1108 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN June 9, 1916. THE FREIGHT MARKET. Although business is very limited in volume just now, especially so fan as France in concerned, there has been a considerable amount done in the fixing of vessels at the new restricted rates for French Atlantic ports. A summary of these fixtures is given in the list of charters that follows. To directions other than the French Atlantic, rates, as a rule, favour charterers this week. On the north-east coast there is a generally weaker tendency. Coasting business is being quoted at 12s. Tyne to London, the lowest rate that has obtained for many weeks. The French Mediterranean is still held for very high figures, indicated by 90s. to Cette and 87s. 6d. to Nice. Baltic business—a very unusual feature of the market nowadays'—has been done at 37 kr. to Christiania, Gefle, or Stockholm. As to Italian, ports, Genoa, after having touched bottom—for the time being—at 85s., is now up to 87s. 6d. again, Naples has been done at 88s.' 6d., Leghorn at 90s., and Civita Vecchia at the same figure. Algiers is very much lower—52s. 6d., as against 67s. 6d. recorded in the previous report. At 'South Wales, Gibraltar has fallen by 2s. 6d. below the lowest figure mentioned a week ago. Genoa, from Cardiff, has been done at from 68s. fid. to 77s. fid. Oran is 5s. reduced on the week. Huelva, Lisbon, Oporto, Palermo—in fact, all directions'— favour shippers. Jfomewards, the Biver Plate remains at the reduced figure of 160s. to United Kingdom. Australia is very quiet, on the Government basis of 110s. The nitrate ports are being served by requisitioned tonnage ati from 145s. to 150s., accord- ing to position, etc. The rice ports are mentioned at 165s., Saigon to France, with Burmah quoted at from 145s. to 150s. Mediterranean ports are steady, with Alexandria at about 55s. for 60 cubic, and ore ports taking up tonnage freely at late rates. American grain rates are weak, at about 9s. 9d. from Northern Range to United Kingdom, and 12s. fid. to French Atlantic. To the French Mediterranean, however, up to '32s.. 6d. is still asked. Lumber rates are quoted at from 565s. to 570s. to United Kingdom, and from 665s. to 670s. to West Italy. Deals are easy, and down to 370s. Tyne to Algiers, 2,500, 52s. 6d.; Barcelona, 2,500, 75s.; Bordeaux, 3,000 and 1,400, 40 s.; Brest, 250, 50s., coke; Boucan, 2,800, 42s. 6d.; Boulogne, 500, 45s., coke; 800, 27s. . fid. ; Cette, 2,000, 90s.; Civita Vecchia, 2,500, 90s.; 1,800, 90s.; Christiania, 1,200, 37 kr. ; Calais, 500, 45s., coke; 500, 40s., coke; Caen, 850, 27s. 6d.; Dieppe, 250, 50s., coke; 250, 47s. 6d., coke; Dunkirk, 2,500, 1,900, 2,200, and 1,500, 28s. 6d.; 500, 52s. 6d., coke; 350, 50s., coke; 500, 45s., coke; 700, 42s. 6d., coke; 500, 40s., coke; Danish port, 1.600, 36 kr.; Genoa, 3,000, 85s.; 1,800, 87s. fid.; 3,200, 87s. fid.; 3,000, 87s. 6d.; Gefle, 2,000, 37 kr.; Havre, 2,000 and 1,100, 25s. 6d.; 600 , 26s. 6d.; Las Palmas, 2,500, 45s.; 5.600, 45s.; Leghorn, 3,500, 90s.; 3,000, 90s.; 1,800, 87s. 6d. ; London, 1,500, 12s.; Naples, 3,000, 88s. 6d.; Nice, 1.700, 87s. 6d.; Rouen, 2,200, 1,600, 1,300, 2,000, 2,350, and 3,000, 27s. 6d. ; Stockholm, 2,000, 37 kr. ; St. Nazaire, 1,200 and 3,300, 35s.; Savona, 1,800, 87s. 6d.; 3,200, 87s. 6d. ; Treport, 1,700, 26s. 6d.; 500, 40s., coke; Teneriffe, 5,600, 45s. Cardiff, to Bordeaux, 2,200, 2,500, 2,900, 4,000,. 3,000, 1,800, and 2,000, 34s.; Brest, 1,650, 22s.; Cherbourg, 850, 24s. 6d. ; Genoa, 4,400, 68s. 6d.; 2,400, 77s. 6d.; Gibraltar, 4.700, 37s. 6d. ; Havre, 2,000 and 1,700, 22s. 6d. ; Huelva, 1,100, 40s. ; 1,600, 41s.; Lisbon, 3,200, 35s.; 1,700, 37s. 6d., 400; 1,200, 34s.; 2,000, 37s. 6d., 500; Naples, 4,400, 66s. 6d.; 4,200, 65s., 800; Nantes, 650, 30s.; Oporto, 850, 33s.; Oran, 5,200, 40s., 600; 2,100, 40s., 600; Palermo, .1,500, 80s., 350; Rouen, 1,400, 1,800, 1,500, 1,000, and 1,750, 24s. fid.; St. Malo, 1,500, 21s.; Savona, 4,400, 68s. fid.; •2,400, 77s. 6d.; Sp'ezzia, 4,400, 68s. 6d. ; 2,400, 77s. fid.; Seville, 1,250, 42s. 6d. Swansea to Rouen, 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500, 24s. 6d.; Havre, 650, 23s. 6d.; 1,700, 22s. 6d.; Genoa, 3,200 and 4,300, 70s.; St. Servan, 520, 