C o a l A g e
A McGr a w- Hi l l Pu b l i c a t i o n — Es t a b l i s h e d 1911
D E V O T E D T O T H E O P E R A T IN G , T E C H N IC A L A N D B U S IN E S S P R O B L E M S O F T H E C O A L M IN IN G IN D U S T R Y
N e w Yor k, December, 192 9
V o l u m e 3 4 . . . .N u m b e r 12
❖
Individual Responsibility
/ H E C A M P A I G N to r e p a i r t h e d a m a g e
■*- d o n e by t h e re c e n t W a l l S tr e e t p a n ic is e n t e r i n g its m o s t critica l s ta g e . A s s o c i a te d a t t a c k u p o n t h e p r o b l e m , s et in m o t io n by P r e s i d e n t H o o v e r , re a c h e d a clim ax a t the W a s h i n g t o n c o n f e re n c e o f D e c e m b e r 5 u n d e r t h e auspices o f t h e C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e o f t h e U n i t e d S ta te s. R e sp o n sib ility f o r th e f u r t h e r success o f t h e m o v e m e n t n o w re s ts u p o n t h e in d iv id u a l business m a n .
S P O K E S M E N f o r v a r i o u s g r o u p s h a v e v o iced t h e i r confidence in t h e f u n d a m e n t a l so u n d n e ss o f o u r in d u s t r i a l s tr u c t u r e . In s o m e cases th e y h a v e b u t t r e s s e d t h e i r p o s i
tio n w i t h s t a t e m e n t s o f m illions a n d billions o f d o l l a r s to be e x p e n d e d by t h e i r divisions o f A m e r i c a n business in t h e co m in g y e a r . T h e s e p le d g e s s t r i k e p l e a s a n t ly u p o n t h e e a rs o f a public s h o c k e d o u t o f its g o ld e n d r e a m s by t h e s h r i n k a g e in t i c k e r - q u o t a t io n w e a lth . E X P R E S S I O N S o f confident f a i t h a n d a . d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o g o f o r w a r d , h o w e v e r , a r e n o t e n o u g h . “ T h e tim e h a s c o m e ,” as D r . Ju liu s K lein, A s s i s t a n t S e c r e t a r y o f C o m m e rc e , to ld
th e W a s h i n g t o n c o n fere n ce, “ w h e n t h e only s o u n d w hich re a lly c o u n ts is t h e cla n g o f sh o v els a n d o f cash r e g i s t e r s . ” U n le s s th e s e s o u n d s a r e h e a r d , d o u b t a n d pessim ism will a g a in t a k e c o m m a n d o f t h e situ a tio n . P R O M I S E m u s t be succeeded by p e r f o r m ance. O n ly t h e in d iv id u a l can fu n c tio n h e re . A s s o c ia tio n s m a y a c t as c le a rin g houses, as c o - o r d i n a t i n g a g e n c ie s ; th e y c a n n o t a c tu a lly p lace t h e o r d e r s w h ich will re v iv e flagging t r u s t in t h e f u t u r e . N o r can a n y in d iv id u a l s h i f t his re s p o n s ib ility to his fe llow s. I t is n o t a case o f “ l e t G e o r g e d o i t ” ; G e o r g e has definitely p a s s e d o u t o f t h e p ic tu re .
F I N A L L Y , t h e a p p e a l is n o t to t h e e m o tio n s, b u t to s o b e r c o m m o n sense. T h e call is n o t f o r a h y s t e r i c a l w a v e o f s p e n d in g , as d a n g e r ous to t h e f u t u r e as t h e l a t e s t o r m o f specu
la t i o n h a s b e e n to im m e d ia te security. W h a t is n e e d e d is u n a f r a i d s p e n d i n g g r o u n d e d on s o u n d j u d g m e n t . B usiness m u s t sp e n d m o n e y to m a k e m o r e m o n e y . T h e business m a n w h o c o n s id e r s e x p e n d it u r e s w i th t h a t e n d in v iew will n o t h o l d b a c k in 1930.
W h en th e B ig S h o v el B it es In to Il li n o is C o a l
W ith the old year draw in g to a close, the question of b u d g etin g 1930-31 operations comes to the fore. B ud g etin g properly done has proved an effective tool of m a n agem ent; carelessly done and lacking the right follow-through, it becomes a topic for jeerin g by the rule-of-thumb school. M r. Bailey offers here some constructive suggestions on the m echanism of budget m a k in g in p ro m o tin g better m anagem ent.
A Tool of Management
In the Efficient Employment of Capital
D
U R IN G the present period of excess productive capacity and ruthless competition in the bituminous coal industry, it is probable that the success or failure of a coal m ining enterprise depends to a greater extent upon sound and efficient management than does an enterprise in any other industry.
Given a m ining proposition reason
ably competitive in respect to natural conditions and quality of product, m anagem ent becomes literally the sole factor in determ ining successful operation because it m ust control everything in the organization system and the results of operation are entirely dependent upon the extent and character of th at control. No enterprise is perhaps less fitted than
coal m ining to run itself.
O ne of the most im portant func
tions of m anagement is the -efficient employment of capital in the conduct of the enterprise. Practically all well-managed coal companies have now adopted the practice of m aking a forecast of financial operations each year, revisions being m ade m onthly to meet current conditions and thus present a picture of the balance sheet twelve months hence. If the forecast has been painstakingly com-
By Ernest L. Bailey
W adleigh & Bailey Consulting M ining Engineers
piled, w ith due consideration given to each known item and probable de
velopment, the picture, barring u n foreseen occurrences, should be rea
sonably accurate.
Too often, however, the financial budget includes only a forecast of production and sales and perhaps takes into consideration the m ajor items of capital expense for which moneys have been appropriated, ne
glecting entirely the num erous items for betterm ents and improvements which inevitably arise and m ust be currently taken care of, with dis
astrous results to the financial fo re
cast. As a consequence, the forecast suffers a loss of prestige and becomes little more than a history of past hopes rather than a living, virile, de
pendable chart of operating results as it was originally intended to be and should properly be maintained. If a budget does not forecast results with reasonable accuracy it is better not to compile it at all, as the presentation of erroneous figures is likely to lead to false steps or unwise commitments.
