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Bench-M ark
St a t i s t i c s c o m p i l e d b y t h e d e m o g r a p h i c a l d i v i s i o n o f t h e B u r e a u o f M i n e s s h o w t h a t 7 0 p e r c e n t o f t h e 1 9 3 2 b i t u m i n o u s o u t p u t w a s p r o d u c e d b y m i n e s t h a t o p e r a t e d t h a t y e a r w i t h o u t a s i n g l e f a t a l a c c i d e n t . T h e s e m i n e s e m p l o y e d 6 6 . 2 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l n u m b e r o f b i t u m i n o u s w o r k e r s a n d a c c o u n t e d f o r 6 1 . 1 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l m a n - h o u r s . D u r i n g t h e p r e c e d i n g y e a r , 5 3 . 6 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o n n a g e c a m e f r o m m i n e s w i t h o u t a f a t a l i t y , e m p l o y i n g 6 0 . 9 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l w o r k e r s a n d a c c o u n t i n g f o r 5 5 . 3 p e r c e n t o f t h e t o t a l m a n - h o u r s . F o r 1 9 3 0 , t h e r e c o r d f o r m i n e s in t h i s c l a s s w a s 4 9 . 8 p e r c e n t o f t h e p r o d u c t i o n , 5 5 . 5 p e r c e n t o f t h e w o r k e r s a n d 5 1 . 5 p e r c e n t o f t h e m a n - h o u r s . C o m p l e t e l y a c c i d e n t - f r e e o p e r a t i o n o f t h e i n d u s t r y m a y b e a n u n a t t a i n a b l e i d e a l , b u t t h e p r o g r e s s i v e i m p r o v e m e n t o f r e c e n t y e a r s is m a k i n g it i n c r e a s i n g l y diffi cult f o r i n d i f f e r e n t m a n a g e m e n t a n d c a r e l e s s w o r k m e n t o j u s t i f y p o o r s a f e t y r e c o r d s b y g l i b r e f e r e n c e s t o t h e n a t u r a l h a z a r d s o f t h e m i n e s .
Dynam ite
S t i l l s t r u g g l i n g w i t h t h e c o m p l e x p r o b l e m o f d i v i s i o n a l a n d i n t r a - d i v i s i o n a l p r i c e c o r r e l a t i o n , N R A n o w p r o p o s e s t o r e a c h a s o l u t i o n t h r o u g h a n i n d i r e c t a l l o c a t i o n o f t o n n a g e . I n k e e p i n g w i t h t h i s p l a n , s u b d i v i s i o n a l c o d e a u t h o r i t i e s o f D i v i s i o n I, w i t h o n e e x c e p t i o n , h a v e a g r e e d u p o n t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e t o t a l c o m m e r c i a l b u s i n e s s o f t h e d i v i s i o n t o w h i c h e a c h is e n t i t l e d . “ A n y s i g n i f i c a n t d e p a r t u r e , o t h e r t h a n s e a s o n a l v a r i a t i o n s , ” f r o m t h e s e p e r c e n t a g e s is t o b e c h e c k e d b y p r i c e r e v i s i o n s s o t h a t e a c h s u b d i v i s i o n wi l l b e a b l e “ t o m a i n t a i n its
p o s i t i o n in t h e m a r k e t ’ o n t h e b a s i s o f t h e a g r e e d a l l o c a t i o n s .
A d o p t i o n o f t h i s s c h e m e m a y g i v e N R A a c o n v e n i e n t f o r m u l a f o r d e a l i n g w i t h t h e t r o u b l e s o m e q u e s t i o n o f c o r r e l a t i o n , b u t it is d o u b t f u l i f t h e p l a n w i l l c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e p r o m o t i o n o f s a n e a n d s o u n d r e c o v e r y . A l l o c a t i o n a s c o n t e m p l a t e d in t h e n e w a g r e e m e n t is p r i m a r i l y a f r e e z i n g p r o c e s s in w h i c h e x i s t i n g i n e q u a l i t i e s a n d m a l a d j u s t m e n t s a r e r e a d i l y a n d q u i t e f i r m l y p r e s e r v e d . D i s t r i c t s w i t h p r i c e l e v e l s f a i r a l i k e t o p r o d u c e r a n d t o c o n s u m e r a r e t h r e a t e n e d w i t h t h e a r b i t r a r y i m p o s i t i o n o f h i g h e r p r i c e s i f t h e y e x p a n d t h e i r s h a r e o f t h e d i v i s i o n t o n n a g e . U n d e r s u c h a s e t u p , t h e h o p e t h a t , w i t h f a i r w ' a g e s p e g g e d a n d u n f a i r p r a c t i c e s d e f i n e d a n d o u t l a w e d , c o a l s f r o m c o m p e t i n g d i s t r i c t s w o u l d b e p e r m i t t e d t o fi nd t h e i r n a t u r a l e c o n o m i c l e v e l s in c o m m o n m a r k e t s is d e s t r o y e d .
Concentration
N o SOONER w a s m a c h i n e r y i n t r o d u c e d i n t o i n d u s t r y , w i t h its p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f c o n c e n t r a t i o n , t h a n m a n u f a c t u r i n g w a s r e m o v e d f r o m h o m e s t o f a c t o r i e s , w h e r e t h e n e e d s o f t h e w o r k e r s c o u l d b e b e t t e r m e t a n d t h e i r w o r k s u p e r v i s e d . S i m i l a r l y , w i t h m e c h a n i c a l o p e r a t i o n , w o r k in t h e m i n e is b e i n g c o n c e n t r a t e d f r o m a n i m m e n s e n u m b e r o f s e p a r a t e r o o m s t o a f e w f o c a l p o i n t s , b r i n g i n g t h e w o r k i n g a r e a d o w n t o a m i n i m u m , a n d t h e r e s t o f t h e m i n e b e i n g a b a n d o n e d e x c e p t f o r h a u l a g e w a y s , e s c a p e w a y s , a i r w a y s a n d w a t e r w a y s ; “ i n g r e s s a n d e g r e s s , ” a s l a w s c r i v e n e r s w o u l d s a y .
T h e c o s t l i n e s s o f d i s t r i b u t i o n o n w i d e a r e a s is w e l l i l l u s t r a t e d b y t h e e l e c t r i c a l i n d u s t r y , w h e r e t h e d o m e s t i c c o n s u m e r m u s t p a y s e v e r a l t i m e s t h e c o s t o f g e n e r a t i n g c u r r e n t , b e c a u s e
h i s d e m a n d is s o l i g h t t h a t c o s t o f l a y i n g , m a i n t a i n i n g a n d s u p e r v i s i n g p o w e r l i n e s g r e a t l y e x c e e d s t h a t b a s a l c o s t . E v e n t h e n t h e c o n s u m e r h a s t o p r o v i d e d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d m a i n t a i n t h e m e c h a n i s m s a n d l i n e s w i t h i n h i s o w n h o u s e , t h u s st i ll f u r t h e r i n c r e a s i n g t h e r a t i o o f c o n s u m e r t o s w i t c h b o a r d c o s t .
I f m e c h a n i z a t i o n d i d n o t s a v e a d o l l a r in c o s t o f l o a d i n g , it w o u l d a b u n d a n t l y j u s t i f y i t s e l f in t h e o t h e r c o s t s it e l i m i n a t e s b y i t s a d a p t a b i l i t y t o h i g h c o n c e n t r a t i o n . S o m e p u t t h e s a v i n g a s h i g h a s 2 0 o r 3 0 c e n t s a t o n .
Breathing Spell
Pa s s a g e o f a j o i n t r e s o l u t i o n b y C o n g r e s s a u t h o r i z i n g t h e P r e s i d e n t t o a p p o i n t b o a r d s t o i n v e s t i g a t e c o n t r o v e r s i e s a r i s i n g u n d e r S e c t i o n 7 ( a ) o f N I R A a n d , a t t h e i r d i s c r e t i o n , t o h o l d e l e c t i o n s t o d e t e r m i n e e m p l o y e e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n in c o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g g i v e s a n e e d e d o p p o r t u n i t y f o r c a l m a n d d i s p a s s i o n a t e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e i s s u e s r a i s e d b y t h e W a g n e r i n d u s t r i a l d i s p u t e s bi l l . E x c e p t f o r t h e l a s t - m i n u t e a f f i r m a t i o n o f t h e r i g h t t o s t r i k e , w h i c h , i n c i d e n t a l l y , w a s n o t c h a l l e n g e d b y N I R A , t h e r e s o l u t i o n o f J u n e 16 s i m p l y p l a c e s t h e s t a m p o f C o n g r e s s i o n a l a p p r o v a l u p o n t h e p o l i c y i n
a u g u r a t e d w i t h t h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e N a t i o n a l L a b o r B o a r d l a s t A u g u s t .
