Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 27, No. 16

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

D e v o te d to t h e O p e r a tin g , T e c h n ic a l an d B u s in e s s

P i-ob lem s o f t h e C o a l-M in in g I n d u s tr y E n gin eerin g E d ito r^{R . Da w s o n Ha l l}

Volume 27 N EW YORK, A PRIL 16, 1925 Number 16

W ith the Eyes o f Others

O

That is why the discussions at the Cincinnati conference w ill be helpful.

Then again there are those steps in the dark which the progress o f th e industry and th e drastic n ecessities o f com petition are com pelling all operators to take.

The discussions and the exposition w ill help to lig h t up those steps and the p itfa lls that surround them . It is better to be advised in advance than to have to take at a run and in th e dark w hat we would like to accept w ith m ore caution and enlightenm ent. Here, at Cin­

cinnati, w ill be an opportunity to m eet the operator and engineer who have had experience w ith som e certain machine and can g iv e the plain fa cts w ithout prejudice or favor, and the engineer or operator who sta y s away w ill m iss the opportunity of th e twelvem onth.

Not Charged W ith P u b lic Interest

W

W hat he w as worth w hen he died no one knows, but h is fortune has been estim ated as betw een tw o hundred and three hundred m illion. H is home in N ew York w as one o f the wonders o f that m etropolis and he m aintained a palatial residence in Butte. H e had the largest individual collection o f Corots in the world and had devoted m illions to philanthropy.

H is career cannot be duplicated in coal m ining. H e was honored as one o f the “copper k in gs.” Had he become a coal man he m igh t have been a mere “baron”

with the usual distressed barony and dubious reputa­

tion that is associated w ith coal. B ut W. A. Clark w as wise in his generation. Born in Connellsville, Pa., he traveled in a p rairie schooner to Bannock, Idaho, where, with $5 still rem aining at the end of h is trip, he laid the foundation of h is im m ense fortune.

W hat w ou ld h e h a v e b een w orth a t h is d ecea se had he rem ain ed in th e coal r e g io n s w h e r e to ch a rg e th e m arket p rice fo r e x tr a cted m in era l is re g a rd ed as a crim e?

A ssuring the P ublic

E

cite. The public is, therefore, in general disposed to be just, unless m isled by the dailies in the region outlined.

U nfortunately, however, men w ithout the necessaries of life become opportunists, and as they cannot brow­

beat labor as in earlier days they now attack capital.

W hether, therefore, we believe the public justified or not w e m ust find some w ay o f sa tisfy in g it or it w ill again resent any large strik e in the bitum inous in ­ dustry.

The non-union m ines are quite generously tak in g up th is problem and by th eir expansion and the expansion o f the non-union area the tim e is com ing when the union operators of th e bitum inous region can stage a real stru ggle w ith the union w ithout the public becom­

in g alarmed. The tim e is approaching w hen the d is­

location of a nation-w ide strike, as it is term ed, w ill concern no one. There w ill be plenty o f m ines to supply the coal and probably plenty o f equipm ent to haul it. Then the union m ines w ill enforce a scale and w orking conditions th at the non-union m ines can m eet only in th eir normal market. D uring the p ast year b ig strid es w ere made to bring about th is con­

sum m ation, and in a few more m onths the public may rest easy, strik e or no strike. The union will then find its suprem acy is a th in g o f the past.

Lay T oo Much Stress on D epth

C

desirable. However, w ith modern h oistin g condi­

tions, a sh a ft mine is more convenient than one opened by a drift, for the latter as a rule develops an area circumscribed by ravines, w hereas a sh a ft w orking can be extended in all directions and so does not in­

crease the distances of transportation so rapidly as a d rift mine. As the area is unbroken the m ine can be laid out w ith greater satisfaction .

There are disadvantages, of course. W hat w ater is found in the m easures has to be pumped. However, sh a ft mines in more or less level m easures, such as are usual in the bitum inous coal fields o f Am erica, norm ally receive less w ater than d rift m ines, and in Illinois, where the largest sh a ft m ines are to be found, the workings are dry. Then, again, ventilation is more difficult and, as practically all sh a ft m ines are gaseous, electric cap lamps, flame sa fe ty lamps, perm issible ma­

chines and perm issible explosives are desirable.

However, no one can fa il to realize th at th e operator w ith a sh a ft has a considerable advantage over his com petitor w ith a long line o f outside road th a t sem i­

circles round th e heads o f ravines in long snake-like 565

566 C O A L A G E Vol. 27, N o . 16

turns. E very w inter, snow shoveling delays operation in the m orning and costs m uch money. The greater depth of bitum inous m in in g w ill not add much to its costs, provided recovery per acre can be m aintained, but costs m ay be increased considerably by greater lateral extension o f m ines.

In early days a m ine could be worked till the lim it­

in g radius w as reached, based on costs per m ile of haulage. Then the tipple w as moved to another loca­

tion, and another m ine w as opened. N ow the oppor­

tu n ities for operating a m ine adjacent to a railroad or to w hich a railroad can be extended, are in m any regions restricted, and longer and longer hauls are inevitable.

A s a result , we shall see h igh er costs, tempered, how­

ever, by the econom ies in transportation such as m odernization provides.

A T rium ph in Surgery?

W

Government officials profess to be unim pressed by su g­

gestion s that W ashington take the in itia tiv e in urging an orderly revision o f the contract. They seek refu ge in the contention that the agreem ent calls fo r “a m ajor surgical operation w ith ou t an anaesthetic” and, inferen- tially, express mild surprise th at there should be w him ­ pers when the surgeon’s k n ife is plunged into the conscious patient.

