October 29, 1915. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 879 A special class for mine managers’ certificates was opened in February, and attracted three students. This number should also be improved upon next year, pro- vided the classes are continued. An innovation was made this year in the admission of special students to study mine surveying at the college camp which was pitched at Bhaga. Ten such students were admitted, seven of whom had read in the engineer department of the Civil Engineering College, five having failed at the intermediate examination in engineering of the Calcutta University, held at the end of the • second-year class, while one had completed the third- year course of that department, and one had failed at the B. E. examination. One of the others was a European, and two were admitted from the mining districts. Mining Education in the Bengal and Bihar Coal Fields. Two meetings of the Mining Educational Advisory Board were held during the year. The lectures for the session 1912-13 reported that there were 240 names on the register. This is 120 less than in the previous year. The average number of attendances at the various centres was 15-48, in other words an average number of 77 students received instruction each week; 26 students presented themselves for examination, of whom 16 (7 Europeans and 9 Indians) were successful in passing. In addition to the English lectures, Babu Hemanta Kumar Sen, an assistant in the Sibpur College mining department, was appointed to deliver a course of lectures on elementary coal mining in Bengali at six selected centres. Mining Boards. The Bengal Mining Board held four meetings during the year when the following were considered :—(1) Rules for the close supervision over. colliery magazines with a view to prevent the theft of explosives from them; (2) the necessity for the constitution of a Mines Board of Health under section 3, Bengal Act II. of 1912, for the subdivision of Asansol; and (3) the draft of proposed revised forms of annual returns for coal mines and mines other than coal. The Bihar and Orissa Mining Board held one meeting during the year 1914, when the following were con- sidered :—(1) The draft rules under the Jharia Water Supply Act; and (2) the revision of the forms for the submission of annual returns by mine owners under the Indian Mines Act, 1901. TREATING A GOB FIRE IN NORTHUMBERLAND. A few weeks ago a brief note appeared in the Colliery Guardian with reference to a fire which had broken out in one of the pits of the Seaton Delaval Coal Company, and to the methods which were being used to combat it. More recently, through the courtesy of the manager of the colliery (Mr. J. S. Tweddell) a representative has had the opportunity of making a personal inspection of the danger zone, and of gathering many particulars of interest to mining engineers and colliery managers. Such fires are exceedingly uncommon in the north- eastern coal field, but Seaton Delaval has had more than its fair share of these visitations. The coal in which this outbreak has occurred is liable to spontaneous combus- tion on very small provocation, the coal having “ gone oft ” four times in the mine; and, on one occasion, when it had been loaded into lighters in the River Thames, a fire occurred which gave considerable trouble. “ Where- ever there is a little moisture,” Mr. Tweddell informed our representative, “ and one gets a good heap of the coal, it will ‘ go.’ It absorbs oxygen at an alarming rate.” The inflammatory coal is met with in the seam of the E. F. Pit. Of the previous outbreaks, two were quite small, and easily dealt with. The third, however, which occurred about seven years ago, in the second west broken flat of the north-east drift district, gave a good deal of trouble. This part of the pit had been worked bord and wall, and extractions of pillars had been com- menced, and a portion of the area laid down by broken working. On the abstraction of the pillars — by lifts 5 yds. wide successively taken across each pillar — the withdrawal of the timber in the lifts caused the top stone to fall, and revealed the presence of an- overlapping seam about 6 ft. thick, with an intervening thickness of stone between the two seams of 6 ft. The fire originated, it is thought, in the heaps of materials caused by the over- lapping seam and the stone falling in the goaf spaces, and subsequently heating spontaneously. Under Mr. Tweddell’s direction, brick stoppings were built all around the affected area, with the object of “suffocating” the fire. Thermometers were placed round the walled-in area, with the object of reading, from time to time, the progress towards the stifling of the flames. Periodical consultation of the thermometers revealed the fact that the temperature was gradually falling, and, finally, it was believed that the fire had been absolutely extin- guished. However, readings of the thermometers in mid-June last revealed the fact that the temperature had again risen alarmingly. Mr. Tweddell caused one of the brick stoppings to be opened, and it was found that the whole section of the original seam, the stone between, and the overlapping seam, were on fire to a depth of about 20 ft. Obviously, the fire could not be “ suffocated ”—other- wise, walled round as it was, it would not have commenced. An attempt was made to dig it out, but after six weeks’ laborious and trying work little progress towards conquering the fire had been made, and there- fore Mr. Tweddell decided to adopt another method, more likely to attain success, viz., the erection of huge dams of brick and cement right round the fire zone, and the extinction of the fire by means of large volumes of water—a plan which, after some discussion, received the approval of the agent (Mr. R. E. Ornsby) and H.M. inspector of mines (Mr. Wilson). Some doubt was expressed as to what would be the effect of the large quantity of steam which would be generated; but Mr. Tweddell’s scheme provided for the installation of safety valves, which have worked admirably. The assumed area of the fire comprises a wall 9 ft. wide by 16 yds. long, a bord 18 ft. wide by 44 yds. long, and an area of 12 yds. by 22 yds. It has been found necessary to isolate an area of 8,100 sq. yds., which has been accom- plished without inconvenience to the working of the colliery, inasmuch as this portion of the mine was, at that time, inoperative, owing to a shortage of miners, consequent on enlistment. The dams were commenced on August 2, and the water was turned on about the middle of September. The water is obtained from a cistern at the surface, near the main pumping engine, into which the water drain- age from the mine is delivered after flowing through the pumping engine condenser. An emergency supply is also laid on from the domestic water supply reservoir. A 2 in. pipe is taken from the bottom of the cistern, down the main pumping shaft, through the workings to the main dams. Automatic valves, actuated by floats, regulate the flow of water through the cistern, so that, in the event of the pumping engine stopping from any cause, the fresh water is turned on, and a continuous delivery into the fire area is ensured. The effective supply delivered into the area (i.e., the total supply through the pipes, less leakage at the dams) is from nd STEAM -------> SCALE 2CHAINS = I INCH • ■ » "d jr ........