T here are few items fo r better
ments or im provem ents which a
carefully conducted survey by a com
petent departm ent head will not reveal fa r in advance of their actual requirem ent. It is therefore good policy at the beginning of each year for the general m anager or head op
erating official of the company to have each departm ent head (su p er
intendents, store m anagers, chief en
gineer, auditor, m aster mechanic, etc.) make a careful study of his particular departm ent and list each item fo r which capital or extrao rdi
nary operation expenditures will be required during the year. These lists should show a brief description of each item, what purpose it will serve, w hat results may be expected from the expenditure, in w hat m onth or m onths it will be required, and a careful estim ate of the cost. T he items thus listed should be divided into three classes, as follows :
1. C a p i t a l E x p e n d i t u r e s
T h e ite m s to be in clu d ed u n d e r th is h e a d in g w ill d e p e n d u p o n th e p o licy a n d a c c o u n tin g sy stem of th e c o m p a n y a s to w h a t ite m s a r e c a p ita liz e d a n d w h a t c h a rg e d to o p e ra tio n ex p en se. O rd in a r ily , it w ill in clu d e all e x p e n d itu re s f o r n ew d e v elo p m en t, e q u ip m e n t an d c o n s tru c tio n , a n d in m o st cases a n y a d d itio n to o r re n e w a l of e x is tin g
p r o p e r ty o r th e tr a n s f e r of p ro p e r ty fr o m o n e m in e to a n o th e r.
2. Ma jo r Re p a ir s
U n d e r th is h e a d in g sh o u ld be liste d all r e p a ir s to b u ild in g s a n d e q u ip m e n t th e e x p e n se o f w h ic h , if c h a rg e d in a n y o n e m o n th , w o u ld a b n o rm a lly in flate th e co st o f p r o d u ctio n .
3. Ex t r a o r d in a r y Op e r a t io n
E x p e n d i t u r e s
U n d e r th is h e a d in g sh o u ld be listed a ll e x tr a o r d i n a r y o p e ra tio n e x p e n d itu re s n o t p ro p e rly c h a rg e a b le to re p a irs , w h ic h ca n be fo re se e n , a n d th e e x p e n se o f w h ic h , if c h a rg e d in a n y o n e m o n th , w ould u n d u ly in flu en ce p ro d u c tio n costs.
A m o n g o th e r item s it w o u ld in clu d e th e c le a n in g up o f old w o rk in g s, g r a d in g o f h a u la g e w a y s, r e p la c e m e n t of lig h t steel r a il w ith h e a v ie r se c tio n s, in s ta lla tio n of fe e d e r c ab le s a n d la r g e p ip e lines o r a n y item w h ic h w o u ld m a te ria lly in c re a s e th e c o st of p ro d u c tio n o v e r th a t r e s u ltin g fr o m n o rm a l o p e ra tio n .
W hen the above lists have been received by the operating head of the company, he usually will find that it will facilitate analysis if, in confer
ence with the originating departm ent head, he will regroup each class of items in accordance w ith the fol
lowing arrangem ent :
1. Item s Necessary fo r M ainte
nance o f Present Production— U nder this heading will be placed those items on the provision of which the main
tenance of present production is de
pendent. I t will include necessary replacements of w orn-out buildings and equipment, necessary repairs to same, and such new development, track and power-line extensions, drainage, ventilating equipm ent and any other items the installation of which is absolutely essential to p re
vent a present or comparatively near future drop in production.
2. Item s Necessary fo r Contem plated Increase in Production— U n der this heading will be placed those items required for the realization of a definitely contem plated increase in the production schedule, from which a lower cost may or may not result.
3. Item s W hich W ill E ffect a M oney Saving— T his heading will include those items which are certain to yield a definite, traceable return, either in a lower cost of production or an increased sales realization. It will embrace the replacement of ob
solete structures or equipm ent which will result in a positive saving in labor power or repair costs in sufficient am ount to ju stify the expenditure a fte r the retirem ent of the undepre
ciated value of the obsolete item and
© Underw ood «£ Underwood Er n e s t L . Ba i l e y
Born in the Pocahontas coal field o f W e s t Virginia, M r. Bailey has spent his entire active life in and around coal mines.
H e received his engineering education at V irginia P olytechnic In stitu te and a fte r graduation became m ining engineer fo r the U nited Pocahontas Coal Co., Crum pler, W . Va. In 1916, he became superintendent o f the m ines o f the old S o lva y Collieries Co., now a subsidiary o f the A llied C hem i
cal &■ D ye Corporation. A f t e r rising to the position o f general superintendent o f the m ining interests o f the A llied company (the E dgcw ater Coal Co. and the K ingston Pocahontas Coal Co.), M r. Bailey resigned in Septem ber, 1929, fo r the purpose o f opening a consulting m ining engineers’
office in W ashington, D . C., specializing in coal mine m anagem ent and production prob
lem s as a m em ber o f the firm o f W adleigh
&■ Bailey.
proper allowance fo r depreciation, taxes and insurance on the new in
stallation. It will embrace those items of m echanization which have passed beyond the experim ental stage and from which definite cost and production results may be confidently expected under given conditions.
O ther items th at will be included are the beneficiation of the product from which an increased sales realization will be certain to result, such as screening or cleaning equipment, dustless treating equipm ent or a blast
ing agent producing m ore lump.
4. Item s Desirable but N o t A b so lutely N ecessary— T his heading will include those items considered desir
able and well w orth the expense involved but from which definite and traceable profits are not expected.
U n d er it may be listed improved roads, fences and sidewalks, land
scaping and beautification of plants and camps, employees’ recreation buildings and, where not required by law, employees’ bathhouses, etc.
O ther items under this head will in
clude expenditures for mechanization
which are in the experim ental stage or the profitable adaptation of which to existing mine conditions has not been fully dem onstrated.
W hen the list has been completed, in accordance w ith the arrangement suggested above, it should be sub
jected to thorough study and investi
gation by the operating head, each item receiving his careful scrutiny in order that he m ay intelligently decide as to whether it should be retained or dis
carded. H is intim ate knowledge of the plans, policies, financial condition, sales prospects and probabilities of fu tu re profitable operation will enable him to accord each class of items the weight which it should properly have in the completed schedule. H e may, for example, find it necessary to eliminate entirely Class 4, “Items desirable but not necessary,” and con
fine his attention to the other three classes only.
H e will, as a m atter of course, first concern him self w ith Class 1, “ Essen
tial Item s.” I f his departm ent heads are com petent and have been con
scientious in the compilation of their lists, no item in the essential class should be arb itrarily eliminated but should be carefully considered. If any Class 1 items be eliminated, how
ever, the originating departm ent head should be so advised, with an ex
planation as to why the particular item is not thought necessary. If this is not done he may feel that his sincere efforts in behalf of the com
pany’s best interests are not appre
ciated and show a loss of enthusiasm which will in the long ru n be reflected in the results of his departm ent.
O n the other hand, the operating executive m ust bear in mind the tendency of departm ent heads gen
erally to ask for everything for which a conceivable need exists, prom pted by a pardonable desire to bring their operation to a high point of perfec
tion, frequently w ithout an adequate conception of the effect of the ex penditure on fu tu re costs or the com pany’s balance sheet.
