July 19, 1918. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 123 year the dividends averaged 12’6 per cent. The following table shows in detail the profits secured by them in 1912, as well as the capital invested in these concerns: — Net profits. Dividend. Name of Capital (---------------------} (-----*------, company. (<£). Total Per Total Per* amount(=£). cent. amount(=£hcent. Sosnowice ... 1,029,030 ... 202,545 ... 19’68 ... 92,613 ... 9’0 Saturn ....... 527,710 ... 184,655 ... 34’99 ... 73,879 ...14’0 Czeladz....... 523,520 ... 113,160 ... 21’61 ... 83,763 ...16’0 Grodziec ..... 369,500 ... 118,427 ... 32’05 ... 36,950 ...10’0 Warsaw ..... 316,625 ... 115,472 ... 36’46 ... 55,409 ...17’5 Franco-Italian 237,470 ... 121,214 ... 51’04 ... 61,742 ...26 0 Franco-Russian 237,470... 65,556 ... 27’60 ... 7,124 ... 3’0 Flora......... 110,820 ... 54,500 ... 49T8 ... 11,082 ...10’0 Total...... 3,352,145 ... 975,529 ... 29’10 ... 422,562 ...12’60 In the above table the Count Renard Company is omitted because, being a branch of a foreign concern, it did not possess any separate capital in Poland. The sums accumulated by the above-mentioned com- panies for amortisation purposes amounted in 1903 to 37-89 per cent, of their entire capital, and in 1910 to 65-29 per cent., representing an average annual increase of 3-42 per cent. Reserve funds amounted in the latter year to another 14-25 per cent. The Warsaw Company was in an exceptionally favourable position, as its sinking fund represented, already in 1906, a round 220 per cent, of its capital, whilst that of the Franco-Italian Company reached the full 100 per cent, in 1908. * Notwithstanding that the development of the Dom- brova coal fields was very rapid, it did not by any means represent the possible maximum, the attain- ment of which was prevented by various adverse circumstances. They were mostly ascribable to the Russian Government’s policy of fostering Russian industries by impeding the development of those in Poland, but the most serious factor was the dearth of transport facilities. The waterways of Poland were undeveloped and not sufficiently linked up to make them available for the distribution of the coal supplies, whilst the railways were altogether inadequate for the purpose, being in a more or less chronic state of congestion, which regularly became acute during the winter months. The Eighth Congress of the Coal Owners of the Kingdom of Poland in 1914 urgently recommended the construction of new railway lines, aggregating 850 miles in length, as indispensable to an efficient distribution, and when these and other measures to improve transport facilities can be carried out, the development of the Dombrova coal fields will be enabled to proceed satisfactorily. _________________________ COAL CONSERVATION IN THE MIDLANDS. The special committee appointed by the Nottingham Corporation to deal w’ith the resources of the district, with a view to pressing its importance upon the Government as a centre for the supply of electricity under the proposed national scheme, proposes an area of 40 miles radius from Nottingham, including Loughborough, Sheffield, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Grantham, Burton-on-Trent, Lichfield, etc. The sub-committee, which included Mr. Ernest Mitton, representing large Midland colliery interests, Prof. O’Shea, Prof. McMillan, and the Corporation electrical and gas engineers, considered a scheme for a super-electrical station for the East Midlands district, arrived at the conclusion that Nottinghamshire has all the essential factors required for a scheme of this character, including (1) ample supply of water for condensing purposes; (2) proximity of collieries; (3) railway communication between collieries and suitable sites adjoining the river Trent; (4) large industries requiring electric power. Several sites are available near the River Trent at Nottingham, with an abundant supply of water for cooling purposes, the flow being equal to ten million gallons per hour, or sufficient for approximately 135,000 kw. The district is considered to possess several advan- tages. Fuel, which is unsalable in normal times, is available in enormous quantities, this including Top Hard slack, of which a large proportion is left in the mines. This fuel, it is estimated, is available to the extent of from 700,000 to 1,000,000 tons annually, equal to about 10 per cent, of the output, and consumed in a suitable producer it might yield 100,000 cu. ft. of gas per ton, of C.V. 135 B.Th.U. There is also the inferior coal known as “ jacks,” a bastard cannel, suitable for producer fuel, which on the average will yield about 70,000 cu. ft. of gas per ton. Finally, the amount of surplus power gas from local coke-oven plants is estimated at 7,500,000 cu. ft. of gas per day, apart from that obtainable from the furnaces. In connection with the process to be adopted for carbonising the fuel, the sub-committee consider that the right course to adopt is to convert the Top Hard slack coal into gas in the producers and recover the ammonium sulphate, using the gas for conversion into electric power. This slack