OAL GE
Established 1911- M c G r a w - H i l l Publishing Company, Inc.
D E V O T E D TO THE O P E R A T IN G , T EC H N IC A L A N D BUSINESS P R O B L EM S O F THE C O A L - M IN IN G INDUSTRY
New York, October, 1931
Volum e 36 . . . . Number 10
N ot a Job J ot Geovge
“ It W OULD immensely encourage
A m erican industry in gen er a l,” said the N e w 1 ork T i m es in an editorial review o f the stabi
lization p rogram for the bituminous coal in
dustry su g g ested in the September issue o f C o a l A g e , “ if, in a period o f widespread busi
ness depression, the bituminous operators should take steps to put their house in order, asking the cooperation o f the governm ent w h er e it is n e e d e d .”
T h i s s e n t i m e n t, re-echoed in spirit in
editorial opinion expressed in many other m et
ropolitan newspapers, is a challenge to dormant leadership which raises a fundamental question.
That question, frankly, is: H a s the bituminous industry the resources and the leadership with
in its ranks to effect its own rehabilitation?
T h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c is n ot alone in
raising this question. In the stream o f com
m ent fr o m coal-company executives and closely allied interests which has been flowing into the editorial offices o f C o a l A g e since this stabi
lization program was first laid b efore the in
dustry, this question is posed again and again in a p ointed inquiry as to h o w the proposals set forth m ay and can be translated from the field o f talk to the sphere o f action.
Si n c e the essence o f the program sug
gested by C o a l A g e is self-help, it necessarily fo llo w s th at action m ust start with the individ
ual op erator. T h e r e is no other w ay in which this, or any other program based upon self
determination and self-governm ent which may engage the serious attention o f the industry, can be initiated. A lth o u g h effective action upon a large scale must com e through group effort, this group effort will not be set in m otion unless and until the individuals make it their personal business to line up the groups o f which they are members for such action.
Th e r e is no magic in the stabilization
program outlined. N e ith e r is there any magic form ula which will make that program , or any other that preserves independence to the in
dustry, effective w ith ou t hard w'ork upon the part o f the individual coal-company executives and local and national bituminous coal trade associations that believe in stabilization and that h a v e more than sterile faith in the future o f the industry.
In r e a f f i r m i n g its own conviction that
“ there is no substitute for individual responsi
bility and no hope o f effective cooperation w ith out it,” C o a l A g e has no desire to avoid the re
sponsibilities which it assumed in the publica
tion o f this program . T h e program was offered as a p la tfo r m upon which there m igh t be a union o f leadership on m ajor objectives. W h ile the w orkin g out o f the details o f the principles therein set forth “can come only th rou gh dis
cussion and counsel with and within the indus
try,’" the staff o f C o a l A g e stands ready to assist in any and every w ay the industry itse lf may wish.
R E C O R D IN S IG H T + For C o al-M in e Safety
T
H O U G H the p resen t calendar y ear still has som e m onths to run, it show s prom ise o f being the sa fe st y e a r in coal m ining. I stress th is fact because, w ith a reasonable effo rt d u rin g _ th e closing m onths of th e year, the in d u stry m ay be able to m ake a safety record o f w hich it m ay be proud.
T w o m onths ago we began to be aw are o f th is o p p o rtu n ity to break previous low records. I com m ented on it publicly a t the end of th e first seven m onths. A n o th er m onth, the eighth, is now past, and o u r luck still holds. W ith th e goal in sight, every
one connected w ith the coal business, and, in fact, everyone in this country, should do w hat is possible to w in this race against danger.
Look over these figures, and be convinced of the o p p o rtu n ity th a t lies b efo re u s ; I n com parison w ith the first eight m onths of 1930, th e first eight of 1931 show a reduction of 27.4 p er cent in coal-m ine fatalities, yet the coal o u tp u t dim inished b u t 16.3 per c e n t ; th u s the red u ctio n per u n it o f o u tp u t w as 11.1 p e r cent.
Should the fatality ra te fo r th e first tw o -th ird s o f the y ear be m aintained d u rin g the concluding m onths, the whole n u m b er o f fatalities fo r the year will be less th an 1,450, w hich beats every record since 1906— the earliest y ear o f accurate statistics of coal-m ine fatalities. D u rin g none of the last 25 y ears have fatalities been below 1,984; th a t w as the death roll of the year 1922.
S ta ted in a n o th er w ay, the fatality rate fo r the first eight m onths of 1931 w as 3.31 p e r m illion tons of production, as com pared to 3.82 fo r the first eight m onths of th e preced
ing year. O p e ra to rs and m iners should now use th eir best endeavors to keep even w ith or below th a t figure of 3.31 lives p e r m illion tons of c o a l; careful planning an d earn est effo rt will be needed if the record is to be m aintained.
E v e ry one o f the five m ain causes of accidents— falls o f roof o r coal, haulage, gas o r d u st explosions, e x
plosives and electricity — has p ro duced less fa talities; th e ra te from m iscellaneous causes, including all o th ers th a n the above five, also show s a decrease. In addition, every coal
m ining state in the U n io n (ex cep t one) \yhich had any fatalities in the first eight m onths o f th e calendar year of 1930, has had few er fatalities in the first eight m onths o f 1931.
N o bitum inous coal m ine in the U n ited S tates h ad a m a jo r explosion d u rin g F eb ru ary , M arch , A p ril, M ay, Ju n e, July, A u g u st, or Septem ber, 1931, a period of eight m onths. F o r th e eight m onths since Ja n . 28, 1931, th ere has not been a m a jo r d isaster in a bitum inous coal m ine. N o t in 30 o r m ore y ears has th e re been such a record, o r one ap p roaching it.
T h e reduction in the n u m b er of m a jo r d isasters is especially g ra tify ing, fo r in th e p a st these have re peatedly shocked the e n tire nation.
