384 February 23, 1917. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. _______________________________________________________________________________ Output and Value of Coal (including Anthracite), ARRANGED ACCORDING TO COUNTIES. County. Total quantity. Com- parison with 1914. Approxi- mate price per ton at the England— mines. From mines: Tons. Tons. s. d. industry, South Wales being by far the largest contri- butor in this respect. Very fine slack, which would otherwise be of little value commercially, is used in making briquettes. The following table shows the quantity and value of briquettes produced and the amount of coal used in the Chester............... 280,175...- 17,045...12 6*27 Cumberland.......... 2,248,810 ...— 111,700...11 9*48 Derby................ 16,645,131 ...- 294,155...11 2’58 Durham.............. 33,737,865 ...- 3,811,339...11 8’87 Gloucester .......... 1,737,465 ...4- 125,026...13 7*15 Kent ................. 158,389 ... + 27,949...14 3'36 Lancaster............ 21,405,081 ...- 1,188,056... 12 2*94 Leicester ............ 3,329,381 ...+ 369,885...11 1 51 Monmouth .......... 14,244,795 ...- 790,995...14 8’81 Northumberland .... 11,040,501 ...— 1,431,498...12 6'57 Nottingham.......... 11,800,572 ... + 290,342...11 1'15 Salop ................. 782,989 ...- 2,821...10 10*74 Somerset ............ 1,294,364 ...+ 34,617...13 1*92 Stafford.............. 13,351,371 ...- 563,157...11 6'51 Warwick ............ 4,954,481 ...- 73,606...12 2'06 Westmorland......... 1,131 ...+ 277...13 4'0 ) Worcester............ 693,031 .. + 142,118... 9 4*18 York, North Riding ... 1,978 ) ( 9 1'93 Do. West* ................ 14,492,473 > + 799,146 pi 2'67 Do. South* ........ 25,849,243 ) (.10 10'89 ______________ manufacture thereof during 1915 :— at works in the United Kingdom Coal used County. • manufacture of briquettes. England — Tons. Derby, Glo'ster & Hants 10,833 Monmouth, Nottingham and Stafford ......... 104,708 York................... 6,741 Total for England ... 122,282 ... Wales—Glamorgan ..... 1,396,783 Scotland—Aberdeen, Ayr, Lanark and Stirling .. 66,644 Ireland—Cork, Down and Dublin............... 8,549 Briquettes produced Quantity. Value.* Tons. £ 11,904... 13,282 113,974... 123,462 7,109... 7,309 132,987... 144,053 1,481,692 1,527,983 73,469... 68,969 9,393... 14,401 Total from mines ... 178,029,226 ...— 6,495,012...11 10'08 From quarries: Derby.............. 6,992 ...+ 2,960... — Durham ............ 120 ...+ 120.. — Lancaster.......... 751 ... + 66... — Leicester .......... 861 ...+ 330... — Northumberland ... 62 ...— 42... — Nottingham......... 625 ...— 117... — Stafford............ 1,993 ...4- 125... — Warwick .......... 1,008 ...- 97... — Worcester.......... — ...— 370... — York, West Riding ... 14,223 ... + • 2,321 .. — Total for United Kingdom for 1915 ..... ..... 1,594,2581 ... 1,697,541... 1,755,406 Total in 1914 ........... 1,749,151 ... 1,840,465... 1,567,474 * This value represents selling price at place of manufac- ture. f This coal comprises 1,517,246 tons of steam coal, 74,054 tons of household coal, and 2,958 tons of various kinds mixed. The following table shows quantity and value of coke obtained, and the amount of coal used in the manu- facture thereof, at gas works and coke ovens in the United Kingdom during 1915 :— Total from quarries 26,635 ... + 5,296... — Do. mines & quarries for England...... 178,055,861 ...- 6,489,716... 11 10'07 Wales— From mines : V 69,233 7 , o hoi f 15 6'66 ........... Brecon ........... { 585,771-f)+ 3,781(15 6'36 Carmarthen ...... £ l,929^999f} + 95,048 £ ^43 Denbigh............... 2,691,999 ...+ 47,003...12 6 ................. Total quantity Quantity of coke obtained of coal used t-----------------------*--------------------- in the At At Country. manufacture gas coke Total. Value.* of coke. works. ovens. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. £ England ........30,748,547.. .6,939,540.. .10,635,239.. .17,574,779... 16,055,168 Wales .......... 1,628,422... 165,991... 732,465... 898,456... 956,170 Scotland ........ 2,795,695... 850,050... 541,236... 1,391,286... 1,047,601 Ireland.......... 389,022... 187.594... — ... 187,594... 202,704 Isle of Man...... 17,545... 7,025... — ... 7,025... 8,375 pn < 31,289,322 7 9 1W(15 10'82 Glamorgan........ ( 1,820^92515 ' ^73^137p4 2'14 Pembroke............ 56,483...+ 2,175...13 3'81 __________ Total in 1915 ...35,690,342...8,150,200...11,908,940...20,059,140...18,270,018 Total in 1914 ...34,539,859...7,920,669...11,050,256...18,970,925...13,252,526 * This value represents the selling price in the coke yard, and in cases where the coke made was not sold the value has been estimated. HANDLING MINE WATERS.