Abril 9, 1914.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

785

The machine was guaranteed to give unity power factor
from half load to full load, and when the field current
was adjusted for the latter value the excitation loss in
the fields of the vibrator was only 50 watts.

The vibrator will work equally well with an induction
machine, running either as a motor or a generator
without change of connections, so that when used with
machines driving winding engines or locomotives com-
plete compensation would be obtained under all con-
ditions. A valuable feature of the vibrator is that in
the event of any mishap—such as, for instance, the
failure of the field—it may be left in circuit, even
although failing to fulfil its function as a phase
advancer, without affecting the running of the motor
with which it is installed.

The use of a vibrator improves the operating qualities
of a motor not only by correcting the power factor, but
also by considerably increasing its overload capacity and
maximum torque. Under favourable conditions, the
efficiency of the motor will be improved. The overload
capacity will be increased, because not only the stator

Fig. 2.—View of Vibrator.

.96 LEAPING PF

LAGGING PF.

Fig. 3.—Power Factor Curve of 330 B.H.P.
Motor with Kapp Vibrator.

currents, but also the rotor currents, of the motor will
be reduced when the motor is operating above the load
corresponding to its maximum power factor.

The vibrator described above was installed to the
order of Cleveland and Durham Electric Power Limited,
and was built at the works of Messrs. Sandycroft
Limited, near Chester. By the courtesy of the Chemical
Works (late H. and E. Albert), it was inspected on
March 20 last by Dr. Kapp and a large number of
engineers connected with the Newcastle and Teesside
local sections of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

A deputation from the Waterways Association attended
at the Board of Trade last week, and urged the necessity of
the Government bringing in legislation to give effect to the
principles contained in the recommendations of the Royal
Commission on Canals (1909), which was appointed at the
instance of the late Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. The
Commission recommended the creation of a waterways board,
and recognised the necessity of this country improving its
means of inland water transit so that it may enjoy the
advantages already possessed by its Continental rivals in
trade. It is proposed that the existing waterways,
comprising what is known as “ The Cross,” connecting the
Thames with the Mersey and the Severn with the Humber,
should be acquired by the State, which should act as toll-
takers only, not carriers. The deputation, which was
private, was received by Mr. J. M. Robertson, Parliamentary
Secretary of the Board of Trade. Mr. Robertson promised
that the views of the deputation would be placed before the
President of the Board of Trade, and would receive careful
consideration.

NORTH OF ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF MINING
AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS.

A meeting of the members of the North of England
Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers was held
in the Wood Memorial Hall, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on
Saturday.

Mr. W. C. Blackett presided over a large
attendance.

The following gentlemen were admitted into the
institute :—Members : Mr. Frank Brooksbank, engineer,
Sungei Pari mine, Ipoh, Perak, Federated Malay States ;
Mr. Thomas William Dover, colliery manager, Sherburn
Colliery, near Durham; Mr. Frederick Peter Mills,
mining engineer, 854, Scotswood-road, Newcastle; Mr.
Walter Robert Scott, colliery manager, The Limes,
South Moor, Stanley, county Durham; Mr. William
John Sedcole, engineer, 17, Westoe-road, South Shields.
Associate member: Mr. Cecil Chipper, The Terrace,
Ovingham, Northumberland. Associates: Mr. John
Henry Dales, colliery surveyor, Derwent View, Burnop-
field, county Durham ; Mr. John Thomas Reed, colliery
under-manager, 2, Ivy-terrace, South Moor, Stanley,
county Durham; Mr. Joseph Nelson Octavius Rogers
colliery under-manager, Downs Hill House, Hetton-le-
Hole,county Durham. Subscribers: Messrs. Gent and
Co. Limited, Faraday Works, Leicester, and Messrs-
Kirkpatrick and Barr, Maritime-buildings, King-street,
N ewcastle-on-Tyne.

Stonedusting in Mines.

Several papers were down for discussion, but the only
paper to provoke any discussion was Mr. Clive’s, on
“ Stonedusting at the Bentley Colliery,” read recently
before the Midland Institute.

Prof. Louis said he would like to refer to one state-
ment in Mr. Clive’s paper, viz.: — “The amount of
incombustible dust present in any mixture can only be
arrived at in a practical manner by sampling and
analysing the sample for ash.” He thought it was
important to refer to it, because he believed that was the
way the Home Office was to determine whether a colliery
was efficiently dusted. He had pointed out before that
a finely-powdered substance like gypsum might be used,
a theory which, he believed, Dr. Bedson had found
experimentally sound. The method which had been
suggested to find the amount of incombustible dust
present was the easiest method, but the easiest method
was often easiest because inaccurate. He maintained
that a road could be dusted with various substances and
be as safe as a road could be, yet, if that method of
investigation was employed to determine the incom-
bustible dust present, it would show no ash at all. He
wished to urge the point that, if that method was used,
it might lead to the employment of the most inefficient,
instead of the most efficient, dusts.

