January 14, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

83

fract poured a copious stream on the colliery buildings, and
in that way helped very materially to prevent the spread of
the fire, which was completely extinguished about 10 o’clock.
The cause of the fire is not known, but it is thought it may
have originated through a spark flying from a colliery
locomotive.

At a meeting of the council of the Huddersfield Chamber
of Commerce last week, Mr. W. Dale Shaw called attention
to the great scarcity of coal of all sorts, and particularly of
steam coal. In regard to the selling of coal in the Hudders-
field district, the Government inspector had been round, and
he had himself seen letters from the Government which were
of the most peremptory character, and which ordered that no
further coal should be sold except for the making of coke,
or of the residuals which went to the making of high explo-
sives. Further, the Government inspector had been to the
coal exchanges in Leeds and ■ Bradford, ' and had instructed
the colliery proprietors that they must not sell any of the
coal. Many of the concerns in. that district were engaged on
Government work, and it was vital to. the carrying out of
the contracts that the mills should be kept going. He had
spoken to the Under-Secretary for Home Affairs (Mr. Brace)
on the matter, and he seemed very much surprised, and said
that.he would make enquiries. Mr. Shaw proposed a resolu-
tion to the effect that the interference of the Government was
greatly accentuating the already great scarcity of coal in the
neighbourhood, and would cause works to close temporarily
or permanently, and in consequence Government orders would
be delayed; that the Government department responsible be
pressed to modify this interference. — The resolution was
carried unanimously.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

Town Planning at Little Hulton—Increased Transport of
Coal by Canals—The Working of the Price of Coal
(Limitation) Act—Uniform Conditions in Engineering.

The Little Hulton District Council, whose township is
largely devoted to the coal mining industry, have now7
received authorisation from the Local Government Board to
prepare their town planning scheme.

It is understood that the New Moss Colliery Company,
Messrs. A. Knowles and Sons Limited, Clifton .and Kersley
Coal Company Limited, Hulton Colliery Company, and the
Earl of Ellesmere propose augmenting their electrical
installations in '.a variety of ways, at an early date.

The use of canals for the carriage of coal is becoming
more popular in various parts of Southern Lancashire; this
is owing, in a large measure, to the increased congestion
of traffic on the railways. Heavy cargoes of coal are being
carried on the Bridgewater Canal, Bolton and Bury Canal,
and the Liverpool and Leeds Canal.

A correspondent says important developments in the shape
of opening new7 seams and the putting down of additional
surface buildings (including electrical power stations) are
foreshadowed for the near future at certain of Lord
Ellesmere’s collieries in the Manchester and Bolton areas.
A new Arley mine is to be opened out at the Mosley Common
(Boothstown).

In the course of a report on a local conference between
representatives of the Bredbury and Romdley District Council
and the coal merchants, with a view to coming to an agree-
ment as to coal prices during the next four months, it was
stated that from the evidence produced, at the conference the
Price of Coal (Limitation) Act was largely a dead letter, and
it was alleged that the provisions of the Act were not being
observed by the colliery owners of the country. It was
decided to send a letter to the Board of Trade calling atten-
tion to the matter.—At a meeting of the Marple District
Council, Conn. Joseph Smith stated that not a single colliery
had observed the terms of the Act, which was a failure so
far as the coal consumer was concerned. Even the Council’s
gas department, which expected to get a full rebate under
the Act, had only got one quarter.

An interesting paper on “ The Importance of Uniform
Conditions for Engineering Operations and Industrial
Work ” was read by Mr. Alfred Etchells, at a meeting of the
Manchester Association of Engineers, on Saturday evening
last. He said that although absolute uniformity was
unattainable, it was generally possible to achieve conditions
sufficiently close to obtain all the practical advantages that
were inherent in any case under consideration. He remarked
that the winding of deep coal, and other minerals, was
largely influenced by the problems closely associated with
aiming at uniformity in operation. In an ordinary drawpit,
or well, a simple windlass with a single rope and hopper, or
bucket, was used. As greater depths were negotiated, the
axle became a drum, and' it was so arranged that when
the full hopper was being raised, the empty one was being
lowered from the opposite side of the drum, so as to, as far
as possible, equalise the effort or work to be done. As depths
went further still in. mineral working, the balance chain, the
tail rope, and the fusee drum were used, so as to bring
conditions sufficiently near to an average loading as possible,
and even then the engines for the deep seams in the South-
East Yorkshire coal field and elsewhere became very large,
and operated at widely varying powers. In one case the
engines were a pair of 42 in. by 7 ft. stroke, coupled on
cranks at right angles, and worked with a steam pressure
of 1501b. per square inch, and in order that they could
start easily and quickly, the winding drum was a double
cone or fusee, on which the full cage at the bottom was’
then hung on a 17 ft. diameter, and the empty cage at the
top was hung from the opposite side on a diameter of 34 ft.
The shaft was about 900 yds. deep, and the complete wind
had to be done in two minutes to secure the proper output.
It would have required a very much larger engine to have
secured that if the aim at uniformity of effort had not been
made in the formation of the drum, or in some other way.
.—In the course of the discussion, Mr. Gass remarked that
Mr. Etchells seemed to think that uniform conditions were
the best for a man; that he should work a few hours per
day regularly in preference to working spells and taking
intervals of rest. So far as colliers were concerned, an
effort had been made to establish that condition of things
by introducing the eight hour day, but curiously enough, the
men themselves preferred to work in spells and earn in three
days all the wages they required for the week.

