766 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. April 11, 1913 COAL AND COKE EXPORTED FROM PORTS IH ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES Daring the month of March 1913, compared with the corresponding month of 1912.* Port. March 1913. March 1912. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Increase. Decrease. Increase. Decrease. Newcastle Tons. 865,745 Tons. 21,568 Tons. 278,697 Tons. 16,406 Tons. 587,048 Tons. Tons. 5,162 Tons. North Shields 48,479 44 22,576 18 25,903 — 26 — South Shields 103,553 496 36,845 560 66,708 — — 64 Sunderland 185,294 3,598 52,327 527 132,967 3,071 — West Hartlepool 76,027 190 19,385 50 56,642 — 140 — Goole 80,525 1,184 11,622 151 68,903 — 1,033 — Blyth 263,185 877 27,832 185 235,353 — 692 — Newport 346,270 1,138 7,773 1,071 338,497 — 67 — Liverpool 37,216 2,925 7,463 93 29,753 — 2,832 — Methil 211,460 1,116 46,779 258 154,681 — 858 Glasgow 149,568 4,165 49,705 1,655 99,863 — 2,510 — Kirkcaldy 6,438 — 1,426 — 5,012 — — — Burntisland 162,914 809 49,342 606 113,572 203 — Cardiff 1,597,786 7,685 404,013 1,667 1,193,773 — 6,018 Borrowstoness 38,225 764 10,032 — 28,193 — 764 — Llanelly 17,175 — . 7,634 — 9,541 — — — Middlesbrough 149 2,003 129 153 20 — 1,850 — Seaham 69,031 — 6,805 360 62,226 — — 360 Swansea 281,735 695 129,911 566 151,824 — 129 — Granton 11,835 2,328 1,684 1,570 10,151 — 758 — Port Talbot 144,050 148 1,506 — 142,544 — 148 — Alloa 7,789 — 2,263 — 5,526 —- — , — Grangemouth 100,655 1,781 27,070 4,566 73,585 — — 2,785 Neath 17,693 — 241 — 17,452 — — — Hull 351,910 5,590 59,549 1,858 292,361 — 3,732 Amble 36,566 — 3,068 — 33,498 — — — Troon 13,023 — —> — 13,023 — — — Grimsby 71,867 1,082 16,261 — 55,606 — 1,082 — Ayr •. 657 — — 657 — — — Greenock 1,795 — 5,292 — — 3,497 — — Leith 115,686 — 50,334 31 65,352 — — 31 Ardrossan — 6,443 — —- — 6,443 — — Stockton — — — — — — — — COAL AMD COKE SHIPPED FOR LONDON AND OTHER PORTS IN THE ONITED KINGDOM.* Port. March 1912. March 1913. Port. March 1912. March 1913. Coals. | Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. | Coke. Newcastle Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 46,920 340,167 206 Ayr 16,941 — 63,420 — North Shields ... — — — — Irvine 2,666 6,016 — South Shields ... 3,470 — 320 — Alloa 1,015 — 2,871 Blyth 8,310 — 35,650 — Whitehaven — 19,869 —a Amble ; 4,900 — 8,000 — Liverpool 46,023 — 44,733 — Sunderland 2,220 112,635 — Grimsby — — 1,653 Seaham 2,766 88,921 — Granton 11,970 — 21,820 — Hartlepool — — 53,680 — Borrowstoness .. 10,215 500 22,900 — Stockton — — — — Burntisland 17,075 29,320 — Middlesbro' ...... — 120 — 280 Kirkcaldy 238 — 3,655 — Hull 15,350 99,840 — Methil 23,800 — 33,518 — Goole 22,917 — 113,737 — Port Talbot 745 — 13,946 1,305 Swansea 4,270 2,180pf 32,512 Glasgow 19,164 2310c 300pf 35,397 803 Cardiff 74,703 280 229,818 2,000 Grangemouth ... 5,842 — 3,191 600 Llanelly 2,151 — 4,988 — Greenock 230 25 pf. 464 267 Newport 7,032 — 62,049 — Neath 1,048 — 7,249 — Troon 6,116 14,111 — Leith 13,599 10,816 10 Ardrossan 5,907 — 6,833 — * From Browne’s Export List. ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS RECENTLY ACCEPTED. 3002 (1913). Improvements in and relating to Detectors of Combustible Gases. K. Philip, B.Sc., and L. J. Steele,M.I E.E., both of his Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth.