Coal Age : devoted to the operating, technical and business problems of the coal-mining industry, Vol. 25, No. 9

M cGra w - Hi L L C o M P A N Y, I n c

Devoted to the Operating, Technical and Business

J a m e s H . M c G r a w , President .

R-

E . J . M e h r e n , Vice-President

Problems of the Coal-Mining Industry

Yolume 25 N E W YORK, F E B R U A R Y 28, 1924 N um ber 9

E nergy o r A trop h y?

T

try ! Shall they be years of construction or de- terioration? Shall the companies energize or atrophy?

In th ese years o f peace is a chance for notable con- structive work. In fact it may be said that only those companies which confront the situation boldly now and bring th eir m ines up to the best practice devised or projected w ill be able to sail through the three years of peace, weak market and com petition. Only those who modernize th eir m ines— who in 1924 do all they can to cheapen th eir w ays of operation— will see 1927. If nothing is done, if th eir owners “w ait and see,” the m ines m ay endure but the properties will change hands.

Some will hope to w in by heartening their sales force by cu ttin g salaries and by discharging a man here and there at th e office and th e mine, but only by radical improvem ents at th e m ines can the true solution be found. Cheaper coal, obtained by b etter m achinery and by a cu ttin g down o f risks, will alone work the reforma- tion. ”What im provem ent is made m ust needs be funda- mental. N o half m easures w ill serve. The result will be obtained not so much by rem oving needed officials, repair and m aintenance men but by the broader policy of providing mechanical appliances th at w ill actually make men superfluous.

It will be necessary to remember th at the m ine is the fighting front. The com forts of the rearguard m ust be renounced and the fight m ust be pressed w here the victory alone can be won— at th e face— not fo rg ettin g of course the n ecessity of providing the necessary finances for the needed m ine equipment.

H o o d lu m ism

O

The scowlers swallowed and blinked. Some appeared to shrink back. “I don’t think nobody said th at,” finally offered somebody. “All rig h t th en ,” replied the ranger.

The cycle roared, the dust cloud rose, and he w as gone but not forgotten . T hat town remembered such oc- currences.

What if the K luxers and the K nigh ts of the F lam in g Circle and the rest of them down in H errin, III., had some such remem brance? Would th ere be so many hot guns and so m any fresh graves and such heli on earth for the decent citizen s of W illiam son County?

But they have no sta te ran gers in Illinois. One of the reasons w hy th ey haven’t is th a t organized labor killed the constabulary bill in th e la st session o f the State L egislature.

Violence has come to be a h ab it in th e solidly union- ized coal field of “Bloody W illiam son.” The sp irit of

disregard for law has grown up there among a large number of men who have let powerful unionism go to their heads. There are good, sound, sane citizens among the union m iners of th at territory, ju st as there are in every other union field, but the isolation of the region from every interest but the unionized production of coal has given too many of those men the idea that the law of the union, which has made them dominant in th eir neighborhood, is the only law worth obeying.

Some of them are g ettin g wobbly about obeying even that.

Union propaganda blamed bolshevism for the 1922 outbreak of these men— the infam ous H errin m assacre.

Bolshevism can hardly be blamed for the m oonshine war of this year. It is due to ju st plain law lessness of mind— the same inflamed mental attitude which led to the butchery of tw enty-tw o non-union men in H errin two years ago. Only one th ing will help to check it—

outside control. Sending in troops periodically is clumsy. The only form of outside control worth a whoop is offered in th e form of a state constabulary.

Such a force is needed so badly th at even the m ine w orkers’ union could benefit by its suasion. Rangers, by inspiring more respect for statu te law in the m inds of W illiamson County m iners, m igh t evoke more re­

spect for union law. There w ere indications at the Indianapolis union convention and elsew here th at union law is suffering from lack of respect in Illinois. Hood­

lumism is bad for any union. Mr. Lew is and Mr. Far- rington m ight bear th is in mind when the next constabulary bill comes up in Illinois.

T h e U n io n W ill Learn

“ T T TE ARE w eak; w e can’t fight now ,” w as the

W

U nionism did not need to wave a bludgeon. Nobody stoutly demanded th a t m iners take a cut in w ages.

N early everybody but the operators from Illin ois w ere reasonably w illin g to give the m iners w hat th ey asked

— a four-year continuance o f the present scalę. And the trim m ing of th a t program to th ree years w as made principally because Illin ois gagged at th e dose, feelin g th at the program is nearly suicidal. B u t is it?

Of course, m any a coal company w ill have to retire from the field. B u t w ith them m u st go an arm y of union m iners. T his m eans fu rth er w eakness o f the union. The first th in g to expect o f th ose discolated m iners is th at they travel over into non-union fields and try to remain in the kind o f labor th ey know and like.

They may be good union men but th ey m ust live and they w ill go w here th ey can work even if it be into non-union territory, ju st as hundreds of them did dur- in g the 1922 strike. T his giv es th e non-union operator a higher hand. L ikew ise, it giv es th e union operator more ópportunity to select the men he w an ts to keep,

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304 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 9 which means an increasing opportunity to run h is

own property instead of lettin g unionism run it as is generally the case in many union fields.

W hat does all this mean? D oesn’t it mean th at an already weakened union is going to be compelled to recognize the fact that union-field w ages m ust be adjusted downward if union coal is to keep any of its markets and continue in production? T hat is exactly what it means. President Lewis could not propose it to h is men now. The rank and file would strike. A strike would be ruinous to all unionism and all union fields. T herefore the rank and file m ust learn of its necessity through bitter experience.

