Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 36, No. 8

C

OAL GE

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 I N G , T E C H N I C A L A N D B U S IN E S S 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, ^August, 1931

V olum e 3 6 . . . . Number

Captive Ownership

W h e n , i n

1921,

Sp rin g dale f o r its Firs?: A nn u al M o d e l M i n ­ ing N u m b e r, the fu tu re o f captive ownership was sh a d o w e d by uncertainty. Consum er purchase o f mines had been so accelerated t h a t m an y in the industry fea re d the inde­

p en d e n t commercial o p eratio n was doom ed to dim inishing im portance. T o d a y , the pic­

tu re is much clearer an d the trend s of fu tu re economic developm ent are well estab­

lished.

M a r k e t I n f l u e n c e s

which once justified captive ownership f o r the production o f g e neral-purpose coal have lost much of th eir potency. As a result, the past decade has witnessed few no tab le additions to cap­

tive a creage o f this fuel. But th ere has been, a n d doubtless will continue to be, an expan­

sion in captive control o f special-purpose coals.

T f i e R e a s o n

f o r this g ro w th is ob­

vious. Reserves o f coals directly suitable f o r m etallurg ical purposes, gas and coke- m akin g a re limited. Prudence suggests, th e r e fo r e , t h a t large industrial enterprises whose basic m an u fa ctu rin g processes are built up o n the use of these p a rticu la r coals insure th e ir fu tu re supply o f these fuels by rem o v in g them fro m the field of commercial exploitation.

S o m e t h i n g M o r e

th a n insurance alone, how ever, is d e m an ded by pro gressive ownership. C aptive mines are in no sense an in dustrial luxury. T h e i r o p e ra tio n a n d upkeep m ust be conducted w ith the same economy as the industries which they serve.

H i g h s ta n d a rd s o f safety, care in the selec­

tion o f personnel, establishm ent o f living conditions which m ake so m any captive m in­

ing communities sta n d out as in dustrial show- places a re insisted upon, because experience has p ro v ed such developm ents g o o d business.

I f M a n a g e m e n t

o f these p r o p e rtie s seems unusually willing to spend liberally f o r continuous m od ern ization, it is only be­

cause cost studies have d e m o n s tra te d t h a t such investments will yield ad d itio n al profits in lo w e r costs an d an im pro ve d produ ct.

T h e r e is no guessw ork in captive-mine ac­

counting. Costs are allocated to the last decimal and a re analy zed w ith a t h o r o u g h ­ ness which m any commercial o peration s m ight well follow.

T h i s P h i l o s o p h y

o f captive o w n e r­

ship a n d m a n a g e m e n t is given practical a p ­

plication in the coal mines o f the Y o u n g sto w n

Sheet & T u b e Co. an d its subsidiary, the

Buckeye Coal Co. T h e s e o p e ra tio n s a re the

subject o f this, the E le v en th A n n u a l M o d e l

M in in g N u m b e r of

D e h u e H e a d fra m e Looks Out O v e r V illa g e in V alley

P E R F O R M A N C E A T N E M A C O L I N + Reflects Advance Planning

O f Management’s Problems

T

T ube Co., the la rg est industrial corporation in the S tate o f Ohio, w as started in 1900 by J. A . Campbell and other's, w ith a capital of $600,000. In 1903, w hen operation w as begun, the capital had been increased to §4,000,- 000 to sa tisfy the g r o w in g plans of the founders. N o w , the capital and re­

sources are estim ated a t $300,000,000.

G row th has progressed con sisten tly and steadily. T h e origin al intention w as m erely to build a sm all sh eet m ill and s ix puddling furnaces. A t present the com pany ow n s plants, ore m ines, coal m ines, and zin c m ines in eigh t states. I t operates sev en steel plants—

four in O hio, tw o in Indiana, and one in Illin o is. A t fou r of these plants it operates byproduct coke ovens. M anu­

factu rin g yield s about 100 different products, ch ief o f w h ich are p ig iron, steel bloom , billets, and slabs (both bessem er and open-hearth, pipe, sheets, tin plate, conduit, bars, w ire, and nails.

F u el reserve cam e up as a question soon after incorporation of the company, and sin ce h as been constantly in the m inds o f the directors as b ein g of im ­ portance equal to that of ore reserves, for a dependable source of fuel of superior , quality is practically essential to the production of h igh-quality iron and steel. T o this end control o f its quality fuel requirem ents w as sought and has been ach ieved through captive ow nership o f three coal m ines.

T w o o f these m ines are in P e n n ­ sylvan ia— one at N em acolin , in Greene C ounty; one at B rier H ill, in F ayette C ounty— and the third is in W est V irg in ia , at D ehue, in L ogan County.

N em acolin and B rier H ill m ines are under the nam e o f a subsidiary, the B uckeye Coal Co., w hich also m anages the D ehue m ine, a direct h olding of the parent com pany. In 1930, the three m ines togeth er produced 2,499,727 tons, w hich is approxim ately 50 per cent of

the average annual requirem ents of the steel plants.

T h ese m ines produce on ly h ig h - volatile byproduct coal and, to g et the superior coke required for th e operation of the steel plants, this fu el is m ixed w ith a vary in g percentage of purchased low -volatile coal. Slack coal, o f w h ich a relatively large ton n age is consum ed for steam purposes, norm ally is purchased.

C aptive coal is diverted from byproduct to steam use only in those season s o f the year w hen slack is not plentiful. O ther­

w ise, no definite lin e is draw n betw een captive and com m ercial-m arket supply of fuel to the steel w orks. G overn in g the choice betw een the tw o sou rces of supply is the desire to g iv e the m iners at the captive plants as nearly continuous w ork as possible. In consequence, m ine operation is planned for a v era g e require­

m ents, extra demand b ein g supplied by tem porary increases in production or by purchases.