* By L. B. Smith. Water in mines usually comes either from the over- head strata or from the bottom of the coal. It often happens that the overhead water follows along as the face advances, emerging from the roof close to the face. This condition can sometimes be remedied by putting small “ pop ” shots in the roof, at intervals, a short distance back from the face, liberating the water at these points, and affording the men a much drier place. The water that springs from the bottom does not generally inconvenience the miner to any great extent if properly taken care of by the gathering pump. Pumps for Use at the Working Face. For this work, the most rugged and simple type of pump should be used, as it will have to handle more or less grit, and will often be running with the suction only partly submerged. It will also have to stand the knocks and bumps incident to frequent moving. In addition, to this, its operation will at times be left to the men at the working face, to start and stop as occasion demands. For these reasons, the pump should not only be of strong construction, but should have all gears and dangerous parts guarded. If electrically driven, an enclosed type of switch should be used. The ordinary type of direct- acting pump is best adapted for this service, owing to its simplicity. The efficiency attained from a pump operating under these conditions will be much lower than from pumps operating at intermediate or local dips along the haulage, where the installations are of a more permanent nature, and the duty more uniform. Pumping at local dips between the face and the main sump is often unavoidable, but many have been installed that were entirely unnecessary. In some cases, the expenditure of a small sum in blowing down top in heading and air course, and filling in, or in doing a little ditching, would eliminate a pump, and effect a large saving. In other cases, the same object could be accomplished by building a small dam on the water- course at an elevation that would permit the water to be piped through the basin and over the rise beyond. When pumps for this service must be used, almost Total for Wales___ 39,468,807...- 2,710,223...15 5'78 Prom quarries : ... Glamorgan ......... — ~ 24.. ______ Total from mines & quarries for Wales 39,468,807 ...- 2,710,247...15 5'78 Scotland— From mines : Argyll, Dumfries, Kin- ross, Peebles, and Sutherland 506,296 ...- 60,383... X Ayr 3,853,971 ...- 241,578...11 11’03 Clackmannan 309,945 ...+ 13,172... 13 1*64 Dumbarton 412,651 ...- 58,992... 14 8'98 Edinburgh 2,577,255 ...- 516,081... 11 5'37 Fife 7,155,116 ...» 1,104,478 §11 5-81 Haddington 1,007,733 ...» 97,305...10 5'62 Lanark 15,393,799 ...- 853,628...12 11'44 Linlithgow 1,703,836 ...- 167,094 10 10'50 Renfrew 142,401 ...- 25,627 . 12 2'18 Stirling 2,533,853 ...- 135,512..12 10'17 Total for Scotland... 35,596,856 ...- 3,250,506... 12 3'10 Ireland— From mines: Kilkenny 58,668f...— 3,414...13 5'58 Leitrim 1,700 ...+ 400...10 0 Queen's 10,515f... - 4,919... 15 4'90 Roscommon 7,415 ...- 868...11 9'41 Tipperary 7,595t...4- 844 ..10 3'65 Tyrone 664 ...+ 114...16 6'07 Total for Ireland ... 84,557 ...— 7,843 13 2'76 Total output & value from mines and quarries in the United Kingdom in 1915 ......... 253,206,081 ...- 12,458,312 12 5'60 Total in 1914 ...... 265,664,393 ...- 21,766,080... 9 11'79 * Both these divisions are in the West Riding. t Anthracite, I Included with Fife. 5 Including Argyll, Dumfries, Kinross, Peebles, and Sutherland. The total output of anthracite was 4,712,145 tons, valued at £3,568,658. Of this total, 'Wales produced 4,393,178 tons, valued at £3,338,423; Scotland (esti- mated), 244,189 tons, valued at £180,069; and Ireland, 74,778 tons, valued at £50,166. Of the 253,206,081 tons of coal produced during the year 1915, the following amount was exported :—Coal, as such, 43,534,560 tons; coal, equivalent of 1,010,302 tons of coke exported, 1,683,837 tons; coal contained in 1,225,071 tons of manufactured fuel exported, 1,102,564 tons;’coal shipped for use of steamers engaged in foreign trade, 13,630,964 tons—total, 59,951,925 tons; leaving 193,254,156 tons of coal available for home consump- tion, or 4-193 tons per head of the population of the United Kingdom. This estimate is based on the civil population for the year 1914. The figure for the year 1915 is not available. Returns of