July 17, 1914.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

153

Notes from the Coalfields.

[Local Correspondence.]
South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Dock Enterprise at Newport and Neath—The Laying-up
Scheme.

On Tuesday H.R.H, Prince Arthur of Connaught opened a
new lock entrance to the south dock extension of the Alex-
andra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway
Company. The south dock extension and new lock entrance
have been constructed under powers obtained by the com-
pany in 1904 and 1906. The contract for the south dock
extension was let to Messrs. Easton Gibb and Son in May
1905, and 48 acres were brought into use in November 1907.
The contract for the new lock entrance and further dock
extension (27 acres) was let to the same contractors in
December 1906. These extensions of the south dock give the
following total dimensions :—Deep water area, 75 acres
(making with the existing south dock a total of 95 acres);
length, 4,000 ft. ; width, 1,000 ft.; average depth, at present,
33 ft.; average depth, ultimately, 38 ft.; total quayage,
8,921 ft. The south dock extension and south dock (which
are for all practical purposes one dock) have a combined
area of 95 acres, making this dock the largest single sheet
of water, held up by lock gates, in the world. The north
quay is at present equipped with four hydraulic coal hoists,
each capable of shipping coal at the rate of 600 tons per
hour, the height of lift above quay being 60 ft. Founda-
tions for three more are in course of construction, and two
of the new hoists will have a lift of 70 ft. above quay level,
to facilitate the bunkering of large steamers. The south
quay consists of a concrete wall 3,600 ft. long, at present
equipped with 12 hydraulic cranes of 1| to 6 tons lifting
capacity. Eight additional cranes are in course of erection.
At the east end of the quay is a brick warehouse, 500 ft.
long by 100 ft. wide, and parallel with and at the back of the
quay are several miles of sidings. The new lock entrance
is 1,000 ft. in length by 100 ft. wide. The inner compart-
ment (opening into dock) is 600 ft. long, and the outer com-
partment (opening seawards) is 400 ft. long. The eastern
jetty at the outer end of entrance is 500 ft. long, and the
western jetty 800 ft. long. The depths of water on outer sill
are at high water of ordinary spring tides, 44 ft. 6 in.; at
high water of ordinary neap tides, 34 ft. 6 in. A site for new
dry dock has been reserved on the west side of the lock,
the entrance for which (100 ft. in width) has been formed in
the wing wall at the inner end of the lock. The pumping
and electric generating station are situated at the south-east
end of the lock. There are two main bays; the larger,
facing lock side, forms the pump house and electric gener-
ating house; the smaller bay forms the boiler house. The
chimney stack at the extreme south of building is 187
feet high and 12 feet 6 inches in diameter at the base,
tapering to 7 feet 9 inches at the top. The pumping plant
consists of two vertical three-crank condensing engines
of the marine type, the engines being coupled direct
to centrifugal pumps of the turbo type. The capacity
of pumps is 5,000,000 gallons per hour each. The pumps
are at present used for pumping water from the River Usk
into the dock in order to maintain a constant level in the
dock. The two pumps, working together from 2| hours
before high water to 2J hours after high water, would pump
into the dock 50,000,000 gallons of water, or sufficient to
raise the level of the water in the entire dock system (includ-
ing about 15 acres of timber float) 16 in. The intake is in
the north-east wing wall outside the outer gates, and the
water is pumped into the dock through the delivery culvert,
which runs parallel with the east side of the lock. The
delivery culvert is constructed of cast iron rings 12 ft. in
diameter, practically the same size as one of the London
tube railways. The pumps, which are 60 in. in diameter,
are amongst the largest of their kind in the kingdom. They
are so arranged that they will be available for pumping out
the dry dock when constructed on the west side of the lock.
Culverts have been provided from the pumps under the lock
to the dry dock site for this purpose. The electric gener-
ating plant of two 500 kw. three-phase alternators, coupled
direct to high-speed triple expansion engines, and is used
for lighting the company’s docks and railways. There is a
large reserve output, which can be used for power purposes
when required. The steam for the whole of the .plant is
obtained from a range of four boilers. Each boiler*is 30 ft.
long by 8 ft. in diameter, and the working pressure is 180 lb.
per sq. in. The boilers are fitted with superheaters, and are
mechanically stoked, the coal handling plant being electric-
ally-driven.

