M c G r a w - H i l l C o m p a n y , I n c .
Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business
J a m e s H . M c G r a w , President . _ r . D a w s o n H a l l
E . J . M e h r e n , Vice-President
Problems o f the Coal-Mining Industry
Engineering EditorYolume 25 N EW YORK, MARCH 13, 1924 Number 11
D o cto rin g a Sick Ind u stry
F
ROM a retailer comes a su ggestion for sa tisfy in g the com plaints of the public about the anthracite industry. H e m ay not understand his subject com- pletely. In fact he shows th at in some ways he does not by sayin g in h is opening paragraphs “W hat’s wrong? Too many m ines. Too many m iners. Too much seasonal variation in consumption. Too much railway p olitics.”Every one knows th at there are not any too many m ines or too m any m iners in the anthracite industry.
No recognized authority has ever said so. That is true no m atter what may be said and righ tly about the bituminous-coal situation. A s for seasonal variation, every one knows that has not been true for years, though it may come about if peace reigns in the anthracite mines for a few seasons. A s for railroad politics, that has not restricted coal production in the anthracite re
gion for years; in fact every one knows the relation between railroads and mines, now nearing an end, has fostered the delivery of coal as fa st as it can be mined.
* * *
But sometimes th is retailer does not g et “beyond his last.” As representing the Hackensack Coal & Lumber Co., H. B. Blauvelt doubtless knows the retail trade.
He is to be believed when he says in P r in te r s ’ In k : Much of the present public discontent arises from poor coal— abominable, unbumable stuff which in tim es of stress is shipped at outrageous prices by ‘snowbird’ producers.
These are disreputable, illegitim ate companies or individuals who ship anything they can scrape together regardless of its grade, and it is this class of ‘independents’ more than any other who have given the coal industry its blackest eye.
Believe this expert; he knows. “Its blackest eye,”
mark that! We agree w ith him.
He su ggests th a t the bulk of the anthracite companies should assess them selves tw o cents per ton and form an association “for adm inistration, research and adver- tisin g purposes” and let the public know th at th ey are selling good coal w ith a certain maximum im purity.
Then he tells the anthracite industry th at the fr u it growers have sim ilarly combined and have been suc- cessful. The public now in sists on receiving the trade- marked product o f the fr u it grow ers’ associations.
* * *
B ut the fr u it grow ers are o f the farm er class and w hat th ey can do would raise a revolution if done w ith coal. A bill is even now proposed to guarantee the farm er $1.59 a bushel for h is w heat and to seize the elevators and m ills th a t w ill not pay it. That farm ers, so fa r as legislation is concerned, can “g et away w ith m urder” is generally conceded.
Coal com panies cannot attem pt even th e m ost harm- less o f com binations. N ote the relation w ith th e rail
roads which w as fostered by legislation in earlier years
and was popular w ith legislators and which is now a crime not to be contemplated. B ut suppose it could be done, there is still the retailer. I f coal were sacked and sold in sacks, as fr u it is boxed and sold in boxes, the trick m ight be turned, but coal is shipped in bulk and mixed by the retailer w ith the “abominable, un- burnable stuff” which Mr. Blauvelt excoriates.
The retailer, in short, is the more generał offender, for he, it is, who makes the clean product dirty. He even, in some cases, seeks out, aids and abets the
“snowbird” operator for h is own advantage. It is bold indeed for a retailer to put the blame on the producing end of the industry. True, Mr. Blauvelt m ay be, and probably is, ethical; some retailers are, but th ey are not justified in selling “abominable, unbum able stuff”
to the consumer.
* * *
Still the problem remains. R ejecting Mr. B lauvelt’s plan solves nothing. Let us look at other plans. The public probably would not approve of the companies retailing their own coal. I t is easy to realize th at the retailers would not like it and they would work effectu- ally on the feelin gs of the consumer unless they were bought out and well recompensed. And the public would view retailin g of coal by anthracite companies as they view transporting of coal by them.
N o! if the hard-coal producers are to elear th eir sk irts of selling th is “abominable, unbum able stu ff,”
they m ust have some consum er inspection of coal and then they m ust have some authority see th a t coal thus inspected is sold w ithout subseąuent m ixin g w ith unin- spected coal. That is work for independent inspectors, for the public m ust have fuli fa ith in them.
■Jfr ¥r *
A s for his advocacy of advertising, w e would say,
“N oth in g but true statem en ts in ad vertisin g can make it pay.” See that good coal gets to the consumer and then advertise the fact. L et the operator be able to say in h is advertisem ent th at h is coal is inspected, at least in sample, by d isinterested parties or by men interested only in protecting the public, th a t only inspected coal is used in m aking the retailer’s m ixture, or th at each coal is marketed separately. Then the ad vertisin g w ill do a 100-per cent job, but not till then.