Mr. W. 0. Blackett agreed that Prof. Louis had
raised an important point, but he did not think the
Committee had any idea in their minds of laying down
any rule that was not to be departed from or that would
embrace all the conditions that might arise. They
should remember that in an Act of Parliament they
were faced by something which was not quite scientifi-
cally accurate. He referred to section 52 of the Act,
relating to the prevention of coaldust in mines where the
floor, roof and sides were not sufficiently naturally
watered. Such mines were to be dealt with, either by
water or otherwise, according to the regulations of the
mine. Neither he nor the Committee had any idea as to
what steps the Home Office might take in its capacity
of making regulations, but, at the same time, when the
Fifth Report was made, that clause was kept in view.
What use would be made of the information they could
not say. He did not think they were justified in sup-
posing that any other method which showed satisfactory
and trustworthy results would be condemned. If the
Home Office did venture to tackle the problem, they all
knew how difficult it would be from the very beginning.
He proceeded to point out the difficulties that would
arise in pits of varying dryness. In the same way, no
rule could be found to apply equally with ordinary
incombustible dusts and those suggested by Prof. Louis.
Broadly speaking, so far as the ordinary dusts went,
there was not a vast difference, and one rule might
apply for them. Referring to the standard, he was
rather surprised to find some who thought a larger
standard should have been set. He thought the
minimum was a sensible one, and those who wished to
use larger quantities were at liberty to do so. Anyone
falling below the minimum would, in all probability, be
prosecuted. The question of coaldust in mines had
caused many bogeys to be raised and elaborate prepara-
tions made to knock them down. Amongst the bogeys
was the alleged insufficiency of the Woolwich test and
the setting up of, to his mind, the somewhat fatuous
Rotherham test. Another bogey that had been raised
was to the effect that the use of incombustible dust in
the mine was likely to be as dangerous to the miner as
the dust breathed by the grinders of Sheffield. An
attempt was being made to put on all-fours the two kinds
of dusts. Some people were begging the question. When
considered, however, it was absurd to suggest that the
dust would be thrown into the air in such a manner as
to be as free as that. Once the dust was in position, it
would remain, as there was nothing to disturb it.
However dangerous stuff lying on shelves might be to
breathe, it was not dangerous if they could not breathe
it. It was an imaginary danger. If any violent distur-

bance did throw it up, then it was ready for the useful
service of quenching. He concluded by warning those
who would have to do with dusting not to be led away by
such bogeys.

Mr. W. C. Mountain read a most interesting and
valuable paper on “ Notes on the Utilisation of Exhaust
Steam for Collieries, Ironworks, &c., and the Cost of
Electric Current Generated,” which is given on next
Page.

Discussion was deferred.

The British Electrical and Manufacturing Company
exhibited a mine-signalling apparatus at the meeting,
which was described and demonstrated. About half-a-
dozen new and improved mine-surveying instruments
were exhibited by Messrs. E. R. Watts and Sons.
Some fine transit theodolites were a feature of their
exhibition.

American Pig Iron Production. — The Bureau of
Statistics of the American Iron and Steel Institute has
received from the manufacturers statistics of the production
of all kinds of pig iron by grades in the United States in
the calendar year 1913. The production of pig iron by
grades in 1913 was as follows : Bessemer and low-phos-
phorus, 11,593,385 tons; basic, 12,537,746; foundry and
ferro-silicon, 5,219,918; malleable Bessemer, 993,736; f.rge
pig iron, 324,832 ; spiegeleisen, 110,338 ; ferro-manganese,
119,496; white and mottled, direct castings, ferro-titanium,
&e., 66,850—total, 30,966,301 tons. In 1912 the output
amounted to 29,726,037 tons, and the bulk of the
increase was in the make of basic pig (1,119,860 tons) ;
Bessemer, forge, and ferro-manganese showed a decline.
Pennsylvania was the largest producer both of Bessemer
and basic pig iron, 4 479,379 tons and 6,936,032 tons respec-
tively. Ohio made 4,186,703 tons of Bessemer, and Illinois
1,695,076 tons. Illinois and Indiana made 2,167,389 tons of
basic pig iron, and Ohio 1,775,225 tons. Alabama was the
largest producer of foundry pig iron in 1911 and 1913, but
Pennsylvania was the largest producer in 1912. In 1913,
Alabama made over 22’6 per cent, of the total output of
foundry pig iron, while Pennsylvania made over 19'9 per
cent. In 1913, Pennsylvania made over 54T per cent, of
the total output of forge pig iron. The increase in the
output of Bessemer and low-phosphorus pig iron in the last
14 years amounted to 3,614,058 tons, while the increase in
the output of basic pig iron in the same period amounted
to 11,465,370 tons. It is estimated that about 58,274,000
gross tons of domestic and foreign iron ore, ore briquettes,
&e., not including mill cinder, scale, scrap, &c., were con-
sumed in the manufacture of pig iron in 1913, as compared
with about 55,656,000 gross tons of similar materials in