. T h e Buckeye Coal Co., perhaps the

m ost im portant o f 38 Y o u n g sto w n sub­

sid iaries, cam e into b ein g D ec. 24, 1915.

It w as at about this tim e that the con­

solid ation by ex ch a n g e o f a num ber o f already held tracts into th e N em acolin property w as consum m ated. A sid e from building s ix m iles of railroad to this plant site, little w a s done until 1917, w h en the sin k in g of the slope and shaft w a s begun.

O f the three m ines, N em acolin alone w as acquired as a v irg in property. T h e developm ent and construction o f th is plant g a v e the m anagem ent its sole op ­

portunity to incorporate its ow n ideas in every phase o f m ine d esign and opera­

tion. B rier H ill w as acquired w ith the purchase o f the B rier H ill S teel Co. in 1923, as an old m ine w ith rem aining o perating life too sh ort to ju s tify a broad program of reconstruction. D eh u e also w as taken over as a g o in g plant, as part o f the S teel & T ube Co. o f A m erica, w h ich w as purchased in 1923.

It has w ith in its property lin es an acreage o f unm ined coal sufficient for m any years o f fu ll-cap acity operation.

F o r this reason m any m ajor ch an ges

T ab le I— Sum m ary o f W orker Productivity at N em acolin M ine (E x c lu d in g m en on p erm a n en t o r new c o n stru ctio n )

Y ear

Average T onnage D aily

T o tal T onnage

for Y ear L oader Inside

D a y m an

—T o n s P e r M an U n d er­

g round

S h ift P e r—

O utside M ech. and

Elec.

W orker O utside

L ab o rer M an on P ay ro ll*

1926 4987.9 1,536,281.00 21.32 14.89 8.24 99.80 118.80 7 .1 6

1927 5709.4 1,571.807.35 22.39 15.64 8.50 101.90 121.50 7 .3 7

1928 , , 6327.28 1,714,692.90 23.61 17.48 9 .2 8 119.38 131.82 8 .0 8

1929 . 6371.68 1,808,543. 15 22.28 18.63 9 .2 9 1 2 0 . 2 2 148.18 8 . 15

1930 6965.51 1,414,000.00 2 2 . 1 1 20.67 9.84 116.09 151.42 8 .5 6

Y e ar 1931 to D a te

M o n th J a n u a r y ... 7272.73

T o tal Tonnage for M o nth

80,000.00 22.24 20.96 9 .9 4 129.87 158.10 8 .7 2

F e b ru a ry . . 7350.00 73,500.00 22.83 21.55 10.19 126.72 153.12 8 .8 9

M a r c h .. . . , 7300.00 73,000.00 22.60 21.60 10.18 128.07 178.04 8 .9 6

April.. 7308.00 95,000.00 22.98 21.49 10.24 137.89 182.70 9 .0 6

M a y ... 7125.00 114,000.00 22.55 21.14 ■ 10.05 131.94 161.93 8 .8 3

J u n e ... 7028.00 126,500.00 22.38 21.04 9.9 5 121.17 149.53 8 .6 7

♦On basis of m an sh ifts a ctu ally w orked.

M anagement-

N em acolin Officials— Sitting, Left to R igh t: J . A. Forsythe, M aster M echanic and C hief Electrician; \V . H . G ates, Superintendent; C. M. Lingle, V k e President (Buckeye C oal C o .) ; A . W H esse, Chief M m . n g Eng.neer Standinc L eft to R igh t: C. H . D odge, Safety E ngineer; G . F. B ell, Chief C lerk S. B, G usem an, G eneral Outside Labor Forem an; A. E. Bennett

M ine Foreman

h ave been and are being made from the o riginal plant fa cilities and m ethods of operation at D ehue.

N em acolin standards, m ethods, and practices have been largely used as guides for the reconstruction and operation of B rier H ill and D eh u e m ines. T hat b eing so, the m anagem ent ob jectives and reasoning can be adequately pre­

sented by reference to N em acolin.

S o far as circum stances w ill allow , every new plant represents th e life­

lon g am bition or, if you w ill, dream of the' men in charge of its creation. In every case of careful planning, the design is characterized by certain dom inant features. A t N em acolin the m otifs are safety, perm anence, and free operation. O f these three, safety is the

m ajor. .

N o m atter w hat the problem , _ it it relates to m ine operation, first considera­

tion is g iv en to safety. N o m atter what the cost, the d ecision reached must guarantee the greatest degree of safety.

E vid en ce of this aim is readily discerned throughout the design of the plant and its operation. H a v in g assured itself that p rovisions h ave been m ade for protec­

tion under normal circum stances, the m anagem ent, in vital phases of opera­

tion, in sists on a generous factor oî

safety. T h is is particularly true w ith reference to such m ajor elem ents as ven tilation , rock-dusting, sprinkling, transportation, tim bering, and m achine operation. E vidence in detail o f this safety-m indedness w ill be found else­

w h ere in th is issue.

P erm anence of construction is carried

to a degree w hich com pares favorably w ith European practice. B ut it is ap­

plied in such a w ay as to reflect good business judgm ent rather than fixed aesire not to change. A m ine is unlike a factory or mill in that it cannot be completely torn apart and rebuilt. C er­

tain features can be changed bodily and can be justified because im provem ents guarantee savings over and above the cost of replacement— equipm ent, for e x ­ ample. Certain other features of a mine, once evolved, cannot be changed dur­

ing the life of the property. It is these that are designed for permanence.

Illustrative of this aim at perm anence is the concrete arch construction at the shaft bottom, w hich required the pour­

ing of 30,303 cu.yd. of concrete, and w hich is much like the subw ay tunnels in metropolitan c it ie s ; also the m any m iles of brick and steel roof supports on main haulagew ays. W hen the pro­

g r a m is completed the roof over every linear foot of primary track w ill be per­

manently supported. T h is and other permanent construction below ground regularly em ploys a w orking crew of about one hundred men.