The bitter experience is now starting. E very mine shutdown makes the b itterness more poignant. The natm-al result of it all is an appeal by th e union for a change in the w age agreem ent. Some day such an appeal w ill be made by the union by the exercise of nothing but plain common sense— unless governm ent intervention or some other extraneous influence can be dragged in by Mr. Lewis.

Much at L ittle Cost

S

I f we had argued th at the anthracite region spend

$5,000 or $6,000 per day for inspection of its own and had urged th at coal that did not m eet the needs of that inspection should go back to the breaker and be treated again till it m et w ith specifications, th at would have been asking a sacrifice indeed. We are sure that the anthracite region would have demurred. “Two m illions a year! P rep osterou s!” would have been the ery.

I f w e had argued that the railroad coal companies should sell th eir coal under the market price, tak ing no advantage o f the fa c t that other companies were selling fo r much more, w e should have been regarded as hope- less idealists.

But these th in g s have been done, are being done.

The second is so unusual, so self-denying, th a t the public p ersistently doubts that it is being done and tr ie s to su g g est it is a trick o f which some secret, subtle advantage is being taken.

Y et when we argue th at the federal government should inspect cars here and there at its own expense and see i f those that have no inspection and those that have are alike producing coal of the specification now demanded we are told by some that it is too much.

T his little dip into Jordan, th is ceremoniał w ashing is too great a concession, we are told, to be taken by men who made such magnanim ous provisions as those fo r an elaborate self-inspection of every car and a regu- lation o f prices on all the dom estic sizes sold.

N o one can explain the difference except that the d istinction is a “L ittle th in g but mine own.” The anthracite com panies made th eir own big concessions, but th is one is suggested to them w ithout ostentation by a federal bureau, and conseąuently they demur about it. We cannot see why.

But is th is concession little— i f concession it may be term ed? Surely it gives the public such assurance of rig h t dealing, such an advertisem ent of rectitude of purpose th at though it cost nothing it w ill do more to establish the anthracite industry in the good will o f the public than either or both the concessions already

made. It w ill earn the public good w ill; it w ill pro- mote the public confidence. A t a tim e when oil is get- tin g into public reprobation, and for good reason, coal will come back as have the railroad and central-station industries. Why not make the venture, if venture it be?

All Soft-C oal M ines A re P ow tler M agazines

R

It was not, however, in the anthracite region, so we were confident th at it was a powder m agazine and liable, if he did not take precautions— unusual precautions— to explode. He has a dangerous m ine and w e did not fail to tell him so. I f the public fools its e lf th at any of the bituminous m ines are sa fe from explosion it is deceived, unless indeed the m ine has been made sa fe by diligent stone dusting.

In the Ruhr the cperators at last are b egin n in g to see that humidification is at best only a palliative. It has done much to make the m ines safer, but rock dust­

ing is a greater security, and at th a t it m ust be thorough. Great B ritain w ith its 50-per cent adm ixture of stone dust has altogether too m any explosions; the Belgian and French rule o f requ irin g 70 per cent of inert materiał seem s preferable.

U nfortunately, in the U nited S tates the cars are built up with lumps, and the coal in conseąuence rolls off the cars whenever brakes are applied to eith er th e loco- motives or the cars. In th is w ay th e roads are strewn with materiał which soon is ground to an explosive dust.

So long as the practice continues a road treated with rock dust inevitably w ill soon be rendered dangerous.

Loading machines w ith or w ith ou t conveyors w ill largely correct that condition because the best th at can be done economically w ith a loading m achinę is to load the coal

“baldy,” or w ith only a rounded top. W hen th e brakes are applied on such a car it w ill m erely shake down, leaving the coal still in the bed. Furtheirnore, by con- centrating operation proper treatm ent of the fe w road- ways involved w ill be a job well w ith in economical pos- sibility.

At the m ines o f the Phelps Dodge Corporation in New Mexico all the cars are ligh tly loaded. In conseąuence the coal-dust evil is reduced to a m inim um . T his com­

pany also is goin g heavily into the practice o f rock dusting. Shelves 2,000 ft. in len gth have been intro- duced to carry rock dust or adobe and the same m ate­

riał is being spread by the cem ent gun and other methods. The Old Ben Corporation also is u sin g rock dust generously to protect its m ines.

The movement is spreading. N o one w ants to have a mine bespread w ith a m ateriał th a t is and has been freąuently used as con stitu en t fo r the m anufacture of a low-grade but extrem ely effective explosive, unless indeed that con stitu en t is guarded by some inert materiał.

Th e r e i s co-o p e r a t i o n i n c o a l n o w, if there never was before. Those num erous bitum inous-coal o p e r a t o r s who have contended th a t th e ind u stry needed only a long period o f Iow m arket to elim inate the unfit and thereby correct many coal evils have long had the co-operation of heavy storers, o f sm ooth-running rail- roads, of płenitude of labor and e v e n o f th e G r e a t Operator him self. who has modified th e w in ter thus far to a degree seldom exceeded.

February 2«, 1924 C O A L A G E 305

One More Mechanical Loader Comes to Light

W ilson C hainloader for Low Coal W eighs 4,600 Lb.

and H a s M axim u m H eig h t o f 32 In .— I t H as L oaded 69 T o n s o f Coal a D a y and 120 T ons o f L oose G ob

A RO UND the corner of alm ost every gob pile in the Am erican coal fields somebody is quietly devel- X A . oping an underground coal loader. It is no sur- prise, then, to learn th at F. N. W ilson, of St. Louis, Mo., w orking under the paternal interest of the South­

ern Coal, Coke & M ining Co., of th at city, now has what he calls th e W ilson Chainloader fairly well devel- oped a fter nearly two years of experim entation and back-breaking work. T his machinę, the appearance o f which is su g g estiv e of the Joy loader but which differs from it in m any respects, is now working in one of the Bell Coal & N avigation Co.’s m ines near S tu rgis, Ky., under the inventor’s eye and hand.

