m e te r p e r fo ra tio n s an d th e low er h a s holes of A -in. d iam eter.
A f te r th e lum p m a te ria l w hich p asse s over th e u p p er screen h as been picked, th e g a te a t th e end of th e low er deck is opened allow ing th e second size to p ass over th e tab le. T he fine m a te ria l w hich passes th ro u g h th e low er screen goes d ire c tly to th e fine-coal c h u te of th e tip p le a n d th en ce to th e ra ilro a d car.
T he re fu s e fro m th e p ick in g ta b le is d ropp ed in to th e sm aller c o m p a rtm e n t o f th e scale h opper, an d th e coal d ro p s or is pu sh ed by h a n d in to th e la r g e r co m p artm e n t.
T h e w hole w e ig h t is reco rd ed opposite a key n u m b e r w h ich id en tifies th e check n u m b er. A second g a te is th e n opened to em p ty th e h o p p er an d th e w e ig h t of ro ck is th e n record ed. F ro m th e s e tw o fig u res th e p e rc e n ta g e o f re fu s e is calculated.
T h e to ta l w e ig h t o f sam ple ta k e n fro m each m in e c a r is ro u g h ly 60 lb. S ix m en do th e p ic k in g fro m th e fo u r sam p lers. T h e sam ples a re ta k e n fro m holes in th e baffle p la te below th e r o ta r y dum p. B ecause of th e lim ite d h ead ro o m in t h is tip p le , a sm all d ro p -b o tto m c a r
or b u g g y , o p e ra tin g on a 10-in. g ag e tra c k , is used to convey th e coal fro m th e re c e iv in g p o in t to th e sam p ler ch u tes. Tw o m en o p e ra te th is car.
T en p e r c e n t is s e t as th e allow able q u a n tity of rock an d sla te loaded. A b on us o f 3c. p e r to n f o r each p e r ce n t below te n is p a id to th e m in e r, an d h e is docked 2c. fo r each p e r c e n t above te n . T h e a d v a n ta g e o f m a k in g th e b o nu s la r g e r th a n th e dockage is ev id en t.
T he W oodw ard Iro n Co. in s ta lle d th e f irs t sa m p le rs in 1920. N ow each o f t h e i r th r e e m in es a r e eq uipped w ith sam p lers, m a k in g a to ta l o f te n m ach in e s in use.
T he eq u ip m en t u sed is th e R am say p a te n te d m in e sam p ler. T h e p rin c ip le upon w h ich t h is sa m p le r o p e r
a te s w as d esc rib ed in Coal A g e , Vol. 11, p. 506.
M issouri Has Seventy-Nine B illions O f Tons o f Coal
In fo rm a tio n in r e g a rd to th e an a ly se s, h e a tin g values, an d g e n e ra l c h a ra c te ris tic s o f n u m e ro u s M isso u ri coals a r e g iv en in T echnical P a p e r 366, e n title d A n a ly se s of M isso u ri C oals,” j u s t issu ed b y th e U. S. B u re a u of M ines. T he coal re s e rv e s o f th e S ta te o f M isso u ri be
fo re m in in g b e g a n a r e e s tim a te d a t a p p ro x im a te ly 79,000,000,000 to n s. O f th is q u a n tity , ab o u t o n e-h alf of one p e r c e n t h a s been ex h a u ste d .
T he a n n u a l o u tp u t o f th e s ta te ra n g e s fro m th r e e to five m illion to n s, a n d th o u g h p e rh a p s five o r s ix tim es th is q u a n tity of coal an n u a lly is u sed in th e S ta te , yet, la rg e ly becau se th e coal beds a re th in a n d m in in g costs h ig h , th e m in es a r e r e s tr ic te d to local m a rk e ts w h ere low f r e i g h t r a te s offset th e d is a d v a n ta g e s o f h ig h m in in g costs.