T he U . S. B u reau o f M ines h as been active in advocating ro ck -d u stin g as one of the best w ays to p rev en t w idespread ex p lo sio n s; th e resu lt has justified th e B u re a u ’s p ersiste n t ad
vocacy. T w ice in th e p a st few m onths, to say n o th in g of a dozen or m ore earlier p ro o fs, rock-dusting has been show n effective in controlling m ine disasters. E ig h ty o r m ore m en w ere in a m ine w hich h ad an explo
sion, vet m any— if not m ost— w ere saved by the interposition o f rock dust. I n an o th er instance, th e m en in the m ine w ere jeop ard ized by a local explosion, w hich rem ained local because rock d u st stopped it b efo re it gained headw ay. O n e m an w as killed, b u t about 150 lives in this m ine w ere saved by rock dust.
Increase in safety has n o t come easily. I t is th e resu lt of the vigilant effort of o p erato rs, coal-m ine w orkers, inspectors, and associations.
T h e federal B u reau of M ines has helped in m any w ays. L a st year we gave 110,000 em ployees in th e m ining in d u stry com plete courses of tra in ing in first aid, and a like n u m b er in the previous y e a r; B ureau m en have trained nearly 400.000 w orkers in the
S co tt T u rn er
p ast five years. O v er h alf the m en in the in d u stry have h ad th e benefit o f this train in g . E ach y e a r this agency of govern m en t h ad d is
trib u te d a h u n d re d types of p am phlets dealing w ith v ario u s phases of m ine s a fe ty ; m ore th a n 400,000 copies of these pam phlets a re th u s circulated annually. A p o p u lar acci- d en t-p rev en tio n course, beginning la st au tu m n , has been given 1.500 coal-m ine officials. N u m e ro u s other sa fe ty m easures have supplem ented these" activities. T o g e th e r they have spread safety d ata over the en tire in d u stria l field, and have aided coal
m ining m en m aterially in m aking the p resen t y e a r’s record.
E ach year, w ith the ad v en t of cold w eather, coal-m ine o p eratio n takes a new lease of lif e ; p ro d u ctio n in
creases ; m ines a re re o p e n e d ; m ore m en are em ployed; and m ore h o u rs are w orked by th e m ine personnel.
T o o o fte n th is g re a te r activity re sults in m ore accidents. T h is season is now a t h a n d ; care m u st be taken to ad o p t all feasible p recautions to elim inate accidents. O u r chance has com e to show th a t we have finally succeeded in m aking coal m ining sa fe r th a n it has been fo r practically a g en eratio n . I t is up to all of us to g ra sp th is o p p o rtu n ity . T he B u rea u will announce th e resu lts at the end of each of the rem ain in g four m onths. Coal A g e and o th e r agencies will help d istrib u te the new s ; every
one should w atch th e score an d no one should m ake any m isplays fo r the balance of the season. I t is a chance of a life tim e; I believe we will w in .
D irector U. S’. B ureau o f M ines.
518 C O A L A G E - Vol.36. No.10
M O D E R N I Z A T I O N + Pushes M e ad Mines To Front
P R O D U C T IO N in the W inding Gulf district of southern W est V irginia has dropped less than that of the other smokeless districts.
A bout ten W inding G ulf mines, rep
resenting that fringe with difficult conditions or obsolete equipment, have closed in the last few years, but this loss of tonnage has been balanced by the increased production of a few mines where modernized equipment has raised the capacity, reduced the cost, or improved the product. In this class are M ines Nos. 2 and 4 of the C. PI. Mead Coal Co. An improvement program including a dry cleaning plant recently completed is already yielding the trident ad
vantage.
Beginning with the latter part of 1929, the expenditure for new equip
ment has approxim ated $170,000 at Mine No. 4, $100,000 at No. 2, and 310,000 in a proposition of joint benefit to both. Mine No. 4 is equipped with a combination wet and dry plant which includes the feature
of a storage bin that eases the diffi
cult}' of dry cleaning a run of wet coal coming out of the mine, and an
“American” air table of higher capac
ity than any form erly installed by the American Coal Cleaning Corporation.
The mine-car equipment, consist
ing of a miscellaneous assortm ent of small cars, was replaced during 1930 and 1931 with a fleet of high-capacity steel cars at an expenditure of over
$80,000. A t Mine No. 2, a building was erected which houses under one roof a central machine shop, central warehouse, white and colored bath houses, car shop, and laboratory. In M arch of this year an aerial refuse tram costing about $20,000, was in
stalled at No. 4 mine.
Topworks of the two mines are located about 2 miles ap art in Raleigh County on Stone Coal branch, a joint line of the Chesapeake ■& Ohio and Virginian railroads, and shipments can be made over two additional lines,
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the N orfolk & W estern and New York Central. No. 2 is near E ast Gulf and No. 4 is at Mead. The general location is 12 miles air line southwest of Beckley, W . Va.
Two seams, the Beckley and the Pocahontas No. 3, are worked at each mine and the coals are mixed. O pen
ings in the form er seam are approxi
mately 375 ft. higher than the rail
road, but the Pocahontas No. 3 is at railroad level at No. 4 mine and 20 ft.
below railroad level at No. 2 mine.
The property lines join, and at some future date the Pocahontas No. 3 workings will be cut together.
M ine No. 2, which was purchased by the Mead interests in 1920, has 2,250 acres of Pocahontas No. 3 and a smaller acreage of Beckley coal.
Production of this mine has been in
creased steadily from 90,000 tons in 1920 to 578,000 tons- in 1930. Mine No. 4, which was purchased from .he Comago Smokeless Coal Co. in Sep
tember, 1929, has 1,180 acres of Pocahontas No. 3 and a lesser acre
age of the Beckley. Since its ac
quisition, this No. 4 mine has been raised from a production of 25,000 tons per month to 43,000 to n s ’per month. A t both operations the P oca
hontas No. 3 seam is the producer upon which the improvem ents are based. Five to seven years will work out the Beckley coal. W hen ac
quired, I\o. 4 mine was alreadv equipped with a m odern steel tipple.