The figure drawn from the hospital ward carries im plications that may scratch political complacency as w ell as gash the coal trade. It raises anew th e question o f the diagnosis o f the ills o f the industry and the efficacy of the treatm ent prescribed. When the pact w as first signed it w as acclaimed as a certain p urgative o f d eb ilitatin g overdevelopment. The excess, the un­

economical, m ines w ere to be driven out of business;

the unnecessary m inei’s w ere to be absorbed into other industries and th eir fellow s who rem ained w ere to be transform ed from part-tim e to full-tim e workers. The devastating expansion in bitum inous m ining w as to cease— a h igh ly beneficial system o f birth control was to be enforced by the inexorable logic of events. From th e pills and potions, the purges and the blood-lettings w as to em erge a convalescent bitum inous coal m ining industry, clean, lean, vigorous— a credit to itself, the nation and the political doctors who called the am­

bulance.

H ow does the condition o f the patient today compare w ith th at picture? I f th ere has been any wholesale abandonment o f properties where current costs o f pro­

duction have been out of line, the secret has been am azingly w ell kept. M ines in the union fields have been shut down, consolidations have been effected, but little has been done to reduce th e potential production capacity of those operations. There is evei'y probability that the m ajority o f the m ines now idle w ill start up again at the first favorable opportunity. The present p ligh t o f the union m ines, however, has been a spur to non-union expansion. I f a survey w ere taken, we should find more— not less— m ines in existence as the result o f one year’s w orking of the Jacksonville agree­

ment.

That conclusion seem s to contradict th e prom ises m ade in 1924. B ut possibly the lay m ind has m is-

interpreted the diagnosis o f the skillful politician prac­

tition ers who make W ashington th eir home and the economic w elfare o f the country the unrelieved patient o f th eir clinics. U nion m ine development is at a stand­

still: non-union expansion has been encouraged. Can it be th at those who urged agreem ent upon union oper­

ators and union leaders a year ago had a deeper purpose in mind than appeared? W as the su ggestion a subtle antitoxin to destroy th e power o f union labor in the m ining industry? C ertainly the developm ents o f the past twelvem onth do not conflict w ith such a conjecture.

i f such be th eir cryptic purpose, th eir unw illingness to perm it th e governm ent to be a party to any movem ent which would undo w hat they have so assiduously and cunningly labored to bring about becomes understand­

able. Perchance the operators who condemn W ashing­

ton do it a grave in ju stice in fa ilin g to appreciate its M achiavellian benevolence. Surely a gen iu s th at per­

suaded the leaders o f the union to become partners in a plan to underm ine th eir own organization, and is so potent that these sam e leaders still work loyally to make the plan successful, ought not to go unrecognized.

Learn How

A MAZING are the remarks that the average work- - ¿ V ing man w ill make about “book learnin’ ” even in the present day, despite the fa ct that he knows th at the only th in g which separates us from the savage is the experience o f the ages, as preserved to us by that sam e despised book learning. The human mind is little, if at all, developed, the hum an body is not a w h it stronger and the human moral sense itse lf is changed little, i f at all, by th e progress o f tim e. When an Indian or an alien peasant g ets the benefit of th is experience, he often show s h im self as capable as others to make use of it.

Men vary in their natural endowments, but those who have the rig h t quality o f mind to lead and to plan are foolish i f they n eglect the opportunity to g e t the facts of experience that will g iv e them the entire range o f opportunity. When we see how m uch a little com- mon-school train in g has done fo r th e Am erican people and for th ose of other nations who have had it and when we reflect th at the tra in in g thus given is basal and not occupational, w e realize w hat wonders could be accomplished i f every man knew w hat generations had slow ly accumulated relative to the practice o f his occupation, its methods, its dangers and its m aterials.

Ju st at th is tim e, however, as w e enter the m onths w hen sum m er schools are held, it is only a small portion of th at knowledge th at is offered, nam ely th a t which m ining men need to know to become forem en. B e it remembered, however, that education, like other th in gs, has its law o f d im inishing returns, and a few weeks' of train in g in m ining w ill work a change in a man’s ab ilities quite out o f proportion to that which w ill be obtained by a fou r y ears’ course.

B y th at is m eant th a t in the th irty -six m onths o f college train in g it is hardly likely th at th irty -six tim es as much w ill be absorbed by the student as w ill be obtained in the b rief m onth o f the forem an’s school.

Certainly, those fou r w eeks w ill be looked back to as an entry into a new world. The student w ill g et a new slant on life, and a new attitu d e toward the treasury o f the printed page; and if he has character he will not fa il to make w hat he learns a step to perferm ent.

Ap r il 16, 1 9 2 5

C O A L A G E

T r u e s d a l e B r e a k e r , G l e n A l d e n C o a l C o .

M any O p portun ities for B road en ing D em an d for P ea Size A nthracite S till U ncapitalized

A ctu a l T e s ts D e m o n stra te M uch A b u sed S ize H a s a R ea l P la c e in C onsum er’s C ellar, but Ig n o ra n ce and F a u lty S a les-A p p ro a ch H in d er M erch a n d isin g on S erv ice B a sis

B y Syd n ey A. H ale

S p e c i a l C o n t r i b u t o r , C o a X A g e N e w Y o r k C i t y

W

tic trade, pea and No. 1 buckwheat im m ediately crowd into the foreground. T his does not mean that demand is stron g enough to absorb all th e egg, stove and chestnut which could be produced w ith ex istin g m ine develop­

m ent. N or does it mean that th ese sizes o f hard coal occupy a fixed place— territorially or seasonally— in the scale of demand. T aking the year as a whole, however, sales resistance has not been such that the leading pro­

ducers have been unable to place th e tonnage of the larger sizes mined under normal operating conditions.

The sales resistance fe lt in the movem ent o f th e m ore popular dom estic sizes has been the result of the general tendencies in the m arketing of anthracite which w ere outlined in preceding issues.