T h i s a c t i o n w a s f r a n k l y r e c o g n i z e d a s a p u r e l y t e m p o r a r y e x p e d i e n t t a k e n t o a v o i d p r o l o n g e d d e b a t e o n t h e W a g n e r bi l l in t h e c l o s i n g h o u r s o f t h e S e v e n t y - t h i r d C o n g r e s s . T h e m a j o r q u e s t i o n o f w h e t h e r a n a t i o n a l l a b o r p o l i c y f o r i n d u s t r y s h o u l d b e w r i t t e n i n t o t h e f e d e r a l s t a t u t e s h a s b e e n m e r e l y p o s t p o n e d — n o t e l i m i n a t e d . B o t h t h e t e m p e r o f C o n g r e s s a n d t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f o r g a n i z e d l a b o r , s u p p o r t e d b y t h e s o - c a l l e d l i b e r a l g r o u p s o f t h e c o u n t r y , s e e m t o f o r e s h a d o w a f i xed d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o e s t a b l i s h s u c h a p o l i c y . I f t h a t b e s o , t h e n t h e p a r t i c u l a r f o r m t h a t p o l i c y s h o u l d t a k e c r i e s f o r d e e p a n d e a r l y c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
I n d u s t r i a l o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e p a r t i c u l a r f o r m p r o p o s e d in t h e W a g n e r bi l l is r e a d i l y u n d e r s t a n d a b l e ; w h o l l y a s i d e f r o m its p a n d e r i n g t o t h e d e m a n d s o f o r g a n i z e d l a b o r , t h a t f o r m h o l d s l i t t l e p r o m i s e o f a c h i e v i n g i t s o b j e c t i v e o f p r o m o t i n g i n d u s t r i a l p e a c e e x c e p t t h r o u g h t h e a b j e c t s u r r e n d e r o f m a n a g e m e n t . B u t o p p o s i t i o n w h i c h d e p e n d s s o l e l y o n n e g a t i o n is d a n g e r o u s l y w e a k . I f i n d u s t r y s e e k s m o r e t h a n a f e w i n c o n s e q u e n t i a l c o n c e s s i o n s , i t m u s t
b e p r e p a r e d n o t o n l y t o p o i n t o u t t h e d e f e c t s o f l e g i s l a t i o n a s p r o p o s e d b u t a l s o t o s u g g e s t w h a t s h o u l d b e d o n e t o m a k e t h a t l e g i s l a t i o n d e s i r a b l e in t h e n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t .
T h e c r u x o f a n y d e c l a r a t i o n o f a n a t i o n a l l a b o r p o l i c y is w h e t h e r c o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g s h o u l d b e m a d e c o m p u l s o r y . U n t i l N I R A , it w a s w e l l u n d e r s t o o d t h a t m a n a g e m e n t w a s w i t h i n i t s r i g h t s in r e f u s i n g t o r e c o g n i z e c o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g in a n y f o r m . I f t h a t r i g h t is t o b e o u t l a w e d , t h e n i n d u s t r y is o n s o l i d g r o u n d in d e m a n d i n g t h a t t h o s e w h o c l a i m t h e p r i v i l e g e s i n h e r e n t in s u c h a d e n i a l s h o u l d b e r e q u i r e d t o a b a n d o n t h e i r r i g h t t o i m p o s e t h e i r w i l l u p o n m a n a g e m e n t b y t h e m a s s a c t i o n o f t h e s t r i k e . T h i s w o u l d m e a n t h a t , w h e r e m a n a g e m e n t a n d l a b o r w e r e u n a b l e t o a g r e e u p o n q u e s t i o n s o f w a g e s a n d w o r k i n g c o n d i t i o n s , b o t h s i d e s w o u l d b e c o m p e l l e d t o s u b m i t t h e i r d i f f e r e n c e s t o i m p a r t i a l a r b i t r a t i o n a n d t o a b i d e b y t h e t e r m s o f t h e a r b i t r a t i o n a w a r d .
In Time of Peace Prepare
Co l d W IN T E R S d o n o t c o m e s i n g l y ; t h e y u s u a l l y c o m e in p a i r s o r g r o u p s o f t h r e e . T h e r e f o r e , n e x t w i n t e r p r o b a b l y w i l l b e l o n g a n d c o l d . I n t h e a n t h r a c i t e r e g i o n , a t l e a s t , t h e r e w a s s o m e a p p r e h e n s i o n l a s t y e a r a n d e a r l y t h i s y e a r t h a t e n o u g h c o a l w o u l d n o t b e m i n e d a n d s h i p p e d t o p r o v i d e f o r t h e w i n t e r ’s n e e d . S t o c k s in t h e c i t i e s w e r e l o w a n d a h e a v y s n o w m i g h t h a v e c u t off t h e s u p p l y .
A s a r e s u l t o f t h e s t e a d y - wor k a l o t o f d e v e l o p m e n t w a s c o m p l e t e l y u s e d u p , a n d d u r i n g t h e s u m m e r t h a t d e f i c i e n c y m u s t b e m a d e g o o d , e v e n i f c o a l c o s t s m o r e w h e n p r i c e s a r e l o w e s t . E v e r y c o m p a n y s h o u l d h a v e a s u s p e n s e a c c o u n t f o r a d d i t i o n a l y a r d a g e , t o b e c h a r g e d off in t h e w i n t e r i f p r o d u c t i o n o v e r r u n s d e v e l o p m e n t .
Y a r d a g e in a n t h r a c i t e m i n e s s h o u l d a l w a y s b e a h e a d o f a c t u a l n e e d s b a s e d o n p r o j e c t e d c o a l d e v e l o p m e n t , f o r n o o n e c a n t e l l j u s t h o w s o o n in f u t u r e e x t e n s i o n s c o a l m a y t h i n o r b e l o s t , o r w h e n t h e c o n t o u r s o f t h e b e d m a y b e s u c h a s t o r e d u c e p r o d u c t i o n . W h e r e d o u b t ex i s t s , it is w e l l t o h a v e a l i t t l e e x c e s s y a r d a g e o n w h i c h t o d r a w . S o m e w o r k o n l y a t d e v e l o p m e n t in t h e s u m m e r , l e a v i n g c o a l - g e t t i n g as a w i n t e r o b j e c t i v e . E v e n t h e n t h e g a n g w a y s m u s t b e a d v a n c e d in t h e w i n t e r , i f t o n n a g e is t o b e m a i n t a i n e d . S t r i p p i n g s a l s o m u s t s p e c i a l i z e in t h e s u m m e r o n u n c o v e r i n g t h e c o a l r a t h e r t h a n o n l o a d i n g t h e c o a l i n t o c a r s .
298 C O A L A G E — Vol.39, No.
ANTHRACITE STRIPPINGS
+ Exemplify New Technique A s Practiced in Southern Fields
N
E W M E T H O D S w h ich m ake s trip p in g applicable to ev e r w id er and deeper coal a re a s a re w ell illu strated by sev eral o p e ra tio n s of H ill& S uender, w ith h e a d q u a rte rs a t F ra c k - ville, P a. E n g in e e rs a re keenly n o tin g th e ra p id ad v an ce of technique a n d th e c e rta in ty th a t b efo re lo n g it w ill m ake possible reco v ery of coal h ith e rto not susceptible to such tre a tm e n t. A c c o rd ingly, they a r r a n g e th a t p resen t-d ay strip p in g s shall be so conducted as not to m ilitate a g a in s t e x te n sio n h e re a fte r w hen the ra tio of o v erb u rd en rem oved to coal reco v ered shall be rad ically r e vised. Indeed, m any strip p in g s are w idened a n d deepened a s soon as the developm ent first p lan n ed h as been com pleted ; an d m an y s trip p in g s abandoned in e a rlie r y e a rs h a v e resum ed activ ity along lines m o re am b itio u s th a n before.
H o w ev er, th e first s trip p in g to be de
scribed— th a t conducted fo r th e L eh ig h N a v ig a tio n Coal Co., of L a n sfo rd , P a., a t T a m a q u a — is an ex am p le of an o p e ra tion w h e re co n d itio n s a re unusually favorable an d w h ere o p p o rtu n itie s fo r ex te n d in g th e first lay o u t d o w n w ard are n o t read ily a p p a re n t. T h is s trip p in g lies to the n o rth o f the cele b rated P a n th e r C reek V alley an d is k n o w n as the Tam aqua, o r F iv e -V e in , strip p in g .
