o a l A g e
A M c G r a w - H i l l P u b l i c a t i o n — E s t a b l i s h e d 1911
DEVOTED TO T H E OPERATING, TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS PROBLEMS OF TH E COAL MINING INDUSTRY
N e w Yo rk , S e p t em b e r , 19 29
V o l u m e 3 4 .. . . N u m b e r 9
❖
Safety Psychology
\ A F E T Y is again in the industrial J spotlight. F o r several weeks, the mining fields have been busy with elimination meets as a prelude to the E ighth Interna
tional First-Aid and M in e Rescue Contest at Kansas City, M o . , Sept. 12-14. L ater will come the E ig h te en th A nnual S afety Congress at Chicago, where industry as a w h ole will cast up the national profit and loss account for the year in accident prevention.
T H E S E G A T H E R I N G S add a dramatic touch o f color to the steady campaign to lessen the industrial toll on life and limb;
they fire sluggish interest with a fresh burst o f enthusiasm. T o keep the flame burning after the curtain has fallen on these spec
tacles, h ow ever, is the task which stays with us. Continued success calls for d o g g ed per
sistence o f an unusual type and an intuitive k now ledge o f the springs which m ove men.
M O R E T H A N anything else, perhaps, is the need fo r a new psychology. In the com mendable zeal to brighten a bad record, it was only natural that, at the outset, emphasis should have been placed on accident reduc
tion. But the time has come to consider w hether elimination should not be the goal.
T H E R E IS a subtle distinction here that means much in the psychological attack.
W ith accident reduction the practical, if not the theoretical, goal, every reduction in the number o f accidents is hailed as an achieve
ment. But with accident prevention the goal, every accident becomes a blot on the record.
A C C I D E N T - F R E E operation m ay not always be attainable in a w orld in which fam iliarity with dangerous conditions breeds indifference and contempt. N e v e r th e le ss, the outstanding successes w on by som e com pa
nies and som e individuals prove that the g oal is not so chimerical as the unthinking might imagine.
W H E N some mines can run for several years w ithout a fatality and for several m onths w ith ou t a single disabling accident, it becomes pertinent to inquire w heth er the natural hazards o f the industry are not som etim es stretched to cloak human and mechanical failings.
B E T T E R a goal hung high with the stars than one set so low that its winning is only a half-victory. Industries and men rise higher w ith reaching for the soaring prize.
What Makes a
Low-Cost Mine?
I n th e Y e a r E n d in g J u n e 30,
R
U M O R spread th is w ord : “ E . C.M inter, o f Beckley, has a little -mine over th e re w hich is one o f the lowest cost operations that the engineers of th e lately proposed smokless m erg e r encountered.” T h is tittle mine, how ever, is not as small as the eng in eer’s description m ight imply— it averages 1,000 tons p er day and a t tim es produces over 1,100— but in a seam w hich averages
°nly 48 in.
W hat are the equipm ent and methods w hich lift th is operation out
°f the o rd in a ry ? A sh o rt talk w ith U C. M inter. p resid en t, in his office at Beckley, W . V a., revealed the first clues. “W e w ork only five days a week. W ith th a t schedule th e m iners will w ork reg u la rly and they will work h ard er. I t leaves am ple tim e for keeping th e m achinery in first- class condition. W e th in k th a t o u r equipment fits the w o rk in g condi
tions. I f it does not fit the seam, you cannot get the resu lts.” W ith this
1929, M o re T J ia n 217,000 T o n s W a s S h ip p e d
he tu rn ed me over to A . K. M inter, the m ine superintendent.
A lthough the operation is b u t 20 miles by h ard road from Beckley—
it is at R hodell. in the W in d in g G ulf field— A. K . M in ter lives on the job, both in fact and figuratively. T h ere was clue No. 2. T h e superintendent is a stockholder in the com pany, and he gives his tim e un sp arin g ly to the w ork. It m ight be added th a t A . K.
M in te r practiced m ining engineering b efo re tak in g charge o f th e m ine w hen it was being developed in 1921.
H e is a busy m an, b u t does not m ake the m istake o f try in g to do everything him self. F o r instance, he has a com m ercial engineering firm do th e mine surveying and m apping.
T h e m ine is a slope operation in the P ocahontas N o. 3 seam, which in this vicinity lies practically level.
G enerally speaking, the top is g o o d ; over p a rt o f the m ine it is slate and over the re st sandstone. N e a r the top of the bed th ere is a 4-in. layer
By J. H . Edwards
Associate Editor, Coal Age
of bone w hich is discarded in the m ine and on the picking tables. T h e m ine bottom is fairly h a rd and a small influx o f w ater adds to the advantage.
Gas is seldom rep o rted by the fireboss.
R oom s are d riven 24 ft. w ide on 60-ft. centers, and pillars a re taken im m ediately upon com pletion o f the room to the 250- to 300-ft. lim it.
P anel entries a re lim ited to about 1,000 ft., o r fifteen room s, because top is not taken on these entries and m ore th an th a t distance is considered too fa r fo r m en to have to w alk in the restricted height. F o r th e m ost p a rt pillars are w orked open-ended by slabbing cuts m ade at an angle o f 30 to 45 deg. w ith respect to th e room center line. T h e cut is started a t th e exposed point of the pillar each tim e, so th a t th e men are m oving back tow ard th e solid and safety. W h en dangerous to p conditions dictate th a t w ork be abandoned tem p o rarily to w ait fo r a p illar fall, the m en are sh ifted to take a few slabbing cuts from o th er pillars n o t exactly on the line o f re tre a t. T h e average tim b e r
ing cost fo r the entire m ine is 3c.
p e r ton. R eady-saw ed w edge cap boards are purchased in o rd e r to elim inate the d an g er o f m iners cutting th e ir hands if they m ade th e ir own.
T w o Jeffrey 35-B shortw all m a
Scpt ember, 1 9 2 9 — C O A L A G E 523
Jumpers Allow Run,ling the Cars Onto the Bottom and up Against the Face chines— these are the only tw o a t the
m ine— cut th e entire production e x cepting th a t m ined by six m en on pick w ork. T h e reg u lar average is 442 tons per m achine p er day, an unusual p erfo rm an ce on room and pillar w ork in 48-in. coal. A m ple feeders, adequate bonding, careful inspection and re p a ir o f m ining m a
chines, and close supervision over each section o f the m ine m ake pos
sible this high production p er m a
chine w ith o u t sp are equipm ent. T he m achines a re equipped w ith 6-ft.
c u tte r bars.
F ifty -fiv e loaders produce th e 1,000 to 1,100 tons p er day. T h is is 18 to 20 tons p e r m an. T h ey do no track w ork but do th e ir ow n drilling, shoot
ing and tim bering. T he average is 42 day m en inside the m ine, including six section bosses. T h e latter supply the supervision w hich contributes in such a large m easure to the general efficiency.
T he haulage equipm ent consists of 165 cars, six 5-ton g a th e rin g locom o
tives and one 6-ton haulage locom o
tive. T h e m axim um haul is 6,000 ft. and the average 5,000 ft. G rades On the m ain haulw ay vary . Som e a re in fav o r of, and some ag ain st the loads, b u t the average is a p p ro x i
m ately 0.4 p er cent in fav o r o f the load. T w o o f the g a th e rin g locom o
tives a re Iro n to n w ith E dison b at
teries arid fo u r G eneral E lectric w ith cable reels.