—In earlier patents No. 22129 of 1906 and No. 5142 of 1910, the inventors have described an apparatus dependent upon catalytic action for the detection of combustible gases. The instru- ments described are designed to secure the sensitiveness necessary for practical purposes, and to obviate the sources of error which would render such sensitiveness useless. The essential part of the detector consists as hitherto of a catalytic substance such as platinum, palladium or other catalytic metal, which is maintained in sensitive condition and causes combustion upon its surface of any combustible gases which may be present in the atmosphere supplied to it; the rise of temperature resulting from this catalytic combustion can be detected in various known ways. Generally the catalytic substance is used in the form of a wire which is heated by the passage of current through it, and the active wire is combined with another, for instance of carbon, which is not catalytically active; and the difference between the resistances of the two wires as measured by some form of galvanometer shows the action proceeding on the surface of one of them, and so indirectly the percentage of combustible gas present. If a Wheat- stone bridge arrangement is employed for this measurement of resistance a certain additional sensitiveness can be secured by the use of two catalytically active and two inactive wires arranged alternately in the bridge. In any arrangement of this kind, however, the indicating instru- ment may show deflections which are not due to the presence to the presence of combustible matter. But by a suitable choice of materials, taking into account their coefficients of resistance, their temperature coefficients, their emissivities, and the areas of their radiating surfaces, it is possible to arrange two wires so that over a given range of voltage the function connecting the resistance with the current through the wire is very nearly the same for both. It has been found that a pair of wires fulfilling these con- ditions as nearly as is necessary for practical purposes, can be formed from platinum and palladium, the platinum being * ,26 300 tons coke same freight; Porto Vecchio di Piombino, 3,400, 9s. 9d.; La Rochelle, 3,400, 4s. 9d.; Callao, 1,639, n.r., 31s., coke. Frederikstadt to Adelaide, sail, 60s. Homeward charters :—Miramichi, 1,500 stds., Belfast, 52s. 6d., early May jCampbelton, 51s. 3d., United Kingdom- Continent, option Miramichi, 53s. 9d., if two ports discharge Is. 3d. extra; Sydney, NSW., Melbourne or South Australia, 4196 net, 32s. 6d., United Kingdom-Continent, April ; Bombay, 19s. one port, 19s. 6d. two ports Mediter- ranean, on d.w.; 3,103 net, Havre and or Dunkirk, 19s. 6d. one port, 20s. both ports, on d.w., ppt. ; 1,851 net, United Kingdom-Continent, 20s. two ports, on d.w., April; Balti- more, 18s., Alexandria, coal, May ; 2s. 10|d., Amsterdam, ppt.; 2s. 7|d., Avonmouth or Rotterdam, 2s. 9d. Hamburg, May ; 5,400, Barcelona or Valencia, 17s. 3d. coal, May-June ; Poti, 2,354 nwt, R tterdam, Ils., April; 2,070 net, Rotter- dam Ils., Middlesbrough Ils. 6d., April ; Azof, 2,152 net, Rotterdam 19s., Antwerp, Emden or Weser 10s. 3d., Ham- burg 10s. 6d., with 3d. less barley, ppt. ; 4,400, Rotterdam, 10s., with 3d. less barley, ppt. ; 4,800, Marseilles or Genoa, 12 50 fr., ppt.; 3,400, basis Rotterdam 10s. 3d., with 3d. less barley, ppt.; 6,200, 10s., with 3d. less barley, can- celling April 30; Ismalia (Danube), 3,500, Ils. 6d. n.c. or any, 12s. Hamburg, with Sulinaoptions, ppt.; Vladivostock, 5,000-5 209, United Kingdom - Continent, Copenhagen, Stettin. 32s. one port, 32-. 