April 25, 1913.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

855

Preparation of Sample.

The whole sample, if, it be considered unnecessary to
dry it previously, should be emptied out of the receptacle
in which it is contained and ground coarsely so that it
will pass through a in. sieve. It should then be
thoroughly mixed, coned and quartered down to about
1J lb. weight, and this sample should be ground down
until it passes through a No. 60 sieve (aperture 0'010 in.),
after which it is coned and quartered until reduced to
about 2 oz. This is immediately transferred to a clean,
dry, wide-mouthed glass-stoppered bottle, which is
labelled with the registered number or particulars of
contents. The necessary quantity is weighed out from
this sample for the bomb test, the operation of weighing
being conducted as quickly as possible. Smaller
samples, which, however, are less representative, may be
ground directly to about 30 mesh before mixing.

The following method may also be adopted in place
of the above, if found convenient. The whole sample is
emptied out and crushed to pass through a sieve of 1 in.
mesh. It is then coned and quartered down, the
resulting product being passed through a sieve of in.
mesh. This is again coned and quartered, the final
quarterings being passed through a 60 mesh sieve.
After thorough mixing, three samples of about 2 oz.
weight are placed in wide-mouthed glass-stoppered
bottles. This is best carried out by spreading out the
heap in a thin layer and taking alternately small dips
with a spatula or small spoon. The bottles are then
labelled as before.

(To be continued.}

MINING ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

The New Chairman.

As announced in our last issue, the newly-elected
chairman of the Mining Association of Great Britain is
Mr. Arthur Francis Pease.

Mr. A. F. Pease, who is a member of the well-known
north country family, joined the firm of Pease and

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Mr. A. F. Pease.
Chairman of the Mining Association, 1913-14.

Partners Limited in 1888, who not only own extensive
collieries and cokeworks in the county of Durham, but
have recently embarked upon the development of the
Thorne royalties in South-east Yorkshire. He was
elected a director early in 1890, and took an active part
in assisting the late Sir David Dale in the management
of the concern till his death in 1906, when Mr. Pease
became managing director and chairman. He is also a
director of " Horden Collieries Limited and a member of
the Board of Conciliation for the Durham coal trade,
being one of the representatives of the Durham Coal-
owners’ Association who negotiated with the miners’
representatives prior to the coal strike in 1912. In this
connection it may be recalled that he stated the case
for the Durham coalowners before Sir Robert Romer,
the chairman of the Joint District Board appointed
under the Minimum Wage Act. Mr. Pease has also
extensive interests in the Cleveland iron trade, being
vice-chairman of the Cleveland Mineowners’ Association,
and a director of the Skinningrove Iron Company
Limited. He is a director of the North-Eastern Rail-
way Company and chairman of the locomotive and stores
committee, chairman of the Weardale and Consett

Letters to the Editor.

The Editor is not responsible either for the statements
made, or the opinions expressed by correspondents.

Al communications must be authenticated by the name
and address of the sender, whether for publication or
not. No notice can be taken of anonymous communi-
cations.

Asreplies to questions areonly given by way of published
answers to correspondents, and not by letter, stamped
addressed envelopes are not required to be sent.

EXPLOSIVES IN COALMINES.

Sir,—In his paper read before the Royal Society of
Arts in London on March 27 last, Prof. Vivian B.
Lewes raised some very important questions. While
the present writer does not feel qualified to discuss,
much less criticise, the technical or abstract deductions
of the Home Office, upwards of 40 years’ intimate and
practical experience with various kinds of explosives
emboldens him to strongly confirm Prof. Lewes when
he says,

(1)	“ It is absolutely wrong to reject 17 years of
experience gained under mine conditions,” &c.

(2)	“ The practical conditions in use were so widely
different from those of the tests that the personal
factor of care in use became of enormous value, and
he was convinced that a reliable and careful shot-
firer blessed with common sense, was a greater
protection than any tests, rules, and regulations that
could be framed.”

The Explosives in Coal Mines Order dated May 21,
1912, requires that in the case of a shot missing fire a
second charge shall not be placed in the same hole, and
that another shot shall be fired in a fresh hole drilled
not less than 12 in. away from the hole in which the
shot has missed fire, sec. (C) and (E). The term coal-
mine “ includes mines in which coal is found whether
^worked or not.”

Now, sir, without presuming to know all the practical
conditions in use, the writer would strongly express the
opinion that in many cases the very best thing to do
in the case of a miss-fire shot is to insert another charge,
or rather part of a charge, into the same hole. For
instance, even in fiery mines, in the few cases where it
may be practicable to use only water stemming, and in
sufficient quantity, the writer is of opinion that the
safest way of dealing with a miss-shot is to insert new
primer and detonator, and so fire the old charge.

But in wet and non-fiery mines, the latter method of
dealing with miss-shots is a thousand times less
dangerous than the laboured provisions laid down in
above-named Coal Mines Order.

In ganister mines its adoption would obviate the
following dangers

(1)	Two men sitting, in many eases 2 hours, close to
a 2 lb. charge of gelignite which may be only hanging
fire (the writer has known a charge go off after being
missed upwards of an hour), whereas a competent
shot-firer or deputy can insert new primer and cap
and retire to place of safety in a few minutes.

