K. Dawson Ham, E n g in e erin g E d ito r McGr a w- Hi l l Co m p a n y, In c.
J a m e s H . M c G r a w , P resident E . J . M e h r e n , V ice-Presidcnt
Volume 28 NEW YORK, AUGUST 13, 1925
Lewis Breaks Off N egotiations
N
OTH IN G MORE FO O LISH and suicidal has been done by the m ine w orkers th an to break off the parley w ith the operators. The public is staggered to think th a t John Lewis and his co-workers w ant a strike.We will not a rb itra te th e m atter, th ey said a t first.
Now they add: N or will we confer w ith you unless you are ready to m ake concessions to us. I f only Mr.
Lewis had been able day by day to record a trium p h to h is an th ra cite supporters he would have consented to a parley, b u t to m eet men who give way on nothing angered Mr. Lewis and he and his com m ittee w ithdrew .
I t has come, then, to the point th a t the operators are allowed to discuss wages w ith the U nited Mine W orkers of A m erica only when they are ready to m ake conces
sions. They m ust not discuss them in the hope of lowering scales or of continuing th e p resen t wage rates.
The session to be held w ith the Mine W orkers is only to determ ine th e size of th e su rre n d er and not w hether th ere shall be any su rre n d er a t all or w hether the m iners shall not su rre n d er a little to the operators.
Every two years th e re m ust be a wage advance. No
“backw ard step” m ust be taken. If the increase is not g ra n te d before all the mine w orkers’ claims are p re
sented the parley m ust come to end, even before the operators have been able to m ake th e ir own proposals.
The public is suprised a t the arrogance of th e m iners.
I t was in doubt before; it sees th e condition clearly now. Those who w ish a settlem ent w ithout a price in
crease now gain encouragem ent, fo r if public sentim ent sets fa irly a g a in st th e U nited Mine W orkers th ey have no hope to gain the 30 per cent, or larger, increase which they are dem anding.
D e v o te d to th e O p e ra tin g , T ec h n ical a n d B u sin e ss P ro b le m s o f t h e C oal-M ining In d u s tr y
What W ill Mr. C oolidge Do?
N
E W S P A P E R S w ritin g from Swampscott, Mass., where th e P resid en t is staying, tell us Mr.Coolidge is th re a te n in g drastic action to settle the strike o f' the a n th ra c ite m iners should it occur, but th a t the P resid en t is not yet ready to use m oral suasion. He desires to w ait. A pparently they would infer th a t he is w illing to let m atters d r if t till he conceives the public is ready fo r drastic m easures.
Meantime th e papers say th e P resid en t is displeased with both sides because they do not quickly reach an agreem ent, and th a t he is as much vexed w ith th e p arty th a t would a r b itra te as w ith the p a rty th a t won’t, with the p arty th a t was ready to continue the confer
ence as w ith th e p a rty which broke it up.
The new spapers re p resen t Mr. Coolidge as unwilling to get into the controversy. I f he hopes ultim ately to compel a rb itra tio n and select th e a rb itra to rs it m ay be well fo r him to be careful about p reju d g in g th e case, bu t th ere is no reason why he should not soundly rebuke the m ine w orkers fo r re fu sin g a rb itra tio n and for breaking up th e conference. T here is no reason why, as the new spapers rep resen t him, he should
Number 7
denounce both equally fo r obdurateness, know ing as he does th a t the public will forgive th e m ine w orker and h ear only th a t the operator is obdurate, w hereas th e la tte r is willing to subm it to a rb itra tio n and is not a t all in transig ean t.
I t is clear th a t if the P re sid e n t intends to take dx-astic action he should be w illing to “b reak th e t r u th ” to the public as to th e situation. H e should not lead the people to get a prejudiced view of th e case, yet he has not helped the situ atio n one w hit. He has said absolutely nothing unless he has said it to th e new s
papermen, and if they reported a rig h t w hat he said little could be devised th a t would be m ore likely to stiffen the attitu d e of th e m ine workers.
When the tim e comes to tak e d rastic m easures can they be taken ag ain st the mine w orkers if the la tte r are backed by the support of the whole union in te re st? It will be as useless as try in g to sweep back th e sea w ith a broom. Unless th e public, the union men of the country and the other wage earners are convinced th a t th e P residen t is rig h t and his policy sound his action will m erely make m a rty rs of th e m iners and fa il to effect anything.
Consequently we fe a r the drastic action will be directed a t the operators, who will be pliant, of course.
They always are. They will sign a n y th in g ; they will accept the blame fo r any th in g they will sign. No one can condemn them. The pressure of public opinion is too heavy. W hat are the operators am ong so m an y ? America has 110,000,000 people, and th e operators a re only a handful.
The industry will get a body blow and th en will be sick and blamed fo r being sick, and la te r be given another body blow fo r being sick and always w hining.
The re st of 110,000,000 will re g re t th a t it has to live w ith such an industry. Why, they will repeat, is th ere a perpetual problem w ith the an th ra cite in d u stry ?
Why, indeed? Solely because we tem porize. Solely because we will not face th e tru th . We p re fe r to use drastic methods w ith th e ind u stry th an to tell th e facts as they are. G reat B rita in has tem porized and m u st pay a subsidy. A re we so sure of our ground th a t w e can let Mr. Lewis’ challenges go unansw ered?
Mine and Other Hazards
M
ORE P E O P L E have been killed in New Y ork C ity already th is y ear by autom obiles th a n a re killed in the an th racite region by m ine hazards in a whole year. The New York City record fo r autom obile accidents up to July 18 totaled 501; th e fa ta litie s in a n th ra cite mines in 1924 were 496.
I f John L. Lewis would broadcast th is am ong th e people of New York City, he would effectually m eet the argum ent he presented a t th e Hotel T raym ore, A tlantic City, when he first m et w ith th e an th ra c ite negotiating conference. B u t th is he does n o t w an t to do. His address, it will be rem em bered, did not plead a wage inadequate fo r living on th e Am erican scale
207
208 C O A L A G E Vo l. 28, No. 7
bu t proclaimed th a t it did not provide compensation for the perils of mining. Only Andrew M attey w ith his large fam ily spoke of the need for a higher wage scale.
The consumers who thread the streets of New York among the automobiles of the metropolis w ithout once seeing a fa ta lity realize that, a fte r all, only th e to tal
ing of the an thracite figures, like the m arshalling of automobile accidents into statistics, could have resulted in the complex in the public mind which leads it to believe m ining to be the most hazardous of industries.
This week we publish those workmen’s compensation rates in Ohio th a t are higher than those of coal-mining.
They are a surprise to almost everyone, though the facts have been known for years. Only the industrious publication of the facts as to the coal indu stry and the complete suppression of the facts reg ard in g the construction industry have made people believe the coal mines have the leading fatality rate. A fte r all, coal m ining is dangerous, largely because it is from first to last a construction and not an established industry.