H e re the M am m o th bed m akes a steep an d re g u la r fold befo re it p lu n g es h ead
long to w a rd th e P a n th e r C reek V alley.
A t th is point, th e bed h a s a lre a d y be
g un to sp lit an d fo u r b ig “ d iv id ers,”
p artin g s, in te rv a ls o r lenses of ro ck are to be fo u n d in it, th u s fo rm in g th e “ five vein s” to w h ic h re fe re n c e h as been m ade, tra c e s of w h ic h w ill be noted to th e left of F ig . 1, w h e re an electric B u c y ru s-E rie 4-cu.yd. shovel is w o rk ing. In th e fo re g ro u n d , th e p it even
tually w ill be 75 ft. deep er th a n is show n a t present.
I t w ill be noted th a t coal an d rock are tra n sp o rte d e n tire ly by g aso lin e trucks.
S u ch tru c k s a re said to h av e the follow in g a d v a n ta g e s o v er equipm ent hauled
by locom otives over rails : ( 1 ) T h e y can go up steeper g ra d ie n ts an d can m ake much sh a rp e r tu r n s ; ( 2 ) no force of m en is needed to th ro w ov er the track s a t the d u m p ; one m an w ill suffice, h is duties being m ainly those of a safety m an to keep th e tru c k s from b ack in g too f a r ; ( 3 ) tru ck s can be sh ifted on the jo b , o r from jo b to jo b , w ith less p re p a ra tio n , because no rails, ties o r locom otives have to be tra n sp o rte d an d no rails h av e to be la id ; ( 4 ) roads can read ily be k ep t in condition by bulldozers, and m a in te nance of h ig h w ay s w ith these is less e x pensive th an th e upkeep, as to alig n m en t and g rad ien t, of a ra ilro a d track , espe
cially w here it is placed on a heavy fill ; ( 5 ) less e x p en d itu re need be sunk in equipm ent, because tru ck s can alw ays be hired in the w in te r seaso n ; th u s H ill
& S u en d er w ill often add to its equip
m ent 40 o r 50 tru c k s a t th e peak of the dem and fo r c o a l; ( 6 ) w ith gasoline tru ck s it is relativ ely easy to a rr a n g e th a t th e shovel w ill have o p p o rtu n ity tc w ork continuously, w h ereas w ith ra il
road cars, th e trip s usually a re delivered to the shovel a t inconveniently lo n g in te rv a ls ; ( 7 ) m ore space is needed n e a r the shovel w h ere ra ilro a d c a rs a re used th an will suffice fo r trucks.
In all, th e firm has e ig h t bulldozers a t w o rk p erfo rm in g all kinds of jo b s a t its fourteen strip p in g s, th e p rin cip al of w hich is the m ain ten an ce of roads, th ough they a re used also fo r p u sh in g back spoil from th e d ra g lin e e x c av ato r w here the boom of th a t u n it is n o t lo n g enough to deposit its load a t the place desired. In g en eral, bulldozers in th e a n th ra c ite reg io n a re la rg e r, a n d essay heav ier tasks, th a n th e ir c o u n te rp a rts a t bitum inous strip p in g s.
A t the sam e tim e, declares th e quoted au th o rity , tire s of tru c k s a re su b je c t to m uch w ear, especially w h ere th e M am m oth bed is being w orked, fo r th a t b rig h t, h ard , g listen in g coal w ill cut like g lass w hen first m ined. I t w ill cut the hands if not handled g in g erly . O n the
o th e r hand, coal fro m the P rim ro s e bed a n d ro ck w ill do less h a rm to tire s th an coal fro m th e M am m oth bed.
A t th e T a m a q u a strip p in g , th e d i
v id e rs in th e M am m oth beds a re from 12 to 18 ft. th ick . C oal is b ein g hauled in tru c k s a h alf m ile to a d u m ping ram p, w h ere it is d isc h a rg e d in to m ine c a rs an d hauled a n d h o isted by th e L eh ig h N a v ig a tio n Coal Co. to its T am aq u a, o r N o. 14, breaker.
E q u ip m en t on th e jo b includes not only the B u c y ru s-E rie shovel m entioned but also one L im a 1^-cu.yd. shovel, one B u c y ru s-E rie 2^-cu.yd. shovel a n d one f-cu .y d . P a w lin g an d H a rn is c h fe g e r shovel, one C lipper an d tw o A rm s tro n g w ell d rills (w h ic h sin k 6-in. h o le s ), tw o In g e rso ll-R a n d w ag o n drills, a ja c k - ham m er th a t w ill d rill inclined holes (o f g re a t ad v an ta g e because the bed pitches h e a v ily ), one In g e rso ll-R a n d electric co m p resso r d eliv erin g 560 cu.ft. of a ir p er m inute, one C a te rp illa r bulldozer, six B o u ld er D am type tru c k s a n d six B u lld o g M ack trucks, all of w hich a re la rg e r th a n is a t all cu sto m ary on th is side of the M ississip p i; one M arm o n - H e rrin g to n tru c k an d a n A . C. M ack tru ck . In addition, fifteen o r six teen A . C. M ack tru c k s a re h ired .
In a b ra n c h o f th e strip p in g , n o t visible in th e illu stra tio n , a la rg e b re a s t h as caved so tig h tly as to fo rm a v e r
tical p illa r of rock, o r “ islan d ,” a ro u n d w hich the strip p in g w ill proceed, th u s s a v in g th e cost of rem oval. A ll th e coal has been m ined once, b u t m o st im p er
fectly. L ik e m ost strip p in g s in th e a n th ra c ite reg io n , th is strip p in g does n o t u n co v er “ v irg in coal.”
T o th e east is the L a n sfo rd strip p in g (se e F ig . 2 ) , w hich is som ew hat m ore typical o f th e g en e ra l ru n o f strip p in g s in th is region. H e re th e M am m oth bed is 55 ft. th ick an d lies a t an in clin atio n to the h o rizo n tal of 60 deg. T h e face u ncovered is 6,000 ft. long. T h is o p e ra tion also is on the p ro p e rty of th e L e h ig h N a v ig a tio n Coal Co. an d faces, acro ss the valley, the villag e o f S u m m it H ill an d th e dum ps fro m th a t b ig s tr ip ping, w h e re th e afo resaid coal com pany
August, 1934
— C O A L A G E 299
is e x c a v a tin g coal w ith its ow n m en an d equipm ent.
T h is s trip p in g h as reach ed its o rig i
n ally p lanned o b jectiv es, an d w ith o u t clo sin g dow n h as sta rte d , u n d e r th e sam e c o n tra c to rs, a new lease of life, th is b ein g th e first strip p in g on w hich th is firm of c o n tra c to rs em barked. T h e coal w as strip p ed w ith shovels an d the m a te ria l laid by c a stin g back fa r enough th a t a w ide ro a d lies betw een th e o r ig i
nal location of th e coal bed a n d th e spoil bank. A fte rw a rd , th e bed w as ex cav ated by shovel an d d ra g lin e to a d ep th of a b o u t 65 ft., ta k in g o u t eno u g h top rock to m ake a slope on th e lo w er side of th e d itch lik e e x c a v a tio n . T h e slope lies a t a b o u t 60 deg. to th e h o riz o n ta l, w h ich is ad eq u ate because th e rock is tilted back do w n th e hill, a n d to free itself a sliv er of ro ck w ould h ave to be lifted a g a in s t g ra v ity a n d th e p re s su re of a d ja c e n t lay ers.
T h is strip p in g d itch could be d eep
ened in th e coal w ith o u t th e rem o v al of m ore rock, m erely by u sin g a d ra g lin e e x c a v a to r in th e coal to u n d e rm in e th e to p rock. T h is is th e u sual p ra c tic e on ab andonm ent, and, w h ile it seem s u n safe, it is so only to th e sc ra p e r and ropes, fo r n o th in g m ore goes into th ese p ro fo u n d e r depths. N o m en a re re q u ire d to descend below th e p o in t on w h ich th e c a te rp illa r of the e x c a v a to r is sta n d in g . In th is case, h o w ev er, th e strip p in g is to co n tin u e to a g re a te r depth an d tre n c h in g in th e coal is, th e re fo re , u n n ecessary. In th is case, th e footw all is stro n g , and in n o place did it slum p back, as in a s trip p in g h e re a fte r to be described.
W ith due fo re sig h t, all th e e x cav ated rock w a s piled fa r eno u g h fro m th e e x cav atio n to leave space fo r a fu rth e r scalin g b ack of th e top ro ck o r h a n g in g w all w ith o u t the necessity fo r re h a n d lin g the m a te ria l a lread y ex cav ated . S o n o th in g p rev en ts th e d eepening of the ex cav atio n except rock, w hich, up to the p resen t, h as n o t been d istu rb e d . H en ce, th e ex ten sio n is now to be m ade.