22s.; Belfast, 480, 14s.; Dieppe, 1,600, 23s. 6d.; Honfleur, 750, 24s. Newport to Seville, 1,250, 42s. 6d.; Bordeaux, 2,000, 34s.; 2,400, 34s.; Havre Canal, 1,700, 22s. 6d.; Palermo, 1,500, 80s., 350. Port Talbot to Treport, 650, 24s. 6d.; St. Servan, 750, 22s.; Hommelvik, 1,650, 35’kr.; Nantes, 900, 30s.; 950, 29s.; Caen, 1,300, 23s.; Bordeaux, 1,350, 34s.; Honfleur, 950, 24s.; Dunkirk, 800, 28s. fid. Hull to Dunkirk, 1,000, 28s. 6d. ; 950, 29s. 6d.; Rouen, 1,250, 37s. 6d. Wear to Calais, 800, 28s. 6d.; Rouen, 1,400, 27s. 6d. Seaham Harbour to Genoa, 2,000, 87s. 6d. Blyth to Rouen, 600, 28s. fid.; East Norwray, 800, 37J kr. Glasgow to Bordeaux, 37s. Ayr to Genoa, 75s. Goole to Skien, 800, 38 kr. CONTRACTS OPEN FOR COAL AND COKE. For Contracts Advertised in this issue received too late for inclusion in this column, see Leader and Last White pages. Lincoln.—The Corporation of the City of Lincoln is pre- pared to receive tenders for the supply and delivery of cobbles and slack to the electricity, water, sewage, and other works for the ensuing year, from July 1, 1916, to June 30, 1917. The Corporation does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Full particulars may be obtained at the Electricity Works, Brayford Side North, Lincoln. Abstracts of Contracts Open. Ashton-under-Lyne, June 13.—3,600 tons of house and engine coal for Guardians. Forms from the Workhouse master. Ashton-under- Lyne, June 14.—Slack for Electricity Committee. Forms from the borough electrical engineer, Wellington-road. Atherton, (Lancs), June 14.—6,000 tons gas coal or nuts for Urban District Council. Forms from the clerk, Town Hall. Bletchingley, June 12.—190 tons of coal and 200 tons of coke for Guardians. Tenders to the clerk, 33, London-road, East Grinstead. Brentwood.—Coal and coke for 26 schools. Forms from Mr. F. W. Bitties, clerk of Education Committee, Brent- wood. Bristol, June 19.—Coal (.six months) for Sanitary Com- . mittee. Forms from the city engineer. Bromley, Kent.—150 tons of coal for Education Com- mittee. Forms from the clerk. Chester, June 16.—Coal and coke (12 months) for. camp, etc. Forms from District Barrack Officer, Watergate- street, Chester. Coventry, June 16.—Coal and coke (six or 12 months) for school, etc. Forms from J. Herbert, General Charities Office, Coventry. Derby, June 15.—Coal for Royal Infirmary. Forms from the secretary. Godalming, June 13. -Welsh coal, anthracite, etc., for council. Forms from the borough surveyor. Grays, June 17.—Coal and coke for schools. Forms from H. Bell, Education Offices, Grays, Essex. Grays, June 19.—Coal (12 months) for Sewerage Board. Forms from the clerk, Bank-buildings, Grays.- Hove, June 17.—335 tons of coal and coke for the council. Forms from the town clerk. Ipswich.—500 tons of coal and 250 tons of coke for the Education Committee. Forms from the secretary, Tower House, Ipswich. Maidstone, June 21.—Coal’and coke for hospital. Forms from the clerk, Council Offices, Maidstone. Malden, June 14.—Coal and coke for schools. Forms from F. H. Bright, 53, High-street, Malden. Malvern, June 14.—Coal (12 months) for- gas works. Tenders to the chairman of the council. Morpeth, June 14.—Coal (six months) for County Asylum. Forms from the clerk. Portland, June 12.—2,000 to 2,500 tons of best quality screened gas coal or nuts, for the Gas Committee. Forms from the manager, Gas Works. Roscommon, June 16.—300 tons best double-screened gas coal for the Roscommon Gas Company. Particulars from the secretary. Salisbury, June 16.—220 tons of coal and 200 tons of coke for Salisbury Infirmary. Forms from the secretary. Staines, June 17.—Steam coal for the Staines Urban District Council. Forms from the engineer, Town Hall. Stoke-on-Trent.—Coal and slack (12 months) for the Town Council. Forms from the chief electrical engineer, St. Peter’s-chambers. Torpoint (Cornwall), June 28.—100 tons of house coal for Guardians. Tenders to the chairman. Torquay, June 19.—5,500 tons of coal suitable for use with mechanical stokers of the underfeed type. Forms from the town clerk. Tottenham, June 24.—Coal and coke for schools. Forms from the clerk, Education Offices, South Tottenham. West Ham, June 19.—Coal for Technical Institute. Forms from the towm clerk. Wigan, June 15.