It is always extending its operations. I t is constantly erecting and demolishing its environing walls. I t is always blasting ground. No wonder its record is bu t little b etter than th a t of the ind u stry which it so g reatly resembles. It probably would be worse if it were not b etter organi'/ed and controlled for safety by its operat
ing forces.
1 lie Day of (lie Coal-Mining Curriculum
M
I NI NG education has had a period of inflation ami ju st now is experiencing a definite shrinkage.It is necessary to analyze the causes fo r th is condition in order to see where coal-mining education should stand.
In 1921-22 according to the U. S. B ureau of Educa
tion there were 2,895 four-year m ining and m etallur
gical students in 121 schools of engineering. Probably the impetus given the m etal-m ining in d u stry d u rin g the w ar accounted fo r this. The men who entered col
lege in 1918 either left college before 1921 or were completing th eir g raduating studies in 1921-1922.
In 1918 th e m etal-m ining industries were doing well.
In the years immediately following the public still had faith that the metal industries would revive. In fa c t a fte r the w ar w as over the m ines continued fo r a tim e at full blast. The m etal-m ining industry had ju st received a large increase in capital provided by th e banks and as a resiilt of th is industrial control, tech
nical train in g was at a premium , m aking a college edu
cation attractive. M etallurgy had been becoming increasingly technical and, therefore, inv itin g to col
lege men.
.\o u n g men who were seeking a career w ere some tim e realizing that the m etal-m ining and m etallurgical industries could not continue to absorb th e larg e num ber of men grad uating. But it was evident in succeed
ing years th a t th e incentive to graduation in m etal m ining an d m etallurgy had declined, fo r in th e next year there were only 2.661 m ining and m etallurgical students, in 1923-24 1.S9S and in 1924-25 only 1.563.
A large num ber of students in recent y ea rs have been seeking instruction in petroleum engineering. The petroleum industry is an other occupation th a t has had large increases in capital w ith ra p id progress in tech
nique. 1 hat has made college education necessary and profitable. The rule-of-thum b m ethods have passed
away rapidly. The development of th e in d u stry has passed forever from the control of a class of men who believed th a t all th a t was necessary was to be able to ru n N 45 E lines w ith a compass, to be able to handle a peach limb and to be com petent to bulldoze drillers, team sters and p ro perty holders. We scarcely know the in d u stry to be th e same as in earlier years now th a t th e college-trained petroleum engineer has recreated it.
I t would appear th a t coal-m ining is going through a sim ilar tran sitio n . Capital is coming in. Technical advice is being sought and appreciated. The rule-of- thum b method and th e day of “I th in k ” or “I guess”
is being relegated to th e past, and th ere should be a good prospect fo r the coal-m ining engineer.
The operator who rose from a mule driver or a m iner, may not appreciate science. Some do, bu t m ost do not. B ut the in d u stry is g ettin g to be in charge of college-trained capitalists. They may not be train e d as engineers, b u t they th in k in term s of scholarship, and they demand th a t college men direct operations.
Equipm ent th a t can only be handled by tra in e d men is being introduced. Consequently we can look fo r col
lege men to be in the ascendent as they are in m etal mines.
A t one property and not a really large one with, perhaps, six m ines are 32 college men. T his property is operated by a m etal-m ine company. I t is being ru n like a m etal m ine. T his is significant of the fu tu re . W hat we wish to know is w hether the young coal-mine men will recognize the change and fit them selves fo r the new conditions or shall we tra n s f e r m en from the metal mines, who are available to execute plans which coal men have not education enough to p u t into actual practice ?
The an th ra cite in d u stry long well capitalized by banking concerns and long operated on a relatively high technical basis h as a large num ber of college men in its personnel. The chance fo r the m an w ithout college tra in in g is not good in m ost companies. Those who have risen from the ran k s w ithout technical educa
tion, surround them selves w ith men who have such tra in in g and adm it th a t had th ey entered th e in du stry a few years la te r th e ladder by which th ey climbed would have been f a r too sh o rt to have reached up to the positions they have attained.
Each year a few of those rungs are removed and in a few years even the forem en m ay find th a t only the ladder of technical education will reach up and beyond th a t occupational level. Even today th ere are fo re men who are felt to be hindrances to progress. As th ey die off th e ir places will, in m any cases, be filled by college men, who will be m ore receptive to m odern ideas and b e tte r equipped to m ake such ideas operate successfully.
The day of the coal-m ining curriculum is at hand.
He will not be a wise young m an who w ill fa il to recognize th a t fact. We are saying of college educa
tion w hat has been said and tru ly said fo r m any years of a lower stan d ard of education—the m ining in s titu te and the sum m er courses in coal m ining.
G O AL A G E I N D E X
T h e I n d e x e s to C O A L A G E are fu rn ish e d fr e e to a ll icho a sk fo r them . The index f o r the fir st h a lf o f 1925 -is rto-iv ready f o r d istrib u tio n . A copy can be h a d b y addressing a posttxxm to th e subscription d ep a rtm en t o f C O A L A G E .
Au g u s t 13, 1925 C O A L A G E 209
Susquehanna Collieries Co. Is Rapidly Modernizing Its Properties and Making Savings
'Fig. 1 Lykens P lant and Turbo-Generators. Here Large Scale Pioneering with Pulverized A nthracite Is Going On
R e d e sig n ed E q u ip m en ts M ake P o ssib le M o st of E le c trification s E co n o m ies — U n sa la b le S izes of Coal G enerate P o w er C heaper th an It Can B e B o u g h t
By E dgar J. Gealy
A s s o c ia t e E d ito r o f C o a l A g e N e w Y o r k C ity
IT H IN the last eight years few if any a n th ra cite companies have made m ore rapid progress tow ard complete electrification and m oderniza
tion of th e ir m ines th an the Susquehanna Collieries Co., of W ilkes-B arre, Pa., a subsidiary of the M. A. H anna Co. E ver since 1917, when the property was taken over by the present interests, both the officials of the p aren t company, a t Cleveland, and the m ining company officers have been exerting every effort to modernize its operations. Today it has surpassed its big brother producers in m any respects and is th erefo re prepared to compete successfully in the battle ag a in st increased m ining costs, su b stitu te fuels and other economic problems.
W hat is perhaps more significant, however, is the fact th a t the company is accom plishing m any of those things which other m ining companies have persuaded them selves could not be done.
Today th e company is burning fo r its own use slush
— finer coal th an the sm allest now being sold—thus being able to send to m arket thousands of tons of small size fuel form erly burned a t the mines. The company is g en e ratin g electrical energy from pulverized a n th ra cite a t a cost much lower than th a t a t which it can be purchased, even a fte r charging liberal in tere st aricl depreciation rates a g a in st its own plant.
