Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 27, No. 14

Ja m e s H . McGr a w, P residen t

E . J . Me h r e n, V ice-P resident P r o b le m s o f t h e C o a l-M in in g I n d u s tr y E ngineering E d ito r

Volume 27 NEW YORK, A PRIL 2, 1925 Number 14

F uel That A ppeals to th e Senses

O

I t appeals to m ost o f the s e n s e s : That of hearing because the noise of pum ping and combustion can be heard through the h o u se ; th at o f ta ste because, as one consumer said, “I and m y w ife think w e can ta ste oil w ith every morsel o f food w e eat,” th at o f smell, for all th e rom antic and pleasurable odors of the kerosene lamp o f earlier days are duplicated; th at o f sigh t, for the smoke of im perfect com bustion also recalls the house lamps o f earlier days. Y et they say you can put in oil and fo rg et it.” That is w hat people who have put in oil never do. When away from home they worry, w ondering if the house w ill be th ere when they return.

When in the home they , are kept in mind of the oil burner they have purchased by evidence furnished by a t least three of the senses. Goal is quiet, tasteless, free o f odor and less costly, but happen w hat may we m ust try som ething new.

U nscram bling Jacksonville

U

sonville. The m iners are quite largely taking refu ge in flight either to other industries or to the non-union fields. The operators are d iscussing new financing that will enable them to battle fo r th e trade available. So m any new types of m achinery are now offering them ­ selves, so m any opportunities for economy are pre­

sented, th at it is not difficult to find w ays of cu ttin g cost 40 or 50 per cent. A few years ago th at w as not so.

Had the crisis come then, nothing, no m atter how drastic, would have enabled operators to cut heavily on costs. Those were the days when we discussed the

“shaving of expenditures.” N ow we speak of “cutting costs,” an operation as possible in fa ct as in word.

Let Cincinnati and th e Am erican M ining Congress E xposition heal fo r the individual operator the wounds which Jacksonville and the U nited Mine Workers of Am erica inflicted. Too m any operators are spending th eir tim e in w orrying, presaging, wondering,

paltry economies. You hear th eir long lam ent: ‘ When w ill th e Jacksonville agreem ent be ended? When will L ew is surrender to the inevitable logic of facts? _ When will the m iners desert th e union and if they do, w ill they abide by the result and not start again th eir unionizing a c tiv ities? ” W hether one answ ers these questions righ tly or w rongly m atters little. The righ t kind of thinking would lead to a decision to modernize and get into the m arket now and stay in it hereafter. The man who gets h is costs down low enough to m eet the present m arket w ill be in good shape to m eet prices at any tim e.

W hy forecast com ing prospects when the problems oi the future are best m et by solving the problems of the present? However, some people do not like to play the game as it is, but prefer to im agine w hat would happen if only the pieces on the board w ere in a different posi­

tion from th at in which they are. They can then see them selves m aking a checkmate. T hat is a m ost heartening exercise of the im agination, but alas a ftei all the possible rearrangem ents of pawns, knights, bishops, castles, queens and kings have been envisaged, the game m ust still be played as it is, and others are g ettin g ready to play it as the present Jacksonville agreem ent would direct, not by w aitin g but by modern­

izing, not by w hining but by revisin g methods.

W hat About the Strike?

W

tion o f Labor, said some sound th in gs to the men of Harvard the other day. “Between capital and labor,”

said he, “there is an interdependence so fixed and irrevocable as to make complete success attainable only through co-operation and understanding.” H e added that peaceful settlem ent is the present aim o f _ union tactics; he suggested th at the strik e is becom ing an outworn weapon.

From an official of th e U nited M ine W orkers, that readiest of all strik in g organizations, an anti-strike statem ent such as th at somehow would sound strange.

Force— and opportunity— made the U nited M ine Work­

ers w hat it is today. Seldom, if ever, has any m ine union official deprecated the strike as a weapon o f labor.

B ut as head of the Am erican F ederation of Labor, Mr.

Green is privileged to speak his mind as he could hardly have done when he was secretary under John L. Lewis.

Mr. Green, no doubt, fe lt in other days toward the strike the same as he does now; but there are thoughts that a m ine union official m ay hold but cannot safely reveal i f he expects to stay at the head of the pack.

The fact th at Mr. Green feels as he does is m erely additional evidence th at the same san ity prevails among mine union men who still lead the pack. T his sanity m ay be reflected strongly in fu tu re relations betw een operators and m ine labor. Conditions are developing which w ill perm it a U nited M ine W orkers’ official to display it w ithout fear of being torn limb from limb by his own horde.

Co-operative M ining Mistakes

C

too, that ought not to be overlooked.

The more co-operative ventures there are, the longer it will be before the m iners o f th is country are ready for a general revision of w ages. A fter all, that gen-

493

494 C O A L A G E Vol. 27, NO. 14 eral revision is w hat the industry m ust have— as one

of the remedial m easures fo r present ills— and co­

operative m ining, when used as a device fo r evading the exact letter of the Jacksonville agreem ent, postpones

“the day” and is helpful only tem porarily to the m ines involved and not always helpful even to them. In an engineering sense a mine may suffer by such a venture, too. When miners are producing coal for so much a ton on railroad cars, it is not possible to conceive o f ordi­

nary supervision resulting in proper protection o f the property. E xtraction is bound to be reckless.

Therefore, let us have done w ith co-operative m ining of the form th at is practiced now. I f it w ere possible for mine workers to bear a personal in terest in th eir company, than co-operation m ight be real— but that is another story.

W hy They Succeed

C

So in education it is the man th at is important.