October, 1931 — C O A L A G E
* 519
T ip p le , D ry C lean in g P la n t, an d S to rag e B in at N o . 4 M in e N e w C ars, E m pty a n d L o ad ed , a t N o . 4 M ine
D u rin g the sum m er o f 1930, tw o long efficiently filter the coal d u st veyor N o. 2 is m ixed w ith slack R oberts & S ch aefer h y d ro sep a rato rs fro m the a ir collected above th e table, d ra w n fro m one o r m ore g ates in the w ere installed. O n e w ashes the egg A s a p a rt of th e cleaning p lan t bottom o f the bin and goes directly to
( 6x2 | in .) a n d . the o th e r stove p roject, a 400-ton raw slack sto rag e th e table. I f a t tim es th e raw slack (2jx24- in .). T h is y ear, th e m ine w as bin w as erected n e a r by. A belt con- com ing fro m th e tipple is w et enough equipped w ith a d ry cleaning plant veyor carries the slack fro m th e tipple to cause tro u b le if it w ere to go w hich is tre a tin g over 1,000 to n s of to the bottom of a scra p er conveyor directly to th e table, th e situ atio n is JxO-in. slack p er day. w hich elevates to th e top of th e bin. autom atically taken care o f by the
C onsidering the capacity, th is A t the loading p oint a 4 -ft. section of fact th a t m ost o f th is w et m ateiial pneum atic separation p lan t occupies a the bottom of the scrap er conveyor carries over the screen in th e bottom very sm all building. E x c lu d in g the tro u g h is a screen p late w ith l^ -in . of the d ra g conveyor and goes to the bag house of the dust-collection sys- round holes. A ll of th e slack w hich sto rag e bin. T h is affo rd s it some tem , th e building is ap p ro x im ately d ro p s th ro u g h these holes lands on a chance to d ry and m ixes it w ith 20x26 ft. an d fo u r stories high. T h e second belt conveyor w hich ex ten d s d ry slack.
blow er, table, feed hopper, a n d d u st- along u n d er five feed g ates w ith F ro m a p oint n e a r th e table the collecting fan a re arra n g e d one di- w hich the bottom of th e b in is operative can open o r close any of rectly above th e o th e r in th e o rd e r equipped. T h is belt conveyor dis- th e gates along th e bottom o f the m entioned. T h e pipe connecting th e charges onto a th ird belt conveyor sto rag e bin. T h is is done th ro u g h table hood and suction fa n is c arried which elevates the m aterial to a the m edium of cran k s and steel o u t th ro u g h the side o f th e building feeder bin above the pneum atic table, cables.
and back in a t a higher elevation as U n d e r norm al op eratio n p a rt o f th e N o rm a l ra tin g of the table w hich a d eto u r a ro u n d th e feed hopper, raw slack from the tipple goes u p Js tre a tin g the fx 0 -in . slack, is 105 F o u r hu n d red and six bags a p p ro x i- to the storage bin. T h a t w hich d ro p s to n s p e r hour. I n o rd er, as is the m ately 8 in. in d iam eter and 20 ft. th ro u g h the holes and onto belt con- usual practice, n o t to o p erate th e dry
cleaning p lan t longer h o u rs th an the S h o p V ie w o f R ock C ar— C a rry in g P o s itio n tipple th e averag e feed is ad ju ste d to
ap p ro x im ately 110 to n s p e r h o u r and the m ax im u m w hen th e coal is dry a t 120 tons. T h e sto rag e bin, of course, provides fo r longer op eratin g h o u rs of the air cleaner if increased p ro d u ctio n m akes it necessary.
A t the capacity th a t th e table is being operated the percentage of ash in th e -JxO-in. slack is being reduced 1 p e r cen t o r m ore. B e fo re th e table w as p u t into use th e c a r analyses of th e slack averaged slightly u n d er 7 p er cent. S hipm ents of th e cleaned p ro d u ct average slightly u n d e r 6 p er cen t ash.
U n ifo rm ity o f p ro d u ct is one of the g re a t advantages of th e cleaner.
T h e sales m an ag er can now send a sam ple shipm ent o f slack w ith a s s u r
ance th a t the ash co n ten t will be 6 p er cent o r u n d er. F o rm e rly he was never su re th a t a sam ple shipm ent
520 C O A L A G E — Vol.36, N o.10
would not analyze 8 to 9 per cent, due to a combination of circumstances in the mine. Inherent ash of the two coals being mined is thought not to exceed 4 per cent.
A t norm al capacity the refuse from the table should average 68 per cent ash. A t the increased capacity now employed it is averaging about 53 per cent. T he coal loss is slightly less than one-half of one per cent of the feed of raw slack and am ounts to approxim ately 47 tons per day.
T he Pocahontas No. 3 coal aver
ages 39 to 41 in. in thickness and in
cludes a characteristic 4 to 8-in. streak of bone, or high-ash coal, occurring 3 to 8 in. from the top. T he Becklev coal averages about 4 ft. in thickness and has a thin slate parting under a 12-in. rider seam. All of the coal is hand loaded and so fa r as possible the bone of the Pocahontas No. 3 is discarded in the mine. Lumps with bone clinging to them are picked out at the tipple and put through a breaker. R efuse removed by the pneum atic table consists principally of cuttings from machines not kept clear of the bottom and of small pieces of the Beckley parting and the Poca
hontas bone.
W estinghouse type CS 440-volt in
duction m otors drive the conveyors and other equipment of the dry clean- ing plant. Steel construction is used for all except the storage bin, and Armco galvanized iron is the cover
ing. T he No. 4 plant now has five loading tracks and three loading booms. T here is a m ixing conveyor in the tipple, but there is no provision for screening or m ixing the air- cleaned slack. T his and the dust from the bag house are loaded on a track directly under the table.