C ars are loaded to an average o f 1.5/ tons each and the car tu rn o v e r is 4.3 tim es p er day. T h e car height is 28 in. above the rail and the track gage is 44 in. All places are equipped w ith Shinkle m ine-car ju m p ers, so th a t the cars can be ru n off the end
of the track and onto the bottom against the face. A fte r the center of the cut has been loaded, tw o cars are placed fo r the m iner. All cars are equipped w ith roller bearings and are regularly greased every fo u r m onths w ith a pow er greaser. Steel ties are used exclusively in room s and to some ex ten t on entries.
adopt sta n d a rd gage. H is idea in using the la rg e r gage would be to elim inate the flares of the mine-car sides, w hich construction, he asserts, is responsible fo r a large percentage of the re p a ir cost.
B efo re going inside I asked A. K.
M in ter if he used, m in e ' telephones.
“ W e co u ld n ’t g et along without phones,” w as his laconic reply.
“ T hey are a necessity for regular operation and car dispatching, and com e m ighty hand)- in an emergency.
J u s t lately, w hen a m an was hurt in the m ine the telephone enabled us to g et a d o cto r b efo re they got the man o utside.”
A lthough the m ine is 100-per cent electrified th e energy consumption fo r the fiscal y ear ending June 30, 1927, w as hut 2.85 kw .-hr. per ton and the total pow er cost 5.96c. per ton. T h e en erg y w as purchased from the A ppalachian E lectric Pow er Co.
an d the total cost p er kilowatt-hour averaged 2.09c. H o u se lighting was n o t deducted in calculating these figures from the pow er invoice data.
O n e 150-kw. synchronous converter fu rn ish es th e 275-volt pow er for in
side operations. T h e superior ability o f a co n v erter to handle high peak
Bridge Crane for Cham Block Providing Maximum Flexibility Means Quicker and Better Repairing
All tracks except those in room s are laid w ith 30-lb. steel. In room s, 20-lb. steel is used. C om m enting on the tra c k construction, A. K . M in ter said th at w ere he opening ano th er m ine w ith the sam e conditions he w ould use heavier rail and would
loads m akes it possible to operate the m ine w ith this one sm all unit. The substation, w hich is located on the outside n ear the tipple, contains an o th e r co n v erter, a 100-kw. unit, w hich is held in reserve.
A dequate bonding and a regular
524 C O A L A G E — V o l.34. No. 9
A. K. Militer, Superintendent, Studies Plans for the New Washer as Excavation Is Begun for the First Pier
schedule of inspection and m ain
tenance are responsible in a large measure for the m odest pow er co n sumption per to n o f coal m ined.
Every Saturday a crew w orks on the bonding. R egular suspension o f m in ing on that day p resen ts an oppo rtu n e time for efficient and sa fe w ork.
Bonds of the steel term in al electric weld type are used. T h e bonding of both rails is continued to every room neck, and cross-bonds a re m aintained at points not m ore th a n 300 ft. ap art.
“When a th in g needs fixing, fix it; and it w on’t be a big jo b ,” w as the way A. K. M in te r expressed his policy regarding m aintenance o f all equipment. “A n d o ne th in g I d o n ’t do,” he continued, “ is to question any repair m aterial th a t the electrician wants. I o rd er it im m ediately. A ll mine supplies, n o t including tim ber, runs from 6 to 8c. p er to n .”
Though there are but seven loco
motives and two mining machines to maintain, the underground repair room is exceptionally well equipped.
Instead of the ordinary monorail for the chain block above the pit, there is a bridge crane which allows move
ment of the 5-ton chain block in four directions. ■
One reason fo r the m ine being known as “a sm all o p e ra tio n ” is th e few houses. T h e re are b u t 40, aver- aging 4 room s each, o r 160 room s, including the b o ard in g house and offi
cial houses. F ew d ay m en are a l
lowed houses and a m a rrie d m an can
not have a house until by tr y o u t he has proved th a t he can load a satis
factory average. H e m u st be able to load 12 cars p er day in o rd e r to get a three-room house and 15 cars
to get a fo u r-ro o m house. A single m an m u st present a satisfacto ry e x cuse to ju s tify a lay-off. D ru n k en ness, if observed personally by the superintendent, brings im m ediate d is
charge.
C onsideration fo r th e h ealth and co m fo rt of the m iners is show n by the m aintenance of a bath house w ith individual lockers divided into tw o com partm ents, one fo r soiled clothes an d one fo r clean clothes.
Coal is carried from a cross-over d um p in the m ine u p to the fo u r- tra c k trip p le by a 259-ft. d ra g flight conveyor the pitch o f w hich averages
about 32 deg. T h e tipple is of wood except th a t the L in k -B elt screening equipm ent is su p p o rted by steel from sep arate foundations. T h e equip
m ent includes adequate picking tables and th ree loading boom s. T h irteen m en m ake up the tipple crew , and eight o f these, principally boys, do th e picking.
O n A ug. 15, th e day I visited the m ine, g ro u n d w as broken fo r the piers o f an ad d itio n to th e tipple w hich will contain tw o 30-ton-per- h o u r M e n z i e s H y d ro -S e p a ra to rs.
O n e will clean n u t coal and th e other ju n io r egg.
B e fo re leaving th e m ine I asked A. K . M in ter his reasons fo r fa v o r
ing a five-day w o rk in g schedule.
“ Because we can m ine as m uch cbal in five days as we can in six. T h a t gives us S a tu rd a y s fo r re p airin g equipm ent and cuts o u t all Sunday w ork. P erso n ally I w ould like to see the w hole field " ad o p t th e five-day schedule.”
C ontinuing he s a id : “ W h en I say we are sh u t dow n on S atu rd ay s, it m eans exactly th at. N o coal is loaded.
I do not believe in loading coal d u r ing a n ig h t sh ift o r on days w hen the tipple is n o t ru n n in g . C ars th u s loaded do not in th e end increase p ro d u c tio n ; they m erely cause delays on the n e x t re g u lar sh ift. W h en a strin g o f ■cars is w aiting to be dum ped w hen th e sta rtin g w histle blow s in th e m o rn in g it is ab o u t tw o h o u rs b efo re all of th e loaders a re su p
plied w ith em pty c ars.”
The Hudson Coal Company
B
A C K in 1921 Coal Afire pub- lished its first M odel M ining N um ber, in w hich th e S p rin g dale m ine o f the W e st P en n Pow er Co. w as featu red . T h re e years la te r th e n u m b er gave th e industry the benefit o f an in timate trip on p ap er th ro u g h the collieries of th e G len A lden Coal Co. T h is y ear, fo r th e N in th Annual M odel M in in g N um ber, Coal A g e again tu rn s to the hard-coal fields— this tim e to T he H udson Coal Co.
T h is com pany, the second oldest and one of the la rg e st in the region, has an o u tstan d in g record as a pioneer in try in g out
new o p eratin g m ethods. I t w as am ong the first to install th e new types o f cleaning plants. It has been a leader in electrification.
I t has co ntributed m uch to the developm ent of scraper loading, to im proved shooting and b last
ing cycles, and to haulage.
T h e N in th A n n u al M odel M ining N u m b er o f Coal A g e , to ap p ear in O ctober, will cover the w hole sw eep o f the m an ag em en t and operations o f th is g re a t com p any and will tell fo r th e first tim e the com plete sto ry o f the m any developm ents w hich have given H u d so n Coal its present position.