W hen the lists have been th o r
oughly gone over by the responsible operating executive of the company certain items will have been elim
inated and the rem aining items ten
tatively approved. T h e lists should then be turned over to the chief engineer, who, in collaboration with the originating departm ent head, will check each item in regard to the following: (a ) estimated cost; (b ) necessary date fo r starting w o rk ; (c ) tim e required to com plete; (d ) al-
(T u r n to page 748)
724 C O A L A G E — V ol.34, N o .12
C o m p a n y O w n e d H o u s e s a t G r a n t T o w n ; a t R ig h t I s th e T o p W o r k s o f F e d e r a l N o . 1 M in e
j ■ .
Foremanship Training
P R O V E S G O O D F O U N D A T I O N
For SA FETY
E
V E R Y accident is chargeable to a company official— that is the keynote of accident prevention activities at mines of the New England Fuel & T ransportation Co., located at G rant Tow n and Everett- ville, in the F airm ont field of northern W est Virginia. A nd ex
perience at these mines has shown that safety and efficiency go hand in hand. B etter forem anship is recog
nized as the foundation fo r both, consequently the foremen are afforded opportunity by class w ork and club meetings to broaden their knowledge and w ork tow ard a clearer realization of their part in producing cheaper coal with few er accidents.
Federal No. 1, the mine at G rant Town, is averaging 6,100 tons per day, and Federal No. 3 at Everettville, 2,500 tons per day. Both are in the P ittsbu rg h seam and the top is the characteristic drawslate. In No. 1 the track grades do not exceed 3 per cent, but in No. 3 they reach 4 per cent. P illars are taken in both m in es;
some sections of No. 1 are robbed on advance, and others on retreat, but No. 3 is on full retreat. About 10 in.
of top coal is left in all places to
hold the drawslate. No. 1 mine is a shaft operation and liberates approxi
mately 1,250,000 cu.ft. of m ethane in 24 hours. No. 2 is a d rift, and its gas liberation is about 350,000 cu.ft.
in 24 hours.
The first forem anship class was started Oct. 1, 1928. T he year’s work, extending up to M ay 23, 1929, consisted of two one-hour night meetings per week under the tutorage of J. H . Haskell, of the M ining E x tension D epartm ent of the U niversity of W est Virginia. All of the foremen from the two mines took the course, and twenty finished w ith an attend
ance record of 80 per cent, necessary absences excepted, which entitled them to a refund of a $5 deposit made upon enrollment. T he confer
ence method of instruction was fol
lowed and the year was spent on human direction, practically to the ex clusion of m ining m ethods proper.
W . H . Forbes, safety engineer of the New England Fuel & T ra n s
portation Co., is enthusiastic over the decreased accident showing of the
section foremen a fte r a few months of the training. Fie cites the case of one section foreman, L. R. Cosner, who in his first 10 m onths of service up to Dec. 1, 1928, was charged with 22 men injured and a total time loss of 615 days, but who in Decem
ber, a fte r but two m onths of forem an
ship training m ade a clear record.
T h at this improvem ent was not an accident is verified by the fact that on a statem ent of all accidents for the first 10 m onths of 1929 he is charged with but one man injured and a time loss of only 28 days.
T his year 26 men have enrolled for an advanced course under Stanley P oundstone, also of the university extension departm ent. T w enty of the class are those who took the 1928 course. “ Causes of w aste” is the first subject of study.
A unique attiv ity is the Federal M ines F orem an’s Club which was organized last Ma_, upon completion of the first year of forem anship training. Q uoting from A rt. 1, Sec.
1, of the constitution and by-law s;
D ecember,1 9 2 9— C O A L A G E 725
“ Its objects shall be to encourage education in practical and scientific coal mining, to foster and promote study of improved methods of fore- manship, with a view to securing the maximum of safety and efficiency in connection with our jobs, to bring closer and more friendly relations between the officials and employees and to advance the m utual interest of its membership.” T he initiation fee is $5, and the regular dues 50c. per month. The governing body, termed the executive board, is composed of five directors and the president, vice- president, secretary and treasurer, all of whom are elected by secret ballot from two nominations for each office made by a nom inating committee ap
pointed by the president.
The club meets once a month, alter
nately at G rant Tow n and Everett- ville, which arc 14 miles apart by hard road. A dinner is served and the program includes one prom inent speaker from out of town and usually two local men. L ast summ er two Sunday picnics for families and friends were held at parks within con
venient driving distance.
M ine business meetings of foremen are held once, every one to three months, as deemed necessary. Be
fore the foremanship class was started these business meetings were held bi-weekly.
Forem en compete for the best record for each quarter year based on m an-hours worked arid severity of injuries. This year the aw ard each quarter is the addition of the win
ners name by permanent plate to a bronze tablet erected, near the mine office. On this tablet there is a fifth space for the name of the foreman who exhibits the best average for the year. Each section forem an is aw arded an alum inum K ohler safety lamp with his name engraved thereon
when he makes his first no-accident month. A t this w riting every sec
tion forem an has won a lamp. No bonuses are provided because the higher officials feel that a forem an is well paid and should give his full ability to the job.
Once a year banquets are held for all employees and upon these occa
sions safety aw ards are made to the workmen. A watch fob of distinctive and fitting design is presented to each employee for his first year w ithout a lost-time accident, and a coat lapel emblem is presented for the second year. These banquets and aw ards call attention to safety, and have an effect in decreasing labor turnover which is so im portant because 80 to
90 per cent of the injuries are to new employees who have worked two months or less".
The company also promotes an annual safety contest and picnic.
T hirteen teams from No. 1 mine and six from No. 3 entered the contest
last sum m er. Each member of the winning team received a gold watch and as fu rth e r recognition had his name engraved on a “Lighthouse”
trophy which was donated in 1928 by G. L. R ichards, chairm an of the board, M assachusetts Gas Companies, and was erected in a grass plot near the operating office at No. 1 mine.
Gold watches also were given to members of the second prize team.
Each member of the third team re
ceived $30 in gold.
M usic fo r safety contests, picnics and banquets is furnished by a 22- piece white band o r by a 9-piece colored orchestra. T hese employee musical organizations play a part also in reducing labor turnover.
“Only when safety rules are treated the same as operating rules can safety progress be m ade,” is the contention of M r. Forbes. H e be
lieves that the big stum bling block is usually th at the forem en are given to treatin g safety rules lightly or that they do not consider them in the same light as operating rules. Once the forem an is impressed with the idea that safety rules m ust be obeyed he then is confronted with the prob
lem of seeing that his men obey. The forem en are taught that they are not respected as forem en if the workmen have outw itted them in evading an order or rule. T he forem an is im
pressed that he exhibits himself as a poor boss or as a poor teacher if he
fails to get the men to live up to the company rules.