W. F. D avis, generał superintendent for the Southern Coal, Coke & M ining Co., said early in January th at the m achinę “is handling a clod and bastard lime, heavily shot, o f course, to make it as smali as possible, at the rate o f 15 tons an hour.” The m achinę has been loading coal also. On 12-ft. entry work, where, of course, it w as handicapped by narrow ness ju st as any loader would have been, it has loaded about 30 tons a day, but in 25-ft. room s its best day w as A ug. 29, 1923, when it loaded out 69 tons. T his work w as in coal not exceeding 40 in. in th ickness.

The m achinę in its present form is designed especially fo r use in thin coal. I t stands 32 in. h igh from the raił to th e h ig h est point on the m achinę— a sprocket on

T h e h e a d p i e c e s h o w s t h e W i l s o n C h a in l o a d e r , w h i c h is d e s i g n e d f o r t h i n c o a l. T h i s m a c h i n ę h a s b e e n w o r k i n g in a 4 0 - in . s e a m a n d , w i t h o u t r e d u c i n g i t s p r e s e n t m a x i m u m h e i g h t o f 32 in ., c o u ld lo a d c o a l in a 3 6 -in . d e p o s i t. TTiis p i c t u r e g i v e s s o m e i d e a o f t h e

- t h e c o n v e y o r a r m s .

the top of the upper end of a sloping conveyor. I t is possible th at th is h eig h t can be fu rth er reduced to 28 in.

The machinę today therefore can load under a roof approxim ately 36 in. above the raił. I t w eigh s about 4,600 lb.

The Chainloader is made up o f tw o conveyors and th e m echanism th a t drives them , all mounted on a fou r- wheel self-propelled truck, th e wheelbase of w hich is 48 in. long. The m ain conveyor is 12 ft. long and slopes at an angle of about 18 deg. when th e fro n t end is lowered to the floor in operating position. I t pivots at the back and can be sw u ng through an arc w ith a front-end cord of 16 ft. Coal is gathered onto th is sw in gin g conveyor and delivered at th e top o f the machinę to a non-adjustable conveyor w hich extends horizontally backward over th e car to be loaded. The m achinę is driven by th ree m otors— one of 7 i hp.

actuating the gath erin g arm s and m ain conveyor, one o f 2 hp. affording traction and th e third, o f 2• hp., operating the rear conveyor.

The d ig g in g and gath erin g o f th e coal to th e m ain conveyor is done by tw o kinds o f arm s— tw o heavy d igger bars and a series o f conveyor arm s. The d igger bars remind one of the flails w hich operate on the Joy machinę, although there are im portant differences.

Thus th ey are n eith er join ted nor flexible. One of th ese d igger bars is m ounted at each side o f th e fron t end o f th e conveyor pan or tread plate. It is about 6 ft.

long and m ade fróm tool steel 2 in. square. The fron t end is curved in sickle shape and is pointed. J u st back o f th is curve the bar is attached to a crank disk by

306 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, N o. 9 a substantial tool-steel pin. The crank disk moves the

front end of the bar in an elliptical path, the piane of which is sligh tly above that of the conveyor.

N ot only does th is bar move w ith a gathering motion, dragging coal to the conveyor, but it also rotates through 90 deg. This is accomplished by reason of the fact that 28 in. of the bar’s rear end is turned to 2 in.

in diam eter and provided w ith i'ifled grooves I in. deep on opposite sides. These grooves, which engage heavy pins, run straigh t along the bar except at th eir forward ends, where they follow a helical course for a sufficient distance to impart a 90-deg. rotation to the bar.

T his tw istin g motion of the digger bar turns the

“sickle” up when it reaches a position directly over the conveyor. T his perm its lump coal of good size to pass under the bar and reduces the likelihood o f its drag­

g in g coal off the conveyor.

Actual conveyance up the tread plate is accomplished by two endless chains fitted w ith arms which extend 14 in. across the 18-in. plate. These arms are attached to the links o f each chain at 36-in. intervals and are so arranged as to alternate w ith each other. Thus the arms are 18 in. apart as they move up th e tread plate pushing coal to its top. Roller chain of 3-in. pitch is used on this conveyor.

Each conveyor arm is built of a ł-in . steel strap 3 in.

wide lying on edge. Two pieces of th is fiat steel are placed approxim ately on the two sides of a right-angle triangle o f which the chain form s the third side. A link attachm ent secures the two corners of the arm to th e conveyor chain, and a certain amount of flexibility in the arm itse lf allows it to n egotiate the sharp turn which the chain makes in rounding the sprockets at the ends of the conveyor.

Ma c h i n ę Wil l Cl e a n a Wid e Ar e a

A “m achinery plate” which in shape resembles a wide T th at lies fiat on top of the truck, w ith the cross of the T at the forward end, form s the base of the entire machinę. The rear end of the main conveyor pivots directly above the base of this T-shaped plate.

M ost of its w eigh t rests on the cross of the T, on which a curved track is mounted. The forward end of the conveyor is supported on deeply grooved w heels running on th is track and sw in gs through its 16-ft. arc, enabling the machinę to clean up a fa irly wide area.

In practice the machinę is moved up to the fron t of a fali o f coal. One man w ith a crowbar easily sw ings th e fron t end of the conveyor to the extrem e left of its arc. The machinę then begins work along the left rib. The traction motor crowds it into the pile of coal.

