292 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. August 6, 1915. from below. The heating flues are relatively fixed or anchored by an abutment or support, which directly covers the flues. This support is provided over each flue, preferably axially, with passages which may be adjustable by means of registers. The products of combustion escape from the flues through the passages into a horizontal passage, and thence to a descending shaft and into the chimney. H. Keppers, Germany. 27290/04. Furnace hoists. Relates to hoists for charging blast, etc., furnaces, in which skips are sus- pended from trolleys travelling on inclined tracks, and comprises means for discharging such skips when they are directly over the fur- nace mouth. The trolley carrying the skip is drawn up the track by a rope passing round a sheave, and attached to a motor vehicle moving on a rack and acting as a counterweight to the, skip. The skip has a conical bottom, which is suspended by a chain passing round and attached to a drum. The front wheels of the trolley are so constructed that they run up spring guide rails, counterw'eighted by a lever. When the trolley reaches the end of its travel further ten- sion of the rope causes rotation of the drum, about the end of the lower rails as axis. This rotation causes the chain to unwind, and the bucket is lowered into the hopper of the furnace. The conical bottom of the skip and the cone of the furnace descend together, and the skip is thus discharged. When the vehicle begins to travel upwards, the counterweighted lever returns the rails to the normal position, and the trolley descends. J. Pohlig Akt.-Ges., Ger- many. 27300/04. Sifting ores, etc. Flat or table sieves for separ- ating ores and granular materials receive a rapid shaking or trembling movement by fixing to their frames elastic bars, the end of which pro- ject beyond their connection with the frames, motion being imparted to the free ends by coarsely toothed wheels or cams. The sieve is fixed in a frame, to which are attached cross stays. To the stays are fixed the elastic bars of wood or steel, the ends of which project freely beyond the end stays. The lower ends of the bars rest on a fixed crossbar, while the upper ends are furnished with steel shoes bear- ing upon the cam. Links serve to connect the sieve with the main frame. The upper ends of the elastic bars may be carried by fixed bearings and the lower ends supported on rotating cams. F. Wissmann, Germany. 28532/04. Washing, classifying, and drying coal. Fine coal, after being washed and separated, is delivered on to a band carried on rollers, the larger pieces falling first and forming a layer on the band, on which the finer coal is afterwards deposited. The bed of coal acts as a filter, the very fine coal slime being returned for further treatment, and the water drained off. The band sags between the rollers, and the consequent altera- tion of direction at the rollers breaks the bed. H. Kupper, Germany. 28966/04. Gas producers. The grate of a gas generator is mounted upon a rotating water trough, in order to prevent the fuel from caking. The body of the generator is mounted rigidly upon support- ing brackets, and is cooled by a water jacket, the lower end of which dips into the trough. The trough is mounted on balls, and may be rotated by means of a -worm wheel, which gears with a ring of teeth. The grate is formed of a tower-like arrangement of rings, which are pro- vided with lateral air openings, and may be elliptical or polygonal in shape. Air is sup- plied. through an appropriately incorporated pipe. A. von Kerpely, Austria. 29019/04. Rock drills, etc. In a percussive rock drill or the like actuated by fluid pressure, the supply of pressure fluid to the piston is controlled by means of a ball valve, which alternately opens and closes one of two ports leading to opposite ends of the cylinder. H. Flottmann, Germany. *** Copies of any of the above specifications can be supplied at the price of Is. post free. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. *** Any of the following publications may be obtained on application to this office at the price named post free. PRICE OF COAL (LIMITATION) ACT, IJd. British Empire Committee Report, 2d. Consular Reports : St. Helin, 1914, 2d. National Education, Appendix to 80th Report, Section 2, 5}d. