Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 27, No. 17

McGra w- Hil l Co m p a n y, In c.

■Ja m e s H . McGr a w, P resid en t E . J . Me h r e n, V ice-P residen t

Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business

R . Da w s o n Ha l l

E n gin eerin g E ditot

Peace by Subm ission

S

N ew form s of contention have been d iscovered : S trikes to compel men to pay dues, strik es because organization workers quarreled as to who should con­

trol the union, strik es as to w hat work should fall to one class o f em ployees and w hat to another class, strik es to compel increases of w ages, to gran t improved housing a t inadequate rents, to prevent discharges fo r inefficiency and incom petency, to make im possible the im position o f sa fe ty provisions and to forbid the in tro­

duction o f labor-saving m achines and labor-recording devices. ^ When labor is unionized it strik es no longer for the r ig h t to unionize or fo r recognition, but having gained th at power it strik es for a number o f fu rth er privileges.

The boy who is given a gun ceases indeed to plague his p a ie n t to buy him one, but thus armed he is fa r m ore likely to do dam age to the donor than ever before.

The w astes o f strik in g are not cured but increased by unionization, as we all know. The gas, coke and power in d u stries have sought m ines in non-union areas confident th at thereby th ey w ill avoid strik es which jeopardized production, and th ey have found th at th eir choice w as well made. One hundred per cent union means frequent strik es and anything but one hundred per cent operation. Mr. Green knows that, but he trusts the public w ill fo rg et it, and some, at least, do.

I f unionism is to be defended, other and better reasons should be cited.

Use Safe M otors fo r V entilation

M

T hese new typ es o f m otors are untried; true, they often have quite desirable characteristics, but if they are not en tirely reliable th ey should not be considered for service under dangerous conditions. It would be better to te st them on pumps and compressors.

A sa fe fan m otor should operate sparklessly; it should be rugged and sim ple. S elf-sta rtin g character­

istics are also desirable in fan installations. T his m ay mean a self-sta rtin g m otor or one which, w ith a su it-

S ! 6’ aUt efficient Starter> wiI1 stai't autom atic- such an outfit no special device or skilled attendant would be necessary.

A fan m otor which w ill sta r t autom atically when power is restored to a line th at has been tem porarily out o f service has definite advantages, fo r it, w ithout the action o f an attendant, will restore ventilation as soon as pow er is available. The prevention of gas explosions begins w ith good ventilation.

Sunflow er Court W ithers in the Blast

n p H E O U T SPO K E N E N E M IE S o f the system or

J L regulation set up by the law creating the Court o f ndustrial R elations o f K ansas are ordering gay funeral w reath s as a resu lt o f the latest decision o f the U nited S tates Suprem e Court construing the valid ity o f the K ansas statu te. P ossib ly the staunchest

S?6 lndustrial court are not y e t ready to adm it th at th is decision is the coup de grace finishing S V T i h Chi6f Ju stice T a ft be£ un w hen he blasted the specious defense o f the act w ith cold com­

mon sense, but the proponents o f m ore governm ent in b u sin ess at least weep at the low sta te to w hich one o f their pet m easures has been brought. B y the term s o f the1 court’s decision, the K ansas body cannot fix w a g es; it cannot determ ine hours o f labor; it cannot under th e gu ise o f protecting the public interest, es­

tablish and enforce a system o f com pulsory arbitration.

The p ligh t o f the K ansas court illu strates the danger th a t m ay come from attem p tin g to im pose a ’ general control to prevent the repetition o f a particular evil It a red-headed man com m it murder, the legislative mind seizes upon a prohibition o f the grow th o f sunset locks upon any human pate w ith in the ju risd iction as the m ost effective check upon fu tu re crim es o f violence.

The K ansas act had its g en esis in the natural resen t­

m ent the Sunflower state fe lt over the bitum inous coal Wmter ° f 1919- The “to-hell-w ith-the- public attitu d e o f the union rankled in the breasts of Governor Allen and h is advisers, and the laudable desire to curb such callous disregard o f public neces si w as conceived. But, in seek in g to check w hat seem ed unwarranted license, the legislatu re made the too common m istake o f in fr in g in g upon C onstitutional liberties.

B y reaffirming the conclusions reached in the earlier proceedings in th is case, the Suprem e Court em phasizes anew the fa ct— w hich p oliticians so like to ign ore—

that it takes som ething more than mere legislative fiat to clothe a business w ith such a m easure o f public in terest that it properly becomes a subject for governm ent regulation. “The power o f a legislatu re to compel continuity in a b u sin ess,” remarked the court in the earlier opinion, “can only a rise w here the obliga­

tion o f continued service by the owners and its em-

601

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C O A L A G E

tered upon. A common carrier which accepts a railroad fran ch ise is n ot fr ee to w ithdraw th e use o f th at w hich it has granted to th e public,” except w here it is im pos­

sible to operate w ith ou t continuous loss. “N ot so the ow ner (in another field) w hen by m ere changed con­

d itions h is b u sin ess becom es clothed w ith a public in ­ terest. H e m ay stop a t w ill, w hether th e b u sin ess be losin g or profitable.” To th is the court now a d d s: “On fu rth er reflection w e regard the principles so stated and applied as entirely sound. T hey are as applicable now as they w ere th en .”

It is to be hoped th a t sta te and national law-m akers w ill g iv e heed to the sound doctrine enunciated. But the chances are th a t th ey w ill not.

W ho Says W e A re Backward?