Education cannot “lead out” of a man w hat he does not have in him. A good tipple, a well-laid haulage road or a well-designed power house w ill do no harm to a poor coal deposit but equally it can do little good.

It may be im m ensely helpful, however, if a good coal seam is to be operated. Sim ilarly a man m erely of student type, w ill not be hurt by education but he will not be helped— as an executive. I f he is to be an adm inistrator he m ust have in him some qualities of m anagement— fru gality, judgm ent, im agination, perse­

verance, foresigh t and forehandedness— sen sin g also the relative values of various kinds o f effort.

U nfortunately our colleges appeal m ost strongly to the student type of mind, the kind o f intellect they cannot help much in the quest fo r executive positions.

Wben a man o f intrinsic character, having the power o f leadership and possessin g in itiative, goes to college he makes good use of h is abilities. H e adds knowledge to inherent power and goes ahead. We need more of such men at our universities.

They fill the specifications o f leadership. They are well worthy o f the investm ent expended on them . They may not absorb knowledge quite as readily as others.

Some men are not ready to convert to th eir uses pre­

digested knowledge. They prefer to g et much of their learning out o f the raw. Such men, however, think fo r them selves and w hat they take from college train in g is of immense value to them.

Provided w e know that Brown had faulted or sul­

phurous coal we are not prone to s a y : “I w ill not buy a m otor-generator set because Brown, who had one, failed in business.” So, w e should not say, “I will not w aste my tim e graduating because Brown, who has a second-rate brain and no character, is working, after years in college, in some humdrum occupation and is kept w here he is by the exercise o f superhuman su f­

ferance on the part of h is employers.” The investm ent m ust be made on a w orth-w hile article and the man who

enters college should know that no in stitu tion can sell him a brain and a backbone.

A s a rule, however, education is rarely wasted on the w rong kind of person. Most of the investm ents are profitable. The figures of the N ational Industrial Board which give the percentage of men in the higher execu­

tiv e positions who have had college tra in in g do not show w hat such training does, partly because influence is a factor in obtaining such positions and partly be­

cause the Board does not give th e relative number seeking those positions by the collegiate and the non- collegiate route.

We believe it would have been convincing i f the fig­

ures, were it possible, had been so collected. B ut still it is g ra tify in g to learn that in the m etal trades it was found in a survey covering 318 plants and em ploying 106,500 persons, m ost o f whom were not aided by a college education, nearly h alf the executive positions were held by college graduates. In the paper-and-pulp industry these trained men occupy 32 per cent o f the executive positions and 50 per cent o f the technical.

In all the industries under observation, according to the report, the college graduates in technical positions come almost entirely from the technical schools but those holding higher adm inistrative positions include a considerable number o f graduates w ith purely academic or other than engineering training. That is the unfor­

tunate part o f the story. The man in charge o f the m ate­

rial is often “brainier” than the man who has charge o f the men, even in industries where the engineering features are of leading importance. Some day w e shall learn that the adm inistrator should not be paid more than the engineer but that, we fear, is still a long way off, and as conditions now stand, the only w ay for an engineer to land the big pay is to be at once both engineer and adm inistrator.

Suspensoids or Aerosols

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partm ent of V entilation and Illum ination, o f the Harvard School o f Health, have a method o f determ ina­

tion o f the quantity of suspensoids (dusts, fum es and sm okes) in air or gas by alternating-current precip­

itators which th ey described at a join t m eeting o f the American In stitu te of M ining and M etallurgical E n g i­

neers and the N ational S afety Council. Probably those who placed that paper on the agenda did so partly in the hope th at it m ight have a value in prom oting health in the coal and m etal m ines and perhaps also th at it m ight prevent coal dust from spreading through at least some parts o f coal workings.

The project seem s fa r from possible accomplishment though it m ight some day be applied to the return air­

w ays o f the m ine where the dust all floats in w ith the air current and none is made by travel. It could hardly be applied effectively, one would im agine, in the intake roadways or at th e w orking faces. B ut a fter all is said all the electric action effects is the removal o f dust.

It would still be necessary to provide means o f com­

batting w hat m igh t escape the precipitators. However, the world is m oving along at such a pace that who knows but w hat in a fe w years small particles suspended in the air of the mine, suspensoids or aerosols as the erudite term them, will be removed electrically. It seem s a fa r cry; it appears expensive and likely to be ineffective. Still, greater wonders have happened, and the new method of precipitation has m uch in its favor.

B r e a k e r . H u m b e r t C o a l C o .. J e s s u p . P a .

C om petitive Pressure Grows In Hard-Coal M arkets

O ld Id ea T h a t D em an d W o u ld A bsorb »All D o m e stic S iz e s P ro ­ duced S h a ttered by Inroad s M ade by R iv a l F u e ls — M erch an d isin g L o o m s L arge as A n th ra cite In d u stry G rapples w ith N e w P rob lem s

B y Sydney A. H ale

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

S

fided the sales executive of the producing company, “the day w hen the anthracite industry needed real salesmen to m arket the dom estic sizes of coal has gone forever.”

The view point expressed was not unusual. Under the conditions w hich had grown up since the beginning o f the present century, the b elief w as honestly held that the m ission of th e sales force w as to supervise the distribution o f such tonnage as the production de­

partm ent could offer and to m aintain, as a m atter of tradition and routine, a semblance of contact w ith the retail trade.

The idea that the sales departm ent would ever be called upon to fight fo r a m arket w as an extravagant hope which m igh t buoy up am bitious com petitors, but it w as not accepted seriously by the m ajority of the anthracite interests entrenched behind their quota sheets. Questioned, they could point w ith confidence to annual production figures and current orders— and a superficial analysis of that data seemed to ju stify their serenity o f mind.

