August 6, 1915.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

275

8,644 tons, or 26-82 per cent., as compared with a sur-
plus of 219,945 tons during the period January-May, and
one of 157,171 tons during the first 10 months of the
war, in comparison with the corresponding periods of the
preceding year.

German Pig Iron Union.

According to the report laid before the general meet-
ing on July 23, an active enquiry continues to prevail
for high-grade pig. In the main, the foundries have
covered their requirements of foundry pig I. and III.
for the third quarter of the year; and the orders in hand
will absorb all that the works can produce of these
grades. There is also a very strong demand for
haematite pig and the manganiferous grades produced in
the Siegerland district. Deliveries in June amounted to
57-25 per cent, of the participation, as compared with
59*37 per cent, in May.

German Rolling Mills Annual Report.

The report of the German Iron and Steel Manufac-
turers’ Union states that the output of rolling mill pro-
ducts in 1914 was 13,011,438 tons, as compared with
16,518,950 tons in 1913, the production for the first
seven months being 9,590,695 tons, and in the last five
(war) months 3,420,743 tons, the average per month
falling from 1,370,099 tons to 684,149 tons, or about 50
per cent. The production was distributed among the
different districts as follows :—Rhenish Westphalia,
7,430,493 tons (9,021,229 tons in 1913); Silesia,
1,080,595 tons (1,273,477 tons); Siegerland and Hesse-
Nassau, 346,704 tons (446,228 tons); North and Mid-
Germany, 529,574 tons (654,318 tons); Saxony, 219,730
tons (262,391 tons); South Germany, 165,528 tons
(190,234 tons); Saar district and Bavarian Rhinepfalz,
1,102,965 tons (162,414 tons); Elsass Lothringen,
1,267,262 tons (1,935,930 tons); Luxemburg, 863,587
tons (1,097,729 tons). The output of semi-manufac-
tured iron totalled 2,029,280 tons (2,799,990 tons); rail-
way superstructural material, 1,867,086 tons (2,470,065
tons); girders, 1,192,246 tons (1,555,511 tons); bars,
3,536,901 tons (4,429,558 tons); hoop iron, 368,914 tons
(4,395,602 tons); rolled wire, 927,032 tons (1,157,873
tons); heavy plate, 1,172,966 tons); fine plate, 688,805
tons (820,046 tons); tin-plate, 85,569 tons (83,051 tons);-
pipes, 506,488 tons (640,084 tons); rolling material,
277,048 tons (374,082 tons); forgings, 195,125 tons
(207,602 tons); other finished products, 163,978 tons
(176,895 tons).

Traffic on the Rhine-Herne Canal in June.

The total consignments of coal, coke, and briquettes
in the direction of Ruhrort was 150,908 tons (196,438
tons in May), including 15,277 tons (26,942 tons) from
Arenberg-Prosper; 33,314 tons (26,859 tons) from Bot-
trop; 18,308 tons (25,394 tons) from Matthias Stinnes;
2,446 tons (1,980 tons) from Nordstern; 23,647 tons
(23,716 tons) from Bismarck; 17,154 tons (23,806 tons)
from Wanne-West; 10,483 tons (17,608 tons) from
Friedrich der Grosse; 8,722 tons (14,960 tons) from
Konig Ludwig; 9,250 tons (10,543 tons) from Concordia;
3,721 tons (5,821 tons) from Minister Achenbach; 1,945
tons (12,758 tons) from Dortmund; and 1,062 tons
(1,600 tons) from Hibernia.

German Steel Union Deliveries in June.

The total deliveries (reckoned as raw steel) amounted
to 318,952 tons, as compared with 288,566 tons in May
last, and 563,138 tons in June 1914, 77,804 tons (62,002
tons and 130,998 tons) being semi-manufactured
material, 1.54,736 tons (142,207 tons and 252,056 tons)
railway superstructural material, and 86,412 tons (84,357
tons and 182,099 tons) sections. The increase during the
month is chiefly attributed to the decision to increase
prices for the third quarter of the year, in consequence
of which consumers and merchants sent in large delivery
specifications before the close of the second quarter.