‘Changes to the m ining equipm ent are being made w ith no delay to the production of coal. Old steam - driven hoists and fans are still being converted to electric drives w ithout the necessity of installing new hoist o r fa n un its or erecting new buildings. In short, th e company is obtaining m ost of the direct savings
¡and o ther benefits of electrification and m odernization :w ithout the large expense involved in m aking complete
¡new installations.
To th e critical ¿ye of an outsider it is tru e th a t some
| of the com pany’s properties do not appear to be models
of perfection; however, when it is considered th a t, ofttim es a t m any m ines, th e urgency fo r an im prove
m ent due to losses sustained by old m achinery makes prom pt corrective m easures necessary, th e re is apparent a good economic reason which justifies outw ard app ear
ances. I f a steam -driven mine fan m ust be changed to electric drive on a Sunday or some other holiday, or power losses un der old m ethods are too g re a t to be allowed to continue, then th ere is plenty of reason fo r not w aiting to construct a handsome building. Besides, when a certain am ount of money is available fo r m odernization sometimes it is best to spend it fo r the g re a te st result-getting, savings-m aking changes. A p
pearances m ay be improved later.
A t th e power plants of the company im p ortan t pioneering w ork has been done. The power plant a t Lytle was the first to use pulverized an th racite, and the success attain ed w ith fuel in th is form a t this plant and also a t the power house n ear Lykens m ay revolutionize power generation from a n th ra cite and prom pt m any other coal companies to make savings in th e ir power bills in the same m anner.
The company is divided into five m ajor divisions, each of which is independent of the others in so f a r as its source of power is concerned. The Wyoming district, n ear W ilkes-B arre, is supplied w ith power fx-om th e coal company’s electric plant a t Nanticoke.
The Sham okin power house supplies electrical energy to m ines in its d istrict. The pulverized-fuel plant at Lytle fu rn ish e s energy fo r th e Lytle Coal Co., operated under the sam e m anagem ent. The Lykens pulverized- fuel plant, a t Shox't M ountain, supplies' electrical energy to the Lykens district. The power requirem ents in the William P enn d istric t are taken care of locally. The electric g en eratin g capacity a t th e fo u r m ain power statio n s is shown in Table I.
Fi'om th is table it is ap p arent th a t th e power system
210 C O A L A G E Vo l. 28, No. 7
F I G . 3
Mountains of Fine Size Coal A wait the Grinders
O n th e l e f t is s h o w n th e
" B la c k A lp s ." T h e y a r e m o u n - t a in s o f f ln e - s iz e f u e l r e a d y to b e p u lv e r iz e d in t h e m il ls s u p p lying: th e b o ile r p la n t.
L ast Traces of Fuel Are Taken Out in Set
tling Tanks
T h e w a t e r w h ic h c a r r ie s th e n n e c o a l to th e s t o r a g e p la n t p a s s e s t h r o u g h t h e s e s e t t l i n g ta n k s b e fo r e b e in g r e t u r n e d to th e b r e a k e r a n d w a s h e r y . T h is is n e c e s s a r y s o a s to o b t a in g o o d p r e p a r a tio n fo r t h e m a r - k e t a b le s iz e s .
i t th f v A ntnracue and btorage 15oom N ear Power House Keep Busy During W orking and Idle Periods
th e p la n t ^ s u p e r in t e n d e n t .^ c a lls ’ t h e S flu id g e n e r a t i n g s t e a m ” i«A1i r ™ L n UteJ ,iUSted t£ r th a t, c a n b e Pu m Ped w lt h th e w a s h w a te r
Table I—Capacity of Main Power Plants
Location g ize of U nits T otal Capacity
... 2— 4,000 kva. 8,000 kva.
Sham okin... 2— 3,750 kva.* 7,500 kva.
L y tle... I 2— 625 kva. 1 ,
T „ ... I I - 937 k v a .) 2 ,187 kva.
Lykeps... 2— 4,000 kva. 8,000 kva.
Grand total ... 25,687 kva.
A t present there is boiler capacity here for one unit only.
of the company is g re ater th an th a t of some of th e largest m ining companies in the an th ra cite region.
Table II shows the total am ount of energy generated at these plants during 1924.
Table II—Energy G enerated in 1924
Location Kw.-Hr. • Location Ivw.-Hr.
N aaticoke... 19,494,580 L ytle... 5 992 145 Sham okm ... 22,878,000 L ik e n s ... . . i ” !: 32)548,280
A t the Shamokin power house, in addition to the energy generated there, 13,350,558 kw.-hr. of electrical energy was purchased last year. I t is in tere stin g to note th a t w ith th is arrangem ent, the coal company’s Shamokin generating unit had a yearly load fa cto r of 88.5 per cent.
T hat it is possible to obtain high machine-load fac
tors on an th racite m ine electric equipm ent also is illus
tra te d by results in th is division. The total connected load of the Sham okin d istric t is 16,460 hp., or approxi
mately 12,330 kw. The 2'4-hr. power consum ption is about 120,000 kw.-hr. T his indicates a 24-hr. load factor of 41 per cent or based on 8 h r. p e r day, a load factor of 123 p er cent on a full w orking day.
A t some of the power plants a power fa cto r of 96 per cent is attain ed d u rin g th e day and about 90 per cent at night. This fine condition is m ade possible by the use of large synchronous m otors on m any types of drives. Most pow er-converting equipm ent consists of synchronous m otor-generator sets. A ir com pressors are equipped w ith synchronous m otors and m any of them are of large capacity. T hus it has not been neces
sary to float synchronous condensers on the lines to correct poor power factor conditions.
Each of the power plants, except th e Sham okin plant, has a tie connection w ith a n earb y power company, however; th is is fo r em ergency service only and is reciprocative. F o r example, th e con tract covering th e exchange of energy between th e N anticoke plant and
Au g u s t 13, 1925 C O A L A G E 211
Fig. 4—The Passing Review and W hat Goes with I t
O ld f a s h io n e d in e ffic ie n t s t e a m p la n t s , l o n g s t e a m lin e s a n d s t e a m - e a t i n g e n g in e s n o lo n g e r h a v e a p la c e in t h e m a r c h o f p r o g r e s s . T h e y a r e p a s s i n g o u t in fa v o r - o f m o d e r n e le c t r ic
the Luzerne County Gas & E lectric Co. has been m ade purposely high so as to force each p a rty to th e contract to stan d on his own legs throughout as large a p a r t of the tim e as possible.
The th o u g h t of electrofying sh a ft hoists usually thiow s a scare into th e m inds of some engineers and company m anagers. The size of the presen t old-type steam engine, its high speed and the large building it requ ires make m any of them grow fa in t when they th in k of the costs involved in any change.
