707 ________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. _______________ April 14, 1916. ________________________________________________________________________________________ and at least the following preventive measures should be taken accordingly :—Every possible step should be taken to prevent the production of dust and the escape of fumes into the air or work places. Persons employed in packing trinitrotoluol, or at other processes in which the production of dust is unavoidable, should be called upon to wear respirators. "When melted, trinitrotoluol gives off fumes, and arrangements should be made by localised exhaust ventilation for all fumes to be dis- charged into the outside air without escaping into the work place; this can be effected by enclosing the vessel containing the melted trinitrotoluol in a bell-shaped hood terminating in an upcast shaft about 20 ft. in length, guarded at the top by’a cowl. The working opening to the hood should only be of sufficient size to 'permit necessary manipulations. To protect the skin, overalls should be worn; the sleeves of the overall should fasten at the neck and the wrist, and have no opening in the cuff. Gloves of leather, strongly sewn, have been recom- mended, and, if worn, the cuff of the glove should be inside, that is, under the sleeve of the overall. Where women are employed, head coverings should be worn. To prevent absorption through the mouth, the same pre- ventive measures should be taken as in the case of lead; the provision and maintenance of adequate washing accommodation is specially important. Output has been so urgently required that at some factories work has commenced before building has been completed; at one such factory many cases of troublesome dermatitis (eczema) occurred, and caused considerable interference with work, but as soon as suitable lavatories were com- pleted the trouble ceased. The period of exposure- should be reduced to a minimum, and should not be pro- longed by overtime. The slow and progressive action of the poison allows further precautions to be taken, and periodical medical examination, with power to suspend from employment any person who is affected, should, therefore, always be arranged; indeed, this has already been extensively done, with beneficial results. _____________________ MINIMS INSTITUTE OF SCOTLAND. The 39th annual general meeting of the Mining Insti- tute of Scotland was held in the rooms of the institute, 39, Elmbank-crescent, Glasgow, on Saturday afternoon. Mr. D. M. Mowat, president of the institute, occupied the chair, and there was a representative attendance of members. At the outset of the proceedings the follow- ing gentlemen were admitted as members :—Messrs. D. Duncan, civil and mining engineer, Mount Vernon, Glasgow; Hugh Waddell, colliery manager, Tranent; John B. Wardlaw, colliery manager, Jealgora, India; Arthur F. Price, wire rope agent, Hillhead, Glasgow; and John P. Graham, mining engineer, Safaga, Upper Egypt. The Council’s Annual Report. Mr. G. L. Kerr, secretary and treasurer, on behalf of the council, submitted the 38th annual report, which indicated that the continuance of the war had unfavour- ably affected the institute as regards the addition of new members. At the present date, however, the member- ship of the institute stood at 635, or a decrease of 30 for the year. A roll of honour containing the names of members who were serving with his Majesty’s Forces had been drawn up, and, in that connection, it had to be noted that three had fallen in battle, viz., Lieuts. Andrew Burt, Campbell King, and John Wilson. Three, on the other hand, had gained military distinction, and these were : Maj. Ritson (D.S.O.), Lieut. H. W. Boyes and Lieut. David McKelvie (Military Cross). An abstract of the treasurer’s accounts was also presented, from which it appeared that the total income for the year amounted to £1,445 9s. 7d. Over all, as a result of the year’s transactions, the balance at the credit of the institute had been increased by £55. The reports were unanimously adopted. Election of Office-Bearers. Mr. J. Balfour Sneddon, Mid-Calder, moved the re-election of Mr. D. M. Mowat as president of the insti- tute for another year. They were all glad that their president was in a position to continue the direction of the institute’s affairs for another year. The President thanked the members for this renewal of their confidence in him, and he could assure them he would do his best to further the interest of the