March 23, 1917. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 595 THE FREIGHT MARKET. The latest Government edict with reference to the control of shipping is good in so far as it extends the supervision of rhe Inter-Allied Chartering Committee to all neutral vessels chartered from British ports, including those, hitherto exempt, of under 1,000 tons. It was obviously unjust that a vessel of 999 tons should have a greater freedom as to fixing than one of 1,001 tons, to take extreme cases. As to limi- tation rates of freight for neutral vessels, whilst it is denied that there is any intention of reverting to the old' system of unrestricted competition, it is interesting to note that the committee “ will not be limited by the printed schedule rates of freight, but will decide what rates have to be paid accord- ing to the state of the market,” making the scheduled rates the basis, but paying higher or lower percentages according to the state of the market. The idea seems to be “ much of a muchness ” with abolishing the schedule altogether. So far as Allied vessels are concerned, however, the schedule is to be adhered to. There has been a very gratifying increase in the volume of outward chartering this week, although the total amount of business done is still small when compared with that normally possible. Most of the fixtures arranged at north- east coast ports have reference to coke carriage to North French ports, at the steady figure of 45s. per ton from the Tyne. A 2,400-ton vessel from Tyne to Lisbon has been chartered at 80s., and a large vessel for Alexandria has been taken up at 100s., whilst 92s. 6d. has been agreed upon for a 3,000-tonner from Sunderland to Buenos Ayres. At Cardiff, also, a good deal of tonnage has been arranged for. For French Atlantic ports, rates have varied from 24s. 6d. to Bonen for a British boat, to 38s. 3d. for a neutral. For more southern ports, vessels have been fixed at 75s. for Bilbao or Lisbon, and 80s. for Huelva. Mediterranean business has been totally absent. A sailing ship for the Biver Plate has been engaged at 85s. At Swansea, an 1,800-ton vessel for Civita Vecchia is reported to have been chartered at 122s. 3d. The only fixture at the Clyde is that of a sailing vessel for the Plate at 90s. The vessels arriving at outward ports to take up coal cargoes for Allied destinations are much more numerous than are indicated by the number of fixtures, most of the steamers being requisi- tioned tonnage which has come to take up requisitioned supplies of coal. Homewards, the Biver Plate has advanced by 5s. per ton, up-river ports to United Kingdom being quoted at 135s., and down-river ports at 130s. At the United States, 100s. is still indicated from Virginia to the Plate with coals. Net form business continues negotiable at 155s. .from Northern Bange to France, and 200s. to the Mediterranean. For heavy grain from the Northern Bange to France, 30s. is still quoted. At the Far East, rates tend to advance. Saigon-Haiphong to France with rice is listed at 300s., an advance of from 5s. to 10 s. on the week. The Madras Coast to Marseilles with kernels is firm, at 400s. Bombay to United Kingdom has fallen 20s., being now mentioned ar. 220s. Kurrachee to United Kingdom is, on the other hand, 7s. fid. advanced, being quoted at 217 s. fid. There is a good demand for tonnage from the Mediterranean ore ports, at firm figures. Tyne to Alexandria, 4,200, 100s.; Boulogne, 1,500 and 300, 45s., coke; Calais, 1,500 alid 300, 45s., coke; Dunkirk, 1,500 and 300, 45s., coke; Dieppe, 900, 46s., coke; Lisbon, 2,400, 80s.; North French Bange, 1,500, 45s., coke; Trou- ville, 600, 50s., pitch; time charter from Tyne, 305 d.w., £1,300 monthly, six months. Cardiff to Bilbao, 1,500, 75s.; Brest, 1,500, 33s., neutral; Bordeaux, 3,600, 34s.; Caen, 800, 1,100, and 1,200, 60s., coke; Cherbourg, 1,200, 23s. 6d. ; Huelva, 900 and 1,000, 80s.; Havre, 6,000, 21s. fid.; Lisbon, 5,000, 75s.; Pauillac, 2,800, 34s. ; Biver Plate, 2,700, 85s., sail; Bonen, 1,000, 500 tons coal at 36s. 9d., and 500 tons coke at 60s.; 1,800, 24s. 6d.; 700, 3'8s. 3d., neutral; 1,700, 36s. 9d., neutral; St. Malo, 1,500, 31s. 6d., neutral. Swansea to Bordeaux, 2,600, 34s.; Tonnay Chaircmte, 700, 31s. coal, 31s. 9d. fuel; Civita Vecchia, 1,800, 122s. 3d. (?) coal, 123s. fuel; La Pallice, 900, 45s., neutral; St. Malo, 600, 33s., neutral. Sunderland to Buenos Ayres, 3,000, 92s. 6d., 750, March- April. Glasgow to Biver Plate, 1,700, 90s., sail. Iron Ore Scheme.—Attention has been called to the rich veins of iron ore in Warwickshire, on the north side of Edge- hill, by the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Bail- way. There are .said to be upwards of 30 million tons of easily workable ore, and analysis has yielded on an average 30 per cent, of iron. It was urged that the neglect of so much mineral wealth at this time was worse than folly. A scheme is now on foot which will obviate this reproach. A railway is to be built at an estimated cost of £20,000 to connect the projected workings with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Bailway. It is ’also suggested that prisoners of war shall be employed on the work. The Standardisation of Engineering Materials. — The chairman of the Engineering Standards Committee, Sir John Wolfe Barry, K.C.B., F.B.S., has accepted the invitation of the council of the Institution of Civil Engineers to give the James Forrest ” lecture on Wednesday, May 2. As the initiator of the organised movement of standardisation in this country, he has taken as his subject : “ The standardisation of engineering materials, and its influence on the trade and prosperity of the country.” The growth of the principle of standardisation has been due in great measure to the steady work of the Engineering Standards Committee during the past 16 years. A new and important step taken by the com- mittee has for its object the furthering of British trade abroad through the wider dissemination in the British Dominions and in foreign countries of the British standard specifica- tions translated into French, Spanish, and Bussian. In connection with this new development, the appeal which the committee has lately issued to the engineering industry of the country has, so far, resulted in the receipt of contribu- tions amounting to over £12,000 from the leading technical institutions, trade associations, and manufacturing firms, and H.M. Treasury has quite recently intimated their inten- tion to ask Parliament to grant £10,000 for this special purpose, ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS RECENTLY ACCEPTED. ■ 103740. Improvements in Safety Supporting Devices for Mine and the like Lift Cages. G. H. Schofield, of 97, Walmesley-road, Leigh, Lancashire.—Belates to that type of safety device for supporting lifting cages or the cages of mines, etc., in which the cage is suspended from the lifting hook in such manner that in the event of the winding rope breaking, or the drawing out of the capping, or the detach- ing hook failing to act in case of overwinding, the weight of the cage will come upon arms which will grip or wedge on to stationary parts of the shaft, such, for instance, as the guiding cables or bars, find thus stop the fall. The draw- ing is a sectional elevation. A is the lifting shackle and capping at the end of the hauling rope, and B is a strong- eyebolt engaged by this shackle. This eyebolt B, which passes through a plate D, has a collar or flange C, which holds up the plate D, and the eyebolt has attached to it a shackle E, which carries an emergency chain or chains N. The plate D is also suspended from the upper part of the eyebolt B by chains F. The plate D is made very strong, with radial flanges on the underside, arranged in pairs, and between each pair.of flanges is pivoted on the pivot pins G an arm H, which at its outer end has a sleeve K adapted to slide along the guiding cable L. The inner end of each arnv normally lies flat against the underside of the plate D, and the plate D and also the arms H, when the apparatus is in running order, are supported on the collar C. At the inner ends these arms H are connected midway between the pivot G and the end to chains J by lugs I, by means of which chains the cage is normally lifted, the extreme inner ends of the arms resting on the under flange or collar C of A- / Ml 7^/ D PL on its underside, and forms a rolling the lifting eyebolt B. The arms H have attached to them the brackets' M, which when the hauling rope breaks, as hereinafter described, come firmly against the guide cables pr rods L. In the normal operation of the safety device, tension on the supporting bolt B is transmitted to the plate D, and the cage is lifted owing to the .inner ends of the arms H abutting against the lower surface of the plate, and the ends being engaged by the collar C, tension being therefore transmitted from the pivots G of these arms to the chains J. The arms H normally He substantially at right angles to the guiding cables. Directly, however, the tension of the sup- porting rope or cable is relieved, as, for instance, in the case of rope breakage, the weight of the cage is no longer sup- ported by the lifting plate D, but acting on the supporting chains. J, pulls the arms to which they are connected 'about their pivots G, thus causing an immediate gripping of the sleeves at the outer ends on the guiding cables, the conse- quence being that the cage is immediately arrested. (Three claims.') 103763. Improvements in Rocker Bars for Boiler Fur- naces and the like. J. Neil, of J. and J. Neil, 93, Hope- street, Glasgow’.—Belates to rocker firebars of the longitu- dinal type for boiler furnaces and the like 'as described in Patents 10072/11 and 2489/12. Fig. 1 shows a sectional side view; fig. 2 a sectional end view; and fig. 3 a plan. A central transverse bearer A is used, and is provided with rollers B, having coupling sections C resting on them, said coupling sections C being approximately the full width of the rocker bars D. In this arrangement there is no roller in the coupling as previously, and the latter is open right up through. This open- ing takes the form of an oblong space E at top (fig. 3) in line with or parallel with the central air spac- ing F in the rocker bars D, which it con- nects , and widening out to a somewhat square opening on the underside, divided laterally by a mem- ber or wall G, which takes the round for- ' mation of the coupling surface to rest and revolve on the rollers B fixed in the bearer A underneath. A downward projecting pin or snug H formed on the underside of these couplings, near the outer sides of the bearer, serves to prevent any forward or backward movement. This hollow type of roller .bearer coupling provides a supply of air to the fire where now’ deficient, and also keeps the coupling itself cool. (Two claims.) 