Sm a l l Si z e s Pr e s e n t Pr o b l e m

On the other hand, the sales resistance encoun­

tered when th e producers attem pt to push pea and No. 1 buckwheat in the dom estic trade is definite and unm istakable. A few operators still profess uncon­

cern over the outlook fo r the m arketing o f th ese sizes, but the m ask o f indifference is only for professional purposes. Even in those rare instances w here the disposition o f pea and No. 1 buckwheat has seemed to present no extraordinary difficulties, the security enjoyed is only a tem porary one. There are too m any producers to whom the problem o f the sales o f these sizes has become a m erchandising bugaboo to w arrant a b elief th at any of the operators can escape its perplexities.

The first com m ercial shipm ents o f pea coal were made about 1867. For approxim ately 45 years it was

classified by the operators as a steam size and w as sold in com petition w ith bitum inous coal and other industrial power-producers. About a quarter o f a century ago, however, the Spencer heater— the earliest o f the m agazine-feed type o f household h eatin g plants to establish a perm anent place for itse lf— w as placed upon the market. T his adoption o f the feed principle o f th e old-fashioned base-burner stove to modern house­

hold h eatin g equipm ent created a real, but lim ited, dom estic demand for pea. The w ide differential in prices between pea and th e next larger size persuaded m any consum ers interested in fu el economy to experim ent w ith th is coal, which in some com m unities became known as “the poor m an’s anthracite.”

La c k s De v e l o p e d Ma r k e t

In 1912 the dom inant producing in terests elected to

“elevate” pea coal to the dom estic rank. The base price w as increased 50 cents per ton. A lthough pea held its own and even increased in percentage shipm ents during the next th ree years, subsequent events proved th at the m arket had n ot been sufficiently developed to carry over the entire production into the dom estic trade. The year the change w as made pea constituted 11 per cent o f the shipm ents. The n ex t year the per­

centage rose to 11.5 and by 1915 it had increased to 11.9 per cent o f the total shipm ents.

Since th at tim e there has been a sharp decline. In 1923 pea shipm ents aggregated 8.1 per cent of the total, as compared w ith 12.2 per cent in 1909, the earliest year fo r w hich complete records are available.

To w hat extent the shortage o f bitum inous coal in the E ast during the early years of the World W ar helped to keep up th e percentages and to w hat exten t delayed conversions o f boiler room equipment to burn the

C O À L A G E Vo l. 27, N o . 1G

f -

4 2

¡914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 B iZ 1923

How Pea Shipments Have Declined

T h e c h a r t , b a s e d o n t h e o f f i c i a l r e t u r n p u b ­ l i s h e d b y t h e U . S . G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y , s h o w s t h e p e r c e n t a g e s o f t h e t o t a l a n t h r a c i t e s h i p ­ m e n t s c o n t r i b u t e d b y p e a , c h e s t n u t a n d N o . 1 b u c k w h e a t d u r i n g t h e 1 0 y e a r s e n d e d D e c e m b e r 3 1 , 1 9 2 3 . T h e a c t u a l t o n n a g e s a r e s h o w n in t h e t a b l e o n p . 5 6 9 . N o t e h o w t h e p e r c e n t ­ a g e o f p e a h a s s t e a d i l y d e c l i n e d a n d t h e p e r ­ c e n t a g e o f c h e s t n u t i n c r e a s e d .

buckwheat or bitum inous coal sustained the industrial demand, it is im possible to state, because the official sta tistics reproduced in the table on p. 569 make no segregation as betw een coal fo r dom estic and coal for industrial consumption.

In c r e a s e d De m a n d f o r Ch e s t n u t

Two other factors also intervened to postpone the day when the industry would be compelled to recognize the m arketing of pea coal as one of th eir m ajor problems. These factors w ere the post-w ar slump in the demand fo r No. 1 buckwheat and the increasing dom estic demand for chestnut coal. D u rin g th e war years n ecessity forced the anthracite in terests to recom­

mend to industrial consum ers th a t they piece out an inadequate tonnage o f buckwheat w ith bitum inous coal.

Many steam plants liked the su ggestion so well that th ey continued to use bitum inous coal a fter the shortage in anthracite had disappeared.

On top of that came the fuel-oil drive w hich swept the A tlantic seaboard and induced hundreds of large and medium sized power plants to convert to oil. This, of course, curtailed the m arket for bitum inous coal, the producers of which w ere stru g g lin g to find an outlet fo r the output of the developed m ine capacity that had been so greatly expanded to m eet w ar-tim e demands fo r fuel. To m ake th is situ ation m ore acute, the bulk o f the bitum inous coal th a t enters th e lim ited area over which the steam sizes of anthracite can be distributed comes from non-union m ines th at could underline their story w ith a price.

Pu s h e d Sa l e o f No. 1 Bu c k w h e a t

I f the buckwheats w ere to be sold a t a dim inishing scale of prices which would pile up the losses to be covered by the prices fixed on the dom estic sizes of anthracite, operators envisaged a tim e w hen m ounting quotations on th e larger coals would seriously lim it their market. W ith governm ent officials, newspapers, a certain school of econom ists and th e public generally clam oring fo r a deflation o f all w ar-tim e prices, there w ere some anthracite producers who w ere genuinely alarmed. I f a w ider dom estic m arket could be found fo r N o. 1 buckwheat, prices on th at coal, if not in ­ creased, m ight, at least, be stabilized at circular figures.

So the plea w en t out to th e retail trade to push the sale of buckwheat coal and the en ergies w hich m ight have been spent upon the m erchandising of pea were diverted to a largely ineffective propaganda in favor o f No. 1 buckwheat.

No one who stu d ies the figures show ing the sh ip ­ m ents o f pea and the shipm ents o f chestnut during that period can entertain any serious doubts as to how the percentage o f one declined and the percentage o f the other increased. N or w ill he be at a loss to understand w hy criticism of preparation a t th e m ines has been grow ing in the past fe w years. That avenue of escape from th e pea coal problem is nearing a cul-de-sac.