—Gas nuts, cobbles, or screened or unscreened coal for the Gas Committee. Forms from the engineer, Gas Works, Wigan. Witham (Essex), June 26.—Coal for engines. No forms. Tenders to clerk, Council Offices. The date given is the latest upon which tenders can be received. CONTRACTS OPEN FOR ENGINEERING, IRON AND STEEL WORK, Ac. Halifax, June 17.—Steelwork, etc.—Steelwork over dam, etc. Forms from the borough engineer. OBITUARY. Mr. John Landless, a director of the executors of J. Hargreaves Limited, died last week at the age of 82. His father and grandfather were actively associated with colliery management in the Burnley district, and the deceased him- self was for many years manager of the Bank Hall, Reedley, Beehole, and other collieries of Col. Hargreaves. Mr. William A. Donaldson, iron merchant, Glasgow, died at Arosa, Switzerland, on Friday last, at the age of 75. In the course of his business career, he was chairman of the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway Company, chair- man of the Clydebank Shipbuilding and Engineering Com- pany (before that business was acquired by Messrs. John Brown and Company), chairman of Messrs. James Dunlop and Company, iron and coal masters Glasgow; a director of the Barrow Haematite Company, Barrow-in-Furness’; and senior partner of Messrs. Jas. Watson and Company, iron merchants. The body of Mr. Gerard Oakes, J.P., of Selley Grange, Eastwood, Notts, was found in a wood near Alfreton on Tuesday’ night. The deceased was a partner in the firm of Messrs. James Oakes and Company, coal and iron masters, with collieries in Derbyshire and Notts, and was 55 years of age. Mining Institute of Scotland.—The agenda for the general meeting in the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, to-morrow (Saturday) includes a paper on “ The Hurlet Sequence and the Base of the Carboniferous Limestone Series in the Dis- tricts of Campsie and Kilsyth,” by Mr. D. Ferguson. Mr. H. Briggs’s paper on “ A Device for the Rapid Estimation of Oxygen and Blackdamp in Mines,” and Mr. J. Nisbet’s paper on “ The Sinking and Equipment of a Circular Shaft,” - will be discussed. The council announces that the latest date for receiving contributions to the Scottish Red Cross Fund is June 30. Those who wash to contribute before that date should send the donation to Mr. G. L. Kerr, secretary, 39, Elmbank-crescent, Glasgow. Manchester Geological and Mining Society.—The members of the society and friends have been invited to inspect the shaft sinkings of the Llay Main Colliery, Rosset, Wrexham, on Monday, June 19. The inspection*will be made under the leadership of Mr. W. E. Shelley, of Messrs. Simon - .Carves Limited. Members intending to take part in the excursion are requested to forward an application, with remittance, to Mr. N. T. Williams, bon. secretary, 5, John Dalton-street, Manchester, by the 12th inst. The expenses, including luncheon, will amount to Ils. An ordinary meet- ing of the. society will be held at 4 p.m. on June 20, at 5. John Dalton-street. A paper on “ Shaft Sinking by the Freezing Process,” by Mr. F. Schmidt; a demonstration on “ Brazing Similar and Dissimilar Metals,” are mentioned in the agenda. ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS RECENTLY ACCEPTED. 5510 (1915). Apparatus for -Crushing Ore. H. C. Behr, of 233, Broadway, New York, U.S.A.—Relates to apparatus for crushing rock and consists in an ore stamp comprising a head, a reciprocating piston mounted in a cylinder for operat- ing the latter, a reservoir for supplying air under working pressure to the cylinder on top of the piston, a reservoir for receiving the air at exhaust pressure from the cylinder, a compressor connected at its suction side to the latter reservoir and at its delivery side to the reservoir for supplying air under working pressure to the cylinder and a reservoir for supplying air beneath the piston at a pressure between those existing in the reservoir that receives the air at exhaust pressure from tiie cylinder. The figure is a diagrammatic longitudinal sec- tional view. A represents the stamping machine proper, B a reservoir of high pressure air, communicating with the upper end of the stamp