March 22, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 599 THE LOHDOH COAL TRADE. Thursday, Mabch 21. Trade is now settling down to the normal summer quan- tities, and the severe pressure for coal supplies has considerably lessened. All the wharves and depots report an ample supply for all current requirements. In some cases the merchants have been obliged to cancel orders on hand, owing to the yards being congested with loaded wagons. The difficulty has been, in some directions, that stocks on the ground have not been allowed by the autho- rities to be touched, in order that loaded wagons route may be dealt with first. Ordinarily this would be con- sidered a great hardship, as the coil has, for the most part, been put into stock at the winter price, and with the near approach of the summer season the prices would naturally fall; but with the present outlook, there seems to be no prospect of any great fall in prices. The continuance of the war makes it of supreme importance that all the present tonnage should be stored and safeguarded for future emergencies. The mild weather has undoubtedly reduced the actual consumption of all household qualities; but it is recognised on all sides that strenuous efforts will still be maintained to ensure a full supply in hand during the summer months, to prepare for any return of colder weather and in anticipation of next winter’s demand The public will be urged to fill up all the cellars as much as possible during the spring and summer, in order to provide for any special pressure during the winter. The market during the week has been very quiet and not so well attended as formerly. Hard steam coals and kitchen cobbles are in good demand, and the supplies have been, exceedingly short, primarily owing to the great demand for inland works and munition centres. The seaborne market continues firm, and so far this week the supplies have been fairly good. On Monday’s market 27 vessels were returned as arriving in the River Thames, and six on Wednesday. The demand for gas coal by rail has received a strong impetus during the week, owing to the appropriation of some of the vessels for Government use from the great London gas companies. The shipping market continues unusually firm, and South Yorkshire hards have been quoted as high as 36s. to 38s. per ton f.o.b. at the Humber ports. Freights are still returned at 17s. from the Humber to London. Small nuts are very difficult to obtain. From Messrs. Dinham, Fawcus and Company's Report. Friday, March 15.—The seaborne house coal market was firm, owing to the continuance of the cold weather. A fair supply readily found purchasers. Arrivals, 35. Monday, March 18.—There was a fair supply of seaborne house coal, which readily found purchasers, but the prices were not mentioned. Cargoes, 27. Wednesday, March 20.—The seaborne house coal market was firm, but the supply was very limited and no sales reported. Cargoes, 6. THE IRISH COAL TRADE. Thursday, March 21. Dublin. Business continues to be good for the time of year in household qualities, and there is not much improvement with regard to supplies in the port, steamers still being scarce. City prices : — Best Orrell, 51s. per ton ; best Wigan, 49s.; standard coal, 46s. 6d. per ton delivered; retail, 3s. 2d. per 10 stone bag; coke, 49s. per ton delivered; steam coal about 46s. 6d. per ton for any which can be obtained. Vendors of coal from “ bell” carts have made a representa- tion that the price recently fixed is insufficient to leave a reasonable profit. The price is 3s. 2d. per bag, and they urge that the price should ,at least be made 3s. 6d. a bag. Pit head prices of coals at Castlecomer collieries, County Kilkenny, are: —Best small coal, 30s. a ton; best large coal, 28s. 4d.; bottom coal, 25s.; breakage, 16s. 8d.; culm, 13s. 4d. The coal from these mines is used both for ordinary heating and cooking purposes, and also for power production, the chief market, pending railway facilities, being a local one. The total quantity of coal discharged upon the quays during the past week from cross-Channel ports was 27,300 tons, as compared with 28,500 tons the week previously. Belfast. Stocks continue to be below the average, with demand about the same as during recent weeks. Prices are unchanged. Difficulty is still experienced in forwarding supplies for the inland markets, railway wagons being very scarce. Current prices of house coals in the city: —Best English coal, 51s. per ton; English nuts, 50s.; English kitchen coal, 50s.; best English slack, 47s. ; Scotch house coal, 45s.—all less Is. per ton discount for cash. Standard coal can be obtained at 44s. per ton net; hawkers’ coal at 3s. 3d. per sack for English sorts, and about 2s. lOd. for Scotch. THE TIBI-PLATE TRADE. Liverpool. Some of the makers are short of specifications, and have been cutting prices to try and secure same. There has not been very much doing, but such orders as there were found sellers at 3d. to 6d. a box below the official maximum figure, now standing at about 32s. basis for coke tins, net cash, f.o.t. at works. Wasters are in demand, 28 x 20 still being very scarce. Tinplates are selling very slowly. Coal Exporters’ Brokerage.