A s soon as th e pile at that point is reduced so th at the right-hand d igger bar is doing the hęaviest work the action of th is bar tends to puli the end of the conveyor under the coal. F y releasing a chain, a few inches at a tim e, the operator perm its th is sw in gin g

motion to proceed until the loader has sw u ng through its fuli arc. A man w ith a crowbar then sw in g s it back to the left, th e machinę is crowded forw ard again, and cuts another swath through the pile. Thus the operation is repeated. The inventor a sserts th a t this machinę can clean up a place so neatly th a t little or no hand shoveling is necessary.

Originally the machinę w as built w ith one continuous conveyor which flattened down at the back. However, Mr. W ilson soon concluded that there w ere m any advan- tages in breaking the long conveyor into tw o separate sections^ Not the least o f th ese w as the advantage of always having the taił end o f th e m achinę lined up

w ith th e car to be loaded. Conseąuently the present machinę has a flat delivery conveyor 8 ft. 6 in.

long suspended from the rear o f the loader fram e. This conveyor is built up in a peculiar manner.

A belt 30 in. wide is riveted to th in iron cross sla ts which are attached at their ends to roller chains o f |-in . pitch. Both th e m ain and de- 1 i v e r y conveyors move at a speed of 300 ft. per minutę.

D u rin g the two years o f experim en- tation th at have passed sińce W. K. Kavanaugh, presid en t of th e South­

ern Coal, Coke & M ining Co., first saw a model o f this machinę operating in Mr. W ilson’s basem ent

iiL

Other improvem ents followed one upon another until today the machinę is able to stand considerable rough- and-tumble work though it is not y et ready fo r extensive commercial production. A s th is w as w ritten there also appeared to be some likelihood o f p aten t infringem ent difficulties although the main p aten ts covering the ma­

chinę all have been allowed by th e P a ten t Office, and their holders are ready to rise in th eir defence.

F . N . W ilso n

I n y e n t o r o f t h e W i l s o n c h a i n l o a d e r

The Machinę is Merely Two Conveyors

T h e m a i n c o n v e y o r c a n b e s w u n g t h r o u g h a n a r c o f 16 f t . to c l e a n u p a c o n s i d e r a b l e a r e a . T h e r e a r b e l t w i t h i t s r i v e t e d c r o s s s l a t s o f ir o n a l w a y s is in lin e w i t h t h e c a r b e i n g lo a d e d .

Re n e w i n g t h e Sa l t Lo s t i n Pe r s p i r a t i o n.— In England, Professor Moss o f the U n iv ersity o f B irm in g­

ham, with the advice o f Dr. H aldane, has made a study of the effects of chloride elim in ation d uring excessive sw eating while w orking in h igh tem peratures. He States that the addition o f sodium and potassium chlorides to the drinking w ater m aterially lessen s the muscular fatigue and prevents m in ers’ cramps.

February 28, 1924 C O A L A G E 307

What Everyone in the Industry Should Know About Handling o f Mining Machinery

M a n y E ą u ip m en t Failures D u e to Lack o f U nd erstanding o f th e M ach ines

— D e v ice s Should B e D esign ed to M eet M inin g C ond itions — Proper Perform ance O btainable O nly W hen M achinery Is K ep t in G ood R epair

B y T. F. McCa r t h y E le c t r i c a l E n g in e e r , I n d i a n a , P a .

I

The application o f mechanical and electrical ma­

chinery has been so rapid th at few except those who have an in tim ate contact w ith it have a proper appre- ciation of its im portant ch aracteristics; in fact, many of those who have direct supervision of its operation have been unable to g iv e it the care and attention ordinarily reąuired. A nother disadvantage m ost engi- neers have realized is the fa c t th a t m achines introduced from other ind u stries do not always w ithstand the hard mine service.

In sp ite of th ese adverse conditions th e application o f m achinery is rapidly expanding, and it is th erefore becom ing increasingly necessary that m ining men be- come more thoroughly fam iliar w ith m echanical and electrical m achinery i f the best results are to be ob- tained. It also is im portant th at many m anufacturers of eąuipm ent for m ine service design th eir product or revise th eir d esigns to m eet m in ing conditions.

Mine superintendents, foremen and assista n t fore- man usually have direct supervision of the operation, care and repair o f m in in g m achinery and it is there­

fore im portant th at they be sufficiently fam iliar w ith the eąuipm ent to know its lim itation s and be able to ascertain w hether or not it fits the conditions and is b eing given proper atten tion and repair. In th is con- nection there are three im portant points to be con- sidered, nam ely: The eąuipm ent m ust be designed for the particular operating conditions, it m ust be operated w ith in its ratin g and m ust be properly cared fo r and repaired.

The ąuestion o f design is a problem th at reąuires special atten tion. Often m ine eąuipm ent m ust operate in very damp and d irty locations and under w idely different conditions, all o f which m u st be taken into consideration. It is particularly im portant th a t m otors and other electrical eąuipm ent be designed to keep out m oisture and dirt. H aulage, cu ttin g and h o istin g eąuipm ent are subject to very heavy overloads, and due consideration m u st be given to the ratin g and capacity o f the m otors and th e d esign m ust be such as to w ith ­ stand severe m echanical stresses. I t is th erefore im ­ portant th a t th ose responsible fo r the purchase o f m ine eąuipm ent rem em ber th a t th e operating conditions, ra t­

in g and ąu ality o f th e apparatus should govern its selection rather than first cost.

Many eąuipm ent fa ilu res are due to the operation of m achinery under conditions different from th ose for

which it was designed'. Motors often are operated on circuits where the voltage is too high or too Iow, and to avoid failures from th is cause one should remember that the voltage of a circuit should never vary more than 10 per cent above or below th at stamped on th e name plate. Pumps often are operated on heads above their rating or the suction or discharge pipes are smaller than the openings on the pump, yet they are expected to deliver th eir rated capacity. These condi­

tions apply to all classes o f m ine eąuipm ent and w here a machinę or motor is continually breaking down an investigation usually w ill reveal the fa ct th a t some condition is not rig h t for its successful operation.