Me r c h a n d i s i n g Pr o b l e m Di f f i c u l t

Today m erchandising looms up as one of the b ig g est problems confronting the anthracite industry. Indeed, the pressure for solution is developing a t such a pace th at there are m any who are ready to proclaim th at the problem o f selling the coal now transcends in imme­

diate im portance the problems o f m ining it.

And those who take th is position do so w ith no thought of b elittlin g the work o f the operating side of th e industry or the n ecessity fo r a relentless pursuit o f

■: continued engineering and m echanical improvement.

On the contrary, as the problem of m erchandising be­

comes m ore clearly understood, still greater progress in m odernization as an aid to more effective m arketing will be demanded.

The m erchandising problem th at challenges attention is a question, first, o f really selling the industry to the public iiji an endeavor to check the inroads being made by com petitive fu els on the m arket which the la ig er sizes o f hard coal have long enjoyed and, second, of broadening the domestic demand for pea and, to a lesser extent, fo r No. 1 buckwheat.

Sm a l l Si z e s Le s s Tr o u b l e s o m e

R ice and barley are not the troublesome factors they form erly were. They are, of course, still sold at a substantial loss and probably w ill continue to be so disposed o f unless there should be an unlikely and radi­

cal upheaval in the com parative price levels of com­

petitive fu els. The w idening field o f the autom atic stoker in general industry, together w ith the heavy consum ption of small sizes at the m ines, has m easurably changed the situ ation from th at prevailing when Eckley B. Coxe w as doing h is pioneering work.

I f there is a dangerous resistan ce to the movement o f the sizes smaller than No. 1 buckwheat, it is in the distribution of boiler, birdseye arid the odd lots shown in the governm ent reports under the catch-all of

“other” sizes. (S ee Table I.) Boiler coal has suffered a progressive decline both in actual tonnage and in the percentage relationship to total shipm ents since the war. From shipm ents o f 1,689,075 and 1,675,189 gross tons in 1917 and 1918, respectively, the movement dwindled to 170,240 tons in 1923. One explanation given fo r the sharp decrease is th a t rice and barley and m ixtures of th ose tw o sizes have largely pre-empted th e industrial m arket served by boiler coal.

So m any sizes enter into the group designated other that it is im possible to use the published data as a b asis for any detailed analysis o f the individual sizes entering into th at group. The latest figures available

Table I— Shipments of Anthracite Coal by Size: 1916-1923

'— — , 9, 7^ r ' — — i 9l 9- ^ r — ,920 ^ - — ,92,' i ^ r

G ro ss ° r G ro ss G ro ss G ro ss G ro ss S i* G ro s s of

To m T o t a l T o r n T o t a l T o n s T o t a l T o n s T o t a l T o n s T o t a l T o n s T o ta l L u m p ... \ \ V I2I 5 2 4 5 3 l’889 5 9 4 750 320 6 2 2 , 8 6 M H ' 4 . 2 3 ,3 0 l|5 7 8 '4 i 8 2 . 4 H 6 9 0 '3 : 6 B r o k e n . . ...

ilil'llt

Noa YBu9k w h »i:. : : ! : . : : * : .4^{. .}2.5 91^*79^{* .}3.4 ^{» . «}

1 ^ » . : : : : t : '■ f \ \ H 1:1 3« l H 5«

' W \ U i l l : ™ U i g & o « u 745)720 7 2 2 , 4 1 1 1 . 1 3 3 0 , 448 o . s

T o t a l ... 6 7 ,501,363 1 0 0 .0 7 7 ,490,043 1 0 0 .0 7 6 ,7 2 1 ,1 5 7 1 0 0 .0 67,972,295 1 0 0 .0 6 8 ,6 10,763 1 0 0 .0 6 9 ,5 54,563 1 0 0.0

* In c lu d e s 579,898 to n s of r a n s e c o a l in 1922 a n d 2 ,328,843 to n s in 1923.

j f f l S N o . 5, s c r e e n i n g a n d m i n e - r u n in 1917; a lso s e t t l i n g

e q u e rit y e a rs . __________ ________________ ___ __________________________

496

■ 1922 - P e r C e n t of T o t a l

- 1 9 2 3 -

G ro ss T o n s 4,151 1,639,274 5,487,031 8 ,193,307 10,085,960* 2 4 .6

3 ,278,136 8 .0 5 ,5 3 7 ,5 9 5 1 3 .5 2 ,9 7 6 ,2 8 7 t 2,841,875

271,517 758,705

P e r C e n t of T o t a l 4 .0

1 3 .4 1 9 .9

7 .2 6 .9 0 .7 1.8

G ro ss T o n s 7,082 3 ,4 7 6 ,5 8 2 10,962,994 13,677,384 18,355,255* 2 5 .0

5 ,9 2 8 ,6 1 8 8 .1 9,641,571 1 3 .2 5,371,429 5,117,585 170,240 7 18,972

4 .7 1 4 .9 1 8 .6

7 .3 7 .0 0 .2 1 . 0 41 ,0 7 3 ,8 3 8 1 0 0 .0 73 ,4 2 7 ,7 1 2 1 0 0 .0

s l i t , d i r t a n d s lu s h in 1918 a n d s u b -

show that an apparently permanent m arket that will absorb approximately 720,000 gross tons a year has been found. In the years that shipm ents have exceeded that figure by any large tonnage, the increase has been due to extraordinary demands for bitum inous.coal which have thrown the surplus business to the steam sizes of anthracite.

