282 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. February 7, 1913. tons ; Russia in Asia (1908), 1,000,000 tons; Sweden (State Railways, 1909), 505,000 tons; Belgium (State Railways, 1910), 1,845,000 tons; France (1909), 7,054,000 tons; Italy (1909-10), 1,902,000 tons; Japan (1910), 1,313,000 tons; British India, excluding a few light railways (1910), 3,853,000 tons. With regard to the British dominions overseas, the following statement shows the consumption of coal per head of population in the period 1901 to 1911:— 1901-5* Tons. 1906-10* Tons. 1910. Tons. 1911. Tons. Australia ... 1'34 .. . 1'42 ... 1'65 . .. l'65f New Zealand ... 1-72 .. . 209 ... 217 . .. 2 00f Canada ... 1'87 .. . 259 ... 2'81 . .. 3'03f South Africa ... -t .. . 0'75§ ... 0'85 . .. 0 92 * Annual average. f Provisional figures. X Not available. § Average for the four years 1906-09, the imports and exports for those years being inclusive of inter-State trade. The following statement shows the percentage pro- portion of the coal consumed in the period 1906 to 1911 the years 1910 and 1911, the quantity so shipped in 1911 in the principal coal-producing countries, which was of | being equal to one-ninth of that shipped for the use of (1) native, (2) United Kingdom, or (3) other foreign' steamers in the foreign trade. production:— | France, Italy and Germany are the principal customers Countries. 1906-10. (Annual average.) 1910. 1911. Coal of native produc- tion. Produce of the United Kingdom. Produce of other countries Coal of native produc- tion. Produce of the United Kingdom. Produce of other countries. Coal of native produc- tion. Produce of the United Kingdom Produce of other countries. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Pesr cent Per cent. United Kingdom 9998 002 99 97 003 99 98 0 02 United States ... 99'54 001 045 99-48 0 00 052 9968* o-oo* 032* Germany 90-12 773 2'15 90 59 7 32 2 09 91-08* 6 96* 1 96* France 64-41 1710 18-49 64'77 15'49 19 74 63 55* 15 86* 20'59* Belgium 72 22 7-40 20'38 69 00 703 23'97 6411 7 92 27'97 * Provisional figures. In countries in which, as is the case in Belgium, coal is free of duty on importation, it is possible that some of the coal declared as imported for consumption may have been subsequently exported, and be inseparable in the record from native coal exported. It is worthy of note that the increased imports of coal from the United Kingdom into Germany in the last 10 years have been accompanied by a large increase in the exports of German coal, chiefly to France, Belgium, and Austria-Hungary. The imports into France from Belgium were slightly less in 1911 than in either of the two preceding years, while the imports from Germany, after the decline of 1908, have expanded rapidly, and reached 6 million tons in 1911, an increase of nearly 1 million tons compared with 1910. Of the consumption of coal in 1911 in the remaining coal-producing foreign countries, the proportions of native coal, of British coal, and of coal the produce of othei’ countries were as follows:— Coal of Produce of Produce Countries. native the United of other production. Kingdom. countries. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Russia 8032* .. .. 9 54* ... 10'14* Sweden 6 45* .. 87'04* ... 6'51* Spain 60'25f .. .. 37’63f ... 2 12f Austria-Hungary 55 851 . .. 3'21f ... 40 94TX Japan 97-94* . .. 027* ... 179* * Provisional figures. f Figures for 1910. J Chiefly German produce. In Italy, where the production of coal is quite insig- nificant, the coal consumed is almost entirely of British origin, 91'3 per cent, of the coal imported for consumption having been obtained from the United Kingdom in 1911; this proportion shows a recovery of over 1 per cent, compared with that of the previous year, when there was a decline of 4J per cent, in the proportion of British coal. The expansion in the imports from Germany in 1910 was not wholly maintained in the following year, when there was a falling off to the extent of 50,000 tons. The aggregate quantity of coal of United Kingdom origin consumed annually in India and the British self- governing Dominions averaged less than half-a-million tons in the years 1906-1910 and declined to 286,000 tons in 1911; with the exception of Canada, the consumption in these countries is almost entirely met by coal of native production. In Canada the home production is largely supplemented from the United States, more than half the consumption in the Dominion in the years 1909 to 1911 having been derived from that source. The