Y et the Susquehanna Collieries Co. has electrified som e of its s h a ft hoists a t relatively low costs and is realizing larg e power savings thereby. The engineers determ ined first of all th a t w hatever im provem ents w ere to be made on th e ir hoists should not in te rfe re w ijh th e steady operation of the mine. They also found th a t m any of the hoists could be operated a t slower speeds and th u s use sm aller m otors th a n appeared neces
sary before a te st w as made. The possibility of o btain
ing h ig h er load facto rs fo r the hoists m eant much in determ ining th e size of the m o to rs; consequently good power fa cto r conditions and low peaks on th e power plants have resulted.
M any beneficial results usually not given due consid
eration when planning th e electrification of a hoist also have been obtained. Slower speeds have reduced th e stresses and s tra in s on the equipm ent and thus m ain
tenance costs have decreased. The ro ta ry m otion of th e electric m otor produces none of th e vibrations com
mon to steam engines w ith th e ir rapidly changing reciprocating action. In th e w ords of some of the sh aft re p a ir m en: “You can hold th e cage guides w ith 10-d.
nails since the hoists have been electrified.”
The flow of coal to the b re ak er also has been made more uniform w ith electric hoisting, which m akes bet
te r prep aratio n possible. M aintenance costs of hoisting cables have decreased. W ith high-speed steam engines th e slippage of th e rope on th e sheave wheel while s ta rtin g and the slippage of the wheel due to its in ertia
p o w e r g e n e r a t in g u n it s a n d m o t o r s w h ic h u s e e n e r g y o n ly w h e n in s e r v ic e a n d t r a n s m is s i o n lin e s w h ic h d o n o t t r y to h e a t th e w h o le o u t s id e w o r ld .
when the hoist is stopped caused excessive w ear not now experienced.
The ease w ith which the m otorized hoists a re oper
ated makes few if any of th e old steam -hoist engineers, now operating electric machines, care to re tu rn to the steam -driven units. Some of th e oldest engineers who have operated steam engines fo r m ore th an th irty years have adapted them selves to electric hoists as easily as a duck takes to w ater.
By abandoning individual isolated boiler plants, which furnished steam th ro u g h long, inefficient steam lines to hoists, fans and com pressors, large savings have been made. All of these old engines form erly operated non-condensing and m any w ere installed w ith overload capacities f a r in excess of any demand th a t ever arose.
How these installations w ere changed to electric drives w ithout in te rfe rin g w ith the operation of the
Fig. 5—Newly Constructed Substations Make Mines More Modern
A t N o . 7 s h a f t , n e a r G le n L y o n , t h r e e 4 0 0 -k v a . t r a n s f o r m e r s s t e p th e v o l t a g e fr o m 2 2 ,0 0 0 t o 2 ,2 0 0 . T h e l a r g e - c a p a c i t y s u b s t a t i o n i s a l r e a d y p r o v in g to o s m a l l f o r t h e I n c r e a s in g e le c t r ic lo a d .
212 C O A L A G E Vo l. 28, No. 7
Fig. 6—The Shamokin Power House with Its Modem and Recording Breaking Equipment. Any Power Company Would Be Justifiably Jealous of Its Load Factor
In m a n y r e s p e c ts t h is is o n e o f t h e m o s t h o i s t m a c h in e r y o r d in a r ily s to p s . L a s t y e a r b r e a k e r s w h ic h c o n n e c t to m a n y f e e d e r s w o n d e r fu l p o w e r - g e n e r a t in g p la n t s in t h e th e p la n t h a d a n a l l - y e a r lo a d f a c t o r o f a n d s u p p ly lin e s . T h e p l a n t Is t ie d In. w it h c o a l r e g io n s . F o r m a n y d a y s a n d n ig h ts 88.5 p e r c e n t, in c lu d in g d u r in g th e p e r io d a p u b lic - u t ilit y c o m p a n y o p e r a t in g in t h is th e t u r b o -g e n e r a t e r u n it o p e r a te s a t 100 p er e v e r y m in u te o f th e tim e . T h e s e p ic tu r e s d is t r ic t . A s p r a y p o n d c o o lin g s y s t e m is c e n t lo a d fa c to r . L a r g e p u m p in g lo a d s s h o w h o w m o d e r n ly it is e q u ip p e d . S o le - u s e d a n d t h u s o n ly a s m a ll q u a n t it y o f c o m e o n a t n ig h t w h e n th e b r e a k e r a n d r ,o id -o p e r a te d s w i t c h e s o p e r a te th e c ir c u it w a t e r i s n e c e s s a r y to o p e r a te t h i s p l a n t
mines is m ost interesting. Machines designed when electric m otors were alm ost unknown are now re ju venated and the engineers who have done th e work have used electricity. A few examples show how each installation was a problem in itself.
A t S tearns No. 4 sh a ft the m ain hoisting equipm ent was changed from steam to electric drive. O riginally the hoist was driven by a first-motion steam engine.
Fig. 7—An Old Steam Hoist Electrically Operated
I s o la t e d b o ile r p la n t s w h ic h w e r e c o s t ly t o o p e r a t e w e r e c o m p le t e ly a b a n d o n e d . T h is h o is t, a t S t e a r n s , w a s e q u ip p e d w i t h h e r r in g b o n e g e a r s a n d a n e le c t r ic m o to r .
The two steam cylinders w ere located as shown in Fig.
7. All the w ork prelim inary to th e change to electric drive was done while' th e steam hoist was in daily, operation.
A large solid coupling w as provided fo r attach in g the drum sh a ft to th e reduction gears driven by the m otor. These gears are of th e herringbone type. The m otor is a 300-hp. 2,200-volt slip rin g induction type unit. An autom atic w eighted a irb ra k e is applied w hen
ever power fails. In th is m ann er th e electrified hoist is made safer th an w ith the steam drive.
A nother large-size hoist was changed to electric drive a t the No. 7 sh a ft of No. 6 Colliery, a t Glen Lyon, Pa.
A 400-hp. induction m otor drives th e hoist th ro u g h h e r
ringbone gears. Connected to th e high-speed sh a ft is a gear-type overspeed trip p in g device which gives all the protection obtainable by steam operation. The layout is shown in F ig . 8.
An in terestin g change-over was m ade a t th e fan house a t Stearns. H ere th e fo rm er steam engine was supplanted by a 75-hp. 2,200-volt induction m otor con
nected th ro ugh an autom atic s ta rte r. W henever power is restored a fte r a shutdown on th e transm issio n line th e autom atic s ta rte r sets th e m otor in operation im me
diately w ithout any m anual operation.
F ig. 9 shows how th e old steam engine fram e is used to support a b earing box which carries one end of the fa n sh aft. Suitable speed reduction is obtained by m eans of a silent-chain drive ru n n in g in an oil-tight casing.
