972 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. November 6, 1914. thickness, which are found interstratified in the Silurian and sometimes in the Cambrian iormations. Up to the present time work on the concessions granted in the extreme south-east, near Angers and Segre, has not progressed beyond the phase of trial borings. Numerous investigations carried out to the west beyond Chateau- briant have done little more than skim the formation, while the ore bodies and rocks scattered about the Loire Inferieure, Ille-et-Vilaine, anil Morbihan have not always led to the discovery of the original sources whence they are derived. The nine concessions near Angers and Segre, as yet the only ones made on a deposit of exceedingly large area, cover 10,996 hectares. The production, which was but small during 1881-1883, and again from 1889 to 1892, was only seriously recommenced at the beginning of 1907. Prior to this date only 35,455 .tons had been obtained in all. At the present day, the annual production exceeds 700,000 tons, and is, according to the owners, rapidly growing. The ores, part of which are used at works in the Lower-Loire at Trignac, are also partly exported to England and Germany. They consist of oolitic iron ore, hsematite, or magnetite, either intermixed or separate, the colour varying from dark grey to yellowish red, and the percentage of iron attaining at times 61, but usually amounting to 52 to 55 per cent. They are highly siliceous, and contain for the most part from 13 to 20 per cent, of silica. They are slightly calcareous (1 per cent, lime), slightly clayey (2 to 4 per cent, alumina), and contain a proportion of phosphorus which varies from 0'6 to 0’7 per cent. With regard to the two most important elements, iron and silica, the percentages given in the official report to the Bureau of Mines in 1912, were as follow : Oudon (where two seams of magnetite of 1 ’20 to 4 m. and 5 m. in thickness respec- tively were worked) 48 to 50 per cent, of iron and 15 to > J ■ 1 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Normandy deposit, properly so called, which spreads over the three departments of Calvados, la Manche, and 1’Orne, is, as a matter of fact, the second in importance amongst the iron-ore producing areas of France, notwithstanding that in 1912 it only repre- sented 4'08 per cent, of the total French output, whereas Meurthe-et-Moselle contributed 90’66 per cent. The 784,977 tons mined during 1912 mark, however, in comparison with preceding years, a considerable increase, seeing that from 1870 to the end of the year 1912 only 5,567,000 tons had been mined throughout the whole province. The year 1913 continued to mark pro- gress, with 861,00(1 tons, and an output of 1,000,000 tons will soon be attained, while the large plants laid down during the latter years, and those in course of construc- tion at different mines, such as Soumont, Saint-Andre ___________________________ Barbery, &c., justify the hope that in the near future even this million tons may be greatly exceeded. Where does all this go to? An appreciable portion is even now consumed in the works in the north of France; Halouze and La Ferriere furnish the blast- furnaces of Isbergues and Denain with rich siliceous ores ; the Nord-et-Est steelworks at Valenciennes receive ore from Larchamp, and these three concessions worked on the syncline of La Ferriere yielded to these works alone 373,900 tons of merchantable ore, or nearly one-half of the total production. The new works under const, uction, such as those at Pont-a- Vendin, can similarly obtain fromNorn andy a consider- able proportion of their ore burthens. Blastfurnaces are also in course of erection at Calvados itself, in the immediate vicinity of Caen, and the mine in process of development at Soumont will find a market for its output in these works, the residue being sent to the Thyssen works in Westphalia. Other concessions, on the other hand, are being developed only for the purpose of exporting their ores, while others again have concluded contracts with their leading metallurgical customers—for the most part German — which will ensure the disposal of a large part of their production. The British market, however, to the development of which considerable efforts have been recently directed, presents itself under very favourable conditions; and whereas the exports to Germany have only risen 36 per cent, between 1911 and 1913, those to Great Britain have inc, eased 75 per cent. While hitherto it has been the calcined cat bo nates and haematites of La Ferriere, Halouze