April 17, 1914. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 839 MIHIHG INSTITUTE OF SCOTLAND. Annual Meeting. The thirty-seventh annual meeting of the Mining Institute of Scotland was held in the rooms of the institute, Elmbank-crescent, Glasgow, on Saturday last. Mr. James Hamilton (Glasgow), the president of the institute, occupied the chair, and there was a large attendance of members. The following gentlemen were at the outset admitted to membership :—Messrs. John Clark, coalmaster, East Lothian; C. M. Chondhuri, colliery proprietor, Calcutta; James Cook, colliery manager, Hamilton; Duncan Ferguson, colliery manager, Newton, Lanarkshire; Fig 1.—Plan of Lord Bruce Pn (downcast) Shaft' CIRCULATING-PUMP/ 36 HORSEPOWER MIXED-PRESSURE TURBINES, 500K.W., 3-PHASE, 50c/550 VOLTS. 50.CYCLES. RUNNING AT 3.000 R.P.M. TO LIGHTING OF WORKMEN'S COTTAGES WASHER REFERENCES 1 LOADED SIDINGS 2- WEIGHS. 3. SILT RECOVERY PLANT 4. DROSS-PIT 5 BOILERS. 6. EOONOMIZER3 7. DIRT-HOPPER. 0. CIRT-OOHVEYOR 0. TO DIRT-BUI 10. WINDING-ENGINE HOUSE 11. COAL-WASHING PLANT 12. COAL-SCREENING PLANT 13. LADY VERONICA PIT 14. LORD BRUCE PIT 15. FAN 16- FAN-ENGINE 17. STEAM-PIPING / Fig. 7.—Diagrammatic Sketch of Electrical Arrangements. MAIM SHAFT-CABLE 0-25 THREE-CORE Y.B. D.W.A. MAIR SHAFT-CABLE 0 25 THREE-CORE V.B. D.W.A. CABIN ENGINEERS’ SHOP OVERHEAD LINE SCREENS COMRIE MAIN SILT RECOVERY DUFF CONVEYOR RIVER THREE-THROW PUMP, 7 INCHES BY 9 INCHES, 300 G.P.M. AGAINST 300-F00T HEAL Z7 NO? 1 PUMP-ROOM TWO SULZER BROWN-BOVERI TURBINE MOTORS, 250 H.P. AT 1,490 1 ? *’ 'Z/z yO^UVEPY, TO TOP DUNFERMLINE SPLINT BEAM 165 H.P. AT 480 R.P.M. T.T. PUMP, sj INCHES BY 18 INCHES, SOO G.P.M ' AGAIN8T 1,350-F00T HEAD DELIVERY TO NO. 1 LODGMENT / 100 H.P., 585 R.P.M. T.T PUMPS, / 9 INCHES BY 15 INCHES, 250 G.P.M AGAINST 700-F00T HEAD zy ^rjELIYJRY JO NO 1 LOPCM5II’ George Rankin, sub-inspector of mines, Edinburgh; Hugh Stewart, colliery manager, Cambuslang; and Alexander Walker, mining engineer, Peru. Associate member: John W. Hill, 134, St. Vincent-street, Glasgow. Associate : Leander Millar, mining engineer, Moss Side Colliery, Bathgate. The annual report of the council showed that the membership to date was 667, being an increase of three for the year. During the session the president had offered a special prize of five guineas for the best paper written and sent in by associates and students of the institute on “Accidents in Shafts; their Causes and Prevention.” The result, however, was most dis- appointing, only one paper being submitted, namely, that by Mr. Leslie Webster, to whom the prize was awarded. The arrangement of holding the annual meetings alternately in Glasgow and Edinburgh on Saturday afternoons had been continued, and the attendances had been very satisfactory. Within the past 12 months an appeal had been made by the council of the Institution of Mining Engineers for a capital fund of £15,000. The proportion of the £15,000 to be paid by the Mining Institute of Scotland was £2,887, and to obtain this sum the council had sent out a special appeal to the mineowners of Scotland and others interested in mines. A most gratifying response was made to this appeal, and the institute was greatly indebted to those who had so heartily contributed. The treasurer’s accounts showed a satisfactory balance, Fig. 3.-Plan of First Pit-bottom of Lady Veronica Pit, showing Fig 2.-Plan of Lady Veronica Pn Arrangements for1 dealing with (upcast) Shaft the Loaded ano Empty Tubs Fig. 4.—Plan showing lay-out and Connexions of Lady Veronica Pit-bottom -,8. COOLING-TOWER. IS. POWER-HOUSE. 20. LAMP-CABIN 21. ENGINEERS. 22. SMITHY 23. JOINERS. 24. STORES. 25. AMBULANCE 26. TO COAL BIN 27. RAILWAY TO OLD PITS 28. EMPTY SIDINGS. 20; STORAGE FOR PIT-WOOD 30. RIVER PUMP 81. OVERHEAD CABLE. 32. OVERHEAD LIGHTING CABLE TO BLAIRHALL VILLAGE ’ 83. FARM ROAD when the special call which had been made in addition to the usual call per member on behalf of the institution was considered. The report was unanimously adopted. Office-bearers were elected for the ensuing session as follows:—President, Mr. James Hamilton, mining engineer, Glasgow; vice-presidents, Messrs. H. Rowan, Foulford House, Cowdenbeath, and James B. Sneddon, Oakbank, mid-Calder; councillors, Messrs. Donald Black, Bathgate; Henry Briggs, Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh ; Charles Latham, the University, Glasgow ; Henry W. Lewin, Glasgow; James Nisbet, Summerlee Ironworks, Coatbridge; David L. Smith, Glasgow. The vice-presidents and councillors, it should be explained, were appointed after a ballot vote of the