W hen a certain section foreman pleaded to O tto H eyer, assistant superintendent of Federal No. 1, that he, the section foreman, was not chargeable with a reported unsafe W o rk e rs at N o. 1 Traverse a P ath Through a Grassy Plot
Adorned W ith Flow ering P lants and Shrubs
726 C O A L A G E — Vol.34, N o.12
T his Team W o n the W est V irginia S ta t e - W i d e f i r s t - A id Contest.
L e ft to R ig h t: Richard Quessen- berry (C a p ta in ), Ih tg h Toothm an, E verett W cinger, . Jam es Ruddy '' (In s tr u c to r ), Jesse H a u g h t, John K erlies (P a tien t) and Jam es
M am ba
Federal N o. 1 Tipple. W hich W a s M odernized R ecently. Is H andling 6.100 Tons Per day. The Conveyor A bove the Tracks Leads to the Loading Bin o f a 2,200-Ft. A erial 7 ram fo r
R efu se Disposal
L ast Year the _ Steam H oist W a s Replaced by T h is
900-Hp. Electric H oist
Both M ines A re in the P itts
burgh Scam and T op Coal Is L e ft to H old the D raw slate
December. 1929 — C O A L A G E
r TRANSPORTAI ION CO.
/ n t n r . i i . M . m i n e s . . • S A F E T Y T R O P H Y sA W A R lH .I) E A C H Q U A R T E R T O T i l if".
V 's e c t i o n o r De p a r t m e n t •;
"T h e Lighthouse”
condition because he had told the m iner to remedy the condition a few minutes before the safety engineer found it, M r. H eyer replied, “T he company is paying you to se*e that these things are done. I f it was only a m atter of telling the men, I could do that before they go into the mine and we w ouldn’t need you.”
T he m ining machine forem an took it upon himself to establish a rule that any machine man who suffers a lost
time accident m ust go on the extra list. T his regulation is workable because of the relatively good pay re
ceived by machine men. Being on the ex tra list means that a m an cannot get another regular machine job until a vacancy occurs. In the meantime, however, he may work at some other company job if there is an opening.
In 1928 the machine boss was charged w ith 23 men injured and 1,252 days lost. D uring the first 10 months of 1929 he was charged with but six injuries and 219 days lost.
H e put the extra list rule into effect early in 1929. T hat, and the fore- m anship training have reduced m in
ing machine accidents on the order of 75 per cent. H e re it m ight be well to explain that accidents to machine men due to falls of roof or coal are not charged to the machine boss but instead to the section boss whose duty it is to leave the place in safe condition. Only one m inor inju ry has occurred am ong machine men as a result of falls of roof or coal, lack of clearance, bad track, since this responsibility ruling was put into effect in July 1928. T he section foremen see that places are made safe before “m arking them up for cutting.”
T he forem en have been encouraged in their safety efforts by m aterial im
provements th at the company has made in the physical condition of the mines. D uring the last two years the ventilation system of No. 1 has been entirely rebuilt. T his includes the construction of m any overcasts, the installation of a new fan and of an emergency power unit.
W a te r is used on the m ining m a
chine cutter bars and the faces are sprinkled in both mines. T he piping extends to each w orking place and 50 ft. of hose w ith a nozzle is kept in each place. T he machine men,
E stim ated Cost P e r Ton fo r Injuries D uring O ctober. 1929
Federal M in e N o . 1 F r a n k G r a k e , 24 w eek s @ $16. . $ 3 8 4 .0 0 H o s p i ta l a n d m e d ic a l b ill 3 4 0 .0 0 $ 7 24. 00 J . B . J o h n s o n , m e d ic a l b ill 32. 50 J . B . B o w c r m a s te r , 8 w eek s @
$ 16 $ 1 2 8 .0 0
H o s p i ta l a n d m e d ic a l b ill 7 5 .0 0 203. 00 F le t c h e r C r im m , 1 w e ek @ $ 1 6 . 1 6 .0 0
$ 9 7 5 .5 0 T o t a l c o s t fo r m o n t h ... $ 9 7 5 .5 0 T o n s m in e d fo r m o n t h ... 12 4 ,199 C o s t p e r to n ...00785 C o s t p e r to n s a m e m o n th l a s t y e a r ... 00472
Federal M in e N o . 3 J . A . D illa r d , 9 w eek s @ $ 1 6 . . . . $ 1 4 4 .0 0 H o s p ita l a n d m e d ic a l b i l l 3 0 .0 0 $ 1 7 4 .0 0 J o s e p h K eg g , 12 w eek s @ $ 16 ... $ 1 9 2 .0 0 H o s p ita l a n d m e d ic a l b ill 4 3 .0 0 $ 2 3 5 . 00 B ill K o b a s k i, 21 w e ek s @ $ 1 6 . . . $ 3 4 . 30 H o s p ita l a n d m e d ic a l b ill 2 5 .0 0 5 9 . 30
$ 4 6 8 .3 0 T o t a l c o s t fo r m o n t h ... $ 4 6 8 .3 0 T o n s m in e d f o r m o n t h ... 58,672 C o s t p e r to n ...00798 C o s t p e r to n s a m e m o n th l a s t y e a r ...01673
S h o w in g Im provem ent at Federal N o . 1 M ine
T o n s T o ta l T o n s p e r L o s t N u m b e r of p e r M a jo r * T i m e f L o st-T im e A c c id e n t A c c id e n t A ccidents
F i r s t h a lf 1928 17,339 7,679 70
S ec o n d h a lf 1 9 2 8 ... . 15,451 8,715 78
F i r s t h a l f 1929 27,992 13,329 42
T h i r d q u a r t e r 1 9 2 9 .. 38,487 34,210 9
♦ E ig h t d a y s o r m o re lo s t tim e . tO n e d a y o r m o r e lo s t tim e .
however, carry their own hose for m aking the w ater connection to the cutter bar.
In No. 1 mine no places are left m ore than 200 ft. from the face with
out rock-dusting and when the rock- dusting machine gets into a place the dusting is carried clear to the face.
In No. 3 mine the advancing places are kept dusted by hand to within
15 ft. of the face.
W hen a company goes a fte r safety tooth and nail as has the New Eng-
B ronze Tablet W hich W ill Proclaim the W inning Forem en o f 1929 land Fuel & T ransportation Co. and assumes the position that every ac
cident is chargeable to some official, there is sure to be a m arked im
provement. W ith 1,001,104 man- hours of exposure during the first three-quarters of 1928, No. 1 mine, the 6,000-ton operation, has a fre
quency rate of 45.95 and a severity rate of 7.7. A n improvem ent in tons per fatality from 324,562 in 1927 to 415,042 in 1928, and then to 991,938 fo r the 10 m onths of 1929, is the final testimony.
