128

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

January 15, 1915.

support. In the Lancashire district they had had some
very heavy falls, involving the loss of more than one
life, owing to the collapse of the (bars in the roadway,
and he had frequently seen that the beginning of the
trouble was insufficient support of a running bar, or the
presence of a pronounced slip running in line with the
roadway.

Mr. Siddall expressed his thanks to Mr. Gerrard for
stepping into a breach which he was unavoidably
responsible for.

Mr. Wordsworth seconded, and the resolution was
carried.

Mr. W. Odlerenshaw considered that although much
had been done to improve the methods now in vogue,
they had not as yet reached the best system. He was
deeply impressed by the system brought over to this
country at the time of the Gourri&res disaster; it was
an ideal mode of timbering, but hardly so rapid as the
system English miners wished to follow. One of the
defects of timbering was the rapid rate at which the
English miners wanted to work. He had noticed on
many occasions when visiting his own working places
that the men had set a lot of timber, but had set it
inaccurately. It was set at all angles, and the cause
of many of the collapses in Lancashire mines was the
lack of care in setting the timber, which was not set at
the angle best suited for meeting the pressure it had to
resist. As a matter of discipline, to which Mr. Gerrard
had referred, they ought to expressly enforce the use
of the proper appliances for the withdrawing of timber.
If the accidents due to falls of roof and sides were tabu-
lated, he believed they would find that the majority
happened in the course of the withdrawal of the timber.

Mr. Drummond Paton remarked that underlying Mr.
Gerrard’s interesting speech was a very humane element,
and if the miners themselves could read the address, and
realise how much was up to themselves, it would have
good results. His view was that there ought to be a
society, the function of which should be to see that
discussions on matters such ias timbering by members of
an institution like the Geological and Mining Society
were carried to the men working in the pits.
He advocated the formation of what, on the Continent,
was known as the Mining Board, which was representa-
tive of all interests connected with the mining industry.
Legislation in this country, which was entirely the
result of Westminster administration, was passed out
to the inspectors as a fixed code and left no room for
elasticity. With the Mining Board suggestions would
come from the miners themselves, and would be dis-
cussed by the owners at a meeting of the Board. In
this country the question of economical mining had been
held back because they wanted to get lump coal.

Mr. Orchard agreed with Mr. Gerrard as to the
advantage of using tapered props where the floor was a
hard one, but where it was soft not much was to be
gained, because the same result was obtained by the
sinking of the prop into the floor.

Mr. J. W. Case suggested that the remarks of Mr.
Gerrard should be issued by the society for circulation
among the miners. In that way they would probably
have more .influence than if considered only by the
members of the society. If a man did not set his
timber at the right time, or in the position directed by
those over him, he should be severely punished, but
unfortunately that was not always done. Some people
regarded the hammer as the fireman’s best tool, but his
view was that a large piece of chalk should be substi-
tuted, so that when going through the workings he could
put a distinct mark on the roof where the timber was
to be set.

Mr. Ross remarked that, in spite of legislation and
rules, timbering, in his opinion, was one of the lost
arts in mining. In his early days, as far back as the
latter end of the seventies, timbering was very different
to what .it was to-day. The timberman was a more
expert workman, particularly in the -roadways where
props were placed at a uniform height, at a uniform
distance apart, and with a uniform batter to each leg, a
feature which was very seldom to be noticed to-day.
Props were to be found now perhaps 1 ft. lower at one
part than another, with a difference of 6 or 7 in. in the
legs, and some upright where there should be a certain
batter. Much had been said about the tapered props,
but they were no new thing. Thirty-five years ago
tapered props were in use, and he ventured a suggestion
as to how they came to be adopted. In the Warwick-
shire coalfields the coalers had to pay a nominal sum,
about 4s. 6d. a dozen, for timber, and, as a consequence,
they paid more attention to the matter. When props
had been set for some time they became burred at the
bottom in a mop-like form, and in order that, they could
be used again they were tapered off. Treated in that
way the timber could be used dozens of times over, and
why the practice had not become more general he could
not understand.

The Chairman remarked that he was in perfect agree-
ment with all Mr. Gerrard had said, and he failed to
see how anyone interested in mining could differ from
the views he had expressed. He (the speaker), how-
ever, must confess that a very few years ago he was not
a convert to tapered props, but he was now, and really
wished he had been much sooner. There was abso-
lutely no doubt that in a mine where the floor was
reasonably hard, in fact, in a mine where the floor was
not very soft, tapering was essential if the owners had
any idea of economy at all. He was astonished at the

