42 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. January 3, 1913. COBTRACTS OPER FOR COAL ARD COKE. For Contracts Advertised in this issue received too late for inclusion in this column, see Lsadsr and Last Whits paqes. Abstracts of Contracts Open. Copenhagen, January 11.—For about 225,000 tons of best gas coal and 40,000 tons of smalls, for the Lighting Department of Copenhagen. Further information may be obtained on application to “ Direktoren for Kobenhavns Belysningsvaesen, Raadhuset, Copenhagen, B.” Leeds, January 14.—For coal, for the Property Com- mittee. Rugby, January 10.—For 100 tons of steam coal (peas), for the Rugby Urban District Council. Slough, January 6—For 250 tons of coal, for the Slough Urban District Council. The date given is the latest upon which tenders can be received. COKTRAGTS OPEH FOR EHGSHEERiHG, IRQ! ARD STEEL WORK. Ac. Blaydon-on-Tyne, January 7.--Oil Engines, <^c.—For oil engines and pumps, for the Blaydon Urban District Council. Chorley, January 11.—Engines, tyc,—For two gas engines and two pumps (4,000 gallons per hour each), for the Chorley Rural District Council. Eastbourne, January 14.—Turbine, <$fc.—The Corpora- tion invite tenders from turbine manufacturers only for supply, delivery and erection of 1,000 kw. horizontal steam turbine and alternator without condensing plant. Harwich, January 13.—Pumps.—For four motor-driven centrifugal pumps, and one set of two mechanically-operated motor-driven sewage rakes and screens, together with all necessary switchgear, pipework, &c., and also approximately 400 yards of 15 in. cast iron rising main, for the Corporation. Ilford, January 11.—Refuse Destructor.—For a refuse destructor, capable of destroying 120 tons of refuse per day of 24 hours, for the Ilford Urban District Council. Keighley, January 7.—Gasholder.—For a 1 million cubic feet capacity gasholder, in steel tank, with guide framing, for the Corporation Gas Committee. London, S.W., January 9.—Dynamo, <8fc.—For a steam dynamo, switchboard and connections, for the Fulham Board of Guardians. London, January 15.—Rails and Fishplates.—For 3,300 tons of 100 lb. steel rails and 302 tons of fishplates, for the Victorian Government Railways. Forms, &c., may be obtained on application to Mr. J. W. Taverner, Agent- General for Victoria, Melbourne-place, Strand, London, W.C. Manchester, January 10.—Washer.—For a mechanical washer of the vertical type, for the Gas Committee. Nelson, January 18.—Condenser.—For a water-tube condenser, for the Gas Committee. New Malden, January 14 — Engine and Pumping Machinery.—For (1) supplying and fixing 50-b.h.p. Diesel oil engine; (2) new skylights, engine foundations, and general builders’ work ; (3) 8 in. centrifugal pump, feed I pump, shafting and pulleys, belting, and repairs to existing , pump, for the Maidens and Coombe Urban District Council. Rye, January 8.—Pipes, fyc.—For about 117 tons of 8 in. cast iron socket pipes and 3 tons of irregulars, for the Town Council. Southery (Norfolk), January 18.—Pumps, fyc.—For two centrifugal pumps, each discharging 100 tons per minute, and of two steam turbines to drive the pumps, for the Feltwell New Fen Commissioners. Swansea, January 9.—Steelwork.—For (1) one framed and braced steel double-storied extension of the grain shed at the Prince of Wales Dock, with sides and roof covered with galvanised corrugated sheeting (the extension to be 70 ft. long by 63 ft. wide) ; (2) two framed and braced steel | single-storied extensions of the transit shed at No. 1 quay,1 - e - - King’s Dock, with sides and roofs covered with galvanised or deflector for cutting or dividing the stream of ore, which corrugated sheeting (the extensions to be 192 ft. long by | device automatically changes its position at intervals whose 60 ft. wide and 96 ft. long by 60 ft. wide respectively), for the Swansea Harbour Trustees. ! socket; the socket is moreover provided at its upper end with a shoulder against which the head of the screw bears and at its lower part with longitudinal slots forming branches adapted to be brought together at their free extremity for forming a conical portion, facilitating the penetration and the screwing of the socket into the sleeper, while the screw when screwed into the socket causes the branches to spread, thus firmly anchoring the socket in the wood. Fig. 1 is an elevation giving external details of the socket; fig. 2 is a vertical section showing the external and internal details; fig. 4 is an elevation after fitting, the screw having been screwed in and caused the device to spread; and fig. 5 is a view to a smaller scale showing the utilisation of the device. (Two claims.) 2416 (1912). Improvements in or relating to Plant or Apparatus for the Sampling of Ores and for like Purposes, A. S. Clift, 3, Lombard-street, E.C., London.—The object of this invention is to provide a machine which shall contain in itself a compact assembly of all of the elements necessary for accomplishing various successive grindings and divisions of the ore and finally discharging the sample by means of a suitable device direct into the sample bottles, so obviating the hand-filling of the latter. To this end the apparatus may comprise a series of superposed pairs or sets of rolls, grinders or the like, each pair or set of which may corre- spond to one stage of the sampling. Beneath each set of I rolls or equivalent devices may be arranged a guiding device gassed,” but quickly recovered duration corresponds to the proportion of material which is to be retained for the next stage of the sampling. Thus if one-fifth (that is 20 per cent.) is to be retained, the deflectors will be for one-fifth of the time in such a position that they deflect the material to a hopper, bin or ether suitable receptacle for feeding the next set of rolls. The discharge outlets of the hoppers or bins may be controlled descended the mine. They decided it would not be by any convenient devices, such as slides, delivery screws advisable to penetrate the stoppings, but to strengthen the 1 or the like, so that the contents (received in one-fifth last one. This was very effectively done, it being resolved interval just mentioned) will only be discharged by the to take no risks in view of the fact that the terrible disaster time the next lot is received. In other words the delivery at Cadeby Colliery originated in this way. The prompt from each