The fact, however, that shipm ents of th is group of m iscellaneous small sizes jumped from 343,891 gross tons in 1916 to 928,655 tons in 1917 and, except in 1921, have not fallen below 718,972 tons su g g est per­

suasively that there is a real field for th at part of the anthracite output. On the other hand, the small per­

centage o f the total shipm ents which these sizes make up and the extrem ely low prices a t which they are sold offer no incentive for a vigorous campaign to develop new markets. Mine consumption o f any excess produc­

tion appears to be the best safety valve.

A nthracite distributors frankly confess th at they are faced w ith a serious problem in the sale of pea and N o. 1 buckwheat. H eavy accum ulations o f the first- named size a t mine, interm ediate and term inal storage yards and the course of prices in com petition selling o f No. 1 buckwheat sharpen th eir vision of w hat m ust be accomplished. They are helped, not hampered, by tradition, fo r the history of the anthracite industry has been a record of successful struggles to find a mar­

ket for the coal that once w ent to the culm pile. Recog­

nition o f the bigger problems of selling the industry as a whole, involving as it does the intangibles of

Nearing the End of a Long Journey

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

psychology as well as the tangibles of tonnage, has been less general.

T his is not surprising. A trade condition in w hich a product is habitually bought rather than sold is hardly conducive to the development of a keen m erchandising sense and the form ulation o f broad m erchandising poli­

cies. That, unfortunately fo r the hard coal business, has been the condition governing the movem ent of the bulk of the domestic sizes for nearly a quarter of a century. D uring the greater part o f th at period, the industry as a whole from producer to retailer has been nothing but an assem blage o f order-takers. R etail ex­

pansion, outside of the increased business naturally flowing from a normal grow th in population, has been the result o f a sh iftin g o f patronage. The increase in domestic tonnage since 1900 has been N ature’s g ift—

not the product o f superior salesm anship.

Pa s t Co n d i t i o n s In f l u e n c e Pr e s e n t

The irony in the development o f the present un­

healthy state lies in the fa ct that it is the outgrowth of prolonged efforts upon the part o f the m ajor pro­

ducers to correct conditions no less unsound. The move­

m ent w hich reached its clim ax in 1899-1901 w ith the acquisition o f the P ennsylvania Coal Co., and its affili­

ated railroad lin es for the E rie R.R. and the revitaliza­

tion o f the old Temple Iron Co. to swallow up the dangerous rivalry of the Simpson & W atkins collieries is still a m atter o f common knowledge. W hat has been forgotten by many, however, is th at th a t m ovement initiated by the railroad-coal companies w as an attem pt to end a history in hard coal w hich paralleled the h is­

tory of the bitum inous coal trade in recent years, w ith its upsets, its recurring periods o f prosperity, it s un­

warranted expansion in new m ine development and a depression th at w as inevitable whenever the new ton­

nage w as thrown upon the market. T hese fa cts are mentioned, not to sa tisfy a ghoulish desire to exhume moldy trade skeletons, but because the background of which they are so much a part has been an important factor in creating the m erchandising problems of today.

The fundam ental thought m otivating the long cam­

paign prior to 1901 w as that the anthracite business could be put upon a perm anently profitable b asis only after production has been adjusted to demand. B eg in ­ ning as fa r back as 1868, these cam paigners and their successors preached the doctrine th at the peak of an­

thracite production w as ju st around the corner, fo r in the earlier days the prophets o f exhaustion could not im agine a demand which would absorb 80 or 90 m illion net tons of coal in any one year. On the other hand those who have followed have selected as th eir tex t the

in ab ility o f the production fa cilities of the m ines to support any marked increase in consumer requirem ents, w ith the result that, until quite recently, the idea that the domestic m arket would gobble up every pound of coal th at the collieries could offer for shipm ent perm e­

ated the industry.

As indicated in a preceding paragraph, superficially the idea seemed sound. D uring the 11-year period, 1890-1900, in w hich the com m unity-of-interests plan am ong the railroad-coal com panies w as m oving toward its goal, the anthracite m ines operated 182 w orking days per year or 59.09 per cent o f the theoretical full-tim e year. The yearly average fluctuated between 150 days in 1897 and 203 days in 1891. The second 11-year period, 1901-1912,*— the tim e during which concen­

trated control w as so effective th at in 1907 the railroad- coal companies through th eir own production, tonnage controlled by perpetual contracts and short-term pur­

chases handled 91.3 per cent o f the output— the average w orking tim e w as 205 days or 66.56 per cent of the theoretical full-tim e year. The yearly averages ranged from 116 days in 1902 to 246 days in 1911.

The grip w hich the railroad-coal companies acquired upon independent tonnage was broken by the decision o f the U nited S tates Supreme Court late in 1912 when it ordered the dissolution o f the Temple combination and perpetually enjoined the fu rth er execution o f the 65 per cent tidew ater contracts which had tied up a large part o f the tonnage not m ined by the rail-coal companies. The last of the 65-per cent contracts was abrogated in 1916. B ut th is judicial decree directing a reversion to basic conditions which had in the past proved so disastrous to the m ajor producers is not re­

flected in the figures for the third period under review.

* 1 9 0 9 o m i t t e d b e c a u s e c o m p l e t e d a t a f o r t h a t y e a r i s n o t a v a i l ­ a b l e .

D uring th at period, 1913-23, the average number of w orking days rose to 254, or 82.47 per cent o f the theoretical full-tim e year. The yearly averages ranged from 151 days in 1922 to 293 days in 1918.

Tonnage naturally responded to the increased work­

ing tim e. It w as further augm ented by an increase in the total number o f employees. The latter figure was h igh est in 1914. D u rin g th e first 11 years (1890- 1900) the average annual shipm ents w ere 42,676,103 gross tons. D uring the second period the average rose to 59,446,807 gross tons. D uring the third period

(1913-23) the average was 68,064,851 gross tons.

