668 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. September 25, 1914. steel-framed tower, in which the heavy weighted tightening gear for the band is also placed. The portion of the conveyor between the tower and the quay is carried on a steel jib 100ft. long, the tower being designed to support the hinged end. This jib is raised or lowered to the desired angle by means of electrically operated winches, and thus can be made to suit various water levels and all sizes of vessels. At the quay edge a second steel tower about 78 ft. high serves to carry the winches for operating the hinged jib, these being placed in a house on top, and the tower, which is Fig. 3.—Wagon Tipping Arbangement. fl r f 1 kW i a 1 b Iplsl IB I - Elevation . - Fig. 4.—Details of Tipping Gear and Hopper. partly balanced, is suspended from the same and guided between the members of the structure. At the end of the jib there is a specially designed telescopic delivery shoot, which is also fitted with a screen and false bottom, so that small coal can be separated and prevented from passing into the vessel if desired. Special means are also provided for removing wet coal or dust from the conveyor belt. A revolving end is fitted to the telescopic shoot to assist in distributing the stream of coal to the far parts of the hold. This shoot revolves in ball bearings, and is fitted with gear so that it can be raised or lowered to any angle. It is operated from the deck of the vessel being loaded. An electric crane is fixed in one corner of the quayside tower which is capable of dealing with 5-ton loads. The motors and winches in connection with the crane are placed in a house under the structure at quay level. The maximum lift is 70 ft., maximum radius 31 ft., minimum radius 14 ft., and it is arranged to slew round through an angle of 200 degs. All the electrical gear for driving the band conveyor when hoisting and lowering the jib end of the conveyor, and for working the crane, is controlled from a cabin fixed at a convenient point on the front of the quay tower, so that the operator can have an unobstructed view of the vessel being loaded. Any of the motors can be stopped or started from this cabin, and it is also in telephonic communication with the electric power station supplying the docks. There are special arrange- ments provided for stopping the conveyor at various points by means of emergency push buttons. In the House of Commons, last week, Mr. Patrick Meehan asked the Secretary of the Treasury why the tender of the New Irish Mining Company, Queen’s County, for the supply of anthracite coal to the Irish Board of Works was rejected; and if he would state why a higher tender was accepted, in view of the fact that Queen’s County anthracite is in every way suitable and equal to the best Welsh anthracite for Board of Works purposes? Mr. Montagu said he understood from the Board of Works that the lowest tenders for anthracite coal of a suitable quality were accepted by the Board, and the tender of the New Irish Mining Company, Queen’s County, was rejected because it did not fulfil the conditions. THE LONDON COAL TRADE. Thursday, September 24. The London coal trade for the past week has shown some little signs of an improvement. The advent of colder weather and the near approach of_ the winter months has given a little more confidence in the trade and orders have not been so sparingly given as in former weeks. Only a moderate business, however, is done at the present time, as all the coal coming to London is going into stock. The depot trade fluctuates a good deal, and some days there has been no delivery trade whatever. The general householder having filled up his cellars with the winter stock during July and early in August, the actual commencement of the coal consuming period has not appreciably altered the condition of things so much as is the case usually at this period of the year. The tendency, however, is slightly better in many directions, and although merchants are displaying a great reluctance to buy in anything like large quantities, and, in fact, are slow to buy anything except at tempting prices, yet the colliery prices are firm, and in many cases, even now, the principal coal is withdrawn from the list, and the representatives are refusing orders for the simple reason that the arrears are not yet overtaken, and contract quantities must be dealt with first. The question of any advance in the public price, which usually takes place about this time of the year and rarely is delayed beyOnd October 1, has been seriously under discussion, but the majority are against any move- ment at the moment, but as the bulk of the colliery contracts advance to the winter prices on October 1, and already collieries are feeling the lessened output on account of the shortage of labour, there are many indica- tions that the advance in public prices cannot long be delayed. There are, however, some who think that the customary advance on October 1 in the fixed price contracts will not be made this year on account of the suffering caused by the war. The seaborne trade is very quiet, but there are no cargoes on offer. The shipping trade with the Humber ports is reported to be increasing. Certain shipments to Sweden and Norway and Denmark have had a tendency to harden prices, and to improve the demand, especially for South Yorkshire hards, but all qualities of small nuts and slacks are very slow ; 14s. 3d. to 14s. Cd. f.o.b. are the prices now quoted for South Yorkshire hards. Shipbuilders and engineers are fully employed, and the freight market, although restricted, is reported as firm for the week. The freight to London from Newcastle is still quoted at 4s. The various London gas companies have given notice of an advance of 2d. per 1,000 cu. ft. in the price of gas, commencing from the end of the present quarter. The restrictions also in the shipping trade, so far as the river Thames is concerned, are having a somewhat serious effect in the cost and expense, for with the present critical conditions, many boats are not allowed to move up and down the mouth of the Thames during the night, and in consequence, most of the colliers signalled as arriving off the Nore in the afternoon have to lay by until the next morning before they can proceed to their destination. Tides, also, in the docks, and Chelsea reaches, are serious items now the movements of the vessels are so restricted. The trolley and dealers’ trades are very quiet, but as the cold weather advances and the ordinary sitting-room fires become more general, these traders will become busy, as the bulk of the London houses, and especially flats, can take but very little at a time, and are therefore dependent upon the trolleys for a weekly or bi-weekly supply. The demand for gas coal is improving, but the selling price is much below the average, and at present only spot lots are bought, which leave a very unremunerative price for the collieries. The question of the advance in public prices from October 1, is becoming more and more a prominent question, and it is reported that a meeting will shortly be held to discuss as a trade problem the offer made by some of the merchants to supply the Government with so much coal during the winter at the low prices originally offered. The dealers are resenting very strongly the suggested advance in the pit prices during the winter months in face of the low-priced offers already in hand. From Messrs. Dinham, Fawcus and Co.’s Report. Friday, September 18.—There was no alteration in the seaborne house coal market to-day, which continued very quiet, with no available cargoes on offer Cargoes 26. Monday, September 21.—The slight change in the weather gave a little better tone in the seaborne house coal market to-day, but no transactions were reported; a cargo of Yorkshire may be expected later in the week. Cargoes 27. Wednesday, September 23.—The seaborne house coal market was quiet to-day, with no cargoes on offer. Cargoes 6. Messrs. Ed. Bennis and Company Limited inform us that their contract list for the last few weeks just to hand comprises, in addition to a large amount of home business, orders for their machine stokers from Switzerland, and for their chain grates with the new patent link for New Zealand and Constantinople. Messrs. Cammell, Laird and Company Limited, of Birkenhead, have placed an order for four sprinkler stokers and self-cleaning compressed air furnaces for 8 in. diameter Lancashire boilers, together with an elevator and shoots to serve the machine stokers. The latest collieries sending in their order for the Bennis hand-fired furnaces are the Earl of Ellesmere’s Mosley Common collieries, whilst the Astley and Tyldesley Collieries Limited, Tyldesley, have placed an order for two of the Bennis patent coking stokers and compressed air furnaces. Messrs. R. Silcock and Sons, of Liverpool, have ordered a Bennis independent bucket elevator, to take the coal as it is discharged into the coal trucks and deliver it into a scroll conveyor serving the Bennis stokers already fixed on their two Lancashire boilers. The Koppers Coke Oven and By-product Company, Sheffield, have ordered a Bennis patent rotary wagon tipper, for tipping wagon trucks up to 10 tons capacity. It is one of the Bennis standard type, and is fitted with patent clamping gear, which enables various size wagons to be tipped with a minimum of labour in clamping. The tipper is to be supplied complete with all supports and driving gear, &c.