We believe firmly th a t an ad vertisin g job rem ains to be done, but the product m u st first be righ t, and the retailer is perhaps more to be censured than any one for the present “black ey e” which is worn conspicuously by all branches of the industry. A cam paign ju st now m igh t be successful, because th e coal com ing to the m arket is at its best, but i f a strik e occurred and a shortage resulted, conditions of earlier years, i f not m et by inspection, would destroy the effect o f the adver- tis in g and leave only a sore, disgrun tled public.
377
378 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 11
B lack S h eep in G ood F a m ilies
N
OT all the m ines of any big company are destined to survive th is period of Iow prices and restricted demand. Some w ill be closed so that the others can be run steadily. Which should shut down is often quite a puzzle. The high-cost minę may be among those kept running if the coal that it produces is expensive only because of certain inherent difficulties which still will have to be m et if the mine is closed down. In most regions if a sh a ft mine is not pumped it will flood, and sometime or other it will have to be pumped dry.On the other hand, a d rift mine in generał will drain itself, and it will not be necessary to remove the raił or wire because it will not be submerged.
Still, by and large, the high-cost mines of any large Corporation should be closed down, and money should be spent to reduce the cost of the rest. As such m ines will run steadily, it w ill be possible to install the best and most efficient m achines. W hat would be too costly to provide for all the m ines can be purchased without excessive strain for the few .
An attem pt will be made to get from a few mechan- ically excellent m ines the whole tonnage desired. The best talent in the employ of the company will be gathered at these operations, and w e shall see some unusual developments. I f under the present stress too m any irons are kent in the fire, thev all unąuestionably will be burned. E very company has its black sheep mines. Now is the tim e to start w eeding them out for the benefit of those th at are white.
From tlie P a rticu la r to th e G eneral
N
O SWALLOW makes a summer but th e presence of one such bird sometimes convinces the public that summer is at hand. One dishonest man in a cabinet does not prove that cabinet officers are crooks, but i f one be found the public will be sure that there are many more, and good men w ill suffer w ith the rest.A charge against one is a charge against all. Because one man has been accused we may be years before we again believe in the in tegrity of the executive heads of the Government. The probity of no man defends him again st suspicion if others w ith whom he is associated seem gu ilty of wrongdoing.
Many of us can remember when the Senate w as re- garded almost w ith veneration. Today th at regard has gone. A few black sheep destroyed it.
A few scandals ruined the railroad business. It is slowly com ing back to public esteem. Condescendingly and apologetically some of the large consumers of trans- portation are supporting the position o f the railroad industry, but everything they say has the weakness o f defense. N o longer is the approval carried by acclam ation. Y et in the nineties we boasted of our rail- roads and th ey were not as excellent or as m indful of public in terest as today.
B ut th at is not strange for the public makes almost everyth ing unanimous. When an yth in g is regarded as praisew orthy it is dangerous to attack it. When the m ajority sw ings the other w ay it no longer can be defended. The public never paints its pictures in sub- dued colors. Conseąuently care m ust be taken lest a fe w flagrant examples upset public confidence.
The coal industry, like other industries, has had its crooks, men who used it for a while to make money and left it when it ceased to promise excessive profits
and when the m arket once more became d iscrim in ating.
A handful of w ilful men spoiled our foreig n coal trade and now foreigners are not anxious to take the risk of buying American coal. We cannot afford to leave such matters to chance. Good business principles demand.
that som ething be done to prevent the sale o f coal that has been adulterated w ith slate or has been sold from a dirt pile w ithout first b eing washed.
Now, in this tim e of a decline in public in terest in coal, can be found a chance to clean house. It might be presumptuous to in sist th a t any particular make of broom should be used for th at purpose. It might be the U. S. Bureau of M ines but perhaps the U. S. Chamber of Commerce or the Am erican E ngineer- ing Council would be better, but w hatever it is, a broom is needed to sweep the industry clean at all tim es, especially in tim es o f stress, o f those concerns who load down the railroads w ith rubbish and give the consumer coal he cannot burn or can burn only with difficulty.
We H ave Som e H eroes
A
ND s o far, after all, the world’s h eavyw eigh t knock-„ down, drag-out champion is not goin g into coal operating. Mr. Dempsey has decided not to invest his money in the Great W estern Coal M ines Co., will not help develop several thousand acres o f Carbon County, Utah, coal and have a new m ining town named after him n’everything. How disappointing! H ere we were, all set com fortably in ringside seats w a itin g for the gong. We wanted to see i f the human pile driver could
“take it.” Nobody knows yet. Mr. D em psey never met anything or anybody who could adm inister “it.”
When the go with B attle A x Coal w as scheduled and duły advertised by M anager Jack K earns with a care- free announcement that “me and the champ” had decided to invest in Utah coal and become great oper- ators, there w as some assurance th at Mr. Dempsey really was a fighter. He wasn’t afraid of old Battle Ax, the greatest meat chopper of them all. He really was willing to go in there and show th e world that he could “fake it.” We crunched our peanuts and whistled and stamped our feet and bought another bottle ex- pectantly. But now the Roman holiday is off. And we still don’t know whether D em psey can “take it.”