Neath Harbour Commissioners are pressing forward with
their scheme for dockising the river, as described in this
column recently; and on Tuesday they made a prolonged
inspection of the area to be dealt with, going up the river
from Briton Ferry to the bridges, a representative of the
engineering firm accompanying them, and explaining the
plans. The entrance lock, 1,000 ft. by 100 ft., would be
constructed near Briton Ferry Iron Works; and from that
point to the main colliery tips, a distance of 1J miles, the
river would be deepened and widened. Most of the anthra-
cite from the surrounding area now goes to Swansea, but
(given dock facilities at Neath) a considerable proportion
would be diverted, with material saving in transport
charges. New sinkings in Neath district would provide addi-
tional traffic; and the different railway undertakings now in
hand must further the new project. Not far short of 50
steam and anthracite collieries already exist in the area
that would be served by the new dock. Three schemes were
placed before the Commissioners, costing £2,000,000,
£1,250,000, and £900,000 respectively, and the Commis-
sioners appear to favour the last scheme. Full details will
be discussed at the next meeting of the Commissioners.

Coal shippers in this district are following very carefully
the proceedings of the Shipping Federation in relation to
proposed laying up of vessels so as to limit competition and
increase the rates of freight; and they do so with special
knowledge of the circumstances, recognising that though
rates may not at present be remunerative the ship owners
have just come through exceptionally good times. One local
example is that of Tatem’s Company, Cardiff, whose report
was issued a few days ago. This concern has a capital of
£350,000, and during the year ended June 1913 its profits
totalled neary £353,000, more than 100 per cent, on the
capital. During the year just ended the profits exceeded
£100,000, and made a total over 4J years of no less than
£800,000 profit. The distribution of dividend having been
on a conservative basis, and huge sums having been put to
reserve, there are in hand liquid assets to the amount of
24s. per £1 share, without taking account of the present
value of the steamers. Tatem’s experience being only
typical of the “ tramp ” class, it is early yet for ship owners

to talk of laying-up vessels because rates are unremunera-
tive, their great profits of the very recent period enabling
them to meet a time of temporary stress.

Coal shippers, moreover, are many of them interested as
shareholders in steamers—indeed, the acquisition of
steamers is only a development—and they well know the
ruinous cost of laying-up vessels; realising that it is less
unremunerative to keep them at work on low freights, in
readiness for chartering at better rates as occasion serves.
So fully is this understood, and other considerations, that
the talk of the Shipping Federation representatives is com-
pletely discounted, whilst any action is closely scrutinised.

The Plisson Steam Navigation Company, of Cardiff, are
negotiating for the purchase of eight steamers now under
the management of Messrs. Roth Brothers Limited, of
London. Mr. Ernest Plisson is the managing director of
Messrs. Lysberg Limited (the chairman of which is Mr.
D. A. Thomas), and is the head of the Compagnie des
Chargeurs Fran^ais, of Paris, which owns 18 steamers. The
firm will then have the control of 28 steamers. The vessels
range between 5,500 and 7,000 tons, and the carrying capa-
city of the fleet will be about 120,000 tons. Messrs.
Lysberg’s Limited are sales agents for the Glamorgan Coal
Company and for the Imperial Navigation Coal Company
Limited.

Barry Docks trade for the half-year ended June 30 consti-
tutes a record. Exports were over 5| millions of tons; and
the total of exports and imports was 5,883,335 tons.

The Federation on Saturday decided to recommend the
Miners’ Federation of Great Britain to appeal to the House
of Lords in the compensation case of Price v. Tredegar
Coal Company, which involved the question of compensation
in the case of a man killed by a workmen’s train at
Cilfynydd.

At a meeting of the Margam District Council on Monday,
it was stated that the Atlas Coke and Patent Fuel Company
intended erecting works at Port Talbot to cost £300,000,
and would require an adequate water supply. The matter
was referred to a committee. The construction of new
water works is under consideration by the council.

Speaking at Abertillery Police Court on Wednesday of
last week, when a batch of miners were fined for being in.
possession of matches, Aid. S. N. Jones said that he thought
the men should not have the option of a fine. Several
collieries were on strike on the question of safety, yet these
men were jeopardising their own lives and those of hundreds
of their fellow workmen by their own gross carelessness.

The anthracite area is at present passing through a
serious period of depression, and upwards of 4,000 men are
only partially employed. A thousand men usually at work
are now idle.

A fine of £9 or two months was imposed on a collier at
Aberdare last Thursday, for marking another man’s tram
as his own.

Owing to the death of Mr. E. Williamson Taylor, the
Tredegar Iron and Coal Company have appointed Mr.
Norman James McNeil commercial manager,- with the sale
of the company’s coal at Cardiff, in consulation with Mr. F.
H. O. Monkley, who remains in London with the control
of the London business. The latter retains the secretary-
ship. Both gentlemen have been over 20 years with the
company.

A start has been made at Senghenydd to open the
“ bashings ” erected after the disastrous explosion. The
men have decided to continue working on condition that in
addition to their representative, who is watching the bash-
ing, their agent and secretary shall be permitted to visit
the place three times a week. This request has been
granted.

