October 6, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 671 THE FREIGHT MARKET. On the north-east coast, business in the outward freight market has been severely limited for want of tonnage. Arrivals have been comparatively few and tardy, and much possible business has, therefore, remained untransacted for the time being. The number of fixtures has been on the small side. Kates have shown a quite remarkable steadi- ness, figures for practically every direction remaining unaltered. The only exceptions to this rule have been that Genoa has been just a shade easier for Tyne loading, that coke freights for Treport have favoured charterers, and that one vessel, a 1,400-tonner, has been fixed for the northern French range, with coke at the very high rate of 39s. At South Wales, tonnage has been in better supply, and chartering has been quite active. Rates have been very erratic, and have moved within a considerable range in some instances. At the time of writing, late Mediterranean figures are difficult to maintain, collier vessels being numerous and merchants disinclined to operate at present prices. On the w-eek, however, Gibraltar is from Is. to 2s. dearer, for Cardiff loading; Genoa has advanced from 3s. to 6s.; and Marseilles has made a leap of from 7s. to 12s. On the other hand, Naples is Is. cheaper, whilst Leghorn and Port Said freights show no alteration. There is still no definite announcement as to the date and conditions on which the scheme for the restriction of Mediterranean coal freights and coal prices will come into operation, and the latest report attributes the delay to the circumstance that the French and Italian authorities have not yet ratified the arrangement arrived at for their benefit by the negotiators on this side. Whether that be the cause of the delay or not, the fact remains that October has arrived without witnessing the putting into operation of the scheme, and that October 16 is now mentioned as the probable date. Homewards, Eastern rates generally are very firm. Bombay is quoted at 132s. 6d. on d.w., an advance of 2s. 6d. on the week. Kurrachee is steady at 197s. 6d., and Madras Coast at 205s. The rice ports are more active. Saigon to French Atlantic has been fixed at the steady rate of 175s., w7ith Mauritius to the same destination at 140s. Burmah to London or Liverpool with cleaned rice has been done at 165s., a reduction of 5s. Mediterranean ore freights are .advancing. Alexandria has paid 77s. 6d. per 60 cu. ft. for United Kingdom. North American grain business is rather brisker. The standard rates of 13s. to the French Atlantic and 15s. 9d. to West Italy are being paid for tonnage. To the Bristol Channel, Ils. *is quoted, with 9s. 6d. for oats to United Kingdom. Cotton freights are scarce at Gulf and Atlantic ports. Lumber business is mentioned at 510s. to United Kingdom. Coals are slow at 52s. 6d. to the River Plate—a rise of 2s. 6d. Serious droughts in Argentina are threatening production there, and pasture lands are stated to be so scorched that maize which wmuld otherwise have been exported is being withheld as food for cattle. For October-November loading the quotations range from 130s. to 135s. to United Kingdom, rather easier figures, with 142s. 6d. quoted for up-river. Tyne to Barcelona, 2,000, 60s.; Buenos Ayres, 3,000, 32s. 6d.; Calais, 400, 36s., coke; 300, 36s., coke; 250, 36s., coke; Drammen, 600, 24 kr.; Dunkirk, 300, 36s., coke; 600, 36s., coke; 250, 36s., coke; Genoa, 2,100, 72s. 6d.; 1,800, 72s. 6d.; 3,000, 72s. 6d.; 2,300, 72s. fid.; 4,000, 72s.; Huelva, 3,000, 35s.; London, 1,800, 12s.; 1,500, 12s.; Lisbon, 3,600 , 40s_.; Leghorn, 2,300, 72s. fid.; 3,000, 72s. 6d.; Malta, 2,000, 73s.; Naples, 3,000, 72s. fid.; Northern French range, 350, 36s., coke; 1,200, 37s., coke; 450, 36s., coke; 600, 36s., coke; 1,400, 39s., coke; Oporto, 700, 45s.; Rouen, 400, 37s., coke; 1,700, 37s., coke; 1,500, 37s., coke; 650, 37s., coke; River Plate, 30s., Oct.; Savona, 3,000, 72s. fid.; Santos, 1,600, 37s. 6d.; Treport, 500, 36s., coke; 300, 36s., coke; 250, 36s., coke; Valencia, 3,000, 60s. Cardiff to Bordeaux, 5,800 , 3,200 , 33s.; 1,100, 34s.; Bayonne, 5,800, 35s.; 2,400, 1,100, 36s.; Campana, 