June 16, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1139 might, therefore, be described as an apparatus for the detection of these gases in all classes of mines. The state of perfection attained in the device was well worth the labour and energy that had been expended upon it, and it had put into the hands of the mine fireman an apparatus that he could manipulate without possessing any expert or technical knowledge. It had no delicate parts likely to get out of order; the fireman would readily understand its principle and construction, and those who had been trained in the estimation of per- centages of inflammable gas would not require any special training in its use. Mr. Briggs, in reply, said that he had to« thank Mr. Waddell for the observations he had made. Mr. Waddell had informed him only the other day that he intended to put the lamp in use with his own firemen for a protracted period, so as to get a reliable and lengthy test with it. That was exactly what he (the author) wanted, and he should carefully follow the experiences of Mr. Waddell’s firemen. It was only by experimental work of that kind that he would be in a position to improve the device, and make it still more s e rvi c e a b 1 c u n de I’grou nd. The discussion was closed, and the author thanked. Sinking and Equipment of a Circular Shaft. Discussion was also resumed on the paper previously read by Mr. James Nisbet on “ The Sinking and Equipment of a Circular Shaft.” (Colliery Guardian, April 14, 1916, p. 702.) Mr. John B. Thomson, Hamilton, said he presumed this shaft was expected to last for something over 20 years, and if such were the case, then he thought it right that the shaft should be a circular one, and lined with brickwork from top to bottom. Air. G. L. Kerr remarked that Mr. Nisbet’s paper would be especially valuable to members of the insti- tute who had had less experience of the sinking and fitting of circular shafts than mining engineers and colliery managers in England, where this type of shaft was almost universally adopted. For members of the institute the special value of the paper lay in the detailed description and drawings which it contained, two features which were not readily available for refer- ence in other sources. Neither the depth nor size of tiic shaft was what might be called great, but that in no way detracted from the value of the paper. Frequently far more wTas to be learned from a paper giving a fully detailed description of a small or moderately small operation, carried out efficiently and successfully, than a much larger undertaking described in a general way without details. Moreover, the paper was valuable in suggesting to their minds in Scotland such questions as why should they so rigidly adhere to the rectangular type of shaft, or why were they so conservative in their ideas against adopting another type of shaft? Mr. Robert McLaren, H.M. inspector of mines, said lie thought the author should have given them more information as to' how he ventilated the shaft bottom while he was sinking. It was true there were a few details in regard to ventilation, but he had the feeling that these might, with advantage to the members, be amplified to some extent. He agreed w-ith Mr. J. B. Thomson tliat if a shaft was to be used for 20 years or more, then it wras desirable to line it with brick. In course of time the woodwork in a shaft rotted, and then it had to be constantly repaired. When the woodwork . came to be in a state of disrepair through decay, fatal accidents might not infrequently occur in the shaft. Mr. James Black, Shettleston, said the paper was likely to prove of much assistance and benefit to the majority of colliery managers. In the shaft described by Mr. Nisbet there were two guide ropes on the outside of each cage, and two buffer ropes between them. He. thought the author’s arguments in connection with this arrangement were both logical and sound. It was not so much the swinging of the ropes that had to be guarded against as the twisting, because, as a matter of fact, the swinging arose from the twisting. Accord- ingly, he endorsed everything Mr. Nisbet had said regarding the advisability of having these buffer ropes as far apart as possible. It was agreed to leave the paper open for further discussion. The Hurlet Sequence in Campsie and Kilsyth. Mr. David Ferguson, Glasgow, read a paper, illus- trated by lantern views, on “ The Hurlet Sequence and the Base of the Carboniferous Limestone Series in the Districts of Campsie and Kilsyth.” At the outset, the • author explained that the Hurlet sequence was an interesting and important part of the carboniferous limestone series in the districts of Campsie and Kilsyth. It was not less interesting in its name-land, the Hurlet and Nitshill district, in the neighbourhood of Paisley and Barrhead. The field, and other evidence it fur- nished in West Renfrewshire, Dumbartonshire, and West Stirlingshire, was invaluable from a strati- g. aphical or geological point of view. The very con- siderable area stretching from Nitshill and Hurlet, through Paisley to Bridge of Weir, across the Clyde to Duntocher, and east to Campsie and Kilsyth, had been the scene of mining operations for well-nigh a century. Excepting for the Kilsyth district, which was active and progressing, and several efforts in clayband iron- stone mining in the Paisley district, only the waste .heaps which dotted this field remained to* indicate the extensive mining development of other days. Though the mining activity had in great measure passed away, the industrial and manufacturing development in the West of Scotland, to which it contributed, continued, ■however, to thrive and expand. The