o a l A g e
A M c G ra w -H ill Publication— Established 1911
D E V O T E D T O T H E O P E R A T IN G , T E C H N IC A L A N D B U SIN ESS P R O B L E M S O F T H E C O A L - M I N I N G IN D U S T R Y
New York, September, 1931
Volum e 36 . . . . Number 9
Self-Help for Coal
A d v e r s i t y is no t w ith o ut its compen
sations. N o t the least o f these is the impetus which depression gives to intensive thinking a b o u t industrial fu ndam en tals. T h is has been p articu la rly tru e in the bituminous coal ind u stry since the last hopes f o r calamity p ro sp e rity vanished in 1927.
O u t o f t h e M A S S o f suggestions which have been put f o r w a r d since th a t time it should be possible to define the m ajo r objectives which m ust be set up if an effective p r o g r a m o f stabilization is to be realized.
A n a tte m p t to do this is m ade in “A P r o g ra m f o r the Stabilization o f the Bituminous Coal I n d u s t r y ,” a p p e a rin g on pages 469 to 472 of this issue.
This p r o g r a m has been limited with deliberate intent to broad outlines. W hile it m irrors the views of many leaders in the industry, it is not a detailed blueprint for action and operation. T h ere are so many conflicting opinions and interests to be har
m onized that expectation o f reform by mere pronouncement would be ridiculous.
S t a b i l i z a t i o n of bituminous coal m ust be g e n e ra te d within the industry itself.
C o a l A g e is unwilling to subscribe to the p r o posal, a dv o c ate d with increasing frequency, th a t the cure f o r the in dustry ’s ills lies in becoming the w ard s o f W a sh in g to n .
O n t h e c o n t r a r y , w h a t is needed is not m o re g o vern m en t restrictions b u t re m oval o f the legal uncertainties which m ake m any men reluctant to tak e concerted action and deprive th em o f the rig h t to m ake agreem ents which can be enforced against those w ho hold th eir pledged w o rd lightly.
F o r th a t reason, th e p r o g ra m recom mends specific modification o f the Sherm an law if t h a t modification can be secured w ithout still m ore burdensom e restrictions.
A c h i e v e m e n t o f the o th e r objectives is wholly within the control of the bituminous industry itself and depends upon its willing
ness to face realities and to act in concert in m eeting them . T h a t this will n o t be easy o f accomplishment is recognized, b u t the goal is w orth the travail.
p jg i — Tim ber and C ribs on H ead in g ; Con
veyors N o t Y et Installed
Fig. 2 — Face Conveyor D elivers C oal to R oom
Conveyor
Pig. 4— R oom Conveyor W ith Load in g H ead
F ig. 5— Heavy C apboards W ith T im bering at Face
F ig. 3 — H ead of Room Conveyor W ith C ribbing to H elp Sustain A ir - course
Ribs
F I R S T O F T W O A R T IC L E S O N T H E S U C C E S S F U L M E C H A N I Z A T I O N O F S I P S E Y M I N E
H O W S IP S E Y M IN E + Laid Plans for
Mechanization By m ilto n h . fies
V ic e-P re sid e n t in C harge o f O perations
and W. M. LACEY
P O S S I B I L I T I E S of u sing m e
chanical m ethods in th e m ining o f a th in coal seam , and the savings th e re b y resulting, a re well exem plified by th e operations at Sipsey, A la. Sipsey m ine belongs to th e D eB ardeleben Coal C o rp o ra
tio n and is located in W a lk e r C ounty and in th e W a r r io r coal field. I t is situated on a b ran ch o f th e S t. L ouis- S an F ran cisco R y ., ab o u t seven m iles n o rth o f a m ain-line station, D ora.
T h e m ine com prises several d rifts on th e B lack C reek seam , w hich is the bottom bed of th e coal m easures.
D evelopm ent first sta rte d on this p ro p e rty in 1912, an d th e mine^ has been in co n stan t op eratio n since.
T h e seam is 30 in. thick, and th e coal is h ard , blocky, of b rig h t lu ste r, and o f the average analysis given in the accom panying table.
A verage A nalysis o f B lack Creek Coal Seam at Sipsey, A la.
P e r C en t M o istu re ... r l ' o ? V olatile m a tte r ...
Fix ed c a rb o n ... ... 9 7 «;
A sh ... q ] 9q Calorific v alu e (d ry b a sis )... 1 4>750 B .t.u .
A s indicated by th e analysis, the coal is of hig h quality, suitable fo r dom estic, gas, coking, and steam purposes. T h e q uality o f th e coal and its v aried application m ake it possible to m ine a seam o f th is lim ited thickness fo r com m ercial use.
Sipsey m ine h a s been developed and o p erated fo r n early seventeen y ears on th e ro o m -an d -p illar system . T h e capacity has been about 1,000 to n s daily. D u rin g th is period it w as necessary to d riv e m any m iles of en trie s and th ro u g h -d ri fts which w ere opened on th e outcrop of the coal. T h e general plan o f operation is in d icated in F ig . 6, w hich re p re sents, o f course, only a small portion o f th e e n tire m ine.
S e p te m b er, 1931 — C O A L A G E
R oom s w ere d riv en fro m 30 to 40 ft. w ide, dependent upon the stre n g th o f th e top, although a t tim es as m any as fo u r room s w ere con
nected to g e th er and carried fo rw ard ab reast. T h e length o f these room s w as 150 ft., and th e average recovery on this system w as fro m 70 to 75 per cent.
A s the hauls lengthened it becam e m ore difficult m onth by m onth to m aintain an o u tp u t o f 1,000 to n s per day, a n d to produce th e coal a t a satisfa cto ry cost it w as fo u n d nec
essary to design a m ine c a r of a capacity la rg e r th a n th a t a t first used. T h e original cars, w hich w ere of wood, carried ab o u t 1,400
E a ste r n D ivisio n G eneral S u p e rin te n d e n t D e B ardeleben C oal C orporation, B ir m in g h a m , A la .
lb. an d w ere equipped w ith w heels having plain bearings. W o rk in g w ith th e S an fo rd -D a y Iro n W o rk s, Inc., an autom atic drop-bottom car w as designed w hich w as 21 in.
high, equipped w ith 14-in. w heels, and had a ca rry in g capacity of 2,400 lb. T hese cars w ere built heavy enough so th a t w ooden sides could be added, w hereby th e cars could be m ade to c a rry .from 2 ^ to 3 tons o f coal. T h e installatio n of these cars w ith autom atic doors elim inated a num ber o f tipple m en, rock-dum ping crew s, carp en ters, etc., and the o u tp u t o f th e m ine w as in- F ig. 6— Section of O ld Room -and-Pillar W orkin gs P rior to M echanization
W ith Face and Room Conveyors
Rock roof
C ap .4fccu .ft,
-Cap. ¡O6.6cu ft. ^
C uffing m ach in e
parked —'J
'C utting m ach in e read y to move bock a c ro ss face fo r n e x t c u t _ 5C u ttin g m achin e p a rk e d whi/e
conveyor is in sta lle d o r m oved ^
'S a fe ty i tim b er V
W aif u n d e rc u t a n d seco n d s e t o f J o n g cap b o ard s in place.,co n v e y o r m owed n e a r t/ rs t ro w o f te m p o ra ry tim b e rs
YJd/t s h o t a n d c o a t lo a d e d ou t, s a fe ty ro w o f tim b e rs in p la c e re a d y fo r m achine to come back a c ro ss fa c e fo r n e x t u n d e rc u t
C u ttin g m achine p a r k e d - ' C u ttin g m achine
p a r k e d *
C L .conveyor-
Conveyor m oved n e a r seco n d row o f tem p o rary tim b ers, coa! h a d e d oof, a n d s a f e ty ro w o f tim b e rs s e t
W all undcrcutt conveyor m oved up, a n d th ir d se t o f long cap b o a rd s in p la c e , re a d y to sh o o t a n d lo a d
464
F ig . S— M ethod o f Tim bering and M oving Conveyor Forw ard as Face Advances
C O A L A G E — V ol.36, N o .9
F ig. 9— Show ing H ow C ars W ere D esign ed to Carry L arger L oad s W ithout M uch Increase in Length and N o Increase in W idth
( 5 ) red u ctio n in cost of haulage, on account o f th e ability to use a car w hich w ould c a rry practically th ree tim es as. m uch coal as th e ca r in service, th e c ar being loaded on the e n try and being m ade as large as the e n try w ould p e rm it; (6) reduction in the cost of m achine cutting, b e
cause o f its co n cen tratio n on wide fa c e s; ( 7 ) red u ctio n in th e cost fo r tra ck s, because of elim ination of room sw itches, and because, w ith w ider spacing o f headings, one-half o f th e h ead in g tra c k w ould be elim in a te d ; (8) reduction in th e cost of deadw ork, on account of concen
tra te d w o rk in g s; ( 9 ) reduction in th e cost of supervision, on account o f th e c o n cen tratio n of w orking places.