But we know a lot of coal operators who can. Old Battle Ax Coal has mauled hundreds to a pulp and has draped thousands over the ropes, broken in sp irit and bank account. B ut in every coal-m ining field in this country are men who can “take it.” Old B attle Ax hasn’t maneuvered th e m into operating properties that have no economic excuse for existence. T heir footwork is too good for that. H is clever fe in ts haven’t tricked them into operating and m arketing p ractices th at look good for today but which take no heed for th e futurę.
His horrible grim aces haven’t frigh ten ed th e m into spinelessness in their dealings w ith labor.
Although old B attle A x has landed m any a vicious jab to the wind, these men are alw ays in m ental and physical fighting trim and th ey saved th eir m oney when they made it. They are the men who know how in a bad round, to trim th eir m ine costs w ith good m anage- ment and m achinery and “cover up” during a period like the summer o f 1924, when the B attle A x w ill do his worst— h ittin g only th eir elbows and shoulders. They can “take it.” And the tim e w ill come w hen th ey will make old B attle A x “take i t ” too.
M arch 13, 1924 C O A L A G E 379
M e n W h o R e c o v e r e d A ld e n M in e
Fire, Largely Isolated by a Fault, Is Successfully Sealed by Men in Oxygen Breathing Apparatus
Sickness of W orkmen and Near F atalities Lead Com pany to Suspect Fire in Abandoned W orkings— T ests Showed Increasing Percentage of Carbon M onoxide— D ifficulties Encountered in Sealing Off the Fire
M
OST dreaded o f all m ine d isasters is a fire, particularly in the underground w orkings. No two mine fires are alike eith er in th eir develop-ment or in the exten t of area covered. F ire can be fought more readily in the live w orkings of a mine
than in an abandoned section, because in the form er case the firefighters are better acąuainted w ith the controlling conditions than th ey are likely to be in the latter. Fortunately, circum stances freąu en tly favor the isolation of a fire and prevent its spreading to other sections of the m ine. P hysical conditions in an- thracite m ines often make it n ecessary to lay out a m ine in separate and isolated sections or d istricts, and in th is case a defense is prepared alm ost w ith ou t inten- tion again st the spread of a m ine fire. N everth eless in the planning of a mine, due th ou ght m ust be given to the possible occurrence of fire in the w orkings, particularly i f the coal is relatively free-bu rn ing and friable or gas is present.
Ba d Air No t e d Wi t h o u t An t i c i p a t i o n o f Fir e
A well-designed m ine plan w ill take into considera- tion the ready isolation of each section of th e w orkings, w ill guard ag ain st possible danger and prevent the destruction of the en tire m ine if an accident occurs in any one section. The fa ilu re to do th is has often proved a great handicap in the h and ling o f a fire in the
workings, and necessitated the flooding of the entire mine where this m ight have been avoided w ith proper care in the planning of the mine.
D uring the latter part of December, 1922, some men engaged in p utting in an engine foundation in a cer- tain section of the Alden Coal Company’s m ine, at Alden, Pa., came out several tim es com plaining th a t the air made them sick. This happened at infreąu en t inter- vals every three or four days. The occurrence, however, caused little suspicion of fire in th e m ine and no one suspected any such m isfortu ne until m ine inspector Joseph J. W alsh detected traces o f carbon m onoxide in samples of the air he had taken.
About the same tim e two men at work in th a t section repairing stoppings, building m ine doors and tim ber- ing, were overcome and nearly lost th eir lives. Know- in g the air w as bad, th e insid e forem an had cautioned the men to be careful. H is an xiety fo r th eir w elfare led him freąu en tly to th e place, and th is proved the m eans of savin g th eir lives. On such a v is it th e fo re
man found one of th e m en ly in g a t th e side o f the road in a seem ing stupor. The gas had rendered him de- lirious, and when th e forem an roused him w ith, “Get up and get out of here,” the fellow replied, “Take those rails off m y legs so th a t I can g e t up.”
The other man w as found w ith h is ham m er raised in the air, in readiness to nail up a board. So strong
380 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 11 and firm w as the man’s grip on the hammer that it
could not be removed from h is hand till he had been taken to the outside o f the mine and sent to his home.
Both the men owe their lives to the w atchfulness of the foreman, and the incident shows the speedy and fatal effects o f carbon-monoxide gas when men are exposed to air containing only traces of it.
Inspector Walsh sent the air samples that he had taken in the m ine to the U . S . Bureau of Mines where his results were corroborated. The ąuestion now was, whence did the gas come? The gangw ay in which the men were laying an engine foundation was a return airw ay from a slope th at had been idle for nearly two years, for owing to a heavy sąueeze, the workings from it had been made inaccessible.
A gasoline motor was operating in a tunnel from which th is gangw ay had been driven. Ńaturally, the first thought w as that the carbon monoxide in the air was generated by the exhaust from this locomotive.