and Larchamp which have been sent to Gr at Britain, the new undertakings and the old undertakings, bent on increasing their outputs, are not failing, and will not fail, closely to watch the British market. The Normandy haematites are chiefly produced, at present, at St. Remy, St. Andre, and at May. Those of Remy are the finest known, from the point of view of their iron contents: 52 to 55 per cent, of iron, 10 to 12 per cent, of silica, 3 per cent, of alumina, 2’5 per cent, of lime and magnesia, 0’6 to 0’7 per cent, of phosphorus, and 3 per cent, of water. At St. Andre and at May the iron percentage is, generally speaking, 46 to 51, with 14 to 16 per cent, of silica and 0 6 to 0’7 per cent, of phosphorus, the remaining constituents being present in the same proportions as in the St. Remy ores. The rest of the concessions yield chiefly carbonates, which are calcined before transportation, ihe calcination being carried out in kilns with a consumption of 12 to 15 kilogs. of lean coal per ton of raw ore. The yield on calcination va> ies, at La Ferriere, Halouze and Larchamp between 75 and 79 per cent, and the calcined ore of these mines contains, finally, 48 to 50 per cent, of iron, 13 to 14-per cent, of silica, 4 to 7 per cent, of alumina, 3’5 to 4'5 per cent, of lime and magnesia, and invariably, 0’6 to 0'7 per cent, of phosphorus. Other mines do not yield such rich ores; at Soumont the ore contains 44 per cent, of iron, and 20 to 22 per cent, of silica. At Mortain, Bourb rouze and Jurques, the ores range about the same. Although the ores are therefore, generally speaking, fairly siliceous, they are also fairly rich in iron. They are suitable not only for the manufacture of basic pig iron for the Bessemer piocess, but they form excellent ores for mixing, and, with the addition of the necessary fluxes, can yield basic pig with 1’4 to 1’5 per cent, of phosphorus for foundry purposes or for the open-hearth furnace. In addition, the calcined carbonates are, generally speaking, porous, which is an advantage in reducing them in the furnace. A ton of the raw material, weighed loose, only weighs 1,600 to 1,650 kilogs. after passing through the calcined kilns. To estimate the resources of the Normandy deposit would be a fairly difficult task. Not only are there numerous portions as yet incompletely known, but the exploratory work carried out recently, and still being carried out on the various synclines, have led to the recognition of fresh mineralised areas, in continuity with the earlier concessions, while, except at St. Remy (where it appears to have been approached), the bottom of the formation has nowhere as yet been encountered. Confining oneself to the known deposits, and basing the estimates (except for St. Remy) on the 400 m. borehole at Soumont, there would be 220,000,000 tons. If, as some believe, the sy nclines do not meet, as a general rule, before a depth of 1,200 m. or more is attained, it may be that these tonnages will be very greatly exceeded.* If the resources of the Normandy deposits are ___________________________ difficult to estimate, it would be even more premature to make any definite statement with regard to the Angevin-Breton deposit. From a geological point of view this deposit presents considerable analogy with the former—the. series of south-east to north-west synclines containing several seams of ore of variable number and * For the sake of completeness the Devonian formation of Dielette should also be mentioned. Here several seams of oxide ores are met with. They are almost vertical and outcrop along the beach at low tide. By sinking a shaft in firm ground, and cutting an incline sub-marine, workings are to be opened up to supply the Caen blastfurnaces and the Thyssen works in Westphalia. In 1913 Saint-Nazaire and Nantes, which ship almost the whole of the ores exported from Anjouand Brittany, loaded 138,151 and 135,423 tons respectively. Taken as a whole, the Normandy-Anjou-Brittany ore field yields, therefore, annually over a million tons of ore. Of this tonnage marly two-thirds is exported, the ore having a fair percentage of iron, but, on the other hand, being somewhat siliceous and moderately phosphoric. The favourable situation of the field in respect to the ports of embarkation, and the ease with which colliers can transport the ore at cheap freights, should lead to a rapid increase in the trade with Great Britain, particularly with the impending development of mining in the various districts. (To be continued.) PIT-HEAD BATHS AT A FIFESHIRE COLLIERY. The well-known firm of