A

sylvan ia finds much fo r rebuke in our attitude tow ard m odernization of m ines. We take the censure the more seriously because the m ine at w hich th is w riter has charge w as, ju st a fe w years back, an exam ple of extrem e m odernism , a challenge to m in in g engineers elsew here. H e sa y s th a t i f w e assert th a t m in in g can be done much m ore cheaply than it is at th e better grade o f present-day m ines w e shall m ake the m iner and consum er disposed to a ssert th a t th e operator and not th e h igh w age scale is responsible fo r th e h igh costs o f m ining.

A s a m atter of fact, the statem en t th a t coal m ining is n ot p rogressive has alw ays annoyed us and would have vexed us still m ore had it not been alleged of nearly every industry in turn. W e do not believe that m in in g lacks in itia tiv e. W hen w e see an office that does n ot avail its e lf o f m od em equipm ent— calculators, m ailin g m achines, appropriate files, card indexes, etc.—

w e are prepared to say it is behind th e tim es and has no excuse fo r its archaic m ethods. W hy ? Sim ply b e­

cause th ese aids are equally u sefu l fo r all kinds o f office work. W hat w ill record th e sale o f pork w ill keep a record o f the sale o f coal. W hat w ill add up a column o f gallons w ill total a file o f figures rep resen tin g tons.

B u t as regards in strum ents w hich are specific to an industry, it is particularly invidious to m ake com pari­

sons. Who knows till th ey are tried how readily cu ttin g, shearing, snubbing, loading and d rilling m a­

chines m ig h t adapt them selves to th e needs o f the coal industry? The problem is a specific one, not readily so lv ed ; certainly not by th ose who have never entered a m ine nor operated one. P erhaps th e coal in d u stry is rem iss, but w e are n ot sure w ith all our know ledge o f coal m in in g th a t such criticism is ju st, especially as th e in d u stry is so specific th at it has alw ays to devise its own in strum ents and its own m ethods.

Only ju st lately have neAV m eans o f loading and tran s­

p ortin g suited to our industry been discovered. The wonder is how f a s t they are b ein g adopted and how m any are the new devices b eing created to m eet the demand. A revolutionary sp irit is in the m ine air.

We believe, though w e m ay be w rong, th a t the m ining fr a te rn ity is p roving unexpectedly favorable to advance­

m ent. True w e are not achieving th e co st reductions th at have been observed in regard to, say, autom obile m anufacture, bu t th a t is because w e cannot b rin g the work to th e m echanism but have to m ove th e m echanism

to the work, a much more difficult operation, and because we have a factory w hich is alw ays dem olishing its own walls and is faced w ith the herculean task o f supporting the load of some hundreds o f fe e t of overburden. In fa ct as we have said before, if the structural engineer w ere asked how m uch coal could be removed under the pressure o f several hundred fe e t o f strata, he would take a pencil and m ake a fe w rapid calculations and say th at according to the rules he has adopted for the build­

in g o f airy skyscrapers and cathedrals restin g on clay, not a cubic fo o t of coal could sa fely be removed.

B u t still w e see opportunities fo r progress. E x ­ amples o f such developm ent have recently shown the w ay. E n gin eers should take heart, are actually tak in g heart, from them . I f the industry, thus shown the w ay, fa ils to follow , it w ill prove its e lf incom petent and decadent. B u t there is no evidence th a t the coal industry is not follow in g the lead taken by pioneers.

The advances surprise us. The only drawbacks are lack of funds, w hich make m en cautious, and the lack of support from th e unions, w hich in som e cases, have shown a retrogressive sp irit. No one is justified in b ein g unduly critical and unappreciative o f the progress o f coal m in in g. Its advances have been, and are still, remarkable. There are mossbacks, it is true, although our correspondent is certainly not one o f them , but th ere are not lacking the needed number of en terp risin g sp irits, and consequently the in d u stry can m eet all critics w ith composure. The coal-m ining p rofession is not asleep. I t is con trib u tin g its share to the p rogress of m ankind.

R eliability M ore Im portant than Efficiency

I

Probably few pieces o f equipm ent illu strate th is point better than the hoist. The m ine sh a ft and its fu rn ish ­ ings, in perhaps m ost cases, represents a bottle neck through w hich the m ine output flows. A ny obstruction at th is point tie s up the w hole operation. Such a tie-up, even though it be of short duration, is so extrem ely expensive through loss o f output th a t it fa r over­

shadow s a sa v in g o f a sm all per cent o f energy con­

sum ed in h oistin g. A fe w pounds o f steam or a few kilow att hours o f current, m ore or less, are o f sm all im ­ portance compared to reliability.

W hat the coal operator m ost d esires in a m ine hoist, therefore, is the assurance that, w hen the hoist-m an pulls the th rottle or throw s the controller, the m achine under h is care w ill u n fa ilin g ly respond to h is touch.

H ig h relia b ility costs m oney ju s t as does h ig h efficiency.

It is a sore tem ptation to the inexperienced buyer of m achinery to g iv e ear to the siren allurem ents of low price. In a m achine of th is kind, however, a few dollars or even hundreds or thousands o f dollars added to the first cost o f a m ine h o ist is m oney w ell invested, pro­

vided it represents a proportionate increm ent in reli­

ab ility. D ollars-and-cents efficiency is w hat prim arily in terests the coal producer. F in an cial return m u st take precedence over m echanical or electrical efficiency.

A P R I L

23, 1925 C O A L A G E 603

TPaint U p” H as Cash M eaning in M ine T ow ns

O ils and P ig m e n ts S a v e M o st W h e n A p p lied to P r e v en t R a th er th a n C orrect D e c a y — H an d B ru sh Su perior to A ir S p ra y — G rey and B row n B e s t C olors in H o u se M a in ten a n ce

B y F ran k L. A dam s*

P i t t s b u r g h , P ii.

