March 7, 1913.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

501

The Threatened Strike in Belgium.

Mr. Boht. Smillie, president of the Miners’Federation
of Great Britain, who has been attending the meetings
of the Miners’ International Committee at Brussels,
addressed a mass meeting this week of Belgian miners
at Charleroi, dealing with the British national strike of
last year, its lessons and results. The Belgian miners
are organising, with other trades, a national strike for
next month to secure an extension of the franchise, and
they have asked the British and German miners to assist
them by not increasing their exports of coal to that country
during the continuing of the strike. An appeal was
specially made to the British miners, as reports have
already appeared that arrangements had been made for
the purchase of 150,000 tons of Welsh coal from Cardiff,
and that the Government had chartered two steamers
for its transit to Belgium. Mr. Smillie promised the
Belgian miners that they would do everything possible
to prevent any increased exportation from this country
to Belgium during the strike, but he pointed out the
difficulty in which the miners were placed in not knowing
for what market the coal which they produced was
exported to. The question was one more for the
transport workers than the miners. Mons. Lombard,
M.P., secretary of the Belgian miners, said a special
appeal would be sent out to the transport workers not
to handle coal intended for Belgium.

________________________

THE TIN-PLATE TRADE.

Liverpool.

The situation is unchanged, only a moderate business is
being done, and for early delivery some exceedingly low
prices, certainly below cost, have been accepted. Forward
trade is almost at a standstill, neither buyers or sellers
caring to commit themselves ahead. 12x20 cokes have
been done at 14s. and even less, and squares and odd sizes
at 14s. 3d. basis. It is impossible to say what plates are
worth to-day, but the following will give an idea of about
the figures makers are quoting for shipment over the next
few weeks. Coke tins: I C 14 x 20 (112 sh. 108 lb.)>
14s. per box; I C 28 x 20 (112sh. 2161b.), 28s. 3d. per box ;
I C 28 x 20 (56 sh. 108 lb.), 14s. 4|d. per box ; I C 14 x 18f
(124 sh. 1101b.), 14s. 6d. per box; I C 14 x 191 (120 sh.
110 lb.), 14s. 6d. per box; IC 20 x 10 (225 sh. 156 lb.), 21s. 3d.
per box ; I C squares and odd sizes, 14s. 3d. to 14s. 6d. basis.
Charcoal, 16s. 6d. basis and upwards. Ternes, I C 28 x 20,
25s. per box. Coke wasters C W 14 x 20, 13s. 4|d. per box ;
C W 28 x 20, 26s. 9d. per box ; C W 14 x 18|, 13s. 3d. per
box; C W 20 x 10, 19s. per box—all f.o.b. Wales, less 4 per
cent.

______________________

THE BY-PRODUCTS TRADE..

Tar Products.—The market is steady and prices keep up
to the recent standard. Pitch is firm and advancing.
Benzols hold their own. Carbolics unchanged. Naphthas
and creosote steady, though rather quiet. Nearest values
are:—

Benzols,	90’s London ......................

Do.	50’s London ......................

Do.	90’s North........................

Do.	50’s North................. ..

Toluol.....................................

Carbolic acid, crude (60 per cent.) ..........

Do. crystals (40 per cent.)................
Solvent naphtha (as in quality and package) ...
Crude ditto (in bulk) ......................
Creosote (for ordinary qualities) ............
Pitch (f.o.b. east coast) ..............................

Do. (f ,a.s. west coast) ....................
Do. (f.o.b. gas companies) ................

10| to /Il
/10|

/10 to /10|
/10
/10|
1/iU

/3i
49/6 to /50
48/ to 49/
50/ to 52/

[B«nsois, toluol, creosote, solvent naphtha, carbolic acids,
usually casks included unless otherwise stated, free on rails at
makers3 works or usual United Kingdom ports, net. Pitch
f.o.b. net.]

Sulphate of Ammonia—Though business is naturally
somewhat quiet, the general tone is satisfactory, and the
possibility of an advancing nitrate market helps to
strengthen the situation. Forward business is quiet and
prices unrepresentative. Closing prompt prices are:—

London (ordinary makes)............	£13/7/6

Beckton (March-April)..............£13/16/3 to £13/17/6

...............................

Liverpool_____......................... £14/2/6

Hull .................................. £14/1/3

Middlesbrough _________.................... £14/

Scotch ports........................	£14/5/

Nitrate of soda (ordinary) per cwt.	...	12/

[Sulphate of ammonia, f.o.b. in bags, less 2| per cent, dis-
count ; 24 per cent, ammonia, good grey quality; allowance
for refraction, nothing for excess.]

_____________________________

Barometric Warnings in the American Coalfields.—
The United States Weather Bureau is inaugurating a
system whereby the mines of Western Pennsylvania will be
warned of anticipated marked decreases in the barometric
pressure. When the matter was brought to the attention
of Dr. Joseph A. Holmes, director of the Bureau of Mines,
at Washington, he expressed a fear that such warnings to
mineowners concerning atmospheric conditions might
increase the danger of explosions in mines where gas occurs
in dangerous quantities. He stated that the Bureau of
Mines’ investigations along this line for the last two years
had not been conclusive.