exports from Canada amounted in 1911 to about one-tenth of the imports, and in 1910 to about one-fifth. In the Australian Commonwealth the consumption of imported coal amounted to 277,000 tons in 1910, owing to a labour dispute, but fell to the more normal quantity of 10,000 tons in 1911. The proportion of imported coal con- sumed in New Zealand, where most of the imports are of Australian origin, averaged 12'2 per cent, of the total consumption in the years 1906-1910, and 9 2 per cent, in 1911. Returns have been obtained, as in previous years, showing the total quantity of coal brought to London by railway, canal and sea (coastwise). The total quantity brought into the area within a radius of 15 miles from Charing Cross in 1911 was 17,231,836 tons, as compared with 16,716,957 tons in 1910 and 16,737,741 tons in 1909. Rather more than half this quantity was brought by sea (coastwise), and nearly the whole of the remainder by rail, the amount brought by canal being insignificant. A statement is given of the amount of coal, coke, &c., shipped coastwise from ports of the United Kingdom, and of the amount of coal shipped as bunkers on vessels clearing coastwise. It will be seen that during the five years 1907 to 1911 the coastwise shipments of coal rose from 20J million tons to over 22 million tons, and that the amount of coal shipped for the use of steamers in the coastwise trade was about 2J million tons in each of of this country. The exports of coal from the United States are still sent mainly to neighbouring countries, especially Canada. Of the coal exported from Germany 95 per cent, is sent to neighbouring Continental countries. Japanese coal is exported principally to China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements. The greater part of the exports of coal from British India is sent to Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, and the Dutch East Indies. Of the coal exported from New South Wales in the former year, more than half was sent to other States of the Commonwealth. The principal customers for Australian coal are New Zealand, the Straits Settle- ments, Chile, and the United States and its dependencies in the Pacific. The statistics of lignite production show that the principal producing countries are Germany, Austria, and Hungary, which in 1910 produced 68,430,000 tons, 24,729,000 tons, and 7,610,000 tons respectively; the output in Austria in 1911 was 24,859,000 tons, whilst the provisional figures which are available show a production of 72,575,000 tons in Germany in the same year. The output in 1911 was in Austria nearly 400,000 tons less than the average for the years 1906-10, and in Germany over 8J million tons more than the average for the same period. The quantity of lignite produced in the United States is included in the figures of coal produced, which have already been given. The latest figures, giving the production of lignite separately, relate to 1905, when it amounted to 6,149,000 tons. In no other country does the recorded yearly production reach one million tons. In the United Kingdom it has for some years been nil. Statistics are given of the production of petroleum in Russia and the United States, and of the exports of petroleum from those countries, for a series of years. The total production of the United States in 1911 was 7,713 million gallons, as compared with 7,332 million gallons in 1910, an increase of 381 million gallons. The output in the United States has increased by 1,900 million gallons in the five years 1907 to 1911. The oil- fields of Russia yielded 2,424 million gallons in 1910, an increase of 81 million gallons on the output of the previous year, but more by 108 million gallons than the quantity shown by the provisional figures which are available for 1911. The quantity exported from Russia has, in recent years, been one-sixth to one-seventh of that exported from the United States. Particulars are also given in the tables, showing the production of petroleum in recent years in Germany, Austria, Rpumania, Japan, Canada, British India, and the Dutch East Indies. Particulars for Trinidad, where con- siderable advance in the industry has been made during the past two years, are included for 1910. The combined output of these countries, excluding Trinidad, was 1,421 million gallons in 1910, and 1,511 million gallons in 1911, being more than the exports from the United States by 23 per cent, in 1910, and by 11 per cent, in 1911. — PROGRESS. — Cost of the Freexing Process. In Gluckauf, Prof. Stegemann, of Aachen, gives the figures obtained in practice during the sinking of the Emma I. and II. pits of the State mines in the Dutch Limbourg coalfield. These shafts have respective diameters of 4'5 m. and 6 m. (14 76 ft. and 19'68 ft.), and depths of 236 m. and 238 m. (774 ft. and 780 ft.) The figures given in the following table are for the sinking of a single shaft; where two or more shafts are to be sunk, the first cost may be sensibly reduced, owing to the ability to utilise the same plant more than once :— .sl . XI .sl . X ■"0 ® nS ® S g- IO ” o s S O « 8 ib g K0 g ^8 ci CQ Tf< Dia. of frozen area (m.) Total number of bore- 6'5 . .. 