884 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. October 29, 1915. slang ” and other verbal eccentricities, seek to shelter their intimate discourses from the vulgar curiosity of the mob. But whether these practices be old or new, in either case are they wasteful and confusing, tending as they do to herd all mankind into a Tower of Babel. The strange thing is, that not half the people who thus abuse the gift of’ speech are conscious that they are rendering the work of the world more burdensome by the reduplication of terms. We have here the strongest argument in favour of a decimal system—an admirable system in so far as it aims at standardising weights and measures irrespective of language and application. The great argument against a decimal system has always been that uniform codes do not wed harmoniously with practices that are very far from being uniform. It is a remarkable fact, however, that very few engineers, to take a class more particularly concerned in principles of measurement, have ever considered how far the special systems traditionally attached to their own particular branches of the science are inherently necessary or suitable; whether there is any intrinsic quality that requires certain special units of measurement and inhibits the employment of other units that have been successfully adopted in other branches in many respects akin to their own. This reflection is inspired by the success which has attended the application of electrical methods of measurement to the control of compressed air supply in South Africa. The testing of the huge air-com- pressor recently installed on the Rand has formed the subject of a paper, read by Mr. G. M. Clark before the South African Institution of Engineers, and this paper provided the real motive of much of the interesting paper read by Mr. Sam Mavor at the recent meeting of the Institution of Mining Engineers. Every new thing has to become acclimatised in a hostile atmosphere, and Mr. Clark’s critics have been numerous; they have been dealt with by the author in a pedagogic but convincing fashion in his reply to the discussion—a contribution, on the whole, more interesting even than the original paper itself. Mr. Clark points out that the use of the units adopted have not only the efficiency of the plant, to which he specially refers, but, what is more important, there has actually been an increase in the power of thinking on steam problems by the staff of the power company. He says : — This increase in the power of thinking is one of the most valuable assets that do not appear in a company's balance-sheet. It has been very largely improved by the adoption throughout our system of the kilowatt-hour as the energy unit in whatever form the energy appears, whether heat, work or electricity. The general mental process before doing this was to convert thermal units into foot-pounds through the mechanical equivalent, then from foot-pounds into horse-power, and, finally, from horse-power to kilowatt-hours, or otherwise the process is reversed, and the familiar kilowatt-hours are con- verted in a laborious manner into unfamiliar thermal units. The experiment that we have made in our works of issuing steam tables in the form of diagrams with kilowatt-hour scales short-circuits all these steps. The statement that we purchase on the coal side 63 kilowatt- hours of energy for Id. when we already know that we sell on the electrical side 1 kilowatt-hour for |d., conveys the same information as the statement that we purchase 215,000-B.Th.U. for Id., but in a form more available for assimilation. For without effort it is at once recognised that we sell energy in the electrical side at about 30 times its cost in the coal side. He points out that if the waterworks engineer could only manage to lift his 1.000 gals, through 265 ft. (and 5 in. and and a small if he wants to be very accurate) instead of through 100ft., his unit of work would also be the kw.-hr, and his statistics as well as the gallons would be elevated to a much higher plane. In a word, Mr. Clark’s ideal is to develop the thinking powers of the staff and leave arithmetical accuracy to the calculating machine. The principle has a very wide application, for, as things are, not only has every source of power its own set of units, but some have several sets, which do not always give equivalent or satisfactory results. Thus Mr. Clark asks why exhaust steam should be measured by pressure instead of in the simpler terms of temperature. Again, the unit of a kilogramme per square centimetre used by Continental engineers differs by more than 3 per cent, from the unit of metric atmosphere adopted by the physicists. Turning to temperature, we have the choice between the scales of Fahrenheit or of Centigrade, and their abuse. The abuse of the Fahrenheit scale has come about by the introduction of an artificial