Oarron Company, whose chief works are at Oarron, Stirlingshire, has just com- pleted an extensive order for the Wemyss Coal Company Limited, East Wemyss, Fife, for spray baths on the cubicle system. Canon Company is to be congratulated on being the first firm to undertake a1 contract of this nature, at least on such a large scale in Scotland. Our readers will recollect that the Coal Alines Act of 1911 provides for some method of bathing the miner at the pit-head, the power being vested in the miner himself, who can refuse or enforce the Act on the owner. Some idea of the extent of these cubicles may be gathered from the fact that a considerable portion of the Wemyss Coal Company’s main building, measuring 168 ft. long by 35 ft. wide by 20 ft. high, has been utilised after being suitably prepared with concrete floor and glazed brick sides; special attention having been given to the lighting, heating and ventilation of the building. No fewer than 84 bath compartments have been erected, each measuring 4 ft. wide by 5 ft. deep, capable of accommodating several hundred miners. These compartments, which are formed of galvanised iron plates and cast iron standards bound in top rail, are suitably screened, and are fitted with self-closing valve and pull shower arrangement giving a libera] discharge of water which can be regulated by the bather to any desired temperature. Before starting the day’s work the miner changes his walking for his working clothes, the former being suspended from the roof by hooks attached to chains carried over pulleys. At the close of the day’s work the changing process is reversed, the pit clothes in turn being suspended from the roof, where they are speedily dried by means of an exhaust fan installed for that purpose. Suitable seating arrangement down the centre of the building is also provided, which completes what is perhaps the finest equipment of its kind in this part of the country. The accompanying photograph shows a portion of the building, with cubicles and hangers. 17 per cent, of silica; La Ferriere ( a seam of magnetite from 3m. to 41m. in thickness) 48 percent, of iron and 18 per wilt. of silica; and Pavilion (two seams of magnetite of I’20m. and 210 m. in thickness) 52 per cent, of iron and 12 per cent, of silica. Dming explo atory borings towards the west and in Brittany, an exceedingly irregular formation, con-isting of haematite, oolitic iron ore, and iron carbonate was found. It seldom penetrates to very great depths, although, as a matter of fact, do borings have, except in one or two instances, been made to a greater depth than 100 m. below the surface. Frequently the ore becomes leaner with increasing depth. In other- instances, on the contrary, it has been found to become richer. The present active campaign of exploration which is being carried on on this formation will allow of its future prospects being better understood before long. Apart from this deposit in situ numerous superficial deposits are strewn throughout the Lower-Loire, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, and also in Vendee. The best known of these is at Rouge,, to the north of Chateaubriant (ore containing 45 to 50 per cent, of iron, 15 to 18 per cent, silica, and 1 to 4 per cent, alumina). These ores are derived from the migration of the caps of older seams, which have often been transported to c< nsiderable distances from the original deposit. The production of these < res, about one-third of which are exported to England, has been dining the last few years as follows:— The annual meeting of the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders was held at Newcastle on the 30th ult., Sir Charles Parsons, the retiring president, presiding in the absence of Sir Andrew Noble, the new president, in consequence of ill-health. The council’s report drew attention to the King having consented to become patron, and to the charter of incorporation having, been received during the year. Mr. James Robertson, of Middlesbrough, has been awarded the institution’s scholar- ship. The report and the balance sheet (which showed that over ,£6,000 had been promised to the endowment fund durihg the year) were adopted. Mr. J. W. Hobson read a paper on “ Industrial Locomotives.” T ns. 1908 ________ 23,714 1909 ........ 98,988 1910 ________ 1:4,7110 1911 _________ 188,712 1912 ________ 235.009 1913 ........ 311,500 Tons. 1902 ........ 6.426 1903 ........ 27,556 1904 ........ 79 533 1905 ........ 83,040 1906 ________ 114,242 1907 ________ 136,401 They vary with the relative prosperity of the ore market.