No. 7 sh a ft fan house, n ea r Glen Lyon, w as altered
Au g u s t 13, 1925 C Ô A L A G E
i i ie= a
1 1 !
I I
I Old'steam i I
I engines—f j I==3^
H e rrin g -b o n e g e a r
F ig. 8— Main S haft H oist Rejuvenated
T h e a u t o m a t ic s p e e d a n d o v e r - h o i s t c o n tr o l e q u ip m e n t s u p p lie d w it h th e m o to r w h ic h n o w d r iv e s t h is o ld s t e a m h o is t m a k e s a s im p le o u t fit e a s y a n d s a f e to o p e r a te .
Fig. 10—Electrified Though L ittle Changed
A s p l i t p u lle y w a s m o u n te d o n th e f a n s h a f t a n d th e c h a n g e fr o m s t e a m to e le c t r ic d r iv e w a s c o m p le te d w i t h o u t in t e r fe r e n c e to c o a l p r o d u c tio n .
bu t little when an electric m otor replaced th e old steam drive. P ractically nothing w as tak en out of th e engine house when the change was made. As shown in F ig.
10, a split pulley was m ounted on th e old fa n sh a ft and belted to a 75-hp. 2,200-volt m otor. The in stalla
tion looks peculiar because the steam engine rem ains in position, b u t its crank has been disconnected. The old engine bearings support the fa n sh aft.
The Mill Seam fa n house, a t Nanticoke, was driven by a cross-compound steam engine which received its steam from a separate boiler house m aintained and operated fo r th is fa n only. The fuel was freig h te d over the P ennsylvania R.R. from th e breaker, nearly h alf a m ile away, to the fan boiler house.
W hen it was decided to electrify th is fan, an investi
gation showed th a t only one of th e two engine cylinders was required to c a rry the load. Thereupon one cylin
der was disconnected and an a lte rn a tin g -c u rre n t induc
tion m otor set up on the old foundation. A coun tersh aft was th en installed and everything was m ade ready to change from the g ia n t oversized steam engine which had driven the fa n fo r years. On a F o u rth of July m orn
ing th is w ork was sta rte d and completed in 12 hours, not a single m om ent of production being lost by the m ine. The m otor is a 75-hp. 2,200-volt three-phase, 60-cycle unit. F ig. 11 shows th e location of th e old fa n engine (dotted) and the layout of the p re sen t drive.
Some idea of th e extent to which electrification has been carried can be gained fro m w hat has been done a t the W illiam stown operation, n ea r th e town of Wil- liam stow n, in the Lykens district.
T his operation consists of th re e p a rts, one including th e breaker, another the B ig Lick operations and the
other the te rrito ry a t Nos. 1 and 2 sh a fts in B ear Valley.
Exclusive of m any direct-cu rren t m achines such as loco
motives, etc., th e to tal a ltern atin g -cu rren t connected load am ounts to 11,313 hp. The d istrib u tio n of this equipm ent is as shown in Table I I I and F ig. 12.
Table III—Distribution of A lternating-C urrent Connected Load
A T B IG L IC K
Con- Com-
vertiug pres-
U nits sors M isc.
275 485 ...
A T B R E A K E R ... 405.5
A T B E A R VALLEY
225 870 1,288.1
1,145 1,773.1 405.5
H oists 1,360
1,240 2,600
Pum ps 32 .5
207 .5
4.842.5 5.082.5
Fans 82
307
T otal 2,234.5
613.0
N o. of M achines
13
84,65.6 11,313
29 5 1 T o t a ls
This colliery has w hat is perh aps the longest out
side electric locomotive haulage system in the coal fields.
F ro m th e B ig Lick te rrito ry coal is hauled about 2 m iles along th e side of a m ountain to th e breaker.
E xtend in g in the other direction to th e No. 1 and 2 s h a fts te rrito ry is an other long outside haulage track w hich extends from th e b reaker th ro u g h a 4,000-ft.
tunnel to the other side of the m ountain and th en about a m ile to No. 1 sh aft.
Incidentally, th is tunnel is one of the finest in the a n th ra c ite field. I t ru n s th ro u g h th e m ountain from the b reak er to No. 2 sh aft. The grade is slightly in favor of the loaded cars. The haulway is as s tra ig h t as an arrow . V ery little tim b er is used to support the roof in th e tunnel because it was driven w ith hand tools a t a tim e when heavy explosive charges, which ordinarily sh a tte r the rock, were not used. The tunnel
tFbrrt ofsteam
\e n gin e b a se
75~hp. M otor
II '-E n clo se d sile n t chain
'N ew ¿fearing
•Starting pan e/
a n d tra n sform er'
Fan
Fig. 9—Automatic Control Replaces Steam D rive
N o t o n ly w a s t h e in e ff ic ie n t s t e a m e n g in e s u p p la n t* * ! b y an' e le c t r ic m o to r h e r e b u t a n a t t e n d a n t w a s e lim in a t e d a>lsot ’ T h e r a n is n o w d r iv e n th r o u g h a s i l e n t c h a in a n d t h e m o t o r ik a u t o m a t i c a l l y c o n tr o lle d .
Fig. 11—How a F an Drive W as Remodeled
T i n s n e w a r r a n g e m e n t w a s e ffe c te d in 12 h o u r s o n a h o lid a y ,
"hence n o o p e r a t in g t i m e w a s l o s t b y t h e m in e . T h e f a n h o u s e is b i g g e r t h a n n o w n e c e s s a r y b u t la r g e s a v i n g s a r e m a d e a s a r e s u lt o f t h i s q u ic k c h a n g e .
214 C O A L A G E Vo l. 28, No. 7
/wnr> rm ^'ipiu
w'WfflP rvsw' a'
V-3
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Fans. ?
a i g" -I*
5
1 A ISO Up.
30/Ip
Firepump 7-5Hp.compm No. I Shaft
. v vsistisub ysmsnny^
w 'iwpnr' nrm'
Breaker ¿ub-sta 2,300 Volfs
I 2
200 tip
Grtenf/dd
pu m p -
3'vrnt'l5l<m 6— 1 5 ---2 r
20H/X WHp.
RockCrshr. Machine Sh
I
BreakeriOHp.
Carp 5h.
TSOHp
Maindnvt A
1
,vJ15£PV\
t e S T Y r f e f „
5.5/tp.
Lip conveyor ''/OOHp.
Conveyor
25Hp.
ta n s
P.P.& LM
S h a ft bottom
'$^50HZ/>U«P
Fig. 12 Where in the Whole Mining Field Is There a L arg er Motor Load Than H ere? This Mine H as a Connected Load of A lternating-C urrent Motors G reater Than 11,000 Hp.