30s., Oct.; Chantenay, 1,300, 1,850, 29s.; Caen, 350, 24s.; Dieppe, 1,500, 1,900, 23s. 6d. ; Dunkirk, 600 , 36s., coke; Gibraltar, 1,500, 31s., 500; 3,600, 29s., 500; Genoa, 2,100, 76s., special terms; Havre, 1,500, 1,900, 22s. 6d.; Honfleur, 1,500, 23s.; 350, 24s.; Leghorn, 7,500, 70s., 800; Las Palmas, 1,800, 28s.; 1,900, 29s.; La Rochelle, 1,850, 1,200, 29s.; Lisbon, 2,100, 30s., 400; 900, 30s., Oct.; Morlaix, 150, 25s.; Mar- seilles, 70s.; 1,700, 70s., 600; 2,000, 70s.; 5,300, 70s.; 5,000, 70s.; 5,500, 67s. fid.; 6,000, 67s. 6d.; 1,200, 70s.; Naples, 7,500, 70s., 800, early Oct.; Nantes, 1,300, 1,850, 1.500, 29s.; Porte Vendres, 1,200, 75s.; Port Said, 5,000, d.w., 60s., Oct.; 2,500, d.w., 60s., Oct.; Rouen, 1,500, 1,900, 1,600, 2,250, 1,200, 24s. fid.; 1,450, 25s. 6d., fuel; 800, 25s. 6d.; 1,100, 25s. 3d., fuel; Rochefort, 1,850, 1,200, 29s.; St. Servan, 1,500, 21s.; St. Nazaire, 1,200, 2,000, 29s.; 3,100 , 28s.; Savona, 2,100, 76s., special terms; Teneriffe, 1,800, 28s.; 1,900, 29s.; Trouville, 350, 24s.; Tonnay Charente, 1,200; Villa Consti-tucion, 30s., Oct. Swansea to Wexford, 200, 13s.; Sundswall, 750, 40 kr.; Bordeaux, 1,100, 34s. Leith to Tonsburg, 300, 34 kr. Immingham to Gefle, 2,200, 28 kr. Newport to Genoa or Savona, 3,300, 75s. ; Trouville, Caen, Honfleur, Granville, Cherbourg, or Fecamp, 660 and 700, limitation rates: Naples or Torre Annunziata, 4,400, 70s., 800; Rouen, 2,000, 24s. 6d.; St. Nazaire, 3,200, 29s.; Mar- seilles, 1,200, 70s.; Havre, Honfleur, Caen, Cherbourg, or Rouen, 950, limitation rates. Hull to London, 1,000, 12s. 6d.; Stockholm, 2,000, 28 kr.; Gefle, 1,550, 29 kr.; 2,200, 28 kr.; Havre, 3,200, 24s. 6d.; 1,800, 25s. fid.; Rouen, 2,100, 27s. 6d.; Dieppe, 850, 27s.; Dunkirk, 350, 26s., coke; Treport, 800, 27s. fid. Port Talbot to Trouville, 24s.; Algiers, 1,100. 40s., 600; St. Michaels, 2,100, 27s. 6d.; Port Said, 3,000, 60s.; 5,000, 60s.; St. Nazaire, 6,000, 29s.; 1,700, 29s.: Rouen, 900, 25s. 6d.; Marseilles, 1,600, 70s.; St. Servan, 950, 22s. ; 1,500, 21s.; Bayonne, 2,400, 36s. Llanelly to Rouen, 530, 25s. 9d.; Guernsey, 330, 21s.; Treport, 300, 26s. 9d. Glasgow to Genoa, Savona, Spezzia, or Leghorn, 65s. 6d. ; West Italy, 2,000, 65s. fid.; 2,500, 65s. 6d., Oct. Partington to Rouen, 1,350, 26s. 6d., steamship material: Bilbao, 2,000, 40s.; Havre, 1,650, 24s. 6d. Goole to Jersey, 450, 26s. 6d. ; Treport, 800, 28s. West Hartlepool to Christiania, 550, 27 kr. ; Leghorn, 3.500, 72s. 6d. -Troon to Genoa or Savona, 70s. Birkenhead to Port Said, 2,500, 45s., early Oct. Mr. T. C. Taylor and Mr. M. E. White, inspectors of factories, have been appointed inspectors under the Explosives Act, ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS RECENTLY ACCEPTED. 7769 (1915). Improvements relating to Furnace Settings for the Destructive Distillation of Coal or other Carbonaceous Substances. S. N. Wellington, of 39, Mincing-lane, London, E.C.—Relates to furnace settings for the destructive distilla- tion of coal or other carbonaceous substance's, and especially to that type of furnace settings where vertical retorts are employed, which are charged at the top and discharged at the bottom, and where the retorts are of an oblong section, and has for its object to effect the heating of the retorts uniformly and with efficiency and in such manner that the temperature conditions throughout may be precisely regu- lated, according to the character of the residue and by- products required. Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of the furnace setting on the line E, F of fig. 2 ; and fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line A, B of fig. 1. a indicates a series of vertical retorts of oblong section within a setting in the lower part of w’hich a regenerator or recuperator b1 is provided, and beside and between the respective vertical retorts is a vertical series of horizontal partitions b. Within each horizontal chamber are two thin vertical partitions c, which form a central combustion space extending the length of the retort, and forming a space at one end into which the gases may discharge and return in the opposite direction through the narrower lateral spaces cl formed by the parti- tions