B u t above th e M am m oth bed a n d o u t
c ro p p in g a few h u n d red feet below' it on the steep hillside is th e P rim ro s e bed.
T h e ex cav ated rock h a s been dum ped at no tim e dow n th e hill f a r e n o u g h to cover the o u tcro p of th is bed, an d in fu r th e r e x c a v a tio n s of th e M am m oth bed no rock m u s t be dum ped on th is o u tcro p to in te rfe re w ith its fu tu re strip p in g . T h e distan ce, if ro ck w ere dum ped a t th e level of the p re se n t b e rm —occupied as it is w ith e a rlie r d u m pings— w ould be in ad eq u ate to hold all the m a te ria l to be dum ped, an d m ig h t be inadequate even if the d u m p in g level w ere g re a tly raised.
C onsequently, som e of th e ro ck is be
in g hauled to a ra v in e to th e east, th u s g iv in g d istan ce in w hich the tru c k s a re enabled to su rm o u n t n o t only th e eleva
tion to the b erm b u t also th e in creased elevation m ade n e cessary by th e n a rro w lim its of th e d u m p in g g ro u n d provided.
300
T h e depth to w hich strip p in g w ill be conducted is not d eterm in ed , fo r th e cost m u st be reg u lated to su it the q u a n tity of coal recovered, an d reco v ery depends q u ite la rg e ly on th e d eg ree of com plete
ness w ith w hich the v irg in bed h as been m ined.
T h e re a re b re a sts in it— th a t is q u ite ev id en t— hut how' fa r th ey ex ten d e d an d how incom pletely th ey rem oved th e coal is not so clear. A 24-cu.yd. P. & H .
shovel is w o rk in g on the ro ck an d a 1 J-cu.yd. L o ra in shovel is n ig g in g th e coal. T h e ro ck w h ich h as b een sh o t ( w ith 6-in. holes d rilled w ith a C yclone clrill to a d ep th of 65 ft., each hole c h a rg e d w ith 600 lb. of A tla s d y n am ite w ith o u t c h a m b e rin g ) h as fallen a th w a rt the end of th e “ d itc h ” in w h ich th e lj- c u .y d . L o ra in shovel is w o rk in g , blocking the ex it, b u t th a t does n o t a t all in te rfe re w ith o p eratio n s, fo r th e tru c k s d eliv er th e ir coal into tw o 360-ft. b re a s ts (w h ic h la te r w ill be in creased to th r e e ) an d coal tra v e lin g dow n th ese w ill be loaded into 2 0 -c a r tr ip s s ta n d in g in a level below them an d th u s w ill be tr a n s po rted to th e b re a k e r.
T h e re la tiv e p ositions of th e ro ck and coal shovel w ill be re v e rse d la te r a s often as necessity d ictates, an d w hen th e econom ic lim it fo r sh o v elin g shall h a v e been reached, a d ra g lin e w ill be p u t in the “ d itc h ” a n d coal w ill be rem oved fo r a fu rth e r d ep th of 40 ft. T h e b re a sts a p p e a r com pletely filled w ith fallen rock, but w h ere th e holes a re th u s filled, th e shovel re s tin g on them is in a p erilo u s position, a n d to consolidate them holes a r e d rilled in th e fallen ro ck a n d shots a re fired. E ig h t A . C. M ack tru c k s h a n dle th e e n tire strip p in g , fo r th e “ lead”
o f bo th coal an d ro ck is sh o rt. T h e tru c k s m ake lig h t o f th e 15 o r 20 p er cen t g ra d ie n t they a r e com pelled to clim b in g e ttin g out of the s trip p in g
on to th e dum p. s ,
A sm all and very d iffe re n t strip p in g is th a t u n d er th e shadow of C ra n b e rry b re a k e r. L a rg e stockpiles acco u n ted fo r th is M am m oth coal b e in g left. T h ey h av e been m oved aw ay, b u t as th e s trip p in g proceeds, th e a re a w ill be b ack filled, g iv in g su p p o rt to th e g ro u n d a ro u n d , a n d th e stockpiles w ill be re in stated. H e re the M am m oth bed is only a b o u t 25 ft. thick an d lies on pitches m uch less steep th an those n e a r by,
fo rm in g a shallow b a sin — a p a r t of a la r g e r b asin w h ich h as h een alm ost w holly eroded. C over is m ostly a clayey sand.
T h e c o n tra c t is ta k e n on w h a t is k now n as a n “ unclassified ra te ,” coal a n d ro ck b ein g included to g e th e r in d isc rim in a te ly in the y a rd a g e . O v e rb u r
den is b ein g hau led aw ay an d dum ped in a p it n e a r th e b re a k e r. A n expensive p re lim in a ry jo b w as to tr a n s fe r th e w a te r from a flume, w h ich w ould h a v e in te r
fered w ith th e o p e ra tio n of the s trip ping, to a la rg e pipe laid fo r th a t p u r pose back of it. O n th e jo b a re a 2- cu.yd. M ario n shovel, th re e L in n tr a c to rs, th re e tr a c to r w ag o n u n its, one A . C. M ack tru c k a n d tw o L oom is C lip p er drills.
A “ salv ag e strip p in g ” is one w h e re th e c o n tra c to r is p aid p e r to n of coal reco v ered . S u ch c o n tra c ts u su ally a re m ade w h ere th e o w n er e ith e r does not know if th e coal is p re se n t o r p re fe rs to tak e none o f th e risk asso ciate d w ith the p ay m en t fo r ro ck on a cub ic-fo o t basis.
T h e M c T u rc k s trip p in g n e a r G ira rd - ville, P a., is such a salv ag e o p eratio n , th o u g h h e re th e geo lo g ical co n d itio n s w ere sim ple en o u g h . T h e q uestion as to w h e th e r the coal h as been m uch o r little m ined, h o w ev er, is n e a rly alw ay s debatable. M any of th e old m ap s show w o rk in g s w h ich do n o t e x is t a n d w hich a re based solely on th e alleg atio n s of the fo rem an , w ho declared to th e m ap m ak er
C O A L A G E — Vol.39, No.8
Fig. 1—Tamaqua Stripping, W here Five Splits of Mammoth Are Being Uncovered.
th a t all th e places w ere d riv e n 200 or 300 ft., w h ereas th ey m ay h av e advanced only SO o r 100 ft.
T h is strip p in g is m uch like th e L a n s- fo rd strip p in g , th o u g h n o t perched, like it, w ay up on th e m o u n ta in slope b u t down n e a r w a te r level. T h e M am m oth bed dips a t 70 deg. a n d is 25 to 30 ft.
thick. A bove th e M am m oth bed is th e H olm es, a t a n in te rv a l of 40 ft. Its th ic k ness is 9 ft. A t th e w est end of th e M c T u rc k strip p in g , th is H olm es bed is being reco v ered w ith th e M am m oth.
T h e top w all has been sloped back, but, not being of solid m aterial, it is slu m p ing to w a rd the ditch. A s a rule, as a l
ready stated , it holds w ell, because th e rock, b ein g p itched on its end, m u st lift itself out to g e t free of th e w a ll; b u t in th is case it is so ro tte d w ith a t m ospheric influences th a t it can b reak off.
C over a t th e cro p w as only 10 to 25 ft. thick. C o v er a n d coal h a v e been r e moved b y g aso lin e shovels, th e coal be
ing hauled by tr a c to r tru c k s to the R ead
in g R .R . a n d c a rrie d in ra ilro a d cars to th e L a w re n c e b re a k e r fo r p rep aratio n . T h e strip p in g is p ra c tic a lly com plete;
th e ra tio o f o v e rb u rd e n to coal h as been 4-1 to 1 th u s fa r. A d ra g lin e e x c av ato r can be p u t in th e bottom o f th e ditch, an d it can ex c a v a te a n o th e r 25-ft. strip of coal w ith o u t rem o v in g an y o v e rb u r
den and w ith o u t h a v in g to g o an y low er itself th a n th e p re s e n t bottom of th e pit.
In som e places, p erh ap s, th e slum ping top rock m ay h av e to be sm oothed off w ith a d rag lin e. A fte r th is is done, the strip p in g will be left in p ro p e r condition fo r resu m p tio n , as th e rock dum ped a l
ready is f a r e n o u g h fro m th e p it th a t a w id er an d deep er cut can be m ade w ith out d is tu rb in g it.