T he loading station of the new aerial tram at No. 4 is located under a trestle erected at the end of a fill.
about 800 ft. from the plant. It is at the mouth of a steep ravine which affords considerable dum ping space.
Cars of mine rock from the No. 3 seam, which is at railroad level, are hauled past the tipple and directly to the rotary dump on the trestle.
R efuse from the preparation plant is dropped into mine cars from a sto r
age bin and hauled to the same point.
One man operating a trolley locomo
tive handles the hauling and dum ping of cars.
Rated capacity of the tram when carrying to the interm ediate distance is 35 tons per hour. It is a single
replace a variety of smaller and in efficient cars. 1 he new cars, made by the Sanford-D ay Iron W orks, of Knoxville, Tenn., are the all-steel solid-body type and are equipped with S anford-D ay roller bearings. They stand 23 in. above the rail and the inside dimensions are 81 in. by 10 ft.
Tw o-hundred and sixty-five wen;
purchased fo r M ine No. 4 and 180 fo r M ine No. 2.
In July a change was effected which is resulting in a reduction in the cost of purchased power fo r both mines. T he coal company connected the two with a 2,300-volt line about
T h ro u g h the S to rag e B in P asses a S m all P ercen tag e o f the D ry Slack an d a L arg e P e rc en tag e o f the W e t Slack
bucket type and was furnished by the Interstate Equipm ent Corporation of New Y ork City. T he bucket capacity is 60 cu.ft. and the loading average is somewhat over 2 tons. T he tram extends 1,400 ft. up the mountainside and has but one cross-over tow er and this is close to the bottom. T rack cables are \ \ in. and the haulage cable is | in.
A used hoist equipped with 100-hp.
440-volt slipring m otor is employed to drive the tram . T he drum was enlarged by adding wood lagging, to which were attached rope grips p u r
chased from the Interstate company.
The disposal has been averaging 115 buckets per day and the maximum has been 153 buckets.
Mine cars of the one size and type were purchased for both mines to
2 miles in length and now purchases through one m eter instead of two.
T he increased diversity reduces the maximum 15-minute demand, and the total energy cost is decreased because the rate is a sliding scale equivalent to a quantity discount.
The power company transform er station is about midway on the con
necting line. A t each mine the coal company installed a complete m ain
line m etering equipment. This pro
vides for proper accounting to each mine, for a check on the efficiency of power utilization at each mine, and fo r checking the accuracy of the power company meters. Each m eter
ing outfit consists of a graphic volt
meter, graphic demand meter, and a w atthour meter.
Recent improvements at No. 2
S h o w er H e ad s A lo n g O p en T ren ch in B ath H ouse
Octobcr, 1931 — C O A L A G E
521
m ine d ate fro m the la tte r p a rt of 1929, w hen tw o h y d ro se p a rato rs w ere installed. N e x t a tw o -car ro tary d um o w as installed in th e tipple to handle loads hoisted up the sh o rt slope fro m the P o cah o n tas N o. 3.
T h e com bination of a 9 4 7 -ft. button conveyor an d a 4S2-ft. belt conveyor fro m the Beckley seam w as not changed. A t N o. 2, about 60 p er cent of the p roduction is from th e P o c a hontas N o. 3 an d th e rem ain d er from the Beckley.
G ro u p in g the m achine shop, w are
house, b a th houses, car shop, heating plant, and laboratory u n d e r one roof, as has been done in the new building a t N o. 2 m ine, is n o t the com m on arra n g e m en t b u t one w hich in this case proved highly econom ical in con
stru ctio n cost. T h e to tal floor a te a is 9,000 sq .ft.. b u t th e w hole building including shelving in w arehouse, boiler and h eatin g equipm ent, b u t e x cluding m achine shop and laboratory equipm ent, cost u n d e r 835,000.
T h e co n stru ctio n is b rick an d steel, and th e fra m e a n d ro o f o f th e main part, w hich is 58x128 ft., w as a fo u n d ry building b e fo re it w as purchased by th e coal com pany an d m oved to the m ine. S et in th e 9-in. b rick walls, w hich a re 18 ft. high to th e eaves, a re 26 steel sash, prism glass w in dow s each w ith an a re a o f 49 sq .ft.
T o sim plify h eatin g a n d hold dow n the te m p e ra tu re in th e sum m er the b uilding has been equipped w ith a ceiling o f S h eetro ck a t eaves height.
W h ite an d colored sections a re p ro vided in th e b ath house and the capac
ities a re 200 -■ m en a n d 100 m en, respectively. I n each division th ere a re fifteen show er heads along an open trench. T h e concrete floor of the w hole room slopes to th e co rn e r w h ere th e tre n c h d rain s.
In th e w arehouse, w hich serves as a central d istrib u tin g point f o r both m ines, bins a re constructed^ only aro u n d the w alls. T h is sim plifies the illum ination problem , because all bins sh are in th e d irect and reflected g e n eral illum ination o f th e room . O n o ne side th e bins a re c arried to th e ceiling, w hich a rra n g e m en t saves floor space but has the disadvantage th a t th e clerk m u st do considerable clim b
ing on th e m ovable ladder. O n th e high side th ere a re 1.408 bins a n d on
the low side 695. T h e perpetual in ventory record system is used.
T h e * h eating equipm ent consists of a 100-hp. locom otive type boiler and a 3,000-gal. h o t-w a te r tan k . Steam at 15-lb. p ressu re supplies m o to r-d riv en u nit h eaters th ro u g h o u t th e building an d heats the bath w a te r by condens
ing in copper coils inside th e w a te r tank. A ll condensate except a small q u an tity , fro m a steam d ry e r in th e laboratory ru n s back in to the boiler by gravity. I t is necessary to add w ater to the boiler b u t once a w eek and then to raise the level b u t tw o inches as a m axim um .