E a c h o f th e ^ i n d i v i s i o n s ' t h e W illia m s t o w n C o llie r y i s s u p p lie d w it h 2 2 ,0 0 0 -v o lt e le c t r ic a l e n e r g y g e n e r a t e d a t th e r>u *vei i z e d - f u e l p la n t. T h e l a r e e p u m p in g W ad m a k e s p o s s i b le a g o o d a l l - d a y lo a d
f a c t o i . M o s t o f t m s c o llie r y is n o w e l e c t r ic a lly o p e r a te d .
was started in the year 1860. I t is said th a t m any of the workmen employed on the job a t th a t tim e aroDped th eir tools and plied th eir trad e w ith General G rant.
B efoie the coal is delivered to the locomotives at B ig Lick it is raised on an outside plane by a 400-hp.
electric hoist. A t this same section is an 800-Iid. elec
tric hoist and a 480-hp. compressor motor, besides other im portant machines, as shown in F ig 12.
All the m achinery in and around the W illiam stown breaker is electrically operated except an outside Diane and slush pump. When th e change was made from steam to electric drive at the breaker one 250-hp. tnree- phase 60-cycle slipring induction m otor replaced tn e old steam engine th a t form erly drove th e b r e a k - - m a
chinery.
. most interesting p a rt of the property, however, is at the No. 2 shaft, where th ere is an eight-com part- ment sh aft which no doubt is the only one in existence.
F our hoisting engines are used. Steam -driven hoisting engines fo im eily stood in the four different hoisting positions around the headframe. F our com partm ents were form erly used fo r hoisting coal and fo u r lo r ra is ing water- by m eans of buckets. The sh a ft is 1.650 ft. deep.
A t present th is sh aft is in a state of change, u n e steam hoist operates to the bottom level and an electric hoist works to the counter level. W ater is now raised by m eans of pumps. An unusually large compressed- a ir line ru n s down th e shaft.
The electric hoist is shown in F ig. 14. I t has a 14-ft.
drum and is driven by a 900-hp. induction m otor a t a rope speed of 1,500 ft. p er m inute. T his h o ist drum is the largest-d iam eter u n it of its kind in th e a n th ra cite region.
The com pressors supplying th e high-pressure a ir are two 3,300-cu.ft. un its which discharge into two 5x l8-ft.
receivers. The m ain a ir lines enterin g th e m ine con
sist of 400 ft. of 14-in. and 1,600 ft. of 12-in. pipe, a large receiver system in themselves.
Fig. 13—Large M otor-Generator S ets Help M aintain Good Power F actor Conditions
u n it s s e r v e th e lo n g h a u la g e s y s t e m a t N o . 2 s h a f t , n e a r , ! l l " i n ’ I n t *le s a m e b u ild in g a r e t w o s y n c h r o n o u s p o w e r f a t l ’ d 'r o o m p r e s so r s- S u c h a p p a r a t u s p r e v e n t s b a d
Au g u s t 13, 1025 C O A L A G E 215
Fig. 14— G iant H oist Which Operates Two Com partm ents of an 8-Section S haft
T h e p ic tu r e s h o w n b e lo w il l u s t r a t e s t h e 1 4 - f t . d r u m h o i s t a n d i t s p r o t e c t iv e e q u ip m e n t. A b o v e i s th e 2 ,2 0 0 - v o lt e le c t r ic c o n tr o l p a n e l a n d c o m p r e s s e d a ir u n it w h ic h o p e r a t e s th e b r a k e s .
Pum ping Mine W ater Prom ptly R educes Corrosion o f Metals
B y J o sep h A. Shaw*
W ithin recent m onths two scientific papers have em
phasized the p a r t played by oxygen in th e acid-corrosion of m etals, indicating th a t prom pt pum ping of m ine w ater reduces corrosion of m etals exposed to th is w ater.
W hitm an and Russell1 found th a t m ild steel was cor
roded in an oxygen-saturated dilute sulphuric acid solu
tion m ore th a n eleven tim es as fa s t as in th e absence of oxygen; and copper, tin and nickel w ere corroded in an enormously h ig h e r ratio . H all and Teague’ obtained results on m ine w ater th a t in general a re in complete accord w ith those of W hitm an and Russell on p u re sul
phuric acid.
Hall and Teague find th a t fe rric salts act in much the sam e m ann er as free oxygen, a t least they increase corrosion m aterially .' To quote from page 9, “In acid mine w aters, on the other hand th e ra te of depolariza
tion is no longer dependent solely upon the concentra
tion of dissolved oxygen; in m ost w aters of th is type, in fact, the concentration of fe rric iron is th e dom inant element in th e oxidation a t m etallic surfaces, and the ra te of corrosion becomes a d irect function of such concentration.” And on page 57 in speaking of tin,
• T h e K o p p e r s C o., L a b o r a t o r ie s , M e llo n I n s t i t u t e , P i t t s b u r g h , P a . P e n n s y lv a n ia .
»“ T h e A c id C o r r o s io n o f M e t a ls ,” I n d . a n d E n g r . C h e m ., V o l. 17 , P. 348.
’" T h e E f f e c t o f A c id it y a n d O x id a t io n C a p a c it y o n C o r r o s io n o f M e t a ls a n d A llo y s in A c id M in e W a t e r ." B u l l e t i n 15 , C o a l M in in g I n v e s t i g a t i o n , C a r n e g ie I n s t i t u t e o f T e c h n o lo g y .
“H ig h c h r o m e s t e e l s a r e a n e x c e p t io n to t h is w e l l n ig h g e n e r a l w e a k n e s s t o a n o x id i z in g a t t a c k , b u t t h e ir c o s t , o f c o u r s e , l im it s th e ir u s e f u ln e s s .
The pum ping equipm ent inside the m ines a t No. 2 sh a ft constitutes th e larg e st group of pump u nits d ra in ing any one m ine in th e coal region. The s h a ft is so deep th a t it was considered advisable to relay the w a te r out of th e m ines. Several ingenious schemes have been used to keep th e cost of pum ping as low as possible. All the pum ps are equipped w ith diffusion vanes so as to cause them to operate a t th e h ig h est pos
sible efficiencies; th e sum ps have been arran g e d to perm it much of th e silt in th e w a te r to settle before it is pum ped; no w a te r is allowed to flow needlessly to a low level and then be pumped, and th e w a te r is raised no higher th an necessary to cause it to flow out of the mines.
Two m ain pum ps are located a t th e s h a ft bottom.
These consist of a 250-hp. and a 150-hp. u n it which are prim ed by a 5-hp. vacuum pump. A t th e counter level fo u r large 600-hp. pum ps raise th e w a te r collected a t th is level and th a t pum ped fro m th e s h a ft bottom to th e so-called top station. F ro m th e top station the w ater is again raised by fo u r eight-stage cen trifu gal pumps which lift th e w a te r to th e top of the sh aft, which is about 80 ft. above th e tunnel level. P a r t of the w ater flows to th e W illiam stow n breaker throu gh th e tunnel and the rem ainder into B ear Valley.