M isso u ri h a s f o u r co n tin u o u s w o rk a b le bed s, w h ich in do w nw ard o rd e r a r e as follo w s: L e x in g to n , M ulky, B evier, an d Tebo. In a d d itio n , th e r e a r e sev e ral beds o f sm all ex te n t. T h e Tebo bed, th o u g h locally th in , is alm ost ev e ry w h ere p re s e n t n o rth w e s t o f its lin e of o u t
crop an d is a t p re s e n t m in ed chiefly in L in n , G run dy , C h arito n , an d H e n ry C ounties. T h e B ev ier, L ow er Rich H ill, or W e ir - P itts b u r g L o w er coal, a s i t is v a rio u sly called, is ex ten siv e an d is m in ed a t m a n y places, y ield in g m ore th a n h a lf o f th e coal p ro d u ced in M isso u ri.
T h e M ulky, S u m m it, a n d L e x in g to n b ed s a r e re la tiv e ly th in , b u t a re p e r s is te n t. T he M ulky bed is o f m o st im p o rta n c e in M o ntg o m ery , R alls, A u d ra in , M acon, R a n dolph, C h a rito n , C arro ll, L a fa y e tte , an d J o h n s o n C oun
tie s , th e S u m m it in H o w a rd a n d Boone, a n d th e L ex
in g to n in L a fa y e tte , R ay, P u tn a m a n d A d a ir C o un ties.
Mi n e Th i c k e s t a n d Sh a l l o w e s t Be d s
A t p re s e n t th e la rg e r m in in g o p e ra tio n s in M isso u ri a re c o n c e n tra te d in such a re a s a s a r e u n d e rla in b y coals t h a t a r e th ic k e r o r m ore ea sily m in ed th a n th o se fo u n d elsew here in th e a r e a of co a l-b e a rin g rocks. I n a d d itio n to th e co u n ties a lre a d y m en tio n ed , C aldw ell, C allaw ay, Clay, P la tte , S ch u y ler an d V e rn o n C o u n tie s c o n ta in som e th ic k e r coal beds.
“P o ck et” coals a r e w o rk e d in a sm all w a y in M oni
te a u an d Cole C o u n ties a n d a r e a t p re s e n t a t a n u m b e r o f p o in ts in a re a s f a r t h e r so u th a n d e a s t. Som e lig n ite is know n to be p re s e n t in th e C retac eo u s a n d T e r t ia r y rocks of th e s o u th e a s te r n c o rn e r o f th e S ta te , b u t th e b eds h av e n o t been ex a m in e d in d e ta il a n d th e y can be only o f m in o r im p o rta n c e fo r a n u m b e r o f y e a rs to come.
Ma y 6, 1 9 2 6 C O A L A G E 6 3 3
D avid B. R eger
S m o k e le ss C oals
O f W e st V irg in ia
W h a t C o n s t it u te s S m o k e le s s C o a l an d W h e r e I t I s F o u n d — W e s t V ir g in ia in A ll H a s T h ir te e n B illio n T o n s in R e se r v e
B y D a v id B . R e g e r
A s s i s t a n t G e o l o g i s t , W e s t V i r g i n i a G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y , M o r g a n t o w n , W . V a .
I
N 1858 H . D. R ogers,*s ta te geologist, of P e n n sy l
v an ia, proposed a classifi
c a tio n of th e coals o f h ig h ra n k . B riefly s ta te d th is w as based on th e d im in ish in g c a r
bon con ten t, th e re b ein g fo u r ra n k s know n as a n th ra c ite , sem i - a n th ra c ite , sem i - b itu m ino us coals, an d b itu m in o u s coals. L ig n ite s an d p ea ts, be
cause of th e ir low ra n k , ap p e a r to have been o m itted in h is classification.
In 1879 P e r s if o r F r a z e r ,f o f th e Second Geological S u rv ey of P en n sy lv an ia, elab
o ra te d th is classification an d m ade i t m ore definite by a s s ig n in g fu e l ra tio s to the v a rio u s ra n k s, th e te rm fuel ra tio b ein g defined as the q u o tie n t of th e fixed carb o n d ivided by th e vo latile m a tte r. T h is classificatio n is a s in T able I.
T a b le I— F r a z e r ’s C la s s ific a tio n o f C o a ls
L i m i t i n g ’ F u e l R a t i o s H a r d , d r y a n t h r a c i t e ... 99 t o 12 S e m i - a n t h r a c i t e ... 12 t o 8 S e m i - b i t u m i n o u s ... 8 t o 5 B i t u m i n o u s ... 5 t o 0
In 1925 M. R. C am pbell,% of th e U n ited S ta te s Geo
logical S u rv ey , d iscu ssed th e se ea rly classifications a t some len g th an d concluded t h a t th e lim itin g fuel ra tio s should be re v ise d in h a rm o n y w ith m odern accepted usage. H is classificatio n , w hich I have reduced to ta b u la r fo rm is a s in T ab le II. W h e re I have v e n tu re d to add to it m y in itia ls a r e appended.