institute. The other officials were appointed as under :—Vice- presidents : Messrs. R. W. Dron, Glasgow; and John Masterton, H.M. inspector of mines, Edinburgh. Coun- cillors : Messrs. James Black, Shettleston; William Jarvie, Bothwell; Richard Kirkby, East Wemyss; Mungo Mackay, Newtongrange; James Morton, Cross- gates, Fife; and Archibald Smellie, New Cumnock. Forming a Shaft Pillar in Thin Seams : Discussion. The discussion was afterwards resumed on the paper read by Mr. James Black, Shettleston, on “ Forming a Shaft 'Pillar in Thin Seams” (Colliery Guardian, December 17, 1915, p. 1241). Mr. William Smith, Dalmellington, said he should like to ask the author if the shafts in fig. 1 of his paper were the upcast and downcast shafts respectively, because if they were it seemed to him that there would be a serious leakage of . air. There was only a matter of some 50 ft. of coal between the levels, and if that coal was removed—no matter how well packed or stowed there would be a serious leakage. Mr. Robert McLaren, H.M. inspector of mines, said he did not think Mr. Black would.claim that the system he had described was either original or new. It was just the old system they had in use some years ago at many collieries, and,, in point of facG the room and rance ” method was in operation even yet in the areas of some collieries. Mr. Black had very clearly pointed out the advantages which lay in his method of driving shaft pillars, the chief being, undoubtedly, in the ease with which ventilation could be brought to the faces; but why not take out the whole seam altogether? Then the method had some disadvantage as regards ventila- tion. No doubt the system had a very good deal to commend it, but it seemed to him that they were pos- sibly attempting just a little too much in driving the roadway 80ft. wide; about half the width would give good ventilation. Mr. John Gibson, Kilmarnock, said he neither agreed with the practice nor the method Mr. Black had out- lined. Given suitable circumstances, the system Mr. Black described could be followed quite satisfactorily, but, as a matter of general practice, he thought it had not much to commend it. Mr. James Kirkpatrick (Bothwell) said he had some experience of this method of driving, although not in the forming of shaft pillars. For instance, he had a section where the seams were in close proximity, and where the upper seams were standing in stoops. In the opening of the lower seams they had to drive a pair of narrow longwall roads—similar to those described in the paper—beyond the stooping area above. While at first they had some difficulty in the ventilation, due to leakage through the stowage between the roads, this was overcome, later on, by the introduction of a Sirocco fan, and the system was quite satisfactory. With regard to costs, ho found it much cheaper than by the ordinary stoop and room driving. Altogether, he thought there was a good deal to commend the system in similar cases. The President observed, with regard to ventilation, that it was very doubtful whether a satisfactory quantity of air could be carried in such a distance as shown in fig. 1. He thought it could not be, unless the brushing or holing yielded a good deal of soft material. Mr. James Black, in replying to the discussion, said that he was glad to know that Mr. Dron had recently formed shaft pillars by the method advocated, and that the results obtained fully justified its adoption. Such practical evidence was of infinitely greater value than all theories. The method adopted by Mr. Dron in defining the boundary of the shaft pillar was the one commonly used in ordinary coal-measures strata, at moderate inclination. It seemed to serve the purpose well, and had the advantage of being easily applied. In steep measures, however, it was necessary to balance the pillar, to compensate for the increased draw towards the dip and the diminished draw towards the rise. In the shaft pillar shown in fig. 2, the draw extended over the pillar towards the dip for fully 300 ft. The depth of the seam from the surface at the extreme rise side of the pillar was 126 fms. Mr. Dron’s idea of increasing the small pillar, extending from the shaft to the point where longwall was commenced, from 30 ft. to 100 ft., in order to ensure security, was a detail that required to be decided for each particular case, and he agreed with Mr. Dron that it would be necessary in some instances to do as the latter suggested. Mr. Riddell had doubted the possibility of applying