production of coke were received from 141 colliery owners, comprising 188 separate works, 1,495 o-as companies, and 22 other owners of coke ovens com- prising 23 works. The counties of Durham and York furnished 62 per cent, of the total quantity of coke made at coking ovens, and 63 per cent, of the total number of ovens^were being worked in those counties. Of the 211 works (other than gas works) where coking plant is in use, by-products were recovered in 1915 at 116. The principal by-products were ’sulphate of ammonia and Returns as to the manufacture of briquettes were obtained from all firms known to be engaged in the Table A. County. Kind of ovens. Total. Beehive. Coppee. Simon-Carves. Otto Hilgenstock. _ Semet-Solvay. Koppers. Simplex. Huessener. Bauer. Collin. 1 Mackay Seymour. Other kinds. England: Cheshire 30 30 Cumberland 55 — — — — 330 — — — — — — 385 Derby 98 117 — 158 — — 150 110 — — — — 633 Durham 3,988 60 260 992 529 284 94 264 — 72 — — 6,543 Gloucester 43 43 Kent 25 25 Lancaster 455 — 133 — 209 — — — — — — — 797 Lincoln — — — — 96 — — — — — — — 96 Monmouth 181 375 — 72 — 200 108 — — — — 144 1,080 Northumberland 58 — — 30 — — — — — — — — 88 Nottingham 140 140 Salop 82 — — ■ — — — — — — 54 — — 136 Stafford 12 — 373 — — — — — — — — 72 457 Worcester 1 — ■— — — — — — — — — — 1 York 1,598 — 970 598 149 377 94 30 — 45 32 — 3,893 Total for England 6,736 552 1,766 1,850 983 1,191 446 404 — 171 32 216 14,347 Wales : Denbigh 64 — — 61 125 Glamorgan 170 791 — 82 — 50 40 — — — — — 1,133 Total for Wales 234 791 — 82 61 50 40 — — — — — 1,258 Scotland: Ayr 80 — — — — 40 120 Dumbarton 38 — 38 Lanark 62 — — 78 60 — — — — — — — 200 Linlithgow 14 — — — — — — — — — — — 14 Stirling 357 — — 24 147 — — — — — — 69 597 Total for Scotland 551 — — 102 207 — — — 40 — — 69 969 Total in 1915 7,521 1,343 1,766 2,034 1,251 1,241 486 404 40 171 32 285 16,574 Total in preceding year ... 9,210 1,538 1,354 1,589 1,134 916* '428 384 43 95 32 302 17,025* * Corrected figures. The above table (A) gives the number and kind of coking ovens in use in the United Kingdom during the year 1915. _________________________ Imperial Preference.—The following resolutions passed by the Committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy on the subject of Imperial Preference, appear lin a Parliamentary ■White Paper (1) In the light of experience gained during the war, we consider that special steps must be taken to stimulate the production of foodstuffs, raw materials, and manufactured articles within the Empire wherever the expansion of production is possible and economically desir- able for the safety and welfare of the Empire as a whole. (2) We therefore recommend that H.M. Government should now declare their adherence to the principle that preference should be accorded to the products and manufactures of the British Overseas Dominions in respect of any Customs Duties now or hereafter to be imposed on imports into the United Kingdom. (3) Further, it will, jin our opinion, be necessary to take into early consideration, as one of the methods of achieving the above objects, the desirability of establishing a wider range of Customs Duties which would be remitted or reduced on the products and manufactures of the Empire, and which would form the basis of commercial treaties with allied and neutral Powers. as much care and thought should be devoted to their installation as to that of the main pumping plant, as failure at these points usually curtails the output; and if the pumps are located along the main haulage, their failure lays idle the entire mine. The electrically- driven piston pump is best adapted for this work, especially when the capacity does not exceed 200 or 300 gals, per minute. The centrifugal pump has a rela- tively low efficiency in the smaller sizes. In choosing the pump, care should be taken to secure the proper size, and to see that the water valves are not only of adequate size and area, but easily accessible. This latter feature is often lacking in small-sized recipro- cating pumps, and as the water valves require constant attention, it is essential that the water chamber con- struction permits of easy and quick access. Proper Location of a Pump. In installing the pump, its location should be well up out of the water, in as dry a place as possible, especi- ally if it is electrically driven. It .should be eatsily accessible from some point on the haulage road. The suction lift should not exceed 18 ft., the end of the * Paper read before the Coal Mining Institute of America.