I t o ccu rred to th e m anagem ent th a t in th in seam s th ro u g h o u t the e n tire c o u n try they, w ith o ther e n g ineers, h ad fo r y ears been m aking a palpable e rro r. In th e old system of m ining, en tries h ad been driven 6 ft. high and 10 ft. w ide. Room s w ere tu rn e d into 30-in. coal and Sep tem b er, 1931 — C O A L A G E
driven fo r a distance o f 150 ft., and the m ine cars h ad been designed low enough to go into th ese room s. In other w ords, a m ine car 21 in. high and carry in g fro m 1,400 to 2,400 lb.
of coal had been designed to trav el in room s o f this lim ited h eight and to be pushed an average o f 75 ft., and then w ere b ro u g h t o u t onto an en try 6 ft. high and hauled f o r tw o or th ree miles. T h e to p of th e loaded car on the e n try tra c k w as less th a n 36 in. from the bottom o f th e e n try and w as over 3 ft. clear of th e top.
T h in k of th e folly o f w astin g 2 ft.
of clearance over these cars fo r a distance o f tw o o r th re e miles. W h y not b rin g th e coal to th e c ars in the e n try and use cars of a carry in g capacity of fro m tw o to th re e tons.-'
T o get the best resu lts it w as necessary to m ake th e faces as w ide as possible, in o rd e r to concentrate the cu ttin g and th e loading. T h e re fore, th e action o f th e ro o f w as the c ru x of the w hole m atter. I t w as necessary to d eterm in e w h at length of faces could be supported, and how
fa r these faces could be carried fo rw ard .
T h e cover over th e seam is from 60 to 200 ft. thick. D irectly above th e coal lies from 10 to 20 f t . of shale. T h is has a sandstone cap ab o u t 20 ft. thick. A bove th is is sandstone and sandy shale. T h e b o t
tom is hard fireclay, an d th e to p o f th e fireclay im m ediately ad ja c e n t to the coal is unusually stro n g , w ith a lay er about H in. thick, likew ise o f fireclay and containing carbonaceous m atter.
T h e m anagem ent decided th a t ra th e r th an buy a lot o f m achinery an d then try to m ake th e w o rk in g places fit th e equipm ent th u s p u r chased, it w ould be w ise to e x p e ri
m en t w ith the top to ascertain w hat w id th of places could be w orked and to w h at depth th ey could be driven.
T h en equipm ent could be b o u g h t to fit th e m ining conditions. T h ese e x perim ents could be m ade w ith track s and m ine cars, th u s avoiding a use
less e x p en d itu re o f m oney.
A section of th e m ine w as allocated to the experim ents, and it w as fo u n d th a t faces from 150 to 2 0 0 ft. wide, v a ry in g w ith th e to p conditions, could be supported fo r a distance of 200 ft. T h e experim ents w ere m ade w ith heavy tim bering, w ith lig h ter tim bering, an d th en w ith heavy tim b ering and cribs, an d finally w ith lig h ter tim b erin g and cribs. I t w as fo u n d th a t heavy tim b erin g an d cribs (w hich w as la te r m odified to tim b e r
ing w ith cross collars and c rib s) w as the safe and efficient m eans of su p p o rtin g th e roof (F ig s . 1, 3, 5, and 8).
A f te r th e ex p erim en ts h ad d e te r
m ined th e w idth o f th e face to be driven, th e distance th e face could be allow ed to advance, and th e best w ay of tim b erin g such a place, it th e n becam e necessary to d eterm in e w h at type of conveyor should be used to c a rry coal fro m th e face to the entry. S erious consideration w as given to several ty p es o f conveyors, and th e final decision w as to use in units o f tw o, f o r conveying coal along the face, Jeffre y N o. 4 9 -E face conveyors (F ig . 2 ) , w hich h a w a length o f fro m 75 to 92 ft. T h ese face conveyors w ere to em pty onto a m ain conveyor in th e m iddle o f th e w o rk in g place. I t w as decided to install th e Je ffre y N o. 57-A as the m ain conveyor (F ig . 4 ) . T h e se la t
te r w ere bought in lengths o f 250 ft.
F ace conveyors, N o. 4 9 -E , w ere m ade in 6-ft. sections, an d th e m ain conveyor in 12-ft. sections w ith one 6-ft. section w hich is used every o th e r day. . • V-
\ 465
P N E U M A T IC S T O W A G E + M akes Rapid Strides
In Mines of Germany
field w as opened fo r m in in g m ethods w hich w ere sa fe r as well as m ore economical th an those in w hich hy
draulic backfilling had been u s e d ; fo r, as w as explained in th e article on hvdraulic backfilling w hich appeared
in
I
N T H E P A S T , coal operators usually have tu rn ed to hydraulic stow age w hen seeking a large- scale system fo r the backfilling of th e ir m ines. T h e y have found th a t it is an effective agent in com bating subsidence o r squeezes and th a t it also provides practically the onlym eans bv w hich coal can be m ined m j - v ■ \ * , . , w ith o u t loss u n d er populated areas o r this
from thick seam s. W ith o u t doubt, su re o c c asio rag r b u rsl &nJ d ™
effidently S f S f a ^ M e e tly o r by i— ,
=* f o r « M s M ^ a s r -
quality of th e backfill obtained, but it has, nevertheless, m any d efects w hich m ay ren d er it undesirable and its use even im possible u n d e r certain condi
tions.
T h e chief inconvenience of hy
draulic packing is th e larg e volum e of w ater w hich m u st be used to tra n sp o rt the solids to be stowed. I n some instances, th e w a te r drain in g fro m flushed cham bers will flood gangw ay roads o r even inundate w hole sections of a m ine. In any event an elaborate system of sum ps m ust be m aintained fo r the accum ula
tion of the large quantities o f w ater w hich hydraulic backfilling involves.
F u rth e rm o re , th e installation, m ain
tenance, and operation o f a pum ping p lan t fo r re tu rn in g the w ate r to the su rfa c e a re item s of considerable expense. A ll this reacts u n favorably against hydraulic packing. T h is situ ation becom es even m ore serious in m ines w hich are deep or w hich have several drain ag e areas, each o f which h as its separate pum ping plant.
M uch th o u g h t has been given th e re fo re to th e problem of using air as the ca rry in g m edium instead o f w ater, fo r a ir does not have to be pum ped back to the su rfac e a f te r it has fulfilled its purpose. O nce the p ro p e r m achinery to accom plish p neu
m atic packing had been perfected, a 466
By H. A. DIERKS
M in in g E n g in e e r S tu a r t, Ja m es & C o o ke, In c.