On a Chart 5 F t. L ong M r. Forbes P lo ts the M o n th s o f S ervice, Fatal A ccidents, Serious A ccidents and M in o r A ccidents o f E ach Forem an fo r the Year. T h is Chart Sh o w s
the R ecord fo r 1928 at Federal N o . 1 M in e ; Each B ar I s a Forem an’s R ecord and the O riginal Carries the N a m es o f the Individual Forem en
728 C O A L A G E — Vol.34, N o.12
AMERICA’S
F if t e e n - Y a r d S h o v e l i n A c tio n
Largest Shovel and
D
U Q U O IN , 111., has the largest coal stripping mine in the U nited States and the most pow erful and largest of all stripping shovels, as m easured not in bucket capacity but in boom length, power and constructional strength. The coal area owned and held under contract by the U nited Electric Coal Companies, the owners of the prop
erty, comprises 6,158 acres and con
stitutes a solid block of 60.000,000 tons of coal, of which at least 40,000,000 tons can be brought to the Fidelity tipple, which has just recently been constructed fo r the preparation of the coal mined on the tract.
T he average thickness of the seam mined is 6 ft. 5 in. with a range of from 5-2- to 9 ft. T he average depth of the overburden is 45 ft., the heaviest cover being 60 ft. and the lightest 30 ft. Thus the ratio of overburden to coal is 7 to 1.
Though the depth of cover is by no means excessive, 45 ft. is a suffi
cient depth to make the use of a dragline excavator inevitable in the excavation of the “box,” or first cut.
D raglines m ust be used also in the general operation of the pit unless a shovel with a boom as long as at that on the biggest shovel at Duquoin is installed. Though the dragline ex
cavator could not be dispensed with in opening the pit, the new shovel is so large that th ereafter it can “go on its ow n” w ithout the help of a dragline. T his is quite an advantage, but th at is not all. A t this mine the
Biggest Strip Mine
By R. Dawson H all
E ngineering E ditor, Coal A g e
thickness of the rock over the coal averages 10 ft. and is often 20 ft.
T he upper part of this rock is a lime
stone of great strength and density.
Consequently the shovel m ust be pow erful, and with th at in mind it has been constructed on lines suited to a 20-cu.yd. bucket except th at the struck capacity of the bucket has been held down to 15 cu.yd.
W hen one sees a shovel such as this one lifting, from the shaken wall of the excavation, limerock and shale, unweathered and meagerly broken, one greatly questions the preference of the engineers in the anthracite region for a small shovel ; at least, one questions it w herever large quantities of m aterial have to be ex cavated. Surely, there is not in the anthracite region any rock m ore d if
ficult to break and to handle than the limestone in the Fidelity mine, near Duquoin.
Yet, in stripping, rock is not wholly disadvantageous. T he sm eary clay on the surface in the Illinois coal fields, that the rain readily causes to slide and to wash into cuts, gives a lot of trouble w herever there is no rock to build up resistance to washing and slumping. F . E. Toenniges, chief
m ining engineer of both the U nited Electric Coal Companies and the Electric Shovel Coal Corporation, says that he prefers to have rock in the pit, for with its aid the shovel builds a wall that keeps the clay away from the coal and makes possible a steeper slope, thus rendering it feas
ible fo r the shovel to dump its m ate
rial nearer the point of excavation than otherw ise would be desirable.
It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the large quantity of soft m aterial, oc
cupying 6,912 sq.ft. in the cross- section and placed by the dragline, lies back of the 1,300-sq.ft. and 1,200-sq.ft. areas placed by the big shovel, giving, w ith the 10-ft. berm , an assurance that the top of the coal will not be polluted w ith clay. A lot of sliding m ight go on tow ard the 40-ft. slope and 40-ft. berm occupied by rock and tow ard the 10 ft. of free berm w ithout the clay w ashing down onto the coal.
T he largest unit on the property is the 15-yd. shovel, a M arion 5600.
One of the other big stripping com
panies is using a 16-yd. bucket, but the Duquoin shovel is built with the unusual boom length of 120 f t , which is 30 ft. longer than th at o f
Fig. 1— Section o f a 50-Ft. B o x Cut M ade by the 15-Yd. S h o v e l and 10-Yd. D ragline. Sh o vel W o r k Shaded Dozvn fr o m L e ft to R ig h t, D ragline fr o m R ig h t to L e ft. B oth Shadings
A ppear W h ere Dragline E xcavation I s Replaced by S h o v e l Spoil.
the other shovel. T he dipper stick, or handle, is 82 ft. long as against 64 ft. fo r a 12-yd. shovel. A s a m atter of fact, as usually loaded the bucket carries when heaped, 18 to 20 cu.yd. of material. T his shovel form s, as stated, a unit in itself ex
cept that in making the box cut it is preceded by a 10-yd. dragline ex
cavator. I t is believed that it will fully ju stify its installation and be as big a step forw ard as the introduc
tion of the 12-yd. shovel some years back.
T he area in which it is w orking is not level. Ju st to the left of the box cut the ground is high, but a little beyond it it is relatively low.
T here the loose m aterial is eroded down almost to the rock. I f a 10-yd.
dragline were arranged to take off the surface m aterial it would be idle when it reached this area, which has no detrital clay, or it would have to move fu rth er along in search of w orking opportunity.
T he dragline, M r. Toenniges said, will not remove rock, and conse
quently it m ight be difficult to arrange m atters so that both a 10-yd. dragline and a 12-yd. shovel could w ork in
tandem w ithout delays to one or the other. I t is contended by the advo
cates of such co-ordinating equipm ent that where there is m ore so ft m ate
rial the 10-yd. dragline can take any quantity desired and leave the rest for the shovel. I f there is a paucity of clay to remove at some distant point, the dragline can be made to take m ore clay and go m ore slowly with the confidence that it will p ro gress so much faster later th at it will keep its place well ahead of the procession. B ut despite this flex
ibility there is a difficulty in arran g ing to keep two such units traveling in tandem with varying percentages of rock and clay in the overburden.
Besides the big 15-yd. shovel, two other units have been provided and are w orking in areas that are m ore level. These have each a 12-yd.
shovel and a 10-yd. dragline. They will give an opportunity for com
parison with the 15-yd. shovel, which itself furnishes the necessary experi
ence fo r the development of future operations.
U nder the conditions at Fidelity mine, it remains to be seen, of course, how much, the 15-yd. shovel is su
perior to the alm ost equally expensive combination of a 12-yd. shovel and a 10-yd. dragline. F iguring con
servatively and on the basis of long
tim e experience and not on unrepre
sentative records fo r short periods, the big shovel should remove about 350.000 cu.yd. per month. On the other hand, the 12-yd, shovel should tran sfer about 250,000 cu.yd. in the same period and the 10-yd. dragline 200.000 more, or a total of 450,000 cu.yd., using about twice as many men. F o r short periods any and all these figures could be exceeded, but they appear to be representative of average conditions.