Figures Do Not Tell All

A t first blush there is nothing in these figures to cause any great ado over the m erchandising o f anthra­

cite. Taken at th eir face value the sta tistics quoted indicate a steady, healthy grow th. It is in w hat the figures do not reveal that encouragem ent to insom nia may be found. For example, the average number of days worked, compared w ith the averages reported for the bitum inous coal m ines o f the country, gives sub­

stance to the claim th at hard-coal production has been stabilized. To a large extent that is true, but stabiliza­

tion has not traveled as far as the public generally believes. Norm al working tim e at th e collieries o f the bigger companies exceeds the average, leaving a group o f sm aller operations th at can run only interm ittently under existin g trade conditions. In part th is inter­

m ittent operation is chargeable to the difficulties attend­

ant upon the m arketing o f the steam sizes of anthracite in com petition w ith bitum inous coal and fu el oil, but it is also obvious th at the current dom estic m arket is not clam oring too loudly for additional tonnages of anthracite.

Another factor that m ust be considered in any study

Table II— S tate Distribution of A nthracite Shipments*

( E x c lu d in g H u d s o n C o a l C o . to n n a g e )

A la b a m a ...

A r k a n s a s ...

C a l if o r n ia ...

C o lo r a d o ...

C o n n e c tic u t...

D e la w a r e ...

D is tr ic t o f C o lu m b ia . F l o r i d a ...

G e o r g ia ...

I d a h o ...

I l l i n o i s ...

I n d i a n a ...

I o w a ...

K a n s a s ...

K e n t u c k y ...

L o u is ia n a ...

M a i n e ...

M a r y l a n d ...

M a s s a c h u s e tt s ...

M ic h i g a n ...

M i n n e s o t a ...

M is s is s ip p i...

M is s o u r i...

M o n t a n a ...

N e b r a s k a ; ...

N e w H a m p s h ir e . N e w J e r s e y ...

N e w Y o r k . ...

N o r t h C a r o lin a ...

N o r t h D a k o t a ...

O h io ...

O k la h o m a ...

O r e g o n ...

P e n n s y lv a n i a ...

R h o d e I s l a n d ...

S o u th C a r o l in a ...

S o u th D a k o t a ...

T e n n e s s e e ...

T e x a s ...

V e r m o n t...

V ir g in ia ...

W a s h i n g t o n . ...

W e s t V ir g in ia ...

W is c o n s in ...

W y o m in g ...

♦ R e p o r t o f F e d e r a l F u e l D is tr ib u to r .

C o a l Y e a r C o a l Y e a r C o a l Y e a r C o a l Y e a r C o a l Y e a r C o a l Y e a r

1916-17 1918-19 1919-20 1920-21 1921-22 1922-23

968 187 661 691 2,353 166

891 0 811 802 522 83

1,049 0 124 178 66 0

299 0 409 30 44 0

2 ,088,785 ' 2 ,424,268 1,976,747 1,844,543 1,684,148 1,283.957

245,558 244,213 277,399 2 40,658 236,436 181,156

542,987 561,450 5 87,918 531,995 542,001 3 51,227

16,603 4,481 12,423 13,446 12,654 7,255

22,347 4,493 16,745 11,129 12,376 4,532

411 0 201 60 2 0

2 ,178,293 1,737,779 2 ,084,090 1,957,318 1,819,951 1,541,822

3 32,292 2 11,186 2 69,418 212,705 2 52,318 99,713

3 92,059 155,190 325,455 154,286 171,007 114,792

16,765 1,346 11,363 5,638 7.287 1,143

8 ,767 1,505 4,317 2,161 3,191 1,564

6,091 167 7,213 5,911 9,243 1,339

508,538 488,288 507.914 503,051 485,453 3 40,372

966,035 1,016,292 1,158,763 1,020,934 920,183 639,750

4 ,159,292 4 ,336,028 2,878,949 3,749,102 3,368,129 2 ,5 7 3 ,8 0 0

1,396,747 .1,064,053 1,403,934 1,040,375 1,010,534 .5 1 2 ,1 9 2

1,176,380 9 66,112 1,152,972 876,072 819,681 764,379

531 47 704 334 316 31

132,212 31,423 121,076 58,571 87,614 58,587

8,859 314 3,531 1,382 1,302 726

130,986 9,756 122,275 50,527 52,711 36,670

2 08,114 2 51,468 288,520 419,506 280,539 231,144

8,760,479 9 ,876,929 8,984,737 8 ,673,775 7,817,062 6 ,422,983

17,930,114 15,794,708 16,167,643 15,000,972 15,817,944 12,310,272

26,815 3,188 18,281 16,730 18,280 7,057

252,904 175,310 136,994 90,507 98,316 51,301

466,948 231,168 576,683 401,233 3 63,407 201,307

721 2,218 851 1,176 201 390

128 0 29 81 98 148

1 1,966,630 13,250,91 1 13,598,197 12,252,434 12,244.015 9 ,6 8 0 .1 8 5

727,455 691,240 606,848 553,273 620,843 3 72,605

23,473 3,855 23,253 13,152 15,668 7 ,226

207,793 156,703 167,568 105,853 101,226 6 7 ,0 0 7

4 ,519 771 3,695 2,199 2,568 1,202

6,947 477 6,579 4,327 10,121 3,032

107,209 107,281 98,740 83,975 95,284 63,847

251,916 162,554 253,667 237,953 223,585 108,073

1,647 114 840 161 256 64

58,214 61,668 35,996 32,415 20,714 29,181

1,277,399 1,085,810 1,495,356 1,486,598 1,470,996 9 69,500

142 0 38 29 68 19

5 6 ,6 3 3 ,3 1 2 55,114,951 5 6 ,389,927 5 1 ,6 58,248 5 0 ,9 7 0 ,7 1 3 39 ,0 4 2 ,5 9 9

4 9 8 C O A L A G E Vo l. 2 7 , N o . 1 4 of these figures is the distribtuion o f the tonnage.