and unnecessary zero in steam work in passing through the boiling point and expressing the final state of the steam as being so many degrees superheated. When, observes Mr. Clark, the properties of water are expressed in a co-ordinate system, the properties used are its temperature and its entropy, and it is only introducing confusion to state the former in two phrases where one will suffice. Mr. Clark is rather severe on the members of his profession, but there is wisdom in what he says. He remarks that, whilst engineers seldom touch upon the units they use, it is even more seldom that they deal with the dimensions of these units. As Lord Rayleigh has complained, the engineer always takes out a “g ” when it should go in, and then puts it in when it ought to come out. 44 An engineer,” Mr. Clark supposes, 44 will always con- tinue to buy coal by weight instead of by mass until there is no more left to buy, and he will always speak of volume when he means specific volume until the end of all things. The result is that there is a dual system of units, one as used by the engineer and the other by the physicist.” The existence of such a dual system is not a matter that distresses an electrician, for he is already accustomed to at least two systems of units with different dimensions, and finds no confusion in having different dimensions for the same physical quantity when measured in the electro-static or electro-magnetic system. In this, as in many other matters, the electrical engineer is far better equipped than the mechanical engineer, and the latter has much to learn about the properties of the energy and matter that he handles and the ways of dealing with them before he has the powerful methods at his command that the electrical man finds already at his disposal. As an electrical engineer deals with a dual system, so, too, a mechanical engineer, having suppressed what appears to him to be a redundant “ g ” and other things, need not proceed with any less confidence because he treats as a “length’' what the physicist treats as an “ energy,’' just as the electrical engineer is already prepared to treat a resistance either as a velocity or the reciprocal of a velocity according to the system used. The real truth of the matter, we suppose, is that the engineer is not enfranchised, like the philosopher, from the manacles of trade. Mr. Clark indeed recognises this, for he admits that the interests of engineers are so diverse and spread so far beyond the technical section of the community that it is not possible to expect them to adhere too closely to strict methods of expression. 44 One has not only to design, make and test, but one has also to sell.” Moreover, it is a question as to how far the desire of an engineer to purchase coal by volume instead of by weight, would be reciprocated by the even less philosophical vendor of that commodity, and as we know, it takes two to make a bargain. The physicist, happily for himself, does not enter the market place, he lives on himself, like the Swiss Family Robinson or the German nation. Neverthe- less, it may be hoped that the world will some day shed the slough of these redundancies and live the 44 simple life ” ; the experience gained in South Africa shows that a little thought on such matters may have great practical benefits to the community. An application for approval to a scheme of arrangement was made on October 26 to Mr. Reg. Hood at the London Bankruptcy Court on behalf of Robert Rowell, 127, Camber- well-grove, S.E., and late of Newcastle-on-Tyne, colliery agent. Mr. Egerton S. Grey, official receiver, reported that the debtor failed in April last, with liabilities <£880 and assets valued at =£250. He had offered the creditors a composition of 7s. 6d. in the <£, with a further provision for payment of the debts in full. A previous failure was recorded against him during October 1901 in the Newcastle County Court; the liabilities then amounted to £ 16,283, no dividend was paid, and the discharge was suspended for three years. From 1901 till 1908 the debtor continued business at Newcastle as a colliery agent, but then removed to London, where he had carried on a similar business. He had also been concerned in the promotion of public com- panies, and attributed his present failure to having contracted liabilities on behalf of another person, who was unable to meet them. The official receiver further reported that the amount required for the composition and expenses was <£371 6s. 4d. The debtor’s solicitors had sent a cheque for £225, and asked for an adjournment with a view to providing the balance. A gentleman who was finding the money was now engaged on munition work in the United States in conjunction with Mr. D. A. Thomas, but would return shortly and complete the deposit of the money.— The hearing was adjourned till November 30. THE COAL AND IRON TRADES. Thursday, October 28. Scotland.