T a b le II—C a m p b e ll’s C la s s ific a tio n o f C o a ls
L i m i t i n g F u e l R a t i o s A n t h r a c i t e , h a r d , i g n i t i n g w i t h d i f f i c u l t y a n d
b u r n i n g w i t h b l u e f l a m e ... 9 9 t o 1 0 S e m i - a n t h r a c i t e , h a r d , b u r n i n g w i t h a s h o r t
y e l l o w f l a m e ... . . 1 0 t o 5 S e m i - b i t u m i n o u s , h a r d o r s o f t , b u r n i n g w i t h t h i n ,
y e l l o w s m o k e w h e n f i r s t f i r e d a n d t h e n w i t h s h o r t , y e l l o w f l a m e ( t h e s o c a l l e d “ sm o k e* -
l e s s ” c o a l s — D . B . R . ) ... 5 t o 2.5 B i t u m i n o u s , b u r n i n g w i t h w h i t e f l a m e a n d s m o k e
( d e f i n i t i o n a n d l o w e r l i m i t b y D . B . R . ) ... 2 .5 t o 1
In th e above classificatio n I h av e m ade c e rta in a d d i
tio n s to com plete th e d efin itio n s, a s C am pbell le ft m uch to be in fe r re d r e g a rd in g b itu m in o u s coal an d a ssig n ed
A r t i c l e r e a d b e f o r e W e s t V i r g i n i a C o a l M i n i n g I n s t i t u t e a t i t s w i n t e r m e e t i n g i n M o r g a n t o w n , W . V a .
T h e h e a d p i e c e s h o w s t h e N o . 3 P o c a h o n t a s b e d u n c o v e r e d b y C h e s a p e a k e & O h i o R .R . j u s t n o r t h o f R o d e s o n P i n e y C r e e k in R a l e i g h C o u n t y .
• T h e G e o l o g y o f P e n n s y l v a n i a , V o l . 2, p . 9 8 8 ; 1 8 5 8 .
t S e c o n d R e p o r t o f P r o g r e s s o f t h e L a b o r a t o r y o f t h e S u r v e y , S e c o n d G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y o f P e n n s y l v a n i a , R e p o r t M M , p. 1 4 4 ; 1 8 7 9 .
I V a l l e y C o a l F i e l d s o f V i r g i n i a , V i r g i n i a G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y , p p . 1 1 6 - 1 3 0 ; 1 9 2 5 .
no low er lim it to its fuel ra tio . As a p ra c tic a l m a tte r th is lim it w ill seldom fa ll below one, alth o u g h som e cannels a re lower.
In W est V irg in ia , as elab o rately describ ed in m an y detailed re p o rts of th e W est V irg in ia G eological S u r
vey, th e coals ra n g e in ra n k fro m s e m i-a n th ra c ite to b u tu m in o u s th e re b ein g a p ro g re ssiv e in cre ase in vola
tile m a tte r fro m so u th e a s t to n o rth w e s t acro ss th e s ta te . F o r p u rp oses of d iscu ssio n th e y m ay be d ivided a s fo llo w s:
B erk eley C o u n ty F ield , a d epo sit of se m i-a n th ra c ite , no t o p erated an d pro b ab ly o f sm all value.
P otom ac F ield , sem i-b itu m in o u s (sm ok eless) coal.
N e w R iver-P o ca h o n ta s F ield , sem i-b itu m in o u s (sm okeless) coal.
Coals no t y e t stu d ied , in p a r ts of R andolph, P o cah o n ta s an d G re e n b rie r C ounties, p a r tly sem i-b itu m in o u s an d p a rtly b itu m in o u s.
A ll o th er Coal F ield s, e n tire ly b itu m in o u s an d n o t h e re in f u r th e r discussed.