Rhine Shipping.

The river having sunk about 16 in. at Kaub, large
barges can no longer be sent up fully laden,'though at
present no further lightening of cargo is necessary for
Lauterburg and Strassburg. In down-river traffic to
Holland and Belgium there has been an increased
demand for medium and small craft at firm freights,
with satisfactory return cargoes from Belgium, though
less so from Holland.

BOOK NOTICES.

Explosives : Their Manufacture, Properties, Tests and His-
tory. By Arthur Marshall. 624 pp.; with 137 illus.
9| in. x 7| in. London: J. and A. Churchill; 1915.
Price, 24s. net.

The war has aroused an increasing interest on the part
of the general public in explosives generally, and more
especially in military explosives. If one may judge
from letters in the Press, the devastating effects of the
German mines and torpedoes would appear to have given
rise to the opinion that England is behind-hand in their
science of explosives. It does not appear to have
occurred to the writers of these letters that possibly
our military authorities have long been aware of develop-
ments in explosive science in foreign countries, and have
made an experimental study of them, but have pre-
ferred to keep the results of these experiments to them-
selves. The motto of our War Office in this respect has
always been “ Festina lente,” and if we have not made
military use of a certain high explosive, it may safely
be assumed that it is not because our soldiers and
chemists were not aware of it, but because its advantages
in some respects were outweighed by its disadvantages
in others.

Mr. Marshall should be well qualified to deal with this
subject, since the whole of his professional life has been
concerned with it, and he has had experience both of
the manufacture and inspection of service explosives.
Mr. Marshall has a very good opinion of cordite, the

English service propellant. He points out that after 25
years’ experience, during which it has been subjected to
most severe climatic conditions, cordite still gives satis-
faction. It is interesting to note that the mineral jelly
it contains, while quite useless for the purpose for which
it was originally added, is, nevertheless, a most fortu-
nate addition. It was added originally as a lubricant
for the barrel of the gun, but inasmuch as it is entirely
consumed in the burning of the charge, it cannot have
this effect. It performs, however, other important
functions. Thus, by reducing the temperature of explo-
sion, while increasing the volume of gas given off, it
reduces erosion without reducing the power of the explo-
sive. More important still, it absorbs the nitrous gases
given off during the slow decomposition of the powder,
and thus adds in a very material degree to the stability.
With regard to high explosives, while picric acid was
generally adopted, under different names, by most of
the great Powers, it would seem that it is likely to be
replaced by trinitrotoluene. Picric acid has a rather
higher velocity of detonation and power than T.N.T.,
and is more easily detonated, but, on the other hand,
it is liable to form highly sensitive picrates, small traces
of which add considerably to its danger in manufacture
and use, and its melting point, about 122 degs. Cent.,
is inconveniently high. T.N.T., on the other hand,
forms no sensitive compounds, and is therefore much
safer in use, while, melting as it does at 81 degs. Cent.,
it is much more easily filled into shells. Its chief dis-
advantage, as compared with pierid acid, is that it is
more difficult to detonate, and thus requires a more
powerful detonator.

Another likely development of the future will be the
substitution of some other compound for mercury
fulminate in detonators and cap compositions. Mercury
fulminate is very liable to deterioration in storage, and,
moreover, its efficiency would appear to depend to a
large extent upon its physical condition in some manner
which is not very well understood. Some authorities
hold the view that the best results are obtained with
large crystals, some that small crystals are the best,
while others consider that the size is not so important
as the thickness. It would have been interesting to
know more of Mr. Marshall’s opinion on this point. The
present writer’s view is that large crystals give the best
results, and that the reason for the opposite opinion is
to be found in the practice adopted in manufacture of
measuring the fulminate instead of weighing it. Since
small crystals will pack more closely than large, a given
volume will contain a greater weight of small crystals
than of large, and the better results obtained will be due
to larger quantity more than compensating for the lower
power of the smaller crystals. But, in addition to the
factor of size, the development of the crystals is also
probably not without influence, the more perfect and
well - defined samples being the better. In this
connection, the description of mercury fulminate
crystals given in this book is not quite precise.
The crystals are octahedra, but they are usually
truncated, the fully - developed form, as a rule,
only being obtained in the smaller crystals. Mr.
Marshall’s experience on the superior purity of “brown”
fulminate of mercury over “ white,” in spite of appear-
ances, is in agreement with that of the present writer.
Not only is brown fulminate more pure from the
chemical point of view, but, as a rule, it is better crystal-
lised, and gives better results in the Trauzl block. It is
as yet too early to say what detonating agent is likely to
supersede mercury fulminate, but lead azide would
appear to be a likely competitor.