I

cern in g w age scales, f r e i g h t rates and m arkets m any coal m ining com panies have forgotten m aintenance problem s. In coal m ining com m unities d eterioration o f town and plant structures costing m illions o f dollars is g oin g on fo r w an t of paint w hose cost is a fra c­

tion of that. And now it is sp rin g again — the season w hen “save the su rface and you save all”

is a th ou gh t upperm ost in the m inds of w ise property owners. N ow seem s a good tim e to explain how to

“save the su rface.”

The fa c t th a t m ost o f the largest m ine ow ners are doing it by p rosecu tin g th eir property m aintenance religiously, is a fa c t w orthy o f atten tion throughout the whole industry. T hey understand p a in tin g to mean the covering o f exposed su rfaces by sk illfu l b rushing or sp rayin g w ith one or more applications o f proper m ixtu res o f pigm en ts and oils. The p ain ts are made to adhere to the su rfaces so as not to stim ulate ru st or decay. Only in th is w ay is provided protection from the oxid izin g and abrasive action of the elem ents, not to m ention the attack o f acid fum es. A t the sam e tim e the property’s appearance is improved.

“W e pain t regularly and m ethodically,” said an official o f a large su ccessfu l company, “because w e consider it good business. We have spent a large sum o f m oney

• C o n s u l t i n g m a i n t e n a n c e a n d c o n t r a c t i n g e n g i n e e r

N o t e — O n e g o o d c o a t o f p a i n t w i l l s a v e t h e h o u s e s s h o w n i n t h e h e a d p i e c e f r o m t o o - s w i f t d e p r e c i a t i o n . T h i s i s “ p r e v e n t i v e m a i n ­ t e n a n c e ” a n d i s f a r l e s s e x p e n s i v e t h a n “ c o r r e c t i v e m a i n t e n a n c e "

w h i c h a t t e m p t s t o r e s t o r e h o u s e s a f t e r d e c a y h a s a l r e a d y s e t i n .

in building our houses and plant structures. We expect to use these for a g rea t m any years. B ecause m ain­

tenance cost is fa r less than depreciation loss w e have found th at p ain tin g pays, even though our p a in tin g costs are large.

“F or example, a standard double eight-room m ine dw elling costs $4,000 to build. W ithout m aintenance it w ill depreciate 10 to 15 per cent in five years. To protect th a t house over a like period by proper p a in tin g costs less than $100 or about 2 per cent of the capital investm ent. The savin g is easy to figure.

“And it pays to p a in t w ell w h ile w e are about it.

Poor pain t and careless m ethods, w ill protect a property at m ost for only three years. Our p a in tin g jobs la st five to six years, and som etim es longer, so th a t w e save on the actual m aintenance cost by doing th e w ork w ell.”

H is calculations are based on m aintenance by tw o-coat p ain tin g. I f m aintenance is alw ays kept in the “pre­

v en tiv e” class, the re-paint w ork w ill call for only one coat, applied a t slig h tly shorter intervals than tw o-coat, at a cost less than 2 per cen t of th e capital investm ent.

M aintenance m ay be divided into tw o classes— pre­

ven tive and corrective. “P reven tive m aintenance” m eans continuous protection o f su rfaces by the application o f paint a short tim e before deterioration sets in. In th e case o f wood it requires p a in tin g a t a tim e w hen one coat will liven up the old paint, fresh en the color and protect the undercoats from rapid deterioration. In the case o f iron and steel it n ecessita tes the application o f paint before the origin al prim er p ain t has worn off and b efore th e m etal its e lf sta r ts to rust. B y p a in t­

in g iron and steel su rfa ces ju st b efore th ey reach th is condition th e costly operations o f scraping, ham m ering and w ire b rushing in preparation fo r th e application of a prim er coat are avoided.

“Corrective m aintenance,” w hich, I am sorry to say, predom inates in sp ite of its much greater cost, m eans w a itin g until depreciation has already se t in. Under Frank L. Adams

604 C O A L A G E VOL. 27, No. 17

th is policy it is necessai’y to scrape or burn off old, chalked, blistered or rock-hardened p a in t to g e t the su rface ready. T his is an expense the “preventive m aintenance” com pany does not m eet.

I have seen job s in the corrective sta g e in w hich the cost of scraping and preparing the su rface w as greater than the cost o f applying tw o good coats of paint. B y allow ing the stage o f m aintenance to p ass from pre­

ventive to corrective, four dollars are spent to do the work w hich one dollar would have accom plished earlier.

A lthough it is im portant to p ain t before the corrective sta g e is reached, it is still m ore im portant to do m eticulously w h at ocrrective w ork is required. Other­

w ise, even the four dollars w ill be w asted.

W hether it be p reventive or corrective, b uilding m aintenance is successful only w hen a fundam entally correct program is sk illfu lly directed. G uess w ork and h it-or-m iss m ethods m u st be replaced by science and system . In terestin g p rogress has been made in the la st few years in the pain t and p a in tin g fields.

I t is still too much o f a common practice fo r indus­

tria lists, m ine ow ners included, to buy barrels o f p ain t on price, g iv in g th is “stu ff” and cheap brushes to laborers, w ith orders to go ahead and p ain t up. I f th is is good practice th e m aintenance engineer has no field and h is years in stu d y have been w asted.

