□ M l . /
McGr a w- Hi l l Co m p a n y, In c. Ja m e s H . McGr a w, P resid en t
E . J . Me h r e n, V iqe-P residen t
Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business Problems of the Coal-Mining Industry
T V T ° ONE KNOWS how much coal is in th e re ta il -L X y ard s and stockpiles of in d u strial consum ers, and a survey should be m ade to find out ju s t w here the public stands. Such inquiries should be m ade qu arterly and not in the haphazard m anner th a t has h ith e rto been th e practice. The m ining industry, when it su g
gests a shortage, is blamed w ith s ta rtin g a panic or, if it declares the reverse, w ith try in g to lull th e public into a false sense of security. Excessive estim ates are likely to be m ade by o thers in ord er to lower th e price of coal. W hat the public w ants is the fa cts on reliable au th o rity . The nation should freq u en tly tak e th e m eas
u re of the coal in its bin so as to assu re itself th a t stores will be available when needed. I f th e funds a re not on hand fo r such surveys, th ey should be provided.
law. T here had been no decision fro m th e bench when this w as w ritten . The situ atio n leads one to feel th a t a m a tte r such as th is should never have to be dragged out of th e m ines. In th e sp rin g of 1925 a company ought to g et such w holehearted co-operation from th e d istric t officials of the union th a t no s trik e could possi
bly a rise from the discharge of men fo r illegal shot w u , Yet th e re is no such co-operation offered.
W here does such conduct eventually lead th e U nited M ine W orkers?
S eeing the Light
A t A M IN E of a subsidiary of th e P itts b u rg h Coal Co.
1 \ the m en have organized a union of th e ir own and
a ria n g e d fo r a living wage. Such a wage is not one th a t closes the m ine down and leaves the men idle b u t one low^ enough to m ake operation possible. The basis chosen is the 1917 scale, and it is hig h enough to give com fortable living conditions w ith reasonably steady work. The men declare th a t they will brook no in te r
ference in th e ir plan to seek m ore reasonable pay and will them selves g u ard the m ines a g a in st violence.
. M eantim e the m anagem ent of the P itts b u rg h Coal Co.
is receiving signed le tte rs from m any of th e ir men expressing a desire fo r a reduction in wage th a t will enable th e m ines of th a t company to reopen. All such letters^ a re prom ptly acknowledged, and the frequency o th e ir receipt shows th a t the mine w orkers realize th a t a com m unity of in te re st exists between m anage
m ent and men.
E n forcin g the Law
W H E N COAL PRO D U C IN G companies find them - selves incapable of compelling th e ir own m en to obey m in ing laws, the s ta te o f affairs is s tra n g e indeed.
Y et th a t exact sta te exists in p a rts of In d ian a w here union law is th e only rule m ost of th e men in certain m ines recognize. We observe th e peculiar spectacle of th e m ines inspector of In d ian a a rre s tin g a group of miners^ and h alin g them into co u rt on charges o f en
d an g e rin g th e lives of th e ir fellow men. W arnings to the company produced no results w hatever. The com
pan y replied th a t th e “fo re ig n e rs” in its employ could not be w atched every m om ent they w ere a t w ork- it would re q u ire a boss fo r every m an. And, any\vay, th e re w as no way of applying compulsion—to compel a m an to bore and load shotholes correctly m eant a strik e bo th e com pany th re w up its hands.
B u t th e s ta te m ines inspector did n’t. F o r th e first tim e m years th a t office recently reso rted to courts of
Larger Salaries in P u b lic Service
O O STRONGLY does service to th e natio n appeal to k.J alm ost everyone and so g re a t is th e d ig n ity of a governm ent position th a t often these considerations overcome in a young m an th e disadvantage of residin g in an expensive town like W ashington, w here no t only is every item of expenditure costly b u t w here the style of living is unusually high. B u t th e public should not tra d e unduly on th e lure of th e natio nal service and of residence in one of th e fa ir e s t and m ost in sp irin g centers of Am erica. In only too m any cases a re men of experience and ab ility lost to th e B ureaus by such fa tu o u s reliance on th e esp rit de corps of th e ir p e r
sonnel. 1
,, k in d h as been chief chem ist and chief of th e division of m ineral technology in th e U. S. B ureau of M ines. H is contacts w ith coal m en have been few.
H is w ork has not been reg ard ed as closely k n it w ith coal-hnning problem s, b u t Dr. Lind is recognized by those th a t know him as one of th e leading scien tists of the capitol city. H is salary was $5,200. He w as seek
ing an increase of $400, and though he w as offered an advance of $800 if he would become d irec to r of th e fixed-m trogen research labo ratory of th e D ep artm en t of A g ric u ltu re a position he has since accepted h e would have stayed w ith th e B ureau of M ines had he received th e sm all increase he desired.
F o r twelve long y ea rs th e governm ent has invested larg e sum s in helium production. T h a t w ork needs th e ex pert guidance of such a m an as Dr. Lind, b u t th e policy of th e In te rio r D ep artm en t w as to economize in salaries, and now an o th er chief m ust head its division of m ineral technology. I t has been repeatedly shown th a t the salaries paid by the governm ent fo r such services are from o n e-th ird to one-half less th an those paid in p riv ate employ. T he experience of D r. Lind dam pens th e a rd o r of th e m en w ith whom he is asso
ciated and m akes technical g ra d u ates slow to accept governm ent service. A doctor of science m ay no t rise to a leading place in p riv a te employ, b u t those who do, th riv e b e tte r th a n those who g et such advancem ent in th e service of th e governm ent. E v ery m an hopes fo r prom otion, b u t when he finds th a t leadership in a governm ent division b rin g s only $5,200 a y e a r he h esi
ta te s to e n te r th e queue w here even th e f r o n t ran k affords only an insignificant emolument.
707
C O A L A G E
V O L .27, No. 20
D eclin in g Effect o f W inter Trade
O N E O F T H E principal difficulties in the stab iliza
tion of the coal in d u stry has been th e larg e percen tage of coal used in th e w in ter. I t is probable th a t b e tte r building practice will ten d to reduce the q u an tity of coal used fo r house heating- F ew er houses will be bu ilt of wood, and those th a t a re so constructed will be sheathed carefully so as to exclude a ir leakage.
