December 11, 1914.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1235

formal character was given by Mr. R. Wilson, H.M.
inspector of mines.—Mr. Proctor said the electric haulage
system had been worked at Greenside for 21 years without
any accident or complaint respecting it. When the special
rules were first sent to the company they gave notice of
objection, and then waited for the Home Office to take the
next step, and refer the matter to arbitration, as the Act
provided, but they did not do that, and no other notice was
received. He suggested that the case might be adjourned
to see what arrangements could be made, as there had not
been wilful disregard of the wishes of the Home Office.—
Mr. Pope objected to this, but on the suggestion of the
Bench he afterwards agreed, and the case was adjourned
for three months.

Yorkshire.

New Model Village near Doncaster—Progress at Hatfield—
Col. Shaw to Raise Another Battalion — An “ All-
Electric ” Colliery — Wharncliffe Silkstone Disaster :
Home Office Prosecution—Electrical Accidents.

The Doncaster Corporation are still moving in the direc-
tion of meeting the housing difficulty. The Local Govern-
ment Board have just agreed to the erection of 102 work-
men’s dwellings on the Carr House site. A housing
committee has been formed to proceed at once with the
scheme, and, as it has been decided to advertise for com-
petitive plans, the Corporation are determined to get the
best they can out of it. Designs are to be invited for the
laying out of a site of about 20 acres, and the erection of
the workmen’s dwellings is to be upon four acres “ on
garden city lines.”

Good progress is reported in connection with the sinking
of Hatfield Colliery, near Doncaster. The water difficulty
has been overcome in the No. 1 shaft, and the second shaft
is progressing well. It is hoped that the sinking process
will not take so long as at one time seemed probable. Mr.
J. Ramsdale, who for three years has been electrician at
the colliery, is leaving to take up a similar position in India,
and has been presented with a travelling trunk and medical
cabinet.

Some interesting figures, showing how well Yorkshire
miners are recruiting in the various districts, were given
by Mr. Wadsworth at a meeting of the Ardsley Urban Dis-
trict Council, to whom the town clerk of Barnsley wrote
asking for co-operation in the formation of a second Barnsley
battalion. Mr. Wadsworth said every assistance had
been promised. Only 369 of the first Barnsley battalion
were Barnsley men. The districts of Wombwell and Ardsley
supplied 224, Cud worth and Grimethorpe 160, Darfield
and Great Houghton 130, Royston and Carlton 80, Darton,
Staincross, and Mappiewell 47, Higham Dodworth and Silk-
stone 16, Worsboro’ Dale and Worsboro’ Bridge 33, Bird-
well, Hoyland, and Elsecar 29. It was stated that out of
Ardsley’s population of 7,000, some 200 men had already
joined the Colours.

Great interest has been aroused in the South Yorkshire
coalfield by the announcement that Col. Shaw, Mayor of
Pontefract, one of the best-known colliery proprietors in the
country, and who resides at Cantley Hall, Doncaster, has
received instructions from the War Office to raise another
reserve battalion of the 5th King's Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry. Col. Shaw has a wonderful amount of influence
among Yorkshiremen. The first reserve battalion was
recruited by him within 12 days, and there is no doubt he
will easily raise the second one. Few men have indeed
worked harder than Col. Shaw since war broke out. He
saw service in the Boer War, and has long been connected
with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

The Manvers Main Colliery Company are behaving very
generously in regard to the war. They are placing to the
credit of every single man of theirs who has gone 2s. per
week, to be paid him upon resuming work. It has been
decided in the event of any loss of life occasioned during the
war that £20 shall be paid to the relatives by the company
and the workmen in equal shares. Up to date the income
of the Manvers Main workmen’s war relief fund is
£378 15s. 6d., raised by stoppages of 6d. per head per man
and 3d. per head per boy. The sum of £358 12s. lOd. has
been paid out in relief, leaving some £20 in hand. In addi-
tion, the colliery company have paid £187 9s. 4d., there
being a joint scheme of payment between them and their
workmen, thus making a grand total of £546 2s. 4d. paid
to dependants of employees at the pit. But this is not all.
To the Wath Relief Fund there has been contributed £51,
a like sum to Swinton, £28 to Mexborough, and £7 10s. to
Bolton-on-Dearne.