September, 1929 — C O A L A G E 525
S t r i p pit
Air-Cleaning Plant and Tipple;
A rrow s Indicate Conveyor and Dump House Added to P it Plant for Strip M ining
Air-Cleaner Sizing Screens
Concentrating Tables in Operation
\
C O A L A G E — Vol.3 4 , o.9
Al R-C LEANS Its Fine Coal
S
O M E have th o u g h t th a t air cleaners w hich re q u ire th a t the coal be closely sized b efo re it is treated on tables a re ill-suited to strip mines, because fine coal screens poorly when w et, w hich condition is sure to ex ist a t tim es, to som e ex te n t at least, in open-pit m ining. T h e Electric Shovel Coal C orporation, which is air-clean in g 2x£-in. coal from its A y rsh ire strip p its a t A r thur, in P ik e C ounty, In d ., is p ro v ing that the o b jectio n is by no m eans so vital as som e have th o u g h t and that only d u rin g heavy rain s is there any difficulty in th e tre a tin g of strip coal.A lthough practically new , this cleaning p la n t alre ad y has a history.
It was built th re e y ears ago by the Ayrshire Coal Co. fo r th e p u rp o se o f cleaning its m echanically loaded coal at No. 8 sh a ft, a d jo in in g w hich w as a large area o f strip coal w hich th e company sold in 1928 to the E lectric Shovel Coal C orporation. U n d e r the agreement betw een the com panies, the No. 8 m ine w as closed dow n in July, 1928, the rails and equipm ent w ere removed, an d th e hoisting sh a ft w as sealed w ith concrete.
The strip area acquired has an a v erage o v erburden of less th a n 50 ft., some of w hich req u ires d rillin g and shooting. T h e coal m ined is the No. 5 seam , w ith an average th ick ness of 60 in. and w ith o u t any re g u la r parting. T h e new ow ners a re r e covering this strip coal a t th e ra te o f from fifty to six ty th o u san d to n s per month and are cleaning it a t th e A y r
shire plant, w hich, except fo r a n u m ber of m echanical changes, m ade w ith a view to im p ro v in g th e p rep ara tio n of the coal, stands as it did w hen the same coal w as being loaded by u n d e r
ground m achines. T o th e tipple w as added a housed m echanical dum p p it for the 35-ton autom atic drop-bottom
standard-gage cars used in the pit, also a scraper conveyor ex ten d in g from this d um p to the point of feed on th e sh ak er screens.
T h o u g h th e p rep aratio n p lan t is provided w ith every facility fo r clean
ing, the coal is handled w ith m etic
ulous care in the loading pits. F o l
low ing each o f th e type 5480 M ario n 12-yd. electric strip p in g shovels is a caterp illar tra c to r w ith bulldozer scraping attachm ent. A f te r this m a
chine has rem oved all b u t th e fine re fu se from the top o f the coal, m en arm ed w ith h ig h -p ressu re a ir je ts sw eep aw ay every vestige th a t is left.
W h e re necessary, a hand pick is used to dislodge tig h t m aterial.
In this m a n n e r th e coal is c a re fully cleaned on its u p p e r su rface b efo re loading. C are is taken n o t to dig into th e bottom w hen picking up th e coal w ith the loading equipm ent.
M ario n lj- y d . T y p e 37 electric shovels' a re used fo r loading, and fo u r H e isle r steam locom otives h a n dle the coal fro m pit to tipple.
T h e coal is n o t shot, w hich does aw ay w ith th e chilling effect w hich results fro m such shooting in o th er strip pits and which, tests have show n, reduces the heat value o f th e coal in close pro x im ity to th e pow der blast.
T h e re fu se to be rem oved a t the tipple consists principally o f p y ritic su lphur. A ll coal above 2 in. is divided into tw o sizes and picked by tw elve m en on M arcu s tables. A B ra d fo rd b reak er will be installed soon to reclaim fro m th e re fu se o f th e picking tables th e coal w hich clings to th e pyritic m aterials.
F iv e A rm s co n cen tratin g a ir tables designed originally fo r a total capacity of 100 tons p e r h o u r a re in use. T h ey handle th e follow ing s iz e s : 2 x lR
l j x j , J x J , J x J , and | x j in. T ak in g the p ro d u ct collectively, these reduce the ash content o f the 2x{-in. coal to
betw een 6.5 and 8 per cent, and the su lp h u r content to 1.95 p er cent. T h e raw feed averages 10 p er cent ash and 4.5 per cent sulphur. T h e in h e re n t ash is 5.5 p er cent. A ll tables are effective cleaning units, b u t the g reatest q u an tity of re fu se is re m oved fro m the 1 J x J - in . an d J x J -in . tables.
S m udging req u irem en ts in brick plants form the principal m a rk et fo r the m inus ¿-in. size, w hich is term ed
“d u ff.” T h is coal is not a ir-tre a ted . M ost o f it finds a m ark et w ith in six ty miles of the m ine. A s th is duff does not norm ally c a rry over 12 p er cent ash, it is highly sa tisfa c to ry fo r use as pow dered fuel.
F o r som e tim e a f te r th e plant be
gan to handle strip coal, the du ff con
sisted o f m inus Ar-in. A s this m ate
rial a t tim es w as ra th e r w et as it cam e from the pit, th e cloth of th e screen th ro u g h w hich it w as passed w as elec
trically heated. S ixteen h u n d red am peres o f a lte rn a tin g c u rre n t a t 12.5 volts w as forced d irectly th ro u g h the screen fro m copper b a rs by w hich the m esh w as clam ped a t e ith er end.
In o rd e r to utilize a c u rre n t o f such low voltage, it w as necessary to cut the screen lengthw ise th ro u g h th e cen
te r and connect th e tw o halves in series. T h e 220-volt po w er available in the p lan t w as reduced by a 22.5-kva. tra n s fo rm e r hav in g second
a ry tap s f o r 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 volts.
W h e n the screen w as changed to in..
th e electric h eatin g w as discontinued, it having been found th a t heat w as not a necessary req u irem en t fo r th is m esh of screen.
A
S T R I K I N G fe a tu re of th is a ir- cleaning p lan t is th e sm all q u a n tity of d u st w ithin and w ith o u t the building. A cloud o f d u st resem bling sm oke m ight be expected to ap p e a r o ver the outlet o f th e c e n trifu g al dust-collecting system , b u t none can be seen. T h e dam pness o f th e coal and the fact th a t th e m inus A H n - m aterial is not air-cleaned accounts fo r the absence o f d u st. T h e ex h au st fo r all tables is fu rn ish e d by a single fan , w hich is d riv en by a 75-hp. m o tor. T h e to tal connected horsepow er o f the five blow ers delivering a ir to the tables is 115.P re p a ra tio n plan ts such as this have definitely raised the sta n d ard o f strip coal. N o longer can it be said w ith tr u th th a t strip p its a re n ev er equipped w ith cleaning facilities to equal th o se w hich m ay be fo u n d a t deep m ines.
In fact in m any instances th e strip- pit has th e b e tter equipm ent fo r im p ro v in g the condition o f th e coal.
Septem ber, 1 9 2 9— C O A L A G E 527'
HOW KINGSHILL
Beats Daily Man-Average
By Over 70 Per Cent
T h o u g h this com pany is w orking a num ber of m ines in w hich the thicknesses of the coal seam s average from 18 to 37 in., it produces 1.61 net tons p e r m an p er day co n trasted w ith an average o f 1.34 net to n s fo r all o f Scotland. I t speaks well fo r the m anagem ent th a t w ith such a d verse conditions it can a ttain so fa v orable a record.