T h e new shop serves as a central m achine shop fo r both m ines. I t is fitted to handle all m ine equipm ent repairs. T h e equipm ent consists of a 25-ton wheel p re s s ; th re e lathes of the follow ing sizes, 38 in. x 10 ft., 24 in. x 10 ft., and 18 in. x 4 f t .;
one 24-in. back g eared s h a p e r; one 4 -ft. radial d rill; one N o. 2 m illing m a c h in e ; one 2-in. L an d is b olt m a
chine ; one general pu rp o se g r in d e r ; one N o. H un iv ersal g rin d in g m a
chine ; and one m o to r-g en erato r w elder.
C. H . M ead, p resid en t of the com pany, is a tru e progressive as re g ard s m ining m ethods an d equipm ent.
H e does n o t believe in “ going back
w ard standing still.” T h a t is a su re process. H e p re fe rs to c o u rt success by keeping a b reast w ith im proved equipm ent and v en tu rin g fo rw ard w ith new ideas. A t the p re se n t w rit
ing he has contracted fo r a tria l of C ardox, has purchased an im proved Jo y B ro th ers coal saw, an d is try in g a self-dum ping car m ade to his design fo r unloading m ine rock in low coal.
N o B ins A re in th e S h adow s
P u rch ase of the coal saw is based on previous ex p erim en ts in saw ing coal in th e m ine. I t is th e hope to use th is saw fo r cu ttin g above an d below the bone in th e P ocahontas N o. 3 seam . B y this m ethod it m ay be possible to tak e o u t th e bone w ith o u t m ak in g the objectionable am o u n t of slack th a t w ould resu lt fro m m ak ing tw o cuts w ith an o rd in a ry m ining m achine. T h e coal saw can m ake a 4 -ft. u n d ercu t and th e k e rf is less . than an inch thick.
S trik in g a t a practice w hich a p p ears fu n d am en tally w ro n g — th a t is, h au lin g m ine rock long distances to the outside w hen the m in in g itself is m aking sto rag e space in the w o rk in g area— a special rock c a r h as been designed. B reak in g rock small enough to load by hand into an o rd i
n ary m ine car is expensive, and in low coal it is practically im possible to unload th e car. T h e body of th e spe
cial c ar consists o f tw o flat plates m aking a su rfa c e 8-V ft. w ide an d 10 ft. long and hinged to g eth er a t th e cen ter along a line w hich can be raised o r low ered to facilitate loading o r d u m p in g th e car.
S crew s d riv en by a sm all m o to r m ounted on th e car raise an d low er the hinged ju n c tio n o f th e plates.
O th e r su p p o rts f o r th e plates consist o f ro llers along th e side fram es of th e car. T h e c a r bottom can th u s be m ade flat o r sloping to th e side and slabs o f rock loaded w hich w ould o therw ise have to be b ro k en by hand tools o r explosive. U n lo a d in g should be an easy m a tter, inasm uch as the center o f th e car can be raised so the ro ck w ill slide of its ow n accord.
T h e tra il car w as m ade by th e Beckley E le c tric & M achine W o rk s, o f Beckley, W . V a. I t stan d s 31 in.
above th e rail b u t could hav e been m ade 4 to 6 in. low er if necessary.
S elf-p ro p ellin g m echanism can be add ed if fo u n d desirable. T h e car is 1 3 i .ft. long ov er all an d th e ca
pacity is ap p ro x im ately 2 tons.
F ro m th e stan d p o in ts of m ine capacity an d m odern equipm ent the C. H . M ead Coal Co. now stands close to the to p in th e W in d in g G ulf field. R u n n in g on a p artia l tim e schedule th e tw o m ines shipped over 500.000 to n s d u rin g th e first half o f 1931.
C O A L A G E — Vol.36, No.10
W E S T E R N K E N T U C K Y M I N E S 4- Effect Sharp Reduction
In Power Costs
S u b s t a n t i a l r e d u c t i o n in power costs have been e f
fected by the Bevier operations -of the Rogers Bros. Coal Co. in w estern K entucky as the result of the m odernization of a mine g en erating plant which had been closed down for several years. The mine load was taken over completely by the modernized plant in March. In January, when the full load was on purchased power, the power bill was S I,532; in M arch, says J. L. Rogers, vice-president of the company, with an output approxim ately 4,000 tons greater than in January, power costs dropped to $502.
O n the basis of a monthly saving of $1,000 in power costs, the com
pany estim ates that the total invest
ment in power-house and generating equipm ent should be liquidated in less than three years and that the cost of engine and generator should be returned in two years. Operation of the mine at its normal output of 25,000 to 30,000 tons per month would mean still greater savings and proportionately shorten the tim e re
quired to return the investment.
Suitable w ater is available fo r the operation of the plant and also, of course, fuel free of freight charges.
O n days when the mine is working, crushed picking-table refuse fu r nishes about 25 per cent of the
P o w er P la n t Stands C lose to T ip p le , F uel B eing D e liv e red by S h o rt C on
veyor. H ead fram e in C en ter B ack g ro u n d B elongs to A n o th er C om pany
power-plant fuel, but on idle days coal prepared for the m arket is alone available. In determ ining the monthly saving, the plant fuel is charged at m arket price, though a small credit really is due the plant for disposing of the refuse. The
$502 figure also includes necessary labor and supplies. M oreover, the power plant outlet for pea and slack as fuel is equivalent to an increased market for these sizes, which usually are the most difficult to sell.
A feature which encouraged the owners to install the plant was the
“guaranteed saving” clauses in the contract under which the engine and generator were purchased. The engine m anufacturer is receiving the m ajor portion of the total contract price in monthly payments, which are by contract made equal to the saving over purchased power. T he coal company’s own figures were accepted as the basis for computing the saving.