A terrible accident, which ended fatally, befel a colliery
farm bailiff last week. Mr. T. Wearmouth, of Tankersley.
The deceased was in the employ of the Wharncliffe
Silkstone Colliery Company. Oat threshing operations were
in progress at the Filley farm. Walking along the plat-
form after looking at some slight defect, Mr. Wearmouth
slipped and fell into the feed hole of the machine, and was
drawn under the heavy drum which beats out the grain. His
right leg as far as the knee was fearfully mutilated, and so
violent had been the bleeding, that although extricated
within 10 minutes, the unfortunate man was dead when
liberated. In returning a verdict of “ Accidental death.”
the jury added a rider that threshing machines should be
placed under the Factory Act, so as to come under Govern-
ment inspection, and give adequate protection to workmen.

A. meeting of the members of the Yorkshire branch of the
National Association of Colliery Managers was held at Leeds
on Saturday, when Mr. J. G. Linneker, of the Micklefield
Coal and Lime Company Limited, introduced a discussion
on his paper, given on the occasion of the members’ visit
to the Ledston Luck and Micklefield Collieries in June last.
Mr. Linneker said that the Ledston Luck Colliery was some-
what different, with regard to the surface plant, from most
of the collieries in this country, inasmuch as they had no
steam plant at all. They had steam for the sinking of the
two pits, but when that work was done they shut the boilers
down, and now electricitv alone was being used. They were
purchasing the current from the Yorkshire Power Company.
The chief reason for the introduction of electricity at Leds»-
ton was the lessor’s objection to smoke. Proceeding. Mr.
Linneker dealt with the electrical plant installed, and said
that with the electric winder such as thev had there was not
the slightest fear of an overwind. They could fix the
“ stop down ” at an inch, and if the engineman was tn
fall asleep or have a fit it would be quite safe. They had had
one or two stoppages, but they were caused by the elements,
and not by any fault in the plant in any way.. On the
occasion of a very heavy thunderstorm the lines were

“ paralysed ” for some two or three minutes only. With
regard to the cost of working by electricity, he considered
that so far it compared very favourably with steam, because
they had to take into consideration that they had no upkeep
of boilers and no stokers.

Summonses have been issued against the Wharncliffe
Silkstone Colliery Company and three officials for alleged
breaches of the Coal Mines Act, 1911, on the occasion of
the explosion in the Whinmoor Pit on May 30 last, which
resulted in the loss of 12 lives. The informations are laid
by Mr. T. H. Mattram, H.M. chief inspector of mines for
Yorkshire. The colliery company are summoned for a
breach of section 33 of the Act, for allowing safety lamps,
not of the type approved by the Secretary of State, to be
used in the mine. Mr. Geo. Blake Walker, agent of the
colliery company, is summoned for a breach of the same
section, and also for a breach of section 29, which states
that an adequate amount of ventilation shall be constantly
produced in the mine to dilute and render harmless the gases.
Mr. Jonathan Wroe, manager of the colliery, is summoned
for contravention of No. 132 of the General Regulations of
the Act, namely, that in the Atherley-Whinmoor district of
the mine, in which inflammable gas was likely to occur in a
quantity sufficiently indicative of danger, an electrical coal
cutting machine was not protected, worked, and maintained
so that in the normal working there could be no risk of
open sparking. Mr. Wroe is also summoned for a breach of
section 29, and also for allowing safety lamps to be used not
of the approved type. Mr. Alfred Otway, foreman electrician
at the colliery, is summoned for contravention of No. 132 of
the General Regulations in permitting the coal cutting
machine to be worked without risk of open sparking. The
summonses are to be heard at Barnsley on Wednesday,
December 16.

“ The Prevention of Electrical Accidents in Mines ” was
the subject of a paper and discussion at the Sheffield meeting
on Saturday last of the Yorkshire branch of the Association
of Mining Electrical Engineers. In introducing the subject,
Mr. T. J. Nelson pointed out that despite the public atten-
tion that mining accidents had evoked, and the investiga-
tions of many committees of enquiry, a maze of legislation
was still struggled with and the accidents continued. He
was of opinion that the personnel was a factor of greatest
importance in reducing accidents. Another was the neces-
sity for combined effort to keep in touch with new develops
ments in safety appliances; and still another, to educate,
and help the workers and subordinate officials in the dangers
attending the use of electricity. The dangers attending the
use of electricity in mines were : (1) Accidents from electric
shock; (2) accidents from electric ignition of firedamp; (3)
accidents from electrically caused fires. In order to prevent
these accidents, the electrical engineer must give careful
and constant attention to the following : (a) Provide reliable
connection to earth for all outer metallic covers of apparatus;
(b) cover all necessary live parts with good quality insu-
lating material, and provide good protection against
mechanical damage; (c) use apparatus that has been
designed to prevent open sparking; (d) avoid the use of
inflammable material near electrical apparatus. The Home
Office rules regulating the use of electricity in mines were
in every way admirable and necessary. They were framed
with the object of securing personal safety to the workers in
mines, and, of course, the stipulations control to a large
extent the work of the electrical manufacturer and con-
tractor ; but there were important properties of electrical
colliery plant not influenced thereby, or at all events, only
indirectly. The writer of the paper proceeded to detail many
helpful considerations and suggestions with a view to ensur-
ing greater safety in connection with motors, cables, switch-
gear, coal cutter motors, underground lighting, signalling
apparatus, the testing of earthing systems, protective and
leakage recording devices.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