(2)	Unexploded explosive may be, and indeed often
is, sent out of the mine. In some cases explosives
have found their way into the domestic fire or aboard
a ship.

(3)	There have been many fatal accidents through
boring into old charges.

Almost daily during the last 25 years the writer has
had to deal with miss-shots under very varied conditions,
and he has no hesitation in saying that the above
named Order will conduce to accidents rather than
tend to prevent them, and that the manager who
honestly tries to carry out the provisions of the Order,
will be more liable to have accidents than the one who
as indicated by Prof. Lewes, relies on experience and
common sense, but the latter will be liable to prosecu-
tion for non-compliance.

In some cases in ganister mines (say where the piece
of ganister to be blown up is less than 2 ft. in height
and width) it is absolutely impossible to comply with
the order in case of shot missing fire, because there is
not room to bore a fresh hole 12 in. away.

Literal compliance with sec. 2 (sub. c) is practically
impossible where the roof and floor are very wet.

In conclusion, sir, the ganister miners and owners in
this district ought to make efforts to have this order
modified.	J. I. Minnis.

Beeley Wood Mine, Oughtibridge.

April 4, 1913.

Water Company, and chairman of the owners of the
Middlesbrough Estate Limited. It remains to be added
that Mr. Arthur Francis Pease was born in 1866, and
was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (B. A., 1888,
M.A., 1893).

NOTES FROM SOUTH WALES.

[from our own correspondent.]

Coal Trade Congress : Third Dock for Barry—Barry
Railway’s Extension into Monmouthshire—Modifi-
cation of Increased Charges for Coal Mixing—
Conciliation Board and Period of Notices —
Abnormal Places Again—Three Days’ Holiday at
Whitsuntide—Colliery Managers’ Difficulties—The
Coal Trimmers’ Troubles — Banksmen Demand
Eight-hours Day and Higher Pay—Death of Prof.
Elliott—Tin-plate Trade Stoppages.

The Parliamentary Committee rooms this week
give renewed evidence of the growth of the coal trade in
South Wales, for both the Barry and the Cardiff com-
panies are submitting proposals for extended operations.
Barry Bill was taken on Tuesday, and, in the course
of his evidence, Mr. Rendel, general manager, said that
more land was absolutely necessary, especially in con-
nection with the power to construct a new piece of
railway, and their undertaking had developed to such an
extent that they had already in contemplation the
construction of a third dock. This would be upon the
site where they now had a timber pond.

As to the extension of the eastward line into
Monmouthshire, counsel stated that the company
wanted an extension of time. This is the line which
will bring the coal to Barry from the western valleys,
avoiding the route through Newport per the Great
Western Railway.

The negotiations which have been current between
the committee of shippers and the dock companies as to
the increase in charges for coal mixing, have had a
satisfactory result to a certain extent. Although the
negotiations have not yet terminated, it is understood
that some concession has been made by the dock
companies, who offer a reduction of 25 per cent, on the
new scale in cases where there is no sorting of wagons,
with a stipulation that these charges shall be enforced
for five years. The joint committee of Cardiff Chamber
of Commerce and Freighters’ Association have, however,
urged that the charges should operate for 10 years
instead of five; and on this basis they advise the
members of their respective bodies to accept the
companies’ offer, provided the charges do not take effect
except as before March 1, or, at the earliest, last New
Year’s Day, instead of October of last year, as had been
demanded. The matter is not yet settled, owing to one
of the companies not being agreeable as to the period
of continuance which is suggested.

An arrangement was reached in Monday’s meeting
of the Conciliation Board as to the length of notice that
should be required for terminating contracts. The
Board’s original agreement fixed one month; but owing
to the Minimum Wage Act one day’s notice was substi-
tuted. Then came the Pontypridd Stipendiary’s decision
that the custom of one month should prevail. It was now
suggested from the men’s side that the period should
be 14 days ; and the owners accepted the proposal. It
was arranged for the solicitors of both sides to draw up
the necessary agreement, which will come into operation
after approval. Agreement was also reached as to
Thursday, May 1, being a general holiday.

Upon another matter, however, the Board utterly
failed to agree. It was as to a clause relating to the
price list for a new seam at the Bryn Colliery,
Maesteg. The men’s agent (Mr. Vernon Hartshorn)
had refused to sign the price-list clause, as it was alleged
the company were changing the method of working and
wished to eliminate from the price list a clause relating
to the working of abnormal places. From the owners’
side, it was argued that Mr. Hartshorn was not entitled
to refuse, inasmuch as when the present agreement was
signed, it was arranged to eliminate the abnormal
places clause. But Mr. Brace, on behalf of the
workmen, contended that no such undertaking had
been given—nor was it evei- intended that employers
should be allowed to take a clause of this kind in
respect of collieries where it was already in operation.
The undertaking, he said, given by the workmen in
1910 referred only to new collieries or new price lists in
collieries where previously there was no abnormal
places clause. In this instance the clause had been in
operation for many years.

Adverting to this matter, in a mass meeting of the
men, on Tuesday, Mr. Hartshorn described the Con-
ciliation Board’s proceedings as a “ screaming farce,”
stating that the coalowners had brought forward a
letter written in 1909 or 1910 wherein the men’s repre-
sentatives undertook not to press the abnormal places
question in the last agreement. The owners seemed to