154

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

July 17, 1914.

morning tightening the guides and doing other repairs.
Curry set a tub off, and the lever rebounded, striking
deceased in the chest. Deceased was knocked into the air
by the force of the blow, and he was also struck by a piece of
broken carriage off the brake. Replying to Mr. Wynn, the
mines inspector, witness admitted that the staple had pre-
viously run amain on the morning of the accident. He had
stated to the coroner that it was the duty of the shaftman to
examine the shaft, but he did not mention that he was the
shaftman. The coroner said it showed a lack of candour on
the part of Nelson, and that he had not examined the shaft
as he ought to have done. He had allowed the jury to get
the impression that someone else was to blame. There was
no doubt that the carriage had been cracked by the staple
getting amain, and it should have been examined at the same
time as the guides. The coroner disallowed Nelson’s
expenses, and the jury returned a verdict that the man was
killed by a falling carriage, but did not add that death was
accidental.

By the formation of a branch of the Northern Under-
managers’ and Colliery Officials’ Mutual Aid Association at
Felling, the association has now 19 branches. At a general
meeting of the association it was decided to organise a sub-
scription for the provision of a testimonial to Mr. J. E.
Riddle, the ex-general secretary. It was also decided that
7 per cent, of the contributions be paid to the officials of the
association for their services. The question of appointing
district organising secretaries for the two counties was left
over until a future meeting.

It is stated that the Jack Tar Pit, which has been closed
for over 30 years, is to be re-opened by the Scremerston
Colliery Company. Tests for oil in the shale beneath the
Greenwich Hospital estate near Scremerston are to be
extended by borings to a depth of 1,000 ft. The company
are to make extensive developments in the present workings
in addition to the re-opening of the old pit.

A particularly revolting case of cruelty to a pit pony was
told to the Gateshead magistrates last week, when James
Johnson, a putter, employed by the Stella Coal Company, at
the Greenside Pit, was fined 10s. and costs for cruelty
towards the pony in his care. It was stated that defendant
cursed the pony, picked up an iron bar, and struck the
animal about the mouth. The pony was bleeding from the
mouth, and was in great pain. A boy who witnessed the act
washed the pony’s mouth out, and attended to it. Johnson
threatened to thrash the boy if he said anything about the
affair. Mr. Lambert, prosecuting, said that the Stella Coal
Company were very anxious that the ponies should be well
cared for, and offered prizes to the boys for the best-kept
ponies in the pits. He pressed for a heavy penalty as an
example.

The Sunderland Council has been considering for some
time the advisability of building a new bridge over the
Wear in place of the present structure. It was stated at
the meeting of the council last week that an agreement
had been come to with the Wearmouth Coal Company on
the question of the damage alleged to have been done to the
old bridge by the colliery workings of the company. The
committee had asked the company for £20,000, and eventu-
ally the company had agreed to pay £17,500. A further
clause in the agreement was that the company had agreed
not to work the coal within a certain radius of the old and
the new bridges.

This week Mr. Rupert Gwynne, M.P., presided over the
Committee of the House of Commons to which the North-
Eastern Railway Bill has been committed. The Bill is of
an omnibus character, and the only objector now remaining
was the Duke of Northumberland, who objected to one part
only. The object of the proposed widening of the line from
Killingworth and Forest Hall to Benton was to project the
electrical service north of Benton, where it stopped now, up
to Killingworth. When the Bly th and Tyne Railway was
made, the Duke’s land, over which the railway would pass,
was not bought outright, but an agreement, on way-leave
terms was arrived at, the railway company undertaking to
pay his Grace a sum on every ton of traffic which went over
the line from certain points to certain points. Later, the
North-Eastern Company acquired the Blyth and Tyne line,
and the Duke and his advisers feared that the former might,
if they were not specially restrained, use the fact that the
two systems were one, to divert traffic and deprive his Grace
of his due. Consequently in the Bill authorising the acqui-
sition of the Blyth and Tyne line a section was inserted by
which the merging of the two railways would not prejudice
the Duke. The Duke now feared that the widening from
Killingworth to Benton would, in some way, enable the com-
pany to evade payment. The committee, in finding the
preamble proved, thought with regard to the desire of the
Duke to have a clause inserted, the chance of his interests
being prejudiced was so remote that a clause in the present
Bill was unnecessary.

Cumberland.

Resuscitation of Ellenborough Colliery.