In g en eral, in th e strip p in g s described, heavily p itc h in g slopes of a synclinal have been attack ed w h e re th ey em erge from th e slopes o f a deep valley, w hich, how ever, a r e n o t inclined a t as heavy a pitch as th e coal bed. U su a lly valleys and synclines a re fo u n d to g e th e r and ro u g h ly follow the sam e lines, though th ere a re m any m arked ex ceptions. O ne of these is th e syncline th a t ru n s along the top of B ro a d M o u n tain . T h e back of th a t elevated p lateau is level, b u t the coal u n d er it h a s a s h a rp synclinal fold know n as th e M o re a basin, an d the strip p e rs a re busy d ig g in g an artificial valley w hich w ill m ake con d itio n s m ore in acco rd w ith the g e n e ra l rule. Look
ing a t th e w o rk fro m a v a n ta g e point, one can h a rd ly believe th a t it is the w o rk of m achines an d n o t of n a tu re , be
cause of a c e rta in p atch of coal land covered w ith tre e s w hich h as been low ered by u n d e rm in in g , and seem s to the casual o b serv er to be ly in g a t its o rig in al level.
Som e tim e back, A . C. D odson & Co.
strip p ed a n a re a a c c o rd in g to the reco g nized best p ra c tic e of th a t tim e. Its p u r
pose w as to rem ove n o t only th e sides of th e syncline b u t all rock above th e M am
m oth coal in the bottom of the basin.
T h e rock w as b ro u g h t by locom otives to the foot of an incline an d th e c a rs w ere then hauled up this slope to th e top of the m ountain plateau an d th en hau led out up a stiff g ra d ie n t established by filling and th ere dumped.
A fter much experience w ith such planes, the a n th ra c ite region seem s to have definitely soured on them . T h e sm all size of th e c a rs used on such w ork and the m any vex atio u s delays a t th e base an d top of the incline h ave m ade c o n tracto rs an d coal com panies favor th e use of locom otives on a stiff g ra d ie n t, even sw itchbacks if n ecessary. S u m m it H ill strip p in g , described in Coal A g e , Vol. 34 pp. 203-205, is an exam ple. I t used to be plane-operated. I t now uses locom otives on a sw itchback.
T h is operation, as now e n la rg e d in scope, is know n as th e S h a ft P illa r strip p in g . I t rem oves a la rg e b asin of M am m oth coal, w hich, w hile level a t th e bottom , pitches a t an angle of 55 deg.
on the sides. W h e n finished it w ill be 220 ft. deep. T h e basin is about 650 ft.
w ide from o u tcro p to outcrop. A t its southw est c o rn e r is th e D odson b re a k e r,
.-Surface material
P rim ro s e b e d
Fig. 2—Cross-Sectional Sketch, Lansford Stripping, W hich Is to Be Deepened and
Extended.
Old plane- . .
-V New fill
j ' O ld f i l l m
\ s trip p e d area
R a ilro a d tra c k Refuse d u m p *
Pig. 3 — Plan, Shaft Pillar Stripping in Morea Basin; W ill Eventually Be 220 Ft.
Deep.
of th e M ill C reek Coal Co., w hich is still op eratin g , and a t th e n o rth w e s te rn end is th e plane by w h ich th e D odson com pany elevated th e rock to the m o u n tain sum m it.
T h e w estern end of th e basin, b ein g the m ore shallow , w as en tirely rem oved, and operatio n s of strip p in g a re now a t th e ir h eig h t a t th e e a ste rn end, the rock b eing hauled to th e w estern end fo r dum ping. A t f irs t,. th is w as relativ ely easv, because tlTc ex cav atio n in the
w estern en d w as so deep th a t th e trip s of c a rs could be hauled th ith e r on a n easy u p g rad e, an d a t th e end of the ru n found a p it pro fo u n d eno u g h fo r dum ping. A fte r d u m ping fo r some y e a rs, how ever, th e g ro u n d w as leveled off, an d now the ta sk is to raise the rock h ig h enough to put a n o th er 45 ft. of m a te ria l ov er th a t a lread y in place. T h e rock fro m the n o rth and south sides of th e p it is b ro u g h t in trip s to a tra c k ab o u t th e cen te r of the s trip p in g a n d hau led up th e so u th ern side to th e end o f th e strip p in g , a ro u n d w hich th e ro ad tu rn s on an angle of 180 deg., re tu rn in g fo r a few h u n d re d feet a lo n g the n o rth side, w h ere the dum p is located (s e e F ig . 3 ) . T o raise the rock, 8-p er cent g ra d ie n ts a re n ecessary, an d th is, w ith th e sh arp n ess of the curve, m akes the task of h au lin g the ro ck quite diffi
cult.
M oreover, the slope of the bottom wall b ein g 55 deg. an d th e m a te ria l of th e bottom w all being w eak, th a t w all is sh o w in g a disp o sitio n to slide on th e n o rth side of the ex cav atio n , w h e re th e deepest s trip p in g h as been m ade. A th in seam of coal supplies th e p o in t of w eak
ness, to w hich th e w all ten d s to slide back. A t one tim e 15,000 cu.yd. of rock w as th u s dislodged. O ne can im agine w h a t th is w ould h ave m ean t if a plane w ere being used to h au l th e rock o u t of th e strip p in g . A b ig slide o ccu rred w hen th e D odsons w ere strip p in g th e u p p er area.
O n th e a fo resaid n o rth side, a 3^- cu.ft. M ario n shovel is w o rk in g rem ov
in g th is fall, an d in a s h o rt tim e the load
in g o f coal w ill be re s u m e d ; tw o side- dum p rock c a rs hauled by a V u lcan loco
m otive co n stitu te a trip , each c a r h a v in g a capacity of 16 cu.yd., b u t actu ally h a u lin g only a b o u t 14J cu.yd. because the m aterial is la rg e an d th e v acu ities betw een the ro ck m asses ab so rb m uch of th e capacity. O n the south side, w hich is n ear th e b reak er, a la rg e refuse dum p is being rem oved an d th e a p p ro ach to th e coal is th ereb y delayed.
H e re a 4-cu.yd. B u c y ru s -E rie shovel is w o rk in g , rem o v in g th e refu se dum p an d som e of th e ro ck to be strip p ed . T h e c a rs used on th is p a rt of th e strip p in g h ave a capacity- of 10 a n d actu ally haul a b o u t 9 cu.yd. H e re th re e 6-in. well d rills of d iffe re n t types a re used to p re p a re the solid ro ck fo r sh o o tin g . T h e holes a r e not sp ru n g b u t a r e loaded w ith 40 to 60 p e r cent A tla s d ynam ite.
N e a r th e n o rth side th e solid ro ck is b ein g b roken by fo u r 6-in. w ell drills.
In loading, the shovel tu r n s th ro u g h an angle of a b o u t 90 deg. In som e cases, w h ere th e face of th e rock is fa irly plum b an d m ore solid an d h as been p ro p erly sh o t so as n o t to fall into th e pit, th e shovel can p erfo rm its w o rk w ith a sw in g o f only 45 deg. T h e e ffo rt in sh o o tin g is to s h a tte r th e ro ck w ith o ut d isp lacin g it, because th e shovel does its best w o rk w hen it is w o rk in g
(T u rn to page 316)
301
JE JkK o^n C i+ y
GRUNDY FIELD
+ A d d s New District
To Southern High-Volatile Region
° G r u n d y V I R G I N I A
1 - N o .iM in e - B u c h a n a n C o u n t y C o a l C o r p . 4 " L y n n C a m p C o a l C o r p . 2 _N o .2 M in e - B u c h a n a n C o u n t y C o a l C o r p . 5 - H o m e C r e e k S m o k e le s s C o a l Co.
3 - B u c h a n a n S m o k e le s s C o a l C o r p . 6“ V i r0»’ n i a L e e C o a l C o r p . 7 - P a n t h e r C o a l C o .In c .
G rundy Field and Location of Mines N ow O perating.
F
I V E to ten y e a rs a g o few w ould h av e been bold en ough to p red ict th a t th is g e n e ra tio n w ould w itness th e o p en in g of a new coal field in so u th e rn A p p a la c h ia n te r r ito r y . A n d y et to d ay th e S ta te of V irg in ia can b o a st o f such a m in in g d is tric t. T h e first sh ip m en t of coal from th is new d e velopm ent, p o p u larly spoken of as the G ru n d y field, w as m ade in M ay, 1932, a n d now seven m ines a re in p ro d u ctio n . C o n stru c tio n w o rk h a s been sta rte d on a six -m ile b ra n c h ra ilro a d to se rv e a la r g e p lan t th a t h a s been planned, an d o th e r p ro je c ts a re u n d e r co n sid eratio n .T h e te r r ito r y is in B u ch an an C ounty, th e n o rth e rn c o rn e r of w hich lies in the fo rm of a w edge betw een M cD ow ell C ounty, W e s t V irg in ia , an d P ik e C ounty, K en tu ck y . I t is se rv e d b y a new b ra n c h of th e N o rfo lk & W e ste rn R y., jo in in g th e m ain lin e a t D evon, ab o u t 18 m iles from W illiam so n in th e d ire c tio n of W elch. T h e n e a re s t m ine of th e new field is 17 m iles by ra il from D evon an d th e fa rth e s t is 31 m iles.