80.. . 100.. . 120 holes 25 . .. 33 .. 44 .. 54 Depth of boreholes (m.) Time necessary to carry 110 . .. 210 .. . 310 .. . 410 out borings (months).. Frigorific capacity of H • 4 .. 7 .. .. 12 plant Time necessary for freez- 250 . .. 500 .. . 750 .. . 21 .. . 1,000 ing (months) Sinking and sustaining U • .. 2 .. 3 shafts (months) 4 . .. 6 .. 9 . 12 Tubbing (months) 2 . 4 .. 6 .. 8 Total duration (months) Metres advanced per 9 . .. 16 .. . 241 .. . 35 month Gross cost of plant and 12 2 . .. 13 1 .. . 12'7.. .. 11'2 operation (1,000 marks) Less value of plant on 315'5 . ..857'6 .. . 1,764'7 .. .. 3 102'0 completion, &c. (1,000 marks) 15'5 . .. 57'6.. . 64'7.. .. 1020 Net cost (1,000 marks)... Cost per metre (1,000 300 . .. 800 .. .. 1,700 ., .. 3,000 marks) 3 . .. 4 .. 5 7 .. 75 Detailsof cost (l,000mks.} 1:— Sinking plant 31 . .. 38 .. .. 45 . .. 52 Boring 87 . ..282 2 .. . 687 .. .. 1,334-4 Freezing plant 23 ' " 38 .. .. 55 . .. 70 Freezing 22 . .. 56 .. . 115 .. .. 180 Sinking and tubbing.. 152'5*. ..443'4 .. . 862'2 .. .. 1,4656 A Steam-Gas Turbine. There are many who believe that the prime mover of the future lies somewhere between the internal-combus- tion engine and the steam turbine. Much interest has, therefore, been shown in the experiments referred to by that far-sighted genius, Dr. S. Z. de Ferranti, in his James Watt lecture. Dr. de Ferranti, who spoke generally of the question of prime movers, observed that it was well-known that the higher the temperature of the working fluid the higher is the economy that can be obtained. High temperatures have, however, proved very difficult to work with. Seeing, however, that the difficulties were mechanical and that great advantage could be derived if these troubles could be overcome, he commenced experimenting some years ago, and has now, after many failures and the expenditure of much money and time, produced a turbine which at the highest temperatures, and with great and rapid variations of temperature, is quite free from mechanical troubles. Indeed, he believes that this turbine is perhaps the strongest, from a mechanical point of view, that has yet been produced. In this turbine the steam is super- heated initially, and after the first expansion, and whilst it is still superheated, it is resuperheated before it does its work in the second stage of the turbine. After this it is exhausted in a superheated condition through a regenerator to the condenser. The whole of the blading is electrically welded, so as to avoid the straining due to caulking at the high temperatures that are reached, and also the loosening that occurs due to the same cause. The blading is formed of mild steel, with a thin coating of pure sheet-nickel electrically welded on to the surface. The blading is most accurately finished to shape by a a process of step-by-step pressing under very heavy pressure. The blading, the sections of which are very exact, is welded in position with the accuracy of the automatic machine that is used for the purpose, and every opportunity is thus given for realising the best results. Although the turbine is of the reaction type, no balance dummy is used. The whole of the end load is taken on a specially constructed thrust, thus saving steam leakage. The steam is worked as a gas at high temperature throughout the turbine, and this, coupled with the many improvements above referred to, has given very good results. A 5.000-horse power machine, which has now been running for some time, when tested at a load of two-thirds full power, has given a shaft horse-power on 7 lb. of steam which, if supplied by an oil-fired boiler superheater system of 85 per cent, efficiency, which has already been exceeded in central station practice, would consume less than 0’625 lb. of oil per shaft horse-power. From many tests already made, it appears that when this turbine is run at full load