The Calorific Value of Coals—Southport Coal—Home Office
Prosecution at Stockport : The Condition of Pit Pones.

In connection with the paper on “ Power Plant Testing,”
by Mr. W. M. Selvey, which was read before the members
of the Manchester section of the Institution of Electrical
Engineers on December 1, a discussion took place as to the
desirability of taking into consideration the calorific value
of coal when designing and constructing furnaces. Mr. S.
Pearce, the Manchester electrical engineer, agreed that the
boiler should be designed having regard to the calorific
value of the fuel. He also thought most engineers would
agree that a fully qualified chemist should be employed in
coal testing. Mr. David Wilson said he believed the design
of stokers could not be determined merely by the considera-
tion of the calorific value. That was no guide to how the
furnace structure or the grates would be affected. Coal of
14,000 B.T.U. had been burnt for 10 years without any
damage arising; on the other hand, there were many cases
where coal of 11,000 B.T.U. had caused very serious mischief
to the brickwork. The fact was that the trouble was due
to the composition of the coal, and anyone who had experi-
ence of coal testing would realise how little they knew
about its physical properties. Two coals of approximately
the same analysis would behave quite differently in the
furnace. In his reply, Mr. Selvey said the efficiency of the
boiler did not depend so much upon the calorific value as
upon the nature of the coal. They might have a coal of
low calorific value, and yet find it necessary to add a high
proportion of duff to avoid trouble.

At a public meeting at Southport last week, at which
addresses on municipal topics were given, Mr. Norbury
Williams (elective auditor for Manchester) said that he had
received a letter from Mr. S. Hardman (elective auditor for
Southport), in which the latter stated that he had had diffi-
culty in seeing contracts relating to coal. As a sort of test,
he (Mr. Williams) thought he would make application to
the Manchester Gas Committee to see current contracts for
coal. Manchester consumed at its gas estate 400,000 tons
of coal a year. If there could be any apology made for
the manner in which the Southport coal contracts had been
let, he thought it might be that coal was a very scarce com-
modity. and there were few people dealing with it. He
asked his people in Manchester how many offers of coal
contracts they had received during the last six months, and
was told 281. There were 281 different sets of coal offered by
100 firms to the Manchester Corporation. There were scores
and scores of people, declared Mr. Williams, who could
supply Southport with coal.—Mr. S. Hardman said the firm
of Smith and Gregson, of which Coun. Gregson was a
member, were not connected with Mr. W. R. Gregson, who
supplied coal to the Corporation. Coun. Gregson said, and
they must take his word for it : ‘‘I have no interest in the

contracts, because these things are invoiced from some col-
liery for which my brother is acting as agent, and are
invoiced through him to the Corporation. The firm of
Smith and Gregson are not interested in these contracts.”
This, said Mr. Hardman, might be very satisfactory to
Coun. Gregson and to the Council, but it was not satisfac-
tory to him.