hopper or receptacle is positively regulated so Some alarm was occasioned in the Doncaster district on Christmas Day by a serious outbreak of gob fire at the Frickley Colliery, South Elmsall, which is the property of the Carlton Main Colliery Company. Mr. T. H. Mottram,1 the chief mining inspector of the Yorkshire and North * Midland district was wired for at Doncaster, and a message was sent for the Wath rescue brigade, from which station ' a team of 10 men, fully equipped with rescue apparatus, ’ was sent over by motor. It appears that there had been ; indications of fire for about a week, which, on Christmas ■ morning, developed in unmistakable and alarming fashion. It was immediately decided to isolate the fire, and a staff of about 25 men were soon got to work in putting in ( substantial stoppings. They were frequently driven back I and some of them were upon being brought to the surface. It was found unnecessary after all to call upon the Wath rescue brigade to descend the mine, and after standing by for several hours they were able to return home. Mr. Mottram (who motored out from Doncaster with two of his sons), together with Mr. Rhodes and the manager (Mr. F. K. Robinson), measures taken reflect every credit upon the management. Frickley Colliery is one of the earliest of the new pits in the Doncaster district, and has been working about six or seven years. Like all mines working on the Barnsley seam, it is not exactly a stranger to gas or gob fires, but there has been little to cause real anxiety prior to this outbreak. ABSTRACTS OF PATEBT SPECIFIGATIOBS RECEHTLT ACCEPTED. 63 (1912). Improvements in Sockets for Screw Spikes or the like for Fixing Rails on Sleepers or for Other Purposes. R. D. Wagner, of 6, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris.—This invention relates to improvements in sockets for screw spikes of the kind described in the specification of prior patent No. 24906 of 1910, in which the lower end of the socket is divided or split. According to the invention the socket is cylindrical internally and externally throughout its entire length and also threaded throughout its entire length externally and internally, the external thread increasing in depth from the top to the bottom of the socket, the lower part of the internal independent thread increasing in depth from a point between the ends of the Ilg.5 that it is practically perfectly continuous or uniform although the filling of the receptacle is intermittent. From the last set of rolls the now finely-ground material may pass on to a sifter which rejects any coarse particles, whilst the fine material passes to a device which delivers it regularly to a set of sample bottles and fills them automatically. The rejected coarse particles, however, instead of being cast aside, may be continuously returned by a suitable conveyor to the rolls to be again further crushed, so that they ultimately find their way to the bottles with the rest of the samples, thus further ensuring that the latter are properly representative of the original material. The bottle-filling portion of the apparatus is adapted to fill the whole of the sample bottles gradually and practically simultaneously. Means may also be provided whereby the rate of filling can be varied or adjusted so that the filling of the bottles will be just properly completed by the time the sampling opera- tion is finished—that is to say, by the time the whole of the lot of material which is being sampled has been acted on by the apparatus. Fig. 1 is a general view mainly in vertical section showing the general arrangement of the parts in one example of the improved sampler. Fig. 2 is a detail view in plan of a distributing device for guiding the samples into the bottles. Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof on the line 3—3 of fig. 2. Fig. 4 illustrates a convenient arrangement of belt-elevator. Fig. 5 is a detail cross- section to a larger scale, on the line 5—5 of fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the line 6—6 of fig. 5. (Eight claims.) 2732 (1912). Improvements in or relating to Miners’ Picks and the like. The Thorne Patent Pick Company Limited, of 51, Mount Stuart-square, Cardiff, and R. A. Pritchard, of 51, Mount Stuart-square, aforesaid.—This invention has reference to miners’ picks, of the type described and claimed in Thorne’s Patent Specification No. 4023 of 1910, comprising a helve socket, a blade socket integral therewith, a wedge piece or key rounded off on the lower side to engage with a similar transverse opening in the blade socket to detachably retain the blade in position, a partition between the helve socket and the blade socket with an aperture for the passage of a drift to remove a broken helve stump, an expansion front and rear in the socket opposite the said transverse opening, and countersunk eyes in the said helve socket. Heretofore this kind of pick has been constructed with diverging eyes for the blade, which eyes are separated by a vertical V-shaped opening in the crown, and it is found from experience that this v-shaped opening materially reduces the strength of the crown and leads to breakage at this point. According to this invention the V-shaped opening vbove mentioned is filled in so that the sides of the socket for the blade are continuous. The usual aperture of suitable size is left in the crown in order that access may be had to the free-way in the socket of the helve whereby the latter can be driven out by a drift. Fig. 1 is a part sectional end elevation of a pick constructed in accordance with the invention; fig. 2 is an end elevation at right-angles to fig. 1 with the socket in section; and fig. 3 is a plan of the top of the socket shown in fig. 2. (One claim.) 4143 (1912). Improvements in Sieves for Sifting or Screening Apparatus, R. S. Benson, of “ Riverside,” Middleton- St. George, Durham, and Head, Wrightson and Co. Limited, of Teesdale Ironworks, Thornaby-on-Tees, Yorkshire.—This invention relates to sieves for sifting or screening apparatus, particularly to that type of said apparatus comprising a series of stepped plates to which a reciprocating or oscillating motion is imparted, and in which the perforations in the plates take the form of longitudinally-arranged slots, and it has for its object the prevention of the material jamming in the perforations of the sieve whereby not only is the