H o w much is a technically trained man w orth to coal mining? T h e m an agem en t o f the Scotch colliery de
scribed by M r . Pierce in this article looks upon them as one o f its principal assets. T h e r e is a lesson here for the American mining industry. Only specialized training to m eet com ing changes, says the author, will keep American mining costs within reasonable limits.
S
C O T L A N D , by reason o f the th in seam s it possesses, has been obliged to introduce long- wall and m achinery to a la rg e r ex ten t th an is general in E n g lish m ines.T h is developm ent is well illustrated by the K ingshill Colliery, w hich >s ow ned and operated by the Coltness Iro n Co., L td ., th e office o f w hich is located a t N ew m ains, L an ark sh ire , Scotland, the m ine itself being at A llanton, in th e sam e county. T h is com pany ow ns ten m ines in Scotland, o f w hich nine are w ork in g an d p ro ducing 7,300 net tons per d a y ; and an o th er in W arw ick sh ire, E n g lan d , producing 2,800 n et tons daily. A t th e p resen t tim e it is sinking sh a fts in Scotland fo r tw o new m ines.
T h e re are tw o w orkable beds on the K ingshill p ro p e rty , th e U p p e r A llanton ra n g in g in thickness from 2 to 3 ft., a n d 'th e W ilso n to w n M ain, 22 to 30 in. thick, which a t p resent is not being w orked. T h e coal is used chiefly in gas w orks, fo r loco
m otives and fo r steam ships. T h e accom panying table show s the a v e r
age q u an tity o f b y products to be expected p e r net to n o f ru n -o f-m in e coal.
Byproducts Per Net Ton of Run-of-Mine Coal
V o lu m e o f g a s ... 11,045 c u .ft.
C o k e ...1,205 lb.
A m m o n ia c a l l i q u o r ...28.4 U . S. g a l.
T a r ... 7.OS U . S. g a l.
By J. H . Pierce
Stuart, James & Cooke, Inc., Consulting Engineers
N ew York City
regulations are prescribed fo r certain areas in w hich sa fety lam ps and per
m issible explosives m u st be used.
F ig . 3 indicates the general mining plan, w hich m ay be classed as ad
vancing longw all. A s the m ain loco
m otive roads are driven, all the coal is. ex tra c te d fo r 390 ft. on each side o f the roadw ay. T h e coal to the rise o f the m ain road is brought by a shaking conveyor to a “loading ma
chine” o r loading boom located at the roadw ay. T h e coal th at lies to the dip is carried to this “loader by a belt conveyor.
T h e m ain “loading ro a d s” are d riv en off th e locom otive road at an angle w hich lessens the haulage g rades, and h ere also th e coal is re
m oved fo r 390 ft. on each side of these roads by m eans o f conveyors loading into a com m on “lo a d er” on the “ loading ro a d .” T h e cars arc Fig, 1—Baum Washer at Kingshill
Colliery
T h e coal dips approxim ately 4 deg.
and has a stro n g ro o f w hich varies from sandstone to slate. T h e bottom is of fireclay w hich usually is stro n g . T h e m ine is non-gaseous, but special
528 C O A L A G E — V ol.34, N o .9
260 tons 1* 130yd. >K 130yd. H
W ////////} ///////////y
260 tons y \ 130yd. >* /30ydy?2‘l
Loader^*\V£
<b
% *
I'ig. 3—General Layout at Kingshill Colliery
g e th er num ber 51 m en, who produce 260 to 300 to n s daily, o r an average o f 54 to 64 net tons p er m an. T he total u n d e rg ro u n d force is 745 m en, su rface force 139 m en, m aking 884 m en, who produce 2,016 net to n s daily, o r 2.28 n et tons p e r m an— an extrem ely creditable p erfo rm an ce in a seam of th is thickness.
T h e coal reserves o f th is p ro p erty a re 31,000,000 net tons and as the yearly p roduction is 521,000 net tons, the m ine has a life o f 60 years. W ith this long life, a n d 'w o r k in g u n d e r a cover of 1,200 ft., it is essential th a t m ain roadw ays be m ade perm anent and o f am ple size th a t th e m ine m ay be adequately ventilated w ithout an excessive w ate r gage.
transported from the advancing face along the “loading ro a d s” by rope haulage to the m ain-line locom otives.
Fig. 4 show s in m o re detail the method of ad v ancing th e longw all face and also th e m ethod o f pack- walling.
Every 75 ft.- a dum m y road is driven parallel to the “loading ro a d ,”
and a packwall 18 ft. w ide is carried on each side o f the “dum m y ro a d .”
It will be noted th a t the packwall is made continuous betw een the
“loading ro ad ” and th e first dum m y road on each side of it.
The coal is hand-loaded into the face conveyors. E ach 390-ft. face produces 130 to 160 tons, depending on the thickness o f th e coal, and the double face co n stitu tes a w orking unit. The coal is u n d ercu t by long
wall chain m achines d riv en by m otors actuated by 3-phase, 50-cycle, 550- volt alternating c u rre n t. T h ese m a chines cut both up and dow n the dip, except w here the pitch reaches 20 deg., in w hich case th ey cut only uphill. T h e d ep th of u n d e rc u t is 5 ft., which also is th e daily face a d vance. H oles a re d rilled by hand to a depth o f 4 ft., and the coal is shot down w ith light shots o f G elignite, which is a 50 p er cent n itroglycerine dynamite.
Timbers are set on 4 -ft. centers, both at rig h t angles and parallel to the face. R o u n d p ro p s are used, on the top of w hich are w edged h alf- round props as cap-pieces, so placed as to p ro tect th e ro o f betw een • th e coal face and the nearest p ro p row .
The length o f sh ift is 8 hr., m eas
ured from the tim e the last m an o f the sh ift leaves the su rface till the time w hen the first m an o f th e sh ift returns to the sam e point. T h e face workers actually w o rk ab o u t 6% hr.
at the coal face and o th e r em ployees about 8 hr.
The m en engaged on a p air of longwall faces and th e “ loading ro a d ” transportation crew w hich serves them fo rm a w o rk in g u n it an d to-
Fig. 2—Kingshill Colliery, N d o mains, Scotland
I t is in te re stin g to note here th a t the m anagem ent believes th a t w hen a new colliery is to be opened to a ttack the coal held in reserve, $3.57 p er ton of annual o u tp u t m ay safely be spent. W h e n it is recalled th a t fo r the th ird q u a rte r o f 1928 the cost o f prod u cin g a net ton o f coal in S cotland w as $2.89 and th e realiza
tion price only $2.64, re p resen tin g a net loss of 25c. p er net to n , it b rin g s home th e serious problem facing the Scottish coal o p erato rs w ith respect to fu tu re investm ents.
If $3.57 is a fa ir annual investm ent charge p e r net ton, and if a v e n tu re as risky as m in in g is entitled to a net re tu rn on capital of 10 p e r cent, then the profit should be 36c. p er net ton. Based on the figures cited earlie r in th is p a ra g rap h , th e Scottish o p e ra to r has to b e tte r his position eith er by increased realization o r by reducing costs to the ex ten t o f 61c.
per net ton.
T he su rfa c e buildings a re all in keeping w ith the high sta n d a rd o f this m ine. T h e accom panying illus
tratio n s show ing a general view o f the m ost im p o rta n t buildings, and also a close-up view o f the screening plant and S im on-C arves w ash ery w ith fine-coal recovery system , in dicate the substantial c h a ra c ter and sim plicity o f these stru ctu re s.