B u t it is not good practice, as illustrated by th e follow in g experience o f one coal company. T h is com­

pany bought on price a considerable qu an tity o f paint.

W ithout m uch th ou gh t or study the com pany applied the paint itse lf as b est it could on about 200 houses a t a cost fo r m aterial and labor o f over $10,000. S ix m onths later the p ain t on all th ese houses began to blister, chip off and discolor. The paints, th eir color and th e m ethods o f applying them w ere such as to resu lt in a general d istr u st on the p art o f th a t com pany o f all p ain ts and painters. A m easurable loss o f at lea st

$8,000 w as suffered. Under the direction o f p a in t sp ecia lists the w ork would have been done correctly w ith p ain ts selected fo r color and com position to m eet th e p articu lar conditions a t hand, and the cost w ould n ot have exceeded th e $10,000.

I t m ay be o f in terest to know th a t th e Consolidation Coal Co. em ploys a m aintenance en gin eer to m aintain its huge properties in fou r states. It has been h is policy to put h is p a in tin g jobs into th e hands o f paint spe­

cia lists. A s an outcom e, the p a in tin g jobs o f th is company are long lived and th eir u n it cost is low. T h is is because th e w ork is done according to m odern m ethods.

Dif f e r e n t Tr e a t m e n t s Required

T he technique o f paint m aintenance on wooden stru c­

tu res is altogether different from th at on steel. And ju s t as there is a w ide difference in the technique re­

quired fo r wood as ag a in st th at fo r steel, so there is lik ely to be a m arked variance in the proper procedure fo r one wood structure job as compared w ith another.

Recently I looked over some work in th ree m in in g tow ns owned by the sam e company. It w as obvious th a t each o f the three jobs would require som ew hat different treatm ent.

One of the differences o f rep ain t jobs on wood, w hich w as ou tstandingly noticeable in the th ree tow ns, is the variable condition o f the house surfaces. On the houses of one town the pain t w as alm ost all off the -wood. The wood is th irsty fo r paint and w ill absorb

large q u an tities o f it. Consequently, the prim er m ust be m ixed to take care of th is condition. The old pain t on the houses of another tow n is hard and flinty.

T hese su rfaces w ill require m uch scraping and b ru sh ­ in g ; also the oil content in th e prim er m u st be fixed to m eet th is particular condition.

In general, wood su rfaces covered w ith old paint should be m echanically prepared before new p ain t is applied. All loose paint and dry dust should be scraped and brushed from th e surface. T he first coat o f oil applied to old, blistered, flinty p ain t w ill so ften up the edges o f the b listers and cause them to curl up before th e second coat is applied. T hese edges m u st be scraped off or oth erw ise the su rface w ill be rough and later m ay even peel, tak in g w ith it th e recently applied coats o f paint.

A fte r pains have been taken to obtain the proper p igm en ts, it would be folly indeed to adulterate a p er­

fe c tly good paint by b ru sh in g in a q u an tity o f loose d ry dust and dirt w ith th e oil o f the prim er coat.

M an ifestly, the preparation o f the surface is im portant.

Ap p l y On l y o n Dry Su r f a c e s

P a in t should never be applied on w e t or even damp w ood surfaces. When th is w arn in g is disregarded, the p a in t w ill come off. Of course it is p erm issib le on rain y days to pain t porch ceilin g s or the side w alls w ith in porches, provided th e wood is dry.

The p rim in g coat o f p ain t used in corrective m ain­

tenance m u st be “b u ilt” especially fo r the particular

■ su rface it is intended to protect. It m u st contain oils th a t w ill penetrate into bare wood and even through the old dry and alm ost life le ss chalky p a in t so as to anchor the film securely to th e old surface. Its oil m u st im part new life to th e old paint, and m u st dry w ith a rough finish so th at th e succeeding coat o f paint w ill adhere to it.

The quantity and character o f th e oils in th e prim er coat w ill vary som ew hat depending upon th e degree of b areness o f the su rface to be repainted. S u rfaces of dry wood and chalky pain t exposed to th e w eath er re­

quire unusual q u an tities o f oil w hich m u st penetrate deeply i f the paint film is to be sufficiently bound to th e wood. N o t only should the oil in the prim er coat penetrate but it should also form a protective film over the surface. T h is oil should be quick drying.

The color o f the prim er coat should be con sisten t w ith th at o f the succeeding coat. The choice of the color depends upon the covering or h id in g capacity o f th e paint. The darker greys, chocolate browns and even barn reds are the b est as fa r as coverage and h id in g qualities are concerned. W ith th ese colors it is possible to cover w ith a gallon of prim er 500 sq .ft. of su rfa ce in fa ir condition. I f th e su rface is quite dry and chalky or bare o f paint, the wood w ill absorb m ore oil and the coverage w ill drop to 350 or 400 sq.ft. per gal.

The h id in g q u alities o f w h ite p ain t as a p rim er are not as pronounced as those o f darker p ain ts and, th ere­

fore, it is difficult to do a sa tisfa cto ry w h ite job w ith le ss than th ree coats. The m ost im portant elem ent in good p ain tin g is the sk illfu l application o f the proper prim er.

The p rim in g coat on wood su rfaces should in variably be brushed on by hand. T h is m ay arouse a storm o f protest but, in m y judgm ent, it is the b est m ethod available fo r p a in tin g exteriors o f m ine dw ellings. I have tried sprays o f m any m akes and have observed

A P R I L

23, 1925 C O A L A G E 605

Dark Paints N o t U nattractive

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

These H ave W aited Too Long

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

work perform ed by others in a sim ilar m anner. The hand brushed job stan d s up the best. The brush b ristles force the p ain t into the indentations and fissures o f th e wood su rface affording b etter anchoring.