The result was th at the machinę was promptly taken out and replaced by a storage-battery locomotive. Work was discontinued in the gangw ay, the men withdrawn, and the place tem porarily barricaded. The circulation o f air in that section was increased “to sweeten up the w orkings,” as Jack Morris, the foreman, ex- pressed it.
The place w as then le ft standing for about ten days when several more air samples were taken for analysis.
These and others taken several days later showed that th e percentage of carbon monoxide was increasing rather than decreasing as had been expected. It was then definitely decided th at coal was on fire somewhere w ith in that section of the mine and the problem was to locate and extin gu ish it w ith as little delay as possible.
This conclusion w as made certain by the fa ct 'that tests taken in the several intakes gave no indication of the presence of gas either by the use of the carbon- monoxide detector or by the analyses made of the air samples taken at those points. On the other hand, both the carbon-monoxide detector and the analyses o f air samples taken in all the returns from that section showed the presence of the gas. Furtherm ore, the tests also showed a Iow oxygen content in th e return air.
Indeed, at tim es, it w as im possible to work in that airway without the use of breathing apparatus, and the Koehler lamps refused to burn.
Did Not At t e m p t to Us e Fa u l t y Ap p a r a t u s
The rescue apparatus at the colliery consisted o f five sets of breathing apparatus, one high-pressure oxygen pump, a number of oxygen cylinders and nearly 100 lb.
of caustic soda. This eąuipm ent w as supplemented by fourteen sets of more modern breathing apparatus, eight sets of which were purchased by the company, as the apparatus on hand w as old and unreliable.
For the work in hand, tw elve tru sty and experienced mine workers were chosen and given train in g for three or four days in the use of the b reathin g apparatus.
This was done under the direction of Jesse Hensen, whose services w ere kindly placed at th e disposal of the company by the Bureau of M ines. The tw elve men were divided into two w orking crews, one b eing placed in charge of Mr. H ensen and the other in that of James Jeffries, the company’s fireboss.
In Fig. 1 is shown th e larger portion of the mine operated by the Alden Coal Co., which adjoins on the west the property o f the Susąuehenna Collieries Co.
The map shows the location o f No. 2 sh aft of the Alden
n l i
^Fm ished sea/ing /a s t return óept. I4,J.921^ No. 2
S h a ft' Cavec/workings throuęh
which]the m en h a d to open up 1896 workingsk
. Large door
\to reg u /a te-'
;ntake^ź\
W i
j&fluu/w
o o ^ c 1
3 0 3fóDOD.sssOSSHg?/
f l O L -
Fig. 1— Fire Area at Alden Coal Co.’s Mine, Alden Station, Pa., Was Confined to Slope in Cooper Bed
R e c o v e r y w a s m a d e b y f l r s t s e a l i n g u p th e i n t a k e s a t p o in ts m a r k e d S a n d T fo llo w e d b y th e p l a c i n g o f s e a l s o n t h e r e t u r n a t A \ £ - c. a n d D : W a t e r w a s d i r e c t e d i n t o th e s e a le d a r e a a n d t h u s t h e t e m p e r a t u r e w a s lo w e r e d , th o u g h w h e n t h e s e a l s w e r e b e i n g p l a c e d t h e r e t u r n w a s a t a t e m p e r a t u r e o f 156 d e g . P .
Thei r o a d w a y f r o m N o . 2 s h a f t t o s h a f t N o . 1 i s n o t s t r a i g h t b u t t a k e s a r i g h t - a n g l e d t u r n n e a r N o . 1 s h a f t j u s t a s i t d o e s n e a r N o . 2. I n c o n s e q u e n c e N o . 2 s h a f t is a l m o s t e x a c t l y n o r t h o f N o . 1. T h is f a c t w i l l a i d i n a l l o c a t i n g t h e c r o s s - s e c t i o n s h o w n in F ig . 2.
M arch 13, 1924 C O A L A G E 381
Water-tei/et tunnel No. 1 Shaft
^ ___ __________Top 1-6I8 .8
^Rock tunnę[ Tmn to.
-//Rock tunnel \ Benneft^ to Tw/n
P ro w n g h o /e ,
^ ' R o c k tu n n e l 4 0 0 West&!§*
Red ash vein-
/ \ \ ! / lj i. !i ^ A ir s h c r ft
/ \ \ ' I ■' ll ij /H O jW e st.