T h e C oltness Iro n Co., L td ., in ad d itio n to its coal p ro p e rtie s o p er
ates iron, steel, cem ent an d brick plants. I t also cru sh es and ta rs slag
M a in lo co m o tiv e r o o d
September, 1929 — C O A L A G E 529
M in in g en gineering is ju st as much a science as autom obile engineering Fig. 4—Detail of Longzvall Dace
and m akes enam eled fireclay w are.
A n organization ch art, F ig . 5, is
show n to b rin g o u t a p oint w hich I agents, each of w hom has ch arg e of b u t we have failed to recognize it as believe is im p o rtan t fo r th e A rner- five collieries. T h ey co rresp o n d to such. T h e g re a t m otor-car com- ican coal in d u stry . O f th is d iagram a general su p erin te n d en t in A m erica, panies have m ade th e ir rapid progress we need consider only the p a rt relat- All o f these m en a re technicallv because th ey have allotted to their ing to th e m ining dep artm en t. tra in e d and th e re a re o th e r m en w ith technicians a p ro p e r place in their
T h e m anaging d ire c to rs’ duties technical tra in in g u n d e r them , as p ro g ram . T h e y have picked their or- correspond to those of th e p resid en t indicated by th e d iagram . ganization so as to a ttra c t the finest o f an A m erican coal com pany. H e A s th is c h a rt reveals, m uch em - en g in eerin g ta le n t in the country;
is req u ired to have a broad general phasis is placed on technical tra in in g , these engineers a re charged with the business know ledge, in o rd e r to pass T h e sam e is tru e in practically all necessity fo r d eterm in in g the most intelligently on financial m atters a n d foreign coal com panies. T h o se fa- econom ic p rocedure. T hey m ust do sales policies. In addition he gen- m iliar w ith the su b ject will realize sufficient research w o rk to prove the erally is a technical m an, a condition th a t th e engineer is allotted a m uch practicability o f th e ir plans. They which is unusual in A m erica. T h e h ig h er place abroad th a n in A m e r- m ust ju s tify th ese plans financially, general m ining agent, who is n e x t in iCa. I have observed o rg an izatio n s and if they a re good engineers, the au th o rity , corresponds to o u r gen- o f large size in th e U n ited S tates m anagem ent can act on th eir com*
eral m anager. w ith h a rd ly a single technically m endations w ith th e feeling th a t they T h e re are tw o assistan t m ining train ed m an. (Turn to page 540)
530 C O A L A G E — V ol.34, No.9
Is There a Place for Coal
ON T H E FARM?
M A N Y E X P E R I M E N T E R S declare that coal has given excellent results as fertilizer. It has been used in C o lo ra d o and in Pennsylvania. F o r years it has been applied in G ermany. Recently a C zech oslovakian scientist has tried the effect o f
lignite on soil and reported favorably on it.
T
H O U G H little has been w ritten about coal on th e fa rm and its value fo r soil am endm ent o r fertilization, enough has been said to make one curious to know w hether an opportunity is n o t being o v e rlooked. D espite som e slight c o n tra
diction in th e evidence, it seem s p e r
missible, even advisable, to try by experiment to ascertain th e f a c ts ; the more so th a t soils an d crops v ary so much th a t a generalization, favorable or unfavorable— and they are nearly all favorable— m ay be u n fa ir because the soil chosen had a peculiar quality or the crop w as o r w as n o t well fitted to the fo rm o f stim ulant.
H ere let it be said th a t C ongress has defined fertilizer, and th a t one cannot, in view o f th e definition, place coal u nder th a t head, how ever v a lu able its action m ight be. F e rtiliz e r must contain assim ilable n itrogen, phosphorus o r potash. O th e r com pounds and elem ents are p lan t foods, and the p lan t will tak e them fro m th e ground, but C ongress has seen fit to limit the definition o f fertiliz er so as to protect the fa rm e r ag ain st im pos
ture. N evertheless calcium , su lp h u r and iron are necessary fo r p lan t growth. C opper and boron seem to be needed by som e plants and w ith others v anadium is essential. So also are o th er m ost im p o rta n t p lan t foods which are so generally p re se n t th a t they a re likely to be overlooked.
P rom inent am ong these are alum ina and silica. So coal is not to be dubbed fertilizer, no m a tte r how g re atly it it
m ay— or m ay not— enrich the soil.
T h e P ittsb u rg h Coal Co. at its C ham pion No. 1 p rep aratio n plant, collects a fine sludge fro m th e D o rr thickener w hich is higher in sulp h u r and lime th a n the raw product. B e
cause o f the so ft n a tu re o f the fusain in the coal, th ere also is a co n cen tra
tion o f the m aterial in th e sludge.
A s a re su lt of a suggestion in an editorial in Coal A g e an effo rt w as m ade to use the coal in the raisin g of cereal crops and g ard en tru ck . T h e w hole su b ject w as attacked w ith an open hiind to find o u t w hether the coal w ould help o r h in d er ag ricu ltu re.
O f th is w ork, w hich started on A p ril 8, 1929, T . J . W ard ell, su p e r
intendent, C ham pion N o. 1 p re p a ra tion plant, took charge, giving it constant a tten tio n and striv in g to con
duct th e exp erim en ts so th a t th e value o f coal as a fertilizer m ight be sub
jected to an im partial test. A plot of 3.7 acres, having soil described by S. B. B arley as “very poor, it having laid idle fo r eight y ears,” w as divided into fo u r divisions fo r com parative observation. T h e soil consisted of a com pact sandy clay, and w as quite sour, being given to th e developm ent o f thistle, goldenrod and th e like.
T h is plot will be term ed th e “ P lo t N o. 1.” T h e fo u r divisions w ere of about equal size and w ith equal e x p o su re to the sun. O n th e southerly one the sludge w as spread over the su rfa c e about £ to 1 in. thick. T h e n th e soil was plow ed. A bout 31 to n s o f w et sludge w as used.
By R. Dawson H all
Engineering Editor, Coal Age
O
N T H E second division no coal was added. In th e th ird division th e sludge w as p u t in the hill o r row in direct contact w ith th e seed. T h e sludge w as used in v a ry in g q u an tity so as to be able to note any change in effect. Som e w as p u t u n d e r and som e over th e seed. In th is w o rk about £ to n of sludge w as used.O n th e fo u rth division th e sludge w as used as a m ulch o r inhibitive cov
e rin g over the su rfa c e o f th e g ro u n d a f te r the seeds had been covered w ith soil and a fte r the cro p h ad sta rte d b u t w as n o t doing well. T h e process w as repeated several tim es to in su re a com plete m antle of sludge over the soil a t all tim es. A b o u t 1£ to n s of sludge w as used, including original and succeeding applications.
L ooking over th e oats, corn and w heat, it w as noted th a t th e crops m ulched w ith sludge appeared to be b etter th a n any o f the o th ers and th a t all of the plan ts on soil to w hich coal had been applied looked m ore th rifty than those on th e soil w hich had not been th u s treated . O n a recent visit the oats w ere m easured and th e re su lt w as as in T ab le I.
Table I—Effect of Sludge on Oats
H e ig h t,
T r e a t m e n t In .
M u lc h e d on to p o f g r o u n d a f t e r se ed h a d b e e n s o w n ... 20 S eed ro w c o v e re d w ith s l u d g e 18 S lu d g e p lo w e d u n d e r ... 1 6-17 S eed p la n te d on to p o f s l u d g e 15 N o s lu d g e u s e d ... 13
I n no case w as any m an u re added.