blackband iron- stones of Jordanhill, Knightswood, Garscadden, Inker- man, and Limvood had been an important factor in the rise and development of the iron smelting industry in Scotland. The Hurlet coal and its associated alum shale were the raw materials of the alum industry established at Hurlet and Lennoxtown. That industry had now also passed away, owing te' other substances having been substituted for the alum shale, but large areas of the Hurlet coal and the alum shale still remained intact, very much larger than the part worked out. It was to be hoped, one might say it was quite probable, that experimental science in the near future would reveal a suitable economic process to desul- phurise the coal and utilise the alum shale. The expert in technical chemistry must, however, precede the mining engineer if the industry was once more to become an industrial necessity. The development of the Hurlet coal reached high-water mark with the open- ing out, many years ago, of the well-known Victoria Pit at Nitshill, at a depth of 1,050 ft., the record at that time for deep mining in Scotland. The coal workings had long been abandoned, but work was carried on in the Johnstone and Househill clayband ironstones, at depths -of 480 and 900 ft. The Victoria shaft gave a complete section of the Hurlet sequence, from the posi- tion of the Garscadden lower blackband ironstone to the Hurlet coal, and by a drive or subsidiary shaft, to the Blackbyre limestone, 63 ft. below the Hurlet coal. There were numerous bores which gave excellent sections of the sequence, that on the Pollok estate being especially valuable. The continuity of mining opera- tions from the Paisley to the Campsie district was suffi- cient evidence that the coal seam and its associated limestone, to which the name of Hurlet had been given in both districts, was one and the same stratigraphical horizon. Its horizon could also be definitely fixed, in relation to the Garscadden lower blackband ironstone, which it alternated conformably at Linwood and Garscadden. A stratigraphical map, published about 60 years ago, showed that its author, the late Mr. Ralph Moore, the first president of the Mining Institute of Scotland, had studied and noted the well-marked horizon of the Hurlet limestone and goal. The map included a stratigraphical section of the coal fields of Scotland, and preceded by nearly 20 years those that were issued after the Geological Survev was established. Considering the meagre records he had to work on com- pared with the abundant data now available, Mr. Moore’s map was not only a useful but a highly credit- able production. The discussion of the paper was postponed to a future meeting. REVISED MINING REGULATIONS IN COREA. H.M. Consul-General at Seoul has furnished a translation of a Mining Ordinance, issued by the Governor-General of Corea, to take the place of the Mining Law of July 12, 1906. The Ordinance, which is to take effect upon a date to be determined by the Governor-General of Corea, consists of 64 articles, and is based on the Mining Law of Japan, tlie wording being identical in many places. The main feature of importance is that in future, foreigners, as individuals, will be prohibited under the new legislation from obtaining mining concessions in Corea, as they are entitled to under the existing law. The grant of mining rights is hereafter to be limited to Japanese subjects or juridical persons estab- lished in accordance with Japanese law. Foreigners will, therefore, only be able to acquire such rights by forming Japanese juridical persons. Mining rights already in exist- ence and held by foreigners or foreign juridical persons are not to be interfered with, but foreign juridical persons, in order to succeed to such rights, must become jurid'eal persons established in accordance with Japanese law, and have their head office in Corea. Priority of application will probably no longer ensure the grant of mining rights, although this is not expressly stated in the Ordinance. In forwarding the translation of the Ordinance, H.M. Embassy at Tokio states that the provision (Article 6) of the Ordinance forbidding foreign individuals, as such, from acquiring mining rights in Corea, is not likely to operate to the disadvantage of genuine British applicants, since the prospect that any single person will wish to acquire such rights in the future is remote. Applications are practically certain to be made only by companies. The limitation to Japanese juridical persons of the acqui- sition of mining rights, established by the same Article, is reasonable from the Japanese point of view, and is doubtless designed to guard against a repetition of abuses which have occurred in the past, when such rights have been acquired by companies, who, solely to avoid the necessity of sub- mitting their books to examination, have declared themselves to be incorporated under the laws of some remote State. The full translation of the Ordinance may be consulted by United Kingdom firms interested at the Commercial Intelli- gence Branch of the Board of Trade, 73, Basinghall-street, London, E.C. The 19th annual session of the American Mining Congress will be held at the La Salle Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, during the week of November 13, 1916. A general meeting will be held each morning, and the convention will then divide itself into sections—precious metals, iron and steel, oil and gas, lead and zinc, and coal. A certain amount of space will be available for exhibits or reception rooms by those directly interested in the convention. On May 31, Mr. J. Hampshire Lee retired, owing to ill- health, from the service of Messrs. J. and J. Charlesworth Limited, of