I t would seem, therefore, th at the big shovel could not do as much as the two sm aller units of a little less aggregate cost, but M r. Toenniges declares that the units working in tandem , because of an inevitable lack of co-ordination, would move only about 325,000 cu.yd. monthly.
T he difficulty with the tandem arrangem ent is at the end of the cut, when the m am m oth machines must m ake their return. T he dragline has been leading the shovel, say to the south. I t m ust lead it again going Fig. 2— Section o f 50-Ft. B o x Cut M ade by 1 2 -Y d . S h o vel and 10-Y d. D ragline.
r\<-20'->J o - — 4 0 ' -->Lc... 5 0 ' ---->!<■
- . . J 0 '- 4 r — . 4 0 ' - ’^■ ■ 2 5 ’- ^
C O A L A G E — V ol.34, N o .12
Fig. 3— Section o f 40-Ft. B o x Cut Made by 12-Yd. Sh o vel and 10-Yd. Dragline.
December, 1929— C O A L A G E 731
to the north, so the positions of the shovel and dragline m ust be reversed.
The dragline m ust w ait until the shovel completes its cut and the shovel m ust then w ait until the drag
line gets started.
Besides, here is a point of inflex
ibility. T hey m ust come to the end of the line in close sequence. Some
times by engineering contrivance and exchange of function between shovel and dragline that can be arranged, but where the ground is irregular
unit as to give no trouble, why fuss around w ith tw o?
In all, there will be constructed eventually some three miles of box cut on the 40,000,000-ton area. This cut is from 160 to 170 ft. wide at the bottom—wide enough for 14 or 15 railroad tracks. O n the spoil side of the cut the slope is 1^ to 1 so as to leave plenty of room for depositing rock at the foot of the slope. The inclination on the other side is much steeper— about \ to 1, ju st about
”1
73777$7
the single unit, if big enough to meet the needs, does the w ork with less uncertainty.
W ith two units—a dragline that takes the clay and places it with a 170-ft. boom well away from the excavation and a shovel that places the rock at the edge of the slope— the clay is kept from the coal more effectually than when both rock and clay are moved in each bite of the bigger shovel and both are laid down together. However, if the m aterial is moved back so fa r by the single
Fig. 4— Show ing the R ange o f a 10-Yd. Dragline W here the A n g le o f E levation o f the B oom I s 30 Deg.
what will stand up safely with a shovel gnaw ing at its foot. T he box cut is carried down w ithin about 20 ft. of the top of the coal. This for the 15-yd. shovel. W ith the 12-yd. shovel, the dragline w ork is carried to within 16 ft. of the coal.
The coal in the Fidelity stripping lies almost at w ater level and rarely outcrops to the air. A t some period it was eroded to its present lines and then apparently the outcrop was covered with silt. T he line of out
crop has been developed by drilling
and not by the use of picks and shovels. There is no oxidized and dead coal, fo r the entire area is cov
ered by a t least 30 ft. of overburden and some by 60 ft., and much of the cover is rock. T he box cut for the big shovel along Beaucoup Creek was cut through rock which now lies exposed where it was dropped by the bucket. Quoting from impressions and not from actual m easurement, some of the pieces— even a fte r being shot—were 10 ft. long, 5 ft. wide and 2 or 3 ft. thick. Coal under such rock is not deteriorated.
All the strippers are working along faces which are convex; that is, the material stripped is laid along curved lines of greater length and radius than those from which it was taken. T he clay occupies about 20 per cent m ore space on being moved than it did before and the rock about 30 per cent, so the spoil bank has to be higher than the ground th at has been excavated and still higher by reason of the coning or ridging effect.
B ut the bank does not have to be as high as if the excavation were straight and still less high than it would have to be if the excavation were concave, and the filling was toward the interior of the stripped area as in the old-fashioned circular longwall, to use an underground illustration. Even with the cover thinner in the center of the area than at the extrem ity, unless m ark
edly so, it pays best to w ork from outer lines into the area rather than to work, as in deep mining, outward.
T he intention is gradually to fan out the excavations so th at the shovels will eventually meet in the heart of the property. Each unit will have its area to work out and it will shuttle back and fo rth along its face. T he fanning will be ac
complished, as is usual, by shortening the lengths of the cuts in steps and
8 4 '...- - -À / 0 ' U J 2 ' ~ > j < - ... - 66' 3 40' --:i k-20' -r\
\
F ig. 5— Looking O ver the T op o f the Sh o vel Toivard the Coal-Loading E quipm ent
not by m odifying the width of the excavation.
All the shovels are driven elec
trically. T he step from steam to electricity today is regarded as settled beyond question though the change m ust have been the occasion of much trepidation when first made.
In order to prevent breakdowns, the m otors and generators of the shovel are controlled by a system which, by means of m aster con
trollers fo r each motion, regulates the voltage through the generator fields. Like all large shovel equip
m ents using this system, no overload protective devices are required, as the inherent characteristics of the m otors and generators make it pos
sible to ad ju st the m axim um power applied to predeterm ined values. In regular operation the operator merely moves his m aster controller to the
“ full-on” position and the equipment autom atically responds to the digging requirem ents. All the electrical m a
chinery used at the mine and tipple has been provided by the General Electric Co.
T he big stripper is regulated so that it will lift 260,000 lb. on the bail.
The bucket empty weighs 64,000 lb.
and its load of 20 cu.yd. of rock, perhaps another 90,000 lb., leaving about 106,000 lb. or 53 tons, for loosening the rock or roughly 40 per cent of the entire lifting stress. T he w orking weight of the shovel is 1,750 tons, which is about that of sixty of the ordinary shovels at w ork in city excavations, which weigh about 30 tons. O f the 1,750 tons, 200 is ballast.
T he shovel can lift m aterial to a height of 82 ft. 6 in. I t is said that no other shovel is equipped to lift spoil over 65 ft. T he maximum dum ping radius is 145 ft. 104 in.
whereas a 12-yd. shovel has a m axi
mum dum ping radius of 109 ft. 10 in. Its maxim um cutting height is
97 ft., so it can cut a greater height of spoil than it can arrange to dump when stripping coal in a level country.
The shovel was erected, of course, on the ground, a space 100 ft. square being bared to the rock so th at a solid foundation for the erection could be provided.
Only one operative, one engineer and two pit men are needed fo r the operation of the 15-yd. stripper. The dipper makes a trip from the face to the spoil bank in one m inute, includ
ing the tim e to take a bite and dum p the spoil. T he speed of travel is 20 miles per hour. T he accompanying ratings of the m otors give an idea of the dem ands for power.