The use of sh eath in g will no t only keep th e house w arm in th e w in ter b u t cool in th e sum m er. B e tte r window casings will exclude d ra fts, and windows w ith n o rth ern and w estern exposures m ay be m ade double or be so arran g e d th a t double windows can be provided in th e w in ter m onths. The economies in th e use of coal fo r power, th ere fo re , will probably be followed by con
servation of h e a t in houses, th u s low ering th e peak load of th e w in ter m onths. Such stabilization will not be w ith o u t in ju ry to th e coal in d u stry , b u t it seems bound to come. Tons of fuel no longer will be used to m elt th e snow on th e roof and to ra ise th e tem p eratu re of th e outside air.
The people of Canada, despite th e severity of th e clim ate of th e northland, b u rn less coal th a n in adjacent b u t m ore so uthern states of th is country. W hen th e public once realizes w h a t w a rm th in w in te r and w hat coolness in sum m er is provided by a w ell-built house of perm an en t m aterials, a cam paign fo r b e tte r housing probably will be sta rte d which will reduce th e outcry ag a in st the price of coal. H ith erto th e h ig h cost of fo rest products has resulted in building houses of th in n e r and in fe rio r lum ber, th u s increasing th e dem and fo r dom estic fuel. T his tendency has probably reached a lim it, and th e only influence favorable to an increase in th e use of coal has been th e tendency tow ard la rg e r and m ore num erous windows especially in lo ft and facto ry buildings.
P h ysical vs. A dm inistrational Choice
I N IN TR O D U C IN G new m achines th e physical con
ditions are im portant, b u t equally necessary is it to choose th e rig h t m an to introduce th e new m echanism s and m ethods. M any a new system or device fails because of the lack of sym pathetic and intelligent handling. Any larg e company th a t m editates in tro ducing m achines fo r loading, w h eth er scrapers, con
veyors or m ore elaborate loading m echanism s should choose first and w ith care the person who is to have charge of the operation.
I t is not enough to have th e m achine in th e im m ediate charg e of a suitable m an. H is su p erin ten d en t or m ine forem an m ust be sym pathetic and capable also. I f th e conditions w here th e suitable m an is o p erating a re not favorable, he should be sh ifted to a m ine w here th ey are, and he should be allowed to operate th e p la n t w ithout loading m achines long enough to get a full knowledge of conditions and the good will of th e men. Then w hen he has grow n into, and become a p a r t of, th e operation th e change to m achine loading should be made, th e ro utine of th e m ine being th en well organized, givin g him tim e to a tte n d to th e new problems. F o r obvious reasons a small m ine will be b e tte r th an a large one.
One concern had a larg e nu m b er of scrap ers idle, condemned as not suited to the conditions. A sup er
in ten d en t w ith a flair fo r m echanical operation go t them and m ade them an im m ediate success. The m ines now have scrapers, conveyors and a cu ttin g and loading
m achine. Once proved valuable in a region i t is not difficult to get th e m ost unprogressive and, a t one tim e m ost unconvinced, su p erin ten dent or forem an to give them his m ost energetic effort, fo r once th ey have been proved successful un der any given conditions he is not able to contend th a t th e im possible is being requ ired of him and he striv es to “m ake good.”
Leaving It to th e E ngineer
E X E C U T IV E S m u st take the lead in m odernization program s. I t is tru e they should leave th e details to th e m ining, electrical and m echanical engineers, b ut, by and large, the executive should have a som ew hat clear idea of th e advantages and disadvantages of any given typ e of equipm ent, so th a t h e.can w ork sym pathetically w ith his engineers in devising im provem ents. T h is has been th e general h a b it of m ine executives since th e in d u stry s ta rte d . N othing revo lution ary is stated in in itia tin g such a principle, y et too m any w hen an ex
position occurs such as th a t w hich th e A m erican M ining C ongress is about to hold in C incinnati find reasons, real or im aginary, fo r ab sen tin g them selves. A t a tim e when economy of m ethod is so necessary, w hen m ethods th a t have been refined need refining again, th e executive cannot afford to overlook h is d uty to become posted as to vital fa cts re g a rd in g equipm ent and operation.
W hen a M ine Has th e “ B en ds”
J U ST NOW m ines a re not being dew atered in num bers. N evertheless, th e experience a t an a n th ra c ite m ine is both in te re stin g and suggestive. I t will be useful w hen th e coal in d u stry once m ore g ets on its feet. I t is fo und th a t w hen th e w a te r is lowered too f a s t th e ro o f is liable to fall. T h is m ay well be due to th e fa c t th a t th e m easures have become heavily w ater-logged in th e years of subm ergence, and th e w a te r th u s trap p e d exerts p re ssu re on th e roof, b rin g in g it down. So long as the m ine w as fu ll of w a te r th e upw ard fluid p re ssu re w as equal to the downward.
W hen th e w a te r is removed rapid ly fro m a sh a ft th e dow nw ard p re ssu re of th e w a te r in th e m easures is b u t slowly abated, and th e roo f rock is subjected to th e unbalanced action. The m ine is like a “sand hog”
who has been w orking u n d er com pressed air. Oxygen is absorbed in h is blood a t h ig h p ressure. I f the a ir under w hich he is w orking is suddenly released or he is unlocked w ith o u t th e necessary de-com pression stage, th e oxygen in his blood presses a g a in st th e walls of h is veins and is opposed by no cou ntervailing p re s
sure. T his s ta te of affairs w ith its physiological results is known as th e “bends.” A m ine, too speedily drained, possibly has a som ew hat sim ilar condition, only it is oxygen in th e one case and w a te r in th e other, and th e re ta in in g walls in th e tw o instances are different.
Po l i t i c a l Co n v u l s i o n s
in Chile a re causing revolu
tio n ary in d u strial changes. A new code of labor legis
lation p u t into effect M arch 26 by executive decree, w hich embodies radical changes, is said to have been prom ulgated w ith o u t h earin g s o r consultations w ith em ployers. I t provides, am ong o th er th in g s, th a t all p lan ts m u st be unionized and th a t em ployers can deal w ith th e ir w orkers only th ro u g h th e organization.
Im agine Joh n L. Lew is' reactio ns when he th in k s of
w h at he could do w ith th e stag e set like th a t!