N e w Y o r k C ity
sion of th e air involved a heavy pow er bill and th a t, w ith th e inevitable defects in th e ex p erim en tal _ m achin
ery, caused p neum atic packing tem -
draulic DacKmiing w m u . c
the Ju ly issue, the pipes u sed fo r P ° g ^ o ^ ^ q{ & suc_
cessful m echanical backfilling process w ere too in v itin g to be abandoned w ith o u t fu rth e r effort. T h e problem s involved w ere g rad u ally solved by the coal-m ining engineers of E u ro p e , and a t the p resen t tim e, in a nu m b er ot G erm an coal m ines, such a s : E w ald F o rtse tz u n g , G rim b erg , M atth ia s S tinnes, L o h b erg , P ro s p e r 3, all in th e R u h r d istric t and V e rtra u e n s- schacht n e a r Z w ick au -S ax o n y and D eutschland n e a r O elsnitz, pneum atic packing p lan ts a re o p eratin g c o n tin u ously, and seem ingly w ith econom y and technical success.
P n eu m atic packing p lants, in o p e r
ation abroad, can be divided into tw o d istin ct groups, one u sing high- p ressu re and th e o th e r lo w -p ressu re a ir as ca rry in g m edium . In th e f o r m er, by th e sudden release o f com pressed a ir a definite q u a n tity of packing m aterial is forced th ro u g h a pipe line in bulk, m uch as a bullet is forced th ro u g h th e b a rre l of a n air rifle. T h e lo w -p ressu re plan ts w ork on th e principle of the pneum atic conveying system . H e r e a sw ift air c u rre n t carries loose m aterial th ro u g h a pipe line m uch as w ind will c a rry d u st and sand in suspension d u rin g a gale.
H ig h -p re ssu re system s w ork in te r
m ittently, each ch arg e being loaded and “ shot.” L o w -p re ssu re system s, in c o n trast, w o rk continuously, re g u lated q u an tities of packing m aterial being co nstantly fed in to th e a ir c u r
re n t and blow n th ro u g h th e pipe line.
T echnically bo th system s have been Feeding D evice on Low er End of Bunker
F o r m any years bulk m aterial has been moved" th ro u g h pipe lines by air under pressure. Such m ethods have found extensive use in the unloading of grain from railroad cars and boats, fo r the handling of ashes, lime, sand, etc., as well as fo r rem oving saw dust and chips fro m w oodw orking m achin
ery. P neum atic backfilling in coal m ines was b u t an extension of the sam e principles to stow ing of m a te
rials in u n d erg ro u n d w orkings. T h e earlier installations w ere operated w ith the com pressed-air system of the mine. T h is, how ever, proved to be a costly procedure, fo r the com pres-
C O A L A G E — V ol.36, N o .9
successful. B oth tra n s p o rt backfilling m aterial over a long distance th ro u g h a pipe line w ith the aid o f air. L ow - pressure' system s ap p ear to be m ore econom ical, how ever, th a n h ig h -p re s
su re and are consequently gaining in favor.
C ertain fe atu res of pneum atic- packing installations rem ain th e same, w h eth er th e high- o r low -pressure system is used. T h e se are in the m ain, th e p re p a ra tio n p lan t f o r the cru sh in g and sizing o f the packing m aterial and th e sto rag e bunkers.
A ll p resen t-d ay installations operate fro m a central p oint u n d erg ro u n d . B etw een tw o m ine levels, a steep slope or a blind sh a ft is converted into a b u n k er. In th e u p p e r of these tw o levels, at a p oint ov er this storage b unker, screening 'and c ru sh in g m a
chinery a re installed, th e pneum atic p la n t p ro p e r being located in the low er level n e a r th e bottom gate of th e b unker.
and are operated by m ethods, each adapted to the equipm ent provided.
H ig h -p ressu re system — T h e m a
chinery used w ith this system is built on the lines of the cem ent gun, and is consequently p u t on the m ark et by m a n u fa c tu rers of such equipm ent. It consists o f a large steel co n tain er into w hich the m aterial fo r stow ing is loaded in charges up to 1 cu.yd. T h e container, which, o f course, is closed herm etically a f te r it has been loaded, connects on one side w ith a receiver containing air u n d er a p ressu re of about 100 lb. p e r sq.m . T h e bottom valve of th e container is connected w ith a pipe line th ro u g h an elbow.
T h is pipe line carries th e charge into the cham ber w hich is being backfilled.
W h e n the full a ir p ressu re is tu rn e d on the charge in the container and the bottom valve is suddenly opened, the packing m aterial is forced th rough the pipe line in bulk an d at high speed. I t leaves th e o th e r end of the pipe w ith g re a t force, packing so tig h tly th a t the backfill th u s m ade com presses b u t little w hen a load comes upon it. A s soon as a charge is “ shot,” the container is loaded again and th e w hole action repeated.
T h e num ber o f charges th a t m ay be shot in a given tim e, depends largely upon the loading facilities available.
A n average installation o f this kind will backfill from 40 to 50 cu.yd. of m aterial p er hour.
I t is obvious th a t, in a system w here the packing m aterial travels u n d e r such force an d a t such high speed, the bends and fittings of the pipe line m ust be subjected to en o r
m ous strain. T h e y cause constant trouble and th u s constitute th e weak points of the en tire system . W ith fa irly stra ig h t lines, how ever, high- pressu re pneum atic packing has given satisfaction.
„ , , « . , . • T h e pipe lines used, have, in gen- R ock fro m the m ine w orkings is diam eter ran g in g fro m 6 to 8
• « lnrl *.-v i n n /-o f h a p ^ r o o n i n ’ . i i ,
in., and have been extended to a hauled in m ine cars to the screen in
th e u p p er level. W a sh e ry refu se, ashes, sand and an y o th er suitable m a terial is b ro u g h t fro m th e su rfa c e eith er dow n th e s h a ft in m ine cars o r d irectly th ro u g h a borehole to the sam e point. H e re all packing m ate
rial is passed over a g ra tin g of the p ro p e r m esh and th e larg er pieces th a t re fu se to go th ro u g h a re crushed to the req u ired size. T h u s treate d the m ateria l falls into the top of the b u n k er to be d raw n o u t a t the lower end located on th e level below. H e re it e n ters the p neum atic p la n t and is blow n o r “ sh o t” into em pty cham
bers. F ro m th is p o in t on, h ig h -p res
su re an d lo w -p ressu re system s utilize m achinery of w idely differen t types
m axim um length of about 1,500 ft.
w ithout introducing excessive op er
atin g difficulties. T h e m axim um diam eter of the m aterial backfilled in
this m an n er ran g es fro m 2 to 3 in.
I t m ust be adm itted, how ever, th a t the p ressu re and speed a t w hich the packing m aterial is forced th ro u g h th e pipe line, causes m uch abrasion, th u s g reatly shortening the life of the pipes.
L o w -p ressu re sy ste m — T h is sy s
tem seem s to be constantly gaining preferen ce over th a t u sing high p re s
sure. M ost of the p resen t in stalla
tions a re of this type. A s alread y stated, the operation of this system is based on the principle used in p n eu m atic conveying. It is th e re fo re n a tu ra l th a t firm s m an u fa c tu rin g pneum atic conveying equipm ent are the sponsors of this new develop
m ent. T h e installations now being operated in E u ro p e a n coal m ines are said to be obtaining sa tisfacto ry re sults. In fact th ey seem to have reached such a degree o f m echanical p erfectio n th a t f u rth e r e x p erim en ta
tion m ay not become necessary, a t least fo r som e time.