T h is policy of m atching the construc­

tion w ith the life or service require­

ments is calculated not only to reduce maintenance to a minim um and effect econom ies in operation by freein g it of repetitive construction and consequent delays but also as equitably as possible to spread the capital charges over a num ­ ber of years. D u rin g the retreat of the property the mine w ill have the cheapest and most uniform costs. T h ese pro-

v isio n s are counter to general practice, in w h ich large sum s of m oney too fr e ­ quently are spent futilely for m ainten­

ance that m igh t have been avoided by an in itial expenditure large enough to g iv e perm anence.

F ree operation as a factor in the d esign of the N em acolin m ine plant e x ­ presses the characteristics of m inim um effort and rush or speed in the produc­

tion of a g iv en tonnage. T h e objective sought w a s a free flow o f coal to and up the hoist shaft. E quipm ent w as chosen w hich could be operated at low speed for average production require­

m ents, to the end that m aintenance cost w ould be low and that output could be increased w ith ou t ta x in g th at eq u ip m en \ O ther fa cilities w ere d esigned accord ­ ingly, an outstanding exam ple b ein g the large number of headings provided in the variou s entry system s.

F le x ib ility is a synonym for free operation. " N em acolin, w hich seldom has exceeded its present daily produc­

tion of 7,300 tons, has been designed for a m axim um capacity of 1,500 tons an hour. T h is capacity w as selected w ith the thought that should the future de­

mand a h igh tonnage from the plant, fa cilities w ill have been provided. In this respect, th e m anagem ent profited from the general exp erience of the in­

dustry. T h e tendency has been to in­

crease plant output beyond th e intended capacity by inordinate sp eed in g up, re­

su ltin g in frequent breakdowns^ anc:

delays, accom panied by h igh m ainten­

ance costs.

N ein a co lin ’s m arks of efficiency a r e m erely indicated by an inspection of the- m ine and a v ie w o f its operation. Its size, its trim appearance, and the th or­

ou gh n ess of its m ethods do not com bine to su g g est uncom m only h ig h p rod u ctive rates for the individual w orkers. In ­ tense supervision, constant deliberation in m atters o f safety, and ceaseless atten ­ tion to details m ight be construed as factors w hich preclude the attainm ent of unusual productiveness. A nd, yet.

contrary to this first im pression, the records sum m arized in T ab le I g iv e proof of gen u in e achievem ent in tons per man.

O peration is based on a system o f daily clean-up, in w hich the loader is asked to do little other than to la y his track, load coal, and guard h is safety.

A ll other w ork incidental to g ettin g the coal into the m ine car, including tim ber­

ing, is perform ed by com pany m en. T he loader is expected to set those addi­

tional posts m ade n ecessary by a change in roof conditions after the- com pany m en h ave left his place, but for th is w ork he is paid extra. In order to m aintain efficiency in opera­

tion, the com pany m erely m akes and keeps m in in g conditions right. That b ein g done, the ton n age tak es care of itself.

A n an alysis o f the figures in the table reflects the m aterial results of

(Turn to page 404)

N E M A C O L I N M I N I N G M E T H O D S -I- Stress Safety, Recovery,

A n d Productivity

N

erty is on th e Lam bert syncline, the m ajor a x is of w hich d eviates but s lig h tly from the lon g a x is o f the prop­

erty. T h ese lines run southw esterly from the river and d ivid e the property into tw o approxim ately equal territories.

O n them h ave been projected and driven the m ain entries, so that grades are m ost favorable for h aulage and drain­

age.

T h e coal-seam thickness averages 96 in. over the property. A b ove it is a lam ination o f slate and coal w hich m akes the h old in g of the roof no easy task. W h ile the thick n ess o f this over- ly in g roof body is gen erally 8 ft., it varies from p lace to place. N o m ore constant are th e constituent strata in th is im m ediate roof, in w h ich slate re­

places coal or. coal slate w ith ou t regu­

larity. B ecau se o f the lam inated and irregular structure of th e im m ediate roof, the 1- to 2-ft. zon e directly over the coal seam proper cannot be said to be a d raw -slate typical o f the P ittsburgh seam. Furtherm ore, the slate frequently is slickensided, in w h ich case it tends to fall bodily.

C lay seam s or spars add to the task o f safely h old in g the roof. T h e lam i­

nated roof body is overlaid by a frac­

tured sandstone w h ich ranges tip to 50 it. in thickness. It is th e top of this stratum w hich is b elieved to mark the upper lim it o f initial falls follow in g coal-pillar extraction .

In the river valley in w hich the plant is situated the depth o f overburden is about 250 ft. B ut as the h ills rise

abruptly, the cover rapidly increases in thickness and reaches a m axim um of about 650 ft. under the hilltops.

R oughly, 100 ft. above the coal seam occurs the first stratum o f lim estone.

B oreholes 450 ft. deep show s ix other lim estones. I ogether the lim estones a ggreg a te a thickness in ex cess of 100 ft.

Coal is m ined by a concentrated block system , in w hich entries, room s, and crosscuts are norm ally driven 12 ft.

w id e on 100-ft. cen ters; but w h ere the roof is abnorm ally troublesom e the w idth of these places m ay be reduced to 10 ft. T h e ratio o f narrow places to the pillars they develop, in term s of tons recoverable, is as 30 is to 70. In the areas mined out thus far, the re­

covery has been 91 per cent. T h e loss is in roof coal, sm all stum ps, and thin fenders left to protect the w orkers dur­

ing extraction. U nder no circum stances is the leaving o f solid stum ps, ribs, or blocks tolerated. G enerous size barriers are left to protect im portant openings, they being 150 and som etim es 300 ft.

w ide.