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. The Coking of Coal at Low Tbmpebatubes , with Special Reference to the Properties and Composition of the Products (Bulletin 79, University of Illinois). By S. W. Parr and H. L. Olin. London : Chapman and Hall Limited. Price, 25c. “ South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines, Tre- forest. Calendar. Session 1915-16”: '‘.Journal of the British Chamber of Commerce for Italy," July (Vol. 4. No. 7); “The Resources of Tennessee” (Vol. 5, No. 3), July: “The Journal of the South African Institution of Engineers” (Vol. 13, No. 12), July, price 2s.; “Pros- pectus of University Courses in the Municipal School of Technology, Manchester. Session 1915-16”: “Extracts from Reports on the District of Ungara recently added to the Province of Quebec under the name of the Territory of New Quebec ” (Department of Colonisation, Mines, and Fisheries, Mines Branch of Quebec); “ Quelques Iddes Americaines Modernes sur la Formation des Ingenieurs,” d’apres les “ Allocutions Aux Futurs Ingenieurs,” Editees par MM. Waddell et Harrington, extraits par Andrd Rabut (Comite Central des Houillferes de France). Coal Supply in Holland.—The situation regarding coal in the Netherlands is becoming precarious, says Mr. Consul F. W. Mahin, of Amsterdam. Before the war unlimited quanti- ties could be had from both Germany and Great Britain. Now the imports from those countries are small, uncertain, and insufficient for current demands. The wholesale price of coal in this market has doubled, bituminous coal having advanced from about 4 dols. a ton, the normal price, to about 8dols.; anthracite has increased to about 10 dols. It is fortunate that summer prevails, or there might be actual suffering in the Netherlands for lack of fuel. While Holland produces peat in great abundance, it produces practically no wood for fuel and so little coal as to be negligible—only about 1.500,000 tons a year from a few mines in the Province of Limburg. Therefore, if outside fuel supplies were entirely cut off, the Netherlands would be practically limited to peat for fuel. As respects the coal supply for the near future, the outlook is uncertain. Attention has been turned to the United States, but distance and freight rates cause importers and users to hesitate about placing orders there. The Nederland Steam- ship Company, plying between Amsterdam and the Dutch. East Indies, states the Consul, intends sending some of its own vessels to the United States to import coal for the use of its steamers: and the steamers of the Holland-Amerika Line, which formerly loaded at Rotterdam with coal for the round trip, are now loading at Hoboken. Partnership Dissolved.—The London Gazette announces the dissolution of the following, partnership :—F. R. Swin- burne, senr., and F. R. Swinburne, junr., brass factors, at Pershore-street. Birmingham, under the style of Swinburne and Son, and as makers and dealers in lamps and lighting equipments, under the style of the F.R.S. Lamps. Acetylene Mining Lamps.—The jury in the competition for ordinary acetylene mining lamps organised under the direction of Secretariat International du Carbure de Calcium, at Geneva, under the auspices of the Acetylene Associations of the various countries, have now given their verdict, delayed until now by “ events.” While fully recognising the efforts of the makers, and the progress realised, the jury do not consider that the lamps which have been submitted to them fulfil sufficiently completely all the conditions of the competi- tion in order to justify the awarding of an unique prize. On the other hand, they believe that they ought to take account of the real merits of certain of the models presented, and divide into several prizes the sum of 5,000 fr. placed at the disposition of the jury. To this end they have made two classes, one for hand lamps, and the other for head lamps, and awarded the following prizes :—First category—hand lamps: 1st prize. 2,000 fr., to M. Joseph Mercier, Nancv (France); 2nd prize, 1,500 fr., to MM. Friemann and Wolf, Zwickau (Allemagne); 3rd prize, 500 fr., to M. A. Tobelaine, Villanueva-Minas (Espagne). Second category—head lamps : Sole prize, 1,000 fr.. to M. Andre Rebattet,'Paris. CATALOGUES AND PRICE LISTS RECEIVED. The Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company forward a bulletin relating to the Drentley electric grinders. Messrs. Thompson and Company (48, Watling-street, E.C.) are agents for the “ Rex ” alternating current -watt-hour meters manufactured in Geneva. These meters are con- structed for single-, two-, or three-phase circuits, and register the electrical energy in kilowatt-hours, according to the principle of the Ferraris rotating field. Mr. Chas. D. Phillips (Emlyn Engineering Works, New- port) sends us a leaflet describing the new “ Fortuna ” power hack saw, with patent universal vice, which can be set at any