A lthough the recent official announcem ent of the uniform sizin g standards recommended by the A nthra­

cite Operators’ Conference carried w ith it the statem ent that the new plan would fu rth er reduce the tonnage o f pea coal, com petitive forces seem likely to check continued degradation of chestnut coal at the breakers.

Re c o g n iz e Me r c h a n d i s i n g Pr o b l e m

The general recognition o f the existence o f a real m erchandising problem in pea coal is in itse lf the best evidence that a new analysis and a fresh view point of the situation are necessary. As a basis fo r such a re-exam ination, w e sta rt out w ith the fundam ental question : H as pea coal a real place in th e dom estic m arket? N o sound or no effective cam paign can be planned until th is basic fact has been determ ined.

T his statem ent is true not only of coal, but of every other com m odity w hich is sold to the public. It is a particularly pertinent question w ith respect to pea coal because the special m arket w hich th is size once held again st all com petitors— the field of the m agazine-feed heater— is being pre-empted by N o.' 1 buckwheat.

Practically all th e em phasis o f the literature now put out by the m anufacturers of such equipm ent is upon the use o f th e sm aller coal. The A nthracite Economy Shows, held in various eastern cities the past tw o years, stress the sam e size. I f the cam paign to develop a strong dom estic m arket fo r No. 1 buckwheat is to be a complete success, the m agazine-feed heater m ust be elim inated in planning a sales program for pea coal.

Ut i l i t y o f Pe a Co a l Pr o v e n

F ortunately for the anthracite industry, the te s ti­

mony in support of an affirmative answer to th e question raised in th e preceding paragraph is strong and convincing. It has been dem onstrated by actual test— not in the experim ental laboratory, but in the furnaces o f the consumer— that pea coal has a much w ider field o f u sefulness than is generally realized.

Pea coal has been burned su ccessfully in the ordinary dom estic h eatin g plant. Many consum ers use no other fuel during m ild w eather, as they have discovered that they can control and m aintain a m oderate fire much more efficiently w ith th is size than is possible when burning the larger sizes. T hese consum ers fire egg or stove only in extrem e weather. Others, not yet converted to the use o f stra ig h t pea, alternately fire the large and the small coal.

A nother field in the private dw elling is the use o f pea coal to run hot-w ater heaters in the summer. T he gas heater in common use is both expensive in oper­

a tin g costs and destructive to th e hot-w ater coils. It has a tendency to overheat th e w ater unless closely watched and, in m any cases, th is overheating, besides

APRIL 1 6 , 1 9 2 5 C O A L A G E 5 6 9 w eakening the coils, churns up sedim entary deposits

that mean dirty w ater at the tap. U nless the autom atic gas heater is used, it is generally the case th at the w ater is n ot hot when w anted and the housew ife prop­

erly com plains th at she m ust run up or down stairs to lig h t the heater w henever she w ants hot water.

D isgu sted m istresses of the home have elim inated th is bother by connecting hot-water tanks w ith small w ater- back laundry stoves such as frequently repose in rust in many basem ents.

Use Pea for Ba n k in g

Finally, there is already a small actual and a large potential m arket for the use of pea as a banking fuel.

T his m arket probably presents the g reatest possib ilities fo r quick cultivation o f any m entioned. Some sporadic attem pts have been made to develop business along th ese lines, but the pressure has been weak. It w ill take more than a few press releases, an occasional

“circular to the trade” from th e operators, or an enam­

eled sign, “use pea coal for banking your fire at n ig h t,”

in th e retail office to get results.

N one o f the uses suggested is theoretical. E very one o f them has been proven sound. They involve no

Changes in Percentages of Shipm ents of Pea, Buckwheat and Chestnut

--- P e a ---. N o . ! B u c k w h e a t • C h e s tn u t— '

G ro s s P e r G ro s s P e r G ro s s P e r

Y e a r T o n s C e n t i T o n s C e n t t T o n s C e n t t

1923... 5 ,9 2 8 ,6 1 8 8 .1 9,641,571 1 3 .2 18,355,255+ 2 5 .0 1 9 2 2 * . . . - . . . 3,2 7 8 ,1 3 6 8 . 0 5 ,5 3 7 ,5 9 5 1 3 .5 I0 .0 8 5 .9 6 0 f 2 4 .6 1921... 5 ,8 6 5 ,3 7 9 8 .4 9 ,3 4 9 ,0 0 9 1 3 .4 18,636,682 2 6 .8 1920... 5 ,4 5 7 ,5 8 8 8 .0 9 ,1 6 7 ,9 3 4 1 3 .4 17,327,540 2 5 .2

1919. 6 ,2 3 7 ,3 9 8 9 .1 8 ,5 7 4 ,8 5 2 1 2 .5 17,405,402 2 5 .6

1918. . 6,471,381 8 .4 10,800,796 14.1 17,408,141 2 2 .7

1917. 6 ,8 2 4 ,0 0 3 8 . 8 1 1,659,176 1 5 .0 17,753,449 2 2 .8

1916 ... 7,5 2 0 ,8 0 4 11.1 9 ,5 6 9 ,8 1 7 1 4 .2 14,998,499 2 2 .2 1915... 8 ,2 1 0 ,6 6 8 1 1 .9 9 ,3 2 2 ,5 3 3 1 3 .6 14,061,069 2 0 .4 1914... 8 ,2 7 7 ,6 1 9 1 1 .8 9 ,4 5 9 ,7 8 8 1 3 .5 16,224,892 2 3 .0 1913... 8,208,681 1 1 .5 9,504,161 1 3 .3 17,168,817 2 4 .0 1912... 7 ,2 0 6 ,2 3 9 1 1 .0 8 ,6 9 8 ,1 7 3 1 3 .3 14,601,082 2 2 .4 191 1. 8 ,2 8 2 ,0 4 9 1 1 .8 9 ,8 3 6 ,6 3 8 1 4 .0 16,037,735 2 2 .8 1910. . . . 7 ,8 5 0 ,0 3 2 1 1 .6 9 ,4 6 4 ,5 2 8 1 4 .4 14,354,468 2 1 .8 1 9 0 9 ... 7,623,341 1 2 .2 9,290,311 1 4 .8 13,160,119 2 0 .9

^ P e r c e n ta g e o f t o t a l s h ip m e n ts o f a n t h r a c it e .