the system generally, but unfortunately had failed to give any logical reason in support of his contention. Mr. Riddell seemed to think there was no difficulty in ventilating the working places when forming a shaft pillar in the usual manner; but that experience differed widely from his (Mr. Black’s) and from that of many other colliery managers. Even air tubes were not to be compared to a roadway, either as an efficient means of ventilating a wmrking place, or as an economical airway. As to the remark that output was a consideration which seldom entered into the calculations in this stage of mine operations, it was an axiom with him that output during the stage of develop- ment was an important factor in reducing capital expenditure. Air. James Hamilton had said it ought not to be impossible to do away with shaft pillars in the ordinary way. With hydraulic stowing, no doubt, dis- turbance due to subsidence could be reduced to a negligible amount. With ordinary packing and wood pillaring the problem was, however, more difficult, and would require careful consideration both as regards the method of packing and the cost of carrying out the work. The discussion was closed. Rapid Estimation of Oxygen and Blackdamp : Discussion. The discussion was resumed on the paper read at last meeting by ■ Mr. Henry Briggs, of the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, on “ A Device for the Rapid Esti- mation of Oxygen and Blackdamp in Mines ” (Colliery Guardian, February 25, p. 359). Mr. Robert McLaren, H.M. inspector of mines, said it was a pity Mr. Briggs had confined his attachment to one type of safety lamp. It ought to be possible to fit the device to a number of the good lamps now used. As for the device itself, he felt it would not altogether appeal to firemen, because it did not seem simple enough. If Mr. Briggs could improve it in that respect, it might be successful. Further discussion on the paper was adjourned. Mr. Jas. Nisbet read a paper on “ The Sinking and Equipment of a Circular Shaft,” which is given on page 702. Discussion of the paper wns adjourned till next meeting. ____________________________ Output of Coal in the United Kingdom. — The Board of Trade has issued a return showing the estimated quantities of coal raised in the United Kingdom in each quarter of 1915, compared with particulars in the corresponding period of 1914. The only material difference occurred in the first and second quarters—64,369,000 tons compared with 72,800,000 tons, and 63,457,000 tons compared with 67,474,000 tons. The total for 1915 was 253,188,000 tons, a decrease of 12,455,000 tons on the previous year. The exports for 1915 (including the coal equivalent of coke and manufactured fuel) was 46,321,000 tons, and the quantity shipped as bunkers aggregated 13,631,000 tons. TRADE AND THE WAR. The business of the Northeim Union Mining Company Limited, Mercantile Chambers, Quayside, Newcastle-on- Tyne, is being wound up by order of the Board of Trade. The Sulphate of Ammonia Association has issued a leaflet recommending makers of sulphate of ammonia to use nitre cake as a substitute for sulphuric acid in the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia during the war. Prospective users of nitre cake are advised to ascertain the probability of supplies being available in their locality Firms in this country rare seeking, through the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade, to get into com- munication with British manufacturers of certain goods previously obtained from Germany or Austria, including sulphuric acid, recovered precipitated oxide of manganese, ground fireclay, and steel to replace Austrian acero Trieste. Through the same channel Italian firms seek British makers of black malleable iron sheets. After announcing that the time allowance for licences to ship coal cargoes to the allied and neutral countries would be reduced to four weeks, and for the American continent to six weeks, the Board of Customs is reported to have yielded to representations, and permitted the old period of eight weeks to remain in force. Silica bricks have been added to the list of prohibited exports. The business of Veithardt and Hall Limited, iron and steel importers, 41, Eastcheap, London, E.C., is being wound up under the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act, 1916. Attention having been called to an advertisement in the Press of a neutral country on behalf of a London firm seek- ing the services of a clerk, the Foreign