angle. By means of V-shaped multiple jaws, several work pieces may be clamped at the same time. The saw may be driven by belt or direct from motor. A tripod is provided for supporting long work. The National Boiler and General Insurance Company Limited (National Buildings, St. Mary’s Parsonage, Man- chester) send, in the form of a leaflet, particulars of a new patent circulator for raising the inlet temperature of water entering economisers. The circulator, which is made in three standard sizes, is fixed in the feed pipe range between the pump and the economiser, and a pipe connects the circulator to the top branch pipe of the economiser. The action of the circulator automatically draws hot water from the top branch pipe into the cold feed supply, thus raising its temperature and preventing the chilling effect of cold feed water on the economiser pipes. Access to the withdrawable nozzle in the circulator is obtained by removing a bolted cover. A leaflet dealing with tar distilling plant has reached us from the Power-Gas Corporation Limited (Stockton-on-Tees). It illustrates a plant installed at the Birmingham Corpora- tion Gas Works at Saltley, and designed to deal with the tar from a 90-ton battery of Mond producers, supplying gas to 66 by-product coke ovens. The plant is entirely self-con- tained, and either pitch or dehydrated tar suitable for road making can be produced as desired. The most important part of the plant is the still, which is conical in shape, termi- nating in a circular parallel portion at the bottom, which forms a receptacle for the pitch or dehydrated tar. The top is closed in by a substantial dished plate, with a manhole and cover at the centre. In the interior, and on the inclined por- tion of the shell, concentric steel rings, spaced a certain dis- tance apart, are riveted, forming trays, over which the mixture of tar and water flows. From the pre-heater the tar is conducted on to a steel tray, nearly as large as the diameter of the still, with an upturned edge about 1 in. deep, so that the heat in the still drives off a large percentage of the water before the tar finally overflows the outside edge on to the concentric rings previously mentioned. The still is fitted with the usual safety valve, and a special arrangement at the bottom which will come into immediate action in case of an undue pressure. The still is designed on the film system; this enables it to work more than twice as fast as an ordinary pot still. It is fixed in a firebrick setting, having special- shaped firebricks placed next the conical steel shell wherever the heat is applied. With this arrangement it has been found that overheating rarely takes place, and the chance of cindering is thereby reduced to a minimum. The still works under vacuum as usual. The condensate is led off through a condenser into the receiver, where the oils settle out. The pitch is collected in the pitch cooler in the ordinary way, and runs off when sufficiently cooled. The incondensable and noxious fumes are passed through the vacuum pump, con- veyed underneath the furnace of the still, passed through the fire, and destroyed. As regards labour, only one man is required for operating a still to deal with 30 tons of tar per day. Moreover, the plant is so designed and arranged that it can be shut down practically at any time and started up the following morning without loss of time. North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers.—The annual general meeting of the members of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers will be held in the Wood Memorial Hall, New- castle-upon-Tyne, to-morrow (Saturday), at 2 p.m. The following papers will be open for discussion :—“ The Lateral Friction of Winding Ropes,” by Mr. H. W. G. Halbaum; “ The Prevention of Overwinding and Overspeeding in Shafts,” by Mr. G. G. T. Poole; “ Coal Mining in Mexico,” by Mr. E. O. Forster Brown; “The Winding Drums of Practice and of Theory, with Notes on Factors of Safety and Economy of Winding Ropes,” by Mr. H. W. G. Halbaum; “ Mining in Burma ” (part 1), by Mr. C. W. Chater. The following paper will be read or taken as read : “A New Battery Signalling Bell,” by Prof. W. M. Thornton (with experimental illustrations). o <4- co co C9 •oo o cn •OO .c | V 45 » o a g a 0) 0) I STEEL PIT PROPS British Made. Liberty of Movement. Maximum of Safety. Minimum of Cost. Highest Efficiency combining Resistance of Pressure with Mobility and Resiliency. CO., Willenhall, STAFFS. WILLENHALL.” ’ WRIGHT’S FORGE & J ENGINEERING CO. LTD. --- Sole IVIawi aoturers. ---------- NEPTUNE FORCE, a 57, BISHOPSCATE, TIPTON. a LONDON, E.C.