Ma y
14, 1925 C O A L A G E 709
Savings Made by Static C ondensers P ay for E q u ip m en t in Few M onths
S im p le I n s ta lla tio n w ith N o O p era tin g A tte n d a n c e C orrects P o o r P o w e r F a c to r and C uts O n e-T h ird O ff Coal C om p a n y ’s M o n th ly B ill for E le c tr ic Current
B y E. J. Gealy
A s s o c i a t e E d i t o r , C o a l A g o . N e w Y o r k C i t y
A N O P E R A T IN G E X P E N S E which m ust be paid as reg u larly as a m onthly pow er bill, always -*■ creates a deep im pression on th e m ind of any financial officer of a coal company. I t ’s a good th in g th is is tru e, because often an in vestigation to reduce such an expense discloses serious uneconomic condi
tions. I t did a t th e Richm ondale m ine of th e Elem Coal Co. w here a way w as found to trim $500 a m onth from th e cost of electric cu rren t.
The m ine, which is betw een C arbondale and F o re st City, Pa., w as bought by th e com pany some tim e ago in o rd e r to in su re a steady flow of a n th ra c ite to the Elem tra d e in New Y ork City. Since th e purchase, th e p rogressiv e installation of electrically operated equipm ent a t th is m ine has enabled th e owners steadily to reduce the cost of coal or a t least effectively m eet in cre asin g costs of m in in g labor as th e w orkings be
come m ore extensive. N a tu ra lly enough, as m ore labor- saving and cost-reducing electrical equipm ent was added, th e power bill increased.
The Richm ondale m ine purchases its power a t a point n e a r th e end of a long tran sm issio n line which extends from S cranton to F o re st City. This line is over 20 m iles long. Like all such a rte rie s of electrical energy th e voltage reg u latio n upon i t is g re a tly influenced by th e am ount of w attless c u rre n t flowing a t an y given tim e.
F ro m th e m eterin g p o in t in th e colliery yard, th e energy is d istrib u te d to th e breaker, slope hoists, m in
in g equipm ent and electrically operated m achinery located in th e re p a ir shops. Two banks of tra n sfo rm e rs, each consisting of th re e single-phase 100-kva. u nits step th e voltage down from 4,000 to 440 volts. The
m otor load in the b re a k e r consists of six induction m otors h aving a to tal ra tin g of 230 hp. O ther electric m achines, located outside the m ines, consist of one 100-hp. hoist m otor, one 50-hp. hoist m otor, one 40-hp.
hoist m otor, two 10-hp. fan m otors, one 15-hp. air- com pressor m otor and one 15-hp. saw m otor. All of these u n its are e ith e r squirrel-cage or slip -rin g induc
tion types.
T he electrical equipm ent used inside th e m ines com
p rises th re e 50-hp. h o ist m otors, one 50-hp. pum p m otor and one 40-hp. air-com pressor m otor, all of which are also induction-type a lte rn a tin g -c u rre n t three-ph ase units. A sto rag e -b attery locomotive, used inside the mines, is charged from a small m o to r-g enerator set, of about 15-kw. capacity.
725 Hp. i n In d u c t io n Motors
Including all th e m otor-driven equipm ent both outside and inside th e m ines, th e to tal m otor capacity is about 725 hp. All of these m otors are e ith e r th e sq uirrel- cage or slip -rin g induction types. W ith such a load as th is, it is a p p a re n t th a t th e q u a n tity of lagging c u rre n t is always large. T his is th e case even under full-load conditions w hen m ost of th e m otors would be o p eratin g a t th e ir best pow er facto r.
P ow er is purchased on a schedule w hich penalizes th e consum er if he operates a t a so-called “average m onthly pow er fa c to r” less th a n 85 per cent, lagging.
Likewise, a reduction is m ade in th e pow er ra te if the
“average m onthly pow er fa c to r’’ is g re a te r th a n 85 per cent, lagging.
T his “average m onthly pow er fa c to r” is determ ined by th e com parison of a kva.-hr. m eter re ad in g w ith a
A nother Means Of Saving
S y n c h r o n o u s m o t o r - g e n e r a t o r s e t s h a v e , w i t h i n r e c e n t y e a r s , b e c o m e m o r e p o p u l a r t h a n s y n c h r o n o u s c o n v e r t e r s b e c a u s e o f t h e i r g r e a t e r f l e x i b i l i t y a n d a b i l i t y t o c o r r e c t p o o r p o w e r f a c t o r c o n d i t i o n s . H o w e v e r , o n l y a f e w s y n c h r o n o u s m a c h i n e s a r e u s e d t o t h e i r g r e a t e s t a d v a n t a g e t o l o w e r p o w e r c r n t n a n d h e l p s t a b i l i z e v o l t a g e s .
710 C O A L A G E V ol . 27, No. 20
tru e pow er m eter read in g obtained by th e pow er com
pany once a m onth.
W ith an induction m otor load such as th a t used a t th e Richm ondale m ine, th e re g is tra tio n of w attless lagging c u rre n t was continuous. E ven w hen all the m otor load was idle, th e m agnetizing c u rre n t of th e tra n sfo rm e rs re g istered a ce rtain am ount of w attless c u rren t. Obviously, it w as never possible to operate w ith a leading pow er fa cto r or even one w hich would be reasonably close to unity.
Motors Operate Le s s Th a n Fu l l Load
The v ary in g ch a rac te r and value of th e loads on the m otors w ere such th a t th e m otors ra rely operated a t full load. Much of th e load consists of ho ist m otors which m u st be designed to ca rry h ig h peak loads which ra rely occur. Consequently such m otors operate a larg e proportion of th e tim e a t less th a n full load capacity and, th erefo re, create a poor power factor.
W ith no synchronous ap p a ratu s to operate as a lead
ing pow er-factor load th e re was no hope, w ith th e original equipm ent, of ever avoiding th e necessity of paying a penalty fo r creatin g a heavy w attless c u rre n t in th e power company’s lines.
The electric public u tility company serv ing th is region is a t p resen t th e only one enforcing th a t p a r t of its contract which p erm its it to penalize a consum er fo r op erating a low power fa c to r inductive load. B u t th e penalty is applied only when th e power fa c to r is less th a n 85 p er cent. F o r loads operated a t a h ig h er pow er fa c to r value th a n th is, a bonus is paid. However, when we consider th e fa c t th a t th e lowest power ra te is th e one to which a custom er should aspire, inability to earn a ra te in th e bonus ra n g e is actually a penalty also. I t m eans a g re a te r cost fo r power th a n is necessary.