In its essentials a low -pressure p lan t consists of an air-propelling a p paratus, a feed, and a d istrib u tin g pipe line. I n th e first installations of this k in d fans o r blow ers w ere used to d riv e the a ir th ro u g h th e pipe line at sufficient velocity to c a rry the packing m aterial along w ith it. L ately, how ever, they have been replaced by a ir pum ps of the plunger type w hich use appreciably less pow er p er 1,000 c u .ft.
of air supplied. I t is stated th at, in general, a fan o r blow er has an effi
ciency not exceeding 70 p e r cent, w hereas an a ir pum p will have a 90- p er cent efficiency. A n exam ple will illu strate the significance of th is d if
ference.
In o rd e r to op erate d u rin g a whole 8-h r. sh ift, w hile backfilling 300 cu.yd. of m aterial, 2,430,000 c u .ft. of a ir a t a p ressu re o f 8 lb. p e r sq.in.
o r 1,152 lb. p er sq.ft., will be req u ired to blow 300 cu.yd. of m aterial th ro u g h the pipe line.
W ith a fa n o r blow er having an efficiency of 70 p e r cent th e pow er consum ption fo r this p e rfo rm an ce w ould be as fo llo w s:
S e p tem b e r, 1931 — C O A L A G E 467
2,430,000 X M 5 2 _ ^ j^v.-hr.
0.70 X 2,653,200
B u t w ith an a ir p um p hav in g an effi
ciency of 90 p er cent the pow er re quired w ould d ro p t o :
2,430,000 X 1,152
"0.90 X 2,653,20U
1,172 kw .-hr.
A difference of 335 kw .-hr. per g -hr. sh ift will afford a substantial saving in pow er cost. B ased on a price of $0,015 p e r kw .-hr and assum ing a yearly operation of 3UU days th e to tal savings would be:
335 X 0.015 X 300 = $1,507.50.
A feeding a p p a ratu s links the dis
trib u tin g p ip s line w ith th e bunker, and provides th e m eans by^ which packing m aterial is evenly fed into the air as it courses th ro u g h the pipe line.
E ssen tially the feed consists of two rollers in a herm etically closed casing to w hich a b unker gate delivers a u n i
fo rm flow of packing m aterial.
A s due care m u st be taken th a t the rig h t q u an tity of packing m aterial at all tim es will be delivered into the air c u rre n t so th a t no a ir will be wasted and no m ore solid m aterial will be deposited th an th e a ir c u rre n t can re
move, a detailed description of the feed m ay be pertin en t. T h e bunker ends in a cylindrical tu b e surro u n d ed by an o th er tube of som ew hat larg er diam eter. B y raisin g or low ering this tube, th e q u an tity of m aterial falling onto a ro tatin g disk beneath it can be controlled. A scrap er pushes the m aterial off th e disk, th is scraper be
ing set in such a position th a t any desired q u an tity of m aterial m ay be delivered p e r revolution.
T h is ro ta tin g disk and the feeder rollers are driven by the sam e m otor, and the same speed reducer. T h e ratio of speed betw een th e tw o units is changeable, b u t once set, rem ains constant. A n y change in th e quantity o f packing m aterial to be fed onto the feeder rollers can only be effected th ro u g h the ad ju stab le pipe a t the gate of the bunker. T h is feeding a rra n g e m ent w orks to perfectio n an d au to m atically. I t also perm its tw o o r even m ore pipe lines to be sim ultaneously fed m erely by placing additional scrapers over the ro tatin g disk.
P ack in g m aterial fed over the feed er rollers into the pipe line_ is readilv blow n aw ay and each particle w hile m oving th ro u g h the pipe line is com pletely su rro u n d ed by air.
T h o u g h th is fe a tu re decreases the abrasion of th e pipes, m uch m ore air is needed w ith th is system th a n w ith air a t high pressure.
468
T h e m axim um size of packing m aterial th a t can be blow n th ro u g h a pipe line is in definite ratio to the diam eter of the pipe. I n general th e m axim um size of m aterial w ith the low -pressure system should never exceed o n e -th i'd of th a t _ diam eter.
H ence, th ro u g h a 10-in. pipe, pieces of rock an d slate of 3-in. diam eter can be blown w ith o u t tro u b le fo r a distance of 1,500 ft. B y u sing 10- or 12-in. pipes, w ashery re fu se can be used as backfill m aterial w ithout crushing. N atu rally , w hen th e pipe line slopes dow nw ard th e distance over which m aterial can be conveyed m ay be e x te n d e d ; blow ing uphill, on the other hand, will decrease th is dis- tance.
M ost of the low -pressure backfill
ing plants now u n d er operation in E uropean coal m ines have a capacity per hour of 30 to 40 cu.yd. T h e backfill produced by th is m ethod is in every respect as satisfacto ry as th a t obtained by hydraulic stow ing.
I t m ust always be b orne in m ind, however, th a t even th e low -pressure backfilling process involves a heavy pow er consum ption. T h e ratio be
tween solid m aterial and a ir is as high as 1 to 300. O ne installation, han-
W h e r e C re d it Is D u e In the article entitled “N e m a - colin M echanically M ix e s and Cleans Its E n tire O u tp u t,"w h ich appeared in the A u g u s t issue, p. 408, reference failed, inad
verten tly, to be m ade to the L in k -B e lt Co., w hich supplied all the equipm ent used in the m ixin g plant. T h is m ix in g plant is one o f the outstanding fe a tures o f the N em acolin m ine.
dling about 350 cu.yd. of backfill p er g-hr. sh ift req u ires a to tal connected load of 300 hp. including th e m otors fo r cru sh ers an d feeders. I h e pow ei cost, th e re fo re , is th e d eterm in in g
facto r in th e econom y o f th is system . A s the pneum atic packing process can be operated independently fro m coal ex tractio n , it is practicable to do the backfilling d u rin g th o se h o u rs o t th e day w hen th e pow er req u irem en ts f o r th e re st of th e m ining p lan t a re a t a m inim um . T h e b u n k er, how ever, m u st have sufficient sto rag e capacity to hold all the packing m aterial w hich will accum ulate d u rin g th a t interval.
D ep en d en t on th e kin d of m aterial used is th e q u an tity an d n a tu re o f the d u st w hich backfilling raises. In any event the du st settles on th e w alls of the cham bers w hich a re to be back filled and can h a rd ly escape beyond th e b ra ttic e set up a t th e en tran ce to these cham bers or in th e roads m com m unication w ith them . A s the w orkm en in charge of th e backfilling en te r th e cham bers only d u rin g in te r
vals in th e process a n d only th en to change th e location of th e pipe line th ey are little, if a t all, inconvenienced by th e d u st w hich, raised d u rin g the blow ing period, m ay still, in p a rt, be suspended in th e air.
F o r th e sam e reaso n pneum atic packing cannot be of any real assist
ance in th e pro tectio n o f th e m ine ag ain st coal-dust explosions. T h e d u st th a t m ay be created in stow ing crushed rock pneum atically is local
ized in the cham ber to be backfilled an d in its im m ediate su rro u n d in g s.
C onsequently, it cannot be deposited in quantities th a t will im m unize the coal d u st created in o th e r sections ot
th e m ines. .
P n eu m a tic backfill is placed in w o rk ed -o u t cham bers by m ethods w hich only slightly d iffer fro m those em ployed w ith h y d rau lic stow age.