A nd as to labor cost I have found th a t on a good- sized job th e d ifferential betw een the cost o f hand b ru sh in g and th a t o f sp rayin g is triv ia l w hen the d if­

feren ce in the quality o f the tw o jobs is considered.

The superior quality o f hand brushed w ork m ore than offsets the advantage o f sprays in th e savin g of labor.

W hen one considers th e in vestm en t tied up in spray equipm ent and portable air com pressors, th e w ages of good spray men, the loss of tim e due to clogging, m echanical trouble w ith the engine drive and the com­

pressor, the num ber o f m en in a spray crew, th e spillage o f paint, th e trouble on w indy days, the sp rayin g of w indow s and other su rfaces w hich m ust be cleaned off, the cost o f m oving the equipm ent from place to place and th e scarcity o f skilled spray m en, the advantages m u st be fa r reaching to m ake sp rayin g profitable. If it w ere more profitable to use sprays on m ine house work and the chance of g iv in g quality w orkm anship equalled th a t o f hand work, I would naturally be partial to th e spray.

B ut, le t it be understood, the spray has its place. It is rapidly d isplacing hand b ru sh in g m ethods in the p a in tin g of iron and steel stru ctu res and objects, and it is b ein g used alm ost exclusively fo r the p a in tin g of factory and shop interiors. Its g rea test m erit lies in its a b ility to reach w ith pain t all p oints on a rough su rface such as is offered by unfinished concrete, plaster or brick. The spray has the d istin ct advantage of p lacing paint on areas inacessible to th e hand brush.

H ouses, however, had better be hand painted.

Better Job Do ne by Ha n d

One large operator who tried sprays on m ine dw ell­

in g s gave up th e attem pt a fte r the first year. L ast year h is com pany let a contract for th e p a in tin g in th ree m onths of 600 houses by hand b ru sh in g m ethods.

B y so doing, th is com pany adm itted th a t it saved m oney and th a t the job w a s done better. A nother large coal com pany, a fte r a great deal of experim entation, re­

q uires the contractor to brush on th e first coat, but p erm its th e sp rayin g on o f th e second coat, providing the p a in t is brushed ou t afterw ards.

T here is a difference in the quality o f hand b rushing m ethods, P a in ters should be trained in th e use o f

best-quality, fine b ristle and long staple brushes. T hese are expensive in first cost but they pay fo r them selves in th e quality and the quantity o f w ork w hich they perm it a man to do in a day, and they certainly provide a sm ooth painted surface.

It has been found economical to en tru st to the con­

tractor who is to do th e painting, the m inor carpentry repairs and the reglazin g or rep u ttyin g of w indow s. It is fa lse economy to pain t a w indow sash w here the p u tty is nearly all out. A few m onths a fte r the p a in tin g these m u st be reputtied, leaving a m essy looking w indow sash. W hatever repairs are needed, be th ey even so triv ia l as the rep u ttyin g o f w indow s, should be made in advance so th a t th e p a in tin g program advances w ith ­ out interruption.

Second Coat Has Double Fu n c t io n

The second coat in corrective m aintenance, w hich is the only coat in p reventive m aintenance, is som ew hat different from the prim er coat because it has a different fu n ction to perform . It provides the body or heavy film to r e sist the w eather, su n lig h t and fu m es o f the atm osphere. It also serves the fu n ction o f supplying the color w hich m ust stand up and rem ain attractive even under the d irtiest conditions.

It is m y b elief th at a good heavy bodied paint, either dark grey or brown, made o f zinc oxide and titan iu m oxide and m ixed in a reinforced linseed oil (one th a t w ill dry w ith a good g lo ss) represents the ideal paint fo r exterior p a in tin g of m ine houses. To relieve the m onotony o f the color th ese houses can be trim m ed in cream or dark green, w ith black w indow sashes.

T hese greys and browns show the dirt lea st; they do not fa d e; th ey are am ong th e low er price p aints o f q u ality; th ey spread (ind cover well, and lend them ­ selves to low labor cost. And w h ile th ese p aints afford an excellent p rotective coating, I am not sa y in g they are the equal in decorative q u alities o f th e average light-colored p aints used in individual residence p a in t­

ing. B ut th e job w ill stand up longer th an th e fan cy job and w ill be rated h ig h est in th e classification o f industrial p ain tin g. The best is cheapest in th e long run.

The second coat should be slig h tly darker in color than the prim er coat so th a t th e inspector can check the workmen, m aking su re th a t th ey have covered all o f th e su rfaces w ith the second coat. T his slig h t d if­

ference in shades also m akes it easier fo r th e workm en to check up on them selves.

606 C O A L A G E V ol . 27, No. 17

A Carload of Coal a Minute for the N orthw est

T h e L a k e s e a s o n i s m a k i n g : a s l o w s t a r t f o r 1 9 2 5 , b u t t h e v o l u m e i s e x p e c t e d t o p i c k u p m a t e r i a l l y n o w t h a t a g o o d m a n y c o n ­ t r a c t s a r e b e i n g w r i t t e n . T h e s e c o n d w e e k s h o w e d t o t a l d u m p i n g s o f 1 1 8 ,5 4 2 t o n s o f c a r g o c o a l a n d 7 ,4 2 2 t o n s f o r f u e l i n g v e s s e l s . T h i s v i e w s h o w s a s m a l l b o a t l o a d i n g a t a c a r d u m p e r i n A s h t a b u l a h a r b o r .