17256 (1915). Improvements in the Control of Draught Current for Gas Producers, etc. Biter-Conley Manufactur- ing Company, Leetsdale, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (Assignees of H. A. Carpenter, of Camp Meeting- road, Sewickley, Allegheny, U.S.A.)—Belates to an improved method of and apparatus for operating combustion sustain- ing apparatus of the kind provided with a heated draught current, and more particularly for the operating of gas pro- ducers wfliich may be employed for furnishing the combus- tion gas for heating the retorts in the manufacture of coal gas. The draw’ing is a diagram of the draught current con- trolling mechanism, in which 29 represents the stack pipe into wfliich the waste gases from the retort chamber, are con- ducted through flue 25 and stove 26 by the action of the exhauster 27 driven by motor 28. The incoming draught current is heated in drum 47, and passes through pipe 46 to pipe 38, w’here it enters saturator 35, provided with a bed of coke 36, on which is sprayed water from pipe 40, the amount of water admitted being governed by the amount of waiter accumulating in the reservoir 37, under control of the float 42, acting on valve 43, excess waiter being conducted awaiy from said reservoir through pipe 41. Atmospheric air also enters pipe 38 through pipe 48. The proportion of the mixture of the twm currents, one of which flows through pipe 48, and the other through pipe 46, is controlled by a damper operated by gears 51 under control of the three-phase electric motor 50, the leads 52 of wfliich are connected with switch 53 controlled by a suitable thermostat 54, the sensi- tive end 55 of which is arranged in outlet 39, exposed to current drawn out of the saturator 35 by blower 44, operated by motor 45. When the current leaves the saturator at the desired temperature, the thermostat will not cause the actua- tion of the damper, but variations in said temperature will cause corresponding movements of motor 50 and the damper to admit a greater or less proportion of air, etc., at atmo- spheric temperature through pipe 48, and a correspondingly decreased or increased amount from drum 47. Uniformity of volume is maintained by the blower 44, wfliich is arranged to deliver to a pipe 61, to which is connected a coil 60 arranged in the flue 25, and connected to a pipe 62, which is also connected with pipe 61 by a by-pass 6,3. The pro- portion of the flow’ of draught current through the by-pass 63 or coil 60 is determined by a damper, controlled by mechanism including thermostat 67, switch 69, motor 66, and gearing 65, the sensitive end 68 of the thermostat enter- ing pipe 62. (Thvelve claims.) 102157. Means for Supplying Feed Water or other Liquid to Steam Generators and the like. C. Cortesi, E. Prassone, and A. Con tin, all of 31, Aha Due Macelli, Borne, Italy.— The object is to provide improved means for automatically supplying feed water or other liquid to steam generators and the like, especially to those boilers in which water or other liquid is evaporated and then condensed and is again fed to the boiler. The drawing shows the wfliole apparatus diagrammatically in section, a represents the condenser or feed wrater tank, h is the accumulator, $ is the intermediate feeding tank between the accumulator h and the auxiliary boiler f. The main boiler d is connected by the pipe u to the motor, refrigerator, or other apparatus, and thence by the pipe v the steam may enter the condenser a. Where no condenser is employed, the pipe v is unnecessary, and a represents the feed water tank. A pipe m connects the condenser or tank a with, the low^er part of the accumu- lator h, and this pipe m is provided with a non-return valve I. The upper part of the accumulator h is connected to the condenser or tank a by the pipe r, wfliich is normally open, but which may be pro- vided with a cock o ; or it may be closed by a float valve located in the accumulator h. ' m d there is no condenser and a represents a feed wrater tank, the pipe r will be open to the atmosphere at its upper end. The accumulator h communicates at its upper part by the tube q with the inter- mediate tank s, and this latter communicates, by means of the siphon i and tube g, with the auxiliary boiler f. A pipe p connects the auxiliary boiler f with the accumulator h, and equalises the pressure in these two latter. The lower part of the accumulator h is connected with the main boiler d by means of the pipe e provided with the non-return valve e1. (Two claims.) 103893. Improvements Relating to Increasing the Heat- ing Power of Goke. A. Bollason, of 13, Lime-grove, Long Eaton, Derbyshire. — Belates to the preparation of an improved coke fuel whereby complete combustion and greater heating pow’er are obtained wflien burnt in stoves and fur- naces. The coke, reduced to sizes varying between 1| in. to | in. in diameter, is mixed with finely-ground calcium or magnesium carbonate, varying between 1 and 3 per cent, approximately, according to the temperature of combustion required. When the mixture is heated, the carbonate takes up heat and is decomposed, the carbon dioxide liberated, by its action on the carbon reduces the conducting power for heat which it acquired wflien in the retort during carbonisa- tion of the coal, and increases its avidity for oxygen, which it now’ takes up freely, and a higher temperature and com- plete combustion result, (One claim.)