—d U---------------il jj- yl J...........nmj GOAF GOAF GOAF The air courses are represented by arrows, except those marked “ steam ” ; the, dams are indicated by the thick lines crossing the roadways. 120 to 140 gals, per minute. This supply is deemed sufficient, although it could be increased by the present arrangements. Relief pipes (three 6 in.) reach from a point about 24 ft. from the floor of the bottom seam into a hole above the top seam, and are continued through one of the main dams to the outside atmosphere. When the water had been turned on for a while, steam came off very freely for about four days, but afterwards almost ceased. There is now reason to believe that the fire has been extinguished, both at the point of application of the water and for a considerable distance towards the interior of the isolated area, although, as the water flowed to various further points where it could be tested, it was found to be exceedingly hot. Probably more than half the area has been flooded, but as the strata rise from the main dams, -a greater depth of water is found on the lower side. The original brick stoppings had been allowed to remain on the inner side of the dams, and, in order to minimise the almost inevitable leakages, the spaces between the brick stoppings and the dams had been packed with sand, horse dung, etc., so that when the water seeks an outlet through the walls of the dams, it carries with it minute particles of matter, which fill up any small leaks. The device may appear to be crude, but Mr. Tweddell assures our representative that it has been found exceedingly effective. How long it will be necessary to continue the flooding is uncertain, but the manager of the colliery has every confidence that he will gain the upper hand. The accompanying plan will enable the situation to be more thoroughly understood. During August there were imported into Spain 174,613 tons of coal and 10,238 tons of coke, as compared with 221,436 tons of coal and 28,656 tons of coke in August 1914. In the eight months ended with August there were imported 1,446,319 tons of coal and 128,027 tons of coke, as against 1,756,053 tons of coal and 268,215 tons of coke in the corre- sponding period of 1914. In August 397,845 tons of iron ore were exported, as against 414,091 tons, and 319 tons of manganese, as against 209 tons. Exports of iron ore in the eight months amounted to 2,991,030 tons, as against 4,881,927 tons in the corresponding period of last year, and those of manganese to 5,439 tons, as against 7,238 tons. COLLIERY ACCIDENTS. Rowley Regis. The most serious colliery accident experienced in the Black Country for many years, occurred at the Pennant Hill Colliery, near Dudley, belonging to Messrs. H. S. Pitt Limited, on Friday. Shortly before 6 a.m. a violent explosion occurred some 120 yds. from the bottom. The upcast shaft was severely shaken, the cage was literally blown over the pulley, and the framework splintered in many places. Fortunately, the mainstays of the frame withstood the shock, and very quickly a “ bowk ” was attached to the rope, and a party descended to ascertain the character of the explosion. Slowly small parties of workmen were raised to the surface. They were all suffering from shock, gas and burns to a greater or lesser extent. After some hours’ work, 20 men were raised. Meanwhile the search proceeded below, without inter- mission, for the other four men of the shift. The rescuers were hampered in their work by recurrent falls of the roof, the “ trees ” supporting it having been blown out. It was hoped that the four men had been merely locked in the back, but, unfortunately, they were all dead. They had been buried by the fall of debris, and death in each case was instantaneous. The four victims are:—Harry Williams (50), James RoseJ (25),'JtCharles ^Knight? (22), and James Clarke (60). The number of victims was increased to five on Sunday, when Frank Clarke (26), of Rowley, succumbed in the Guest Hospital at Dudley. The inquest as to four of the men was opened on Monday afternoon, when the coroner said that owing to the illness of a sixth miner the inquest would be adjourned to November 22, at Old Hill. Formal evidence of identification was taken, and Dr. J. G. Beasley, who was called to the pit on the day of the acci- dent, stated that at the suggestion of H.M. inspector of mines, he had had made analyses of portions of the blood of the dead men, and in three instances the blood contained sufficient carbon monoxide to account for death, but in the case of the man Rose no trace of septic poisoning was found. He could not say the percentage of saturation in the case of the three men. Proceeding to describe the men’s injuries, he said there were no marks of external violence on the body of Clarke, while Knight had a few abrasions on the wrists and knees. Williams’ moustache and eyebrows had been scorched away. He had an incised wound about an inch long, extending down to the bone, on the back of the head. The fingers of both hands were scorched. Rose had a very extensive scalp wound. He had burns on the front of the neck, both hands and arms, a fractured collarbone and rib. He must have been blown against a part of the working. This having completed the evidence the coroner said h< proposed to submit that day, the enquiry was, as statea above, adjourned. The Dudley coroner, on Wednesday, opened the inquest on Frank Clark, who died at the Guest Hospital from the effects of the explosion. The coroner said an enquiry had been opened at Old Hill relative to the death of four other unfortunate men, and had had to be adjourned because the chief witness had been injured, and would be unable to give evidence for some time. In the circumstances he should adjourn that enquiry until November 26. Efforts are being made in Sweden to develop the numerous peat bogs, and two factories at Fristad and Stafsjo are being established. A syndicate of influential persons has also purchased the Vako bog, near the Solves- borg-Elmhults Railway, Scania, with a view to erecting a factory for making peat powder, and eventually peat bricks, by the Porat and Odelstierna process. The annual produc- tion of peat powder at this factory is estimated at 25,000 tons.