T h e main entry, running southw est

from the sk ip -sh aft bottom, co n sists o f fourteen headings. A barrier 150 ft.

w ide separates these in to tw o groups,- each o f seven h eadings and each com ­ p risin g a load and an em pty h a u lw a y and m anw ay on the in ta k e / and four aircourses on the return. A t intervals- ol. 1,600 ft., flat entries are driven from the m ains to the lim its o f the property- T h e flat entries usually con sist o f five openings, but som etim es seven, depend­

in g on the number o f ventilation sp lits required and the tonnage expected from th e section. W h ere five is the number, the flat is made up o f a hauhvay, a com panion opening for sidetrack pur- poses, a m anw ay, and tw o returns.

From and betw een these flat entries, and at intervals o f ’ 300 ft., butt entries (tw o o p en in g s) are driven, and from these, in one direction only, room s are turned. It is the practice to drive butt entries and rooms so that th ey a r e com pleted but a short tim e before they are picked up by the retreatin g pillar- line.

M ain and flat entries are top-cut b y three Goodman slabbing m achines.

O ther places, including butt entries, are undercut by seven Jeffrey 3 5 B and thirteen S u llivan C E shortw all m a­

chines. A ll of these cu ttin g m ach in es are governm ent approved and equipped M ain H eadings Are Top-Cut

M ining Methods-

■Flcrt e n tr ie s

/,>!'Ftnder S tu m p c J f-n v e rs^ S /a b c u t

F jg . l — Sequence of T ak in g Cuts in the Extraction o f a P illar

- Y O U N G S T O W N S H E E T & T U B E C O .

be siarted by p ick ; b lastin g is done electrically and w ith perm issible e x ­ plosives.

E x a ctin g tim bering standards have been devised for every norm al or re­

curring condition. T h ese standards are strictly enforced as the m inim um re­

quirement, w h ich m ust be augm ented by the setting of additional tim bers w h et e conditions demand them for the sake of safety. T h e standards im ply, though they do not definitely state, that tim bers are* never to be spared or w asted.

Safety and coal recovery thereby are promoted. F or th e sam e reasons, the converse corollary is observed in prac­

tice; timbers are rem oved after they have served their purpose at the w ork ­ ing faces. B y fo llo w in g these regu la­

tions, the number of tim bers required in the long run is lessened. T h e cost of tim bering, for labor and m aterial, but excluding permanent roof supports, is about 9c. a ton at N em acolin.

In all rooms, pillar cut-overs and w ith w ater sprays on the cutter bars.

A standard cut is 6^ ft. deep, lo p - cutting perm its b ottom -shooting, w hich

causes a m inim um disturbance of t e ^ Qrt butt roonls h a v in g a w id th in e x ­ roof. T h is precaution is im portan m easured at the roof, a openings w h ich m ust be used for m any cess o i to , ... , _ years. A s butts, room s, and other open­

in gs m ust stand a relatively short tim e, there generally is no n ecessity for top- cu ttin g in these places. In all cases, h ow ever, 8 to 9 in. of roof coal is lett for safety and to m inim ize the expense of tim bering.

P ractically 100 per cen t of the pro­

duction is m achine cut. T h e o n ly e x ­ ception to this are the several thin fenders and sm all triangular stumps of coal left to protect th e m iners during the recovery o f block pillars. These stumps

row of posts w ith cap-pieces is set along one side on not m ore than 4-^-ft. cen ­ ters. A ctually, the centers generally are maintained at 4 ft. T h e m inim um sm all-end area of these posts is 16 sq.in.

Crossbars are set w here th e roof is tender, as judged either b y th e m iner or by one of the m ine officials. T h e mine forem an or h is assistan t instructs the w orker as to th e cen ters-o n w hich they shall be set to m aintain the roof intact. W here la g g in g or cribbing over crossbars is required, as fe w tim ber recovery o f block pillars. 1 hese stumps ^ ^ practicabie are tied together, are either blasted dow n or m ined . preyents tripping ¡n th e even t that

one set falls.

pick.

In F ig . 1 is indicated the usual m ethod o f m in in g the block pillars.

R ecovery is m ade by a com bination of 12-ft. w id e cut-overs, and slab cuts w hich are taken from the form er. T he sequence o f the cuts is indicated by num bers. C ertain conditions m ay call for slig h t variation s from the method outlined by the sketch. In the robbing of a sin g le block pillar, w ork in g place is provided for the em ploym ent of three loaders on an average.

S hotholes in coal are put in w ith pneum atic rotary drills— Ingersoll-R and T yp e B C R -430 and T y p e B C . A ir is supplied to th ese drills by tw elv e Su - livan, C lass W K 39, 9 x 8 -in . self-propel­

lin g com pressors. This com pressor ^is govern m en t approved; it d elivers loO cu.ft. of free air per m inute at 100-lb.

pressure and travels at a speed of o70 f p.m. T h e unit has a length, width, and h eigh t over all of 11 ft. 6 in., 5 ft.

2 in., and 3 ft. 1H in., respectively.

E ach com pressor is equipped w ith a S u llivan ham m er drill for h olin g in top and bottom. A ccessib ility to w orking places is facilitated b y 400 ft. o f con­

cen tric pow er cable and 50 ft. o f air hose. A 6i- f t . h ole o f 2-in. diam eter is drilled in coal in about 2 n u n .; a com pany rule requires that these holes

W hen places go through to the gob a crossbar or post is set near the edge of the fractured roof. P a in s are taken to set these tight at roof and bottom to

Though T h is Place Is

2— W hen T w o G ob Lines Are C losed In the Point of the P illar Line Is

Blunted to a 300-Ft. Breast

avoid dislodgm ent by fa llin g or slid in g rock. Center or sa fety posts are set by the m iner in th e cut b e i n g loaded out of every advancing w ork in g place.

T h ese are erected after the second car is loaded, or im m ediately if the safety of the place requires it. O nce set, the safety, or center, post is n ot rem oved by the m iner until additional posts or tim ­

bers have been set in th is cut. The final safety posts are n ot rem oved by the loader.