Second coat work in tow ns w here smoke from coke ovens or burning m ine refu se dumps prevails, or w here the d ust from tipples is thick, is required to w ith stan d the effects o f acid in the smoke and dust. Sulphur fum es when united w ith the m oisture in the air are corrosive and break down the ordinary paint oil in a short tim e, d estroyin g th e p ain t film.

In coke tow ns w here smoke is heavy, houses should be protected w ith a paint con tain in g in gred ien ts known to render the linseed oil base im pervious to the attack of the acid content o f the smoke. P a in t oils fo r use in the coke region s and near burning gob piles should contain china wood oils and gum s. T hese r e sist the acids, enabling the paint oil to la st its full life o f six or seven years.

Second coat w ork on wood surfaces m ay be either sprayed or hand brushed, w hichever proves to be m ore econom ical in the labor cost of application. In view o f the fa c t th at th e second coat is the fin ish in g coat on m ine houses and the trim is applied in different colors, it is m y opinion th at the spray does not save enough in labor cost to offset th e inconveniences of the spray method. Hand b ru sh in g is n ecessary for the trim and cu ttin g-in , anyw ay. In the long run hand brushing is m ore economical. A bove all, it resu lts in a sm ooth su rface fr ee from laps.

N e x t in im portance to the selection o f a reliable con­

tractor, if the coal com pany is not prepared to do the w ork properly itse lf— and fe w coal com panies are— is checking o f the contractor’s work by inspection.

Inspection should be rigid but in telligen t. Most serious m isunderstandings a risin g on a p ain tin g job are due to a lack o f know ledge o f p ain tin g on the part of the inspector. The coal com pany should choose from its m en som eone who has been a painter— the nearer he has been to the rank of m aster painter, the better. T his type o f man recognizes good and bad practices and, consequently, is o f m aterial help to the contractor as well as to the coal company. H e forces the contractor’s m en to do th eir utm ost in secu rin g sa tisfa cto ry results.

The inspector should see th at the su rfaces are care­

fu lly cleaned o f old paint scale and blisters. These

should be scraped and w ire brushed. D ry dust and soot should be brushed off w ith a w h isk broom or dust brush.

He should in sist th at the prim er coat be w ell brushed out and should check the covering capacity o f th is first coat, by w hich m eans he is able to determ ine w hether the pain t is too thick or too thin. Laps in the first coat are p erm issible; they evidence the fa c t th a t the p ain t is p en etratin g the wood. The absence o f laps in the first coat is a sig n that all the p ain t is rem aining on the surface. D u rin g the tim e the p ain ter takes in w orking to the end o f h is area, the oil rem ains on the su rface and is m oist enough to be picked up on the end o f a brush and m ay be blended into one hom oge­

neous coating, w hich is proof th at the prim er coat has not been sufficiently brushed.

In the applying of the fin ish in g coat, however, a lap-free hom ogeneous covering is desirable. B y th or­

ough b ru sh in g all traces o f laps are covered over. W hite work on a dark or d irty su rface is an exception to th is rule. It is alm ost im possible, to apply to such su rfaces w h ite p ain t w ith oil enough in the first coat and p ig ­ m ent enough in the second to provide a w h ite, lap-free job. In such cases a second finishing coat, or three in all, should be applied. For th is reason th e applying o f p aints o f lig h ter shades on houses near coke plants is not advised.

The inspector should inspect the p u tty in g of w indow s and other incidental repairs, keeping a careful account o f th is work fo r fu tu re cost purposes and for checking invoices. H e should see th at the trim is n eatly applied and not allowed to spill or be brushed on the base color.

W indow sash es should be cut in w ith a m inim um o f paint on the glass. A s the job nears com pletion, the pain ters should be asked to clean up any debris from old barrels, p ain t cans, crates and the like.

It is a good plan to have the inspector pass upon the work completed by the crew s each day. L et each day's work stand on its own m erit. P o in t out each day w hat m istakes, if any, w ere made. H ave them corrected on the sam e day, allow ing no com plaint to be carried over to the next. Then th e w ork progresses sm oothly.

Ap r il

23, 1925 C O A L A G E

Gassy Mine T riply Safeguards Its V entilation

O ne R eg u la r and T w o E m e r g e n c y D r iv es P r o v id ed — T w o M otors and a G a so lin e E n g in e M ake C ontinu ed S to p p a g e o f th e A ir C urrent E x tr e m e ly Im prob ab le

By Charles M. Schloss

D e n v e r , C o lo .

I

m ent a t A guilar, Colo., is a heavy gas producer. I f its fa n should fo r any reason stop, even for a short tim e, it w ould be n ecessary to w ith d raw the m en from the p it prom ptly.

In order to forestall any such contingency, the com­

pany has provided an effective array of regular and em ergency pow er units, any one o f w hich m ay be quickly connected to the fa n sh a ft. In th is case, the electric m otor ordinarily used fo r d rivin g the fa n has been supplem ented by both an a u xiliary ga so lin e en­

g in e and a second motor. E ith er o f th ese m achines w ill fu n ction i f all the others fa il. T his equipm ent, on th e whole, has not proved expensive and officials o f th e com pany feel th at the outlay involved is am ply ju stified by th e greater reliab ility o f service insured.

The fa n its e lf is o f th e double-inlet type, 5 ft. in diam eter and 2 ft. w ide. O riginally it w as driven at 300 r.p.m. by a 20-hp. m otor operating a t 1,145 r.p.m.