The percentage of increase in shipm ents during the second period over the average for the first w as more than double the percentage increase in population in the U nited States in 1910 as compared w ith 1900. The percentage - o f increase in the third period over the second w as less than four-tenths of one per cent undei the percentage increase in population in 1920 as com­

pared w ith 1910. The population increase for the coun­

try was 14.9 per cent *. domestic anthracite coal shipm ents increased over 14.5 per cent. The changes in the distribution of coal tonnage during that decade, however, w as not in keeping w ith the sectional increases in population.

Sm a l l e r Ar e a o p Dis t r i b u t i o n

In spite of the large increase in the tonnage of coal shipped since 1901, there has been a gradual contraction in the area of distribution. It was not so m any years ago th at Colorado householders in reasonably com fort­

able circum stances burned P ennsylvania hard coal in their domestic heating plants. In the year ended March 31, 1922, excluding possible sales by agents of the Hudson Coal Co., only 44 tons w ere shipped to that state. B efore the b ig strike of 1902 there w ere thou­

sands of Chicago householders fa r from the m illionaire class who would have nothing in their cellars but an­

thracite: so ft coal was only for the “poor” w ith a scornful em phasis upon the characterization of poverty.

Today m any of their sons and daughters are using sem i-bitum inous and even high volatile bitum inous coals or coke.

Illinois domestic consumers now burn four to five tons of bitum inous coal fo r every ton of anthracite used. In Indiana and Ohio the ratio again st hard coal is still greater. Even P ennsylvania is increasing its consumption o f bitum inous coal for domestic heating.

P ittsburgh, ninth in population am ong Am erican cities, used only 8,526 gross tons of hard coal for domestic purposes in the year ended March 31, 1922— a total ex­

ceeded by m any N ew York suburban com m unities the names of which are little known outside th e metropoli­

tan area and closely adjoining territory. When the study is extended to states farth er w est the compari­

sons become still more unfavorable to anthracite. The only exceptions are some of the states tributary to the docks on Lake M ichigan and Lake Superior. Changes in anthracite distribution currents do not, as a rule, come sw iftly ; yet, in seven years the com petitive forces w orking for contraction KaoTl =«'•>> fhp npr-

centage of shipm ents to the three Middle A tlantic states has increased from 68.2 to 70.4 per cent of the total movement.

T his loss in business, both actual and potential, was not invited by the anthracite heads. W est of the M is­

sissip p i River, the increased transportation charges added to the high er cost o f coal at the m ines have undoubtedly encouraged the buying of fuel nearer the source of consumption. In the E a st N orth Central States, the strike of 1902 and the war-tim e quota sy s­

tem have probably played a bigger part in curtailing the m arket than the price itself. The strike compelled many consumers to make the acquaintance of substi­

tute fuels. Though many w ere disgruntled and rushed back to anthracite w ith renewed appreciation of its virtues, there w ere m any others who learned the knack of successfully burning other coals and refu se to return to the anthracite fold. T his sam e situation was re­

peated in 1922 although the loss in custom ers w as less marked, because the m ajority o f the p r o d u c e r s ^ com­

p etition fuels who w ere given the chance to break into the b iggest anthracite consum ing territory w ere not alive to th eir opportunities.

Wa y Op e n e d t o Co m p e t it io n

W hether a more vigorous sales policy would have enabled the anthracite producers to make a 100-per cent recovery of the tonnage lost by strikes and war-tim e interference w ith normal distribution need not be dis­

cussed. The probabilities, however, are in the negative.

Whethei', if such a recovery had been possible, the m achinery of production could have been geared up to take care o f the normal and natural expansion is a question that now has only an academic interest. The point to be emphasized is t h i s : H aving elected, either voluntarily or through the force of circum stances beyond their control, to concentrate upon a more lim ited area of distribution, the producers are now more vulner­

able to com petition.

I f th at com petition grow s strong enough to make seri­

ous inroads upon the m arkets in the Middle A tlantic and the N ew England States, the anthracite producers can entertain little hope of diverting any substantially increased tonnage to the m ore distant m arkets in which com petition already has them checkmated. W ith condi­

tion s as they are there seems to be no escape from that conclusion. And because there is no escape, the industry m ust take stock of its assets and liab ilities as a basis for determ ining w hat its m erchandising pro- irram m ust cover.

A Main Haulage Way N ear Shaft Em pty is traveling by an e l e v a t e d road back to a

gathering sidetrack.

This scene, which is in a mine in the an th racite f i e l d , gives a good idea of the quantity of solid m asonry work needed to give per­

manence to under­

ground construc­

tion.

M achine A lternately Cuts A nd Loads Coal

U n d ercu ts F a c e and L o a d s O ut B u g D u st — A fter S h o o tin g L o a d s O u t L o o se C oal— C on veyors T a k e C oal from M achine A n d E n a b le I t to W o rk in a S in g le P la c e S h ift A fter S h ift

By N. D. Levin

C h i e f E n g i n e e r , T h e J e f f r e y C o ., C o l u m b u s , O h i o

I

ical to provide a conveyor fo r every room because each would be in use only a small part o f th e tim e. Suppose fo r instance, th at the machine is capable o f loading out five places per sh ift; five conveyors would be required each w orking only one-fifth o f the time.