H o w to Ea r n Low est Power Rate
I t is in te re stin g to know th a t th e re is a w ay by which any consum er can earn nearly th e lowest pow er ra te quite easily. The kva.-hr. m eter which is used to determ ine th e “average m onthly pow er fa c to r” is so connected th a t w hen th e consum er’s load operates predom inantly inductive, th e m eter tu rn s in a direction to effect a positive reading. W hen th e load is predom -
Condensers Reduce Power Bill Here
A l l t h e m o t o r s i n t h i s b r e a k e r a r e o f t h e i n d u c t i o n t y p e . B e f o r e t h e s t a t i c c o n d e n s e r o u t f i t w a s i n s t a l l e d t h e s e m o t o r s c o n t r i b u t e d i n a l a r g e m e a s u r e t o t h e p o o r p o w e r f a c t o r l o a d w h i c h c a u s e d t h e a b n o r m a l l y h i g h e r p o w e r b i l l . O n l y a f e w o f t h e w o r k m e n a t t h e m i n e s k n o w t h a t t h e c o n d e n s e r s a r e w i t h i n t h e i n c l o s u r e . T h e y c o s t t h e m a n a g e m e n t l e s s t h a n $ 1 ,5 0 0 a n d r e d u c e t h e p o w e r b i l l m o r e t h a n $5QQ e v e r y f u l l o p e r a t i n g m o n t h .
Static Condensers Inclosed in Sam e Building as Power M eters
T h i s i s h o w t h e m e t e r i n g e q u i p m e n t a n d s t a t i c c o n d e n s e r s a r e m a d e s a f e f r o m i n j u r y a n d u n a u t h o r i z e d t a m p e r i n g . T h e g a t e i s u s u a l l y u n l o c k e d o n l y w h e n t h e m e t e r s m u s t b e r e a d .
inantly capacitive (generally obtained by th e use of synchronous m otors, or s ta tic condensers) th e m e te r elem ent causes the re g is te r to ru n in a reverse direction.
Because th is m eter has no ra tc h et to p rev ent it from tu rn in g backw ard, an inductive load causes a positive indication of the re g is te r and a capacitive load subse- quenlty applied will cause a negative ro tatio n . Thus, th e final read in g a t th e end of any period is the difference between th e two.
Hig h Power Rate Reduced
A t th e Richm ondale m ine, because all th e load con
siste d of induction m otors, th e kva.-hr. m eter never reversed its direction. Consequently, all th e w attless c u rre n t caused by th e load a t th is m ine accum ulated to indicate an unusually poor “average m onthly pow er fa c to r” and th u s caused a h ig h power rate.
The adverse conditions a t th is m ine ( it having no synchronous a p p a ra tu s) w ere unusually bad. A t o ther m ines w here synchronous m otors are used, conditions should n o t be so bad. N evertheless, th e re are probably some m ines already equipped w ith synchronous m otors whose capacity is n o t used to th e best advantage. A t these m ines it is advisable to operate th e synchronous m achines so as to nu llify th e inductive load as m uch as possible.
O rd inarily the problem of reducing the power bill w ith o u t decreasing th e actu al am ount of w ork done by each m achine m ig h t app ear to be a job fo r a w izard.
A t th e Richm ondale m ine th is was easily accomplished, however, and a saving of over $500 p e r m onth was made.
Static Co n d e n s e r Does t h e Trick
None of th e loads a t th e m ines appeared to be suitable fo r a large-sized synchronous m otor. T his condition and o th er reasons prom pted th e purchase of a sta tic condenser outfit.
The condensers w ere installed and th e d istrib u tio n lines slightly revam ped a t a cost of about $1,500 by th e P enn E lectrical E n g in ee rin g Co. of Scranton, Pa.
Pow er is m etered a t 4,000 volts and th en d istrib u te d to th e step-dow n tra n s fo rm e rs which reduce th e volt
age to 440 volts. In th e sam e building as th e m eters a 60-kva. static condenser outfit w as connected to th e 4,000-volt lines.
The success of th e in stallatio n is indicated by th e
fa c t th a t th e equipm ent has given no trouble. Only
th e electrician and M ine S u p erin ten d en t Gillen know
Ma y 1 4 , 1 9 2 5
C O A L A G E
7 1 1•what’s behind th e high fence n ea r th e edge of th e col
liery yard.
In connection w ith th is installation it m ust be rem em bered th a t th e condensers float on th e 4,000-volt line continually and, th ere fo re , a re always ex e rtin g an influ
ence ten d in g to m ake th e kva.-hr. m e te r of th e pow er com pany riin in a reverse direction from th a t which would indicate a poor power factor. D u rin g th e day, w hen the induction m otors are operating, th e capacity of th e static condenser outfit to completely nullify th e tendency of th e m otors to re g is te r a lag g in g power fa c to r is insufficient, b u t in th e evening or w hen th e m oto r load is light, th e static condenser action upon th e m eter predom inates and th e kva.-hr. m e te r ru n s in a reverse direction. Thus th e m eter re ad in g a t the end of th e m onth does no t really indicate th e “average m onthly pow er fa c to r” b u t instead, indicates how suc
cessfully th e sta tic condenser u n it has both increased th e actual “average power fa c to r” and reversed the kva.-hr. m eter re ad in g a f te r a predom inantly inductive load has caused th e m eter to re g is te r in a positive
•direction.
The purpose of the in stallatio n is not to gain an a d v an tag e by subterfuge. The “average m onthly pow er
fa c to r” of th e load has actually been increased. B e tte r voltage conditions and good regulation, which have also been obtained, have been of g re a t value both to the coal company and power com pany. No doubt even when th e s ta tic condensers are floating on th e line alone and causing th e kva.-hr. m eter to ru n in a rev erse direction th ey are also co rrecting th e poor pow er fa c to r of o th er consum ers' loads and even th a t caused by th e m ag
netizing c u rre n ts in the pow er com pany’s tra n sfo rm e rs connected all along th e m ain line.
Ma n y Ca n Ma k e Sa v in g s
O pportunities fo r pow er fa c to r correction exist a t alm ost every coal m ine. In some instances synchronous equipm ent, already installed, can help a g re a t deal to reduce th e power bill. In o th er cases static condensers can be installed, induction m otors m ay be changed to synchronous types o r new synchronous m otors can be applied to old drives.
Thousands of dollars are w asted annually on poor power fa c to r loads. I t is su rp risin g how some coal companies continue to pay m ore in penalties th a n is necessary to buy corrective capacity which would soon pay fo r itself from th e savings effected in a few m onths.
T o p c u tte r s H a v e A d van tages;
W a te r in g L ays T h e ir D u st
By Jo h n F orsythe
M a s t e r M e c h a n i c , B u c k e y e C o a l C o ., N e m a c o l i n , P a .