G arden crops as well as cereals w ere planted.
T h e re w as an o th e r plot of ground o f about 2.3 acres planted on a heavy hum id loam w ith a lim e base— a desir-
Septem ber, 1929 — C O A L A G E 531
able piece o f gro u n d fo r its intended use as a vegetable garden. It had been in g rass fo r fo u r years and.
earlier still, had been the g ard e n of a farm er. T h is area will be term ed
“ P lot N o. 2." A s the vegetables grow n on this gro u n d did not seem to show, a fte r the first few weeks, any obvious advantage from the use o f sludge, it is perhaps well to point out th a t the test w as m ade on land th at w as not in m uch need o f b e tte r
m ent at the tim e it was treated. It should be stated, how ever, th a t the vegetables on the field plot w hich was poor gro u n d showed little betterm ent by reason o f the coal treatm ent.
A th ird plot w as the poorest of them all, as could be seen on inspec
tion. It w as grow n over w ith haw thorn so u r moss, and the weeds w ere so deep, says M r. B arley, th a t it w as necessary to plow alm ost 2 ft. deep to rem ove them and to loosen the hard shale clay, which had a lime base w ith m uch sand and stone. B u t on m aking my visit I found the ground w here it had been m ulched w ith coal was so so ft it could be dug w ith one’s hand. T h e farm ers who had been present d u rin g the planting had said th at the potatoes would never grow , but here they w ere th riv in g and free fro m bugs. T h e field corn did not show any g rea t benefit from the mul'Tiing, however.
M r. B arley m ade tests o f sam ples o f the soil on all th ree plots fo r w ater retentivity, p H value and density, using the standard practice of the e x perim ent station o f the U. S. D epart- m ?nt of A g ricu ltu re at the U n iv ersity , of Illinois. Seventy - five - pound sam ples w ere taken to the depth of each plow ing and qu artered to 400 to 600 g. for analysis. T itra tio n s were m ade w ith N /1 0 and N /1 0 0 solutions o f potassium hydroxide standardized ag ain st a sodium carbonate stan d ard solution o f N /1 0 sulphuric acid.
A n average o f six sam ples before and a fte r tre a tm e n t w ith sludge is given in T able I. I t m ust be rem em bered th a t values o f p H below 7 are acid— the low er the figure the m ore acid they are— and above 7 are alka
line.
Values of Hydrogen-Ion Concentration Before and A fter Treatment by Sludge
c. , <--- pH Values--- .
P i n f r i v . 1 T R a w Soil T r e a te d Soil P l o t N o. 1 L o w e r . . . . 3.4 4 §
U pper.... 3.7 4‘q Plot No. 2 Lower. . . . 7.7 j'g
U pper.... S.3 q'4
Plot No. 3... 2.9 4.s I t appears, th erefo re, th at the acid
ity o f the gro u n d was reduced, and w here the g ro u n d w as already alk a
line. as in the old g ard en th a t had 532
been in grass fo r three years, the alkalinity w as increased.
T he w ater retentivity te st showed alm ost equal decreases in the reten tiv ity of the soil in each o f the th ree plots. T h u s the porosity of th e soil w as increased. T h e density of the soil w as not affected by the use of the sludge.
A ccording to M r. B arley ’s observa
tion and m y own. the use of the fine coal w as everyw here either beneficial or in no w ay h a rm fu l. D ifferences of reactions to the sludge, o f course, w ere to be expected.
1 hom as K irsopp, who is in charge o f the plots, is enthusiastic in regard to the value o f the sludge both as a soil dressin g and as a m eans of keep
ing dow n insects. H e even spreads it over the cabbage and declares it frees the heads from cabbage w orm s. H e finds th at the bleach in w heat is c o r
rected by m ulching w ith sludge. H e says th a t the beetles th at infested the cucum bers and eggplants have d is
appeared since sludge w as applied.
H e finds the sludge restores ailing plants.
E P L A N T E D th ree g ra in s of corn to a hill and covered it w ith 2 o r 3 in. o f sludge. T h e plants grew up th ro u g h it as if it w ere a natu ral covering fo r the seed. W ith potatoes the resu lt was the same, th u s pro v in g th a t the sludge does n o t burn the seed o r even the te n d er new -born plant.
J u s t w hy all these phenom ena are exhibited is not easy to explain. T he m ost n atu ral explanation— and p e r
haps also the least likely one—4s th a t the sludge consists of carbon and the plant needs carbon an d gets it from the coal. P erh a p s it is ju s t because this explanation was so likely to be advanced th a t scientists who believed it to be false declared ag ain st any use of coal for fertilizer and usually did so w ithout any tests of its qualifica
tions.
V an H elm ont. about 200 y ears ago.
m ade a classic experim ent. “ H e took a willow branch w eighing 5 lb.,”
says D r. A rth u r, Boyce T h o m p so n I n stitu te fo r P la n t R esearch. Y onkers.
N. 3 ., “and planted it in a pot of soil w eighing when d ry about 200 lb. T he p lan t w as protected against du st accum ulation and w as fed w ith rain w ater. A t the end of five y ears the tree w as rem oved and w eighed. It w as found to have gained 159 lb., w hereas the soil had lost only about
2 lb.” (T ech n ica l E n g in ecrin q N e w s , A p ril. 1928).
It is well know n th a t by the action
o f the sun on the chlorophyll of the leaves the p lan t receives its carbon from the carbon dioxide of the air.
A t g erm in atio n p rio r to the develop
m ent o f leaves it uses the starchy m a tters in the seed and in the early sp rin g it derives the m aterial for the sap fro m the sta rc h it has deposited in the ro o ts d u rin g th e autum n. Con
sequently it seem s to have no need fo r carbon fro m any o ther source.
A n o th e r explanation m ight be that coal contains th e earth y materials which the p lan t life, from which it was derived, used in building its stru c tu re . H o w ev er, it may be ob
jected th a t m any of these have been leached from th e peat bogs and those th a t w ere not leached then probably have been leached since. I f they did not leave the peat bog, how may they be expected now to leave the sludge?
T
H E R E are som e possibilities, how ever, in th is direction, notably the su lp h u r and the lime. The pv- rite oxidizes and, com bining with the lime, m ay m ake a basic fe rric sulphate.T h e fact th a t the land appears to be m ore alkaline th an b efo re suggests th a t the lime is p resen t, and analyses show th a t the -j-48-m esh coal has 5.6 p e r cent o f th e ash as lime, the -f-100-m esh 10.5 p e r cent, the —{-2 0 0- mesh 6 . 2 per cent and the —2 0 0-mesh 4.9 p er cent. T h e re is, therefore, enough lime to assist the acid soil.
R educing the figures to percentages o f the sludge, w hich is the correct base, they are 0.39, 1.34, 1.36 and 1.24 per cent. O n the other hand, the su lp h u r percentages also are h igher than in th e co arser coal— 1.90, 2.60, 3.65 an d 3.65 fo r the same frac
tions.
B u t th ere are o th e r possibilities as to the m an n er in w hich coal may be o f assistance to p lan t life. Coal emits carbon dioxide and th o u g h plants ap
p aren tly will not tak e carbon from th e soil they will tak e m ore from the air if given an opportunity. That o p p o rtu n ity has been given at the Boyce T hom pson In stitu te , ju st men
tioned. T h e n a tu ra l q uantity was m ultiplied ten fo ld , th a t is the carbon- dioxide co n centration in the air was kept a t 0.3 p e r cent instead of at 0.03. as in norm al overland areas. As a resu lt p lan t life w as speeded up considerably.