T his would entail too b ig an investm ent fo r the work accomplished. In order to keep the cost o f the con­

veyors down to a reasonable figure, the loader should sta y in one place and load out five cuts per sh ift, instead of loading out five different places. But, th is cannot be done w ith an ordinary loading machine, because it would be in the w ay of the undercutter, and, further­

more would have to lie idle w hile the cutting m achine was working. The logical th in g to do would be to com­

bine the cutting and loading m achines into one device.

Such a machine could be kept busy in one place through­

out an entire sh ift and one sh ift a fter another.

The Jeffrey 43-A Shortwaloader is such a m achine;

it undercuts the coal in exactly the same manner, as a shortwall machine, y et it will cut a place in a much shorter tim e. The reason fo r th is is that it is already a t the face, and no tim e is lost in loading or unloading from the truck, neither is any tim e consumed in its transportation from place to place.

When undercutting, no slack has to be shoveled, as the machine loads out its own bug dust. It leaves a , cleaner k erf than any other machine because the slack is 'taken aw ay promptly and the chain does not drag it

back into the kerf. T his feature is a decided advantage, for it makes the coal shoot better.

W hile the undercut is being made, holes are drilled and preparations made for shooting the place as soon as the cut is finished. Proper ventilation m ust be provided to carry aw ay the smoke promptly so th at in a few m inutes the m achine may be sumped into the coal that has been shot down. It is then moved across the face, loading out the coal as it travels.

Ma c h i n e Wo r k s St e a d i l y

It will be noted th at this machine works more con­

tinuously than those that are moved from place to place.

In fa ct it operates all the tim e except w hile coal is b eing shot unless there is slate to handle. Even th is can be loaded into cars or gobbed by the machine.

Certain other work is unavoidable, no m atter w hat kind o f m achinery is used.

The illustration on the rig h t in the headpiece shows the m achine as it is arranged w hen engaged in undercutting. To the le ft m ay be seen the tw o loading bars w hich are folded back like the blades in a jack- knife. To the rig h t appears the main conveyor th at picks up the coal from th e floor w hen the machine is used as a loader. T his conveyor also loads out the bug dust w hen undercutting is in progress.

The two loading bars m ay be sw ung into place over the lower one. They are used only w hile loading. They actually dig the coal. It is not necessary to shoot the coal heavily as the m achine w ith the three bars in operation can be sumped into standing coal and w ill pull it down onto the conveyor, or in fron t o f it, so that it is picked up as the machine is fed sideways.

F ig. 2 shows how the coal is moved up the main conveyor. A rear conveyor is provided that can be

laid along the face to carry the coal away. I t w ill be noted that in this case the m achine is back o f the coal and requires no extra space. The sectional conveyor is laid as close to the face as p racticab le; as a m atter o f fact, it can act as a sort of barrier when the coal is being shot, preventing it from rolling out too fa r from the face. Some of it may even go directly into the conveyor.

Pl a c e d a t An g l e t o Fa c e

In F ig. 6 the machine is shown at an angle to the face. If used in th is manner, some tim e would be saved in settin g jacks and handling the machine. The m achine may be placed at righ t angles to the face (see F ig. T) , but there are few m ines where the roof conditions are such that the m achine can be used in th is manner.

D ifferent coal fields, and, in m any cases, different

Sectional conveyor.

F ig. 1— Used Like Ordinary Shortwall Machine

W i t h r o o m s u p t o 2 5 f t . o r e v e n 3 0 f t . w i d e , t h e l o a d e r c a n b e u s e d J u s t l i k e a s t a n d a r d s h o r t w a l l c u t t e r . I t l o a d s a s w i l l b e s e e n d i r e c t l y i n t o a s e c t i o n a l c o n v e y o r .

te ti o n a / convQ/or

P i g . 3.—W ith Wide Rooms Cross Conveyor Needed

I f r o o m s a r e d r i v e n o v e r 3 0 f t . w i d e , I t I s n e c e s s a r y to*

i n s t a l l a s h o r t l e n g t h o f p o r t a b l e c o n v e y o r t o f e e d i n t o t h e s e c t i o n a l c o n v e y o r w h e n e v e r t h e m a c h i n e - i s a t t h e f a r s i d e o f t h e r o o m .

m ines in the same field, have conditions peculiar to them selves; the best system o f m ining, therefore, m ust be determined for each particular operation. In som e mines it may be found economical to employ several sy ste m s; a part o f the m ine may be worked room-and- pillar, another portion by slabbing of ribs and in still another section some form o f longwall operation m ay be the m ost practicable. The Shortwaloader can be used w ith equal advantage anyw here in such a mine.

N o m atter w hat system of m ining is followed, the

F IG . 2 L o a d in g C o a l T h e t w o l o a d i n g b a r s h a v e b e e n s w u n g I n t o p o s i - t i o n j a n d a s t h e y o p e r a t e t h e y a s s i s t t h e u n d e r c u t t e r b a r I n s h i f t i n g t h e c o a l o n t o t h e c o n v e y o r . E a c h o f t h e s e b a r s w i l l c u t t h e c o a l p r o v i d e d t h e m a ­ t e r i a l b e i n g l o a d e d r e s i s t s m o v e m e n t b u t , b r o k e n a s i t is . i t i s m e r e l y s h i f t e d g e n t l y b y t h e m o ­ t i o n o f t h e b i t s a n d c r o w d e d u p o n t o t h e c o n v e y o r o f t h e m a c h i n e .