These are m erely some of th e m eans by which th is company has been effecting savings and m odernizing its properties. Quietly b u t rapidly it has been blazing th e tra il tow ard b e tte r m ining m ethods. A lthough th e com
pany has accomplished a g re a t deal in th is direction it has completed only a small p a r t of its prog ram and much yet rem ains to be done.
Hall and Teague say th a t as in th e case of copper, increasing th e acidity has little effect so long as the oxygen concentration is not increased m aterially, b u t th a t when it is increased by fe rric iron, th e ra te of corrosion is enorm ously increased.
In other words, as D r. H all h as expressed it, a con
ta in e r full of m ine w a te r is a sto rag e b a tte ry which becomes charged by rem ain in g in contact w ith th e a ir instead of having to be p u t in electrical contact w ith a generator. W hen a piece of m etal is placed in oxi
dized mine w ater, differences of potential are set up and th e storage b a tte ry discharges w ith disastro u s ef
fects to th e m etal. These effects are sim ilar to the action on th e anode m etal of an electro p latin g cell, though in th is case th e conditions are not rig h t fo r th e deposition of th e m etal as such a t th e opposite electrode.
The longer th e m ine w a te r is exposed to th e a ir the hig h er becomes th e concentration of these oxidized iron salts and th e h ig h er becomes its corroding potential, for, of course, it is th e concentration of oxidized iron salts ra th e r th a n th e to tal q u an tity p re sen t th a t affects the corrosion ra te .
Therefore, any system of handling m ine w a te r as quickly as possible a f te r it gets into th e m ine should be subject to sm aller corrosion losses th a n a system th a t allows th e w a te r to collect and pum ps it out only a t such tim es as are absolutely necessary fo r the w ork
ing of th e mine.
I t is realized th a t in m any instances engineering objections will necessarily ovei’rule th e adoption of any change in th e pum ping system . B ut it is also believed th a t in m any instances a little consideration of th is m a tte r will save considerable annoyance and expense from corrosion.
216 G O A L A G E Vo l. 28, No. 7
Sem i-Portable Dump in Operation
(1 ) T h e c a r g o e s o n th e d u m p in g p la t f o r m t o b e o v e r t u r n e d s id e w a y s . W h e n th e r e f u s e p ile is b u ilt u p a s f a r a s p o s s i b le a t
» d u m p in g m a c h in e w i t h i t s a p p r o a c h e s w i l l b e 55 1 nS? a s h o r t d is t a n c e o n *-o p t ^ie tr a c k to a n e w p o s itio n .
i * 7 h e c a r is tip p e d to t h e e x t r e m e p o s itio n . T h e w o o d e n t ie s P , ; * 1.6. d u m p a p p r o a c h e s a r e n o t c h e d o n th e b o t to m s o a s to s e c t io n s in ^ n e w i t h t h e tr a c k . T h e f a c t t h a t t h e d u m p is o f th e c r o s s - o v e r t y p e s im p li fie s th e h a n d lin g o f c a r s . ( 3 ) In th e b a c k g r o u n d i s t h e t r e s t l e a n d o v e r t u r n in g d u m p f o r m e r ly u s e d . H e r e th e r e f u s e i s d e p o s ite d in a lin e p e r p e n d ic u la r t o th e r^ t ^ e r ,th a n p a r a lle l a s i s d e s ir e d w h e n b u ild in g y a r d s o r w h e n t h e d u m p in g s p a c e i s lim it e d b y la c k o f d e p t h . A lt h o u g h th e c a r b e in g d u m p e d in th e fo r e g r o u n d h a s n o t r e a c h e d th e v e r t ic a l, a la r g e p o r tio n o f i t s lo a d h a s b e e n d is c h a r g e d .
the mine yard. In the foreground can be seen the refuse th a t has been dumped by the new m achine.
Metal-covered skids are used to help ca rry the m ate
rial, thus prolonging th e dum ping p er s e ttin g of the machine.
This dump is of the cross-over type, which is one of its d istinct advantages. The cars of slate are switched onto the dump siding as they are brou g h t out of the mine. Then, a fte r being ru n over th e dump, th e em pties a re in line ready fo r the re tu rn trip . Since it h as been pu t into use th e dump pictured has been handling up to 100 cars of slate per day.
Sem i-Portable Dump Solves R efuse Disposal Problem
E le c tric a lly -O p e ra te d D evice fo r H a n d lin g R ock Can B e S lid A lo n g T ra c k , th u s M a k in g
S id e D isc h a rg e of C ars P o ssib le By J. H. Edwards
A s s o c ia t e E d ito r o f C o a l A g e , H u n t in g t o n , W . V a .
Dumping slate or rock from the end of a trestle out of solid-end cars is more difficult th an if th e cars were of the swing- or lift-end-gate type. Those d rift and slope mines which use ro ta ry dumps are confronted particularly w ith this difficulty. However, the dum p
ing from the end of a trestle w ith any type of car in most cases is a tedious method. When refu se of slate and rock is to be used fo r grading and extending the yard in a direction parallel to the existing tracks, then it has been the usual practice, regardless of th e type of mine car, to unload the refuse by hand and shovel. This laborious method always w orries the progressive mine foremen or superintendent who is tr y ing to reduce his m ining cost.
^ H. H. Braden, mine superintendent of th e Blue Diamond Coal Co., of Blue Diamond, Ky., was bothered by his dumping problem but now he feels th a t i t is well solved. This was accomplished by the designing and buildinig of the sem i-portable side dump shown in the accompanying illustrations. Two of these dumps, the first of th e ir kind ever built, have been in use fo r about three months a t Blue Diamond mine.
R eferrin g to the accompanying illustration (2 ), it will be noted th a t the machine proper is essentially a m otor-driven ro ta ry dump w ith the pivot som ewhat above and to one side of the rail. The dump is sem i
portable and simply sits on top of th e track, th e car platform being but a few inches above the trac k rails.
The two sections of the trac k which form the approaches are entirely separate from the machine.
The ties of these sections are notched on the bottom side so as to hold the approach rails in line w ith the track. Whenever it becomes necessary to move the dump, the approaches and the m achine are slid along on top of th e rail.
A 6i-hp. (in term itten t ra tin g ), compound-wound, interpole m otor connected to the mine trolley fu rn ish es power to operate the dump. The m achine is equipped w ith a drum controller and a hand brake. The free end of the dumping platform is connected to an endless roller chain which operates through th e arc of the curved boom, the idler sprocket being mounted in the extrem e end. From the illustration (2) it m ig h t be guessed th a t the controller end of the dump would have to be heavily counterweighted but this is not tru e, fo r the fulcrum is at the track rail near the platform pivot, and, moreover, the g reater portion of the load is out of th e car before it passes beyond the vertical.