—A number of coal exporters and representatives held a meeting in the Savoy Hotel, London, on Wednesday, relative to the Coal Controller’s Order, dated March 2, directing the exporter to hand over one-third of 5 per cent, brokerage to the colliery pro- prietors. Sir Clifford J. Cory presided. The meeting unanimously resolved “ That this meeting, representing the Chambers of Commerce and Coal Exporters’ Asso- ciation of Great Britain, protests most energetically against the Direction of March 2, 1918, of the Controller of Coal Mines, regarding the brokerage as being ultra vires, and appoints a committee representing the various districts to take such further proceedings as may be con- sidered necessary to protect the rights and interests of coal exporters; further, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the President of the Board of Trade and the Coal Controller.” A further resolution to the follow- ing effect was passed :—‘ ‘ This committee recommends that no brokerage be paid except under protest and reservation of right of recovery.” A committee was appointed, with Mr. W. R. Hawkins, secretary of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce, as secretary. NEW G.N.R. COAL-TRAFFIC LOCOMOTIVE. By Feedk. C. Coleman. In common with the other northern “ trunk ” lines, the Great Northern Railway Company handle a very large volume of coal and coke traffic from the collieries directly and indirectly connected with their system in South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and also from the Durham coal fields. A very considerable proportion of this traffic consists of gas and house coal and coke consigned to the London district, which traffic is worked from Doncaster and other collecting centres in the north and Midlands as far as Peterborough, and is there marshalled into through train loads for the Ferme Park sidings, Hornsey, London. To provide facilities for the more economical and expeditious handling of such traffic by means of “ block ” trains and to .avoid the splitting up of the traffic south of Peterborough, a new series of five powerful eight-wheeled coupled bogie locomotives, one of which is illustrated in the photograph, has been put into service. These locomotives are of an exceptionally powerful design, and in many respects approach the maximum dimensions permissible under British railway loading conditions. The eight coupled wheels are each 4 ft. 8 in. and the bogie wheels each 3 It. 2 in. in diameter. The cylinders, 21 in. diameter by 28 in. stroke, are placed, outside the frames, between the pony wheels and the leading coupled wheels, and steam is distributed to them by piston valves, 10 in. in diameter. These valves are of the admission type and work with a lap of 1J in. The cylinders are inclined at 1 in 40 and the connecting rods act on crank pins set in the third pair of coupled wheels. The piston valves are operated by Walschaert’s gearing, but the radius rod, instead of being carried by a swinging link from the weight-bar shaft, as is usual in this gearing, is extended and carried by a brass slipper secured to a double arm at the end of the weight-bar shaft. By this arrangement the slip of the die block in the quadrant link is reduced, and the valve movement in backward and forward gear is rendered more consistent. The connecting rods have a length of 11 ft. 3 in. between centres, and the distance between the centre of the driving axle and that of the ’S cylinder is 16 ft. 8 in. Each cylinder was cast in one with its steam chest above it, and the complete units have been bolted to the frames and to the saddle casting on the upper part, with a strong cross bracing between the lowei' parts of the frames. The pistons are fitted with tail rods working through the front covers into tubular extensions. The springs of the coupled wheels are connected by means of equalising levers in groups, those of the leading and intermediate wheels being thus connected, whilst the springs of the driving and trailing wheels are similarly arranged. Mechanical lubrication is employed for the cylinders, piston valves, and also for the axleboxes. A six-feed Wakefield lubricator, mounted on the running board above the leading coupled wheels, feeds the cylinders and valves, whilst an eight-feed lubricator of the same type, mounted above the driving wheels, lubricates the axleboxes. The journals of the coupled wheels measure 9 in. long by 3J in. diameter, and the main crank pin is 5J in. long by 5J in. diameter for the big end of the connecting rod, and 44 in. long by 61 in. in diameter for the side rod. The portion of the pin which takes the big end is turned with 1 in. eccentricity in relation to the portion which takes the side rod. This method has the effect of reducing velocity and correspondingly reducing the inertia stresses. The boiler is of large proportions, its length between tube plates being 15 ft. 11-f in. and the diameter (out- side) 5 ft. 6 in. Robinson’s superheating apparatus is fitted, the 24 elements having flue tubes, 5| in. outside diameter. There are 167 ordinary fire tubes, 51 in. out- side diameter. The total heating surface is 2,654 sq. ft., to which the tubes contribute 1,922 sq. ft., the firebox 162 sq. ft., and the superheating tubes the remaining 570 sq. ft. The smokebox is of the extended pattern, supported in a saddle casting, and has a length of 4 ft. 10 in. The firebox is of the round-topped design with direct crown stays, and its length (outside) is 9 ft., with a width (outside) of 4 ft. 9J in. There are four safety valves, each of- 3 in. diameter, mounted