T h o u g h th e m echanical fe a tu re s of th e pneum atic packing process seem to hav e been solved successfully, m uch stu d y an d m an y ex p erim en ts need to be m ade b e fo re it can be so co rrelated w ith th e m in in g operation as to a ssu re u ltim ate econom y. I t also rem ains fo r th e fu tu re to solve the problem s, w h ere and how to build the u n d e rg ro u n d sto rag e b u n k e r m ost efficiently an d how to b rin g th e rock and slate fro m the m ine w o rk in g s to th e to p of th e storage b u n k er w here they are to be p rep ared as packing m aterial. I n o th er w o rd s, th e u n solved problem s p erta in in g to p neu
m atic packing relate ra th e r to o rg an i
zation an d p lanning th a n to the m echanical fe a tu re s of th e operation.
C O A L A G E — V ol.36, N o.9
A S T A B I L I Z A T I O N P R O G R A M
FOR THE
B IT U M IN O U S C O A L IN D U S T R Y
T h e b i t u m i n o u s c o a l i n d u s t r y is now going th ro u g h the p ain fu l cycle of re a d ju st
m en t w hich has faced, o r is facing, practically every o th e r n a tu ra l-re so u rce in d u stry , including a g ri
culture. A s a resu lt o f th e era w hich changed the U n ite d S ta tes fro m an ag ricu ltu ral to an industrial natio n betw een 1870 and 1910, fo r nearly h alf a cen
tu ry the p rim a ry problem of the bitum inous coal in d u stry w as one o f production. U n d e r the sp u r of re
c u rrin g labor troubles, tra n sp o rta tio n blockades, and b rie f periods o f abnorm al price levels, productive capacity w as developed to a p oint o u tstripping peak dem and, w hile th e stim uli w hich gave the speculative surge to “good tim es” in the bitum inous coal trad e either have d isap p eared o r no longer excite. In the m eantim e, increased efficiency in th e utilization of coal by th e la rg e r consum ers and inroads of com petitive fuels have been w o rk in g to check the norm al expansion in dem and.
A s a resu lt o f these conditions, th e bitum inous coal in d u stry is co n fro n te d w ith the follow ing fundam ental difficulties: T o o m any m ines, too m any operating com panies, a declining m a rk e t fo r coal as a raw fuel, w eak m ark etin g policies and m ethods, lack of research to develop new uses f o r its product, inadequate sales realizations, an d an u n stab le labor situation. W h ile the law of th e ju n g le is d riv in g out som e of the inefficient, it also is d ra in in g th e resources o f m any producers w ho richly d eserve to survive. U n d e r th e law o f th e jungle, the lion is little m ore secure th a n th e jackal.
N o in d u stry can continue indefinitely to ren d er ade
quate service to the public an d to deal fairly w ith those w hose capital and labor are invested in it w ithout a fair profit. E v e n w ere it possible to anticipate a re tu rn of the conditions w hich fo rm erly bro u g h t about brief
periods of flush earnings, such a re tu rn w ould be u n healthy. A gam bling basis o f profit fo r an in d u stry so im p o rta n t to th e in d u strial w elfare of th e n atio n as bitum inous coal is n eith er conducive to stabilization nor sa fe fo r the nation o r fo r the in d u stry itself. T h e tim e is ripe fo r the consideration of a p rogram fo r re h a bilitation and stabilization th a t will rest firm ly upon a sound econom ic foundation.
In p rese n tin g the outlines of such a p ro g ram in these pages, Coal A g e is by no m eans u n m in d fu l o f the fact th a t m any organizations w ithin the in d u stry , such as the N ational Coal A ssociation and several o f the local op eratin g groups, an d m any individual prod u cin g com panies have done and are doing m uch to place the in d u stry upon a so u n d er basis. O n the c o n trary , it is the very existence o f these efforts and th e achievem ents already m ade w hich encourage the belief th a t th e re is real hope o f success fo r a still b ro ad er p ro g ram . Such a p ro g ram involves:
1. P ro d u ctio n control.
2. S ound m erchandising.
3. Stabilized in d u strial relations.
4. M ore m echanization.
5. C oordinated research to develop new uses fo r coal.
6. M ore consolidations.
7. M o re safety.
T h e re is nothing basically new in any o f these p ro posals. A ll o f them have been u rged upon th e in d u stry a t one tim e o r another w ith the zeal o f th e cru sad er and the fe rv o r of the discoverer of a new panacea.
A n d th erein lay th eir w eakness. N o one th in g will establish th e bitum inous coal in d u stry upon an en d u r- ingly profitable basis. W h en research, o r production
Septem ber, 1931 — C O A L A G E 469
control, or b etter m erchandising, or consolidation w as put fo rth as the one solution and cure foi all the ills of the in d u stry , the a tte m p t to sell a single help as the com plete rem edy resulted in the rejection of the p ro f
fered cure.
W h a t is needed is a coordinated p ro g ram broad enough to cover all the necessary steps to reach stabil
ization. I t is w ith th a t view in m ind th a t this p rogram is suggested. N o one of the proposals nam ed is the com plete answ er. T h ey a re all of equal im portance and all are in terrelated . T h ey define m a jo r objectives to w hich every one in th e in d u stry can freely subscribe, how ever m uch th e re m ay be questions as to th e best w ay to give them specific application. All th a t is a t
tem pted a t this tim e is to present the broad outlines:
the w o rk in g o u t of these principles in detail can come only th ro u g h discussion and counsel w ith and w ithin the in d u stry itself.
I— Production Control
D U R IN G th e past ten years, consum ption of b itu
m inous coal, exclusive of colliery fuel, w ithin the U n ited S tates has fluctuated betw een 382,726,000 and 526,853.000 net tons. So long as consum ers will not o r cannot m ake long-term com m itm ents fo r fuel, the bitum inous coal in d u stry m u st carry idle capacity to take care of peak loads. T h e need fo r production con
trol w ithin the in d u stry , th ere fo re, is recognized as im perative.
M odification of th e S h erm a n law to perm it joint agreem ents am ong o p erato rs on production policies and on prices offers the m ost direct route to the atta in m ent of this control. M odification w hich imposed burdensom e restrictio n s as the price of this relief, how ever, could be as d estru ctiv e as the ills which the change in the sta tu te w as intended to cure. T h e re are too m any dangers in h eren t in the proposal, frequently m ade, to set up an independent governm ent commission em pow ered to pass in advance upon the legality of sug
gested concerted actions to m ake th a t solution acceptable.
T h e bitum inous coal in d u stry should insist :
1. T h a t the statu te be specifically am ended to legalize agreem ents on product ion-con tro l policies w ithout the creation of an independent governm ent bureau, and
2. T h a t, w here the D epartm ent of Justice has reason to believe th a t agreem ents so m ade violate the law as am ended, civil suits be in stitu ted , as u n d er the present statu te.
P en d in g the achievem ent o t this relief, however, th ere is m uch th a t can and should be done by individual o p erato rs and by producing com panies w ithin a given district in the field o f production control. F o r exam ple, m ore crushing of coal to tak e care of slack contracts d u rin g periods of low dem and fo r prepared sizes would be a help fu l con trib u tio n by the individual operator both to production control and to m arket stability.
In te rch an g e o f o rd ers betw een producers w here in dividual unbalanced dem and as betw een different sizes m ight be equalized in w hole or in p a rt is another pos
sibility w o rth exploring.
T h ese and steps of like ch aracter, o f course, are m inor contributions. F undam ental stabilization of production control on a large scale is dep en d en t upon the rem oval of the legal u n certain ties w hich now d is
courage concerted action.
||— Sound Merchandising
T H E R E are individual exam ples of m erchandising in bitum inous coal w hich com pare very favorably w ith results in en terp rises less production-m inded. F o r the in d u stry as a whole., how ever, th e re is still a need fo r a g re a te r developm ent of sound m erchandising policies and practices. 1 hesc policies an d piactices should be p redicated on the trin ity of successful m e r
chandising fu n d am en tals— know ledge of th e p ro d u ct and its uses, know ledge of its logical m ark ets, and know ledge of the detailed costs of p roduction and d istrib u tio n .