The largest percentage of eąuipm ent troubles are due to fau lty lubrication and dirt. E very piece o f apparatus reąuires certain grades of lubricating oils and greases for the different bearings. The m anufacturers o f eąuipm ent w ill gladly recommend the particular lubri- cant to use on th eir m achines and th ese recommenda- tions should be closely followed. W ith m otors, an over- supply of oil freąuently is the cause o f electrical trouble.

The excess oil gets into the w indings and spreads its e lf over the insulation of th e w irin g, field coils, arm aturę and commutator bars, causing th e insulation to break down and resultin g in a short-circuit. Oil m ixed w ith dirt serves as a path fo r current to leak, thus causing burned insulation.

Repairmen should be thorough in th e inspection and cleaning of eąuipm ent. I f the m achines are cleaned of excess oil and dirt at every inspection it w ill be possible to elim inate a large percentage o f the m ost common troubles.

H aulage locom otives are one o f th e m ost abused classes o f m ine eąuipm ent. Those in charge do not know th eir lim itation s and as a conseąuence th ey are given very little atten tion. Locom otives usually are operated over poorly kept tracks and th e supply voltage often is much lower than th a t n ecessary fo r su ccessfu l operation. Some m otormen believe a locom otive should haul any size trip th a t can be coupled to it.

A locom otive is guaranteed to deliver a given draw- bar puli at a rated speed provided th e track conditions and th e voltage of th e circuit are correct. A modern locom otive can be relied on to deliver a drawbar puli eąual to 25 per cent o f its w e ig h t provided th e w heels can obtain sufficient adhesion to th e raił. The tra ctive force therefore is governed by th e size o f raił and condition of the roadbed. I f locom otives are to be expected to deliver th eir rated drawbar puli, heavy rails should be used and th e track should be well kept.

W ith chilled cast-iron w heels it is the usual practice to consider th e drawbar puli eąual to 20 per cent o f the w eig h t of th e locom otive, w hile w ith steel tir e s the drawbar puli w ill be eąual to 25 per cent of th e w e ig h t

308 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 9 o f the locomotive. It is necessary then, if w e w ish to

obtain best results from our locomotives, that the load attached to the motor shall not cause it to exceed its ratin g and th at the proper voltage be m aintained on the trolley circuit.

Where plain-bearing mine cax-s are used it is common practice to consider 30 lb. per ton as the friction load and 20 lb. per ton as the grade resistance. For ex- ample, let us suppose it is reąuired to determ ine the number of cars a 10-ton locomotive w ill haul on a 2-per cent adverse grade where the m ine cars are eąuipped w ith plain bearings and the total average w eight of the loaded car is two tons.

W ith a proper size raił— which should not be less than 40 lb. per yard— and the rated voltage on the trol­

ley circuit, the correct number of cars fo r the trip will be determined as follow s: The drawbar puli o f a 10-ton locomotive w ith steel tired w heels is 5,000 lb.

The friction load of the 2-ton car at 30 lb. per ton is 60 lb. per car. The grade resistance load at 20 lb.

per ton is 40 lb. per car; the total drawbar puli per car is th erefore 100 lb. A s the drawbar puli of the locomotive is 5,000 lb. it is apparent that it can haul a load eąual to lifty cars each w eigh in g two tons. As the locomotive w eighs ten tons and is therefore equal to five 2-ton cars, it is capable of hauling only forty-five cars of this given w eigh t on the 2-per cent grade.

Op e r a t e Lo c o m o t iv e Mo to r s Wi t h i n Ra t i n g

The motors in a locomotive usually are guaranteed to deliver th eir rated drawbar puli at a given speed w ith a tem perature rise not exceeding 75 deg. C. or 167 deg. F. over a period of one hour. If the load exceeds the capacity of the locomotive and the haul is long, the tem perature may exceed the safe lim it and the insulation o f the arcnature and field coils become overheated. To keep w ithin the ratin g of the motors it is necessary that the duty cycle of the locomotive

be such that during periods when the locom otive is lightly loaded, coasting or standing, it will have tim e to cool off.

A 25-per cent overload on a motor will reduce the tim e the motor attain s its m aximum tem perature from one hour to one-half hour and also cause a reduction in speed of approxim ately 10 per cent. I f the haul is long and the locomotive overloaded and th ere is not sufficient tim e between trip s for the m otors to cool the result will be overheating and insulation failure.

Another cause of trouble from overheating is Iow voltage. A 10-per cen t reduction in voltage w ill cause a reduction in speed o f approxim ately 20 per cent, caus- ing an increase in the tim e reąuired to make a trip and resulting in overheated m otors, increased power con- sumption and reduced output. Low voltage usually is found to be due to poor bonding and lack o f sufficient copper in the trolley or feed lines.

Overloads increase the demand charge w ith a resu lt­

ing increase in energy cost. Low voltage also increases the energy cost because when the speed o f a locomotive has been reduced 50 per cent the power bill is doubled and the extra power has been w asted in overcom ing the resistance of the track, poor bonds or overloaded feed lines.

The motors of modern locom otives are eąuipped w ith bali or roller bearings which reątiire a special grade of grease. Great care should be given to see th a t the bearing housings are dustproof and th a t no dirt is working into them. Journals and axle lin in gs also re- ąuire a special grade of oil and the oil w ells should be kept packed w ith a good grade of wool w aste and the lids properly fitted to prevent sand and d irt working into them.