B e r k e l e y C o u n t y F i e l d— In B erk eley C o un ty an d th e edge of M o rg an , as in d ic a te d in m ap, is a b a sin , ap p ro x im a te ly 13 m iles long by one or tw o m iles w ide, c o n ta in in g s e m i-a n th ra c ite coal in th e Pocono S e rie s of rocks. T h is is h ig h ly fold ed an d p a r tly o v e rtu rn e d . T h is coal h a s been d escrib ed b y v a rio u s w r ite r s a n d h a s been discussed in d etail by G rim sley.* T he a v e ra g e of fo u r sam ples of coal collected b y h im fro m old dum ps is as Table III.
F ro m th e above a v e ra g e a n a ly sis it is e v id e n t t h a t th e coal is s e m i-a n th ra c ite . T he sam ples a p p e a r to be low in im p u ritie s, b u t in p o in t o f f a c t D r. G rim sley s ta te s t h a t th ey a re only fr a g m e n ts fro m old d um ps a n d t h a t in all p ro sp e cts an d a tte m p ts a t m in in g th e good coal w as fo u n d to be so m ix ed w ith s la te an d so c ru sh e d
* G P . G r i m s l e y , J e f f e r s o n , B e r k e l e y a n d M o r g a n R e p o r t , W . V a . G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y , p p . 3 4 5 - 3 6 0 a n d s e p a r a t e m a p ; 1 9 1 6 .
634 C O A L A G E Vol. 29, N o . 18 ( “ T y so n ” ) a n d P itts b u r g h ( “ B ig v e in ” ) sea m s a re n e a rin g ex h a u stio n b u t th e r e is s till a la rg e to n n a g e in th e E lk L ick ( “ F o u r-fo o t,” o r “ B a rto n ” ) B a k e rsto w n ( “ F re e p o rt,” o r “ T h o m as” ) M a h o n in g ( “ S ix -fo o t” ) and U p p e r F re e p o rt ( “ S p lit-six ” o r “ D a v is” ) beds. F o r sev eral y e a rs th e field, h a s b een m u ch h a m p e re d by u n fo r tu n a te la b o r tro u b le s an d low p ric e s so t h a t th e o u t
p u t h a s been low, b u t m a n y m in es a re in o p e ra tio n , th e cap acities o f w h ich could be g re a tly ex p an d ed u n d e r fa v o rab le co nd itio ns.
T able IV show s th e a v e ra g e an a ly se s of th e s e coals, an d t h e ir fu e l r a tio s w ith e s tim a te s of o rig in a l and p re s e n t av ailable to n n ag e. I f 80 p e r c e n t o f th e p re s e n t available 2,150,041,198 to n s be re co v ered it is ev id en t t h a t th e field w ill p ro d u ce 1,720,032,958 s h o rt to n s.
Si x t e e n Se a m s i n So u t h e r n Fie l d
New River-Po cahontas Field— T h is is lo cated in so u th e rn W est V irg in ia a n d includ es p a r t of F a y e tte , R aleigh, W yom ing, M cDowell, M e rcer an d S u m m ers C ounties. I t covers a t e r r it o r y 80 m iles lo ng a n d 25 to 30 m iles w ide. T h e re a r e s ix te e n seam s o f sem i- b itu m in o u s o r sm okeless coal, all o f w h ich a r e in th e P o ttsv ille serie s, tw o b ein g in th e K a n a w h a g ro u p , six in th e N ew R iv e r g ro u p an d th e re m a in in g e ig h t in th e P o cah o n tas g ro u p . A t m an y lo calities sev e ral of th ese beds a re o p erated in th e sam e m o u n ta in b u t on account of th e re g io n a l n o rth w e s te rn dip th e r e is p ro b a b ly no sin gle place w h e re all m ay be fo u n d . T h ese coals have been fu lly d escribed b y H e n n en an d K re b s* in d etailed re p o rts of th e W est V irg in ia G eological S u rv ey , and th e re a re e a rlie r re p o rts o f a m o re g e n e ra l n a tu r e by Stevenson, W h ite, C am pbell a n d o th e rs . C e rta in a d d i
tio n al m a tte r on M ercer an d S u m m e rs C o u n tie s p re p a re d by m y self is now on th e p re ss.