U nder th e old, hand m ethod of m ining, top coal was fre q u e n tly le ft in place to p ro tect th e roof fro m w e ath e rin g . U n d e rcu ttin g does not lend itself readily to leav in g th is top coal in place as th e explosive employed u su ally bi’ings all of th e coal down. W ith to p cu ttin g -on th e o ther hand, as m uch or as little coal m ay be le ft up as local conditions m ay re n d er advisable. Bottom shooting in a place th a t has been top cut does n o t j a r the roof and consequently avoids th e evils re su ltin g th e re fro m .
T opcutters have th e f u r th e r advantage over under- c u tte rs th a t th ey do not re q u ire ’ removal from th e ir tru ck s fo r operation. All m ovem ents of th is type of m achine are power actuated, m aking it unnecessary to invoke “stro n g a rm ” m ethods, and only two m en are req uired fo r th e m achine’s m anipulation. As a result these m achines a re popular w ith those who operate them . F u rth erm o re , because th ey need n o t be removed fro m th e ir tru ck s d u rin g cu ttin g operations, th ey are m ore rap id in th e ir action and will cut m ore places :per s h ift th a n undercu tters.
Spra y Cutter Ch a in
Inasm uch as the k e rf cu t is n e a r th e top of th e coal bed, th e cu ttin g s are raked out by the action of th e chain and fall to th e floor. Some people object to th is because of th e d u st m ade a t th e face. T his can be allayed readily, however, by w a te r sprinkling. In case th e m ine is n o t fitted w ith a re g u la r system of p iping f o r th is purpose a ta n k m ay be m ounted on an au x iliary tru c k or tra ile r which also c a rries a small a ir com
pressor. A p re ssu re of 40 lb. m aintained on th e surface of th e w a te r Is sufficient to force it th ro u g h th e neces
sary hose and pipe and sp ra y it a g a in st th e c u tte r chain. The flow of th is w a te r m ay be reg u lated by m eans of a spigot or cock.
I t is unnecessary to w et th e d u st to such an extent as to m ake it pasty, b u t only enough to dam pen it sufficiently to keep it fro m floating in th e air. E x p eri
ence h as shown th a t a flow of 3 gal. p e r m in ute or from 25 to 30 gal. p e r place 23 ft. wide is sufficient fo r th is purpose. The tank, w hich is usually of from 200 to 250 gal. capacity, m ay be readily filled w ith m ine w a te r from any convenient d rainage pump.
N o t e — F r o m a p a p e r d e l i v e r e d a t " s h o p t a l k ” m e e t i n g o i t h e 'F a y e t t e - 'G r e e n e G o a l P r o d u c e r s A s s o c i a t i o n , U n i o n t o w n , P a . . A p r i l :2 3 , 1 9 2 5 .
Topcutter and Its Work
N o t o n l y m e n b u t m a c h i n e s a s w e l l g a i n t h e i r r e p u t a t i o n s b y t h e w o r k t h e y d o . T h e t o p c u t t e r h e r e s h o w n i s o n e o f t w o i n t h e L e w i s m i n e o f t h e H u d s o n C o a l C o ., C l a r k s b u r g , W . V a . E a c h o n e c u t a n a v e r a g e o f 1 ,0 0 0 t o n s o f c o a l p e r d a y f o r o v e r a y e a r . T h i s r e c o r d s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f .
712 C O A L A G E
Vo l.27, No. 20
A nthracite T rade T ests Out M any P lan s to
P o p u la rize B u ck w h eat Coal
E c o n o m y S h o w s A re M o st S u cc e ssfu l, B u t F ie ld S t ill R eq u ires In te n s iv e C u ltiv a tio n to W in A d eq u a te M ark et
B y Syd n ey A. H ale
S p e c i a l C o n t r i b u t o r , C o a l A g e , N e w Y o r k C i t y
L o a d i n g B a r g e s a t P o r t R e a d i n g
I N IT S SEA R CH fo r a w inning cam paign to widen the dom estic m ark e t fo r No. 1 buckw heat coal, th e a n th ra c ite in d u stry has trie d out several plans.
A lthough recent efforts have centered around th e A n
th ra c ite Economy Shows, none of th e o ther schemes trie d has been wholly abandoned. T he in d u stry has attem p ted to move th is size by forced sales to unw illing re ta il d istrib u to rs, by propaganda and by direct and ind irect advertising. In some cases th e effort has been m ore or less perfunctoi-y, b u t in o thers i t has been determ ined and sincere.
U nquestionably the A n th ra cite Economy Show plan is th e high-w ater m ark th u s f a r attain ed in th is cam paign. T h a t does not necessarily imply th a t th e o ther plans have been w ith o u t m erit. As a m a tte r of fact, only one is desei'ving of unqualified condem nation. T h at is the policy of fo rcin g som etim es reso rted to by hai-d- pressed shippers. The criticism of th a t policy as p a rt of the m erchandising pro g ram on pea coal ( Coal A ge, A pril 16, pp. 567-569) is equally applicable to No. 1 buckw heat and calls fo r no rep etitio u s elaboration here.
In the case of th e sm aller size such a policy n o t only prom otes dealer resen tm en t and stiffens sales re s is t
ance, b u t often defeats its own im m ediate purpose to m ain tain prices. Instances a re not unknown w here th e re ta ile r who has agreed to tak e “his q uo ta” of No. 1 buckw heat a t circu lar price as an inducem ent to th e producer to ship him th e la rg e r sizes ordered has resold th e small coal to a jo b b er a t a loss. T h is tonnage, throw n upon th e in d u stria l tn ark et a t b arg ain -co u n ter figures, has helped to depress still f u r th e r th e level of steam coal prices.
P rom otion by propaganda generally has been thro u g h the m edium of addresses a t re ta il coal dealers’ conven
tions. These speeches gain fu r th e r curren cy th ro ug h incorporation in th e p rin te d re p o rts of the conventions and occasional editorial discussion of th e buckw heat problem in th e columns of th e tra d e jo u rn als circu latin g am ong the re ta il dealers. Some operators have backed up th is publicity w ith booklets and circulars to th e re tail' coal m an, both fo r h is own consum ption and fo r
N o t e — S i x t h o f a s e r i e s o f a r t i c l e s o n t h e o u t s t a n d i n g m e r c h a n d i s i n g : p r o b l e m s o f t h e a n t h r a c i t e i n d u s t r y . P r e c e d i n g - a r t i c l e s i n t h i s s e r i e s a p p e a r e d i n t h e i s s u e s o f A p r i l 2, 9 , 1 6 , 2 3 a n d 30;?
d istrib u tio n to th e household consum ers. In a few cases, producers have gone a step f a r th e r and used daily new spaper space to im press th e general public w ith the d esirab ility of No. 1 buckw heat as a dom estic fuel. A t least one larg e com pany is now fe a tu rin g pea and buckw heat in its ad v ertisem ents to th e re ta il dis
trib u to rs and prom ises them co-operation in m erchan
dising.