Ali driving-gear bearings should be kept reasonably tig h t so that the gears will m esh properly. Gear cases should always be installed and kept tig h t and th e gears lubricated w ith a gear compound. Brake r ig g in g and

Underground Pumping

S o m e o f t h e p u m p s u s e d in t h e m in e s m u s t b e l o c a t e d i n r e r a o te D laces th ic k

t h e ka t e r c a n b e c o n c e n t r a t e d . L a t e d e v e lo p m e n ts i n pum D ine- m a rłlfn !? ™ i? s e t h e , p u m P m u s t b e l o c a t e d w h e r e i n g s t a t i o n s ; m o t o r - d r i v e n c e n t r i f u g a l p u m p s a r e s o m e tim e ^ w r ł h a v e r e s u l t e d in o d d lo o k i n g p u m p -

se e n w u t i s t e a m - d n v e n r e c i p r o c a t i n g p u m p s .

February 28, 1924 C O A L A G E shoes should be kept in perfect adjustm ent to prevent

any p ossibility of accident.

Motor brushes reąuire a certain amount of attention to see th at th ey are seatin g properly and not sticking in the holders. Controllers should be inspected regu- larly and all fingers and segm ents that are burned or pitted should be promptly repaired and kept lubricated w ith a light coating of vaseline. The air gap between the motor arm aturę and pole pieces should be regularly checked w ith a gage to make certain that the clear- ance is correct. W here compressed air is available it should be the practice to blow off all accum ulations of sand and dirt at freąuent intervals. This method of

E n c lo se d T y p e M otor

I f m a n u f a c t u r e r s s e l l i n g e ą u i p m e n t t o t h e m i n i n g i n d u s t r y w o u ld s t u d y t h e c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r w h i c h t h e i r e ą u i p m e n t m u s t o p e r a te , f a r b e t t e r s u c c e s s w o u ld b e o b t a i n e d . E n c lo s e d m o t o r s w ill u s u a l l y b e m u c h l a r g e r a n d m o r e e x p e n s iv e t h a n t h e o p e n t y p e s b u t i n m a n y c a s e s t h e y w o u ld ą u i c k l y p r o v e m o r e s a t i s - f a e t o r y .

cleaning is especially effective on the rheostat because it will clean off the grids and reduce the probability of short-circuits and grounds.

Two T y p e s o f P u m p i n g E q u i p m e n t

Mine pumps m ay be divided into two types, recipro- cating and centrifu gal. When driven by m eans of an electric motor th ey are either direct-connected, belt driven or gear driven. The reciprocating type pump, either piston or plunger, generally is used for gather- ing purposes.

W henever a pump is inspected th e motor also should be inspected so as to be certain th at th e brushes are seatin g properly, are free in the holders and the w inding and com m utator are free from oil and dirt. I f exces- sive sparking occurs at the m otor it probably is caused by a d irty com m utator, stick y brushes, open or short- circuited arm aturę coils, partly short-circuited field coils or grounds. I f any such d efect is noted it should be given in sta n t atten tion so th at the source of trouble may be located.

The hand-operated or autom atic starter also should be exam ined to see th at it is fu n ction in g correctly and that all connections are tig h t. T hese starters have a definite purpose in the circuit, b eing used to accelerate the m achinę slowly, prevent excessive m echanical strain s and also to prevent excessive sta rtin g current when the m otor is connected to the line. W here hand starters are used th e pumpmen or workmen often will tie the arm o f th e sta rter in th e running position so th a t in the case of power failu re th ey w ill not have to

return to the starter to put the motor in operation when power is again on the line. Men should be reprimanded or discharged for doing this, as they are defeating the purpose o f the starter and freąuently cause serious m ateriał damage or injury to other work­

men. All motors should be properly protected by fu ses of a carrying capacity Iow enough to protect the motor in case o f trouble; ordinarily the fu ses should not be more than 50 per cent in excess of the fuli load current of the motor.

The packing on the pump rods, plungers and pistons should be regularly examined and tightened or replaced when reąuired. When a packing gland is tightened the handiest nut to g et at is often turned down and the other one left loose. T his causes the packing to bind and the rod to be cut or scored.

When the pump fa ils to pick up its w ater the valves should be examined to see th at they are seatin g prop­

erly and that all bolted connections and suction lines are free from air leaks. Efficient strainers on the suction pipę will reduce the possib ility of particles of coal or rock being carried into the pump and preventing the valves from seatin g properly. The connecting-rod bear- ings should be tightened before a knock develops.

Where mine w ater is especially bad the w ater ends of the pumps should be made of an anti-acid com position or lined w ith wood or cem ent; ordinary cast iron w ill not successfully resist the action of an acid water.

C entrifugal pumps should be used only on heads very close to th at for which they are designed, fo r ordinarily they have th e peculiar characteristic o f overloading when the head is too Iow and of not delivering th eir fuli capacity when the head is excessive. They also reąuire th at the suction line be absolutely a irtig h t and the pump and suction line be primed before being started.

In the inspection of a centrifu gal pump care should be taken to be certain th a t all bolted connections and packing glands are free from air leaks. B earin gs should be examined to see th at the oil reservoirs are properly filled and th at th e oil rin gs revolve freely.

The inside of the pump should be exam ined occasionally to see th at th e w earing rin g s on th e rotor and casin g have a minimum clearance, because excessive clearance w ill perm it too much w ater slippage and the pump will not deliver its rated capacity. The openings in the rotor may become plugged up w ith coal or wood, and

Cable Reel Locomotive

A lo c o m o tiv e w h i c h m a y b e r e p a i r e d e a s i l y i s a l w a y s b e t t e r t h a n o n e w h i c h t h e r e p a i r m e n m u s t t e a r d o w n t o m a k e a d j u s t - m e n t s o r c h a n g e s .