will yield from 60 to 70 lb. of sulphate of ammonia per ton, and the “ jacks ” will yield about 40 to 50 lb. per ton. With low-tem- perature distillation combined with producers, the total sulphate yield will be about the same, and in addition a quantity of valuable fuel oils will be obtained. At a meeting of the Nottingham Corporation on Tuesday the constitution of the committee was placed upon a wider basis, authority being given to obtain expert advice. The main criticism of the report was that the suggested area was much too large, since it was unlikely that Sheffield, or other large municipali- ties contemplating their own individual schemes would come in; but it was explained that, whilst it was not expected that Sheffield could be included in the Not- tingham scheme, yet a ring had been drawn to include it, as other authorities were busy in drawing up large plans and making rings upon the map to include exten- sive territories radiating from their particular towns. Major Walker, manager of the Clifton Colliery, urged that low-temperature distillation of coal had proved a practical commercial success, the only suc- cess of high-temperature distillation up to the present time being in connection with gas works. He agreed that it was of primary importance that the earliest possible action should be taken in regard to the scheme. If they did not do something, somebody else might step in. There was coal all round Nottingham, and there was no reason why the scheme could not be carried to a successful issue, affording means of cheap power supply. __________________________ NEW AMERICAN WASHERY.* By W. L. Cross, Junr„ The new steel washery of the Locustdale Coal Com- pany at Germantown, near Ashland, Penn., was erected for washing the old Heilner coal banks, to the west of Ashland, near Locustdale and German- town, Penn., about one-half mile north of the Potts colliery of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. These banks, which are the property of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, but are being prepared by the Locustdale Coal Company on a royalty basis, are not by any means “refuse,” in the sense that this word is used to-day, for the coal was put down 50 or 60 years ago, when standards were 4nuch different from what they are to-day. Tests of the coal prepared show that the broken coal and a good deal of the egg coal found in the bank is either bony (which they throw out) or good coal missed in the former prepara- tion. To some extent this is also true of the stove coal, although in this case a large percentage of good coal went to the bank with the bony. Nut coal is as clean as the average run of mine. Pea coal and buckwheat from the bank need not be jigged, as the slate percentage is far below the limit. Due to peculiar surface conditions, it is neces- sary to load the bank into cars by means of a steam shovel; hoist planes up a plane 700 ft. in length on a pitch of 14 degs.; thence by locomotive 3,500 ft. to a trestle located about 600 ft. west of and at the same elevation as the top of the washery. The cars are dumped here and the coal slushed down a chute of terra cotta pipe on a pitch of 2 in. to the foot into the bottom of the elevators. To have delivered this material at the top of the structure in cars would have been the ideal plan, but could only have been done at an expense not justified by the life of the property. The trestle dump and slushing method has its advantages in that it permits the storage of a large quantity of mate- rial, thus allowing con- stant operation of, and constant feed into, the washery in case of delayed transportation or delays at the steam shovel. Water for slushing and for use in the washery is obtained from the old Heilner mine working, the original source of the coal. A Worthington type B.S. single - stage centrifugal pump delivers this water at the rate of 1,000 gal- lons per minute against a total static head of 125 ft. through a 10 in. wood pipe to the hose used for slush- ing and to the tank in the washery. This pump is belt-driven by a 60 horse- power, 2,200 volt, three-phase, 60 cycle slip-ring in- duction motor. With the exception of the steam shovel and locomotives, this operation depends entirely on electric current purchased from the Eastern Pennsyl- vania Light, Heat and Power Company, and uses 2,200-volt motors. The hoist used to pull the cars up the plane is an old balanced plane hoist put in for emergency use and geared to a 125 horse-power Allis-Chalmers slip- ring, 2,200-volt motor. This* hoists three cars of 120 cu. ft. capacity at one time on the level. A new Flory hoist now being erected will replace the old hoisting plant. It will be driven by a Western Elec- tric 200 horse-power, slip-ring, 2,200-volt motor, and will hoist four cars per trip on the balance plane. The washery is driven by a 150 horse-power, 2,200 horse-power, three-phase, 60 cycle slip-ring Westing- house induction type H.F. motor, rated at 37 amps, full load. To put coal through at the rate of 1,000 tons per day requires from 100 to 125 horse-power. In starting under full load momentary overloads, of from 