TKE IRISH COAL TRADE.
Thursday, March 6.

Dublin.

There has been a little or no falling off in demand during
the week, the trade being active in all departments and
prices generally unchanged, as follow:—Best Orrell, 27s.
per ton; best Arley, 26s.; best Whitehaven, 25s.; best
Wigan, 25s.; best kitchen, 23s.; best Orrell slack, 21s.;
house coal, retail, from Is. 5d. to Is. 7d. per sack; coke, 23s.
per ton; steam coals from about 22s. per ton upwards;
Irish coals, at Wolf hill, Queen’s County, from 6s. 8d. to
21s. 6d. per ton at the pit mouth. The import trade of the
past week has been more active, but owing to the strike at
Garston docks the merchants here are now obliged to get
their steamers loaded at Partington. The coaling vessels
arriving in this port amounted to 73 as compared with 60
th© week previously, chiefly from Ayr, Garston, Preston,
West Bank, Newport. Liverpool, Glasgow, and Whitehaven.
The total quantity of coal discharged upon the quays was
26,033 tons.

Belfast. .

There is a brisk demand for all qualities and the market
maintains its firmness, although there has been no change
in prices during the week. Supplies have been more
plentiful from the other side, and stocks are about an
average for the season. City prices are:—Best Arley coal,
26s. 6d. per ton; Hartley, 25s. 6d.; Wigan, 24s. 6d.; Orrell
nuts, 25s. 6d.; Scotch house, 22s. 6d.; Orrell slack, 22s. 6d.
Quotations ex-quay:—Arley house coal, 22s. 8d. per ton;
Scotch household, 19s. 6d.; Scotch steam coal, 17s. to 18s. per
ton; navigation steam, 17s. to 18s.; Welsh steam, 20s.;
English steam slack, 16s. per ton delivered. Cargoes
arriving during the week were chiefly from Ayr, Point-of-
Aire, Preston, Maryport, Troon, Girvan, Silloth, Newport,
Ardrossan, Garston, Workington, Ellesmere Port, Partington,
Glasgow, Whitehaven, Campbeltown, Manchester, Neath
Abbey and Sharpness. As a result of the complaints of the
local coal merchants regarding the want of sufficient
berthing accommodation at the Queen’s Quay, the Harbour
Commissioners are arranging for the discharge of coal
steamers at the east side of the Aber corn Basin; four
powerful new electric cranes have also been requisitioned in
order to expedite the landing of the coal.

___________________________

Consequent on having been appointed secretary of the
Newbiggin Colliery Company, Mr. Wm. Borradale is
severing his connection with the Elswick Coal Company
Limited, after a service of about 25 years. The Newbiggin
Colliery, although not one of the most extensive, is one of
the most up-to-date in the district, and gives promise of
great development in the near future.

Safety Lamp Glasses: An Interesting Action—In the
Manchester County Court, on Monday, before his Honour
Judge Mellor, K.C., Messrs. Molyneux, Webb and Co.,
glass manufacturers, of Kirby - street, Ancoats, sued
Messrs. Richard Johnson, Clapham, and Morris, of St.
Mary’s-road, Newton Heath, for £6 0s. 7d. for a quantity
of glasses intended for miners’ lamps. For the plaintiffs
Mr. Kershaw said the question at issue was whether a
guarantee was or was not given by the plaintiffs in booking
the order for the glasses. The plaintiffs’ case was that
they distinctly insisted that the order should be subject to
no particular test. They said they had great experience
and would do their best to turn out satisfactory goods, but
no more. The defence was that the plaintiffs assured the
defendants’ representative that the glasses would pass the
Home Office test, but he submitted that if that were so the
defendants would have inserted the qualification in their
written order. As nothing to that effect appeared in the
written order, or in a subsequent order increasing the
quantity, he submitted that the plaintiffs must succeed.
The judge observed that if the test was arbitrary there
would probably be an implied condition that the manu-
facturers were going to turn out a glass that would meet
the requirements. Mr. Kershaw replied that at the time of
this order, September 23 last, the Home Office tests were in
a purely experimental stage. Mr. Duncan Webb, managing
director of the plaintiff company, said that at the time of
the order no glass manufacturer had been able to fulfil the
test of the Home Office. He knew of many who had tried
and failed to come up to the standard. His firm had sup,
plied thousands of glasses which were in use to-day. If
the Home Office had insisted on the test at the time of
this contract, trade would have been at a standstill. He
plainly told the defendants’ representati ve that the order
must be an open one without any conditions. For the
defence, William Francis Comer, traveller for the
defendants, said that, as a result of the Home Office test,
they had hundreds of thousands of lamp glasses in their
possession which had become useless. Before the order was
given, Mr. Webb said he fully understood the test required,
and that the glasses would be up to the standard. When
the first consignment came to hand he applied the test,
found the glasses did not stand it, and at once cancelled the
order. It was not necessary, he considered, to send the
glasses to the Home Office, as he had the means of applying
the test himself. He had applied it in connection with
supplies from German firms who had already got on to the
approval list of the Home Office. After reading several
orders issued by the Home Office, the judge said he was not
satisfied that the plaintiffs had proved their claim. One of
these orders was in force at the time of the contract, and it
clearly stated that lamps would be rejected the glasses of
which did not withstand the test of 210 degs. Fahrenheit
in a hot-air chamber and plunging afterwards into water of
60 degs. There would consequently be judgment for the
defendants, with costs.