F o r ab o u t 40 y e a rs the lum ber in d u s
tr y of B u ch an an C o u n ty w as serv ed by th e B ig S a n d y & C um b erlan d n a rro w - g a g e ra ilro a d , e x te n d in g fro m D evon to G ru n d y , V a. A fte r th e tim b er w a s all cut an d th e m ills ceased to o p erate, the N o rfo lk & W e s te rn R a ilw a y Co. p u r
chased th is ro a d an d proceeded to build a s ta n d a rd -g a g e line into th e v irg in coal te r rito ry . T h e new ro ad follow s th e old rig h t-o f-w a y up K n o x C reek to H u rle y , an d th e n tu rn s up L e ste rs F o rk . A t th e h ead o f L e ste rs F o rk is a tu n n el a p p ro x im a te ly 5,000 ft. long c a rr y in g th e ro ad ov er to th e L ev isa R iv er. F ro m
th is p o in t th e ra ilro a d e x ten d s up th e riv e r a b o u t 10 m iles a n d dow n th e riv e r a b o u t 4 m iles to th e V irg in ia -K e n tu c k y S ta te line. M uch of th e new line h as a g ra d e of 21 p er cent, a n d as a w hole th e ra ilro a d w as ex p en siv e to build.
A ll seven m in es now o p e ra tin g in th e G ru n d y field a re in th e C lintw ood seam . T h is coal classes as a h ig h -q u a lity h ig h - v o latile an d is of a fria b le s tru c tu re . T y p ical channel sam ples show 0.6 to 1 p er cen t su lp h u r, 4.5 to 6 p e r c e n t ash, 29 to 33 p er cen t v o latile m a tte r and 0.6 to 2 p e r cen t m o istu re. T h e coal is said to be w ell suited to b y p ro d u ct coke-oven use, b u t the first larg e-scale com m ercial tests in th a t m a rk e t h ave n o t been com pleted.
T h e seam is 45 to 60 in. th ick an d its elev a tio n is 1,700 to 2,000 ft. above sea level. T h e bed dips u n ifo rm ly to th e n o rth w e s t on a p itc h of n o t o v er 30 ft.
to th e m ile ; local dips an d rolls a r e ra re . A t th e m ines now opened, th e elevation d ifferen ces betw een tip p le tra c k s an d d rift p o rta ls fall in th e ra n g e betw een 300 an d 700 ft.
In places th e coal v e in is clean, b u t in o th e r localities th e re a re th in p a r t
ings of slate o r bone. G en erally sp e a k ing, th e top is a te n d e r slate. In c e rta in of th e m ines, 1 to 5 in. of slate com es dow n a n d b a re s a reaso n ab ly s tro n g roof. I n a m in e la st opened it is th e hope th a t th e slate can be held in posi
tio n if p illa rs a re tak en im m ediately a fte r th e room s a re d riv en . T h e bottom is fa irly firm, b u t it is th e p ra c tic e in som e of th e m ines to leave a th in lay er of bottom coal in room s.
O n ly ap p ro x im a te in fo rm a tio n as to
th e to tal a c re a g e of C lintw ood bed is available. A n e n g in e e r w ho h as been em ployed in th e field estim ates th a t th e a c re a g e “ on th e ra ilro a d ” a n d p ro v ed by o u tcro p p ro sp e c t holes is w ell over 20,000. L a rg e tra c ts d is ta n t fro m th e ra ilro a d h av e been proved, a n d th ere a re o th e r la rg e a re a s w h ich a re co n sid ered to co n tain w o rk ab le coal. T w o o th e r seam s, th e E a g le an d S plashdam , w hich o u tcro p below th e C lintw ood, o ffer possibilities fo r developm ent a fte r th e C lintw ood shall h av e been depleted.
S ix c o rp o ra tio n s re p re se n tin g five financial in te re sts now o p e ra te in th e field. T h e B u ch an an C ou n ty Coal C o r
p o ra tio n o p erates tw o m ines, one p ro d u c in g 1,000 to n s p er day an d th e o th er 500 tons. T h e sam e in te re sts co n tro l th e V irg in ia L ee C oal C o rp o ratio n , w hich o p e ra te s one m ine p ro d u c in g 200 tons p e r day. T h e se m ines a r e o\yned prin cip ally by th e sam e in te re sts th a t co n tro l th e V e ra P o c a h o n ta s Coal Co., of Y eag er, W . V a. T h e tw o B u ch an an C o u n ty m ines a re a t B lack R ock, V a., an d th e V irg in ia -L e e m ine is located close to R oseann.
R oseann postoffice is th e lo catio n of th e n ew est an d la r g e s t m ine in th e field, ow ned by the L eckie in te re sts a n d op
e ra te d as the P a n th e r Coal Co., Inc.
T h e cap acity o f th e a e ria l tra m and tipple is 2,500 tons p er 7 -h o u r shift.
C oal sh ip m en ts from th is new plant w e re sta rte d A p ril 5, 1934; p re se n t p ro ductio n is 900 to 1,000 to n s p e r day, a n d it is p lanned to sh ip 1,500 to 1,800 to n s p er d ay by S eptem ber. F u r th e r de
ta ils of th is m ine a n d its equipm ent w ill be found on p. 304 of th is issue.
T h e L y n n C am p C oal C o rp o ra tio n (T u rn to page 306)
302 C O A L A G E — Vol.39, No.8
Tipple and M onitor Plane, Buchanan County N o. 1 Mine (Lower Left)
A Day’s O utput From the Roseann Mine, Panther Coal Co., Inc. (Lower Right)
Home Creek Smokeless Coal Co. Plant and Retarding Rope-and-Button Conveyor.
This O peration Shipped the First Coal From the Grundy Field
N o. 2 Mine, Buchanan County Coal Corporation.
As Yet, Only This Company Has Built Houses for the M iners.
Mine-Car Plane, Buchanan County N o. 2 M ine;
to Be Changed to M onitor Plane
ROSEANN MINE
+ Leads Grundy Field In Current Daily Capacity
P
A N T H E R C O A L C O , I N C , a t R oscann, V a , h as th e d istin ctio n of h a v in g th e la rg e s t an d new est m ine to go in to o p eratio n in th e re cently developed G ru n d y field, described on p. 302 of th is issue. T h is o p e ra tio n , a L eckie in te re st, rep laces the w o rk ed -o u t m ine of th e old P a n th e r C oal Co. a t P a n th e r, W . V a. T h e L eck ie C oal C o , C olum bus, O hio, is also the sales a g e n t fo r c e rta in o th er m ines in the G ru n d y field, an d th e ready acceptance of th e coal by th e m ark ets w a rra n te d the confidence w h ich resu lted in th e L cckies b u ilding a p la n t a t R ose- an n , ra te d 350 to n s p e r h o u r an d desig n ed fo r long-life, tro u b le -fre e o p e ra tion. P e n d in g sufficient developm ent to pro v e th e local m in in g co n ditions, h o w ev er, cau tio n is b ein g observed in se
lectin g inside equipm ent. O n e h u n d re d new m ine c a rs w ere p u rch ased , b u t as y e t o th e r inside equipm ent com prises b u t fo u r cable-reel locom otives, one a rc - w all m ach in e and tw o sh o rtw a ll m a chines. T h e se a re reb u ilt u n its, p rin cipally from th e old P a n th e r m ine.
A t R o sean n , th e C lintw ood seam — in w h ich all m ines in th e field a re now w o rk in g — is 1,954 ft. above sea level an d 476 ft. above th e level of th e r a il
ro ad a t th e p o in t selected fo r th e tipple.