T his w as connected to the fa n sh a ft by m eans o f a silen t chain operating w ith in an o il-tig h t casin g and in an oil bath. Current fo r th is m otor is furnished from the lin e o f th e pow er company th a t serves the A gu ilar district.

A bout a year ago it w as decided th a t m ore air should be circulated through th e m ine w orkings. A t th e same

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

IS-Hp. engine

10' Belt

665-r.p.m. m otor

’'■ ■24 x !2 P u lley

Bearing

20-Hp., U&S- r.p.m.motor

F ig . 1— Layout of F an Drives

T h e f a n m a y b e d r i v e n b y a n y o n e o f t h r e e m a c h i n e s . C o n ­ n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e f a n a n d g a s o l i n e e n g i n e , h o w e v e r , i s s u c h t h a t w h e n t h e e n g i n e is i n o p e r a t i o n i t o r d i n a r i l y s p i n s t h e a r m a ­ t u r e o f t h e l a r g e r m o t o r . T h i s d o e s n o p a r t i c u l a r h a r m . I f t h i s m o t o r r e q u i r e s r e p a i r s t h e f l e x i b l e c o u p l i n g J o i n i n g i t t o t h e p u l l e y s h a f t m a y b e u n b o l t e d , t h u s a l l o w i n g e i t h e r t h e e n g i n e o r t h e s m a l l m o t o r t o d r i v e t h e f a n w i t h o u t r o t a t i n g t h e l a r g e r m o t o r 's a r m a t u r e .

tim e it w as agreed th at a m ultiple drive fo r th e fan would be advantageous. The use of a steam engine w as considered, but th is would require an in stallation o f boilers and a fireman fo r each o f the th ree eig h t- hour s h ifts. T his w ould prove expensive and a gasoline engine w as su ggested . A t first, som e doubt w as ex ­ pressed as to the dependability o f such a m achine, but a fte r thorough in vestigation it w as decided th a t a w ell-built u n it o f th is kind w as reliable in operation.

Such an engine w as, accordingly, purchased.

T his engine is a 5 ix 7 -in . four-cylinder m achine, w ith inclosed fly w heel. It is com pletely equipped w ith all necessary m anifolds, a w a ter pump, m agneto, a sta rter

608 C O A L A G E VOL. 27, No. 17

Fig-. 2— Motor End of the Drive Shaft

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

energized from 12-volt storage battery, carburetor, gear driven fan , radiator and a power take-off co n sist­

in g o f a tw in disk clutch and an operating lever. A fu el tank also is provided. A m ercury-arc rectifier, purchased separately, w as employed to keep th e sta rtin g b attery alw ays fu lly charged.

Soon a fte r installation, it w as found th at the radi­

ator w as too sm all to keep the circulating w ater cool during h ot w eather. A f-in . pipe line w as installed, disch argin g into th e radiator through an adjustable cock, thus supplying a stream o f cold w ater fo r th e engine.

The prim ary drive is, of course, an electric motor.

T h is is o f th e squirrel-cage induction type, o f 75 hp.

and operates a t 865 r.p.m. A s m ay be seen in F ig . 1, th e belt pulley, keyed to its sh a ft, is supported betw een independent bearings. E ith er the m otor or the engine can drive th is pulley, but the m otor is connected to the pulley sh a ft by m eans o f a flexible coupling, w h ile th e en gin e sh a ft is provided w ith a ja w clutch. The engine is also fitted w ith a frictio n clutch, so th a t the jaw clutch can be connected, the en gin e started under no load, and the frictio n clutch pu t into operation a fter it has been brought up to speed.

W hen th e en gin e is d rivin g the pulley, and conse­

quently the fan, th e rotor o f th e motor, b ein g connected to th e pulley s h a ft by a flexible coupling, is, o f course, driven also. H owever, the ja w clutch perm its a total disen gagem en t o f the engine so th at th is m achine is inoperative w hen the fa n is b ein g driven by th e motor.

T he d rivin g pulley and its sh a ft are placed a t a considerable distance from the fan , in order to pre­

clude the p o ssib ility o f any m ine g a s com ing in contact w ith eith er th e engine or th e electric m otor and cau sin g an explosion. A belt connects th is pulley w ith a larger one on the fa n sh a ft. A chain drive would have been preferred, bu t th e ad visab ility o f keeping the d rivin g m achines at a distance from th e fa n sh a ft w ould have m ade th e cost o f such a d rive prohibitive.

F iv e gallons o f gasoline, co n stitu tin g th e im m ediate fu e l storage fo r th is engine, is kept in a tank m ounted on the w all o f th e fa n house. T h is is filled by a pipe

line from a 50-gal. tank placed on the h illsid e above.

T he 20-hp. m otor first employed fo r d rivin g the fan is still connected to it through a jaw clutch and the original chain drive. A n elaborate sign al system rin gs bells in th e h oist house and lamp house w hen th e elec­

tr ic power fa ils. I f the fan stops, a sw itch on its sh a ft rin gs a num ber of gon gs and energizes several incan­

descent lamps placed around the su rface plant, thereby callin g th e atten tion of all outside em ployees to the stoppage o f the fan.

T he pow er u n its at p resent installed perm it drivin g th e fa n at fu ll speed by the engine in case o f eith er pow er fa ilu re or difficulty w ith the la rg e motor. A lso th ey provide for d rivin g it at reduced speed by m eans of th e sm all motor, in th e event o f fa ilu re o f both the large m otor and th e engine. Cost o f th e gasolin e unit, including a u xiliary d rivin g connections, com pletely in ­ stalled, am ounted to about $2,000.