A considerable section of the book is devoted to the
history of explosives. It is perhaps unfortunate that Mr.
Marshall should refer the reader, without a word of
warning, to the “ First Report of the Departmental
Committee on the Heat Test as Applied to Explosives.”
One must presume that parts, at all events, of that
entertaining production are intended to be taken
seriously, and one would have been grateful for some
guidance in the matter. The Committee was appointed
to standardise the conditions of the Abel heat test,
which is, of course, purely empirical. This they pro-
ceeded to attempt, and the result is a colossal exhibi-
tion of the lack both of consistency and a sense of
proportion.

Mr. Marshall, on pp. 506-7, reproduces some of the
diagrams from the Committee’s report; and, as he
recommends his readers to consult the original, it would
have been useful if he had also attempted to separate
the material from the altogether superfluous portions of
that remarkable publication. In chapter xxi., headed
“ Safety explosives,” the author has unfortunately
employed a term which has led to much misconception
concerning the nature of this class of compounds. Mr.
Marshall would be well advised, in future editions, to
replace this expression by the words “ Permitted explo-
sives ” as now universally used in this country, although
in justice to the author it must be admitted that in deal-
ing with this question from an international standpoint,
a writer is still confronted with such expressions as
explosifs de surete, schlagwettersichere, and similar
expressions in Continental literature. This portion of
the subject is, however, well treated, and the survey of
recent researches in the testing galleries of Europe and
America, although concise, is quite satisfactory.

On the whole, this book is undoubtedly a most valu-
able contribution to the literature of explosives, and is
replete with useful information not otherwise readily
available. It has been both carefully written, and most
sumptuously printed. In so comprehensive a treatise,
many difficulties of arrangement of matter would natur-
ally present themselves, and in some respects the
author’s solution of these difficulties may not be the
most natural. The index, also, is scarcely an adequate
guide to the multifarious contents of the volume. But
these are small matters, which are far outweighed by
the many important practical and theoretical points here

presented in a connected form for the first time in the
English language. The author has certainly achieved a
great success in the production of this work at such a
time when explosives are playing so large a part in
shaping the destinies of nations. The book is certain to
remain a standard work, indispensable to everyone
interested in the theory and manufacture of explosives
of every kind.

TRADE AND THE WAR.

The Board of Trade desire to draw attention to the Order
in Council of August 3, in virtue of which the exportation
of coal and coke will no longer be permitted freely to Allied
countries on and after August 13, and will be prohibited to
all destinations abroad other than British possessions and
protectorates. Applications for licences to export these com-
modities to prohibited destinations should, as hitherto, be
addressed, on a special form, to the War Trade Department,
at 4, Central-buildings, Westminster, London, S.W.

The effect of the war on the shipping trade formed the
subject of a speech of Mr. W. Tatem, presiding over the
fifth annual meeting of the Tatem Steam Navigation Com-
pany Limited. For some time after the outbreak of war, he
said, the whole shipping trade threatened to become paralysed,
but the paramount position of Great Britain on the seas had
completely justified their investments in every class of
tonnage, and to-day the nation was reaping the benefit of
years of naval preparation and mercantile enterprise. The
shipping industry was effectively serving many purposes. It
was acting as a bulwark and as a powerful auxiliary force
in the coaling of great ships of war, and in the carrying of
men, munitions, and materials. It was at the disposal of
the Allied nations in their requirements of carrying facilities.
Taking the shipping industry through and through, making
allowances for natural and unavoidable depreciation, and
taking credit for boom times against spells of lean years, it
could not be said that shipping investors had been over-
compensated. There was a time during the past year when
freights were dismally low; there was a time when they
were phenomenally high; to-day they were 30 to 40 per
cent, lower than the best. He would not like to prophesy
what they would be three months hence. The volume of
tonnage requisitioned for Admiralty purposes, and the large
number of Allied and enemy ships interned throughout the
world, and completely withdrawn for the time being from
ordinary trade and competition, were factors to be reckoned
with in estimating the future. Prices were now higher all
round, and stores had increased in cost, as had also bunker
coal.