—Western District. COAL. There is continued improvement in the tone of the west of Scotland coal trade, and values are advancing. Best ells and splints are well booked for prompt shipment, but some delay is being experienced owing to the late arrival of steamers and the shortage of tonnage. Navigations and ordinary steams are moderately* active. All sizes of small are in good demand, double nuts being particularly strong, and large quantities are being cleared at firm prices. The shipments from the district during the past week amounted to 110,547 tons, compared with 115,715 in the preceding week and 118,824 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Prices f.o.b. Glasgow. Steam coal.............. Ell .................... Splint.................. Treble nuts ............ Double do. ............. Single do............... Current L'st week's prices. < prices. 15/ -17/6 15/6-17/6 17/6-18/ 17/3-17/6 18/ -24/ 18/ -24/ 18/ -18/6 : 18/ -18/6 17/9-18/ ’ 17/6-18/ 16/3-16/6 16/6-16/9 Last year's prices. 10/9-12/6 11/6-11/9 11/6—14/ 11/6-11/9 10/3 10/ IRON. The Scotch iron trade is still without any special feature. In the pig iron trade the turnover is largely confined to contract orders. New business is scarce, buyers limiting their purchases to the quantities necessary for imme- diate requirements. Makers are delivering large quan- tities of hsematite iron to home consumers, but other qualities are slow to move. Shipments of pig iron for the past week amounted to 2,849 tons, an increase of 681 tons over the same week last year. There are 71 furnaces in blast in Scotland at present, one less than in the preceding week and the same number as at the corresponding date last year. The prices of Scotch makers' iron are quoted as follow:—Monkland, f.a.s. at Glasgow No. 1, 79s., No. 3, 78s. ; Govan, No. 1, 79s., No. 3, 77s. 6d.; Carnbroe, No. 1, 82s., No. 3, 78s.; Clyde, No. 1, 84s. 6d., No. 3, 79s.; Gartsherrie, Summer lee, Calder and Langloan, Nos. 1, 85s., Nos. 3, 80s.; Glengarnock, at Ardrossan, No. 1, 85s., No. 3, 80s.; Eglinton, at Ardrossan or Troon, No. 1, 80s., No. 3, 79s.; Dalmellington, at Ayr, No. 1, 81s., No. 3, 79s.; Shotts, at Leith, No. 1, 85s., No. 3, 80s.; Carron, at Leith, No. 1, 86s., No. 3, 81s. per ton. The Glasgow pig iron warrant market was only moderately active during the past week, the total turnover not exceeding 14,000 tons. The tone has been firmer, however, Cleveland iron closing at 66s. 2d. per ton cash buyers, a gain of Is. per ton on the week. The various branches of the finished iron trade are as active as ever. The demand for all classes of material is very pressing, and works are quite unable to overtake the business on hand. Black sheet and malleable iron makers are particularly busy. Values are increasing all round. Black sheets T3K in. thick are now quoted about £12 5s. per ton, while malleable iron makers are asking £1110s. per ton, less 5 per cent, for Crown bars for home delivery, and £10 17s. 6d. net for export, and £12 10s. and £11 17s. 6d. to £12 per ton respectively for steel bars. Scotland.—Eastern District. COAL. In the Lothian district business generally is compara- tively good. Collieries are well booked for some weeks ahead, and values are improving. Clearances for the week amounted to 47,564 tons, against 37,180 in the preceding week, and 64,344 tons in the same week last year. Prices f.o.b. Leith. | Current iL'st week's Last year's I prices. • prices. prices. Best screened steam coal...* 17/ -18/ * 16/ -17/ 11/3 Secondary qualities......! 15/6-16/6 15/ -15/6 ' 10/ -10/3 Treble nuts ............. 18/6-19/6 18/ -19/ Double do................j 17/3-18/3 j 16/6-17/6 Single do................I 16/3-16/6 I 15/9-16/3 11/6 10/ 10/3 The position in Fifeshire is a little more satisfactory particularly in regard to first-class steams, which quality represents a large proportion of the business passing at present in round coal. Smalls are going off in satisfactory quantities, with fair regularity. Shipments amounted to 60,844 tons, compared writh 61,201 in the preceding week, and 59,234 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Prices f.o.b. Methil or Burntisland. Best screened navigation coal....................j Unscreened do............ First-class steam coal... Third-class do........... Treble nuts ............. Double do................ Single do................ Current prices. 20/ -22/ 18/ -20/ 17/6-18 6 14/ -15/ 18/6—19/6 16/9-17/3 15/6-163 jL'st week's Last year's i prices. ; prices. ■ 20/ -21/ 15/6-15/9 ; 18/ -19/ ! 13/ ! 17/6-18/ i 12/ I 14/ -15/ | 10/ . i 18/ -19/ ; 11/9-12/3 ' 16/6-17/6 ; 10/3-10/6 15/6-16/3 | 10/ -10/3 The aggregate clearances from Scottish ports during the past week amounted to 218,955 tons, compared with 214,096 in the preceding week, and 242,402 tons in the corresponding week of last year.