A lease of 3,000 acres is av ailab le to th e m ine, an d 600 a c re s of th a t a re a lies in one block d irectly b ack of th e d rift o p en in g and can be m ined w ith o u t b re a k in g to d a y lig h t an d c ro s sin g hol
low s to a d ja c e n t a reas. O u tc -o p p ro s
pect holes an d m ine developm ent th u s fa r in d icate th e coal th ick n ess w ill a v e r
ag e ab o u t 55 in. an d w ill v a ry betw een th e lim its of 45 a n d 66 in. In som e places 2 to 4 in. of bone o ccu rs n ear th e top. R esults of a p ro x im a te a n a ly sis of a re p re se n ta tiv e ch an n el sam ple a t a lo catio n free of bone show s (d r y b a s is ) 4.78 p er cen t ash, 32.18 p er cent v o latile m a tte r, 63.04 p e r cen t fixed c a r bon, 0.76 p e r cen t su lp h u r, a n d 14,748 B .t.u. A sh -fu sio n te m p e ra tu re s are h ig h .
A s a m ean s of tr a n s p o rtin g th e coal dow n th e m o u n tain to th e tipple a con
tin u o u s-ty p e a u to m atic a erial tra m w as selected as th e m ost econom ical fo r a long-life p ro p o sitio n . T h e A m e ric a n S teel & W ir e Co. w as aw a rd e d a co n tr a c t to in stall a tra m 1,975 ft. long, d e sig n ed fo r a n u ltim a te cap acity of 350 to n s p er h o u r. T h irte e n 80-cu.ft. buckets now o p e ra te on the tra m , a n d an equal n um ber, w h ich w ill p ro v id e full cap ac
ity, a re scheduled fo r deliv ery in S ep tem ber. B uckets rid e a sin g le cable, d is c h a rg e au to m atically an d rem ain clam ped to th e tra c tio n ro p e a s they tu r n a ro u n d th e h o riz o n ta l sheave a t the tipple. A lth o u g h th e tra m could have been m ade fully a u to m atic w ith o u t a larg e ad d itio n al expense, coal com pany officials p re fe rre d to h av e a n o p e ra to r su p e rv isin g the m ach in ery a t the lo ad in g te r m i n a l; co n tro l of the bucket- lo a d in g g a te , th e re fo re , is m anual. T h e only d u ty of th e o p e ra to r is to push a b u tto n w hich co n tro ls a 3-lip. m o to r Looking D own the Aerial Tramway to the
Tipple in the Valley.
th a t opens and closes the lo ad in g gate, a n d to pull a lev er a llo w in g the loaded bu ck et to g ra v ita te to th e au to m atic d isp atch er.
T h e d riv e m o to r is a W estin g h o u se 100-hp. 220-volt w o u n d -ro to r ty p e and is equipped w ith G .E . th r u s to r brake.
B ecau se th e coal is low ered a p p ro x i
m ately 400 ft. in its tra v e l of o v er 1,900 ft., th e m o to r fu n ctio n s fo r th e m ost p a r t as a re g e n e ra tiv e b rak e. A te st w ith the tra m o p e ra tin g w ith the 13- bucket equipm ent, but m ade a t a tim e w hen all buckets w e re not b ein g filled to cap acity , show ed an a v e ra g e of 19.6 hp. re g e n e ra te d to the a.c. d istrib u tio n system . T h is te st in d icated th a t, w ith a full equipm ent of b uckets, as m uch as 90 hp. w ill be g e n e ra te d by th e tra m m otor, a n d the e n e rg y th u s c ap tu red w ill equal o r exceed th a t re q u ire d to d riv e th e 70-hp. connected load of the tipple.
M otor and Lighting Circuits in the Tipple Are Controlled From a Factory-Assembled
D ust-Tight Cabinet.
L ig h tin g p a n e l s w itc h e s a r e a c c e ss ib le by o p e n in g th e d o o r in th e u p p e r c e n te r. J u s t below , w ith th e d o o r open, is th e m o to r c o n tr o l b u tto n p a n e l. B elow t h a t to th e le ft a c o m p a r tm e n t d o o r h a s been o p en ed to show th e m a g n e tic s t a r t e r a n d th e sp o n g e -ru b b e r
g a s k e t.
304 C O A L A G E — Vol.39, No.8
Mine-Car Dump. From a Bin Below This Dump the Coal Flows 59 In. of Clean Coal at the Face of a Room. W ide, D ull Band D irectly to the Aerial Tramway Buckets. at the Top Shows W here Cutter Bar Passed.
O ne in te rm e d ia te to w er d iv id es the tram into tw o spans, one of 345 ft. at the upper end an d th e o th e r of a p p ro x i
m ately 1,600 ft. a t th e lo w er end. T h e loaded-side tra c k cable is 1J in. in diam eter, is locked-coil co n stru ctio n , plow -steel g ra d e , a n d th a t of th e em pty side is th e sam e e x c e p tin g it is 1£ in.
B ucket tra c tio n is h andled by a 1-in.
rope, plow -steel g ra d e , 6x19 c o n stru c tion.
T h e tipple, b uilt by the Je ffre y M fg.
Co., is a fo u r-tra c k , all-steel stru c tu re equipped w ith th re e a p ro n -ty p e picking-
table a n d loading-boom units, an d is de
signed fo r th e ad d itio n of a fourth boom. R a te d cap acity is 350 tons per hour, an d th e sizes being loaded a t present a re lum p, egg, stove an d li - i n . slack. W h e n th e o th e r boom is added, the n u t w ill be tak en out of th e slack.
T he m ain- a n d sm all-size screen s are built as a u n it. T h e top, o r m ain, sec
tion o p erates a t 102 r.p.m . a n d th e low er a t 160 r.p.m . A 25-hp. 220-volt T ype C S in d u ctio n m o to r d riv e s both units.
A m ix in g conveyor d riv e n by a 10-hp.
m otor of th e sam e type can be used to m ix slack o r n u t w ith e ith e r e g g o r lump. T ip p le m o to r-d riv e connections consist of T e x ro p e V -belts. T h e build
in g is covered w ith c o rru g a te d g a lv a n ised steel.
I-essons of p ast ex p erien ces a t o th er m ines w ere not fo rg o tte n w hen specify
ing m oto r- and lig h tin g -c o n tro l equip
m ent fo r the tipple. O v erlo ad relay s of lin e -sta rte rs ta k e the place of b ran ch
c irc u it fuses, and all s ta rte rs a re grouped in a p a rtitio n e d an d d u st-tig h t cabinet. A nd th is does not m ean an o rd in ary steel cabinet, w hich is n o m i
nally a d u st p ro tectio n , but instead a specially co n stru cted cab in et w ith hinged d oors w hich bolt close a g a in s t sponge ru b b er gaskets. T h e com plete cabinet, w ith G .E. m ag n etic sw itches, in tern al connections an d control b u t
tons, w as built by P en n E lectrical Co.
and shipped to th e m ine as an assem bled unit. W ir in g of the tipple w as, th e re fore, a sim ple m a tte r of in stallin g BX
cable to connect th e d esignated te rm i
nals of the cabinet to the respective m o
to rs and lig h tin g circu its. N o rig id conduit w as used.
M etal p a rtitio n s in the cabinet isolate sta rte rs from each o th e r so th a t a fire cannot spread an d destro y th e com plete w irin g . C ontrols a re interlocked so th a t m otors can be sta rte d only in proper sequence. A bove each m oto r- control button, how ever, is a tu rn -b u tto n sw itch th a t p rovides fo r c u ttin g out an y m otor so th a t it can be skipped in the sequence o r fo r o p e ra tin g an y one m otor separately. T h e cabinet is so located th a t the control buttons are w ith in reach of a m an statio n ed a t th e lum p picking table.
D elivery, tipple an d o u tlet tra c k s a re unusually well built. T h e rail is 100-Ib.
size and tie plates a re used th ro u g h o u t.
A n experienced N o rfo lk & W e s te rn section forem an w as h ire d to supervise the c o n stru ctio n ; hence the jo b con-
form s to ra ilro a d sta n d a rd s in ail details affectin g service an d fu tu re m ain te
n ance cost. P re s e n t facilities provide space fo r 50 em pties on d eliv ery tra c k s a n d fo r 60 loads on th e o u tlet track s.
T h e 100 m ine c a rs now in use in the m ine w ere p u rch ased fro m th e A m e r
ican C a r & F o u n d ry Co. P rin c ip a l Specifications a r e : all-steel, 119 cu.ft. ; o u tsid e-ty p e lift en d g ate ; h eig h t, 26 in. ; len g th inside. 12 ft. 8 in. ; w id th inside, 6 ft. 8^ in. ; 48 in. g ag e ; stub ax le ; T im k en b e a rin g s ; solid b u m p e r; no b rakes. T h e n et lo ad in g of these c a rs is a v e ra g in g 5 tons.