T hese coals a re low in ash , s u lp h u r an d p h o sp h o ru s, b u t h ig h in th e rm a l c o n te n t an d fixed ca rb o n , w ith fuel an d irre g u la r th a t fa ilu re h as re su lted fro m all o p e ra
tions. O th ers who have exam ined th e te r r ito r y , in clu d in g m yself, ag ree as to th ese fa c ts . In consequence, th e
Table III—Pocono Series Coals of Berkeley County Field
P e r C e n t 8 1 . 7 2
1 1 .3 3 0 .4 8 6 .4 7
100.00
S u l p h u r ... 0 .8 3 P h o s p h o r u s ... 0 .0 3 3 F u e l r a t i o ( F i x e d C a r b o n d i v i d e d b y V o l a t i l e
M a t t e r ) ... 7-2
field m u st be dism issed as a p re se n t source of sm okeless coal.
Potom ac Field— T h is field, show n in (see s ta te m ap ) em b ra cin g p a r ts o f M ineral, G ra n t an d T u ck e r C ounties alon g th e W e ste rn M ary lan d Ry. an d th e B altim o re and O hio R .R. in n o rth e a s te rn W est V irg in ia , is an a re a f o r ty m iles long an d seven or e ig h t m iles w ide in w hich th e r e a r e fo u rte e n m inable coals of sm okeless o r sem i- b itu m in o u s ra n k v a ry in g in fu el ra tio fro m 2.7 to 4.6.
T h ese coals I hav e fu lly d escribed in d etailed re p o rts o f th e W est V irg in ia G eological S u rv e y ,! an d th e r e a re a d d itio n a l d e sc rip tio n s of e a rlie r d ates b y S tevenson, W h ite an d o th ers.
♦ T h ese coals have been m ined fo r m an y y ea rs, th e p ro d u c t b e in g ship p ed m a in ly to e a s te rn m a rk e ts fo r s m ith in g , steam , an d dom estic fuel. T he Sew ickley
t D a v i d B . R e g e r , T u c k e r R e p o r t ( 1 9 2 3 ) , a n d M i n e r a l a n d G r a n t R e p o r t ( 1 9 2 4 ) ; W e s t V i r g i n i a G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y .
Tipple of United S tates Coal & Coke Co.
N o . 4 m i n e i n t h e N o . 3 P o c a h o n t a s b e d n e a r T h o r p e , M c D o w e l l C o u n t y . T h i s p r o p e r t y i s a s h o r t d i s t a n c e f r o m t h e v i l l a g e o f G a r y .
ra tio s th a t v a ry fro m 2.8 to 4.9. T h ey a r e sh ip p e d bo th e a st an d w est f o r steam an d d om estic fu el, a n d a r e also th e p rin cip a l coals u sed b y th e U n ite d S ta te s N av y and by th e m e rc h a n t m a rin e v essels co alin g a t A tla n tic p o rts. A s m e ta llu rg ic a l fu e l th e y a r e u sed ex ten siv ely , b u t in th e m a n u fa c tu re of coke i t is o fte n n e c e s sa ry to m ix th em w ith coals h a v in g a h ig h e r a s h in o rd e r to g e t th e re q u ire d s tr e n g th f o r th e b la s t fu rn a c e . In
• R a y V . H e n n e n , W y o m i n g a n d M c D o w e l l R e p o r t ( 1 9 1 5 ) , and
F a y e t t e R e p o r t ( 1 9 1 9 ) ; C . E . K r e b s , R a l e i g h C o u n t y a n d W e s t e r n P o r t i o n s o f M e r c e r a n d S u m m e r s C o u n t i e s R e p o r t ( 1 9 1 6 ) ;
W e s t V i r g i n i a G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y . F i x e d c a r b o n . . .
V o l a t i l e m a t t e r M o i s t u r e ...
A s h ...
Where Pittsburgh Bed Is Being Stripped
C o a l a t t h e s t r i p p i n g p i t o f H . P . B r y d o n & B r o t h e r , I n c . , S h o r e s K n o b , M i n e r a l C o u n t y . T h e t o p o f t h e c o a l i s p l a i n l y v i s i b l e a b o u t 4 f t . a b o v e t h e t o p o f t h e t w o - f o o t r u l e h e l d m t h e h a n d o f t h e g e o l o g i s t , w h o w i l l b e r e c o g n i z e d a s t h e a u t h o r o f t h e a r t i c l e . T h e r o c k a b o v e t h e c o a l i s k n o w n a s t h e P i t t s b u r g h s a n d s t o n e .