The responsibility of the mine manager in exercising
supervision so as to secure the proper observance of the
Mines Act, in so far as relates to the care and treatment
of horses, was emphasised at the Stockport Police Court last
week, when John Fredk. Foggo, manager of the Bred-
bury Colliery Company Limited, was summoned for a
breach of the Act. Mr. John Paxton (Liverpool), who
appeared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said that
an inspector of horses in mines visited the Bredbury Colliery
on October 9, and found five ponies in the stables, two of
which were under treatment, and not working. In the
workings two ponies were found working, both of which
were suffering from wounds which the lad in charge
admitted had been caused by rubbing against the roof. The
lad said he had reported their condition to the horsekeeper.
The roof of the passage at that portion of the mine was very
low, and the ponies were not able to take a load of coal
without rubbing against the roof. The wounds on one pony
might have been caused by the rubbing of the harness, but
they were raw wounds of recent date. The manager
admitted that the ponies were not fit to be working, but
said he was personally not aware that they were in that con-
dition. The manager took proceedings in that court against
the horsekeeper and two deputies for not reporting the con-
dition of the horses to him, and convictions were recorded
in each case. The question now before the court was as to
responsibility, and he (Mr. Paxton) suggested that the
manager was personally responsible under the section of
the Act, which made it clear that the manager must exer-
cise personal supervision that would enable him to see that
the Regulations were being strictly carried out.—Evidence
having been called to bear out the opening statement, Mr.
Briggs (for the defendant) alluded to the multifarious duties
of the manager, who appointed a horsekeeper and five
deputies. He left the supervision of the horses to them, and
the horsekeeper had to report in the report-book. On
October 8 the word “ Good ” had been placed opposite the
names of the two ponies in respect of which the present
summons was brought. The defendant subsequently took
proceedings, as mentioned by the prosecution, and fines were
imposed. Mr. Briggs contended that Mr. Foggo had taken
all reasonable care to see that the Regulations were carried
out, having appointed deputies and posted notices in the
mines.—The defendant, in evidence, said he was appointed
manager in June last, and it was impossible for him to
make a daily examination of the horses in the mines. He
relied on the horsekeeper and the five deputies—all competent
men, and most of them with 20 or 30 years’ experience—to
do their duties properly, and to report accurately as to the
condition of the horses.—The magistrates imposed a fine
of 20s. and costs, together with advocate’s fee, declining an
application for special expenses by Mr. Paxton, who said
the point was rather important.

Several committees of the Salford Corporation have
accepted the offers of Messrs. Andrew Knowles and Sons
Limited, colliery proprietors, of Pendlebury, for the pur-
chase of mineral rights under properties of the Corporation.

No fewer than 600 of the employees of Messrs. Andrew
Knowles and Sons Limited are now serving the Colours,
and the outlay entailed by the payments to dependants has
become so large that the firm have been compelled to reduce
the scale. The wife of each employee serving now gets
2s. 6d. per week, and 6d. for each child.

Notts and Derbyshire.

Three higher mining lectures have been arranged for this
session at • Ashby-de-la-Zouch, commencing to-morrow
(Saturday). The following are the subjects and lecturers :—
December 12, “ Electricity and Its Application to Mining,”
Mr. A. E. Clayton, B.Sc. (Leicester Municipal Technical
School); January 23, “Mining Problems of the Future,”
Prof. J. Cadman, D.Sc. (Birmingham University);
February 20, “ Firedamp, Its Detection and Estimation,”
Prof. W. H. McMillan, B.Sc. (University College, Notting-
ham). On this occasion the Derbyshire County Council is
co-operating with the Leicestershire County Council, and the
audiences will come from a much wider radius. \

The Midlands.

Mining in the Tipton District—The Pitwood Question.

At a meeting of the South Staffordshire Mines Drainage
Commissioners at Dudley on the 2nd inst., Mr. G. Mac-
pherson, who presided, took the opportunity of urging upon
all the mine owners in the Tipton district not to lose any
time in developing their collieries, or in letting their mines.
There was only a life of 10 years for the Tipton district,
for after that period—there was no question about it—there
would be no possibility of getting coal in that district. He
also stated that Mr. Howl would shortly issue a circular
to mine owners, etc., setting forth the effects of the new
Mines Drainage Act.

Those responsible for the carrying on of the coal mining
industry of Warwickshire and Staffordshire are having an
anxious time. Enlistment—amounting at some pits to 30
per cent, of the men, and as those who have joined the
Forces are described bv the colliery managers as usually the
most powerful and skilled men, more than that in produc-
tion—has seriously reduced output. Timber is in very short
supply, and exceedingly dear, and the supply of railway
wagons is spasmodic and often inadequate for days together,
owing, it is said, to the military use of the railways. While
there is a strong demand for house coal, the consumption of
industrial fuels is very slack, and the disturbance of the
proportions make for uneconomical working. The shortage
of pit timber is being fairly well got over at most of the
collieries. Large supplies are being obtained from Scotland,
where larch, spruce, Scotch fir, and oak plantations are
being laid under contribution. Prices are naturally consider-
ably higher, though the action of the railway companies in
reducing the rate has brought coal owners some relief. Props
of 6 in. to 8| in. are now about Is. 6d. Various substitutes
are in use with considerable success, but by far the most
effective measure adopted in the emergency has been the
insistence on a greater economy of timber in the mines by
making the colliers withdraw more as th? coal is got.
The scarcity of timber has shown the managers what can
be done in the wav of recovering timber when needs must,
and the probability is that the timber bill will in future