The operation thus provided with power consists of two mines which were consolidated in 1929. Bevier No. 1, a d rift mine through which the output is now handled, was pu r
chased in 1917, and the other, Cleaton No. 2, a shaft mine, was purchased
in 1928. In 1921 the d.c. generating plant at Bevier No. 1 was shut down, two substations were installed, and purchased power was introduced.
Upon term ination of the five-year power contract the d.c. plant once again was put into operation. Cleaton No. 2 was operating on purchased power when acquired. This latter power contract expired in A pril, 1930.
Rebuilding of the plant at Bevier No. 1 was completed in September, 1930, but the new engine was not put into regular use until late in F ebruary of this year. T he delav was due to labor difficulties which closed the mine during the fall months of 1930, and a severe drought that prevented the accumulation of a supply of w ater till the closing weeks of February.
Three 150 - hp. return - tubular boilers and two 250-volt d.c. generat
ing units of the old plant were re
tained in their original positions. A new brick building, 50x90 ft., with steel truss and galvanized sheet roof was built over the old equipment.
This provided ample space fo r the installation of the new engine.
T he new unit consists of a 28x 32-in. single-cylinder Skinner “ Uni
versal Unaflow” engine, of 632 i.hp..
full load, direct-connected to a General Electric 400-kw., 2,300-volt
October, 1931 — C O A L A G E 523
Pow er Station at B evier Plant
T h e net cost o f the engine-gener- a to r u nit w as ap p ro x im ately $23,000, an d the total cost o f the pow er-house im provem ent, including th e new building, approxim ately $34,000. A sh o rt conveyor delivers th e fuel .from the tipple to th e boiler room . T h e boilers are hand-fired, b u t th e plant labor totals only one m an p er sh ift.
W h e n th e new a.c. g e n eratin g u n it is in use, th e substations fo rm erly used w ith purchased pow er convert the c u rre n t from a lte rn a tin g to direct.
O ne substation containing a 150-kw.
synchronous - m o to r - g e n e ra to r is lo
cated outside n e a r th e d r if t m outh about 1,000 ft. fro m th e po w er plant, and the other, containing a 200-kw . u nit o f the sam e type, is located o u t
side about l-J; m iles fro m th e tipple.
Both substations have m anual con
tro ls and at the d istan t station an operative has to be em ployed, in o rd e r to save the w ages of this o p e r
ative and elim inate substation con
version losses, one of th e old d.c.
g e n erato rs is used on idle days in place o f th e new a.c. unit. O n m ost of these so-called idle days, en tries a re being driven, w o rk is being done on th e haulage roads, and w a te r is being pum ped from th e m ine, all o f w hich uses re q u ire d.c. pow er.
A close estim ate o f ju s t w h a t the p urchased pow er ra te p er kilow att- h our, including d em and charge, w ould be fo r m onths of full-tim e production is n o t available. T h e net costs o f purch ased pow er d u rin g the m onths o f J a n u a ry and F e b ru a ry , 1931, w hen p a rt o f th e m ine re q u ire m ent w as g en erated w ith th e old d.c.
p lan t and th e rest purch ased on the ex istin g C leaton N o. 2 m ine contract, w ere 3.8c. an d 3.6c. p er kilow att- hour, respectively. F o r these m onths the purch ased en erg y consum ptions w ere 30,300 kw . and 32,100 kw ..
respectively, b u t the exclusive use of p urchased pow er d u rin g m o n th s o f full-tim e o peration m ight b rin g the net cost dow n to 2.5c. p er kilow att- hour.
a.c. g e n e ra to r w ith belted exciter.
Briefly, th e engine is fu rth e r d e
scribed as a 150-r.p.m . right-hand, heavy-duty, side-crank, autom atic, h orizontal u n it, w ith bored guide. T h e d iam eter o f th e piston and tail rod is 6 in., and the over-all length o f the u n it is 28 ft. T h e ship p in g w eight was ap p ro x im ately 87,500 lb. C ylin
d e r lubrication is by th e M adisoti- K ip p m ultiple-feed m echanical sys
tem , and o th e r b earings a re served by th e S k in n e r system of autom atic lubrication.
O p eratin g non-condensing, as the engine does, th e g u a ra n te e fo r the u n it (assu m in g 120 lb. o f d ry steam an d 0 deg. F . su p erh eat a t the throttle, and atm ospheric e x h a u st) is th a t th e steam consum ption p er k ilow att-hour will not exceed the follow ing fig u re s : A t ^ load, 42.1 l b .;
a t -I load, 34.7 lb .; a t f load. 33.0 l b .;
a t full load, 34.1 lb .; and a t 5 /4 load, 36.6 lb. T hese a re based on g en erato r efficiencies o f 80.9, 87.8, 90.2, 91.4, and 92.1 p e r cent, re spectively.
Engine Direct-Connected to 500-Kva.
2,300-Volt G enerator W ith B elted Exciter
C O A L A G E — Vol.36, No.10
FIRST OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES ON T H E F U N D A M E N T A L S OF M E C H A N IZ A T IO N
M E C H A N I Z A T I O N P R IN C IP L E S + Take Definite Form
A s Experience Grows
T H E fu tu re will open up 110 royal road to profit for the coal industry. W ith the exist
ing large fraction of overproduction, the probability of any relief-yielding increase in sales price through grow th of consumer demand is re
mote, particularly in face of accum u
lating competition from substitute fuels. U nder these conditions, p ro
crastination in the hope fo r that bet
ter day which, in alleviating the troubles of the industry at large, will îelieve the individual operator, is iutile.
. M ost immediate, fru itfu l, and last
ing relief will come only from in
dividual effort. M oreover, profit can be expected from only one, or both, oi two procedures: E ither to increase sales realization through im prove
ment in preparation, or to lower production costs through mechaniza
tion of underground methods. To this last m eans only is this article confined.