'■Rock tunnel from Red ash No. 1 h / f 156 ° x :.\
^ S h a ft to Cooper t/ein No. 2 S h a ft Tide elevation
Rock stopę Bennett to Jte d ash ■-■■■■ > "
F I G . 2
Cross-Section
T h is s h o w s h o w a
h e a v y r o li m a k e s t h e b e d a l m o s t y e r t i c a l a d j a c e n t to t h e f lre a r e a . I n f a c t t h e b e d h a s b e e n o v e r t h r o w n o r lif te d t h r o u g h a n a n g l e o f o v e r 90 d e g . T h is f a u l t , o r s h o u l d i t n o t r a t h e r b e t e r m e d “f o l d ,”
a l d e d in p r e v e n t i n g t h e f lre f r o m
s p r e a d i n g t o w a r d t h e S o u th . N o te t h e r o c k t u n n e l f r o m t h e R e d A s h b e d a t N o . 1 s h a f t to t h e C o o p e r b e d a t N o . 2 s h a f t . T h e t u n n e l is t h a t s h o w n i n F ig . 1 a s t h e t u n n e l t o N o . 1 s h a f t .
Coal Co., and the position of the tunnel projected from the old No. 1 sh aft on the south. It also shows approxi- m ately the section of old workings in which the flre was assumed to be located.
St a r t Se a l i n g Fi r e i n In t a k e Op e n i n g s
The intake current circulating through th ese old workings is indicated by the arrows shown in the gang- way driven to the w est of th is tunnel. Follow ing the intake air, the workers first started the building of a number of substantial stoppings to close the intake end of the section containing the fire. On the map these stoppings are indicated by S . Ali the stoppings w ere thus closed but one, which contained a trapdoor marked T, by which the ąuantity of air entering the section could be controlled, thus avoiding the form ation of an explosive atm osphere w ith in the inclosed area.
A t the extrem e w est end o f th e fire section, it will be observed that a large door w as erected in a tunnel which cut through an anticlinal in th e Cooper seam.
The purpose of th is door w as fo r the fu rth er regulation o f the air entering th at section. Much tim e had been consumed in investigation and preparation for the work, and the building o f the intake stoppings w as only started April 20, 1923. It w as slow and tedious work. EToards, bags o f sand, cement, ashes and w ater had to be car- ried from the base of supplies, marked X on the map, a distance averaging more than h alf a m ile, much o f the w ay being through old workings th at were well nigh impassable.
The physical featu res in th e Cooper seam were such that th is section of th e mine w as cut off on all sides by two fa u lts th at isolated the section from other work
ings, a condition th at greatly assisted the work o f isolating the fire. Moreover, a large b arrier pillar o f virgin coal had been le ft fo r the protection o f the two properties adjoining.
Although the work o f building th e intake seals was arduous, it w as not perform ed under as tr y in g condi- tions as th at o f b uild in g the seals on the return end of the section. A s indicated on the map, th ere w ere but four of these openings to be closed. T hese are marked A, B, C and D. The approach to the last tw o openings on the east side o f th e tunnel is indicated by a line of crosses. The advance w as made in fa ce of difficulties more tryin g than any y et encountered. I t called fo r the exercise o f the h ig h est degree o f courage and devotion to duty, but the men w ere not found w anting.
At tim es the tem perature in the return reached 156 deg. F. T ests of the mine air showed 8 per cent of methane and an oxygen content of 3.7 per cent. Under these conditions, it was necessary to carry compressed air along the passagew ays to cool and dilute the at
mosphere and make it possible for the men to work.
The way led up an old chamber, over an anticlinal and down another chamber dipping 45 deg. to a gangw ay in old workings made tw en ty-six years previous. The fireclay roof and the rotten tim bers were enough to tax the endurance of the bravest workers, but no one asked to be relieved, though m any were gaunt and thin by reason of their experience.
The last opening, at D, w as reached Sept. 8 and the
Fig. 3— Some of the Fire F ighters
H e a v y g r a d e s , b a d c o n d i t i o n s s u c h a s a r e f o u n d i n a b a n d o n e d p la c e s , a b s e n c e o f t r a c k a n d f i n a l ly b a d a i r a n d i n t e n s e h e a t m a d e t h e w o r k o f r e c o y e r y a l m o s t i n s u p e r a b l y d if fic u lt, b u t t h e m e n k n e w n e i t h e r f e a r n o r w e a r i n e s s a n d t h e w o r k w a s s u c c e s s f u l l y p e r f o r m e d .
sealing completed six days later. The loyalty of the men reflected the confidence th ey had in th eir forem an, Jack M orris, who w as alw ays ready w ith a word of encouragem ent and appreciation throughout th e nine months reąuired to com plete th e work.
The tables h erew ith show th e analyses of air samples taken in the current retu rn in g from openings C and D.
The sam ples taken previous to Sept. 11, from th e open
in g marked D w ere from a broadcast return. T his w as ow ing to th e difficulty o f near approach to th a t opening, as w ill be understood from the account given o f the work of sealin g th at opening, which w as started Sept. 8, but practically finished Sept. 11, th e work b ein g finally
382 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 11
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completed Sept. 14. It will be observed th at a few of the air samples showed traces of hydro- gen. Also, the samples taken at D, Oct. 2 and 12 each showed a larger percentage of oxygen, owing tó the stopping B having cracked, which defect w as reme- died later by sealing the crack.