Notts and Derbyshire.

Edward Medal for Brave Miner.

The name of Mr. H. Watson, of Lc-scoe Fields, Heanor,
manager of the Butterley Colliery Company Limited, appears
in the list of the Commission of the Peace for Derbyshire.
Mr. Watson has designed and carried out many improve-
ments in the company’s pits. A fortnight ago, while

superintending alterations at the Langley Colliery, he was
struck on the forehead bv a piece of oak flung from a
revolving drum, and he now lies at. the Nottingham General
Hospital, making only slow7 progress towards recovery.'

On June 8 of last year, a miner, working at the No. 2 pit
belonging to the Clay Cross Company Limited, was buried
by a fall of roof, and several of the workmen in the pit risked
their own lives in an unhappily futile effort to save him.
Amongst these were a deputy, named Samuel Stoppard, and
two other miners, Henry Jepson and Samuel Featherstone.
Whilst engaged in clearing away the fall, in order to rescue
the man, Stoppard noticed that the roof was “ weighting,”
and, in order to try to avert a further fall, he set two addi-
tional props to distribute it more, one prop being still in the
centre. The “ weight,” however, came, and all three props
were knocked out. Stoppard was farther in' than the other
two men, and the fresh fall, which weighed 'about 10 tons,
buried Stoppard to the waist.- The heroic deeds were brought
to the notice of the Home Office, and, as a result, Stoppard
is to be awarded the Edward Medal, whilst the Secretary of
State has conveyed, through Mr. J. Steen, the secretary to
the Clay Cross Company Limited, his high appreciation cf
the behaviour of Jepson and Featherstone in assisting in the
attempted rescue of Haslam.

The Midlands.

Drainage Commission and, Government Control—Inguest on
Mid-Cannock Colliery Accident.

At the monthly meeting of the Commissioners laet week,
Col. Garratf enquired whether application had been made
for the Commission to be a controlled establishment.—The
general manager (Mr. Edmund Howl) replied that in view of
the great difficulty now experienced in obtaining fuel, and
in preventing the men employed by the Commission from
leaving their work, they made application for a clause to be
inserted in the Munitions Amendment Bill, which had now
passed its third reading, giving power to the Ministry of
Munitions if and when thought desirable to make the under-
taking of the Commission a controlled establishment. He
pointed out that the Commission was solely engaged in
pumping, water from the mines, and in preventing water
from the surface running into the mines, and had no power
to raise mineral. He had .also written to the Public Works
Loan Board, asking them to assist in getting the clause
referred to inserted in the Bill. A reply had been received
from the Public Works Loan Board, stating that they could
do nothing in the matter to help, a>s the Ministry of
Munitions had decided they could not take over mines, as
controlled establishments, and therefore could not include
works set up for pumping water from mines.