Besides the benefits it offers to opeiators individually, mechanization prom ises gradually to dim inish the m argin of the over-capacity which has stood in the way of fair profit. In requiring greater investment in equip
ment, m echanization will close down those properties which fail to realize its m erit. A large num ber of the companies now operating by hand methods m ay find it impossible to refinance for mechanization projects.
Being the greatest component of the cost o f production, the expendi
ture for labor in loading coal at the face is the point most vulnerable to the attack seeking cost reduction of underground methods. B ut that re duction m ust not be attem pted at the expense of the individual worker.
The best of industrial thought in the current depression stipulates that
production costs should not be lowered by reducing wages. In labor- saving machinery for mine use is offered an alternative method w here
by cost reduction is effected by rais
ing the productivity per m an shift.
W age differentials between fields have added impetus to the grow th of mechanization, especially loading- machine operations. T hat is why
By K. E. C A IN E
Mining Engineer Joy Manufacturing Co.
Franklin, Pa.
machines have been installed in large
K. E. Caine
Since his graduation in 1925 from the Car
negie Institute of Technology, where he studied wining, Mr. Caine has served as a mining engineer for the Joy Manufactur
ing _ Co. In this capacity he has visited mines in every coal-producing state of importance, examining plants, preparing estimates, and making recommendations on proposed installation of loading machines.
numbers in lygh-wage states, notably Indiana and Illinois, w here machines alone have enabled the operators to regain lost markets.
The board of directors represents the stockholders and decides the gen
eral operating policies of the com- October, 1931 - C O A L A G E
pany. in considering mechanization its members are prim arily interested in protecting the ow ner’s interests.
Capital is invested in industry for the purpose of earning a return that is comparable to the risk. T he board, therefore, so governs that the stock
holders will receive a maximum yield on their investment. T he directors, when considering mechanization, must base their decisions prim arily upon m onetary considerations, and their duty is first to keep their own company in a sound financial condi
tion. Yet the effect of mechaniza
tion 011 the industry as a whole is im portant also.
The steady grow th in m echaniza
tion— 1930 showing an increase of about 35 per cent in the num ber of mines employing machines of various types for handling coal underground
— proves that the expenditure for the required equipment has been ju s tified. Following the fundamentals of sound investing, capital put into mechanical loading equipment is ju s tified if the machinery will increase the net earnings to those from this same capital in any sim ilar invest
ment with a comparable risk.
I f the investment required for a loading machine and allied equipment amounts to $15,000 and this unit produces an average of 250 tons per shift for the period of a year, during which the unit worked 250 shifts, it must increase the net earnings $0.024 per ton to yield 10 per cent and
$0.048 to yield 20 per cent. By and large, labor-saving machinery is a safe investment outlet if the net re
tu rn is 20 per cent. Results actually obtained from most mechanization projects have surpassed this return.
525
If it were only necessary to figure labor in arriving at cost reduction possibilities in machine loading, then the actual saving would be directly proportional to the labor rate. It the cost reduction in a high-wage district amounted to 20 per cent, then in a district where the wage rate is 10 per cent lower, the saving would still am ount to 20 per cent, but the actual am ount saved would be less, because the am ortization rate for the same machine in either district, theoret
ically, should be the same. This brings out the fact that in the low- wage sections am ortization is of in
creased im portance in computing actual cost-reduction possibilities.
N et earnings rath er than produc
tion costs should be considered in computing the yield from an invest
m ent in mechanization. F o r this reason the size and quality of the product are of transcending im por
tance. T h at too, is why the prim ary step in the program should be a de
term ination of the quality of coal needed to meet existing or expected markets. Then only can projections of methods be made to gain or re
tain those m arkets.
H aving determ ined the m arket requirem ents, and gained full knowl
edge of the seam characteristics as to impurities, etc., the proper choice of preparation equipment can be made. It may be that the seam im purities are of such a nature that they can be removed u n d erg ro u n d ; it may be that the seam contains irregular im purities which can be removed only in a surface prepara
tion plant. It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the preparation facilities, picking tables w ith ample capacity, or suitable mechanical clean
ing equipment are generally a p re
requisite to the success of under
ground mechanization. T he extent of the preparation necessary naturally governs the expenditure that m ust be made. T he cost per ton is affected to that degree, which costs m ust be borne by the loading equipment.
T he great differential between the price of lump coal and fine sizes makes it imperative th at lump p er
centage be as high with mechanical loading as it was with hand loading.
A ny decrease in sales realization must be offset by a decrease in production cost resulting from mechanization.
A good policy is to experim ent as fa r as possible with the methods p ro posed before making a large capital expenditure for equipment. This applies especially to face preparation methods. Knowledge of methods
Make No Mistake
T h e steady g ro w th in m echaniza
tio n — 1930 sh o w in g an increase o f a b o u t 35 p e r cent in th e n u m b er o f m ines e m p lo y in g m achines o f v a rio u s types fo r h a n d lin g coal u n d e rg ro u n d — p ro v e s th a t th e ex p e n d itu re fo r th e re q u ire d e q u ip m en t has been justified.
N e t e arn in g r a th e r th an p ro d u c tio n costs sh o u ld be th e b a sin g p o in t in c o m p u tin g th e yield fro m an in v estm en t in m ech an izatio n . T h a t is w hy th e p rim a ry step in the p ro g ram sh o u ld b e a d e te rm in a tio n o f the q u a lity o f coal n eed ed to m eet e x istin g o r ex p ected m arkets.
It can n o t be to o stro n g ly em p hasized th a t th e p re p a ra tio n fa c ili
ties, p ick in g tab le s w ith a m p le capacity, o r su itab le m ech an ical cle an in g e q u ip m e n t a re g e n era lly a p re re q u isite to the success of u n d e rg ro u n d m ech an izatio n . T h e lo ad in g m achine m u st b e a r its p o r tio n o f th a t expense.