6d. two ports, April-May; Burmah, 7.300, United Kingdom-Continent, 26s. 3d. o.c., April; 26s., Holland, Antwerp, Bremen or Hamburg, one port; Calcutta, 3,075 net, Bombay, Rs. 8, April; 2,570 net, Bombay or Kurrachee, Rs. 7’8, May ; 2,589 net, United Kingdom, Antwerp, Holland, 20s. one port, 25s. 9d. two ports, d.w. basis, May; San Lorenzo,4,300,10 per cent, United Kingdom- Continent, 22s. o.c., no reduction, ready April 12; 4 000, 10 per cent., 22s. o.c, less 6d., May; 5,500, 10 per cent., 21s. 6d. o.c., less 6d., April; 22s. 3d. o c., with options, April; 5.300, 10 per cent., 22s. o.c., less 6d., with options, April; 4,400, 10 per cent., 21s. o.c., less 6d., June 10-July 10; 4.300, 10 per cent., 22s. l|d. o.c., less 6d., with Northern options at 2s. extra one port, 2s. 6d. extra two ports, April 15-30; 4,800, 10 per cent,, 22s. o.c., less 6d., April; Bahia Blanca. 5,500, 10 per cent., Genoa, 23s., April; 21a 6d. o.c., United Kingdom-Continent, with options, June-July; Gulf timber port, 1,250 stds., 10 per cent., River Plate, 160s., May-June; 700 stds., 10 percent., Huelva, 130s., May; Pensacola or Gulf port, 700 stds., 10 percent., Oporto, 130s., May; Santander, 2,100, Rotterdam, 5s. Ijd., ppt.; 2 309, Oslabshausen, 5s. 7jd., ppt.; Bilbao, 2,500, Rotterdam, 4s. 9d., ppt.; 3,800, 4s. 9d.,ppt.; Newcastle, N.S.W, sail, 25s. 6d., West Coast South America, pot,; Portland, Or., sail, 41s. 3d. wheat, 41s. 9d. barley, United Kingdom- Continent; 41s. 3d., new season; Rangoon,26s. o.c., United Kingdom-Continent, April; Mauritius, 22s. 6d., London; Huelva, 9s. 6d., Charleston or Savannah, Tinto terms; 5,100, Northern States, 9s. 6d., f.d., April; Kherson and Odessa, 6,000, Liverpool, 9s. 6d. on d.w., ppt.; Danube, 4,500, Rotter- dam 16s., Antwerp 10s. 3d.; Sulina, 4,500, Rotterdam 9s., Antwerp 9s. 3d., April; 4,500, Rotterdam 9s. 6d., Antwerp 9s. 9d., ppt.; 6,200, Rotterdam 9s. 3d., Antwerp 9s. 6d., ppt.; 2.800, 10s. n.c. mid-April; Kherson, Nicolaieff or Odessa, 5 800, Rotterdam, 8s. 6d., ppt.; West Australia, 2,382 net., Madras and or Calcutta, 27s. 6d. one port, 28s. 3d. both ports, May; Rangoon or Bassein, 6,600, Rotterdam or Hamburg, 26s. 3d., option Moulmein, b.d., 6d. extra, Apri]-May; Kurrachee, 2,315 net, United Kingdom, 16s. 6d. one p.p., 17s. two p.p., April; 2,354 net, 17s. one p.p., 17s. 6d. two p.p., 6d. extra Dunkirk, April- May ; Villaricos, 3,400, Emden, 5s. 6d. ppt ; 4,400, Rotterdam, 5s. 9d., ppt.; Larmes 4,400, Havre, 9s. 3d., ni .kel ore, ppt.; Sicily, 3,100, Finland, three places, 10s., sulphur, April; Iquique, sail, 29s., United Kingdom- Continent, July-August; time charter, States and West Indies, 6s., two round trips, delivery and re-delivery North of Hatteras; Novorossisk, 4,000. Weser 8s. 9d., Hamburg, 9s., with 3d. less barley, ppt.; Montreal, 25,000 qrs., 10 per cent., Dunston-on-Tyne, 2s. 9fd., June 10-25; Torrevieja, 4.800, 10 per cent., Calcutta, 10s. 6d., salt, May ; Torrevieja and Cadiz, 4,000 max., Monte Video and Boca, 17s. 9d., salt, April 15-31; St. Lawrence, sail, 67s. 6d., West Britain or East Ireland; Philadelphia, about 12|dols., River Plate; Kustendje, 5,600, Antwerp or Rotterdam, 8s , April; New York, 140,000 cases, 10 per cent., Brazil, basis 23 c. one port, July ; Larmes, 5,000, Rotterdam, 6s. 6d., ppt ; Carthagena, 4,000, Rotterdam, 7s., f.t., April; Benisaf, 5,600, Rotterdam, 4s. 9d., f.d., April; La Gouiette, 5 000, Rotterdam, 5s. 9d., f.d , April; Saigon, 2,790 net, Marseilles, Havre or Dunkirk, about 29s. 6d., with Is. 3d. extra two ports, option meal, 2s. 6d. extra, April; nitrate ports, sail, 30s., United Kingdom-Continent, less 9d., new season; time charter, Baltic trade, 4,600, .