Office desire to point out the undesirability, and even the danger, of obtaining employees in this manner at the present time. The Army Council has ordered that, in accordance with Defence of the Realm Regulation 30 A, licences are required for negotiating or dealing in the following explosives :— Acetone, ammonal, ballistite, bellite, biastine, cordite, fulmi- nate of mercury, guncotton, gunpowder, melinite, megadine, nitro-cellulose powder, nitro-glycerine, perchlorate of potash, perchlorate of ammonia, picric, sabulite, tetryl, tonite, trotyl, T.N.T. (trinitrotoluol), and T.N.X. (trinitroxylol). The scarcity of coal in Denmark is growing, and a com- mittee of provincial towns and gas companies has asked the Home Office to help in getting supplies at reasonable prices immediately from England. Some factories in Bornholm which are already using coal from the local coal fields, made an investigation in order to ascertain whether it would be possible to work these sources of supply on a more extensive scale. A British firm is enquiring through the Commercial Intelligence Department of the Board of Trade for a manu- facturer of egg-shaped coal briquettes to replace goods formerly imported from Germany or Austria. The Decimal Association, in its annual report, states that one of the results of the war is the remarkable extent to which the metric system is being assimilated in the life of the nation; and the view is expressed that the system will become more largely adopted after the war in the trade competition with Germany. The complex English weights are referred to as a handicap on our foreign trade. A prominent Argentine citizen is quoted to the effect that as ■all the South American republics use the metric system, British firms must do the same in order to capture German trade in South America. __________________________ Swedish Iron Trade in. 1915. — The last meeting of the Swedish Iron Works Association was held at Orebro, on January 29. The report then presented—which is repro- duced in the Journal of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the United Kingdom—stated that the result of activity in 1915 shows that it has been possible, broadly speaking, to overcome the considerable difficulties which were con- nected with the export trade .and the maintenance of the iron works’ business. The production and export figures are given below, condensed, and for comparison we have added the corresponding figures for 1914, when the outbreak of war greatly obstructed industry and trade, and those for 1913, when peaceful conditions prevailed. Pig iron: Production .......... Exports.............. Malleable iron : Production (ingots and blooms) ............ Exports (all kinds) ... Iron ore: Exports.............. Tons. 1915. 767,600 ... 302,000 ... Tons. 1914. 635,100 . 175,4C0 . Tons. 1913. 730,300 207,500 708,000 ... 613,900 ... 743,700 275,500 ... 200,900 ... 287,200 5,994,000 ... 4,681,000 ... 6,440,000 The export of pig iron in 1915 shows thus an increase com- pared with that of the preceding two years, and the output was also increased. On the other hand, the very important group which comes under the heading “malleable iron’’ shows a decrease compared with 1913 figures, both for export and production. Nor did the export of iron ore reach the corresponding amount for the normal year 1913. The Swedish iron and steel market is still firm, and the demand good. However, all conditions are at present abnormal, and the future uncertain in every way, and the caution which both sellers and buyers still exercise as to coming conclusion of contracts is therefore easy to understand. We give below figures dealing with the total exports of iron and steel from SwTeden during 1915, as compared with 1914 :— Pig iron Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 Increase or decrease 1915. Tons. 290,200 . 1914. Tons. .. 162,800 ... -f- 1915. Tons. 127,400 F6rro-silicon and ferro- manganese 10,700 .. .. 10,000 ... 4- 700 Spiegel iron, puddled iron, &c. 1,100 . .. 2,600 — 1,500 Scrap iron 3,100 . .. 4,400 — 1,300 Ingots 18,000 . .. 12,700 ... + 5,300 Blooms 37,300 .. .. 23,200 . 4- 14,100 Billets 28,400 .. . 18,000 . 4- 10,400 Bar iron 121,300 .. 90,500 . .. + 30,800 Bar ends 8,100 .. 6,700 , + 1,400 Wire rods 32,200 . .. 27,500 . ... 4- 4,700 Iron plates 7,800 . .. 2,000 . 4- 5,800 Tubes 19,300 . .. 15,900 -f- 3,400 Wire, drawn or cold drawn 2,400 .. .. 1,000 . -r- 1,400 Nails 9,000 .. . 5,500 . .. + 3,500 Total 588,900 .. . 382,800 . .. + 206,100