T h e price stru c tu re o f bitum inous coal stan d s in critical need o f revision, l o a large ex ten t, th e 2 0 pci cent of the total o u tp u t w hich goes into dom estic ch an nels ca rries the en tire profit b u rd e n of th e in d u stry and, in m any cases, absorbs the losses in cu rred in industrial sales. A system u n d er which m any larg e in d u strial consum ers buy coal at less th a n th e cost o f p roduction and the individual householder pays vastly m ore has little econom ic and no ethical justification. Such a situation, unless equitably corrected, is bound some day to plague the in d u stry . D etailed cost analyses wliich will show definitely the production an d d istrib u tion costs by sizes are necessary as a basis f o r a propei differential read ju stm en t.
In asm u ch as th e bitum inous coal in d u stry is in no sense a m onopoly, it w ould seem desirable in the in terests of stabilization an d of conservation o f n atu ra l resources th a t the proposed m odification of the ex istin g restrictive law s be broad enough to p erm it price ag ree
m ents, su b ject to the proviso th a t no p ro d u cer u n d er such perm ission should be allowed to establish o r m ain tain a m inim um price less th a n th e cost o f production o f his coal. Such m odification, how ever, should p ro hibit agreem ents fo r th e p a rcelin g o u t of te rrito ry as betw een differen t prod u cin g districts. T h is prohibition against any fo rm of concerted action to zone o r lim it areas o f d istrib u tio n would p reserv e to th e consum er his free choice of fuel and give him am ple protection against unreasonable prices w ith o u t th e necessity for any form of governm ent price regulation.
A lthough such m odification of the law w ould offer the in d u stry the quickest app ro ach to an early financial rehabilitation, the m aintenance of the position so achieved w ould depend both upon th e general adoption of o th er sound m erchandising m ethods an d th e general adoption of the o th er planks in this p ro g ram . A m ong th e o ther sound m erchandising plans to be considered a re : Jo in t prom otion of a ir cooling an d conditioning in public buildings an d in p riv ate residences ; extension of com m unity h eatin g in u rb an com m unities; still m ore active prom otion o f com pletely m echanized hom e h e a t
in g ; continued study of new uses fo r coal.
470 C O A L A G E - V o l.36. .Vo.?
Ill— Stabiliz ed Industrial Relations
D
I R E C T la b o r c h a r g e s are su ch a m a jo r part o f th e c o st o f p r o d u c tio n th a t it is o b v io u s th a t th e r e can b e n o h o p e fo r p r ic e s ta b ility and fo r lo n g -te r m p la n n in g w ith o u t s ta b iliz a tio n o f w a g e s a n d sta n d a r d iz a tio n o f w o r k in g c o n d itio n s. In an in d u s tr y co m p elled to ca r r y th e id le -c a p a c ity load o f b itu m in o u s co a l, su ch sta b iliz a tio n w ith o u t th e in te r p o s itio n o f so m e o u ts id e a g e n c y r e p r e s e n tin g th e w o r k e r s p r e se n ts a lm o st in su p e r a b le o b sta c le s. D u r in g p e r io d s o f sh arp c o m p e titio n , in d iv id u a l c o m p a n ie s an d d is tr ic ts s e e k in g to m a in ta in w h a t th e y c o n c e iv e to be p ro p er in d u stria l r e la tio n s fin d th e m s e lv e s is o la te d fr o m th e ir lo g ica l m a r k e ts b e c a u se c o m p e tin g d is tr ic ts h a v e cu t w a g e s , in c r e a se d th e h o u r s o f la b o r or b y o th e r w is e c h a n g in g w o r k in g c o n d itio n s h a v e r ed u ced o u t- o f-p o c k e t c o sts o f p r o d u c tio n .
In h e rite d p reju d ices in som e fields and b itter p e r
sonal experiences in others have m ade the idea o f a revival o f unionism obnoxious to m any em ployers.
N evertheless, unless som e new fo rm u la can be found, the conclusion seem s inevitable th a t the desired stabil
ization of w ages and o f w ork in g conditions m ust come th ro u g h a recognition an d an acceptance o f an outside labor o rganization by a sufficiently large percentage of the o p e rato rs to give the w ages and the w orking con
ditions so established a controlling influence in the d is
tricts w h ere d irect recognition is w ithheld.
W h e th e r th is la b o r o r g a n iz a tio n sh a ll be th e U n ite d M in e W o r k e r s o f A m e r ic a o r s o m e o th e r n e w g ro u p e q u a lly in d e p e n d e n t o f e m p lo y e r co n tro l r ests la r g e ly w ith th e e x is t in g u n io n . I t is fa c e d w ith th e ta s k o f c o n v in c in g d o u b tin g o p e r a to r s th a t it h a s a b an d on ed th e p o lic ie s an d p r a c tic e s w h ich h a v e m a d e it h ig h ly o b je c tio n a b le to m a n y p r o d u c e r s and that it n o w h as th e v is io n a n d th e ju d g m e n t w h ic h w ill p r o m ise e ff e c tiv e a n d c o n s t r u c tiv e le a d e r sh ip .
1 h e r e m u s t be a g e n u in e p a r tn e r sh ip b e tw e e n ca p ita l and lab or i f th e g o a l o f sta b iliz e d in d u s tr ia l rela tio n s is to be rea ch ed .
IV— More Mechanization
T
H E b itu m in o u s coal in d u s tr y c a n n o t ig n o r e th e e x te r n a l c o m p e titiv e c o n d itio n s w h ic h c o n fr o n t it.Its p r o b le m is to se ll c o a l in v o lu m e , p ay w a g e s c o n s o n a n t w ith th e h ig h e s t sta n d a r d s o f A m e r ic a n liv in g , an d m a k e a p ro fit. A s o n e ste p in a c h ie v in g th e s e en d s, th e in d u s tr y m u s t m a k e th e fu lle s t p o ss ib le u se o f m e c h a n iz a tio n . F o r th e m o s t p art, m e c h a n iz a tio n (in th e m o d e r n lim ite d s e n s e o f th a t term in th e coal in d u s tr y ) h a s b e e n e m p lo y e d a s a c o m p e titiv e w e a p o n in c o s t r e d u c tio n in c o m p e titio n b e tw e e n in d iv id u a l o p e r a to r s. W h a t is n eed ed is to e m p lo y th a t w ea p o n fo r th e in d u s tr y a s a w h o le in c o m p e titio n w ith o th er fu e ls . N o o th e r w a y is o p en .for th e m a in te n a n c e o f h igh w a g e s a n d lo w p r ic e s w ith p rofit.
R e g a r d le s s o f w h a t it s p a st a ttitu d e m a y h a v e b een ,
la b o r m u s t a c c e p t th e m a ch in e and d o e v e r y th in g in its p o w e r to re a liz e th e fu ll p o ss ib ilitie s o f m e c h a n iz a tio n . T o th e e x t e n t th a t th e a ttitu d e o f lab or p r e v e n ts th e fu lle s t e m p lo y m e n t o f th e m a ch in e in th e m u ltip lic a tion o f m a n u a l e ffo r t, la b o r is e n c o u r a g in g lo w w a g e s . T o th e e x t e n t th a t la b o r n a r r o w s th e d iffe r e n tia l in th e p r o d u c tio n c o s t s p er to n b e tw e e n m a c h in e c o a l an d hand co a l, la b o r m a k e s it p o ss ib le fo r th e n o n -p r o g r e s sive. o p e r a to r to o f f s e t th e p a rtia lly rea lized a d v a n ta g e s o f th e m a c h in e by a lo w w a g e sca le. T o th e e x te n t th a t lab or w o r k s to w id e n th a t d iffe r e n tia l, la b o r p r o m o te s th e m a in te n a n c e o f h ig h w a g e sc a le s. W h a t th e o p e r a to r is an d sh o u ld be in te r e ste d in is n o t th e ra te p er d a y or p er h o u r but th e c o s t per to n . C o m p lete a cc e p ta n c e o f th e m a ch in e b y lab or m ea n s a lo w c o st p er to n and a h ig h d a ily e a r n in g fo r th e w o r k e r .