Although an expansion of export business is the prevail-
ing feature of the United States coal trade, general market
conditions continue to sag. As a consequence prices are
easier. Georges Creek coals are quoted 2-85 to 2-95 dols.
f.o.b. Baltimore; Pocahontas and New River, 2*65 to 2*75
dols. Hampton Roads. Many foreign vessels are now
bunkering at Baltimore, and shipments to Europe, South
America, and Africa are on the heavy side. Current freights
are as follow :—River Plate, 8-64 dols.; West Coast of Italy,
8-64 to 8*88 dols.; Valparaiso, 6-25 to 6*50dols.; Marseilles,
8*40 dols. During June 1915, 251,376 tons of bituminous coal
were shipped to foreign countries from Baltimore, as against
112,870 tons in June 1914, large quantities going to Italy.
May shipments amounted to 232,866 tons. The dumpings
at the Chesapeake Bay ports in June totalled 1,437,319 tons;
567,251 tons were exported from Norfolk; of the total, no less
than 211,017 tons were sent to Italy. •

Regulations have now been issued by the Minister of
Munitions with respect to the general ordering of the work
in a controlled establishment in Scotland. The regulations
provide that the owner of any controlled establishment shall,
as soon as practicable, post rules relating to order, discipline,
timekeeping, and efficiency conspicuously in his establish-
ment ; and that every person employed in the establishment
shall comply with any rule so posted, provided that no person
shall be liable to a penalty under the Act for failing or
refusing to comply with any rule, if the Munitions Tribunal
is satisfied that the rule is an unreasonable one, or that the
person had just cause for his failure to comply with it. The
regulations came into force on the 12th inst.

In drawing the attention of bankers and traders to the
provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act,
1915, the Public Trustee points out that dividends and
interest in respect of all classes of securities held for enemies
are now payable to the custodian of enemy property—the
Public Trustee. The obligation to register property with
the Public Trustee under section 3 (1) of the earlier Act is
now extended to (a) bank balances and, deposits, (5) debts
to the amount of £50 and upwards. The liability to dis-
close property of any nature held for enemies applies to
companies as well as to persons and firms. The term “ com-
pany ” means any person or body of persons of whatever
nationality resident or carrying on business in the enemy
country.

The First Lord of the Admiralty has placed the services
of Sir Frederick Black, Director of Navy Contracts, tem-
porarily at the disposal of the Minister of Munitions, who
has appointed him as Director-General of Munitions Supply.

An official message from Petrograd states that in the Black
Sea Russian torpedo boats in the coal district set on fire a
coal depot and destroyed 10 sailing vessels loaded with coal.
On the Anatolian coasts torpedo boats destroyed more than
200 sailing vessels engaged in the transport of coal.

The report of the South Metropolitan Gas Company for
the past half-year states that, in spite of increased charges
to consumers, there was only £3,589 increase in the amount
to be carried forward. This was entirely due to the prices
charged for coal and its freightage to London, some of these
being nearly treble those paid in recent years. Residuals
showed an appreciable improvement, mainly owing to the
increased value of fuel and the activity of the chemical
industry.

Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Limited. — The directors
announce that at the annual meeting of shareholders, which
is fixed to take place on August 26, they will recommend the
payment of final dividends as follow :—On the preference
shares at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum for the half-year
ended June 30, and on the ordinary shares at the rate of
10 per cent, per annum for the half-year ended June 30,
together with a bonus of Is. per share on the ordinary shares,
all free of income-tax.