The o u tstan d in g w eakness of all these form s of sales prom otion is th e ir in term itten cy . T his completely over
shadows any defects in detail. E ven m ore so th a n in th e case of pea coal, th e re is a definite sales resistan ce to No. 1 buckw heat as a dom estic fuel am ong both re ta ile rs and th e consum ers. A nd again p aralleling the situ atio n in pea, th e re a re some sh ip pers who are only h alf convinced th a t No. 1 buckw heat h as a real place in th e householder’s cellar. T h is group, w hen it gets behind th e cam paign a t all, is moved m ore by its own necessities th a n by any idea th a t th e coal can be sold upon a bona fide service basis. The selling of the service idea m u st begin w ith th e p roducer and ca rry on all along th e line. W hen th a t has been done, h a lf
hearted, in te rm itte n t cam paigns will disappear.
Eco n o m y Sh o w s Dr a m a t ize Story
The A n th ra cite Economy Shows have dram atized th e sto ry of No. 1 buckw heat in a way th a t none of th e other form s of publicity employed could have done. They have succeeded in aro u sin g cu rio sity and in te re st am ong thousands o f householders. They have been th e m eans of g ettin g lite ra tu re on various types of buckw heat- b u rn in g equipm ent and an ti-fu el oil arg u m en ts into the hands of thousands who otherw ise m ig h t never have been reached. The tra v e lin g show, which h as toured th e ea ste rn com m unities in w hich re g u la r service s ta tions have n o t been established, has h ad th e appeal of novelty to m ake it easier to p u t across its m essage.
The dram atization, nevertheless, has no t been as e f
fective as it m ig h t be. In th e first shows, opened late in 1923, certain fe a tu re d devices w ere in actual opera
tion. T his w as no t tru e of th e la te r p erm an en t exhibits
except th e one a t B altim ore, Md. There, however,
every device exhibited w as w orking. The fa ilu re to
show th e special g ra te s, fo rced -d raft and m agazine-
Ma y 1 4 , 1 9 2 5
C O A L A G E 713
feed in stallations ca rry in g a load of b u rn in g coal n a tu ra lly dim inished th e ir effectiveness and m ade visualization of th e ir possibilities m uch less clear to the average consum er.
Wh er e Sh o uld Ex h ib it io n s Î3e He l d?
I t is recognized th a t the selection of an exhibition room in which all th e devices could be shown in opera
tion involves some difficulties. Possibly it would m ean th e sacrifice of a cen tral location in ce rtain of th e la rg e r cities. W here th a t possibility in tru d ed i t would be necessary to w eigh the value of th e la rg e r and more curious audience a ttra c te d to a cen tral location ag a in st th e value of a sm aller, b u t m ore in terested , attendance draw n to an exhibit in a less accessible location. I t is not the num ber of shots fired, b u t the h its w hich count.
In th e lig h t of post-m ortem judgm ent, it appears th a t th e choice of equipm ent fo r exhibition a t these shows has n o t in variably been Solomonic. M any of th e au x iliary devices fe a tu re d a t th e opening of the 1923 show a re no longer displayed. The prom inence given them a t th e s ta r t was resented by ce rtain other exhibitors, and th is m ay explain w hy some of th e p a r
ticip an ts in th e first show a re no t now represented, althou gh th ey a re still actively d riv in g fo r business th ro u g h o th er channels.
T he m an n er in w hich th e spotlight has been throw n upon one of th e devices indorsed by th e m anagem ent of th e 1924-25 shows has come in fo r considerable criticism on th e ground th a t the device did not live up to th e claim s m ade fo r it. I f such criticism is well founded, th e re is an obvious rem edy w hich should be applied. No m a n u fa c tu re r should be allowed to exhibit a device until th o ro u g h te sts and experience in dis
p utably establish th a t th e device will do everyth in g claimed.
Broader Qu e s t io n to Be Decided
T h ere is, however, a much broader question to be considered th a n th e efficacy of th e devices exhibited.
The bro ader question goes to th e wisdom of endorsing any au x iliary equipm ent w hich requires m otorized oper
ation. The fo rced -d raft in stallatio n m ay give 100 per cent perform ance— b u t does th e an th ra c ite in d u stry w a n t to encourage such in stallation s ? These au xiliary devices m ay be m echanically p e rfe c t— b u t a re they psychologically sound? Is th e consum er who invests in a m otor-driven blower and fa n a p erm anen t convert to No. 1 buckw heat, or has th e installation of such
W eighing Yard of Reading System
I f t h e a n t h r a c i t e i n d u s t r y c o u l d k e e p a s t e a d y s t r e a m o f l o a d e d c a r s f l o w i n g f r o m t h e b r e a k e r s o v e r t h e s c a l e s a n d t h r o u g h t h e m i n e t e r m i n a l y a r d s t o r e t a i l d i s t r i b u t o r s a n d I n d u s t r i a l c o n s u m e r s , s a l e s m a n a g e r s c o u l d s i t b a c k a n d s t u d y t h e l a t e s t r e p o r t s o f t h e a l w a y s t r u t h f u l f i s h e r m e n a n d t a k e a c r a c k a t C o l.
B o g e y . H o w t o . m a i n t a i n t h a t s t e a d y s t r e a m i s t h e a n t h r a c i t e m e r c h a n d i s i n g p r o b l e m .
equipm ent m ade backsliding aw ay from coal m ore easy?
The s tro n g talk in g points of th e com petitors of an th ra c ite in th e fuel oil an d gas fields are com fort and convenience. S im plicity of operation and th e perfection of autom atic control also are stressed, bu t th e prom oters of these devices and these com petitive fuels know th a t, as an engineering proposition, th e m ore autom atic a piece of equipm ent is, th e g re a te r a re th e possibilities of breakdown.
They speak softly— or not a t all— of price, because a discussion of costs of h ea tin g w ith coal, oil and gas m eans v en tu rin g upon perilous ground. The d rud geries of shoveling and th e te rr o rs of th e ash-can a re m ag nified in th e ir hands. “No tro uble” is th e ir slogan.