Northumberland and Durham.

Coal Shipping Facilities—Garden Village at Harton—
Explosion near Blyth—Under managers' Association
Progresses — Developments near Berwick — Projected
new Bridge at Sunderland—The Duke and his Way-
leaves.

Although, owing to several untoward circumstances,
chiefly due to a series of intermittent labour disputes, the
coal and coke shipments from the North-East Coast ports
may not this year attain record proportions, yet at practi-
cally all the important coal shipping points in this district,
extensive improvements and additions to the facilities have
either recently been completed or are now actively being
proceeded with. At Blyth, new staiths providing two
coaling berths for ships up to 10,000 tons, are to be con-
structed in the upper harbour in order to cope with the
increasing traffic from Ashington and other groups of
collieries in the south-eastern portion of the Northumbrian
coalfield. The new staith jetty will be 1,570 ft. in length,
and there will be a depth alongside of 30 ft. at low water
and 45 ft. at high water. The contract for the work has
within the past few days been placed with Messrs. Mitchell
Brothers Limited, of Glasgow. The whole of the work will
be carried out in timber, the substructure at the cost of the
Blyth Harbour Commissioners, whilst the superstructure
will be at the cost of the North-Eastern Railway Company.
A large tidal basin is also now being dredged by the Blyth
Harbour Commissioners at the site of these new staiths, and
this work, which involves the removal fo 1| million tons of
material, will give a deep water area of about 15 acres.
Whilst shipping coal on the gravitation principle, these new
staiths are also to be equipped by the railway company,
with modern anti-breakage appliances, worked electrically,
and capable of coaling the largest ships’ bunkers. It is
also proposed in the near future to extend the east pier
at Blyth by the construction of a monolithic concrete pier,
1,120 ft. in length, extending in a southerly direction from
a point adjacent to the present east pier lighthouse. This
pier will be founded upon rock, and its base wlil consist
of concrete sack blocks, each of about 100 tons weight,
and built up to a level of 3 to 4 ft. above low water mark.
Upon the sack foundation, a monolith of concrete will be
raised as mass-work within timber casing to a height of
7 ft. above high water level, and it will be surmounted by
a decking carried on open framing of reinforced concrete.
Future improvements are contemplated on the west side
of the Blyth Harbour entrance, which comprises the
reconstruction and extension of the west pier and the
provision of wave spending basins. The extension of the
pier is rendered necessary by the fact that with the present
piers it is not practicable to maintain a depth of more than
20 ft. of water in the entrance channel. On the Tyne, the
North-Eastern Railway Company, to relieve the congestion
at their Dunston staiths, will, during the next few weeks
introduce into service new shipping berths at West Dunston,
about If miles west of the present Dunston staiths. Three
shipping berths have here been provided with a frontage to

the river of about 1,700 ft., whilst there will be a basin
500 ft. wide by 1,700 ft. long. At these staiths there will
be an auxiliary electrical conveying belt, designed on some-
what similar lines to those in use at Tyne Dock and
Dunston. The staiths are built of timber work, on a
gradient of 1 in 80, the highest spout being 53 ft. at
h.w.o.s.t., and the lowest spout 43 ft. at h.w.o.s.t., and
there will be a depth alongside of 26 ft. at l.w.o.s.t. Active
progress is being made by the Harton Coal Company
Limited, of South Shields, in the replacement of their
staiths destroyed by fire early in the year, whilst a
definite commencement has also been made by the North-
Eastern Railway Company with the construction of the new
river-side station and coaling staiths at Jarrow Slake,
immediately west of the entrance to Tyne Docks. Endless
coal band conveyors and anti-coal-breakage appliances have
been introduced at the Whitehill Point River staiths, and
at the Albert Edward Dock coal staith of the Tyne Improve-
ment Commissioners. At Sunderland, the River Wear
Commissioners are shortly introducing two new electric belt
conveyors and a coal shipping berth, suitable for vessels
400 ft. long, at the north end of their Hudson Dock North,
on the site previously occupied by Nos. 2 and 4 coal staiths,
as also a new 20 ton wagon road and spout and electric
belt conveyor at their No. 13 staith. This work has
necessitated the deepening of the dock to 30ft. at h.w.o.s.t.,
or 26ft. at l.w.o.s.t., and the building of two concrete
piers about 20 ft. from the quay, from which the movable
part of the conveyor will be worked. Similarly, at
Middlesbrough, the North-Eastern Railway Company’s
equipment has been increased by a belt conveyor of a
capacity of 140 tons per hour at their No. 100 quay, the
length of the belt from the intake to the discharge being
170 ft. In addition, the railway company in association
with the Tees Conservancy Commissioners, are seeking
parliamentary powers for the establishment of a new river-
side quay and warehouses on the foreshore at Grangetown,
some distance east of the Middlesbrough Dock entrance.