The two iron ore mines owned by the Crossfield Mining
Company at Cleator Moor were closed down last week. It
is hoped that the stoppage is only temporary.

As briefly announced in last week’s Colliery Guardian,
another scheme for the purchase, modernising, and work-
ing of the Ellenbro’ Colliery, near Maryport, has been set
afoot, of which Mr. Elliott, of the firm of Messrs. Dunford
and Elliott, shipowners, coal and iron masters, Newcastle,
Middlesbrough, and West Hartlepool, and Mr. Johnstone,
Darlington, are the chief promoters. As a preliminary, a
syndicate is proposed, to be followed, if successful, by the
floating of a company with a capital of £150,000. It is
pointed out that the Ellenbro’ Colliery has been worked for
a number of years with varying success. At one time it
paid its owners remarkably well, and never at any time has
there been the slightest difficulty in finding an outlet for
the coal output at good prices. But it has suffered from
insufficient capital, not only for the purpose of working, but
for the proper equipment of the colliery. As a matter of
fact, the pit has never been properly equipped. It is con-
sidered that the daily output should not be less than 1,000
tons of coal, and that by-product coke ovens should be
erected, as the coal is known to be exceptionally rich in
ammonia, tar, and benzole. The coal area is embraced in
two royalties of 2,388 acres in extent, viz., the Senhouse
royalty of 1,154 acres, and the Dearham royalty of 1,234
acres. The coal is of steam, household, gas, and coking
qualities. The seams on the Senhouse royalty are 14 in
number, and only five have been worked. It is proposed to
abandon and seal up the seams which have been worked
from the two existing shafts, with the exception of the
lowest of them, viz., the Yard seam, these seams being more

or less worked out. Sinking to a total depth of about 210
fathoms will be required in order to reach the lowest of the
seams intended to be worked, viz., the Lower Three-quarter.
These seams are on the Senhouse royalty. In the case of
the Dearham royalty, no coal has yet been worked. The
seams are nine in number, and are on the north side of the
45 and 18 fathoms upthrow faults respectively. The esti-
mated coal available is 23,700,930 tons, giving a life to the
colliery, at the proposed output of 1,000 tons per day, of
over 80 years. With the capital proposed it is the intention
to sink the shafts to the lower seams, to widen one of the
shafts to a diameter of 15 or 16 ft., and to provide both with
suitable headgears and steam winding plant of modern make.
The other shaft would act as the upcast shaft of the colliery.
All plant will be entirely renewed, and with the exception
of the winding engines, will be electrically-driven. Surplus
gas from coke oven plant will be used throughout to produce
steam for winding engine and electrical generating. Coke
ovens to the number of 50 of the regenerative type, with
direct recovery of by-products, will be installed. It is esti-
mated that the sinking and the widening of the shafts, and
the partial development of the colliery, will be accomplished
within three years from starting, and that during this time
the erection of the coke ovens will take place. The success
of the scheme depends largely upon the attitude of local
capitalists towards it. Some of these who have been
approached have received it with considerable favour.

Yorkshire.

Failure at Hull—Shaft Accident at Askern—Sinking at
Cantley — Inspection of Housing — Grants to the
Universities.

The public examination of Percy Richard Crosland,
carrying on business as P. R. Crosland and Company,
colliery agents and coal exporters, at 15, Wellington-street,
Hull, took place at the Hull Bankruptcy Court on Monday.
Debtor’s statement of affairs showed liabilities expected to
rank for dividend, £1,870 10s. lOd.; net assets £1,001 6s. 9d.,
leaving a deficiency of £869. He attributed his failure to
his making a loss of £760 through the bankruptcy of a coal
merchant in June 1913, and a further loss of £1,000, owing
to markets going against him. Debtor said that fbr
three years prior to February 1911 he acted as manager for
a coal exporter in Hull, at a salary of £400 a year. When
that appointment terminated, he commenced business on
his own account, with a capital of a little over £200. He
later increased it to £300, by a sum of £100 which he got
from the sale of his furniture to his wife. Early in 1913 he
had his acounts gone into by a firm of accountants, who
made out a balance-sheet showing his financial position on
December 31, 1912. His trading account showed that in
that year he made a gross profit of £2,846. Deducting
his drawings for the year, which amounted to £1,784, he
had capital left of £1,258. The £1,784 was not drawn out
for personal requirements, but for various things. Similar
accounts were not prepared for last year, because his
managing clerk left him in January. Debtor admitted
that he had lost £2,000 in the past eighteen months.
Referring to the loss in connection with the failure of a
coal merchant, his claim was admitted at £803, and he
received a dividend of Is. Id. in the pound. So that he lost
£760. He also had bad debts of £851, and he estimated
his household expenses since January 1913 at £615. A
partnership action was brought against him, and he settled
it by the payment of £100 and costs. There was a further
item in the statement of £315 law costs. Debtor, in
explanation of this, said that one of his principal creditors
commenced an action in October last, claiming damages for
breach of contract. A writ was served and a further writ
followed in December. An order was made consolidating
both actions, and in March he, defending the action in
person, consented to judgment for £600 and costs against
him. Debtor denied that he had shown preference to
Messrs. Pope and Pearson, colliery proprietors, as against
his judgment creditors. The examination was adjourned.