on each side of the central space. A damper block c2 of angular form may be provided at the end of the heating i chamber at which the gases discharge from the central com- bustion space. Such damper blocks present their inclined faces to the current of gases, deflecting the gases and regu- lating the outflow according to the position in which they are placed with respect to the ends of the partitions c. The partitions c are of the same refractory material as 6, and may be of any suitable section so as to divide the heating chamber by substantially vertical walls into three spaces, on each side of the retorts. The gas may be led into the central combustion space through a horizontal pipe cl extending through the setting at one side, the gas pipe for each chamber of the vertical series being connected to a service pipe d1. An air passage e is also provided horizon- tally, to lead air to each of the combustion spaces, and the air passage for each heating chamber of the vertical series communicates with the vertical air flues f; and air advan- tageously may be led from adjacent vertical air flues f from each side into the respective horizontal air passages e and the ports g through wfliich the air is admitted to the respec- tive horizontal passages may be regulated by means of sliding dampers g1 or other suitable means. (Five claims.) 11321 (1915). Improvements in the Starting and Syn- chronising of Dynamo Electric Machines. The British Thomson-Houston Company Limited, of 83, Cannon-street, London, E.C., and F. Whitaker, of 237, Clifton-road, Rugby.—Relates to starting and self-synchronising arrange- ments for rotary converters and other synchronous machines of the type, in which a starting motor mechanically coupled to the shaft of the main machine is employed; and consists in providing the rotor of the starting motor with a salient pole or other equivalent construction and the stator w7ith two windings adapted to give different numbers of poles. Figs. 1 and 2 show, in side elevation, forms of the rotor of the PUJ.l & shirting motor, w’hilst fig. 3 is a diagram of connections of the stator windings of the starting motor in relation to the armature winding of the main machine. The starting motor, preferably mounted on the same shaft as the rotary con- verter, has a rotor 1 having six salient poles 2 of solid iron e; rial in number to the poles on the rotary converter. The Gator is provided with two windings 3 and 4, of which winding 3 is arranged for six poles and winding 4 is arrmged for four poles. Since the rotary converter has six poles the synchronous speed of the converter will be ; per second, where f denotes the frequency of the alternating current supply. When the starting motor is running with its six pole winding only excited the normal speed of the starting motor will be slightly below per second when the slip is small, and when it is running with its four pole winding only excited its speed will approach £ per second, namely, a higher speed than the normal speed of the con- verter. Fig. 2 is a modified form, in which the core is com- posed of laminations, and is provided with a squirrel cage consisting of bars 5 laid in open or tunnel slots in the polar faces and short circuited at the ends of the machine by means of the end rings 6. In fig. 3, 11 is a transformer, and 12 is the armature of the rotary converter. 3 represents the six pole stator winding of the starting motor, and 4 is the four pole stator winding. These windings are arranged to be connected in series or in parallel, with the armature winding 12 of the converter, and in parallel with each other. In starting up the set, the switches 13, 14, and 15 being open, an oil switch on the high tension side of the trans- former is closed. Switch 14 is then closed, so that the alter- nating current is supplied from the secondary or trans- former 11 through the four pole winding 4 on the primary member of the starting motor to the armature 12 of the con- verter through the slip rings 19. The set starts up, and the slip of the starting motor diminishes until a speed higher than the normal speed of the converter is reached. Switch 15 is then closed, and switch 14 opened, and the set is allowed to slow down towards the normal speed of the converter. Just as synchronism is being approached, continuous current excitation may be applied to the winding on the rotor of the starting motor. The swutch 13 is then closed, so as to short circuit the starting motor and switch 15 may then be opened. (Four claims.) 