The biggest event in the history of the Durham Aged
Miners’ Homes Association took place on Saturday at
Harton, where a garden village has been commenced.
Foundation stones for no fewer than 48 houses were laid
on Saturday, amidst great rejoicings. The homes are
intended for the workmen of the Harton, St. Hilda and
Whitburn collieries. Amongst those who laid foundation
stones were :—Mr. Arthur M. Wood (on behalf of Sir
Lindsay Wood), Dr. J. Wilson, Aid. H. Pettier, Mayor of
South Shields, Mr. James Kirkley, Mr. R. Thornton, and
representatives of the various miners’ lodges. Dr. Wilson
said that 15 or 16 years ago, when the movement was
started, the most optimistic of them did not anticipate such
success as was seen that day. Referring to the 64 homes to
be built in connection with the Harton Coal Company’s
mines, he observed that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
had assisted them a great deal by giving the sites. They
thanked, too, the Harton Coal Company for a princely gift
of £4,000. For that gift they owed a great deal to the
efforts of Sir Lindsay Wood. The Association had now
500 homes for their aged mine workers. Mr. Arthur M.
Wood also spoke and complimented the miners of the county
in having raised nearly £4,000 for such a noble movement.
The Rev. J. R. Croft said they hoped to have in a short
while, accommodation for a thousand old people in the
county.

An action brought against the South Derwent Coal
Company by Mr. James Bainbridge, formerly under-
manager at East Pontop Colliery, occupied thre days of the
Northumberland Assizes last week. Mr. Bainbridge, who
started down the mine at fourteen years of age, had worked
at every position in the pit before becoming under-manager
at East Pontop. During his career as a miner he had
bought a considerable amount of property about the
Catchgate and Annfield Plain district, spending nearly
£1,500 in the purchases. He claimed that the South
Derwent Colliery Company’s workings had damaged the
property, and he alleged that when he first claimed damages
the company had not repudiated liability. Mr. Justice Bray
journeyed to Annfield Plain and visited the property, and,
on the conclusion of the hearing, awarded plaintiff £137 10s.,
without giving his reasons. Plaintiff was also successful in
his application for costs.

Surg.-Gen. W. W. Kenny, King’s Honorary Surgeon and
Deputy Director Medical Services, Northern command,
inspected the members of St. John Ambulance Brigade in
the Felling district on Saturday. Over 400 members were
present, representing Felling Corps, Gateshead Division,
Gateshead Borough, Alhusen Division, Dunston, Heworth,
and Wardley. The contingents were under the command of
Supt. W. Handy side. Prior to the inspection Surg.-Gen.
Kenny was presented with a gold key after opening the
new drill hall.

At a meeting of the Lanchester District Council, it was
decided to accept the offer of Messrs. Hedley Brothers, of
the Craghead Colliery, to modify their plans as to the build-
ing and altering of dwelling houses up to the end of 1917,
on condition that the firm took steps to remedy the over-
crowding at present existing by the end of this year. The
owners of property at Burnhope Colliery are to be asked to
receive a deputation to consider a method of dealing with
overcrowding. Plans were passed for the erection of about
60 houses by the Consett Iron Company Limited.

In consequence of the explosion at Crofton Pit, Blyth, last
week, two inquests have been held. At the first of these,
the coroner, after expressing sympathy with the relatives
of the deceased, James Henry Onwin, adjourned the inquest
for a week, as the third man, Irving, is still lying in a
critical condition. At the inquest on the second man, James
Chandler, the brother of the deceased gave evidence. Wit-
ness had seen deceased at Newcastle Infirmary; deceased
was badly burned over his whole body, but was able to tell
witness that he was going to drill when his mate came along
with an open light, and the explosion occurred. The inquest
was adjourned for 15 days.

Messrs. James Joicey and Company Limited have
appointed Mr. H. Walton, of Littletown, to a more impor-
tant position at their collieries in the west of Durham. He
has been for nine years cashier and chief clerk to Sir B.
Samuelson and Company Limited at their Sherburn group
of collieries. Mr. Walton, who is a native of Croxdale,
will be much missed in Littletown, as he has been an ardent
worker in chapel matters, and took great interest in the
clerks working under his direction. He carries with him
the good wishes of these and many other friends.

William Nelson, a blacksmith at the Harraton Colliery,
was severely reprimanded by the coroner at an inquest on
the body of Ralph Curry, 28, a brakesman at the staple of
the same pit. Nelson stated that he was at the staple that