The old and the new methods are shown in the illus
tra tio n (3 ). On the end of the trestle in th e back
ground can be seen the overturning dump form erly used. This dump required considerable m an power, which item together w ith th e tim e taken to push each c a r out on the trestle and back again made the dum ping a slow and costly process. In addition to these disad-
^ antages, the old method had th a t of depositing th e refuse in a line perpendicular, ra th e r th an parallel, to
Au g u s t 13, 1925 C O A L A G E 217
In Ohio Sixty-Nine Industries Pay Higher Compensation Rates than Coal Mining
Y e t M in in g in O hio I s M ore H azard ous th an th e A v era g e for th e W h o le N a tio n —-W in d ow C lean in g R ate E ig h t T im e s th a t of M in in g — W r e c k in g and P a in tin g B rid g es F iv e T im e s
By R. D aw son H all
E n g i n e e r i n g E d ito r , C o a l A g o
I
S M IN IN G the m ost hazardous in d u stry ? T h at appears to be a belief common among th e general public, b u t th e com pensation figures do not seem to su b stan tiate th is notion. An analysis of the figures fo r Ohio, has been compiled from “The Ohio S tate In su rance M anual” fo r Ju ly 1, 1924, w ith the figures cor
rected according to the 1925 schedule, excluding all occupations th a t w ere om itted in th a t la te r table. In this book can be found 723 classifications. In 69 cases the scheduled ra te s are h ig h er th an fo r coal m ining taken as a whole bu t om ittin g the groups engaged in culm, slack and coal-refuse w ashing, s trip -p it m ining, taking care of idle m ines and acting as coal-mine com
m itteem en. All of these are occupations ra te d less hazardous th an coal m ining.
Window cleaning has a ra te eight tim es as high as coal m in ing and w recking and p ain tin g steel stru ctu re s and bridges over five tim es as high. The construction in d u stry has a large num ber of counts h ig h er th a n coal m ining and, it should be added, a few lower. In the table none bu t th e ra te s given fo r coal m ining have been considered. In fa c t disreg ard in g the five coal
m ine classifications th e re are 649 occupations less risky th a n th e m ining of coal, none of which has been ta b u lated. They have been om itted from th is article solely fo r lack of space. P erh ap s atten tio n should be draw n to the fa c t th a t s h a ft sinking (56), a common opera
tion in th e s ta rtin g of coal mines, is m ore hazardous than coal m ining and is classified here perh aps in ad
visedly as an in d u stry not incident to the m ining of coal. The w orkers often do not belong to the U nited Mine W orkers of America.
I f coal m ining w ere not trea ted as a composite hazard bu t as one broken up into several d istinct hazards, m any of these risks would exceed th e risk of coal m in
ing taken as a whole, b u t m any would be f a r lower.
Di s e a s e Ha z a r d Is Lo w
I t should be rem arked th a t the disease hazard, which has recently been added and which has been taken in this com putation w ithout change from the 1924 m anual, is not as yet scientifically computed on the five-year experience. I t is added to th e accident ra te to make the to tal ra te . In all cases, however, it is so small that, though it does p u t some of the hazards out of the ord er th ey would otherw ise occupy, it does no t raise any of them to a level above th a t of coal m ining in general. T hus if th ey w ere om itted in the calculation they would not reduce th e num ber of hazards which are estim ated as g re a te r th a n coal m ining.
I t will be noted th a t th e lowest figure set by th e In d u strial Commission of Ohio—namely, one mill per
$100 of payroll—has been apportioned to coal m ining.
The ra te fo r th e lead-using indu stries, including p a in t
ing, is 400 tim es as large, and fo r th e ru b b er in d u stry
100 tim es as large, which shows how the commission ra te s the disease hazard in th e S ta te of Ohio. W h at
ever the disease ra te m ay be in G reat B rita in and in E urope in general, in th e U nited S tates it is so low as to be practically negligible.
It m ay be said th a t m ining in Ohio is perhaps a re la
tively safe occupation as com pared w ith other states.
B ut th a t is not so. The num ber of fa ta litie s is early obtained b u t we are longer in g ettin g the num ber of employees. I t is th ere fo re necessary to go back to 1923.
The record shows th a t in th a t y ear th e num ber of fa ta lities per one thousand 2,000-hour w orkers was 3.96 w hereas fo r the Pennsylvania an th ra cite field it was only 3.01 and fo r bitum inous m ines in general 3.84.
Da n g e r s i n Oh i o Ab o v e Av e r a g e
The fa ta lity ra te in Ohio from 1919 to 1923 inclusive p er one thousand 2,000-hour w orkers was 3.99, fo r the an th ra cite region 3.27 and fo r th e whole of the U nited S tates 3.53. Thus it is obvious th a t th e dangers of coal m ining in Ohio are certainly not the lowest in the coun
t r y and th a t Ohio th ere fo re is not a s ta te to be chosen by a propagandist who m ig ht tr y to prove coal m ining less dangerous th an some say it is. The Ohio facts speak fo r themselves. M ining is m ore hazardous th ere th an in th e U nited S tates in general, y et am ong indus
trie s it is ra te d only seventieth in point of risk to the workers.
I t m ust be rem em bered th a t th e com pensation ra te s a re not so much indexes of the operating hazard s as of the am ounts paid as a re su lt of the hazards. W ere th e sums paid fo r in ju ry o r death proportional in every case to the wage earned before death by the in ju red o r accidently killed, th e com pensation ra te would be alm ost a p erfect indication of th e hazard, b u t as th e law of Ohio in 1921 stood, and probably still stands, th e paym ent a t death is 66? p er cent of th e weekly wage and not over $15 per week. T hus th e com parison of compensation ra te s is only en tirely reliable w hen th e wage is below $15 per week or is the same as th e wage in the in du stry w ith which it is compared.
F urtherm ore, th e law req uires th a t th e com pensation fo r death be paid fo r eigh t years b u t th a t th e ag g reg ate shall not be less th an $2,000 n or m ore th an $5,000. As
$15 per week is the am ount paid w hen th e wage is
$22.50 per week it is evident th a t quite a few of the dependents of h ig h er wage men do no t g et tw o-thirds of the salary of th e deceased, and as $6,240, which is
$15 per week fo r eigh t years, is m ore th an $5,000 it is clear th a t the dependents of the day w orker are likely to get th e ir $15 fo r less th an e ig h t years. T his will lower the com pensation ra te fo r a high-w age industry.
However, w ith these considerations duly digested and properly allowed th e ta b u la r in form ation is of g re a t interest.