“ T u rn on a valve” or “press a b u tto n ” and “fu rnace w orries a re over.” I t is an appealing suggestion—-par
ticu larly to th e householders who a re not concerned over the relative costs of fuels.
Ha s Sa f e t y Ap p e a l Be e n Ov e r pl a y e d?
W hat has a n th ra c ite to p u t fo rth a g a in st th a t appeal?
S afe ty ? Y es; b u t i t is questionable w heth er th a t a rg u m ent has not been overplayed. The average individual can be scared into insurance and salvation, b u t it is h ard to frig h te n him into ch anging his bu ying h abits.
T here are, of course, tim es when serious accidents w ith oil give th e safety arg u m en ts a tem p o rary news value.
C ontinual h a rp in g on th e subject, however, sets up a cro ss-cu rren t of resistan ce in th e average consum er’s mined. In stea d of becoming alarm ed fo r his own safety, he believes th a t the a ttac k grows out of the coal m an ’s f e a r th a t fuel oil will gobble up all the business in sigh t. In o ther words, he is n o t a t all convinced th a t a ltru ism rules th e coal tra d e w hen it points out th e dan g ers—to th e consum er— in th e use of fuel oil in dom estic h e a tin g plants.
“M ust be som ething w orth w hile in th e stuff,” he soliloquizes, “o r th e coal people w ouldn’t be g e ttin g all worked up over it."
Sim plicity and ease of operation, fo rtu n a te ly , are not wholly on th e side of fuel oil an d gas. The firing of coal in th e average dom estic h e a tin g p lan t m ay be a crude and unscientific process, b u t it is a sim ple and a fa m ilia r one. T ra d itio n serves in place of technique.
No sm all p a r t of th e hold th e old w ays have upon the
consum er is due to th is sim plicity. A dding an
electrically-driven blower m ay n o t actually m ake the
operation m ore complicated, b u t it creates th e same
effect. The fu rn ace ceases to be a self-contained unit.
N ot a “Hunting1 Lodge”
W h a t a v e r a g e c i t y d w e l l e r w o u l d n o t b e p r o u d t o l i v e i n t h i s c o z y m o u n t a i n h o m e ? T h e f r o n t y a r d , a b o w e r o f e v e r g r e e n s h r u b s a n d s m a l l t r e e s , s t a n d s o u t i n p l e a s i n g c o n t r a s t t o t h e t e m p o r a r y , e a r l y - s p r i n g b a r e n e s s . T h e h o u s e , o w n e d b y t h e H a r v e y C o a l C o ., o f H a r v e y t o n , K y . , is t h e h o m e o f F . M . M e d a r i s , m a n a g e r .
C O A L A G E
V O L . 2 7 , N O . 2 0Ad va n ta g es of Ma g a z in e Feed
A nd th ere has been little or no elim ination of th e laborious or disagreeable fe a tu re s of hand-firing to
•compensate fo r the sacrifice of sim plicity.
Selling the householder on th e idea th a t a m otor should be an essential p a r t of h is coal-combustion p lan t certainly does not m ake it m ore difficult fo r th e sales
m an of an oil-burning plan t which m ust have an electric m otor. The arg u m en ts now advanced a g a in st th e m otor could no longer be m arshalled fo rth by the coal m an fighting the inroads of fuel oil if he had
■encouraged and persuaded his custom er to p u t in a fo rced -d raft in stallatio n to b u rn No. 1 buckw heat.
Useless and ridiculous to talk of noise and v ib ra tio n ; w asted effort to point out th a t in com m unities w here th e outside feed w ires are not ca rried u nderground th e re is always a real possibility of serious in te rru p tion to th e service because of storm s or power fa ilu re s a t th e g en e ratin g plants.
“H u h !” th e vanishing coal consum er would re to rt,
“W hy didn’t you tell me th a t when you said it ’d be a fine th in g if I p u t in one of those confounded X Y Z blow er co n tra p tio n s?”
tion of anth i’acite steam coals is lim ited to a te rr ito r y w ith in a 100-mile rad iu s of the m ines.” No such lim ita
tion applies to the d istrib u tio n of th e coal fo r dom estic purposes. T he field becomes as wide as the field open to th e la rg e r sizes—w ith th is fu r th e r ad v a n ta g e: the consum er who h as installed the m agazine-feed is less likely to change to a com petitive fuel th a n th e m an using an old-fashioned furnace.
Steam H eat M akes F o o tb r id g e S a fe
Steam h ea t helps to m ake a footbridge n ear th e No. 2 operation of th e K ingston Coal Co., a t K ingston, Pa., safe in w in te r w eather. Once th e employees of th e colliery and a gpod m any people who live n ear by
The special n a tu ra l-d ra ft g ra te s and the m agazine- feed boilers a re not open to th e sam e objections. W ith them in use the fu rn ace is still a self-contained unit.
And, in the case of th e m agazine-feed plants, the d ru d g e ry of shoveling has been largely elim inated.
Moreover, w here th e m agazine-feed type has been in stalled, it is not likely th a t th e owner will rip it out to p u t in an oil or a gas b u rn er. W herever the m agazine-feed is installed th e re is a sure, stead y m ar
ket fo r No. 1 buckw heat th a t only th e coal tra d e itself
•can destroy. T he im m ediate draw back, from the stan d po int of th e producer eager to place No. 1 buckw heat w ith th e dom estic consum er, is th a t th e ra te of increase in th e use of m agazine-feed boilers will be slow.
Possibly h igh-pressure salesm anship could place aux
ilia ry devices m uch m ore rapidly. The perm anency of
•the m agazine-feed type installation, however, is m ore im p o rtan t th an m ushroom g ro w th w ith low vitality.
In addition to perm anency, th e re is an o th er phase w orth considering. I t was stated in beginning the -analysis of the ex istin g m arket fo r No. 1 buckw heat coal th a t it had become “an axiom of the tra d e th a t d istrib u -
Warm Oil H ouses Keep Stairs S afe
B e n e a t h t h e a p p r o a c h s t a i r w a y s a t e i t h e r e n d o f t h i s b r i d g e i s n h o l l o w t r i a n g u l a r a b u t m e n t t h a t s e r v e s a s a l u b r i c a n t s t o r a g e . T h i s is s t e a m h e a t e d a n d t h e w a r m t h n o t o n l y k e e p s t h e s t o r e d o i l s l i q u i d b u t m e l t s ic e a n d s n o w f r o m t h e s t a i r s t e p s , a s s u r i n g s a f e f o o t i n g f o r t h o s e w h o w i s h t o c r o s s t h e b r i d g e .
crossed a set of busy m ine track s by a footpath. T his was dangerous because m ine trip s w ere passing th e spot frequently. Then th e com pany b u ilt th e b rid g e shown in th e accom panying photograph.