A somewhat alarming affair happened at the new colliery
at Askern last week-end, which at first gave rise to all sorts
of absurd rumours. It appears that as the afternoon shift
were preparing to descend, an unusual noise was heard in
the only shaft which is at present being worked. Enquiry
showed that a portion of the brickwork of the lower part of
the shaft had given way, and the bricks, with a quantity
of earth, had fallen to the bottom, and jammed the cage,
which was stationary there. With this heavy weight upon
the cage it was considered inadvisable to attempt to raise
it, so the men were drawn out of the pit by means of the
other shaft in which a hoppit is used. The debris was
cleared away and steps taken to repair the damage done,
and the pit is now working as usual.

It is stated on good authority, that a commencement will
very shortly be made with the sinking of Cantley Colliery.
This is the pit which will work the coal under the Doncaster
race common, which is the property of the Corporation.
The latter leased their mineral rights to Earl Fitz william
on advantageous terms, and it was generally expected his
lordship would sink the pit. But he in turn leased the
rights to Sir Arthur Markham, Bt., and the new pit will
be one of the Markham group. Whilst the site of the shafts
has not, at the moment of writing, been definitely decided
upon, it is confidently expected they will be in the neigh-
bourhood of the first borehole, between Armthorpe Lane
and Sandall Beat, the last named being one of the Doncaster
beauty spots and public pleasure grounds. Boring in
connection with the colliery has been in progress for some
months past, and has been carried on at two points. The
coal measures have been reached, and the result is declared
to be quite satisfactory from the point of view of the
proprietors of the pit. The Barnsley seam is stated to have
been reached at a lesser depth than it was expected would
have been the case. It is hinted that as the water difficulty,
which is so well-known in the Doncaster area, is likely
to present itself, owing to the porous character of the sand-
stone strata, it will not be a matter for surprise if the freez-
ing process is adopted. Preliminary arrangements are now
being made for sinking, and it is not unlikely a start will
take place in September.

Housing inspectors are stated to be badly needed for the
Doncaster coalfield. At last week’s meeting of the West
Riding County Council, the Public Health and Housing Com-
mittee reported that investigation showed that at Barm-
boro, where a fine new colliery has just been sunk,
15 houses were recently found to be unfit for human habita-
tion. People displaced from houses have either had to
leave the village or go into lodgings. The Committee urged
the District Council to put its powers under the Housing
Act into operation. They completed their report with the

following observation : Owing to the considerable increase
of population in the Doncaster rural district, as a result of
the extensive development of the South Yorks coalfields,
extra inspectors are required to enable the authority to cope
with the many difficult insanitary conditions which have
arisen in the district, and also to expedite the work of
housing inspection.

At its meeting last week the West Riding Education Com-
mittee received the approval of the county council to
continue grants of £4,500 to Leeds and £1,000 to Sheffield
Universities. To the former University a special grant of
£775 was continued in respect of the work of the mining
department, extension lectures and studentships, and it
was decided to increase the special grant of £820 to the
University of Sheffield for the work of the mining depart-
ment, technical instruction generally, and free places, by
£250. New tutorial classes have been established at
Denaby and Doncaster. In addition to the organisation and
supervision of classes in coal mining, each University has
made provision for training in mine gas testing. In
addition, Sheffield University has undertaken the setting
and marking of the technical school examination papers for
the coal mining centres.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

Aged Miners' Homes and Model Villages—Collieries and
Public Lighting.

A scheme has been set on foot in the mining township of
Walkden, near Manchester, for the establishment of homes
for aged people, including coal miners and other workers.