Wakefield, after upwards of 56 years’ service. The severance of such a long connection has been made the occasion of a presentation of silver plate by the directors of the company. From 1903 to 1915 Mr. Lee.was secretary to the company, and early in 1915 was appointed commercial manager, which position he lias just vacated. STANDING COMMITTEE ON MINING. The Advisory , Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has formed a Standing Committee on Mining, to represent both the scientific and industrial sides. The following members have been nominated by the Institution of Mining Engineers—Sir William Garforth, Dr. John Haldane, F.R.S., Dr. R. T. Moore, Mr. Wallace Thorneycroft; by the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy—Mr. Edward Hooper, Mr. Edgar Taylor; by the Iron and Steel Institute—Prof. H. Louis; and by the South Wales Institute of Engineers —Mr. W. Gascoyne Dalziel. The Advisory Council has appointed : Sir Hugh Bell, Bart., Mr. Hugh Bramwell, Lieut.-Col. W. C. Blackett, Prof. Cadman, Prof. Frecheville, Mr. Bedford McNeill, Mr. Hugh F. Marriott, Sir Boverton Redwood, Bart., and Mr. C. E. Rhodes, with Sir William Garforth as chairman. The Committee is divided into two sections :—(1) Mining of Iron, Coal, and Hydrocarbons : Sir William Garforth (chairman), Sir Hugh Bell, Bart., Mr. Hugh Bramwell, Lieut.-Col. W. C. Blackett, Prof. Cadman, Mr. W. Gascoyne Dalziel, Dr. John Haldane, Prof. Louis, Dr. R. T. Moore, Sir Boverton Redwood, Bart., Mr. C. E. Rhodes, and Mr. Wallace Thorneycroft. (2) Mining of Minerals other than Iron, Coal, and Hydro- carbons : Mr. Edgar Taylor (chairman), Sir Hugh Bell, Bart., Prof. Frecheville, Mr. Edward Hooper, Prof. Louis, Mr. Bedford McNeill, and Mr. Hugh Marriott. THE AMERICAN COAL TRADE. The demand for bituminous coal is quiet, but shippers maintain their confident attitude as regards the future, and there is no attempt to' urge sales. The strikes in Pennsylvania are being watched with much interest, and have already had a stimulating effect on the. market. The export trade is also once more looming up as a potent factor in the situation; foreign enquiries are more numerous and of a more pressing nature, while the shipments off shore are doing considerable to. relieve the pressure on the domestic market. As a general thing, the market is inclined to be spotty, and is await- ing some further definite developments in industrial circles, says Coal Age. In the anthracite trade, buying has seldom, if ever, been on such a small .scale. Consumers are holding off in anticipation of further reductions. Evidence of the poor demand is seen in many directions; one of the largest companies, for instance, has suspended opera- tions for a period of three weeks, pending the adjust- ment of labour difficulties, with its tonnage having apparently not been missed in any way. The price cutting has even spread to contract business, on which some model ate concessions are noted. The market for Hampton Ronds coal continues dull, except for export. Baltimore reports that the most exciting feature in the local coal market is the labour trouble. In a few7 hours many enquiries for fuel poured in on the Fair- mount operators, and prices began to stiffen. The surplus production was rapidly absorbed. Steam coals are not over active. Some of the less desirable grades fell off, due to. congestion at this and other eastern points. Better grades are firm, however, on both con- tract and spot sales. Prices to the trade at the mines wrere about as follow :—Georges Creek Tyson, 1-75 dots.; Miller vein, 1-50 dels.; Quemahoning, 1-60 dols.; Free- port, 1-15 dels.; Somerset, 1-50 dols.: Fairmont gas, three-quarter, 1-10 to 1-15 dols.; same, run-mine, 1 to 1- 05 dols.; slack, 1 dol. A number of steamers w7ere chartered to load coal, from United States ports to Rio, at 19-50 dols. per ton net. The furnace coke market is irregular, some localities showing briskness, wihile others are dull through over- supply. The new’ price circular specifying contract prices for the broken size of anthracite for furnace use, and also for steam coal, has been issued. The trade vns sur- prised by the addition of a new7 size, “ boiler coal,” priced at 90c. All the companies have not announced the new size, but the lead of the larger companies is likely to be follow’ed, as before. The increases are as follcav :—Broken, 3*25 to 3-50 dols.; pea, 2-30 to 2- 80 dols.: buckwheat, 1-40 to 1-50 dols.; rice, 90c. to Idol.: and barley, 55c. to 75c. Coal Shipped from Ports in the United Kingdom during May. — The follow7ing figures, which have been extracted from the returns issued by the Commissioners of H.M. Customs and Excise, show the quantities of coal shipped from each eroup of ports in the United Kingdom during the month of May, as compared w’ith the corresponding month last year Cargo. May 1915. Mav 1916. Tons. Tons. Bristol Channel ports 1,503,038 . .. 1,640,865 North-western ports 50,846 . 39,079 North-eastern ports 1,255,701 . .. 1,154,199 Humber ports 367,358 . .. 144,171 Other east coast ports 1,491 . 681 Other English ports 10 . 582 Ports on east coast of Scotland 350,194 . .. 324,756 Ports on west coast of Scotland 257,156 . .. 253,872 Total 3,785,794 . .. 3,558,205 Bunker. May 1915. May 1916. Tons. Tons. Bristol Channel ports 296,199 . .. 403,104 North-western ports 302,248 . .. 274,660 North-eastern ports 210,217 .. 182.951 Humber ports 110,603 . 80,178 Other east coast ports 85,119 . .. 122,028 Other English ports 20,994 . 24,667 Ports on east coast of Scotland... 55,194 .. 41,590 Ports on west coast of Scotland... 98,619 .. . 100,834 Irish ports 954 .. . . 1,525 Total ................. 1,180,147 ... 1,231,537