In m aking slab c u t s-from cu t-overs in pillar extraction , posts are placed on 4-ft. centers n ex t to the face and in the w ake of th e cutting m achine. _ T h is m eans that a tim berm an m ust be in the place w h ile the slab cut is b ein g m ade.

A s the coal is loaded from th is cu t a row of posts is set on th e center line of the excavation . W h e n tak in g a second slab cut (s e e F ig . 1 ) , therefore the cutters som etim es m ust rem ove and reset posts, one at a tim e, a s cu ttin g proceeds across the face.

In any haulage road, w ork in g place, or tra v elin g w a y w h ere the top coal is fractured, or th e clrawslate exp osed , the slate is taken dow n or supported b y

7ide, It M u st Be

crossbars. C lay vein s are tim bered over their entire length for a distance at lea st one crossbar inby and outby the vein, even if the roof appears solid.

A ll crosscuts, room s, and en tries are retim bered for 200 ft. outby the fracture line. T h is precaution is taken because exp erien ce has show n that roof action accom panying subsidence disturbs the roof for at lea st this distan ce ahead.

W h ere slate or rock is taken down, or w h ere other dangerous w ork o f like character is perform ed in isolated places, at least tw o m en are a ssign ed to the job. T im berm en or others en gaged in tim bering or tak in g dow n dangerous roof are com pelled to fen ce off and d an ger-p ost the place should th ey find it n ecessary to leave b efore th e job is com pleted. L ik ew ise, a w ork in g place is fenced off w h ich has n ot been ade­

quately tim bered by the m iner before lea v in g it at the end o f the sh ift.

A ll posts are set on so lid bottom, and o ver each is placed but one cap-piece o f a w idth at le a st equal to the w id th of th e post. T h e cap-piece m ust be 2 0 in.

lo n g and 3 in. thick at th e sm aller end.

W e d g e s are n ot allow ed in the fixin g o f th is support. W h e r e crossbars are used, th ey are supported under each end by standard posts, excep t w here, in the opinion of the su p erv isin g official, added sa fety can be obtained by h itch in g the crossbar into the rib to a depth of at least 6 in. P la cin g of w ed g es betw een the end o f le g and crossbar is not allow ed, ex cep t w h ere th e w ed g es are sm all and are u tilized on ly to fill crev­

ices and prevent ro llin g o f the crossbar.

L arger w ed g es can be placed only be­

tw een the crossbar and roof.

N em a co lin ’s su ccess in coal recovery and freedom from accidents from roof fa lls is ach ieved by k eep in g a straigh t pillar line b y orderly extraction of pillars, and by k eep in g the roof frac­

ture up to th e lin es o f pillar extraction,

-M ining Methods

Coal Is D rilled Pneumatically w ith no overh an gin g roof beam. A

regulation w hich invariably is adhered to is that no “h olin g-th rou gh ” cut can be made during pillar extraction until after the excavated area beyond has caved thoroughly up to the solid coal of that particular pillar.

E xp erien ce has sh ow n that best re­

sults are obtained w h en the pillar line is made to extend over the w ork in gs betw een tw o adjacent flat entries. T h is practice lim its the length o f th e pillar line to about 2,000 ft. In ex tra ctin g a rib section w hich ad join s w orked-out territories on its tw o sides, th e pillar line is blunted to a 300-ft. breast at the end w hich subtends an acute angle.

T h is arrangem ent, indicated in F ig . 2, avoids the troubles and d angers incident to the tak in g o f coal from a sharp point on a rib section. T h e breast is v en ­ tilated by a separate split.

In m aking falls, th e knock in g out or cutting off of posts w ith a x or other hand tool is prohibited. R em oval of timbers on th is occasion m ust b e done Systematic Mining Causes the Roof to Fracture and

Fall on the Line of Solid Coal

m echanically. In pillar w ork, o n ly sm all stumps are left in place. F o llo w ­ in g the rem oval o f track and the placing o f shots fo r th e rem oval o f th ese stum ps, and prior to th e w ith d raw al o f posts, reduction o f backstum ps b y pickw ork, to a ssist in m aking the fall, is n ot tolerated.

A s g rea t care is exercised in m aking falls, on ly exp erienced m en are ap­

pointed rib bosses to su p ervise the work.

In m aking fa lls in pillar w ork in gs, or in d raw in g tim bers in other places, safety posts are set to protect th e w ork­

ers. B reak -row s are se t in the roadw ay at th e outer ed ge o f all pillar fa lls be­

fore posts and tim bers are w ithdraw n.

R ecovery o f props and tim bers is about 60 per cent. T h e roof supports are not retrieved fo r w h a t sa v in g s m igh t accrue from u sin g the supports a second or third tim e, for th e labor cost is scarcely m et b y sa lv a g e value.

S a fety is the prim e consideration. A ga th erin g locom otive is u tilized for the purpose, w ith the assistan ce o f a 50-ft.

length o f £-in. steel rope, at the end of w hich is a hook for m aking a loop about the props. S tartin g from the gob end, the props are taken p ro g ressiv ely outby in threes or fours. A fter th e posts are loosened, the hook d isen g a g es and can be pulled out w ith ou t sn a g g in g , and the m en g o in after them only if conditions are safe for the recovery.

A 2,000-ft. pillar line g iv e s best pro­

duction results, as w ell as coal recovery and safety. In a norm al rib section it g iv e s 1,000 tons daily and can be ade­

quately ventilated by tw o sp lits o f air.

It g iv e s the correct quantity o f w ork for the su p ervisory fo rces. F or pillar recovery and n ecessary developm ent a rib section o f this size requires th e se r v ­ ice o f three cu ttin g m achines, one d rill­

in g unit, and fou r g a th erin g locom o­

tives.