U n d e r e x is t in g c o n d itio n s , m ech a n ica l lo a d in g c o n tr ib u te s to fu r th e r te c h n o lo g ic u n e m p lo y m e n t. T h a t fa ct m u s t b e fr a n k ly fa c e d . B u t th e im m e d ia te e ffe c ts o f th e in tr o d u c tio n o f th e m a ch in e can b e c u sh io n e d b y a llo w in g tu r n o v e r to red u ce th e n u m b er o f m e n o n th e p a y r o ll w ith o u t a ctu a l d is c h a r g e o f any' w o r k e r . In its la r g e r a sp e c ts , h o w e v e r , th is p ro b lem is o n ly a s e g m e n t o f th e b r o a d e r p r o b le m o f u n e m p lo y m e n t in A m e r ic a n in d u s tr y as a w h o le. T h e r e is s e r io u s q u e s tio n w h e th e r th e a n s w e r w ill n o t be fo u n d in a d e fin ite s h o r t e n in g o f th e w o r k in g d a y an d o f th e w o r k in g w e e k — a t le a s t, u n til n e w in d u s tr ie s a r is e to a b so rb th e su r p lu s m a n -p o w e r d is p la c e d b y th e m a c h in e in th e o ld e r e n te r p r ise s. W it h its p r e se n t ir r e g u la r o p e r a tio n , co a l m ig h t w e ll d o s o m e e x p e r im e n ta l p io n e e r in g in th is field w ith o u t a ff e c tin g e ith e r its to ta l p r o d u c tio n or its to ta l m a n -h o u r s.
O b v io u s ly , in th e c o n sta n t s tr u g g le to k eep d o w n c o s ts o f p r o d u c tio n p er to n , th e o p era to r c a n n o t sto p w ith m e c h a n ic a l lo a d in g . C o n tin u o u s m o d e r n iz a tio n in all its .c h a n g in g p h a se s m u s t b e a ccep ted b y th e o p e r a to r as w h o le -h e a r te d ly a s h e e x p e c ts th e m in e w o r k e r to a c c e p t th e m a ch in e. O n e a d v a n ta g e o u s b y p r o d u c t o f su ch a p o lic y w o u ld be th e d is c o u r a g in g o f an in f lu x o f m a r g in a l p r o d u c e r s e v e r y tim e d em a n d ro se a b o v e a d ea d le v e l. I f w a g e le v e ls a re h ig h an d th e in v e s tm e n t o f cap ital in eq u ip m en t la r g e , it w ill b e le s s e a sy fo r th e m an w ith in su fficien t fin a n cia l b a c k in g to e n te r th e p ictu re.
V — Coordinated Research to Develop New Uses
I
I- E V E R V c o m m ercia l coal c o m p a n y p r o d u c in g le s s th a n 2 0 0 .0 0 0 to n s p er a n n u m had b een w ip e d o u t o f e x is te n c e in 1 9 2 8 . th e c o m p a n ie s p r o d u c in g in e x c e s s o f 2 0 0 .0 0 0 to n s a n d o p e r a tin g 1 .2 6 9 m in e s b y w o r k in g on a 2 8 0 - d a \r b a s is co u ld h a v e su p p lie d th e 1 9 2 9 coal d e m a n d s a n d w o u ld h a v e h a d 7 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 to n s e x c e s s o u tp u t. W h ile e c o n o m ic p r e ss u r e red u ced th e total n u m b e r o f c a p tiv e an d c o m m ercia l o p e r a tio n s, e x c lu s iv e o f w a g o n m in e s, from th e p eak o f 9 ,3 3 1 in 1 9 2 3 to 0 ,0 5 7 m in e s in 1 9 2 9 , su ch a d r a stic liq u id a tio n a s s u g g e s te d in th e p r e c e d in g se n te n c e is n e ith e r lik e ly n o rS e p te m b er, 1931 — C O A L A G E 471
probable in the near, fu tu re , although th ere undoubtedly will be fu rth e r reductions in the num ber of active op er
ations. I f any appreciable p a rt of existing excess capacity is to be em ployed fo r some tim e to come th a t em ploym ent m ust be the result of the developm ent of new m ark ets fo r coal as a raw fuel and foi coal as a basic m aterial in m a n u fa c tu rin g processes. D evelop
m ent o f new uses fo r coal in its raw state belongs to the field of m erch an d isin g ; finding new uses fo r coal as a raw m aterial fo r m an u factu rin g lies in the field of scientific research.
U niversities, independent research organizations, and p riv ate in d u strial laboratories have done m uch excel
lent w o rk in this la tte r field. It should be readily a p p arent, how ever, th a t, if the bitum inous coal industry is to realize the full advantages of technical research fo r the direct developm ent of products which will have a com m ercial sale value, these research activities m ust be coordinated and centralized. T h e in d u stry should e ith e r establish its ow n research laboratory or take over som e existing agency and confine the activities of th at lab o rato ry to the developm ent of new uses .for coal.
I f it is to capitalize effectively on this research, how ever, the bitum inous coal in d u stry m ust be prepared to tak e ’ still an o th er step. W h e n a process o r a product w hich show s real com m ercial prom ise has been devel
oped, the in d u stry should be in a position to undertake the com m ercial exploitation of th a t process o r product.
In this w ay the in d u stry w ould be assured not only th a t its coal w ould be the basic raw m aterial b u t also th a t the profits of m a n u fa c tu rin g would re tu rn in a large m easure to the pockets of the coal operators.
F o r the c arry in g out of this p articu lar p art of the g eneral stabilization program , it is suggested th at the bitum inous in d u stry organize a Coal R esearch and D evelopm ent C orporation to be financed by a con
tin u in g to n n ag e assessm ent on the production of the com panies fo rm in g the corporation. I t is suggested fu rth e r th a t a definite percentage of these funds should be allocated to lab o rato ry w ork and th a t the balance be held in reserve fo r com m ercial exploitation. If, fo r e x am ple. operators w ith an annual o u tp u t o f 300,000,000 tons w ere to join in such a v en tu re and agree to con
trib u te to its su p p o rt on the basis of an assessm ent of one cent p er to n , in the course of the first year of its existence th e Coal R esearch and Developm ent C orpora
tio n w ould have available $3,000,000. I f 20 per cent o f th a t sum w ere allocated to laboratory w ork, th ere would be a reserve o f $2,400,000 held fo r commercial developm ent. O v ern ig h t discoveries are not usual in research w ork. By th e tim e the laboratory had p er
fected a product o r a process which appeared to ju stify com m ercial exploitation, the corporation probably would have $5,000,000 to $7,500,000 in reserve to establish and prom ote a m an u fa ctu rin g com pany in which each of th e coal producing companies would have a p articip atin g in terest equal to the percentage relation the assessm ent th ey had paid bore to the total fu n d . M a n u fa c tu rin g profits, a f te r adequate allow ances f o r reserves, w ould flow back to the coal com
panies in the form o f dividends.
W hile the creation of a separate corporation is rec
om m ended, initiative in its organ izatio n m ig h t well be u n d ertak en by the N atio n al Coal A ssociation.