C onsidering th at th ree or fo u r power fa ilu res som e­

tim es occur in the course of a day, during the sum m er m onths when electric storm s are common, company officials feel th a t th is installation has more than paid fo r its e lf in th e year th at it has been in operation.

T h is equipm ent has been passed on and recommended by th e sta te m ine inspector and th e inspector fo r the Em ployees M utual Insurance Co.

F ig . 3— The A uxiliary E ngine Drive

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

Ap r il 2 3 , 1 9 2 5

C O A L A G E 609

Illinois E xperience H elps Make Mine H aulage Safer

M a d iso n C oal C orp oration U s e s E x tr a S ize L o c o m o tiv e Cabs, H o s e G uards on T r o lle y W ir e , S h ie ld s on S e c tio n L in e S w itc h e s, E tc .— L a rg e

T r o lle y W h e e ls and G rease on W ir e H e lp L e s s e n F la sh in g

By H. T. Bannister

G l e n C a r b o n , 111.

E

A n y discussion of the use o f locom otives in under­

ground transportation in Illin ois coal m ines, from the standpoint o f sa fe ty or otherw ise, naturally resolves itse lf into separate considerations o f the g a th erin g and m ain lin e haulage, each o f w hich p resents its own problems.

F or m ain line h aulage th ree types o f locom otives have been used w ith more or less success. Gasoline and com pressed air locom otives have such d istin ct lim i­

ta tio n s in Illin ois th a t th ey practically are elim inated.

T h is leaves us w ith the various typ es of trolley locomo­

tives, coupled w ith the lim ited use o f storage battery locom otives, as th e only m achines to consider.

W hen we consider th at som e locom otives w e ig h t from 15 to 20 ton s and haul tra in s th a t easily can have a g ro ss w eig h t o f 150 tons, th e problem is one o f real railroading under unusually difficult and hazardous con­

d itions. S itu a tio n s can and do arise, th a t call fo r ju st as quick th in k in g, capable judgm ent, prom pt de­

cision and effective action as ever could be demanded o f a su rface railroad locom otive crew. The crew s of underground locom otives are under th e fu rth er handi­

cap, as com pared w ith th e su rface crew s, o f b eing hem m ed in on all sid es w ith very little chance to save them selves by ju m p in g in case o f accident. P revention o f accident, under th ese unfavorable circum stances, is, th erefore, o f m ore than ordinary im portance.

C onsidering the m atter first from the standpoint of sa fe ty to the locom otive crew, the fo llow in g points have all dem onstrated th eir im portance in our experi­

ence w ith m ine haulage:

Sh o u ld Have Am pl e Cab Room

A ll locom otives should have ample cab room at each end so th a t th e m otorm an and trip rid er can each have a secu re seat, reasonably sa fe from in ju ry in case of collision, and in no danger of b ein g throw n off the m otor by a sudden bump or jerk. H andholds should also be bolted firmly to th e locom otive fram e and w ith in easy reach o f both th e m otorm an and trip rid er when th ey are seated in th e ir cabs.

In our experience w e have traced several accidents to insufficient cab room on the older typ es o f locomo­

tiv es and w e now require th e m anufacturers to arrange fo r cabs w ith ample space at each end, even i f the u n it price be higher, w hich in som e purchases has been the case.

H avin g m et th is particular requirem ent so fa r as the

T h i s p a p e r w a s r e a d b y M r . B a n n i s t e r b e f o r e t h e I l l i n o i s m i n e s a f e t y c o n f e r e n c e i n S p r i n g f i e l d , 111., J a n . 1 6 , 1 9 2 5 .

H ose P lays a S afety Role H ere

A l o n g t h i s e n t r y , w h e r e m e n s o m e t i m e s h a v e t o w a l k , t h e t r o l l e y w i r e r u n s t h r o u g h a l o n g g u a r d m a d e o f d i s c a r d e d f i r e h o s e s p l i t l e n g t h w i s e . F e e d e r c a b l e , w h i c h is h e r e s h o w n r u n n i n g p a r a l l e l t o t h e t r o l l e y , i s c a r r i e d i n s i d e o f s m a l l h o s e a n d I s t h u s p r o t e c t e d a g a i n s t c o n t a c t s . T h e s i g n s a y s : " D a n g e r o u s ! D o n ’t S t a n d H e r e . D e r a i l m e n t s O f t e n O c c u r a t S w i t c h e s . ”

equipm ent is concerned, th e men m u st be in stru ted and required to u se the protection so offered them and under no circum stances should th ey be perm itted to move a locom otive w ithout b ein g seated in th e oper­

ator’s cab. We had a man seriou sly injured w hile attem p tin g to sw itch a fe w cars because he tried to walk along beside the locom otive w ith h is hand on the controller. I t would have taken only a second to g e t on h is regular seat but he did not take th e trouble, w ith the result th a t he g o t severely squeezed a t a door.

The custom, unfortunately too prevalent everyw here, of the triprider jum ping off th e m oving locom otive and running ahead to throw a sw itch, should be p o sitiv ely forbidden under penalty o f discharge. T h is practice is bad enough in g a th erin g work, but in m ain lin e haul­

age, w ith the heavy locom otives and trip s now so com­

mon, it is frequently suicidal. I f its n ecessity cannot be avoided by th e in stallation o f autom atic doors and sw itches, th ere are only tw o th in g s le ft from a sa fe ty standpoint— trappers and sw itch throw ers m ust be put on th e job, or trip s m ust be required to come to a stop before the triprider goes ahead.