Liquid oxygen is being used now to shatter the rock, the holes being drilled down through the loose and solid m aterial by A rm strong and Loomis drills. T he company finds liquid oxygen cheaper than 40-per cent dynam ite and declares th at it fractures the limestone m ore e f
fectively than th at explosive. The latter is said to have a detonating speed of 15,650 ft. per second, whereas L .O .X . has one o f 17,248.
T he plant was installed by the Keith Dunham Co.
Between 5 and 10 per cent of the coal is sacrificed in every strip pit in the interests of clean coal. O ne of the losses is that a rib of coal usually is left along the w aste bank to hold
back the rock and earth that is piled up by the shovel. T his percentage of loss, however, includes the natural im purities in the coal, which are picked out at the tipple.
T he craw lers under the big shovel carrying a bearing pressure of only 58 lb. to the square inch and being 36 in. wide w ith a total bearing area o.f 420 sq. ft. in all, the weight of the shovel does not crush the coal. The coal is broken by black powder shots a fte r the coal has been swept by brooms and cleaned by air pressure.
It is loaded with 3-yd. M arion shovels into self-dum ping 44-ton American C ar & F o un d ry Co. cars .with Tim
ken bearings, six cars form ing a trip which is hauled up a grade to the tipple by 42-ton H eisler locomotives, one to each trip.
All w ork on these coal-loading shovels is done by one m an who between trains cleans up the cut, gets into favorable position fo r loading the next trip and oils and adjusts his engine.
Long drainage ditches have been m ade across the property parallel with the box cuts and 500 to 600 ft. dis
tant therefrom w ith a M arion 37 dragline having a l \ yd. bucket. Lat
erals are m ade at right angles to this ditch at intervals of 600 ft. Any w ater pum ped out of the cut is piped to the nearest lateral ditch. Other ditches will be m ade in time to func
tion when the w orking faces on their advance have passed the ditches first constructed. H ow ever m uch rain may fall, the w ater will be carried away without delay. O ne of the big d if
ficulties in past strippings has been the Hoods which invaded the pit dur
ing periods of heavy precipitation.
H . C. Swallow, president, United Electric Coal Companies, desirous of leaving the stripping as an object of beauty in the painfully flat country of southern Illinois, has arranged with the State F orestry D epartm ent to plant 10 acres of land with trees every year, thus converting the relatively sterile plain into an irregular park
like forest of rom antic beauty.
M o to r Poivcr o f S h o vels and D raglines Used at F idelity Stripping
C o a l L o a d e r G e n e r a l U til ity - 3-Y d . D r a g lin e 3 -Y d . M o to r - d r iv in g g e n e r a to r s .. . 100 h p . 100 h p . H o is t g e n e r a t o r ... 50 k w . 50 k w . S w in g g e n e r a to r ... 15 k w . 15 kw . C ro w d g e n e r a to r ... 14 k w . 14 k w . H o is t m o to r s ... 60 h p . 60 h p . R o ta tin g m o to r s ... 23 h p . 23 h p . C ro w d m o to r s ... 23 h p . ...
E x c ite r g e n e ra to r s j ^ ^ ’
E x c ite r s e t m o t o r ... 1 \ h p . 7} h p . T o t a l a p p r o x i m a t e 350 h p . 325 h p . P e a k p o w e r d e m a n d ... 167 k w . 167 kw .
\ 5-m in . p o w e r d e m a n d . 67 k w . 58 k w .
♦ T w o m o to r s e a c h o f th e h o r s e p o w e r n o te d .
--- — S tr ip p in g E q u i p m e n t - 12-Y d. S h o v e l 10-Y d. D r a g lin e 15-
800 k v a . 800 k v a .
400 k w . 400 kw .
200 k w . 200 kw .
150 k w . 150 k w .
250 h p .* 250 h p .*
125 h p .* 125 h p .*
150 h p .* ...
35 k w . 35 kw .
27 k w . 27 k w .
75 h p . 75 h p .
3000 h p . 2850 h p .
750 k w . 750 kw .
224 k w . 180 kw .
Y d . S h o v e l 1700 k v a .
860 kw . 350 kw . 350 kw . 450 h p .*
187} h p .*
187} h p .*
50 kw .
5600 h p . 2190 k w .
562 kw .
732 C O A L A G E — Vol.34, N o .12
F id e lity T ip p le fr o m E m p t y T r a c k s
BREAKER Erected at
BITUMINOUS STRIP PIT
B
e c a u s e strip-pit coai is not cleaned w here it is loaded but is dumped into the pit car promiscuously like the mechanically loaded coal in a deep mine, the preparation plant at a stripping occupies an im portant and necessary place in the operation. Conceivably a deep mine w ith properly instructed and exceptionally well-meaning miners might “get by” w ith a m ere tipple where the coal would be dumped w ithout fu rth er cleaning. B ut any mine w ith mechanical loading m ust depend fo r clean coal on the excel
lence of its preparation plant.
O ne of the reasons why strip coal now receives such a kindly reception in the m arket is because today it is obtaining at the tipple the best kind of cleaning and sizing. A t first, strippings w ere small and as the rail
road car could be backed right to the loading point it was possible to load directly into it, saving both tipple and transportation, but at the expense of the product. Though a tipple was greatly needed the short life of the stripping often would not ju stify a large expenditure on coal-cleaning equipment.
Today, though daily outputs have increased, the size of strippings has been even more greatly augmented, so th at larger, better, and more
By H . S.
Engineer, Jeffrey
perm anent tipples than those first constructed have been erected. T h at of the Fidelity strip mine of the U nited Electric Coal Companies, in Duquoin, HI., well illustrates this fact. T he coal to be cleaned is that from No. 6 seam, which is considered one of the best beds in Illinois, but every seam has its impurities. T his one has a blue band of slate, a p art
ing characteristic of the seam and one by which it is identified. To produce a high-grade fuel this slate band m ust be removed.
T he quantity of coal that will pass through this tipple during its life will be 40,000,000 tons and perhaps even 65,000,000. About 7,000 tons of this will have to be prepared daily. W ith 214 w orking days this will be 1,500,- 000 tons yearly. So the tipple will operate from 26 to 43 years— a length of time ju stify ing the building of a structure as large and complete as this.
O utstanding features in this tipple are equipment fo r crushing all coal passing over a 6-in. screen, if so de-
• sired; picking tables for removing pyrite from the coal thus to be
Schneider
M anufacturing Co.
us, Ohio
crushed, so as to prevent this im pur
ity from being broken and mixed with the fine co a l; means for segre
gating top coal, crushing it to stoker size and loading it in railroad c a r s ; m ixing devices and equipment for crushing such sizes as may be tem porarily unsalable to sizes for which there is a demand. T hus the product of the tipple can be varied almost indefinitely.