EXTENSIONS TO THE COKING PLANT AT THE
CARGO FLEET IRON COMPANY’S WORKS.

[From a Correspondent.]

The existing coke-manufacturing plant at the Cargo-
Fleet Iron Company’s Works, Middlesbrough, consists of
100 Koppers regenerative coke ovens, with tar and ammonia
recovery plant, but not the direct process or benzol
recovery. A third battery of 50 Koppers regenerative coke
ovens is now under construction, and the old by-product
plant is to be abolished and a completely new plant erected
to work on Koppers’ patent direct recovery principle for the
recovery of tar and sulphate of ammonia. The work also
comprises a benzol plant for the production of rectified
spirit, a coal storage bunker of 690 tons capacity, provided
with coal conveying machinery, a fixed coal-compressing
station, consisting of two stamping machines and a single
trough-charging apparatus. The by-product plant is capable*
of treating the gases evolved from 6,000 to 7,000 tone
of dry coal per week. The Koppers oven is of the vertical
flued type, and possesses many features not to be found in
any other oven, more particularly as regards the arrange,
ments of the heating flues and regenerators and the facilities
for inspection. The gas and air for combustion are separately
distributed on each side and along the whole length of the
oven, and combustion is caused to take place in each
vertical flue. Each oven wall is formed of about 30 vertical
flues, and there being a gas jet in each flue, each oven is
heated at about 60 points. At the top of the ovens and
overall the vertical flues, openingsjare provided for giving
access for inspection and regulation, which facilities do not
obtain in any other system. Very simple means are pro-
vided for the regulation of the combustion in each flue,,
which is such that it is easily possible for the walls of the
ovens to be absolutely uniformly heated from end to end.
It is this ease of regulation which distinguishes the Koppers
oven from all other types, and which has been the cause of
the great success which it has enjoyed. Uniformity in the
heating of the ovens not only results in the production of
a homogeneous coke, but enables the charges of coal to
be burnt off more quickly than in ovens where such
uniformity does not prevail, besides which it effects
great economy in the consumption of the heating
gas. It is owing to this economy in the heating of
the ovens that the surplus gas from the Koppers oven is
greater than that obtained from any other system. The
Koppers oven is designed to work on the waste heat
principle and also on the regenerative principle. Both
designs are identical so far as the arrangement of the
heating flues and the facilities for inspection and regulation
are concerned, and the advantages claimed for the regenera-
tive oven as pointed out in the foregoing apply equally to
the waste heat oven, the only difference between the two
constructions being that in the case of the waste heat oven
comparatively cold air is employed for combustion of the
heating gas, whilst in the regenerative type the air for
ccmbustion is heated to a high degree in regenerators
designed on Siemens’ principle. Of all the ovens which are
being built at the present time in all parts of the world, at
least 80 per cent, are of the regenerative type, and are
mostly of Koppers’ design. The advantages of this
oven over the waste heat types are very important
and do not seem to be so fully appreciated in this
country as on the Continent and in the United States,
as it is practically only in this country where waste-
heat ovens are now adopted. The advantages to be
derived from the employment of regenerative ovens were
recognised by the Cargo Fleet Company in deciding upon
their plant, and this type of oven was therefore selected in
preference to the waste heat description. The distinctive
feature of the Koppers regenerative oven lies in the
employment of separate regenerative chambers for each
oven, so that each oven is entirely independent of its
neighbour. This construction permits of the air for com.,
bustion and the chimney draught being separately
regulated—a feature which obtains in no other system
The principal advantage derived by the use of regenerative
ovens is that the surplus heat in the coal (i.e., the heat over
and above that which is required for heating the ovens)
is produced wholly in the form of a combustible gas,
instead of as a hot waste gas, which is a product of the
waste-heat oven. The combustible gas is of the same
character as that produced at town gas works, and can be
employed for illuminating purposes, or for any other purpose
for which town gas is suitable, and mere particularly for
consumption in gas engines, in which case from two and
a-half to three times the power can be generated than from
the steam raised by the utilisation of the gas in steam
boilers. Where power is required in the form of steam, it
is very generally thought that waste heat ovens should be
adopted, but the fact is often overlooked that with these
ovens it is essential for & special range of boilers to be
erected in close proximity to the ovens; whereas, with the
regenerative ovens, the surplus gas can be conveyed almost
any distance without loss for firing existing boilers. It
might be added that the surplus gas from Koppers’
regenerative ovens will yield exactly the same quantity of
steam per ton of coal carbonised as the hot waste gas from
waste-heat ovens. The coal is conveyed from the hopper to
the stamping station, and is charged into the ovens in the-