H e n rik L u n d eg ard h , in “ D er Kreis- lau f d e r K o h len sau re in d e r N atur.’
declares th a t in his belief the only advan tag e o f m an u re over inorganic fe rtiliz e r lies in th e carbon dioxide em itted by the m an u re which gas feeds the leaves. H e p roved that it
C O A L A G E — V o l.34, N o.9
was found in excess a ro u n d a p lan t thus manured.
Again the sludge lightens the soil and so lets w ater pass th ro u g h to the subsoil and lets it rise again as evap
oration dries th e su rfa c e layers. It also gives the roots easy passage into the moister m aterial. W h e n th e soil is thus lightened the oxygen can get to the roots and the n itrify in g bac
teria will thrive. T h e re is no q u es
tion as to the value of th is action.
Furthermore, the sludge is black and absorbs the su n ’s ray s and th u s hastens grow th in the sp rin g and p ro tects the crop ag ain st early fro st.
N
O E X P E R I M E N T in the growth of fa rm p ro d u cts is concluded. however, rill it is ascertained what is the w eight of p ro d u ct ob
tained. Dr. A rth u r says th a t a plant so covered w ith cheesecloth o r w ith violet-ray glass th a t half the light will lie shielded will grow tall and lusty, but that when it is d ried it will be found that it has so m uch w ater in its composition th a t it is not as heavy as the shorter specim en th a t g rew under normal conditions. Y et linear m eas
urements or p h o to g rap h s w ould show the heavier and m ore pro d u ctiv e p lan t as the less attractive.
So again w ith g r a in s : th e w eight of the grain is w h at counts. O ne m ay have unusual herbage w ithout u n usual fruitage and be grievously d is
appointed. T h is is said to have been the outcome o f the use o f basic ferric sulphate on fa rm land. So it is a d visable to w ait, as J . B. M orrow , preparation m anager, P ittsb u rg h Coal Co.. is doing, b e fo re announcing th e results of an experim ent.
It is in terestin g to note w h at others have said about the value o f coal fo r soil am endm ent. A . D. K issel d is
cusses some ex p erim en ts in an article entitled “ O pouziti uhli ja k o h n o jiv a ,”
m Pdiva a T opcni, a Czechoslovakian Magazine, ap p a ren tly an article deliv
ered at the W o rld P o w e r C onference.
In his sum m ary, w ritte n in E nglish, he says: ( 1 ) H u m ic substances on the one h and aid in developing physico-biological conditions o f the soil which a re fav o rab le fo r p lan t growth, and on th e o ther hand sim u l
taneously decay an d fo rm pro d u cts 'vhich in th e fo rm of organic so lu tions are sources of secondary organic nourishment to th e p lan t organism . 12) T h eir occurrence in the soil adds t° the richness o f the h arvest. (3 ) If these hum ic substances are not Present at all o r in an insufficient Quantity, th e d efec t m ay be com pen
sated ( a ) e ith e r by ad d in g to th e
soil a q u a n tity o f crude finely p o w dered brow n coal, o r ( b ) by using artificially p rep ared hum ic substances p rep ared from coal and corresponding in physico-chem ical p ro p erties w ith n atu ral hum us. ‘( 4 ) In this m an n er brow n coals, and especially those o f low grade, m ay be utilized in the m a n u fa c tu re o f organo-inorganic fe r
tilizers.
W ith M r. K issel’s opinion m ost ag ricu ltu rists will tak e issue. H e lays stress on “secondary organic n o u rish m ent o f the p lan t o rg an ism ,” w hich is a doctrine th a t a g ricu ltu ral chem ists will hold to be unacceptable.
P
E R P IA P S the m ost favorable com m ent on th e value of coal as f e r tilizer w as th a t by C aptain D avid Shield, of Shields, P a ., a t th e m eet-C o a l w h i c h c o n t a i n e d from 0.39 to 1.24 per cent of lime made the ground less acid or more alkaline wherever applied. It lightened the soil and increased its capacity for absorbing water and holding it. In no case did it interfere, zuith the growth of seed or plant, no matter in zvhat quan
tity or in zvhat manner applied.
Cereal crops treated w ith coal grezv more rapidly than when not
so treated.
ing of the F e rtiliz e r Section o f the F ir s t In te rn atio n al C onference on B itum inous Coals at P ittsb u rg h , Pa.
H e said he had been u sing coal as p lan t fertiliz er fo r 40 y ears on v a ri
ous crops in the g ro w in g season and on potted plants- in the greenhouse d u rin g the w inter. Pie g rin d s th e coal to pass a screen w ith 15 to 20 m eshes to the inch, and m ixes it w ith salt w ate r obtained from wells 1,000 o r m ore feet below the su rface. T h ese salts, he says, contain chlorides, o f sodium , calcium and m agnesium , also iron, su lp h u r and alum .
Pie uses 1 lb. of w ater to 4 lb. o f coal. T h is he heats to a te m p eratu re o f 110 deg. F . Signs o f ferm en tatio n then appear, increasing g reatly till 170 deg. F. is reached. T h e heat is
“ then sto p p ed ,” and th e m ix tu re is held in th a t condition from 18 to 24 hr. A t th a t tim e the m ass has in creased in volum e as m uch as 33 per cent. T h is m aterial he m ixes w ith clay, leaving it- to m atu re, f o r about six weeks.
T h e ratio of clay to coal and salt, he says, is not im p o rtan t, though good
resu lts are obtained fro m a m ix tu re of clay to coal of 3 to 1. H e uses about 824 lb. to th e acre. ' O n this gro u n d , 0.85 acre, he g o t in the y ear of application 6,000 lb. o f d ry hay, the n e x t y e a r a larg e crop of field corn, the n e x t y e a r 190 bu. o f w h ite potatoes and the follow ing y e a r 42 bu. of clean rye. A ll th is fro m one application o f 700 lb. of hum us. T he U . S. C ensus re p o rt show s 12 bu. to the acre to he the averag e yield o f rye.
Finally, it m ay be said th a t th e m an n er in w hich coal m ay assist physically in p lan t g ro w th has been clearly indicated. I t m ay help by keeping dow n insect gro w th . W h e th e r it helps chem ically by fo rm in g a p lan t food, by releasing such food or by aid in g catalytically in th e p ro d u c tion o f such food is by no m eans clear.
T h e tests being m ade, how ever, are w o rth y of close atten tio n . T h e o p e r
a to r w ith sludge on his hands o r the fa rm e r w ho m ay w an t to use it does not need to know how it helps the soil. A ll th ey need to know is w h eth e r it will help. N o one is able fro m o u r p resen t state of chem ical know ledge to decide the question d o g m atically. A tte m p ts to foretell re sults from such an u n certa in basis a re to be condem ned.
O
N L Y th e p rag m atic te st o f e x p erim en t can be held reliable, and even w h en -th e p ro o f is p resen ted— w hether favorable or u n fav o rab le
— care m ust be taken not to dog
m atize freely, because coals vary in th e c h arac ter of th eir ash and of th e ir org an ic co n stitu en ts and are of v ario u s state s o f m atu rity . T h e n again th ere are differences in soils.
I t will be necessary to have m any ex p erim en ts in m any places b efo re final conclusions are reached.