* P r o lo n g e d s tr ik e . . ____

t l n c l u d e s 57 9 ,8 9 8 to n s o f r a n g e co a l in 1922, a n d 2,3 2 8 ,8 4 3 to n s i n 1923.

■changes in h eatin g equipment. T heir successful application calls for no specialized skill in firing. They all mean better fuel service to the consumer and econ­

omy, not only in dollars per ton, but the economy that flows out o f efficiency. In short, there is no doubt w hatever as to w hether pea coal has a real place in the dom estic market.

Wh y Is Pea Coala Bugaboo?

Why, then, has it been so difficult to move th is coal?

W hy are operators carrying large tonnages o f pea in storage? W hy do retailers in some E astern com­

m unities claim th at they cannot move the coal they purchased m onths ago, to say n othing of tak in g on additional supplies? I f a retailer in one city, fo r example, can build up such a business in pea th at it h a s increased to 20 per cent o f th e total dom estic tonnage of anthracite w hich he handles, w hy do dealers in other com m unities cry out th at another car of pea w ill be the proverbial la st straw ? W hat are the cardinal w eaknesses in the m arketing program which made such conditions possible?

To begin w ith, the common angle o f approach has been, and to a large exten t still is, wrong. The oper­

ators have em phasized th eir own n ecessities rather than consum er service. Those sta tistica lly minded seek

to bolster up th eir argum ents w ith com parisons show­

in g the increases, both in percentages and actual tonnages, in the shipm ents of small sizes today over 25 or 35 years ago. Others, concerned m ore w ith the foreground of the present than the background o f the past, stress the unescapable fa ct th at pea and the buck­

w heat are unavoidable products o f the system of coal preparation and th at a place m ust be found for them i f the m arket requirem ents of egg, stove and nut are to be met. There is no evading th at conclusion because the added toll that such a policy would add to th e prices on the senior dom estic sizes m akes a resort to the old practice o f dumping everything sm aller than chestnut on the culm bank a com m ercially im possible alternative. All these fa cts appeal to the producer as reasons of com pelling force w hy he m ust “get rid of”

more pea and buckwheat through retail channels. They present no reason at all w hy the retail distributor or the household consumer should buy those sizes.

Force Sale op Sm a ll Sizes

W ith necessity, instead of service, uppermost, it is only natural th at producers’ sales agents have tried to force pea and buckwheat upon th e retail trade. T hese endeavors have not been sim ilar to the high-pressure salesm anship in certain unrelated lines, frequently o f dubious m erit, in w hich the prospect is overwhelm ed by a wave of oratory and tem porarily is sw ept into b u yin g som ething he realizes he does not w ant a fter th e force of th e “sign-on-the-dotted-line” flood has subsided.

N o; sales-pressure in the anthracite industry has been brutally frank and sim ple. It has been a case o f com­

pelling the buyer to agree to th e purchase o f the small sizes in consideration o f the shipper’s agreem ent to sell him the desired tonnage o f the more popular sizes. A t tim es the compulsion is sugar-coated w ith frien d ly phrases, even expressions o f appreciation upon the part o f the seller at the buyer’s “good fellow sh ip ” in helping th e producer out of a hole, but the compulsion is there and neither buyer nor seller is deceived. P aten tly such pressure can be exerted only in those territo ries in w hich anthracite is still the undisputed choice of the dom estic consumer.

That such a policy encourages dealer resentm ent a gain st th e hard coal producers, is too obvious to require comment. B ut there are other drawbacks equally, if not more, dangerous. Such a practice degrades the value o f the coal in the eyes o f the dis­

tributor. It becomes, not a fu el w ith a real place in a m erchandising program based upon service, but some­

th in g “to get rid off.” W ith such a feelin g, there can be no honest enthusiasm in the sales m ethods employed by the retail distributor— unless, and until, he has learned fo r h im self th a t pea and No. 1 buckwheat are sizes which he can offer w ith confidence. Many retailers make no attem pt to m erchandise the sizes forced upon them. T his disaffection is communicated to the u lti­

m ate consumer. In a fe w cases, there are retailers who would like to solve th eir m erchandising problems in the same m anner in w hich th e producer has attem pted to solve h is— to force tonnage on the buyer. The con­

certed action that would encourage that folly, however, is im possible o f attainm ent.

To know the w eaknesses o f a program is the first step toward stren gth en in g it. Some of the w ays in w hich the m erchandising o f pea may be improved will be discussed in the n ext article in th is series.

C O A L A G E V ol . 27, No. 16

W ill R o ck D u stin g Suffer by In d u stry’s E nth usiasm ?

E x p e r t F ea rs A ll T h is H e c tic In te r e s t M ay W a rp J u d g m e n ts on E fficacy o f D u st— S a y s A n a ly s e s W ill P ro v e S o m e “S a fe ” M in es N e ed D u s t— F a v o rs B ig D u st M ills and H ig h P ressu re A p p lica tio n

B y J. E. Jones

S a f e t y E n g i n e e r , o l d B e n C o a l C o r p o r a t i o n , W e s t F r a n k f o r t , 111.

T

allel in th e h istory o f coal m in in g in the p rogress of sa fety . Its suddenness causes one to h esita te and reflect as to w hether it is of short life and w ill lose its popularity or w hether

it w ill grow as a sa fety m easure and become as essen tial as other well- e s t a b l i s h e d sa fety m ethods.