The Walsall coroner (Mr. J. F. Addison), on the 7th inst.,
completed his enquiry into the circumstances attending the
explosion which occurred at Mid-Cannock Colliery, Cannock,
on November 30, and :as a result of which 'seven men were
burned—five >so seriously that they died in Walsall Hospital.
After a lengthy enquiry, the jury found that the men died
from injuries due to an explosion of gas caused by the firing
of a shot, but stated they did not think blame attached to
anyone.—Mr. Maurice Jeffries, general manager of the
colliery, said Mid-Cannock was opened in 1876, and was
worked for about six years, when it was closed until 1914.
Since that time, Messrs. Harrison had been working the
deep and shallow seams. Witness believed that when the
colliery was first opened, naked lights were permitted, but
under Messrs. Harrison’s ownership only safety lamps of
an approved pattern had been used.—James Horobin, of
Clayhanger, said he was employed as a stallman at this
colliery, and on the day of the explosion was working in
No. 139 stall. After examining the place, and finding it
all right, he bored a shot hole, and Williams, the fireman,
afterwards came and fired the shot. Immediately after the
shot was fired the witness heard a second report—” a dull
sort of ,a clap ”—and saw flames coming down the road. He
fell flat on the ground, and the flame passed over him. He
escaped uninjured. He made his escape to the main level,
though all the lights had been extinguished. He had worked
at the colliery six months, and had not known gas to be
found in the mine before. He saw Williams make tests
for gas before firing the shot. There had been a fall of coal
at this part of the mine about a fortnight before, but
Williams put. up his lamp as high as he could into the
cavity.—Robert Williams, the fireman, said he considered
the shot hole was properly placed. As regarded the cavity,
he did not think anyone could have got into it with safety,
but there was air travelling through it. His only theory
■as to the cause of the explosion was that coincident with the
shot firing there was ;a fall in the cavity, which brought gas
down with it. Being a blown-out shot, a flame might have
been forced .into the cavity.—Mr. Jeffries (manager), recalled,
gave evidence as to the mine being well ventilated, and
with regard to the cavity, said the air would have to get
through the timbering and the debris lying on the timber.
He thought the shot hole might have been better placed, but
expressed that opinion in the light of what had occurred.
He .was not prepared to say the shot was over charged,
though it was a blown-out shot, and the direction it was put
in pointed straight to the cavity. As to the cause of the
explosion, there was a possibility that a fall occurred in the
cavity,, and a possibility and likelihood that the firing of the
shot produced a sort of suction and drew the gas down on to
the flame through the holes in the timber. He considered
the latter a reasonable way of accounting for the explosion.

Kent.

At the Snowdown Colliery very good work is now being
done, and with an increased staff of miners the output from
the Beresford seam is going steadily ahead. The
Tilmanstone Colliery is also making a satisfactory output.
Contracts are still stated to be ahead of the quantity of coal
both collieries are raising.

Scotland.

Home Office and the Murdostoun Prosecution—Over-
crowding Question in Fife.

Mr. R. Forrester has taken over the Boxton Colliery,
Stirlingshire, previously worked by Frew and Company.

Under the auspices of the Cambuslang Mining Educational
Association a successful public meeting was held on Saturday
evening, when Mr. Andrew Aird, a local colliery manager,
read an interesting paper on “ Clearing Up a Large Fall.”

Private Archibald Macdonald, 1st Battalion of the 4th
Gordon Highlanders, has been gazetted to a commission in
the 5th Seaforth Highlanders. Pte. Macdonald is a son

of the late Mr. John Macdonald, managing director of the
Auchinlea Coal Company, Cleland, Lanarkshire.

In the electrical engineering trade in Scotland there has
been a strong demand for electric appliances for the pro-
duction of coal—coal cutters, conveyors, haulages, and
pumping plant. Winding engines are also being installed at
Scottish pits. The past year has been a busy one in fitting
up new plant, and prospects are hopeful for the future,
especially in the utilisation of labour-economising machinery.

It is understood that the Home Office are not to appeal
against the decision of Sheriff Shennan, Hamilton, in the
important mining prosecution recently taken at the instance
of the Procurator Fiscal of Hamilton, against John Smith,
colliery manager, Murdostoun Colliery, Lanarkshire. It
will be recalled that Sheriff Shennan, whose judgment we
gave fully in these columns at the time, restricted to a con-
siderable extent the obligations of colliery managers to
exercise supervision over minor officials in the pit. • .

Alexander Torrance, motor haulageman, Cleland, was
charged at the Hamilton Sheriff Court wrih having, on
November 26, in Shrwstonhead Colliery, negligently raised
a rake of loaded hutches in a manner likely to endanger the
lives and limbs of persons then -working in the dock haulage
road in the Kiltongue coal seam. It appears that accused
omitted to place the haulage rope on the revolving pulleys,
which was ' necessary for the safety of the men, in-conse-
quence of which the rake of hutches left the? rails, both
the rails and the sleepers being torn up. Accused denied
the charge, but after evidence was led, Sheriff Shennan con-
victed, and imposed a fine of 15s., with the alternative’of
five days’ imprisonment.