A dv an ce-ro b b in g , w h ich w ill facilitate rap id in crease of p ro d u ctio n to plant capacity, is the plan of m in in g . T h e first coal w as shipped fro m the p lan t on A p ril 5, 1934; by J u ly 1 th e daily p ro duction h a d passed 900 tons, a n d th e developm ent schedule calls fo r 1,500 to 1,800 tons p er day by S ept. 1. T h e a d v an ce-ro b b in g is d ictated by ten d er ro o f ra th e r th a n by an u rg e fo r a tta in in g full p roduction. If room falls a re to be avoided, the p illa r m u st be tak en im m ediately a fte r th e room has been d riv en to the lim it.
U n til recently, both bottom an d top c u ttin g w ere being done in th e m ine, and the ex p erien ce indicated it desirab le to stan d ard iz e on the la tte r in o rd e r to p ro tect the te n d e r roof. T h is top c u t
tin g is done in th e coal, close to th e roof and ju s t above th e bone stra tu m , w hich o ccurs irre g u la rly . A few inches of bottom coal w ill be left in room s to avoid th e chance of lo ad in g floor m a
terial.
T h e seam lies on a unifo rm p itch of about 30 ft. to th e m ile an d g ra d e s will be g e n e ra lly in fa v o r of the loads. M ain h au lag e track s w ill be laid w ith 60-lb.
steel. In room s, steel ties will be used exclusively. D ra in a g e an d v en tilatio n w ill p re se n t but m in o r problem s and should en tail but a sm all cost. M ine c a rs a re w eighed on a F a irb a n k s heavy- d u ty ra ilro a d -tv p e scale equipped w ith Arrangem ent of Tracks Serving Tipple.
305
S tre e te r-A m e t a u to m a tic w e ig h in g a t ta c h m e n t an d a r e dum ped ov er a P h il
lip s c ro sso v e r dum p.
E le c tric p o w er is p u rch ased fro m th e A p p a la c h ia n P o w e r Co. an d p resen t co n v ersio n eq u ip m en t co n sists of tw o 100-kw. 220-volt u n its m oved fro m the old P a n th e r m ine. O n e is an in d u ctio n m o to r-g e n e ra to r set an d th e o th e r a sy n ch ro n o u s c o n v e rte r. C ontrol is m anual ex cep t th a t a re c lo sin g b re a k e r is used on th e d.c. feeder.
B elow the C lintw ood seam , but above the w a te r level, a r e tw o o th e r coal seam s w hich m ay possibly be w orked som e day by th e plant. O n e is th e E ag le, said to a v e ra g e a b o u t 40 in., an d
th e o th e r is the S plashdam , a b o u t 48 in., thick. I t is p lanned to build only' a few houses, sufficient fo r officials, a t th e m ine. L ocal w h ite lab o r in ex p erien ced in m in in g is b ein g em ployed, an d all a p p lican ts m u st qualify by p assin g a p h y s
ical ex a m in a tio n m ade by the com pany doctor.
O fficials of the P a n th e r Coal Co., Inc., a re W . S. Leckie, p re sid e n t an d g e n e ra l m a n a g e r ; A . F . L eckie, vice- p re sid e n t, a n d W . B. B eale, se c re ta ry - tre a s u re r. A ll resid e a t Colum bus, w h e re is located the m ain office of the L eckie o p e ra tin g in te re sts an d of- th e sales o rg a n iz a tio n , w h ich is h ead ed by A . F . L eckie.
Grundy Field A d d s New District to Southern H igh-Volatile Region
(Concluded fro m page 302)
o p e ra te s one m ine p ro d u c in g 600 t o n s ; th e H o m e C reek S m okeless C oal Co.
has one p ro d u c in g 400 tons, an d th e B u ch an an Sm okeless Coal C o rp o ra tio n one sh ip p in g 100 to 150 to n s p er day.
T h e H . E . H a r m a n C oal C o rp o ra tio n is w o rk in g on th e g ra d in g of a six -m ile b ra n c h ra ilro a d to a lo catio n w h e re it is p lanned to open a la rg e m ine. T h is c o r
p o ratio n re p re se n ts su b stan tially th e sam e financial in te re sts as ow n th e W a r r io r Coal Co., M cD ow ell C ounty, W e s t V irg in ia .
I n th e in itia l developm ent of th e field the m ines w ere equipped la rg e ly w ith re b u ilt m ach in ery , a n d d aily cap acities w ere re la tiv e ly sm all. N o w th a t th e com m ercial possibilities of th e seam h av e been p roved, m uch o f th e o rig in a l equipm ent is b ein g rep laced w ith m a c h in e ry o f g re a te r cap a c ity a n d /o r of a type b e tte r su ited to th e duty. T h e N o. 1 m ine of th e B u c h a n a n C ounty
Coal C o rp o ratio n , fo r exam ple, h a s been equipped w ith 85 new stu b -ax le-ty p e E n te rp ris e steel c a rs of 4 to n s w a te r- level cap acity , 30 in. h ig h , 7x11 ft. in side, w ith T im k e n b e a rin g s. T h e N o. 2 m ine of th e sam e com pany h as 43 new c a rs of th e sam e type. T h e P a n th e r m ine has 100 n ew A . C. F. cars.
A ro s te r of m ethods em ployed a t th e v ario u s m ines to lo w er the coal fro m h eadhouse to ra ilro a d tip p le is as fo l
lo w s: tw o a e ria l tram s, tw o m o n ito r planes, tw o m in e -c a r planes, an d one ro p e -a n d -b u tto n conveyor. M a te ria l has been p u rc h a se d to c o n v e rt th e m in e-car plane of the N o . 2 m ine, B u ch an an C o unty C oal C o rp o ra tio n , to a m o n ito r plane. T h is in sta lla tio n w ill include a new J e ffre y belt co n v ey o r 42 in. w ide an d 225 ft. lo n g to c a rr y th e coal from th e m o n ito r dum p b in s to th e tipple screens.
M ost of the c u ttin g is done w ith b o t
tom m achines. A few tra c k -m o u n te d top c u tte rs a re em ployed, an d no d o u b t m ore of th is ty p e w ill go in to u se because of th e te n d e r roof. H a u la g e d istan ces a t all of the m ines a re still so sh o rt th a t no m ain -lin e locom otives a re yet em ployed. W ith th e ex cep tio n of th re e sto ra g e -b a tte ry locom otives u sed by the H o m e C reek Sm okeless C oal Co., cable- reel equipm ent is the rule. O fficials of th is com pany a r e pleased w ith th e m ain te n a n c e -fre e p erfo rm a n c e of th e b a tte ry types, b u t plan to use tro lley locom otives fo r m ain h a u la g e a fte r th e h auls becom e long.
F iv e of th e seven tipples a rc equipped w ith sh a k e r screen s a n d th re e a re equipped w ith c ru s h e rs. J u s t recen tly th e L y n n C am p Coal Co. in stalled a new M c L a n a h a n & S to n e 24x32-in. sin g le roll-type. c ru s h e r d riv e n by a n ew 20-hp.
G .E . induction m o to r an d a V -b elt tr a n s m ission.
A ll m ines a re o p erated by p u rch ased pow er an d th e su b sta tio n equipm ent co n sists p rin c ip a lly of 100-kw. sy n ch ro n o u s co n v e rte r u n its equipped w ith m an u al co n tro ls. P o w e r costs p e r to n o f coal sh ould be relativ ely sm all a s a n a v e ra g e fo r th e w hole field, a s all co n d itio n s, in clu d in g th e re g e n e ra tio n of p o w er by lo w e rin g coal dow n th e m o u n tain sid es, a re fav o rab le. A s yet, h o w ev er, only th e P a n th e r m ine, w h ich is equipped w ith the co n tin u o u s-ty p e a e ria l tra m , re g e n e ra te s p o w er in th is w ay , alth o u g h c e rta in m o n ito r in sta lla tio n s m ay la te r be equipped w ith g e a re d d ru m s o r sh eav es an d elec tric m o to rs to re g e n e ra te pow er an d save b ra k e -lin in g costs.
E x c e p tin g a few h ouses fo r m ine offi
cials, only th e B u ch an an C o unty Coal C o rp o ra tio n h as b u ilt d w ellin g s fo r em ployees. N o n e b u t w h ite la b o r is em ployed an d p ractically all of th e em ployees a re n a tiv e s of th e im m ediate section an d a re m en w ho h a d h ad no co al-m in in g ex p erien ce. O p e ra to rs of th e G ru n d y field a r e affiliated w ith th e W illiam so n ( W . V a .) a sso ciatio n an d w ages a re g o v ern ed by the W illiam so n ag reem en t.
Mine Cars Are Loaded to an Average of 5 Tons at Roseann Mine.