Reference to the geological profile (F ig . 2) showing the gen
erał contour of the several coal seam s w ith relation to No. 1 and No. 2 sh afts and the position of some of the rock tunnels driven to tap and connect the workings in different seams, will give some idea of the difficulties encoun- tered in the foregoing undertak- ing. The dotted portion of the Cooper vein where it passed through the syncline or basin is an indication of the work re- ąuired to elear a passagew ay to the last return opening, which w as on the anticline. A s indi- cated in the figurę, the fire w as confined to the slope below th is point.
The profile also shows the na
turę of the fau lt beyond, where the form ations were in such a position that they appeared to overlap one another. It w ill be observed th is condition is marked on the map where the live work
ings approach the section where the fire was assumed to exist.
In closing, it should be stated th at em ergency seals were built as a safeguard again st the possi- b ility th at an explosion m ight blow out the main concrete seal in any opening. On one occasion, the concrete seal (B ) w as found to be cracked but th is was thought to be caused by a settle- m ent conseąuent on the burn- in g o f tim ber supports and old stumps of coal w ith in the area.
The crack did not appear to have been caused by an explosion in the d istrict sealed. B y careful regulation of the air entering the affected portion, together w ith te sts made of the samples o f the return air, it was possible to avoid a m ixture o f gases such as would otherw ise have caused an explosion.
In the efforts to extin gu ish the fire, tw o 4-in. stream s of water were run into the w orkings while w ere run into the workings ress. This w as continued until the w ater rose to a point where it overflowed the anticline when
Table II—Air A nalyses in Return “D,” Fire in Cooper Seam
Apr. Apr. June Auę. Sept. Oct. Oct. Oct. Dec.
1923 23 27 25 3)1 I I
121 12 301
3 1C arb o n Dioxide ^ ^ j ? J
] 0J J ? 2.7 9.7 8.2 Ozygen0
2y...: 18 . 5 1 5 . 0 118 3 . 7 2 , 0 1 4 32 1 5 . 32 , g 2.0 Carbon Monoxide ^ ^
QQ
Q Q Q QQ Q q () q () q q Methane CH
4... . 0.4 1.4 8.0 5.0 8.0 8.0 7
62.8 3.0 Barometer.. ... 29.0 29.3 29.3 29.4 ...
Temperature
(Fahr.) Outside... 92 80 42
Temperature (Fahr.) in intake
slope... ^ • 77
7 3Temperature (Fahr.) of water
in slope... .
Water gage...
0^ ...
T (Fahr/) *in return ... 130 . 1 4 5 130 120 105 100
1
Analysis showed tracę of hydrogen.
2Large percentage of oxygen due to Seal
Bhaving Cracked.
Note—Air samples in
D,taken previous to September 11, were from a broad cast retur n.
pumping was discontinued. The progress o f the flood- ing of the affected section is shown at two points on the map (F ig. 1 ), April 28 and June 11, respectively.
It was at the latter date th at it became necessary to stop the pumping to avoid th e w ater finding its way into other portions of the mine.
Recent tests show th at the fire has been completely extinguished. The tem perature readings have fallen to normal and the return current contains no appre- ciable ąuantity of carbon monoxide. It is interesting to note that no accidents or loss o f life occurred during the entire progress of the work. The m ine continued in operation and the average daily tonnage was main- tained throughout. The work took nearly nine months to complete. Nearly 24 tons of Cardoxide and one hun- dred cylinders o f oxygen w ere consumed in the course of the sealing.
P e r m is s ib le E x p lo s i v e s R e d u c e C o sts
In the E m p lo yees’ M agazine o f the Union Pacific Coal Co. the results of several te sts are given which, as far as the tests go, show th at in w ide work perm issible powder is less expensive than black powder and that in narrow work the greater costs m ay be in either.
Te s t s o f Pe r m i s s i b l e s a n d Bl a c k Po w d e r s
Rock Springs Reliance Winton Superior
Un i o n Pa c i f i c Co a l CO.
W id e P l a c e s
nriłłi N a r r o w P l a c e s
i ^s-.^
P e r m i s sib le s , C e n ts p e r T o n
B l a c k P o w d e r ,
C e n ts p e r T o n
r P e r m i s
s ib le s , C e n t s p e r T o n
B l a c k Powder,
Cents per Ton
1.1 1.8 4.6 3.5
1.6 2.3 3.3 2.9
1.6 2.3 2.7 4.0
2.2 2.3 3.9 3.6
Do u b l e Ti m e fo r P o n ie ś .— Reports fo r some 46,000
horses used in Great B ritain show th at approxim ate!y 43 per cent were employed fo r six s h ifts a week, 26 per cent for more than six and less than nine, 20 per cent for nine, 6 per cent fo r more th an nine but less than 11 and 5 per cent for 11 or more. The B ritish Secetary of Mines said th at except in a fe w isolated cases the condition of the horses in th e m ines w as sa tis- factory. Much com plaint has been made o f th e treat- ment of pit ponieś in B ritish m ines, and efforts are eing made by the G overnment to ascertain w h at typ es of storage-battery lo^nTr'A^i'iT° a ■wrill Koof vonlono 4-V» nm
M arch 13, 1924 C O A L A G E 383
W h e r e th e M in e r W a i t s f o r C a r s — a n d M o r e O f t e n D o e s n ’t W a i t
How Miner and Manager, Each with His Immediate Ends in View, Hamper Coal Production
Loaders W ithout Cars and M anagers W ith Their M en Hurrying H om e Early M ake a M ine a Place of Deplorable Ineffi cien cy—
M iner’s Other D uties Lighten the M onotony of Shoveling
A S A RULE the m iner does not confine his efforts exclusively to shoveling coal. W hile he should X l . b e an adept in the use of the shovel, n ecessity demands th at between filling successive cars, he vary his labor. Thus he drills holes, charges them w ith explosive, picks down coal, sets props and gobs refuse.