101106. Improvements in Washer Scrubbers for use in the Purification of Gas. E. Hanappe, of 214, Arclrway-road, Highgate, Middlesex.—Relates to washer scrubbers chiefly intended for use in the purification of producer gas, and consists essentially in the em- ployment of small sticks or splints of wood of regular shape, which, although inserted without order or method into the purifying chamber, will lie relatively so close together that spaces or passages will always be provided through which the gas is free to flow7. The drawing shows a vertical section of a washer scrubber, in which a indi- cates the chamber of the apparatus, b the pipe through which the gas to be purified enters, and c the outlet for the purified gas. d is a grating arranged near the bottom of the chamber and having the gas inlet pipe b beneath it, and e indi- cates a layer of coke or other material w7hich is advantageously laid upon the grating, so as to afford free drainage for the water. f indicates the filling of sticks or splints of wood, wfliich are inserted in an arbitrary manner. Above the space occupied by the splints is a pipe g through which water is sprayed t o keep the sticks wet in a well-knowm manner. The directly upon the grating. (Two claims.) I also lie 101118. Improved Means for Operating Plate Valves or the like used in connection with Gas Producers. A. Ash- worth, of 92, Oak Tree Lane, Selly Oak, Birmingham, and R. and J. Dempster Limited, of Gas Plant Works, Oldham- road, Manchester.—Relates to the plate valves or the like employed in connection with gas producers, and refers more particularly to that class of valve in which means are pro- vided for causing the bearing surfaces or faces, between which the valve passes, to be slightly drawn apart previously to moving the said valve for reasons well known in the gas industry. Fig. 1 is a front elevation, fig. 2 is a sectional view, in part, at right angles thereto. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a detail enlarged, a is a plate valve, with aper- ture a1, and b is the gas main or the like, across which the valve a is situated, c, c are the bearing surfaces or faces between which the said valve a passes, or is retained. These face pieces c are attached by angle irons to the periphery of the gas main b, which latter is in two parts, one on each side of the valve position. These two parts of the main are capable of being sprung apart, to some slight extent, or, alternatively, are capable of being pressed closer together, by external means, e.g., brackets d attached by bolts (not •shown), to the peripheral parts of the main b. Passing through the outer portions of each pair of brackets d. and connecting the same together, is a screw threaded spindle e, preferably provided with right and left handed threads, one working in the left hand bracket, and the other working in a squared nut el situated in a gap formed in the right hand bracket. Rotation of along with the pipe parts to which they are attached, either towards or away from each other. For ope- rating the spindles e from a distance there is provided a ratchet wheel h, about which, and loosely mounted on the said spindle, is a lever hl (fig. 3). Pivoted on said lever is a double-acting pawl h2. and also a lever or connection i. Projecting from a slot in the end of this connection, and capable of sliding therein, is a spindle k making contact with the outer sur- face of the pawl Jr, and behind the spindle. In the slot is a spring for pressin _ outer surface of the pawl named. The turning of the lever i upon its pivot has the effect of bringing pressure, by the means described, of the spindle k upon either end part of the pawl Ji2, and thus determine which end of the pawl is the spindle e moves the brackets d, -no.i - /// f/ e - FIGI 3 - in 5 t •\ G li Ur V : I * V c s the end of the snindle k auainst the