282

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

February 5, 1915.

men 'themselves, and, at the end of the shift, handed
in at windows on the opposite side of the building.
When they are handed in they are unlocked, the tops
are hung on a slowly moving rope, and so transferred
to the adjoining cleaning room, while the cells are
placed on floor trolleys of the kind already described,
and put on charge. After being charged, the cells
return to the trolleys, and are pushed into the storage
room, where they are met by the lamp tops, which,
having meanwhile been cleaned, are waiting to be
reassembled. A check window and desk are provided
in the corner of the charging room next the turnstile.

Yet another way of arranging a lamp room is
exemplified in the Langwith Colliery plan. The build-
ing is of steel framing filled in with brickwork, and is
designed to accommodate 1,500 lead-cell lamps. It is
■steam heated, and provided with a water supply, and
the usual repair and store rooms. The points wherein
it differs from the previous examples (apart from details
of construction) are in the form of the lamp racks and

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Fig. 7.—Lamp Cabin with Separate Charging Room.

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in the disposition of these relative to the charging
stands. Instead of grouping these respectively in
separate rooms, or of arranging the charging stands on
one side and the lamp racks on the other side of a single
room, it has been decided to alternate racks and stands
throughout, so that each lamp and its corresponding
battery are opposite each other. The shelf form of
rack is here used, the reasons for this choice being those
indicated in the section of this paper on lamp racks.

In a final example, which will serve to show the
extent to which electric lamp room design may be
elaborated, a room of imposing proportions is divided
lengthways into one central and two narrow side
sections, the latter forming corridors along which every
miner passes on his journey to and from the pit. The
floors, and the walls also up to a height of about 6ft.,
are laid with tiles of fine quality and good colouring.
The lamp room proper is separated from the corridors
by two screens or grills of highly decorative wrought
iron. No access to the pit is possible except through
the corridors. The men going in pass first through a
check room, then along one side of the corridor, where
they receive ; their lamps through hand holes in the
grill, and go direct to the pit shaft. On their return
they pass along the opposite side, drop their lamps into
receptacles provided for them, and are themselves
checked “ out ’’ before they can gain access to the only
exit from the pit. The lamps “ out ” are distributed
from points adjacent to the racks. The lamps “ in ” a*e
passed direct to a dismantling bench, at the end of
which is a motor-driven cleaner. On the bench are
table transporters. The storage cells are put on these
trolleys, and run through an opening in the wall to a
filling, etc., table in the charging room. During the
time that the cells are on charge this opening is closed
by means of an iron screen, which hangs in slides and is
supported by a counter-balanced wire rope. The
problem of what to do with the lamp tops while they are
waiting to be cleaned, and during the time the con-
taining vessels occupy the cleaning bench, is solved by
the provision of special lamp top racks. These are
shown on each side of the dismantling table, the latter
being itself also fitted with a central rack for the same
purpose. Washing, and cell filling facilities are pro-
vided in the. isolated charging room. A store and
repair shop is placed on the extreme left of the plan.
Access to it is only possible by going out of the lamp
room into the corridor. The repair shop is completely
fitted with a vice and a full set of tools specially designed
for the repair of all lamp parts which experience has
shown to be most liable to damage in the mine.

Discussion.

The President (Mr. J. Gregory) said they were
indebted to Mr, Maurice for his very interesting paper.
It was perfectly obvious, in equipping an electric lamp
station, that the design and methods of cleaning required
to be radically altered from those existing in flame lamp

stations. If, as he believed would be the case, the use
of electric lamps became more general in the future,
the paper would be of the utmost assistance in designing
a suitable building and arrangements.

Mr. E. B. Wain, referring to his experience with the
alkaline battery, said it had been entirely satisfactory.
Proceeding, he remarked that there was a great future
for the means that would give better illumination under-
ground, and he could see no better method than the
adoption of electric lamps. As to the lamp station,
everybody would have to adapt their building to their
own particular circumstances. The examples given
were most thoughtful and painstaking in design.

Mr. N. R. H. Mac Gowan said they had been running
about 300 electric lamps—both alkaline and lead cells—
for about 12 months. As Mr. Maurice had said, their



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Fig. 8.—Octagonal Form of Lamp-room
(Grassmoor).

Fig. 9.—Section through Grassmoor Lamp-room.

whole success depended on their treatment in the
lamp room. Up to the present the results had been
moderate, but a great deal of the want of success had
been due to their having difficulty in obtaining suitable
men to look after them. During the last three months,
however, they had been able to get a man of long
experience, and the result since had been very
satisfactory.

Mr. Wain said after six or seven months’ experience
and with the lamps being looked after by a man who
had had no previous acquaintance with electric
batteries, they had had only one cell failure out of
about 30 lamps, and that was due to the man making a
mistake in charging. He could not see anything in the

charging of the alkaline cell that could not be done by
any man of moderate intelligence.