200 to 250 per cent, are caused. This overload the motor carries without any trouble. The maximum capacity of the plant is 1,500 tons per day of eight hours. The building is covered with corrugated iron, and has a large amount of window space. Floors are of wood, as this is a fairly temporary structure, but all chutes and hoppers are made water- tight to prevent any water from coming in contact with the steel. A longitudinal section of the washery showing the machinery in position is given in the drawing. The chain in the elevators is the extra heavy 9 in. pitch Keystone rivetless chain. The buckets are 30 by 24 by 15 in. spaced every 27 in. on this chain. The chain speed, originally 88 ft. per min., has been in- creased to 108 ft. per min. to take care of the excess water which comes down the feed chute with the slushed product. The distance centre to centre be- tween the driving wheels at the top and the take-up wheels at the bottom is 81 ft. All gears, shafts and boxes are of extra heavy construction. The elevators discharge their product over the top bank of four prepared coal shakers, making broken, egg, stove and nut coal. These shakers are of * Gooil Age, standard Wilmot construction, wooden sides reinforced with angles. The arms are removable hickory spring pieces which are bolted fast to the sides of the shaker. The eccentrics have a 6 in. throw, and are of extra heavy construction. A flywheel pulley on the shaker shaft helps to maintain a constant shaker speed under varying loads. These shakers are 24 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, and are set on a pitch of 1 in. to the foot. Running at from 142 to 145 revolutions per minute, the 6 in. throw of the eccentrics keeps the shaker jackets reasonably clear of the long pieces of coal which ordinarily lodge in the holes in the jackets. Large lumps of coal and rock are removed outside the washery by means of bars in the slush chute, and do not get into the elevators. The product, therefore, of the upper deck of shakers is broken and small steamboat. The percentage of rock is high, and the tonnage low. Two boys pick the coal and bony from this size and send it down a spiral chute to the No. 2 rolls. Egg coal has a large percentage of rock and bony coal in it. From the shaker it goes to the jig pockets and thence to two Wilmot type D Simplex jigs. Part of the coal delivered by the jigs goes to a small pocket for use in the locomotives. The remainder goes to the No. 2 rolls to be broken down. There is too much bony and flat coal of bad appearance in this size to permit of direct shipment. of-cop ■ 30' SHAKERS <5-A 2fib. ■!6‘ ■16- ;O) i MOTOR Y 4 ■ BROKEN T I 1^1 I . £ PEA . BUCKWHEAT- M EICE~$ Longitudinal Section of Washery. Stove coal from the shaker goes to the jig pockets and thence to two Wilmot type D Simplex jigs. There is much light bony and coal of a bad appearance in the jigged coal. Two boys pick this bad stuff from the coal. The pickings are sent to the No. 1 rolls and broken to pea and smaller. Nut coal from the shakers goes in a spiral chute to the jig pockets, thence to three Wilmot type D Simplex jigs. The coal from these jigs is excellent, and needs no picking. The slush product from the upper bank of shakers goes to the lower bank of shakers—pea, buckwheat, rice and barley sizes. These shakers are of the same type as the prepared shakers, but are 30 ft. long. The “ Beaver ” type of spray is used over all the shakers. Pea coal, buckwheat, rice, and barley from their re- spective shakers go direct to the pockets. Pea coal average about 6| per cent, of slate; buckwheat rarely runs over 8 per cent., with rice and barley looking fine. Coal from the No. 2 rolls goes either to the con- demned coal conveyor or is rebroken in the No. 3 rolls. There are certain parts of the bank which contain an unusual percentage of bony coal. When coal is coming from those sections, the broken and egg are put through both sets of rolls to keep the bony out of the stove and nut coal. Coal from either or both sets of rolls goes to the condemned coal conveyor, discharging into the chute and elevators. All the rock goes to a common rock chute which discharges into the rock conveyor line. This line takes it across the railroad track to a hopper, from which it is conveyed in dumpers to the rock bank. Although the plant is run by electricity, a small boiler must be maintained during the winter for heating purposes. This boiler is supplied with boiler coal by means of the rock line, during noon and after quit- ting time, by way of a removable pan in the rock line and a chute from this point to the boiler house coal pocket, thus saving an extra conveyor line. The rock line, which is detached from the washery, is driven by a General Electric 35 horse-power, 2,200 volt slip-ring motor with variable speed control. It is 185 ft. in length, and when well loaded the motor is taxed to its full capacity. The slush and water from the hoppeT under the lower deck of shakers flows into the main slush trough under the jigs, thence out to the slush bank. In the near future it will go to a settling tank now under construction.