In th e o p in io n o f som e, it w ill be difficult to m a in ta in p ro d u c tio n fro m m achines a fte r the first g la m o r o f o p e ra tio n is p a it. If th e p ro d u c tio n does fall o n th is account, o n ly m a n ag em en t is resp o n sib le.
employed at other operations will aid the development of a system fo r an individual mine. Im provem ents or modifications of those m ethods may be made and a great deal of experi
m entation avoided. It cannot be said that all mobile loaders are adaptable to all systems of mining. F o r this reason the machine itself should be analyzed with relation to the job it is expected to do.
S afety records of mechanized mines show that accident hazards are materially reduced by machine operation. If the cost of production were the same fo r mechanical and hand loading the installation of m a
chines would be justified if the safety of the w orker were increased by so doing.
Tim e study data can be utilized to great advantage in analyzing the effects of face preparation, haulage, and other phases on the loading equipment. I f the operating cost per machine m inute is known, it is a relatively simple m atter to prove or disprove the m erit of proposed changes. F rom the tim e studies should come definite w orking pro
grams.
M ost of the loading machines operating successfully in the U nited States at the present time are in mines that were originally opened
for hand loading. T his situation has brought about the development of machines and operating methods that are adaptable to general systems of m ining already in use. Knowledge gained from practical experience in individual operations already m ech
anized have in most instances made possible annual increases in tonnage output per machine shift, and corre
sponding decreases in operating costs.
T his is well illustrated at an opera
tion in one of the W estern states where the annual average production per machine shift has increased ap proxim ately 25 tons for each year since the initial installation in 1925, which consisted of 16 mobile loading machines.
I t has been said that the success of any mechanized m ining project depends 90 per cent on the organiza
tion and 10 per cent on the machine.
T he study of the individual and his relation to mechanization conse
quently is of real importance. R e
sponsibility fo r results from equip
m ent and m an power rests directly with the operating personnel. As most mine operating men today have been schooled in m ethods of hand loading, the introduction of loading machines and allied equipment has brought about a radical change in their problems. T he attitude taken tow ard mechanization is not the same fo r each individual. T his variation is reflected by the am ount of self- confidence and foresight displayed.
U niform ity of progress could not be expected in so large a group.
Self-confidence in the ability to solve the new problems presented by mechanization is not only a com
mendable attribute of forem an or superintendent but is an absolute necessity. T he foremaYi who can look into the fu ture will see the necessity f o r mechanization and, as a result, will do his utm ost to make it a success.
Few underground officials have had the opportunity of actually see
ing the rapid grow th of mechaniza
tion and the general im provem ent in mechanical equipment. T h e m ajority have been wholly engrossed in getting results from the equipm ent available to them at the expense of increasing their knowledge in the channels of m ore productive methods. Isolation has retarded to some extent the dis
sem ination of inform ation in certain mining communities. In those places, the forem en are skeptical as to re ports of progress th at filter through to them.
(T u r n to page 541)
526 C O A L A G E — Vol.36, No.10
G R A V I T Y A D J U S T M E N T S
+Closely Follow Feed Characteristics A t This O h io W ashery
By A L P H O N S E F. B R O S K Y
Associate Editor, Coal Age I N the eyes of the W heeling & Lake
E rie Coal M ining Co., mechani
zation plans which consider me
chanical loading alone, without me
chanical preparation also, are not complete. E xpanding their opinion the officials say that neither step, of itself, will meet the dual demand of today fo r low-cost production and high-quality product. T he company, which operates a group of mines in the No. 8 field of eastern Ohio, as a subsidiary of the H anna Coal Co., has held steadfastly to these views from the beginning of its modernization program .
One phase of this program, that dealing w ith the steps being taken be
low ground, has already been de
scribed ( Coal A ge, Vol. 36, p. 171).
It is the purpose of this article to p re
sent the other phase: namely, what this company has done in preparation.
A s w ith the previous editorial mate
rial, w hat is here w ritten deals with the No. 9 mine, which is located at F airpoint and which is the starting point of this company’s moderniza
tion efforts.
A fte r investigation of existing cleaning plants using various systems and a fte r num erous tests, the Link- Belt Sim on-Carves process was .chosen, and in 1929 put into opera
tion. T h e plant has an over-all ca
pacity of 135 tons per hour and a washing rate of 100 tons per hour, with facilities fo r close sizing, mixing, and loading over three tracks. Plus 4-in. is prepared by hand methods.
The undersize is first washed and then screened into three products.
. These can be loaded individually or mixed into any combination, with or without the plus 4-in. lump. In 1930
a dryer for small coal was added to the plant.
The mine operates in the Pittsburgh, or No. 8, seam which averages about 5 ft. in thickness. A p
proximately midway from roof to bottom are two -|-in. slaty binders which sandwich a to 2-in. bench of bony coal. T he bottom is of such hardness that it does not add m ate
rially to the complexity of the washing problem, even with mechanical load
ing. But over the coal is a 1 -ft. thick
ness of drawslate which m ust be taken down after the m ining of every cut. Above the drawslate is from 3 to 16 ft. of roof coal and above that is 6 to 8 ft. of soft shale.
W ith these possibilities existing of vitiation of coal by refuse, and with mechanical loading, there was no al
ternative but mechanical preparation without decreasing the sales value of the mine product. H ere was raised the question, W hy add to capital ac
count to decrease mining costs if, by so doing, m arketing realization is lessened and no real gain in net profit is made? T he only answer to this query was to erect a cleaning plant, not merely to maintain the standard established by hand-loading under
ground but to better it.
Mechanical loading as developed at this plant is a mass-production process in term s of machine output. Conse
quently, selective loading which would reject the bulk of im purities at the face was out of the question.
Taking the coal as run of seam, load-
C lose-up o f P re p a ra tio n P la n t
October, 1931 - C O A L A G E 527