B u t this, at least, can be said : th a t th ere is less d an g er of b u rn in g th e soil w ith coal th a n w ith com m ercial fertilizer. T h e abundance o f sludge placed aro u n d and over th e seed and used on th e living p lan t a t C ham pion is in sta rtlin g co n tra st w ith th e necessity, w hen using fertiliz ers o f th e recognized type, of keeping fro m d irect contact w ith th e p lan ts w hich th ey are intended to develop. E ven m an u re should be m ix ed w ith th e soil and n o t allow ed to stan d a ro u n d th e plant, and no fe rtiliz e r of th e in o r
ganic ty p e should be applied w ith o u t carefu l a d m ix tu re w ith th e soil, u n less a t a point som ew hat rem o te from the p lan t to be fertilized . A ll these precautions seem needless w ith sludge.
September, 1 9 2 9 — CO A L A G E 533
AT MONA MINE
New Loading Machines
D ig T h e ir I V a y
Into Shot-Shaken Coal
S
P E A K I N G com paratively, the m echanical loader— in its v a rious form s— has m ade little p rogress in W est V irginia, especially in th at larg e a re a in the n o rth e rn p a rt o f the state w here the P itts b urgh bed is m ined. H a n d loading is still the principal m eans o f g e t
ting coal into th e m ine car, and the le ten tio n o f this practice m ay be in p a rt ascribed to th e unusual th ick ness o f th e P ittsb u rg h bed, w hich has given the o p era to r th e benefit o f a low er loading scale. F o r this reason and because o f difficulties arisin g fro m the bad ro o f th e possi
bility o f increasing the tonnage per loader by m echanical m eans has not received th e sam e intensive stu d y as in o th er regions, but th a t larg e econom ies can be effected has been proved in th e M ona m ine o f the A rk w rig h t Coal Co., n ear M o rg an tow n, W . V a., w here experim ental w o rk has been u n d er w ay fo r some time.
H ere, as in the g re a te r p a rt o f this region, th e P ittsb u rg h seam is operated. T h e coal, w hich is reached th ro u g h a d r if t facing the M onon- gahela R iver, slopes aw ay from th a t riv e r to the west. Seven feet o f the total thickness is rem oved in m ining and the rem ainder, usually 1 o r 2 ft..’
is le ft up to protect th e 'r o o f which is a heavy draw slate. T h e room s are d riv en 18 ft. w id e; the coal in m ost places in th e m ine is still loaded into m ine cars by hand.
A b o u t th ree m onths ago a new type o f loader w as set to w o rk in som e o f the room s o f this m ine.
I t is m anned by a crew o f tw o m en, w ho p e rfo rm all the necessary m in in g operations, including t i m b e r i n g tracklaym g, drilling, blasting, coal’
loading cleaning up the w o rk in g face an d m oving the m achine. O rd i
n arily , th e y a re able to load two
By Ivan A. Given
Editorial Staff, Coal Age
18-ft. places in one s h ift o f eight hours, o r ab o u t 70 to n s in all. T h e places a re u n d ercu t to a depth o f 7 ft., and the cars are handled bv mules.
T h is ra te o f loading is m ade pos
sible by th e characteristics of the loader used and the w illingness of the crew . T h e la tte r is com posed of tw o picked m en w ho tak e an in te r
est in th eir w ork. T h ey are backed up in th eir efforts by m ine officials w ho believe in g iv in g the m achine an o p p o rtu n ity to do its best an d who re in fo rce th e ir convictions by p ro -
Fig. l —Front View Exhibiting Dig
ging Element and Ratchet
viding the loader w ith plenty of cars.
W ith the p it-car loader all the coal loaded has to be shoveled onto the conveyor, involving no little labor.
T he idea o f th e inventor of this ma
chine, G eorge R . L ang, of the C harleroi Ir o n W o rk s, was that m uch o f this could be eliminated w ithout g o ing to the extrem e of con
stru c tin g a load in g m achine like the heavy yet m obile types now being operated. H e a rg u ed th a t even with these som e hand w ork is needed at the face.
M r. L a n g conceived the idea that loaders of th e p it-ca r type could be m odified so as to add to their func
tion the g re a te r p a rt of the job of
534
C O A L A G E — Vol.34,No.9
September, 1 9 2 9 — C O A L A G E 535 breaking down and loading the coal,
’ which thus far they have not as- saraed. He believed th is could be done without re n d e rin g th e p it-car loader any less p o rtab le and con
venient than such m achines in gen-
; eral now are.
The operation o f the lo ad er is as
^ follows: Tw o an ch o r bars, one of which is shown in F ig . 2, a re inserted in the undercut b e fo re the face is shot down. E ach is equipped w ith a steel rope, w hich is passed th ro u g h a pipe that has been w elded along one face of the anchor. O n e end of the rope is fasten ed to a rod on the right side of th e m achine and the other to a chain w hich passes through a ratch et on the le ft (see.
% 1).
The chain is tig h ten ed by h and after, the m achine is ru n up to the face. Then th e coal is sh o t dow n and loading begins. A s th e fo rem o st part the coal fall is rem oved, a reciprocating d ig g er w ith a w edging and prying action forces itse lf u n d er the remainder, b rin g in g m ore coal down, and as the m aterial w ith in reach of the flights is ex h au sted a' ratchet works on th e anchored chain already m entioned an d th e m achine is drawn to w ard th e face.
Thus the recip ro catin g d ig g er w ith its forward and u p -and-dow n m otion, which is im parted by a crank, breaks down the c o a l; th e conveyor rem oves jt and a ra tch et d raw s the m achine
•a toward the face, giving th e d igger renewed o p p o rtu n ity , until th e whole
^t, 7 ft. deep, is rem oved. T h e ratchet is operated by hand until the chain is tig h te n e d ; th e re a fte r a rod, actuated by the cran k w hich o p e r
ates the digging, arm s, w orks the Fig. 2—One of the Anchors Which Hold the Lang Loader Up to the Cut 1
Fig. 3— Loading Out Right-Hand Shot with Lang Loader
ratch et autom atically and feeds the loader fo rw a rd a t a ra te o f 6 in.
p e r m inute. T w o flukes, one a t each end of the anchor, engage the bottom and w hen the coal falls on th em they a re d riv en into the floor. T h ey p re v en t th e an ch o r fro m pulling loose even w hen n early all th e coal is r e m oved. I t is said th a t th e pull of the an ch o r on th e 5-ton loader is equivalent to the cro w d in g action of an o rd in a ry loading m achine w eigh
ing 25 tons.
W ith m ost m achines th e car being loaded has to be pushed o r pulled back by locom otive, m ule o r hum an m uscle as soon as th e re a r end is loaded. W ith th is type o f loader, th a t fun ctio n is ta k en over by the m achine itself, w hich has a pow er-
operated car p u sh er (see Fig. 4 ) th a t operates w hen a clutch is th ro w n . T h is p u sh er is used to m ove the car w here the grad es are against the load.
L ike m ost types o f loading m a chines, th is one has tw o conveyors, one to ra ise the coal and th e o th er to deliver it to' the car, b u t the la tte r conveyor in this m achine is of the jig g in g type. B ecause o f th is v a ria tion fro m accepted p ractice th e coal is discharged a t a p oint 8 in. low er th a n o th erw ise w ould be inevitable, reducing breakage, d ecreasing the height o f the m achine an d m aking it possible to load la rg e r lum ps. W ith a flight o r belt conveyor space m u st be provided fo r th e sp ro ck et and the re tu rn stran d , and it m u st be re m em bered th a t breakage occurs not
Fig. 4— Rear View of Lang Loader, Showing Car Pusher