T h e fo rce required for this 1,000-ton production is com posed o f 6 m en on cutting, 2 drillers, 1 shotfirer and 1 shot- firer’s helper, 8 haulage men, 42 loaders, 20 daym en, 2 n igh t tim berm en, and 4 bosses. In the sup ervisory group are

B la st Furnace and C oke Plant, Cam pbell W orks, Y oungstow n, O hio

M ining Methods-

Shortw all M achines A r e U sed in Cutting Secondary H eadings and in Robbing Pillars

an assistan t forem an, a pillar boss, a fireboss, and a n igh t boss w ho, incident­

ally, m akes the fireboss run tor the day shift. T h e total number o f m en on the section, therefore, is 86. I'or further data and explanation of production eth- cien cies see p. 399, this issue.

N em acolin now has but seven u b

sections in operation, yet these, together w ith developm ent w ork elsew here, pro­

duce about 7,300 toiio daily. Four ot these sections are developed to peak production, tw o are being finished, and one is ju st being started.

E ngineering su rveyin g plays a m ajor rôle in the layout, projection, and opera-

tio n of the underground w ork in gs. A it w ork in g places, w hether th ey be head­

in gs, room s, or crosscuts, are turned and driven on points established by the e n g i­

n eerin g departm ent. S ig h t lin es are e x ­ tended every d ay’ and are sh ow n as n continuous mark on the roof. C urves are driven to conform exactly to in stru c­

tion s prepared by the en g in eerin g de­

partm ent, as show n on a sketch w hich is esp ecially prepared for the particular purpose.

In order that no confusion or m is­

take m igh t be made in th e identification of su rvey stations, the latter are en ­ tered and posted in con secu tive w h o le num bers and not in the custom ary w ay, as 52 + 50. E ach section of the m ine is assign ed a number series o f a thou­

sand. In consequence, no tw o stations can h ave the sam e number.

A noth er d ivergen ce from usual Prac' tice is that every head in g, room and crosscu t in th is m ine is g iv en an identi­

fication number. T h u s, in id en tifyin g a place, it m ight be said, C rosscut N o.

5 betw een R oom s N os. 9 and 10, off R oad N o . 463.” In this system , no tw o h ead in gs are a ssign ed th e sam e number, but, of course, room s and cro ss­

cuts are and can be m ade th e excep tion w ithout com plication.

Performance at Nemacolin Reflects A d va n ce Planning

(Continued from page 400)

m anagem ent’s deliberate efforts to balance responsibility for production betw een departm ents and jobs. N o te that the output per loader is high tor each of the periods recorded. T h is is proof that the m anagem ent's first objec­

tive has been to serve the m iner at the face. T hat o b jective becam e an ac­

com plished fact early in the history of the operation.

H a v in g stabilized the ton s per loader, it w as possible virtually to forget about the loaders and to lay em phasis on the efficiencies o f the m en w h o serve them.

A s an outcome of the shift of attention there has been a marked p rogressive betterment of the tons per man on all the other jobs. T h e balance sought and now practically achieved is an equality of tons per man betw een the loaders on one hand and the men w ho serve the loaders on the other. Sim ultaneously, the output per man on the payroll has crept gradually upward. A sid eligh t on the net results is that operations are balanced and system atized to the point w here the variation betw een the m aximum and minim um daily output

o f any section du rin g a month seldom exceed s 5 tons in 1,000.

B est practices and m odern m ethods are gen erally those w h ich have been tried for lon g periods of tim e and proved su ccessful. T h e y are not the ex clu siv e p ossession o f a few com ­ panies ; they are to be found in the operations of m any m ines, and. there­

fore, are not unusual. P ractices and m ethods at N em acolin are no exception

to this fact.

Item by item, its m ethods and p ractices h a v e a counterpart in som e other m ine or m ines. W h a t superiority it has attained is the result o f h avin g, on a la rg e scale, com bined best details into best m ethods, best m ethods into b est system s, and best system s into best over-all operation. It is on th is ac­

count that N em a co lin can be term ed a m in in g m an’s mine.

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N +Speeds Production A t Nemacolin

I

tion o f th is p ossib ility, perhaps the g rea test obstacle to efficient production has been hurdled. In th is respect the N em acolin m ine is years ahead o f the industry, for the foundation of its now h ig h ly developed transportation system w as laid w ith the op en in g o f the m ine, in 1917.

The notable productive records achieved at this m ine (s e e p. 397, this issu e ) are a reflection o f this transpor­

tation system , w h ich is arranged to re­

place loaded cars w ith em pty cars at the w ork in g faces w ith a m inim um o f delay to the loader. In fact, transportation is the understructure w hich supports the main elem ent o f the m ine operation;

nam ely, the load in g o f coal. M ethods are based on a system o f daily clean-up in w hich one cut is taken every operat­

ing day from every w ork in g place.

Loaders sp ecialize on the one job for w hich th e y are prim arily em ployed; all other w ork incidental to loading, except the ex ten sio n o f track and the settin g o f an occasional sa fety post, is done by com pany m en. T h is m eans, of course, that tim e lost w a itin g for cars would be a direct loss to the loaders and to the com pany. T h e loader w ould have no fill-in job s to perform and the com pany w ould have the sam e day-labor expense to bear w heth er the loader produced 23 tons or only 15 du rin g the shift.

O f the fourteen h eadings constituting the m ain entry, w h ich d ivides the prop­

erty rou gh ly in tw o, east and w est, four are haulw ays. O ne em pty and one load track serve the northern half o f the m ine and the sam e arrangem ent is provided for the southern half. T h e tw o empty haulw ays continue as separate tracks trom the ex trem ity o f developed territory on the w est to the em pty storage chutes on the opposite side o f the shaft, on the east. T h e tw o load tracks, how ever, c° nje r g e at the entrance to the main shaft bottom. F o r perm anence o f con­

struction and for fa cilities providing

flexibility and freedom in the m ovin g of trips to and from skip dumps, this shaft bottom is unsurpassed, it is said in m ining circles. In the construction o f this landing, over 30,000 cu.yd. of con­

crete w as poured. T h e concrete, in ci­

dentally, w as m ixed on the surface and transported by pipe to location, in som e instances as far as 1,600 ft.