on the firebox, and these are loaded for a working pressure of 170 lb. The firegrate area is 27 sq. ft. The locomotives are fitted with the Weir pump and feed water heating apparatus. The pump, carried vertically between the frames and in front of the driving axle, is 5 J in. diameter by 6 in. stroke, the steam cylinder having a diameter of 71 in. The feedwater heater is carried longitudinally below the boiler, above the leading and intermediate coupled axles and to the right of the centre line of the engine. Exhaust steam, taken from the blast pipe in the smokebox, passes through a curved pipe connected with the latter and enters the heater on the left-hand side neai- its forward end. The engine is equipped with the vacuum brake apparatus. Steam sanding gear is applied to the driving wheels and ordinary gravity sanding to the leading and trailing coupled wheels. The pony truck is of a peculiarly interesting design and incorporates several features recently patented by Mr. H. N. Gresley, the locomotive superintendent of the Great Northern Railway. It is pivoted by a radius bar to a cross-frame stay plate behind the cylinders, and carries a swing bolster, connected to its frame by means of inclined links. A similar inverted swing bolster is carried by inclined links from the main frame of the engine and engages, by means of a cup-shaped centre, with the pony-truck bolster. There are no side bearings between the engine and the pony truck. The links are so arranged that one pair of links inclines in an opposite direction to the other, and the tendency of either of the wheels to lift on a curve is thereby obviated. The object sought by the designer is to equalise the weights carried by each of the pony-truck wheels at all times, whether the engine be on a straight or a curved section of railway, and at the same time to retain the centralising control which is secured with the ordinary swing-link pony truck. The tender is carried on six 4 ft. 2 in. diameter wheels, spread over a wheelbase of 13 ft., and has a capacity of 3,500 gallons of water and 61 tons of coal. The centre line of the boiler is pitched 8 ft. 7J in. from rail level, whilst the engine has a maximum vertical height of 13 ft. 3 in. and an over-all width of 8 ft. 8J in. The total wheelbase of engine and tender is 51 ft. 6 in., and the total length over buffers is no less than 60 ft. 114 in. In running order, the locomotive has a total weight of 119 tons 6 cwt , to which the engine contributes 76 tons 4 cwt. and the tender 43 tons 2 cwt. The greatest load on any individual pair of engine wheels— i.e., the driving pair—is 17 tons 12 cwt., which is a com- paratively light loading for a single axle, especially having regard to the fact that these locomotives have more adhesion weight than is possessed by any others in service on any British railway, and they are able to make use of the tractive effort of the large cylinders without risk of slipping. The task specially allocated to these five locomotives is the hauling between the New England sidings, Peter- borough and Hornsey, of trainloads of 80 laden 10-ton coal wagons, which, with a 20-ton brake van, gives an approximate total load behind the tender of no less than 1,300 tons. Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire coal is used, and the consumption averages 97 lb. per mile. The locomotives have proved eminently successful from a traffic point of view and economical from a main- tenance point of view, and it is understood that, but for the restrictions imposed by war conditions, the series would ere this have been further increased. Exports and Imports of Mining Machinery.—The value of imports and exports of mining machinery during February is given below:— February. Jan.-Feb. ' 1917. > r 1918. 1917. 1918. £ £ £ £ Imports 16,582 . 8,261 ... 27,817 . .. 30,238 Exports 353 129 ... 488 . 160 These figures are not inclusiv e of prime movers or elec- trical machinery. The following shows the value of exports of prime movers other than electrical:— February. Jan.-Feb. ' 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. All prime movers A £ £ (except electrical) ... 540 . .. 1,876 ... 750 . 4,069 Rail locomotives — — — — Pumping 219 . 275 ... 356 . 1,241 Winding — — — — Coal for France and Italy.— -Recently it has been neces- sary to review the procedure under which coals are supplied to France and Italy. It is admitted that under the present system there is considerable inequality in the treatment of exporters. This reacts upon collieries in the district, and with the object of securing a more equitable distribu- tion of tonnage, which would result in fairer treatment to exporters and collieries, a committee was recently appointed by the Central Executive to report upon the subject. The committee considered the various classes of tonnage dealt with by the local committees, and it is probable that a further meeting will take place soon after the Eastertide holidays, and that efforts will be made to adopt a uniform system of allocation of orders and of tonnage. The idea has the approval of the French authori- ties, and also of the Controller of Mines. It is under- stood that the Controller of Mines favours the idea of local committees working in conjunction with associations of colliery companies, with the object of allocating orders to collieries so as to ensure a more equal division of work.