E xperiences are pos­

sib le th a t w ill make for or a g a in st rock dusting.

It is quite possible for a m ine that is rock dusted

— or r a t h e r has the credit o f being dusted—

to have a disastrous explosion. S u c h an occurrence would un­

questionably cause some to doubt th e efficacy o f rock dusting. I t is also p o s s i b l e fo r a w ell- dusted m ine to be so

filled w ith gas th a t an explosion could occur. It is a rem ote p ossibility, since a m ine requiring rock dust would require careful atten tion ; but even i f gas actually accum ulated and an explosion occurred, the rock dust would lower the tem perature and lessen th e force.

In all probability rock d u stin g w ill g e t m ore credit than is its due. It is sa fe to say th a t a hundred explosions th a t are localized, due to som e cause or other, occur for each explosion th at is w idespread enough to be term ed a disaster. U sually th e norm al h igh ash content of the m ine or the sufficiently large space for expansion to dim inish the pressure or a combination o f these tw o factors is enough to localize an explosion.

It is som etim es difficult to understand w hy an explo­

sion stopped. I f rock dust w ere used it would often g e t the credit fo r stopping explosions th at would have stopped of them selves. Also, w hen a h igh percentage o f the hazardous m ines are rock dusted m any more d isasters w ill be reported averted than are reported now. This, too, m ay add some unm erited glory to rock d ust’s record.

An explosion occurred recently in a m ine th at w as not rock dusted at th e tim e o f the explosion. A pproxi­

m ately 1,000 m en w ere employed underground and w ere at work on th a t day. The m ine is worked on the panel system , each panel being approxim ately eigh t acres in area.

The explosion originated in gas ign ited by an open ligh t. Coal dust propagated it in spite o f the large

space fo r expansion. A pproxim ately 75 per cent o f the eig h t acres o f coal in th e panel, havin g an average thickness of 8 ft., had been extracted. Flam e and force concentrated at the double entrance to the panel and the propagation o f the explosion by coal dust to th e other parts o f the m ine took place. When the flame

had reached a distance of 300 ft. in all direc­

tion s from the panel entrance, the reaction­

ary force, due to the consum ption of oxygen in the panel and th e con­

sequent cooling effect, sucked th e flame back into the panel and the explosion ceased.

N one but those who view ed th e resu lts o f th is explosion can fu lly r e a l i z e the narrow escape th a t th is m ine had from a terrible disaster. H ad the flame traveled b e y o n d t he a d j o i n i n g p a n e l entrances, a distance o f 550 ft., b efore the suction took effect, it is hardly possible that all o f th e flame would have been ex tin ­ guished and the explosion stopped. T his is an example o f an experience w here rock dust could have been given unearned credit fo r stopping an explosion. T his m ine is now thoroughly rock dusted.

Rock Du s t Pr e v e n t s Disa st e r s

It is to prevent sm all explosions from developing into d isasters th at rock dust should be installed. The tendency w ill be to rock dust first those m ines consid­

ered hazardous. The acknowledgm ent th at a m ine is hazardous m eans th a t m ore than normal care is given that m ine regardless o f rock dusting. The experience o f the industry in general is th at explosions have occurred in m ines that w ere considered relatively safe.

M ines not having experienced explosions w ill probably be slow to in stall rock dust.

The Benwood disaster occurred in a m ine th at had had 60 years o f operating experience w ith ou t a bad explosion. It w ill be difficult to convince those in au th ority at any m ine h avin g such a record, th at rock dust is needed.

To be fu lly effective rock dust m ust be installed in all m ines w here th e analyses o f the m ine dust show th at propagation o f flame is possible. F irst, th e explo­

sion hazard o f the m ine should be ascertained. The explo­

sion experience, or lack o f it, is not a tru e m easure of th e hazards, because serious explosions usually occur so rarely and in such w idely separated places. The Jones’ Crew of D usters Do N o t Choke at Their Work

T h e d i s t r i b u t o r i s h a u l e d a t t h e r e a r e n d o f a t r i p c o m p r i s i n g a l o c o ­ m o t i v e , a c a r l o a d o f d u s t a n d t h e m a c h i n e , t r a v e l i n g a g a i n s t t h e a i r . T h e m o t o r m a n a n d o n e o p e r a t o r d o t h e j o b .

Ap r il 1 6 , 1 9 2 5

C O A L A G E 571

better plan is to analyze th e m ine dust and the m ine air. T his can be done locally by having the proper apparatus to make analyses or by th e Bureau o f M ines or some com m ercial te stin g laboratory.

The inform ation required, regarding m ine dust depos­

ited along ribs, roof, tim bers and ledges, is the am ount o f com bustible m atter in it sm aller than 20 m esh to the inch and th e percentage o f sizes th at are sm aller than 20 mesh. Sepai-ate sam ples should be taken of the dust on the floor. The analysis also should show the am ount of com bustible gases in th e return airw ays.

Samples should be taken in various places throughout th e m ine so that th e true hazard o f th e different sec­

tion s and of the entire m ine m ay be ascertained.

N o Direct Appl ic a t io n to Floor

U sually the com bustible m atter on the floor o f haul- agew ays is much less than elsew here in the m ine and requires no direct application o f rock dust, there being a sufficient quantity fa llin g to the floor during applica­

tion to the roof, rib s and tim bers. The presence of even small quantities o f com bustible gases in the m ine a ir increases the propagating hazard o f an explosion.

A substantial sa fe ty factor should be provided by apply­

in g m ore rock dust than is necessary.

Of great im portance is the rig h t choice o f the rock from w hich th e dust is to be pulverized. T his rock should be acceptible by the U. S. Bureau of M ines.

The dust m ust be alm ost totally incom bustible and of su ch nature as not to affect the health o f the men applying it.