The widening and deepening of the No. 2 Pit, Mosley
Common Collieries, Tyldesley, will make these collieries
amongst the largest in England, finding employment for
about 2,000 men and youths.

The laying-out of the miniature garden city at Astley for
the Pilkington Colliery Company (Clifton and Kersley Coal
Company Limited) is to be pushed forward as expeditiously
as possible. The contract for the building of the first block
of 100 houses of the 400 which are to be erected has been
placed with Mr. James Cocker, of Walkden.

The drivers and conductors on the South Lancashire
Tramway Company’s Atherton, Swinton, Walkden, and
Moses Gate section have a curious grievance. They have
decided to call the attention of Mr. Thomas Greenall, J.P.,
president of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners’ Federa-
tion, to the fact that colliers are being employed on the
tramways at the week-end to help in conducting the traffic.

Last week Mr. Jesse Wallwork, mining agent to the
Earl of Ellesmere, wrote to the Little Hulton District
Council to the effect that they could not light Wharton-lane
by electricity. They had not sufficient current for their
own requirements, and had to purchase large supplies.

Notts and Derbyshire.

Managers Discuss the Regulations.

Mr. J. Strachan (president) was in the chair at the meet-
ing of the Midland branch of the National Association of
Colliery Managers, held at the University College, Notting-
ham, on Saturday, July 11. A discussion took place on the
question of the general regulations under the Coal Mines
Act as to signalling. It was pointed out that the Home
Secretary, as the result of deputations, was prepared to
agree to the adoption of two additions, namely, (1) that
when a person was about to descend, the banksman shall
signal to the winding engineman, as well as to the onsetter
3; and (2) that when a person is in the cage and ready to
descend, the onsetter shall signal to the engineman and the
banksman 1. Mr. J. Mein, South Normanton Colliery, said
with the additions it appeared to him that the Home Office
had put the signals on a working basis. The president
considered that the amended form of the code would make
signalling more practicable, and remove a good deal of oppo-
sition. The new Permitted Explosives Regulations were
then discussed, and on the proposition of Mr. Mein, seconded
by the president, the following resolution was passed :—
“ That in the opinion of tghis meeting the new Permitted
Explosives List does not add to the safety of working in
mines, and that the explosives recommended are not nearly
so efficient as in the old list.” In the absence of Mr. J. P.
Houfton, of Mansfield, the president formally opened the new
branch library at the college for the use of the members.
The members later assembled in the lecture theatre, when
Mr. Williams exhibited a firedamp indicator or metbano-
meter and also gave demonstrations.

The Midlands.

In the Chancery Division on Friday, Mr. Justice Neville
had before him an action by the Brownfields and Bentilee
Colliery Limited, of Staffordshire, against Thomas Smith,
William Smith, and John Smith, father and sons, carrying
no business in partnership at the Sandbach Colliery,
Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent. The action was brought for the
specific performance of an agreement, dated December 23,
1913, for the sale by the plaintiffs to the defendants of cer-
tain leasehold mines in the parishes of Stoke-on-Trent and
Stoke Rural, Stafford, and damages. The defence was that
there had been a misrepresentation—an innocent one—suffi-
cient to void the contract. A counter-claim was made in
respect of an agreement under which the plaintiffs contracted
to supply coal to the orders of the defendants. An arrange-
ment was arrived at whereby the bargain would be treated
as made from that day on an adjusted figure. There would
be a stay of the proceedings on the terms agreed, and no
order as to costs. The counter-claim would be dismissed,
without costs.

Kent.

Tilmanstone Finances.

Satisfactory progress is being made at the Tilmanstone
and Snowdown collieries, where the output continues on the
increase. With teference to the financial position of the
East Kent Colliery Company (Tilmanstone Colliery) it is
officially stated in regard to the debenture and income bond
issue that the response, although not sufficient to justify
allotment, was by no means unsatisfactory: indeed, it
exceeds what was expected. Applications have been received
for quite a large sum, so much so that the directors are in
treaty with other parties to make up the difference, and they
have great hopes sufficient will be available to enable them
to go to allotment, and the directors are issuing a circular
to subscribers to that effect. The response that has been
made to their last appeal fully justifies the strong aversion
of the board to anything in the nature of reconstruction.

Tn the Chancery Division the petition of Joseph Fox, of
Coldred, near Dover, for the compulsory winding up of the
East Kent Colliery Company came before Mr. Justice