I t should be noted th at the tipple sets precedents in its large use of spur-gear reducers, mounted each with its m otor on a single cast-iron base. T exrope drives are extensively used. Because the coal is, or can be, broken before sizing with rolls and a fte r sizing, if desired, by three other crushers, it is doubtless permissible to describe this preparation unit as a
“breaker.”
T he tipple, which was designed and erected by the Jeffrey M anufac
turing Co., has a rated capacity of 800 tons of coal per nour and can place lump, 3 x 6-in. egg, 2 x 3-in.
egg, nut, slack and top coal on sep
arate tracks simultaneously. W hen desired, any m ixture of these grades
can be made. T he grading possibil
ities of this tipple are said to exceed anything hitherto attem pted in tipple construction. All operations are electrified w ith General Electric Co.
equipment.
A n inclined conveyor gallery 15 ft.
wide and 120 ft. long leads from the dum p hopper to the prelim inary crushing and picking plant, which covers approxim ately 7,200 sq.ft.
T he main part of tipple embraces about 10,000 sq.ft. Probably no tipple has a larger empty and loaded railroad car storage than is provided at this plant. All the tracks are bal
lasted with lime rock. A nother in
teresting feature is the use of 44-ton autom atic drop-bottom pit cars. This is probably the first mine to use equipm ent of this size and type.
N otw ithstanding the unusually heavy loads which this tipple handles it is practically free from vibration.
Each conveying unit of the tipple has a self-contained steel fram e.
T he m ain conveying units of the tipple have a total length of 1,725 ft.
and require the use of 7,200 ft. of chain; the two screens in the main plant weigh about 20 tons each, yet so perfectly are they balanced that they will coast for 14 m inutes afte r power is shut off. About 1,000 hp. is used to drive the conveying, crushing and screening equipment.
T he isometric draw ing on page 736 shows the flow of coal from the pit car to the railroad car. O n arriv ing at the tipple on standard-gage tracks, the cars are either pushed or pulled over the dum p hopper and au tomatically dumped. N either the cars nor the locomotive are u n coupled, thus effecting a great saving of time and labor. T he latches hold
ing the hinged bottom doors of the pit cars are opened by means of two cams located on one side ju st outside the rail over the dum p hopper. These cams are throw n in or out depending on which end of the hopper needs to be filled.
A
F T E R the first car has been dumped, the locomotive advances a car length, bringing another car into position fo r dumping. A s the first car passes over the end of the hopper, a cam, located at the center line of the track, closes the doors and latches them. A fte r all the cars have passed the hopper, the train picks up a car of refuse and retu rns to the pit for m ore coal.F rom the dum p hopper, A, the coal is fed through a plate feeder, B , onto the bottom run o f a large scraper
conveyor, C. A t its foot this con
veyor is horizontal and has its top and bottom strands spread at 9%-ft.
centers, so that the top or return run passes over the feeder skirt plates, while the bottom or carrying run passes below the feeder plate, the coal dropping from the center of the feeder into the conveyor. T he horiz
ontal and inclined portions of this unit are connected by curved sections having long radii.
W here this conveyor emerges above the ground line, a large rack and pinion side-valve, D, is provided which when opened admits the coal to the prelim inary picking and crush
ing plant, should it be desirable that it go there. Otherwise, this valve is closed and the coal passes on to the head of the conveyor, w here it is de
livered onto the main screens, E and F, in the tipple.
I
F T H E coal passes through the valve D, it falls into a large twin hopper, from which point it is handled by two duplicate outfits to facilitate the prelim inary picking. T he coal is fed out of the tw in hopper through two plate feeders, W , and over bar- screen chutes onto two apron conveyors, X , which at the foot end are horizontal but fu rth e r on pass up an incline to a higher level where they form horizontal picking tables. H ere the pyrite balls are picked out and throw n into a horizontal refuse drag conveyor, F', below the floor level.
If the sole purpose of this diver
sion is for the reduction of pyrite, the coal is discharged over the head pockets into chutes, Y , and the run- of-m ine coal onto the top ru n of a cross-scraper conveyor, C', to be car
ried over to and discharged into the bottom run on an incline scraper con
veyor, E ', which returns the coal to the main incline scraper conveyor, C, and then onto the screens, E and F, in the main tipple.
I f the coal is to be crushed before passing through the tipple, large fly valves in the chutes, Y , at the head of the picking tables are closed, al
lowing the coal to pass from the tables onto two sets of shaker screens, A and Z , which take out the 6-in. coal and under. All oversize passes from the screens through two large single roll crushers, B ', where it is reduced to 6-in.
Coal which passes through the screens is bypassed around the crush
ers and is loaded into the bottom run of a horizontal cross-scraper con
veyor from one side and th at which passes through the crushers is loaded
into the same conveyor at points di
rectly opposite. T his 6-in. coal is then carried to one side and dis
charged into the same inclined scraper conveyor, C', before mentioned and thence to the main incline scraper, C, and into the main shaker screens, E and F, at the top of the tipple.
T he coal which is discharged on these screens passes over a scalper- screen deck extending the full length of the upper screen, E , thus affording close grading. T he 3-in. coal going through the scalper passes over the middle deck of the upper screen, where the 1^-in. and under is re
moved. T he 1-J x 3-in. coal is dis
charged onto the nut-picking table and loading boom, J, by means of a back chute. T he coal th at is 1-J-in.
and under passes over a vibrating screen, K , which removes the f-in.
and under. T his is discharged into the bottom ru n of a scraper conveyor, L . T he f-in . and under is taken from a gathering hopper under the vibrat
ing screen by a drag conveyor, H'.
The coal which has passed over the scalper and the 1-f x 3-in. coal which has passed over the middle deck of the upper screen are united at the lower end of this screen and then pass onto the upper deck of the lower screen, F , where the coal is further sized into 2^x3-m . egg, 3x6-in. egg and 6-in. lump. T he two sizes of egg pass onto the tw o egg picking tables and loading booms, H and /, by m eans of back chutes under the lower screen, F. T he lump coal moves straight ahead to the lump-picking table and loading boom, G.
T
H E back chutes fo r the nut and the two sizes of egg, as well as the lower end of the lower shaking screen, are fitted w ith rescreen plates insuring products containing a m inimum quantity of fines. U nd er each of the rescreen plates in the loading chutes is a gathering hopper which collects and loads the fines th at drop through into the rescreen drag con
veyor, H ', located directly under the screens. T his conveyor carries the fine coal back so th at it joins the fines (4-in. and u nd er) from the H um m er vibrating screen, K . T his product is then delivered either to the bottom ru n of a V -bucket conveyor and ele
vator, M , which discharges either into two H um m er vibrating screens, N , located above a 75-ton storage bin, or through a valve into the slack con
veyor, L.
These two vibrating screens, N , make a fu rth e r separation, the f x in. going to the storage bin or being
734 C O A L A G E — Vol.34, N o .12