I f th e rock dust is not available the installation of a pulverizer will be necessary. The dust should be of such fineness th at all of it w ill pass through a 50-m esh and 60 per cent of it through a 200-m esh sieve. F in er d ust w ill be m ore effective. The cost o f pulverizing in creases rapidly w ith the fineness obtained. The Old Ben Coal Corporation d ust is ground so th a t 92 per cent w ill pass through a 255-m esh sieve.

Re c o m m e n d s Large Pulverizer

The capacity o f the pulverizer w ill depend largely upon the num ber o f m ines to be supplied. However, if a sm all am ount of dust is required it w ill be m ore eco­

nom ical to install a large pulverizer, keeping one man em ployed on grin d in g days and allow ing the plant to rem ain idle betw een tim es, than to install a very small- capacity pulverizer.

W here dust is to be transported other than in m ine cars it would be well to equip the plant w ith a dust sack in g device. W hen dust is handled loose a large am ount is w asted in transportation, unloading and

loading. Sacked dust is more econom ically and effi­

ciently handled in the m ine than loose dust.

It seem s to be unanim ous th at rock d u stin g o f roof and ribs in the m ine is o f first im portance and th at the barrier method o f protection has been relegated to second place. T his is th e conclusion reached by the Old Ben Coal Corporation, but it is not considered that the use o f the barrier system is to be stopped. A com­

bination of the tw o system s gives a h igh er degree o f sa fety than the use o f one system alone.

Added Sa fe t y Provided b y Barriers

B arriers g iv e added sa fe ty in air courses w here, because of th e absence of track, th e coating cannot be applied as efficiently as on haulage roads. In entrances to old w orkings troughs m ay be installed. It would be well to install one large concentrated barrier over the haulage to each m ine section w h ile directly opposite on the air course or air courses, a barricade o f dust troughs should be placed. The barrier in stallation s serve a double purpose: T hey add protection to the coating system of rock d usting and m aintain a rock dust supply alw ays w ith in reach in th e event o f a m ine fire.

The application o f rock d ust to the roof, ribs and tim bers is a m echanical problem depending largely upon the kind o f power available fo r th e operation o f th e dust distributor. M ost large m ines are electrified.

Therefore, an electrically driven, high-speed, fan type of distributor w ill probably become th e m ost popular.

D ifferent m ining conditions create different problems to solve. In Illinois coal m ines, in general, conditions w ill not perm it the application of w ater on the roof, ribs or floor w ithout serious results. F or th is reason it is not feasib le to w ash down th e roof and ribs.

Should Mix Rock a n d Coal Du st s

Our problem is to make th e m ines sa fe a g a in st propagation o f explosions by rock d u stin g w hile accept­

in g conditions as th ey are. W ith th is in m ind our idea o f a rock d ust distributor is one th a t w ill n ot only distrib u te the dust but w ill also make a thorough m ix­

ture of the coal dust and rock dust, not p erm ittin g th e rock dust to form a layer on the coal dust.

T his latter condition would g iv e a fa lse sen se of security, since observation and sam pling would indicate h igher ash content than actually existed. The tendency o f the rock dust also would be to flake off w hen depos­

ited in a layer on top of th e coal dust.

A nother im portant factor in th e d esign o f a d istrib ­ utor is speed. T his is im portant both economically and from the standpoint o f the health o f the men apply­

in g the dust. In the m ine interior, w here th e air

10 Spiral steel or

rin M p/ate pipe AH Joints in hopper to be arc welded

Feed regu!atorsJx3xt2 vanes.botted to j'square bar upset ends o f bar to give U "°at bearings M otor

Sear bor, reduction / 30 to !

Conduit to

, m otor "

Conduit with cabled.

connection to motor trolley pole '^Ctain and

5^rocht\

§ 'x3 /'i/? 0 "B ed p ta te-A Jones’ Duster

T h e b u i l d e r

“ G i v e s I t t o t h e w o r l d ” b y f i l i n g d e ­ t a i l d r a w i n g s w i t h t h e B u r e a u o f M i n e s a t W a s h i n g ­ t o n f o r a l l t o s e e . A 7 J - h p . m o t o r d r i v e s t h e b l o w e r f a n b y b e l t a n d o p ­ e r a t e s t h e f e e d m e c h a n i s m t h r o u g h a 1 4 - i n . p u l l e y b e a r ­ i n g a g a i n s t t h e b e l t . T h e 3 6 - c u . f t . h o p p e r h o l d s a t o n o f d u s t o r e n o u g h t o c o v e r o n e - h a l f a n e n t r y f o r 1 ,3 5 0 f t .

572 C O A L A G E V o l.

27

a short distance again st the air, thus surrounding the operators i f the travel of th e distributor is not fa st enough to keep them aw ay from th is cloud.

The last two rock d u stin g m achines built by the Old Ben corporation have been made to embody th ese p rin­

ciples. These m achines are designed to dust one-half the roof and one rib w ith each trip. Should the roof be heavily tim bered or of unusual h eigh t a third trip is taken to dust the roof. The blast of air and dust is o f sufficient force to blow into suspension w hatever coal dust m igh t be in its path, the resultant dust applied b eing a m ixture o f the rock dust and coal dust. The extrem e force of the blast deposits rock dust on the opposite sides of tim bers and in crevices to greater depths than coal dust penetrates.

De t a i l s o p Op e r a t i o n Ou t l i n e d

The autom atic feed o f the la st m achine built is so tim ed as to perm it the distributor a travel speed of four m iles per hour to rock dust one-half o f the entry at the rate of one and one-half pounds o f rock dust per lineal foot. The operation is as follow s:

(1 ) An electric locomotive, a car o f rock dust and the distributor w ith its hopper filled w ith dust are coupled together in th e order named.

(2 ) Both positive and n egative w ires are connected to the locom otive from the sta rtin g box on the distributor.

(3 ) The discharge pipe o f the distributor is set so th at it points to the intersection o f one of the coal ribs and the roof.