1912.	The average consumption of iron ore in 1913 per ton
of pig iron made was about l-882 gross tons, as compared
with about 1'872 tons in 1912. From 800,000 to 900,000
tons of iron ore are also annually consumed by rolling
mills and steel works. There was a total consumption in
1913 of about 61,283,000 tons, or an average of about 1 979
tons of ore and other metallic material used per ton of
pig iron made, as compared with a consumption of about
59,975 000 tons, or an average of 2 017 tons, in 1912.
The average consumption of limestone per ton of pig iron
made was 1,162 6 lb. in 1913, against 1,137'2 lb. in 1912.
In making the 30,966,301 gross tons of pig iron produced
in 1913 there were consumed about 37,217,566 net tons of
coke, as compared with about 35,721,127 net tons in 1912;
about 39,008 net tons of bituminous coal, as compared
with about 47,022 net tons in 1912; about 107,318 gross
tons of anthracite coal, as compared with about 73,794
gross tons in 1912; and about 35,242,059 bushels of
charcoal, as compared with 35,436,017 bushels in 1912.
In 1913 over 69 6 per cent, of the exports of pig iron
(277,648 tons) were sent to Canada, as compared with over
76 4 per cent, in 1912. To the United Kingdom there
were sent 7'7 per cent, in 1913, as compared with nearly
9'4 per cent, in 1912, and to Italy over 8'8 per cent,
in 1913, as compared with nearly 44 per cent, in 1912.
The production of pig iron in Canada in 1913, including
ferro-silicon, ferro-titanium, and ferro-phosphorus, amounted
to 1.015,118 gross tons, against 912,878 tons in 1912. The
production in 1913 was much the largest in the history of
the Dominion. Of the total, 986,848 tons were made with
coke and 28.270 tons with charcoal, coke and electricity, &o.,
against 886,506 tons made with coke and 26,372 tons made
with charcoal, coke and electricity, &o., in 1912. The
production of basic pig in Canada in 1913 amounted to
558,524 tons, against 489,799 tons in 1912; the production
of Bessemer pig iron to 227,662 tons, against 228,742
tons in 1912 ; the production of foundry pig iron and
ferro-silicon to 225,231 tons, against 194,208 tons in
1912 ; and the production of malleable Bessemer and
white and mottled pig iron, direct castings, ferro-
titanium, &c.. to 3,701 tons, against 129 tons in 1912.
In 1913 the Canadian furnaces consumed in the manu-
facture of pig iron 2,010,773 tons of iron ore, and 35 007
tons of mill cinder, pyrites cinder, scale, scrap, &c. In
addition, 705 483 tons of limestone were consumed by blast-
furnac s for fluxing purposes in 1913. In 1913 there were
also consumed for smelting purposes 1,413,111 net tons of
coke and 2,206,191 bushels of charcoal, as compared with
a consumption of 1,275,349 net tons of coke and
1,886,748 bushels of charcoal in 1912. In 1913 the
average consumption of coke per ton of bituminous pig
iron made, including a small quantity of pig iron produced
with electricity and coke and electricity, was 2,843'3 lb.,
while the average consumption of charcoal per ton of pig
iron made was 104 2 bushels, against an average in 1912
of 2,854'6 lb. of coke and 97'3 bushels of charcoal. Of the
total output about 21'4 per cent, was made for sale, and
over 78 6 per cent, for the consumption of the makers. On
December 31, 1913, Canada had 22 completed blastfurnaces,
of which 10 were in blast and 12 were idle. One of the
idle furnaces was being rebuilt. Of the completed furnaces
17 usually use coke for fuel, and five use charcoal. In 1913
two plants made ferro-alloys in electric furnaces. No new
blastfurnaces were being built at the close of 1913. The
annual capacity of the 22 completed furnaces on December 31,

1913,	was 1,552,550 gross tons. There were 17 blastfurnaces
in Canada which were actually in blast during a part or the
whole of 1913.