Reference was made at the monthly meeting of the
Dunfermline District Committee to the question of over-
crowding in a Fife mining village. The clerk pointed out
that the matter was under the consideration of the owners
of the property, the Fife Coal Company Limited, who had
indicated that the scarcity of dwellings was more marked
than usual because of the provisions. they were making for
the dependants of soldiers and the difficulty of getting accom-
modation for the workmen at the pits. Many of the
company’s houses were taken up by the dependants of
soldiers who used to be in the employment of the company.
The chairman (Mr. R. W. Wallace) remarked that the
present time was not suitable to a housing policy by the
District Committee.

OBITUARY.

Mr. Lewis Grant, chairman of Messrs. Douglas and
Grant, engineers, Dunnikier Foundry, Kirkcaldy, died on
Monday.

The death is announced of Mr. Janies K. Prescott, of
Golborne, who was at one time underground manager for
the Golborne Colliery, and more recently in business as a
coal merchant.

The death has occurred at Birtley, of Mr. William Hall,
formerly engineer to Messrs. Bowes and Partners’ Kibbles-
worth Colliery, who retired in 1913, 'after over 50 years’
service.

The death has occurred at Grief, in Scotland, of Mr.
J. J. Howard Catcheside. Mr. Catcheside belonged to the
younger generation of coal exporters and ship brokers, and
served his apprenticeship with the East Holywell Coal
Company. Some 20 years ago he started business as
merchant and ship broker in partnership with his brother,
under the style of T. H. Catcheside and Company.

Second-Lieut. Mansfeldt Charles Nightingale Mills, of the
Royal Engineers, who was killed in France on December 29,
was born in Nottinghamshire, on February 9, 1891. He took
took up the profession of a mining engineer, and attended
some terms at Birmingham University, and afterwards had
experience at the Frickley Colliery, Yorkshire, under Mr.
Charles Rhodes and Mr. Robinson, the manager. Later he
was with his father in Spain, after which he was engaged
in tin mines in Northern Nigeria.

Mr. Francis Henry Lloyd, J.P., Stowe Hill, Lichfield,
died on the 5th inst., as the result of injuries received by
being knocked down by .a light railway engine. Mr. Lloyd
was for some years connected with the extensive iron works
and collieries of the Darlaston Steel and Iron Company
Limited, and afterwards built the steel casting works at
James Bridge, of which he was the sole .proprietor. - In 1888
the business was transferred to a private company, of which
lie was the chairman. Since that time the business has
grown to large proportions. Mr. Lloyd was also chairman
of the Weldless Steel Tube Company,Limited, Birmingham.

We regret to announce the death, at Newcastle, last
Friday, of Mr. John Cameron Swan, at the age of nearly
89 years. The elder brother of Sir Joseph Sw.an, inventor
of the carbon filament electric lamp, he was born at
Sunderland in 1827, and was educated as a chemist. He
soon took to mining pursuits, however, and was engaged in
the manufacture of spelter at Tindale Fell, Cumberland,
afterwards becoming 'associated with several companies
working ore on Alston Moor, Teesdale and Weardale. He
was. responsible for the development of some barytes
deposits in the district of Clonakilty, near Cork, Ireland.
Later, he took up successively manganese mining in Chili,
being, in fact, the pioneer importer of manganese ore from
that country, lead smelting in England, and iron ore mining
and lead smelting in Spain.

Grimsby Coal Exports.—The following were the quantities
of coal exported from Grimsby during the week ended
January 7 :—Foreign : To Dieppe, 2,259 tonsq Esbjerg, 851;
and Gefle, 3,349 tons. Coastwise : To Dagenham, 920 tons;
total, 6,459 tons foreign, and 920 tons coastwise, against
21,534 tons foreign and no coastwise during the correspond-
ing week last year.

Partnerships Dissolved.—The London Gazette announces
the dissolution of the following partnerships :—J. Speirs and
A. E. Morton, wholesale ironmongers and builders merchants,
at Bucknall-street, Bloomsbury, London, under the style of
Speirs, Morton and Company; F. C. Brindley and C. W.
Brindley, ironmongers, at Colliery-road, North Wilford,
Nottingham, under the style of F. C. and C. W. Brindley.
G. Bourne, W. Hitchman, G. F. Bourne, and F. W.
Hitchman, carrying on the business of brass founders at
Weaman-street, Birmingham, under the style of Joseph
Steer; G. O. Hallett and W. B. Dixon, as general partners
of the Coalbrookdale (Mon.) Coal Company Limited, as
limited partners, carrying on the business of colliery agents
and coal exporters at 31, Mount Stuart-square, Cardiff, under
the style of Hallett, Dixon and Company.