£1,100, season; Cuba, 20s., Greenock, Liverpool, London, April-May. At a meeting of the Cleveland Institution of Engineers at Middlesbrough on Monday, Mr. N. Stonewall Jackson read a paper on “ Modern Practice in Cleaning Blast Furnace and Other Gears.” In the discussion which followed, Dr. J. E. Stead, F.R.S., said that one question he was asking was that supposing all the blast furnaces on Teesside were to have their gas perfectly free from dust, how many tons of dust would have to be disposed of ? He was very much inclined to think that in future in places like Middlesbrough the dry system of cleaning would be eventually adopted. The dry dust could be removed and takenlaway to sea. coated with inactive material, or run at a temperature at which it is inactive, while the palladium, which is active at a lower temperature than platinum, serves as the catalytic agent. These means can at best, however, only be made effective for a comparatively small range. The invention therefore provides means by which the voltage applied to the Wheatstone bridge may be brought with considerable accuracy to a standard value before a test is made. A means of adjustment fulfilling these requirements which con- veniently utilises the indicating instrument of the apparatus for showing the attainment of standard conditions, is illus- trated in the accompanying drawings, in which fig. 1 repre- sents the electrical connections of an indicating apparatus, according to the invention, and fig. 2 shows diagrammatically the disposition of the adjusting devices in the apparatus. In this construction of instrument the indicator shown diagrammatically is formed separately from the detector proper, the two being connected only by flexible conductors. The indicator consists of a galvanometer or milliammeter 19, which is connected across the Wheatstone bridge, formed of two catalytic wires 20 arranged alternately with two non- catalytic wires (that is, wires not catalytically active) 21. To control the current a variable resistance 24 is provided in series with the battery. It is then necessary to provide means to show when the apparatus is adjusted to the standard condition. A resistance 25 is therefore provided which can be connected directly across the battery in series with resistance 24 by the aid of the switch 26. This resistance 25 is adjusted to represent the resistance of the bridge, and in order to indicate the current flowing the switch 26 is caused also to connect the galvanometer 19 across the resistance. A further resistance 27 is inserted in this galvanometer circuit, and this has previously been adjusted so that the condition for standard current is represented by a deflection of fair magnitude on tho galvanometer. It will be seen that the current through the galvanometer, which is small compared with that necessary to heat the catalytic wires to active tempera- ture, passes through the resistance 27 and the wire 20, while the wire 21 forms a shunt to the galvanometer. (Eight claims.) 3116 (1912). Improvements in and relating to Valve- controlling Devices of Plant using Elastic Working Fluid from a Plurality of Sources. The Hon. Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, K.C.B., A. Q. Carnegie, and the Hon. G. L.