768

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

October. 9, 1914

a normal position, and, according to Dr. Rutten, should
never be affected by nystagmus. Dr. Roger, who has
made researches on the subject in the collieries of the
Charleroi and Mons districts, said the result had been
to show that the frequency of the disease had been
exaggerated, and that its existence had no appreciable
effect upon the productive capacity. His view was that
nystagmus resulted from a lack of co-ordination of
the muscles of the eyeball; the miner cut his coal and
pushed the tubs with his head inclined on one side—
that is, m tbin roads or seams ; the position of the eyes
which followed this attitude became fixed ; on his return
to the surface, it was with difficulty that the eyes
resumed the position, normal for all others, that had
become abnormal for the miner. Hence the absence of
nystagmus amongst the one-eyed. He added that the
best workers were those who contracted the disease, and
it was necessary to put them to work on the surface to
effect a cure.

In conclusion, Dr. Rutten stated that Prof. Barany,
of Vienna, in the course of his examination of nystagmic
miners in the Liege coalfield, had found no evidence of
labyrinthic troubles, even in the worst cases. All the
experiments showed the complete integrity of the
labyrinth.

Pit Cages Built from Rolled Sections.

In the past there seems to have been a prejudice
among colliery engineers against the use of pit cages
built from rolled sections, as the weight of the load and
the various shocks of winding, etc., come directly upon
the rivets holding the various members of the cage
together. Messrs. Wright’s Forge and Engineering
Company Limited, of Tipton and London, however, are
responsible for a type of built-up cage, in which the
main joints between the uprights and hoops are formed
by well-riveted gusset plates, so that the load is dis-
tributed over a number of rivets, instead of being
carried by jaws and two or three rivets, as in forged
hangers. The bracings are also riveted to the same
gusset plates, and the whole cage forms a rigid and
strong structure.

Fig. 1 shows, to a reduced scale, a double deck pit

three double-width decks, four tubs being carried on
each deck. The whole of the framework of these cages
is made of “ Crown ” treble best Staffordshire iron,
which is a most suitable, though somewhat costly,
material for this purpose. We might add that with
these cages the manufacturers are supplying their
20-ton improved King’s detaching hooks and the cage
bridles. We hope later on to have an opportunity of
illustrating these fine cages in our pages.

The cage shown in fig. 2 was one of two cages sup-
plied to a North country colliery. The design was as
light as possible, and, of course, the use of rolled sec-
tions is a source of great rigidity of design. The cages
had tilting bottoms and hand-worked scotching gear,
each weighing 63 cwt. when complete. They are for
use with an electrically-driven winding gear.

STORAGE OF COAL.

According to Mr. C. C. Hall, fuel agent for the
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, the storage of
coal carried on successively means :—

1.	More regular working of the mines, resulting in—

(a)	Lower cost of production;

(b)	Better satisfied labour;

(c)	More efficient mining methods and a greater
percentage of coal extracted.

2.	Equalise movement, enabling carriers to provide
equipment and handle at minimum cost.

3.	Avoid spasmodic demands for certain sizes, resul-'
tant car shortages, boom prices, sharp practices to
escape contract obligations, and the general dissatis-
faction resulting from the various causes enumerated.

4.	The consumer to receive concessions from pro-
ducer and carrier to offset the expense and deterioration
incident to storage, and withal enjoy a reduction in the
ultimate cost.

5.	Confine coals to properly distant zones and enable
operators to work out near-by fields more thoroughly
instead of mutilating them to get out a little cheap coal
to meet the keen competition, leaving a greater per-
centage of coal in the ground in such shape that it can
never be recovered.

6.	Accomplish more in the conservation of our coal
resources than any other one agency.

Boiler Explosions in 1912-13.—Under the provisions of
the Boiler Explosions Acts, 66 preliminary enquiries and
14 formal investigations have been held respecting boiler
explosions which occurred during the year ending June 30,
1913. Of these 80 explosions, 40 resulted in loss of life or
personal injury -31 persons being killed and 42 injured.
The number of persons killed is above the average (26*5)
for the 31 years since the Act came into force, but the
number injured is considerably below the average. In
eight out of the 14 cases in which formal investigations
were held, the Courts found that persons who had been
connected with the boilers were to blame for the explo-
sions, and they made orders for the payment of costs in
seven of these cases, the total sum ordered to be paid
amounting to <£317. The following relate to explosions
which occurred at collieries :—

Number of report,
name of colliery,
and owners.