310 C O A L A G E Vol. 25, No. 9 therefore should be cleaned. The thrust bearing should

be closely inspected and adjusted.

C utting machines are reąuired to operate under very adverse conditions of voltage and load, and as the dust conditions usually are abnormal they will prove very expensive to m aintain unless carefully operated and repaired. Lack of proper lubrication is a prolific source of trouble. V ery often the machinę runner neglects to oil the machinę when reąuired and puts in an over- supply at long intervals of tim e instead of u sing a smali amount of oil at frequent intervals. These machines reąuire special grades of lubricants for the different bearings and drives and reąuire particular care to prevent d irt from entering the bearings.

The hardness of the coal being cu t determ ines the speed of the feed on the machinę, and i f the load on the motor is to be kept w ith in its ratin g and the mechanical stresses w ithin safe lim its, the cu ttin g speed m ust be correctly proportioned to the load. Manufac- turers of cu ttin g machines fu rn ish different ratio gearing for the different feeds reąuired, which makes it possible to make th e rate or speed of the feed such th at the load is w ith in the capacity of the machinę at all tim es. The machinę runner always should be supplied w ith a sufficient number of sharp bits so that th e used bits may be replaced when duli. Many over- loads and burned-out arm atures are caused by machinę runners attem pting to cut w ith duli bits.

En c l o s e d Mo to rs Be s t fo r Ho is t s

Room-hoist motors reąuire the same careful inspec- tion and adjustm ent needed by other electrical eąuip- m ent and should be specially protected from dampness because th ey operate very interm ittently. The most suitable motor for th is class o f work is th e totally enclosed crane type. When h oists are operated by unskilled labor it is necessary to see th at the controllers or starters are in good and sa fe condition and th a t the m otors are not overloaded by the men attem pting to haul too m any cars or replace heavily loaded derailed cars on the track.

Mine cars represent one of the largest investm ents in eąuipm ent about the m ine and as a rule are expected to remain in operation w ithout attention until worn out or put out o f service due to a wreck. A s the condi­

tion of the cars largely governs the output of the mine they should be regularly inspected and repaired so th at the trucks w ill alw ays be in p erfect alignm ent and the friction reduced to a minimum. Bali and roller bearings have considerable m erit and undoubtedly reduce car friction and are w orthy o f careful consider- ation in buying new eąuipment.

Pr o t e c t Wir e Ro p e Ag a i n s t Co r r o s io n

Other item s used about the mines, such as w ire rope, electric cables, drills and other accessories to mine eąuipm ent represent a considerable investm ent and th eir correct use is an im portant consideration in the successful operation of the mine. All w ire rope used on cu ttin g machines and hoists should be protected from corrosion by the application of a rope preservative or compound.

T railin g electric cable on cu ttin g machines, cable-reel locom otives and other m achines should have an insula- tion constructed so as to resist abrasion and m oisture.

Cables w ith molded rubber covering have proved ąuite su ccessful for th is service.

T he M iner’s T orch

Seeing Things

M

judgment in the m atter, but by w ay of countering the accusation, I w ant to go on record as sa yin g th at the average layman or laywoman attem p tin g a description of a plant or industry w ith which he or she is not fam iliar generally spoils the picture by sa y in g too much.

They do not leave any gaps to jump largely because they fili in all of the gaps w ith th eir own im aginings.

The January issue of Success m agazine has an article which illustrates the point I am attem p tin g to make.

The article gives the im pressions of a woman investi- gator who was sent to Alabama to in v estig a te the oper- ations of the Steel Corporation around Birm ingham .

She deseribes what she saw and does it well, then she proceeds to tell about conditions as th ey were in the past, not as she saw them , o f course, never having been in Alabama before, but as th ey w ere described to her by others. And you are le ft w ith th e impression that all of the changes for the b etter date back only to the year 1907 when the Steel Corporation took charge of the properties.

I am sure th at no one connected w ith the Steel Corporation consciously intim ated th a t th e m ines in Alabama in 1907 were veritable heli holes and then overnight as they changed ow nership or even in 16 years were transform ed to th eir p resent state. Also I feel sure that the author o f th e article did not bring in these contrasts as overnigh t transform ation s ju st to make the article in terestin g but th e resu lt nevertheless is to make you doubt the accuracy of th e en tire descrip­

tion, and some m igh t even wonder i f th e article was not inspired by the Corporation.

The conditions which she refers to as conditions of the past are not greatly exaggerated, and had the author only realized and made h er readers realize th at by past was meant thirty-five or fifty years ago, w hen the mines were first opened and that in a sta te w here m ining had never been carried on before, the im pression made by her narrative would have been ąuite different.

The m ining industry is in need o f all o f th e publicity it can g et; many of the ed itors and th e politicians who take such delight in sa y in g hard th in g s about our mines and miners do not know th at our country is filled with m ining camps where th e men and th eir fam ilies are well housed and otherw ise treated as human beings—

ju st as in the m ining camp described in the article under discussion. W hat a p ity then th a t the crude conditions of thirty-five years ago had to creep into the narrative to take hołd o f th e reader’s im agination.

I am reminded o f th e old sa y in g th a t runs something like th is: “It takes fou r very live m en to carry out one dead man.”

February 28, 1924 C O A L A G E 311

Yalley Coals of Virginia Present Unusually Difficult Operating Conditions

B ed s Are L ocated in P ocon o M easures— Seam s in P laces P itch so T h a t Floor o f Seam Is H igher T h an R o o f—A s a R esu lt o f Pressure and F a u ltin g Coal O ften Is B a d ly Crushed

G

The coal beds of the region occur in the Price for- mation, the basal m easures of th e Carboniferous sy s­

tem, and they are th erefore much older than the coal beds th at lie farth er northwest. The Price formation is of about the same age as the Pocono sandstone.