members, but the election of Mr. James Hamilton as president was a unanimous appointment. Electric Winding Plant at South Kenmuir Colliery. Discussion was resumed on the paper read by Mr. Willoughby M. Dunn, on “ Electric Winding Plant at South Kenmuir Colliery.” Mr. Dunn in replying to the points raised previously in the discussion, said that the plant had now been running continuously for the past four years, and during that time not a single minute had been lost in consequence of the failure of the supply. He could homologate all that had been said regarding the reliability of the supply from the Clyde Valley Power Supply Company. He might add that the escape shaft for South Kenmuir Fig. 5 Section showing the Seams passed THROUGH IN SINKING THE SHAFT StCONO^OTTOM ••LADY VERONICA --- Ha I RUHP-POTL NOTE No. 3 PUMP DELIVERS. TO NO. 1 PUMP. NO. 2 PUMP DELIVERS TO No. 1 PUMP. NO, 1 PUMP DELIVERS TO SURFACE. Ho 2 PUMP-ROOM soa^x****^ Colliery was half a mile distant at another of their pits which had a steam equipment, and that had some bearing on their deciding to adopt winding by electricity. Having, however, had the experience of the past four years, so far as the reliability of the power supply was concerned, he would have no hesitation in equipping both shafts with electrical winding gear. Regarding the wear and tear to winding ropes owing to the small diameter of the drum, he found that their life was considerably greater on the electric winder as compared with any of their steam winding engines with cylindrical drum varying from 8 to 11| feet in diameter. This he believed to be due to the steady and regular acceleration of the load by the electric winder as compared with the more or less erratic and jerking start given to a steam engine by a large number of enginemen. The discussion on this paper was closed, and the author thanked. Apparatus for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen in Mine Air. The discussion was thereafter resumed on the paper read at the last meeting by Prof. Daniel Burns, Royal Technical College, Glasgow, on “Apparatus for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen in Mine Air.” Mr. W. Jar vie (Bothwell) said that Prof. Burns had dealt in a practical manner with a difficulty which confronted mining officials, namely, that of knowing whether the atmosphere of the mine complied with the Act, without the elaborate and expensive process of submitting samples to an analyst. A careful examination of the apparatus showed that it was not any more delicate than an anemometer, and that no greater degree of accuracy of observation or manipulation was necessary than with an ordinary mining dial. Of the types of apparatus described, he thought the first would meet general mining requirements, and it had the advantages over the second of being more simple to operate and maintain, and was free from the disadvantage of the rapid deterioration of pyrogallol. While speaking on this subject, he (Mr. Jar vie) might take the opportunity of referring to a danger which had been intensified recently—the generation of carbon monoxide by a large proportion of the explosives on the Permitted List. He thought the responsibility for that rested principally on the Home Office and its advisers, and not on the manufacturers. A most absurd test had been established at the Rotherham station, using town gas containing a large proportion of hydrogen, which, besides being inflammable at a lower temperature, had no “ inflam- mation lag ” like methane. Powerful explosives with momentary high temperatures were thus penalised in favour of what he had heard aptly termed the “ Keating’s powder ” class. The Home Office did not even specify a standard mixture of the gas used at Rotherham so that manufacturers might experiment before submitting their explosives for the permitted test. Manufacturers were thus handicapped and, as the resultant gases were not subjected to any examination, the reduction in tempera- ture was obtained by the introduction of a large proportion of oxalate of ammonium or similar quencher, with the consequent formation of a large proportion of carbon monoxide. He was convinced that the incondensable products of explosion in many cases contained 15 to 20 per cent, of carbon monoxide. It was not difficult to conjecture circumstances in which these products would produce an atmosphere containing more than the deadly J per cent, of carbon monoxide—he had himself got 0‘59 per cent, by analysis—but in law the entire blame rested with the management for failing to obtain adequate ventilation. Amongst the mining