Sectional con\

I

1

F ig, -1— Arrangem ent W here Rib Is to Be Drawn

T h e p o r t a b l e c o n v e y o r m a k e s i t e a s y t o w i t h d r a w e v e n a w i d e p i l l a r . H e r e t h e l o a d e r i s s h o w n w o r k i n g w i t h t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f a s t u m p a t t h e e n d o f t h e p i l l a r . T h e p o r t a b l e c o n v e y o r i s i n 5 - f t . l e n g t h s .

machine should stay at the sam e w orking face sh ift a fter sh ift, until it is worked out. A conveyor m ust be provided to carry the coal aw ay from the machine. I f the loader is employed in a room th at yields SO tons for each undercut of the face, a trip of cars holding th is much coal should be provided and moved slow ly past the discharge end o f the conveyor, thus allow ing the machine to load the place out w ithout stopping. It is

F ig . 5— Machine Loader Working on a Long Face

W i t h a l o n g f a c e 4 0 0 o r 5 0 0 f t . i n l e n g t h t h e s e c t i o n a l c o n v e y o r a n d l o a d e r c a n b e p u t p a r a l l e l t o t h e f a c e , a n d t h e l o a d e r c a n b e m a d e t o l o a d i n t o t h e c o n v e y o r .

F ig. 6— Machine S et a t A ngle to Long Face

W i t h t h i s a r r a n g e m e n t t h e l o a d e r I s h a n d l e d m o r e e a s i l y , t h e J a c k s n o t r e q u i r i n g s u c h f r e q u e n t s e t t i n g . H o w e v e r , t h e r o o f m u s t b e s t r o n g e r t h a n I s n e c e s s a r y w h e n t h e m a c h i n e I s s e t p a r a l l e l t o t h e f a c e .

Fig. 7— Machine S et at R ight A ngle to Face

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

gathering and track laying, and where several loaders o f this type are employed a conveyor system w ill make it possible to obtain a large output from a small territory.

Conveyors used w ith machines of this kind, whether they are employed in driving entries or in w orking rooms, m ust be constructed in such a manner that a section can be added in the shortest possible tim e. This should be done a fter the undercut is finished, and w hile the machine is being pulled back to the right-hand rib.

A suitable conveyor fo r use in connection w ith the Shortwaloader is built by the same m anufacturer.

This conveyor can be extended in a shorter tim e than the ordinary track could be advanced.

not practicable w ith this machine to bring cars into a room and load them one at a tim e.

When loading on a longwall face, the m achine should discharge into a conveyor. In such a case, a constant supply o f cars m ust be available at the discharge end o f the conveyor throughout the entire sh ift. Conveyors used in connection w ith this loader not only allow the m achine to work steadily all day, but reduce the cost of

M ethane as L ik ely as N atu ral Gas to B e Ig n ited b y E x p o se d F ila m en t

T ests recently have been conducted by the Bureau of M ines on the ignition hazard o f exposing heated filaments of electric mine-lamp bulbs in a explosive m ixture of m ethane and air. T his investigation w as undertaken in order to settle a question th at had arisen in connection w ith the sa fety o f m iners’ electric lamps.

For several years, in view o f form er studies made by the Bureau and reported in B ulletin 52, the fa c t th at the heated filam ents of even low voltage, low candle- power bulbs constitute a danger, w as generally accepted by the Bureau’s engineers. These early tests, as well as subsequent trials, w ere conducted w ith P ittsb u rgh naturul gas as the te stin g medium.

In nearly all coal m ines the explosive gas found is methane. T his gas is known to be som ew hat less sen sitive to ign ition than natural g a s w hich contains, in addition to methane, one or more of the higher hydro­

carbons. Therefore, the question naturally arose w hether heated filaments, w hich regularly ignited natural gas, would also ig n ite methane. I f not, then perhaps the Bureau had taken unnecessary precautions in requiring all perm issible electric lamps designed for use in m ines to be equipped w ith a sa fety device.

The present study, conducted by R. D. Leitch, A. B.

Hooker, and W. P. Yant, conclusively settles th is ques­

tion. Bulbs th at had previously proved dangerous when unprotected in natural gas atm ospheres w ere used in the investigation, and m ethane w as substituted for natural gas as the te stin g m edium ; also a few check tests were made u sing natural gas.

Three typ es o f m ine-lamp bulbs w ere tested— namely, BM-19, 2-volt, 0.7 to 0.9-ampere bulbs; BM-18, 24-volt, 1.1-ampere bulbs; and BM-17, 4-volt, 0.5-ampere bulbs.

The m ethane used w as prepared by liquefaction and fractional distillation o f natural gas at approxim ately

— 162 deg. C. The natural gas used w as th at w hich is supplied to the city of P ittsburgh.

The results o f the tests in both m ethane and natural gas are summ arized in the follow ing table.

✓—T e s ts in M e th a n e —> T e s ts in N a t u r a l G a s

N o . o f N o . o f N o . o f N o . of

T y p e o f B u lb s T e s ts M a d e I g n itio n s T e s ts M a d e I g n itio n s B M - I 9 a . ... II N o n e 3 N o n e

B M -1 9 6 ... 16 9 2 2

B M -1 8 c ... 21 12 9 5

B M - I 7 6 ... 7 7 6 6

a , b u lb s e n e rg iz e d a t v o lta g e s b elo w n o r m a l; 6, b u lb s e n e rg iz e d a t n o rm a l v o lta g e s ; c, b u lb s e n e rg iz e d a t n o r m a i a n d s lig h tly a b o v e n o r m a l v o lta g e .

T his table show s that practically the same results are obtained w ith m ethane and natural gas, and th at any difference in sen sitiven ess to ignition between th ese two gases cannot be shown w ith in the accuracy o f te sts o f th is nature.