cylinder 1 by means of the pipe 2. The lower pressure air exhausted from the upper end of cylinder 1 is conveyed through pipe 3 to the exhaust storage reservoir C. I) is a reservoir of counter pressure air, in free communica- tion with the lower end of the stamp cylinder 1; while at E is shown a compressor adapted to draw air from the exhaust reservoir C to compress it to the admission pressure, and to force it into the high pressure reservoir B, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The small compressor F* is used for making up the air lost from the system by leakage, and' draws air from the atmosphere and compresses it to the exhaust pressure existing in C. The mortar box 4 has fitted in its base the die 5. The feed opening is at 6, and the discharge opening 7 with the screen 8 located on the opposite side. The chute 9 conveys the rock to the feed opening 6. The stamp head 10 of A has at its lower end the shoe 11, secured wdth its dovetail lug 12 by the key 13 to a recess in said head. The upper end of 10 is provided with a screw thread 14 and screw cap 15. The piston rod 16 passes through an opening 17 in the top of cap 15, and is formed at its lownr end with the disc 18, wffiich latter is thus enclosed between the stamp head 10 and the cap 15. Above and below disc 18 are elastic cushions 19 and 20, forming an elastic connection between the stamp head 10 and the piston rod 16. At the upper end of the rod 16 is secured the piston 21. The upper end of the stamp head 10 with its cap 15 is guided vertically in the bored guide 22, which is supported on the pedestal frame 23, and has at its upper end the extensions 24, 24, which are rigid wfith the lower head of the stamp cylinder 1. To provide for the vertical adjustment of the stamp cylinder 1, after wear, there is placed between the flange 26 on guide 22 and the corresponding flange 27 on the pedestal 23, a plate 28. This plate is replaced by a thinner one wflien the die 5 and shoe 11 become worn; and as the wear proceeds, still thinner plates 28 are inserted, so that the lower surface of shoe 11 will always work substantially at a maximum of efficiency. The pipes 2 and 3 connecting the stamp cylinder 1 with the reservoirs B and C are preferably provided with flexible sections 29 and 30, to permit of the said vertical adjustment of the cylinder 1. The counter pressure air reservoir D is rigidly connected to cylinder 1 by 30 36 43 '#3 34 Z3- 40 4# 34 "35 a .57/Fj the short pipes 31 between reservoir D and- the space beneath piston 21. To make up air losses and to fill with air at the start, the pipe connection 77, 77 communicates between reser- voir D and the high pressure pipe 2 at a point 32 between cylinder 1 and the flexible connection 29. At 78 as a reduc- ing valve in the pipe 77, for limiting the pressure in reser- voir D. In the lower part of the stamp cylinder barrel 1 are openings 33, 33 to the annular chamber 34, connected through pipe 31 with the reservoir D and causing the pressure in D to act continuously on the under side of piston 21 as long as -the latter remains above the circle of openings 3’3, 33. Should the feed fail, so that there would be no layer of rock on the die 5 to take up the energy stored in the descending stamp, or if the shoe 11 should break, then the piston 21, in passing the openings 33, 33 would automatically close off communica- tion of the space 35 beneath it, with reservoir D, and cause the moving mass of stamp and piston to compress the aii thus trapped or imprisoned beneath the said piston 21, and therefore reduce the force of the blow which would otherwise fall on the machine part. (Five claims.) 7263 (1915). Improvements in Apparatus for Pneumatic Conveying of Solids. The British Thomson-Houston Com- pany Limited, of 83, Cannon Street, London, E.C. (a com- munication from the General Electric Company, of Schenectady, New York, U.S.A.).—In the pneumatic con- veying of ashes, etc., through pipe lines, the air, or other elastic, fluid used, is forced through the pipe line at a pres- sure higher than atmospheric and the solid is introduced at one or more points into the conduit, conveyed along by the fluid, and discharged at the desired point at a pressure equal