Beds o f th is age carry coal in m any parts of the nor- thern Appalachian region, but, so far as known, they do not contain it in commercial ąu antities north of the Potomac River. M ost of the beds th at can be operated are lim ited to the counties of V irgin ia ju st named.

M o n tg o m e r y C o u n ty— In th is county the coal lies in two d istin ct fields, as shown in F ig . 2, the Brushy Mountain field (A ) on th e north and th e P rice Moun- tain field (B ) on th e south. In th e B rushy Mountain field only one bed (th e Merrimac or “B ig Bed” ) is gen- erally of workable thickness. T his bed extends entirely across th e county on the south slope of B rushy Moun­

tain. It dips to the sou th east from 20 to 40 deg.

T his coal, though locally much crushed, is generally workable from the N ew River eastward to a place about a mile beyond the B lacksburg-N ew port road, but east of th is place it has been crushed by m ovem ents w ithin the cru st o f the earth, and in some places has been crowded into thick pockets and in other places almost sąueezed out. W here the M errimac bed is workable its thickness ranges from 5 to 9 ft., but it is broken by m any bony p artin gs, w hich are difficult to separate from the coal and which, i f not removed, help to swell its already large percentage of ash.

Co a l Be d s Ar c h Up w a r d To w a r d Pr ic e Mo u n t a i n

The m ine of the Superior A nthracite Coal Co. ( 5 ) , which is a m ile back from the river, at the station o f McCoy, on the V irgin ian Ry., is the only one in the B rushy M ountain field th at has direct railroad con- nection. In th e autum n of 1923 fou r other m ines—

the m ine o f Linkous & Kipp ( 4 ) , the College m ine (3 ) , the m ine of the Diamond Coal Co. (2 a ), and the m ine of th e M. J. Shu sser Coal Co. ( 3 ) — w ere w orking in a smali w ay and trucking th eir output to B lacksburg for local consum ption or fo r shipm ent on th e railroad.

R ecently the A. Dunphy Coal Co. has began operations on the property ju st south o f th at operated by the College m ine (3 ) .

The P rice M ountain coal field (B ) lies w est of the road between B lacksburg and C hristiansburg and com-

Note— T h i s a r t i c l e is w r i t t e n f r o m f a c t s s u p p l i e d b y t h e U . S.

G e o lo g ic a l S u r v e y . W h e r e v e r n o t d e c l a r e d t o b e b a s e d o n r e p o r t , t h e m e a s u r e m e n t s g iv e n a r e t h o s e a c t u a l l y o b t a i n e d b y t h e g e o l- o g i s t s in c h a r g e o f t h e S u r v e y . A p r i o r a r t i c l e , e n t i t l e d " C a n t h e V a l l e y C o a l F i e l d s o f V i r g i n i a C o m p e t e w i t h T h o s e o f t h e A n t h r a ­ c ite R e g io n ,” a p p e a r e d in t h e issU e o f F e b . 21 o n p a g e s 2 6 9 -2 7 1 .

prises an isolated area of the P rice form ation th at is entirely surrounded by the Valley lim estone. Price Mountain, a smali ridge about three m iles long, has been formed by the arching up of the P rice form ation, so that the coal beds dip away from the a xis o f th e arch in all directions and, in generał, the accompanying beds of lim estone dip correspondingly away from th e mountain.

The dip of th e coal beds on the south side ranges from 20 to 35 deg. and on the north from 30 to 50 deg.

A t some places on the north side th e coal bed stands nearly vertical, and in some of the old m ines it is re- ported to have been overturned so as to dip steeply toward the south.

As the beds of lim estone and the coal bed have about the same degree and direction of dip, the coal bed ob- viously passes beneath th e lim estone in m ost directions, but the extent of the coal bed beneath th e lim estone is not known. A s the coal bed in P rice M ountain dips to the north and the same bed in B rushy Mountain dips to the south the logical conclusion is th a t th e coal is continuous under the lim estone from one outcrop to the other, but th is assum ed continuity can be proved only by drilling.

In generał the lim its o f the coal fields of M ontgom ery County are determined on one side by the outcrop o f the coal bed and on the other by th e depth to which m ining can be profitably carried. I f 2,500 ft. is as­

sumed to be the vertical depth to which m in ing can be made profitable, and i f th e dips rangę from 20 to 30 deg., then a strip o f country ran gin g in w id th from three-ąuarters o f a m ile to l i m iles m ay be regarded as containing minable coal. I f the dip flattens w ith increase of depth th e w idth o f the belt o f available coal will be increased.

T his belt o f available coal along B rushy M ountain is continuous across th e county except in areas w here the coal is crushed, but th e coal in P rice M ountain is lim ited m ainly to its north and south sides, fo r at its ends the coal bed has been g reatly crushed and fau lted .

Me r r i m a c Mi n e Co n n e c t s w i t h Tw o Ra il r o a d s

Much coal has been m ined in P rice M ountain, b ut most o f the m ines have been smali, and th ey have not extended any considerable distance beyond th e drain- age level. Only three m ines are now in operation.

The M errimac m ine of th e M errim ac A n th racite Coal Corporation (6 ) is the la rg est and is th e only one in th e field th a t has direct railroad connection. It is favorably located fo r transportation, fo r it is on th e south side of the m ountain and has connections w ith both the N orfolk & W estern and th e V irg in ia n ra il­

roads. The coal bed in th is m ine is from 5 ł to 7 ft.

thick and th is th ick n ess is typical o f the bed on the Price M ountain field. The m ine o f th e Brunfield Coal Co. (7 ) also is on th e south side of th e m ountain, b ut it is smali and its output is trucked to th e railroad,