(4 ) A motorman and distributor man are required, the first b eing at the controller on th e locom otive and the second in the car ready to shovel dust into the hopper o f the distributor.

(5 ) The locomotive is a t the fron t o f th e train and dusting is begun at the sh a ft bottom, th e train traveling in the direction opposite th e travel o f the air current. (H aulage entries in Illin ois are usually return airw ays.)

(6 ) The one rib and h a lf the roof are dusted at the rate o f four m iles per hour, h e sita tin g a t cross-cuts, until the hopper and car are both empty. When necessary th e trip is stopped and both men refill the hopper.

(7 ) 'When both the hopper and car are em pty the trip is pushed to th e sh a ft bottom, the hopper refilled and the em pty car exchanged fo r a loaded one.

(8 ) The discharge pipe is pointed to th e opposite rib and the same procedure is taken as before, g iv ­ in g a total dusting of 3 lb. per lineal foot..

(9 ) When the work has advanced fa r enough from the sh a ft bottom, another rock d u stin g base is established.

(1 0 ) Panels are dusted one rib at a tim e, giv in g sufficient tim e for the dust to settle b efore the m achine returns to dust the opposite rib. Stops o f one m inute are made at rooms.

The dusting o f air courses and old w orkings is much slower, requiring entrance into such places w herever possible and the use of tubes w here entrance is not possible. W e have not y et completed the installation o f holes in stoppings through w hich to place th e tube to dust air courses.

This Is Old Ben’s N ew est Distributor

F o r y e a r s J . E . J o n e s e x p e r i m e n t e d w i t h v a r i o u s t y p e s o f h o m e - m a d e b l o w e r s , p e r f e c t i n g 1 d e t a i l a f t e r d e t a i l u n t i l f i n a l l y h e b u i l t t h i s s a t i s f a c t o r y m a c h i n e . T h e b l o w e r p r e s s u r e i s h i g h e n o u g h t o d i s l o d g e c o a l d u s t f r o m e v e n d e e p c r e v i c e s a n d t o d e p o s i t r o c k d u s t o n r o o f a n d r i b s i n j u s t t h e r i g h t v o l u m e w i t h t h e g r e a t e s t d e g r e e o f c o m f o r t f o r t h e m e n w h o d o t h e w o r k .

One o f our sm a lle st m in e s, re ce n tly , w a s rock d u sted th o r o u g h ly w it h th e c o a tin g s y ste m f o r th e fir st tim e.

T h e m in e w a s n ot in o p eration w h en our p r e s e n t c o a t­

in g sy ste m o f p ro tec tio n w a s b egu n . Our fir st la r g e d istr ib u to r w a s used.

T h e fo llo w in g is a s ta te m e n t o f w ork d one an d it s c o s ts :

Labor— 50 sh ifts, at $7.50 per s h if t ... $375.00 Rock D ust— 95 tons, at 50c. per to n ... 522.50 Supervision ... 100.00 Total cost ...$997.50 T he te r r ito r y covered b y th e com p any up to Ja n u a ry , 1925, w a s:

Ft.

Main and cross entry haulage road s... 20,200 Main and cross entry aircou rses...20,200 Panel entries ... 23,200 Total distance ... 63,600 T h e d eta il on c o st is as fo llo w s :

Cost per 1,000 lineal f t ...$15.68 Cost per 1,000 lineal ft., 3 dustings per y e a r 47.04 Total cost at three dustings per y e a r ... 2,992.50 Cost for rock dusting per ton a t three dustings per year ...$0,006 Average daily production of m in e...2,000 tons Annual production a t 250 days w ork ed .. ..500,000 tons Amount of dust distributed per lineal f o o t ...3 lb.

T h is co st on our sm a lle st p rod u ction m in e is g iv e n , sin c e i t w ill p rob ab ly b e clo ser to th e a v e r a g e s iz e m in e th an w ould our la r g e r m in e s. T h e c o s t o f d u s tin g per ton o f coal prod uced d oes n o t g iv e s a t is f a c t o r y in fo r ­ m a tio n sin c e m in e s equal in d evelop m en t r a n g e g r e a tly in to n n a g e ca p a city . T h e c o st p er 1,000 f t . is p rob ably a b e tte r stan d ard .

S am p les o f m in e d u st tak en 30 d a y s a f te r rock d u st­

in g sh o w th e fo llo w in g a n a ly se s (sa m p le s o f th e floor d u st w er e ta k e n se p a r a te ly , b u t a t th e sam e lo c a tio n s as th o se ta k e n on th e ro o f and r ib s ) :

F ix e d

M o is tu r e V o la tile C a r b o n A sh T h r o u g h M e sh P e r C e n t P e r C e n t P e r C e n t P e r C e n t 48 100 200 M o to r H a u la g e :

R o o f a n d r i b s . 3 . 7 1 1 .0 7 .6 7 7 .7 9 4 .8 9 0 .7 8 0 .8 F lo o r ... 4 . 8 1 7 .7 2 3 .4 5 4 .1 6 8 .7 4 9 .2 3 0 .9 M o to r H a u la g e :

R o o f a n d r i b s 2 .8 1 0 .3 6 .0 8 0 .9 9 5 .8 9 1 .8 8 4 .6 F lo o r ... 3 . 2 1 5 .3 1 8 .9 6 3 .6 9 0 .5 8 1 .9 5 4 .7 M u le H a u la g e :

R o o f a n d r i b s 3 .7 1 2 .5 9 .1 7 4 .7 9 4 ,1 8 7 .7 7 9 .0 F l o o r ... 5 .4 2 2 .9 3 2 .5 3 9 .2 8 9 .0 7 4 .8 5 7 .3

A v e r a g e 3 .9 1 5 .0 1 6 .2 6 4 .9 8 8 .8 7 9 .4 6 4 .4