difference it made in the timber bill in the course of a
year. With regard to the increased safety in coal
workings, the main point was summed up in the word
“discipline.” It was extraordinary what a difference
was to be noticed in a mine where there was good
discipline, as compared with one where the discipline
was in any way lax. New legislation and new rules
were constantly being imposed upon coal owners,
forcing them to do certain things, and people were very
fond of saying : “ You cannot make a place safe by Act
of Parliament.” That was quite true, but it was not
always the fault of the Act of Parliament; it was very
often the fault of those who should enforce those laws,
but did not do so at all, or did not enforce them in a
proper spirit. Reference had been made to the advance
of the face. As a rule, the quicker a face advanced the
better, but he had seen instances where faces had
certainly advanced too quickly, because the advance-
ment was out of proportion to the speed at which the
pack was advancing. It was no good advancing the
face quickly if the pack could not be advanced at
practically the same rate. With regard to running bars,
most of them, he expected, had known of falls of roof
in a level where there had been an opening, or man-
hole, and he was quite certain, for his own part, that
the best way of supporting the roof of such a place was
with a carrying bar and running bar, but the great
point was how to support the running bar. One sugges-
tion probably would be to put two props under each end,
so that if one was knocked out the other would remain,
but the best way of all was to build it into the side
and put in on a prop block or chock, so that what was
under the running bar was not likely to get knocked out.
His view was that it was not in mines where there was
what was commonly called “ bad roofs ” that most
accidents from falls occurred, but in mines which
appeared to have the very best roofs, or what people
thought were the best roofs. It might, indeed, look
like the ceiling of a room, and perhaps props were set
further apart than usual, and if the collier had his own
way he would probably set none at all. It was in
mines of that kind that accidents were more apt to
occur, and when they did, the fall was a very heavy
one. All the rules in regard to propping were very
necessary, and colliery people ought to see that they
were carried out in the proper spirit. Of course, it was
possible to prop too close, because accidents had
happened through a man, when stepping back to avoid
a fall, bumping up against another prop which hampered
his escape.

Mr. Gerrard, in reply to the discussion, said he
forgot to mention the question of the extreme dip found
in the Lancashire coalfield, which, as they knew, was a
great difficulty. Mr. Ross, who had spoken, was work-
ing under very heavy dips, his greatest being an
inclination of 47 degs. Of course, in a case like that,
greater care had to be exercised than in a flat seam.
Timbering, to be of value, must be set with due regard
to the dip, and if care was not taken they must expect
accidents. In Lancashire the coalfields were very
heavily faulted, and in connection with faults there
were slips and breaks which made the approach to the
fault more dangerous. With regard to the proportion of
deaths from falls, lit seemed to him to be a very simple
matter. When he spoke of running bars, he had in his
mind quite a number of accidents that had occurred at
junctions where there was an incline; it might be a
jig brow, a down brow, or a haulage level. Only last
year a very big fall occurred in a mine not far from
Tyldesley, and he recommended the use of chocks, which
the chairman had alluded to. If the running bar rested
on a good chock at each side of the junction, there was
less liability of the running bar being displaced.

1. Roll of Honour.

The Hon. Secretary announced that a roll of
honour had been prepared in connection with the society,
and the following names had been inscribed thereon :—
Col. the Right Hon. the Earl of Ellesmere, 3rd Battalion
Royal Scots.

Lieut.-Col. Lionel E. Pilkington, 5th Battalion South
Lancashire Regiment.

Major Sir Thomas H. Holland, Commandant, Manchester
University Contingent, Officers’ Training Corps.

Major Benjamin Palin Dobson, O.C. 19th Lancashire
Service Battery, Royal Field Artillery, 3rd East Lanca-
shire Brigade (Territorials).

Major Algernon Edward Johnson.

Capt. Hargreaves Bolton, 5th Battalion East Lancashire
Territorials.

Capt. Charles Fitzhenry Bouchier, 5th Royal North Lanca-
shire Regiment.

Capt. Clement Fletcher, 5th Battalion Manchester Regiment
(Territorials).

Capt. Hugh Brocklehurst Pilkington, 6th Battalion Man-
chester Regiment (Territorials).

Capt. Guy Reginald Pilkington, 5th Battalion South
Lancashire Regiment.

Capt. Edward Fielden Pilkington, 6th Battalion Manchester
Regiment (Territorials).

Lieut. James Gardiner, 4th Battalion South Lancashire
Regiment.

Lieut. George Sydney James, 5th Battalion Manchester
Territorials.

Sergt. Charles Godfrey Jones, 3rd Platoon, “ B ” Company,
11th Welsh Regiment.

Corpl. Thomas Hodson, Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry,
“ D ” Division.

Lance-Corpl. George Trevor Hollingworth, East Lancashire
Division, Royal Engineers.

Trooper Hubert Scholes, No. 1419, Cheshire Yeomanry.

Trooper Gerald L. Headley, “A” Squadron, Duke of
Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry.

Pte. Alfred Robin Martyn Lees, Motor Transport, Army
Service Corps.

Pte. Fredk. Harvey Leech, Public Schools Battalion, Royal
Fusiliers.

James Henry Bramah, No. 2626, second-class air mechanic,
Royal Flying Corps.

Report of Explosions in Mines Committee.

The Hon Secretary stated that he had received a
written communication from Mr. James Ashworth,
921, Drake-istreet, Vancouver, B.C., dealing with the
final report of the Explosions in Mines Committee.