Mr. H. J. Crofts said he had had about three years’
experience with these electric lamps, and he had never
been left in the dark with the alkaline lamp, though he
had been “ let down ” very badly many a time with the
ordinary lead cell lamp. The miners were always asking
when they were going to have more of these electric
lamps, because they found the light so satisfactory.
Some day someone would give them a lamp in which
the best points of the electric and flame lamp would be
combined, and which would permit of testing for gas
the sooner they had that type of lamp the better. The
fact that the electric lamp could not be used for fire-
damp testing was a most serious disadvantage, and
some years ago he had the experience of three men
almost losing their lives through using electric lamps,
and having no flame lamp with them.

At the request of the President, Mr. Maurice
explained the points of the alkaline cell, comparing it
with the lead cell. On the subject of gas-testing, he
said they were unable to shake themselves free of
preconceived notions. His idea was that a lamp should
first be used to give light; the prevailing feeling was
that it was to test for gas, the giving of light being a
secondary function. In his view, the time was arriving
when gas-testing would become part of the regular
routine of the organisation of the colliery and when
special instruments would be provided for the purpose.
There was no doubt that in a very short time there
would be a development in the direction of gas detectors,
which would remove the necessity for having a flame
lamp in a mine. At the moment the flame lamp was a
necessity for protection, but it was questionable whether
it was necessary for the miner to have it.

A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Maurice, on the
motion of the President, seconded by Mr. J. R. L.
Allott.

THE GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN COAL
AND IRON TRADES.

We give below further extracts from German
periodicals that have reached us, showing the course of
the coal and iron trades in Germany and Austria:—

Traffic on the Rhine-Herne Canal.

This canal, which connects the Rhine with the
Dortmund-Ems Canal, has been open for traffic since
July last, during which period 370,917 tons of fuel have
been conveyed to Ruhrort and beyond, including 61,876
tons from the Arenberg-Prosper Colliery; 89,610 tons
from Bottrop ; 31,201 tons from Math. Stinnes ; 23,317
tons from Nordstern ; 83,000 tons from Bismarck ;
18,693 tons from Wanne-West; 30,055 tons from
Koenig Ludwig; 30,015 tons from Friedrich der
Grosse ; and 3,150 from Grimberg.

The Coal Syndicate.

At the meeting on January 24 the coal participation
for February was fixed at 65 per cent, (no change), coke
40 per cent. (30 per cent.) and briquettes 80 per cent,
(as before). On the motion of the Harpener Company
it was decided to add to section 18 of the new draft
agreement a clause prohibiting the formation of sales
agreements between ironworks pits and purely coal pits.
A majority of the members having signified their
willingness to sign the new agreement, now ready, it
was decided to call a meeting for February 8 for the
purpose of executing this agreement.

Mid-German Brown Coal Market in December.

The Brown Coal Association reports that the extra-
ordinary demand for all grades of fuel kept the whole
of the works very busy, but the output suffered from a
scarcity of labour. The briquette works were consider-
ably affected by the continued withdrawal of men for
the army, and the supervising staff was also reduced by
the same cause. The distribution of raw coal and
briquettes remained on about the same level as in
November. The demand for wet-pressed blocks could
not be satisfied, stocks in many places being exhausted.
Wages in general remained unchanged, with partial
increases in contract rates owing to the lower efficiency
of the unskilled auxiliary labour. Overtime and Sunday
labour had to be resorted to extensively, to try and meet
the demands of the industries engaged on army
contracts.

Rhenish-Westphalian Iron Market.

According to Stahl und Eisen, the general situation
has gradually improved, a better demand having set in.
Many works are well occupied with army orders, but
there is a great scarcity of skilled labour, and the
substitution of unskilled hands has greatly lowered the
average output efficiency, thus increasing the cost of
production. German iron ores are in good request, the
Siegerland Ironstone Association having sold all the
output for the first quarter of the current year, and the
Nassau mines are sold out for a long period ahead. At
present it is impossible to procure foreign haematite
ores, with the exception of a little Swedish coming
through Lubeck, Stettin and Rotterdam ; and Baltic
freights are naturally high. Pig iron has been in very
good demand by consumers, so that the restricted
output has found a ready market and stocks have been
drawn upon largely. Many foundries have had to put
up with ordinary foundry pig instead of haematite.
Exports to neutral countries have been small, but
slightly improving; and the more active enquiry for
delivery during the current quarter has advanced
haematite pig by 10 mk. per ton. Bar iron is quiet
except where war orders are in question. The wire
business is mostly for export in times of peace; and
since the large army orders have been executed, there
is very little fresh business doing. The heavy plate
trade is suffering from a scarcity of orders, which
accounts for the gradual collapse of prices, especially