A 25-ft. reinforced concrete arch, w hich is 1,405 ft. lo n g con stitu tes the main body of this shaft bottom , and from it radiate a number o f 10-ft. arches.

T he main arch accom m odates three tracks, as is sh ow n in F ig . 1. E ach o f the tw o outside tracks leads to a tw o- car rotary dump at the skip landing.

T he middle track serves as a runw ay for a 13-ton shunting locom otive w hich advances the incom ing load trips to the trip feeders. T h is locom otive is equipped w ith a slid in g exten sion arm w hich engages the bumper o f the m ine car. A sim ilar locom otive takes care o f the shunting and make-up o f em pties on the other side o f the shaft.

A feature of the plan are the load and em pty crossovers lead in g to the slope, at A and B, w hich span the main north and south tracks via bridges. G rade crossin gs have been largely avoided and none occurs w ithin the com pass o f the shaft bottom zone.

A s already m entioned in the article on m ining methods, flat entries, from w hich room entries are turned, consist o f five to seven headings, depending on section requirem ents. T w o o f these headings are reserved for transporta­

tion purposes, the one for em pty and load m ovem ents w ith in the section and the other for a sidetrack. T h e latter is of no standard len g th ; that is governed by service requirem ents. It is m oved p rogressively ahead in the direction o f the m ining advance.

G athering hauls average about 1,200 ft. for a section in retreat and about 2,000 ft. in developm ent. G oodm an 8- ton totally inclosed cable-reel locom o­

tives, provided w ith 450 ft. o f concen-

tric cable, are em ployed in this service.

A lth ou gh there are 31 of these units in ­ stalled, the number in actual serv ice depends on the production requirem ents from the m ine. U su a lly four units suffice for a production o f 1,000 tons from a sin g le section.

T w o term inal sidetracks are estab­

lished adjacent to the main haulage, and about 2} m iles from the shaft, for the make-up o f prim ary trips. T rip s are relayed from the section sidetracks to these m ain sidetracks by Jeffrey 13-ton drum -controller type locom otives, of w hich there are eigh t installed for this and other use in the m ine, as, for ex a m ­ ple, shunting service at the shaft bottom, in w hich tw o are utilized. Incidentally, tw o o f these units also are used for hauling trips directly from tw o section sidetracks to the shaft bottom. In these cases the len gth s o f haul are o n ly 1 and 14 m iles. O nly w hen the haul g r o w s to 2 m iles is consideration g iv en to the adoption o f term inal sidetracks. F rom the tw o e x is tin g term inal sidetracks to the shaft, trips are handled by tw o tan­

dem units, each made up o f tw o 13-ton Goodm an locom otives w ith contactor control.

Traffic is controlled day and n ig h t by a dispatcher at th e sw itchboard o f a com m unication system em b racin g 64 telephones. A telephone is installed at ev ery sidetrack and at other strategic points. S afety betw een station s is m aintained through the operation of N achod autom atic block sig n a ls at im ­ portant intersections, augm ented by track-throw n electric sw itch sig n a ls at main turnouts. T h e failu re o f a signal ligh t is considered a danger sign al for the stopping o f trips until perm ission to proceed has been obtained from th e d is­

patcher.

B ecause loaded and em pty trips for the m ost part travel over individual tracks and are controlled b y sig n a ls and the telephones, the m ovem ent o f trips g iv e s the dispatcher little w orry. H is b ig problem is the correct p roratin g o f

No. 4 N o rth a ir c o u rse No. 3 N o rth a ir co u rse

No. 2 N orth a ir course A ir s h a ft

No. / N o rth a ir c o u rse

N o rth m a n w a y ^

N o rth e m p ty tr a c k

M ain forem an's o ffic e N o rth lo a d tr a c k

-S k ip s h a ff

S h u n tin g tra ck- M a in haulage room

S o u th focw tr a c k S o u th emaft.w tra c k

S o u th J m a n w ay

No. I S o u th a ir course N a 2 S o u th a ir co u rse No. 3 S o u th a ir course

*/ „-—O verh ea d cro ssin g

Y O U N G S T O W N S H E E T & T U B E C O .

available em pties, to the end that the clean-up m ay be kept unitorm in the various section s of the m ine. H e has no control of the speed w ith w h ich cars at the face are m ade ready tor the return trip to th e shaft^ bottom . I hat responsibility rests entirely w ith the forem an. H e is, how ever, charged w ith prompt replacing of loads w ith em pties, w ithout w hich th e daily clean-up system must fail.

T h e dispatcher u ses a daily estim ate of car requirem ents for each section in determ ining w hen, w here, and how m any cars should be distributed at various intervals of the day. A prelim ­ inary estim ate is subm itted by the fire­

bosses, w h o make it up w h ile checking the w orkers in their resp ective sections.

W ith the dispatching sheet before him, the dispatcher know s at all tim es how near a section is to clean-up, and regu­

lates distribution of em pties accordingly.

A s h is m ajor o b jective is to have all sections o f the m ine cleaned up at about the sam e tim e, if certain section s fall behind, h e sends ex tra em pties to those sections until they have cau gh t up w ith their schedules.

M an-trips are made up by the dis­

patcher. In the m orning these trips are hauled in by the m ain-line locom otives.

In the ev en in g the m en are brought to the bottom in sm aller groups' by the gath erin g locom otives. T h e gathering crew s are instructed by th e dispatcher to haul back to the shaft, on their w ay to the m otor barn, as m any em pties as are needed to accom m odate those m iners w ho, h avin g finished their day’s w ork, are ready to start for the outside. T here are no fixed rules for th e make-up and tim e of departure of the sh ift-en d man- trips. C ircum stances in the w ork in g sections, the number o f m en ready for

406 Transportation—

Tandem Locom otive in

departure, etc., m ove die dispatcher in this decision. T he m en appreciate th is unusual service and do all w ith in their power to assist the bosses and th e d is­

patcher in m aking the schedules.