Mr. Ashworth said these conclusions have their basis
on the surface experiences of the committee, and not on
their underground experience, and they brought into
the limelight of criticism the absolute necessity for the
assistance of younger and more practical men as a sub-
committee, who should form part of all such Commis-
sions. The “ sous ” committees had been important
features of some of the Continental Commissions. The
committee flattered themselves that- they had exhausted
the whole list of practical experiments, but they had
made a perfect muddle of every experiment made in the
tube closed at one end. No experiments made in a
tube or gallery when the shot is fired at or near the
closed end could possibly represent the conditions of a
mine when at work. The only dry dust used by the
committee was that which was placed inside the supple-
mentary tube (into which the cannon was fired), and,
therefore, the air of the main tube did not contain that
impalpably fine coal dust which is always found float-
ing in the ventilation current of air in a dusty mine,
and which resulted from the attrition of the pieces of
coal in the cars or tubs during transit. This fine fresh
dust was the most dangerous of any. The conclusions
of the committee, based on their “ laboratory ” experi-
ments, would necessitate filling the mine with atomisers,
and the quick ruin of the owners. Outside the short
range of each 1 ‘ atomiser ’ ’ the mine air would only be
saturated, and the weight of water it would carry would
not average more than 7J grains per cu. ft. on the intake,
and perhaps 12 grains on the return, and yet they were
asked to saturate everything to the extent of 30 per
cent., or, say roughly, 195 grains per cu. ft. of
material. ■ The scheme was absolutely impossible to
carry out in practice, more particularly as regards the
dust on the top timbering of the mine. The argument
which finds many enthusiastic supporters in America,
viz., that damp air was capable of controlling the flame
of explosions, was not tested by the committee by the
use of steam, and apparently the committee did not
think that it had any practical value. The committee
still held to the fallacy that a “pioneering” cloud of coal
dust must precede the flame of an explosion, when the
reverse had already been proved by the demonstrations
given during 'Sir Henry Hall’s experiments at Skelmers-
dale. The detonation demonstrations of force during
the Albofts series of experiments, and also of one
destructive exhibition of force at Eskmeals, had not yet
been explained, or in any way accounted for by the
committee. The country at large ought not to rest
satisfied until these at present “ unaccountable forces ”
had been elucidated. The data collected by Mr. W. W.
Hood and others, as to the daily deposition of dust,
ought to have been embodied in the committee’s report,
or experiments of a similar nature made by the com-
mittee’s own staff. Finally, the writer would like to
know what possible advantage there is to be derived
from the third conclusion of the committee if the
incombustible dust was to be saturated with water.
Coal dust saturated to the extent of 30 per cent, was
itself inert, and it did not appear that any advantage
could arise from saturating incombustible dust also.
-If the incombustible dust was saturated, then ‘there is
no dry dust to nullify the flame travelling on the com-
bustion of the fine dry coal dust which was continually
in the air, and arising from the coal in transit.

A vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Ashworth for his
interesting contribution.

MIMES EXAMIMATIOMS.

An Order of the Secretary of State, dated December 22,
1914, under section 9 (5) of the Coal Mines Act, 1911 (1 and
2 Geo. 5, c. 50), has been issued, determining fees to be
paid by applicants for certificates of competency. The text
is as follows :—

In pursuance of the powers conferred upon me by the Coal
Mines Act, 1911, and with the consent of the Treasury, I
hereby revoke the Order made by me on October 12, 1912,
fixing the fees to be paid by applicants for certificates of
competency as manager or under-manager, or of qualifica-
tion as a surveyor, and determine that—

(1)	The fees to be paid by applicants for certificates of
competency as manager or under-manager shall be in the
case of a first-class certificate, two guineas; in the case of
a second-class certificate, one guinea.

(2)	The fee to be paid by an applicant for a certificate
from the Board for Mining Examinations of qualification
as a surveyor shall be one guinea.

R. McKenna,

One of His Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State.

Whitehall,

December 22, 1914.

Dr. Thomas Bell, J.P., Newcastle-upon-Tyne, head of the
firm of Messrs. Pyman, Bell and Company, coal exporters
and shipowners, of Newcastle, who died September 19,
aged 73 years, left unsettled property of the gross value of
<£504,598 8s. 3d., of which the net personalty has been
sworn at £498,886 17s.

The council of the Geological Society has this year made
the following awards of medals and funds :—Wollaston
medal, Prof. T. W. Edgeworth David, C.M.G., F.R.S.;
Murchison medal, Prof. W. W. Watts, Sc.D., LL.D., F.R.S.;
Lyell medal, Prof. E. J. Garwood, Sc.D., F.R.S.; Bigsby
medal, Dr. H. H. Hayden, C.I.E., D.Sc.; Prestwich medal,
Prof. Emile Cartailhac (Toulouse); Wollaston fund, Mr.
C. B. Wedd, B.A.; Murchison fund, Mr. D. C. Evans;
Lyell fund, Mr. John Parkinson, M.A., and Dr. L. Meysey’
B.A., M.B.; Barlow-Jameson fund, Mr. J. G. Hamling.