B ut th e snow and ice th a t collects in rou gh w in ter
w eather on approach steps to such a brid g e would have
con stitu ted a new hazard had not an ingenious plan
been adopted. The s ta irs are supported by tria n g u la r
concrete abutm en ts extending to n e a r th e top of each
flight. These w ere bu ilt hollow to serve as places fo r
th e sto rag e of car lubricants. The steam h ea t in these
oil houses keep th e s ta irs w arm and fre e of ice, th u s
affording safe footing fo r passers-by.
Ma y 1 4 , 1 9 2 5
C O A L A G E
7 1 5S p rin k lin g at Face, R ock D u stin g on E n tries Is H a rrin g to n ’s P rogram for A ll M ines
B u t V e n tila tio n and S a fe ty P r e ca u tio n s S h o u ld B e I m proved, N o t. R e la x e d — B la s ts in W a te r e d M in es A re D u e U s u a lly to F a ilu re o f M en M ore T h a n o f S y s te m
By D aniel H a rrin g to n
C o n s u l t i n g M i n i n g E n g i n e e r , S a l t L a k e C i t y , U t a h
D URING T H E P A S T F E W years th ere has been a
| steady tre n d tow ard rock-dusting r a th e r th a n tow ard h u m idifying to lim it or to p rev en t ex
plosions in the coal m ines of th e U nited S tates. T his is due p a rtly to th e fa c t th a t coal m ines of G reat B rita in have adopted rock d u stin g and, a t least in a sense,
condemned use of w ater.
M oreover, d u rin g the p a st few years, p artic u la rly the la tte r p a r t of 1922 and the years 1923 and 1924, sev- eral explosions occurred in th e coal m ines of th e U nited S tates w ith heavy loss of life and some of the affected m ines w ere known to have sp rin k lin g or h u m id ify in g systems.-
The flood of sentim ent created by these successive d isasters quickly caused a more or less general dis
tr u s t or condem nation of explosion-prevention m eth ods re q u irin g use of w ater, and sim ultaneously sta rte d m ore or less of a stam pede to rock dusting. Much of the wholesale condem nation of w a te rin g m ethods was indulged in w ith out ade
quate knowledge, or a t least w ith o u t adequate consideration, of actual lo-
lllll!IIIIIUIIllllllllllllllllllllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllUlllllllUlllUlllllllllllllillllllll!lllll1
H A R R IN G T O N S U M S U P
T H E
c o n c l u s i o n sM r. H a rrin g to n draw s from his keen o b serv atio n s of m ine p ro te c tiv e m easu res a re th ese:
S prin k lin g a n d ro c k d u stin g sho uld be ca rried on in every coal m ine in th is c o u n try — th e sprinkling a t th e face, th e ro ck d u stin g on en tries.
B o th m u st be k e p t in p ro p e r co n d itio n u n d e r
constant supervision.S p rin k lin g a t th é face keeps dow n fine coal d u s t w here m o st o f it is m ad e, a n d th u s gets a t th e ro o t o f d u s t tro u b les.
R o c k d u stin g , w ith o u t sim u ltan e o u s w a te rin g is as b ad as th e “ ab o m in ab le p ra c tic e ” o f in stallin g sa fe ty lam ps w hile p e rm ittin g m en to sm oke in th e m ine.
W h e th e r a m ine is d u s te d o r sp rin k led or b o th , v e n tila tio n , flam e p ro te c tio n a n d th e sealing off o f ab a n d o n ed areas sh ou ld b e p ro v id ed co n scientiously.
T h e sa fe ty p u b licatio n s o f th e B u re a u o f M ines o u g h t to be “ books o f th e b ib le” to coal m en.
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lations a t Dawson, N. M., issued in 1923: “F ir e bosst^
shall be in stru cted to exam ine all places and re p o rt any accum ulation of d ust or w here places are dry. Such places shall be im m ediately posted w ith a d an g er sign and no t allowed to w ork until such places have been b ro u g h t into proper condition.”
H ere it is seen th a t dry coal du st is placed in essen
tially th e sam e statu s as accum ulations of m ethane.
A study of th e Dawson m ine in J a n u a ry , 1924, showed th a t th e fire bosses could “post” very few if any places. P ractically all open p a r ts of th e m ines w ere being kept w et except the cold intake a ir courses on w hich w a te r could not be used because of freez
ing. These w ere rock dusted.
In so u th ern Colorado, in 1910-12, nearly 250 men w ere killed by a succession of gas-coal-dust explosions.
Im m ediately th e re a fte r ex
tensiv e system s of p re h eat
in g and w a te r and steam sp ra y in g w ere p u t into use, w ith also hose and w ater- c a r sprinkling in some cases. The effect w as prac- cal conditions in each case; and th e scu rry tow ard
rock d u stin g w as j u s t as unintelligent.
C uriously enough, however, m ines th a t had been using w a te rin g m ethods and had been afflicted w ith these serious d isasters, instead of abandoning th e use of w ater, g re atly extended th e ir w a te rin g system s, at th e sam e tim e ta k in g o ther sa fe ty precautions. They supplem ented ■ th e w a te rin g system w ith rock d u sting w here th e la tte r w as likely to be the m ore effective.
The w o rst sufferer from th e recent m ine d isasters in th e U nited S ta tes has been th e Rocky M ountain region, especially th e s ta te s of N ew Mexico, W yom ing and U tah, and, to a lesser extent, Colorado. Yet, any
one who could find any tendency to abandon use of w a te r in th ese states would be a w izard. The Phelps- Dodge C orporation, th e la rg e st p roducer of coal in New Mexico, has th e following in its p rin te d rules and regu-
No t e— T h i s a r t i c l e c o m p r i s e s t h e b u l k - o f a p a p e r w r i t t e n b y M r . H a r r i n g t o n f o r t h e w i n t e r . m e e t i n g o f t h e A m e r i c a n I n s t i t u t e o f M i n i n g & M e t a l l u r g i c a l E n g i n e e r s i n N e w Y o r k C i t y .