This variation in em ploym ent m aterially relieves his muscles and gives him a d iversity of occupation to vary the monotony of shoveling.
The m iner and the m anagem ent in m ost m ines— and th is applies to company or daymen as well as to those working on tonnage— co-operate less effectively than in most other ind u stries. The m iner fa ils to receive the necessary cars in which to load h is coal. The men upon whose labor the m iner depends fa il to co-ordinate their work w ith his. Supplies are not furnished him as needed. No instructions are given him to a ssist him in perform ing h is work, nor— and th is is o f even greater importance— is any analysis made o f conditions and methods to find out how h is work can be made as easy as possible. L eft thus w ith ou t support the m iner is rendered irritable. Beyond ąuestion th is lack of co-ordination is one o f th e m ajor reasons w hy the miner is habitually d issatisfied w ith h is life. A s has been shown in previous issu es o f th is report a m iner may readily lose from one-fifth to one-third o f h is daily earnings through fa ilu re of the m anagem ent to supply a needed m ine car. Even supposing th at th is failu re
S e v e n t h i n s t a l l m e n t o f r e p o r t o n “ U n d e r g r o u n d M a n a g e m e n t in is i t u m m o u s M in e s ” m a d e b y S a n f o r d E . T h o m p s o n a n d a s s o c i a t e s to t n e U. S. C o a l C o m m is s io n . P r e v i o u s i n s t a l l m e n t s m a y b e f o u n d in V ol. 24, p p . 691, 7 33, 773, 811 a n d 845 a n d Y o l. 25, p . 1 37.
U t h e r s e c t i o n s o f t h i s in t e r e s t i n e - r e n o r t w i l l a p p e a r l a t e r .
occurs only occasionally, the depressing effect upon the man is inevitable. When he su stains financial loss also because of inferior supervision, the aggravation a risin g therefrom is eąually great.
The actual tim e spent by m iners w ith in the w orkings and also the hours of ą u ittin g work are shown for two different days in two m ines in F igs. 1 and 2. These are presented merely as illustrations and are not in- tended to represent average conditions. Sim ilar records made in other m ines where, as w ill be noted, relatively fuli tim e is shown, are fa irly representative o f opera- tions that are w orking only a few days a week, and where conseąuently m iners are anxious to earn all they can each day.
F ig. 2 is more nearly representative of eith er full- tim e production or particularly good physical conditions where tonnage rates perm it large earnings. T his chart is the result o f observations taken w here a thick bed o f coal w ith good roof and opportunity to make good pay prevailed. In th is m ine, fo r example, the m iners w ere loading, on th e average, at th e rate of about 15 tons per day w ith a union rate o f 84c. per ton. They are accustomed to earnin g th erefore, on days when th ey work, about $12.60.
In F ig . 2, the tim e o f th e loaders and m achinę cutters leavin g th e m ine is given separately. I t w ill be noted th at not only about h alf th e m in ers le ft the m ine before the end of the 8-hr. day, but th a t the cu tters rem ained in th e w orkings a much shorter period. T his indicates an extrem ely uneven apportionm ent o f work between the tw o groups o f men. It is in tere stin g and valuable in th is connection, to sta te w h at reasons w ere given
384 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 11 by the m iners for leav-
ing th eir places early.
Though it was, of course, im possible to verify the truth o f the m i n e r s ’ statem ents, the fact that 29 cutters left the mine before the end of the day because there was no cutting to be done and 80 m iners left during the same period because their places were not cut is a specific example of the failure of the man- agem ent to correlate the work of these men. In many instances, this lack of c o - o r d i n a t i o n is g r e a 1 1 y augmented by local r u 1 e s or customs lim itin g the number of working places assign- able to each machinę.
The record of m o r e
than 63 men leaving the mine because they had earned all they wished to earn th at day represents a condition ex istin g in various degrees in m ost of the m ines visited.
It arises in large measure from the fact th at existin g piece rates for coal m ining have been based upon the consideration that the m ines only operate part of the year and that when they do work conditions are not such that the miner can work steadily throughout the day.