C losely regulating haulage, and being fully informed o f w hat is g o in g on in re­

mote sections of the mine, the dispatcher is in a position to, and' actually does, effect a savin g in pow er cost by m in i­

m izin g the influence of peak loads on transportation. H is frequent contact by telephone w ith the hau lage m en enables him to move trips w hen others are not in motion. H e m ay actually hold back cer­

tain trips w hile a particularly h eavy trip is com ing in. In this w a y the m a x i­

mum is being gotten out o f the telephone system .

Supplies are routed during the day.

1 M ain-Line H au lage

H ere again the dispatcher com es into prom inence by g u id in g their distribution in accordance w ith requisitions drawn up by the assista n t forem en and okayed by the m ine forem an. A s traffic is rela­

tiv ely lig h t during the off-sh ift, the duties of the n ig h t dispatcher largely take on those of a telephone operator.

N ev erth eless, like th e day dispatcher, h e is trained and practiced to m eet any em ergency. It is im portant to note that both dispatchers are certificated m en w h o know intim ately the problem s en ­ countered back in th e m ine.

W h ile transportation is directly under the m ine forem an, its details are attended to by a transportation forem an and a s­

sistant, both of w hom report to the mine forem an. A m o n g th e m any duties of the transportation forem an are th e se-

F Jg. l— Schematic Sketch of T rack Layout on Sh aft Bottom

A U G U S T , 1 9 3 1

y o u n g s t o w n s h e e t & t u b e c o . —Transportation

all haulage roads track is laid 1 ft. o ff this center line, m ain tain in g a clearance o f at least 3 ft. betw een m ine car and rib on the one sid e and 1 ft. on the oppo­

site side. T h ese clearances are m ain­

tained on one side on ly through th e en tire length of the h eading and to w ith in 200 ft. o f the w ork in g face.

W hether the clearance be m ade on th e righ t side or the left is decided by th e en gin eers w ith the approval o f the su ­ perintendent. Open ditches under the track or alon g the w id e side o f h au lage roads are forbidden.

T h e m axim um grade of track is 2 per cent and gen erally is in favor of the loads. In order that gradients shall be uniform , top or bottom is taken w h ere necessary. A ll grades for perm anent track are projected by the en g in eerin g departm ent and m ust be sanctioned by the superintendent. B efore m ain -lin e track is constructed, a profile o f grad es com patible w ith conditions is projected.

T hen levels are taken at SO-ft. station s located by spads on the rib. T o each spad is attached a tag sta tin g exactly w h at the track level should be at that station w ith reference to the spad.

A ll sw itch and fr o g points for turn­

outs o f o ver 25-ft. radius are located by the en g in eerin g departm ent and th e trackw ork is com pleted in conform ance w ith standard plans. Invariably, sw itch es are provided w ith parallel throw s o f the sp rin g type and fr o g s equipped w ith guard rails. F ro g s, guard rails, and sw itch es are blocked to pre­

ven t the catching o f feet in them.

F r o g s installed in perm anent track are o f m anganese steel. T h is metal m akes up the entire assem bly o f the main crossover on the load end o f the sh aft bottom. T h is crossover w as in­

itially constructed for perm anence, and thus far, after over s ix years o f service, has show n no sign s of appreciable w ear.

It is laid on creosoted oak ties, w hich are braced and butted to the sid ew alls of the concrete arch, and is ballasted w ith granulated slag.

T o ta lly Inclosed Cable-Reel Locom otives D o the G ath ering

tu rn o u ts A re Engineered, and N o t M erely L aid

lection, train in g, and su p ervisin g o f haulage personnel.

T h e num ber of m ine cars in use is 1,947, o f w hich 1,346 are o f 112 cu.ft.

capacity, w h ile the rem ainder m easure 104 cu.ft. T h ese cars, furnished la rg ely by th e P ressed S teel Car Co., stand 36 in. above the rail on 14-in. w h eels, are 11 ft. 10 in. long, 6 ft. w ide, and have a w heelb ase o f 40 in. T h e sid es are A -in . copper-bearing plate, rein ­ forced a t the top w ith 2^ x f-in . steel bar. O ne end o f the car is equipped w ith a rig id ca st-steel coupler and the other end is provided w ith a sp rin g draft gear, fitted w ith a ca st-steel coupler and fo l­

low er, fo r overtu rn in g w ith o u t uncoup­

lin g. _ A lo ck in g d evice prevents the cou p lin g pin from fa llin g out w hen the car is turned in dum ping:

A n y track that is designed to remain in place five y ears or m ore is considered perm anent track and is laid accordingly.

Such track is kept advanced as close to the fa ce as possible, and the roof above it is perm anently supported. M ain-

entry load and^em pty tracks are laid w ith /0-lb. and SO-lb. rails, respectively.

O n flat entries load tracks are laid w ith 50-lb. rail, but em pty track and sid e­

tracks are constructed o f 30-lb. steel, w hich w eig h t also is used in butt entries and room s. A ltogeth er, about 28 m iles o f 70 and 50-lb. track is laid. F o r all tracks the standard tie center is 2 ft U nder 70- and 50-lb. steel a 6x8-in .x6- ft. oak tie is used, and under 30-lb. rail the ties are 4 x 6 -in .x 5 ^ -ft. hardw ood, m ostly oak.

T h e minim um track cu rve is in turn­

outs to room s and is on a 25-ft. radius.

On sidetracks the radius is 40 ft .; on butt entries, crossovers, and turnouts it is 100 f t . ; on m ain entries the radius is 150 and 200 ft. F e w h aulage headings intersect on straigh t a n g le s ; instead curves are driven to conform w ith track design.

T racks in all places are a lig n ed w ith reference to the center lin es o f the open­

ing, as marked on the roof, and not w ith respect to the w ay the place is cut. On