2179. Elemore	...Piece of metal blown...Defect in pipe,

(Lambton and Hetton out of cast iron steam	due to metal being

Collieries Limited)	pipe conveying steam	cold run.

to engines.

2182. Littletown	.. .Tube of locomotive type.. .Internal corrosion.

(Lambton and Hetton boiler gave way.*
Collieries Limited)

2224. Diamond Hall

Signal Box

(Lambton and Hetton

Collieries Limited)

2228. Blaydon-on-Tyne...Piece of cast iron steam...Development of a
(Priestman Collieries	j	‘

Limited)

Nature of explosion.

Do. do.*

Cause.

...Internal wasting of
tube by corrosion,
and also by erosion.

pipe conducting steam
to “ Ottavale ” by-pro-
duct ovens was blown
out.

2234. Llanbradach
(Cardiff Colls. Ltd.)

crack, due to the
stress in the pipe
range being local-
ised at a part of
the pipe which
was of unequal
thickness.

...One of the tubes of...Thinning of tube by
B. and W. water - external wasting,
tube boiler, generating
steam for colliery pur-

.WuTttnATlC skotcm'
(in position)

Anorak

Mrs aho
AUTn.i.Tlc SCOTCHING
MAR.

"Outgoing r-Bi rnwE
lever A ."-vi PULLS w
LEG B AHO ALLOA j *SST«.I
to resume rrs rosmaa.

Type I
DETACHING HOOK
IMVER UWtOOELV PATEXTS.

L n

/



poses, gave way*

...Three headers at front ..Overheating due to
m-. ... j-rrr i shortness of water
in boiler.

2240. Siddick	.	______

(St. Helen’s Colliery end of B.and W. water-
and Brick Works tube boiler, supplying
Company Limited)

steam for working coke
ovens, gave way.*
2252. Barrow Hill ...Cover blown off
(Stanley Coal and Iron separator.

Company Limited)

DOUBLE DECK PIT CAGE & FITTINGS.

WRIGHT’S FORGE & ENGINEERING Cfi LT-D
TIPTON, staff: & LONDON.

oil... Over-pressure, due
to both outlets
from the separator
being closed simul-
taneously.

* Inspected and insured.

Fig. 1.—Standard Double-deck Pit Cage, showing Fittings.

According to cause the explosions are classified as follow: —
Deterioration or corrosion, 24; defective design or undue
working pressure, 13; water-hammer action, 11; defective
workmanship, material, or construction, 16 ; ignorance or
neglect of attendants, 8; miscellaneous, 9. According to
type of boiler, the classification is as follows :—Horizontal,
multitubular, 13; vertical, 5; Lancashire, Cornish, 3;
locomotive, 3 ; water-tube, 8; tubes in steam ovens, 9;
heating apparatus, 4; steam pipes, stop valves, chests, &c.,
18; hot plates, &c., 3; calenders, drying cylinders, 6;
economisers, 3; steam-jacketed pans, 1; miscellaneous, 4.
In the case of 27 of the 65 boilers that failed, no inspection
had been made by any competent person for several years
before the explosion.

cage built up from rolled sections, and complete with
latest improved King’s detaching hook (Player and
Weddell patents), cage chains, keps, and automatic
scotching gear* the whole being a standard design. The
drawing clearly shows the details of construction, and
indicates the substantial nature of the framework of
the cage. In passing, we might state that the sections
forming the framework may be of rolled Staffordshire
iron, the gusset plates and rivets being of the same
material, thus avoiding the use of mild steel in these
important parts, to which many engineers object. At
the present moment Messrs. Wright’s have in hand
four large pit cages of this general design for Messrs.
Henry Briggs, Sons and Company Limited, of the
Whitwood Collieries, Normanton. These cages have

Fig. 3 illustrates one of three large cages for a new
colliery in South Wales, the weight of each being seven
tons when complete. Only the framework is shown in
the photograph, and this enables the details clearly to
be understood. The photograph was taken when the
framework was erected for inspection at the makers’
works, the cages being too large for carriage in one
piece.

Fig. 4 illustrates one of three cages for a new sinking
in South Wales, the designs for which were prepared
by an eminent firm of consulting engineers. The design
was unusually strong and rigid, the cages presenting a
very substantial appearance when completed. They
were fitted with tilting bottoms and automatic scotching
gear, the finished weight of each cage being 3 tons