V I— More Consolidations
U
N D O U B T E D L Y m erg e rs of com panies w ithin a given d istrict have th e ir place in stabilization. B u t the im m ediate outlook in th is direction is n o t b rig h t M oreover, th e ir beneficial effects have been o v errated and som e of th e ir disadvantages ignored. U nless it can be assum ed th a t the m anagem ent o f the d istrict com bination has a b ro a d e r national perspective on th e coal in d u stry th a n the m anagem ents of th e individual com panies m erged, th ere is g rav e dangei th a t th e m d u stry will m erely su b stitu te a b attle of g ian ts fo r a battle of pygm ies in in te rd istric t com petition.A m erg er to a ttra c t outside capital m u st be a m erg er of stren g th . F inancial in terests a re no longer ready to believe th a t a consolidation of w eaknesses m eans stren g th . D istric t m ergers, th e re fo re , m u st be largely internally organized an d in tern ally financed. D istrict selling agencies probably w ould be an easier fiist step th an physical m erg er of prod u cin g com panies.
T h e re is an o th er type of consolidation, how ever, th a t should be encouraged— th a t is th e consolidation u n d e r com m on ow nership and m anagem ent of a n u m b er of good p ro p erties in differen t districts. Such consolida
tions, by giving the consolidated com pany a stake in several producing fields, help to give ow ners a national instead of a sectional or d istric t view point o f th e coal situ atio n an d so w ork fo r a lessening of senseness and ruin o u s in te rd istric t com petition. A n y th in g th a t will give the individual coal o p erato r a b ro ad er p ictu re pf the in d u stry as a w hole is bound to have a beneficial effect. In addition, such consolidations w o u ld pave the w ay fo r still larg er m ergers if such com binations w ere later deem ed advisable an d econom ically desirable.
VII—More Safety
T
H E accident record of the b itum inous coal in d u stry is not one o f w hich th e in d u stry can be proud.E xcellent records m ade by certain individual com panies over periods of m o n th s an d years, how ever, show th a t high accident rates cannot be explained aw ay by “ the n atu ral h azard s of the in d u stry .” T h e accident record undoubtedly is a fa c to r in creatin g a n u n fav o rab le public a ttitu d e to w ard the in d u stry and its problem s.
Such a public a ttitu d e m ay easily im pede th e success
ful achievem ent of o ther necessary steps in stabilization.
T he bitum inous coal in d u stry should tak e th e lead in insisting upon b e tte r state safety law s an d then- stric te r and m ore im partial en forcem ent. A m ine th at cannot afford to be sa fe can n o t ju s tify its continued operation. I f sa fe ty re q u irem en ts w ere stren g th en ed and th e ir en fo rcem en t m ade m ore rigid, n o t only w ould the accident ra te be reduced b u t m any o f th e m arginal operations, the com petition of w hich co n trib u tes n either to the profit n o r the stabilization of the in d u stry , wyould be elim inated.
472 C O A L A G E — V o l.3 6 . N o.9
P O W E R
G E N E R A T I O N +Part of
Modernization Program O f Indiana M ine
S H I F T I N G fro m purchased pow er to m ine-g en erated pow er w as one o f several m a jo r changes m ade a t th e C row n H ill N o.
6 m ine of th e F e rg u so n Coal Co., C linton, In d ., w hen op eratio n w as re sum ed a t th e u nion scale in S ep tem ber, 1930, a f te r a fo u r-y e a r sh u t
dow n. D u rin g th e sh u td o w n the tipple w as re b u ilt an d equipm ent in stalled to utilize as p la n t fuel m ate
rial w hich fo rm e rly h ad been w asted a n d w hich w as responsible fo r a p ro p o rtio n o f th e refu se-d isp o sal expense.
W ith th e p resen t set-up, th e m ine a t a n y tim e can be sw itched to p u r chased po w er if occasion dem ands.
F iv e o f th e com pany m ines still a re b eing served w ith purch ased pow er fro m a single m eterin g p oint and th ro u g h th e several m iles o f a 33,000- v o lt line ow ned by th e coal com pany. O n ly tw o o f the F e rg u so n m ines a re o p e ratin g a t p resen t, but th e o th ers a re u sin g a sm all q uantity o f p u rch a se d p o w er fo r pum ping a n d ventilation.
C row n H ill N o. 6 m ine is a s h a ft o p e ra tio n in th e N o. 5 vein, w hich a t this p o in t lies 190 ft. below the su rfac e. P o w e r equipm ent p rio r to th e sh u td o w n consisted o f a 300-kw.
275-volt co n v e rte r d riv en by p u r
chased p o w er and a steam hoist and steam fa n supplied w ith steam from han d -fired h o rizo n tal re tu rn -tu b u la r boilers. I n o rd e r to g en erate pow er, a 300-kw . 275-volt g e n eratin g u nit an d additional boilers, all m oved fro m a n o th e r m ine, w ere installed in
Tipple Was Modernized and Generating Equipment Added to Power Plant
the No. 6 pow er plant. T h e en
gine, w hich is direct-connected to the g enerator, is a C huse non-releasing Corliss and is operated non-condens- ing. T h e steam -generating equip
m ent consists of fo u r 150-hp. an d one 125-hp. hand-fired boilers, all equipped w ith sh ak er g rates. W a te r is obtained fro m shallow w ells near B ru iletts C reek w hich fu rn ish a n in exhaustible supply.
T h e steel tipple w as reb u ilt and a B ra d fo rd break er installed fo r re claim ing as boiler fuel th e coal con
te n t of the sulphur-and-coal lum ps discarded a t the tables. T h e rebuild
ing, w hich w as done by the M o rro w M an u factu rin g Co., included the ad d ing of picking tables, loading booms, a m ix in g conveyor, and a L eahy N o- B lind v ib ratin g screen. I t is now a m odern fo u r-tra c k p lan t having a capacity of 2 0 0 tons p e r h o u r and equipped w ith th ree loading booms.
T h e L eahy screen, m ade by th e D eister C on cen trato r Co., equips the p la n t to p repare, fo r autom atic stokers, sizes such as l-£xf and f x f in.
P ick ers on th e lum p table b reak the large lum ps of coal containing sulphur and reclaim any resulting chunks o f clean coal. T h e rem ainder and all o th er pickings fro m the table go into a B ra d fo rd breaker.
M o st o f th e b reaking of th e lum ps w ith pick o r sledge is done d u rin g periods w hen no coal is passing over th e tipple. T h e lum ps to be b roken are stored tem p o rarily on th e floor beside the table.
T h e B ra d fo rd b rea k er is installed in a separate steel building on the opposite side of th e h e a d fra m e fro m the tipple. T h e b reak er plates have 14- and 2-in. holes, and all m aterial passing th ro u g h these holes d ro p s into a conveyor and is deposited in th e boiler-room fuel bins. P y rite and o th er h ard m aterial w hich does n o t b reak below 2 in. trav els th ro u g h th e breaker and is deposited in a re fu se bin.
O rd in a rily th e 2 -in .-an d -u n d er pro d u ct fro m the b reak er supplies enough fuel f o r th e needs o f the plan t and a t tim es m ore is m ade th an can be handled. F o rm e rly tipple screenings of m a rk e t value w ere burned u n d e r th e boilers. N o w th e only m arketable coal used as fuel fo r the p lan t is th e m in e-ru n consum ed d u rin g a m ine shutdow n w hen tipple pickings a re n o t available. A s th e m ine fa n still is d riv en by steam , the boiler p la n t m u st be operated continuously.
H . M . F erg u so n , p resid en t o f the com pany, estim ates th a t purchased pow er w ould cost close to 2^c. p er
S e p te m b er, 1931 — C O A L A G E 473