In periods of steady work at the m ine the m iner is not anxious to earn maximum pay. Consequently, i f able to work continuously throughout the m orning, the miner can earn a wage which w ill sa tisfy him in far less than the 8-hr. standard day, and he will leave the m ine when th is is accomplished.
F ig. 3 is from the records of a day’s work in a mine where 39 m iners were employed. This diagram shows the tim e at which each m iner entered or left the opera- tion. In the upper portion of the chart also will be found the length o f tim e that each m iner worked. This time, in generał, is longer than is the case in most operations, th is m ine being on a profit-sharing basis.
E lim ination of some of the high-cost m ines, provision o f a more regular car supply and storage o f coal by the consumer m ight reduce interm ittent shutdowns of the m ine and level out the seasonal demand, to such a degree th at the m iner being able to earn enough in a few hours would so shorten h is working day as to interfere seriously w ith the proper m anagem ent of the mine. The operation o f the m ine cannot be planned so as to give the men an opportunity to work contin
uously w hile in the m ine unless the m iners show a sp irit of co-operation. This, however, is a m atter of education, not only of the miner, but of the manage
m ent also, and not until both parties realize th a t their prosperity and success are interdependent, w ill it be fu lly accomplished.
A lthough lack o f tim e prevented an analysis that would give data o f sta tistical value, the detailed re- ports charted in F ig . 4 o f a day’s work performed by three loaders in three different m ines located in dif- feren t fields, is of in terest from the standpoint of mine m anagem ent. It shows the kinds of delays and changes in work that w ith m any variations in detail and degree
are common to all bitum inous m ines. T his will be evi- dent from a study of th is chart.
Each division in th e v e rtic a l colum ns re p re s e n ts not a seąuence of o peratio n s, b u t th e sum o f all th e perio d s th ro ug ho ut th e day devoted to th e sam e o p eratio n . Thus, fo r example, th e low er section is a n accu m ulation of all th e tim e sp en t in shoveling, w hile th o se de- signated as “w a itin g ” a re th e s u m m a tio n o f all th e sh o rt delays o cc u rrin g th ro u g h o u t th e e n tir e day.
These data were made up from com plete stop-watch observations taken in each w orking place. The two left-hand columns represent a com plete cycle of work from clean-up to clean-up in each mine, in a place where two loaders were working together w ith two rooms available. The right-hand column represents pick min
ing; that is, none of the coal w as cut by machinę. The time lost during the day noted in the right-hand column, where the unnecessary tim e lost w as more closely analyzed than in the other two, should be care- fully inspected.
The time actually spent in loading appears relatively short, but this does not represent the total tim e neces- sary to the filling of cars, because some picking was done while the car was being loaded. Furthermore, the time lost while w aiting for cars would not all have been devoted to loading, had cars been available.
Being based on observations of th e work of three men, each for one day, these diagram s are not intended to illustrate average or even representative conditions, neither do they portray any particular part of the miner’s work in its proper proportion to the others.
These diagrams are given sim ply as illustrations of the naturę of the work a loader has to do and the time spent on the individual operation in th e three cases noted. The studies depicted were made w ith the co- operation of the m iners them selves, who assisted the observer by fu rn ishin g inform ation concerning the various operations.
In studying the variation in tim e spent by miners in loading th eir cars after they have been received, Fig.
1 in the article of Nov. 29, 1923, p. 811, is instructive.
A miner will freąuently stop loading and perform other work which more w isely m ight be done a fter he has
100
80
u 70
60.
Lo id e rs
!e a vin g m ine
l i p
Ctsh /£
te/is ya v in ę f
m in e -
1
1
I0» 1|30 100Time of Day
joo 300 400
Fig. 1— How They Run Home
P e r c e n t a g e o f l o a d e r s a n d c u t t e r s l e f t in a m in e a t c e r t a i n h o u r s o f t h e w o r k i n g d a y . S o m e l o a d e r s h a s t e n e d b a c k t o l u n c h a p p a r e n t l y a n d s o m e o f t h e c u t
t e r s w e n t h o m e so e a r l y in th e a f t e r n o o n t h a t t h e y h a d t o w a l t f o r t h e i r a f t e r n o o n te a .
1130
T im e o f Day
2— Record of Return Home at Another Mine
H e r ę s o m e c u t t e r s a n d l o a d e r s l e f t q u i t e e a r l y . O n e c a n n o t n io ^ SUrrnlf e l o a d e r s f o u n d p l a c e s u n c u t a n d t h e c u t t e r s ’ n o t c l e a n e d u p . T w e n t y - n i n e c u t t e r s a t t h i s m i n e s a i d w L - b ? c a u s e n o c u t t i n g r e m a i n e d t o b e d o n e , a n d e i g h t y th p m s t h e y w e n t h o m e b e c a u s e n o p l a c e s h a d b e e n c u t f o r