May 6, 1926 C O A L A G E 635
I
Welch
S e c o n d l a r g e s t t o w n i n s m o k e l e s s f i e l d s o f W e s t V i r g i n i a . O n c e i t s t o o d o u t s i d e t h e a c t i v i t y i t s e r v e d b e c a u s e t h e P o c a h o n t a s s e a m s u n d e r t h e t o w n l a i d b e l o w w a t e r l e v e l . N o w a n u m b e r o f s h a f t s h a v e b e e n s u n k c o r r e c t i n g t h a t c o n d i t i o n , a n d a l l W e l c h s u f f e r s f r o m i s a f o o t h o l d o n t h e h i l l s . T h e v a l l e y s a r e n a r r o w t h e h i l l s a r e h i g h a n d n o t l e v e l o n t o p .
In M ineral County the Monongahela Series Has a Few Strippable Areas
P i t t s b u r g h c o a l a ,t s t r i p p i n g p l a n t o f S m i t h B i g V e i n r e g i o n o f M a r y l a n d . S e v e r a l f e e t o f c o a l a r e c o n c e a l e d C o a l C o . T h i s p i t i s n o r t h w e s t o f S u l p h u r C i t y i n t h e b y t h e w a t e r b y w h i c h t h e s t r i p p i t h a s b e e n f l o o d e d . E l k G a r d e n f i e l d , a n e x t e n s i o n o f t h e G e o r g e s C r e e k N o t e t h e b r i g h t n e s s o f t h e c o a l d e s p i t e l i g h t c o v e r .
quality th e y a re th e «qual of an y o th e r sm okeless coals in th e w orld, an d th e m in in g co n d itio n s a re so good th a t no o th e r re g io n can com pete w ith th em in th e cost of delivered h e a t u n its.
The N ew R iv e r-P o c a h o n ta s F ie ld is served by th e C hesapeake an d Ohio, N o rfo lk an d W estern , V irg in ia n , and K an aw h a an d M ich ig an ra ilw a y s, an d it is equipped by h u n d re d s of la rg e an d efficient m ines so th a t m any millions o f to n s p e r y e a r a r e placed on th e m a rk e t. A t the sam e tim e th e field is cap able of c a rry in g a larg e overload in fuel em erg en cie s an d of indefinite expansion in response to a p ro lo n g ed dem and.
T able V show s th e a v e ra g e an a ly e s of th ese coals, to g e th e r w ith th e ir fu e l r a tio s an d e stim a te s of o rig in a l and p re se n t av a ila b le to n n a g e . I f 80 p e r ce n t of th e p re sen t av ailab le 11,082,856,023 to n s be recovered th e fu tu re o u tp u t w ill be 8,866,284,818 s h o rt tons. All the
an alyses in th is an d o th e r tab les w ere of coal sam p les tak en by m em bers of th e W est V irg in ia Geological S u r
vey an d analyzed in th e la b o ra to ry of t h a t o rg a n iz a tio n . Coals Not Ye t St u d ie d— In th e w e ste rn edges o f G re e n b rie r an d P o cah o n tas an d in th e C h eat R iv e r v a l
ley of c e n tra l R andolph C ounty a re la rg e a r e a s o f K an aw h a an d N ew R iv e r coals, m uch of w hich w ill p ro b ably be of sem i-b itu m in o u s or sm okeless ra n k . T hese coals have n o t been stu d ied in sufficient d etail, how ever, to p e rm it a n a u th o rita tiv e classification to be m ade, and fo r th is re a so n th e y h av e been s e p a ra te ly d e sig n a te d in th e m ap. A few m in es a r e now in o p e ra tio n in c e n tra l R andolph an d in G re e n b rie r C ounty.
I n th e s o u th e rn halves o f N icholas an d W e b ste r an d th e so u th w e ste rn c o rn e r of R an do lp h th e r e a r e f u r t h e r la rg e a re a s o f p u re N ew R iv e r coal w hich do n o t q u ite reach th e a v e ra g e fu e l ra tio of 2.5 nam ed by C am pbell
