1076

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

June 8, 1917.

tonnage, which is increasing, enters and clears from this
port, and floating storage of coal is kept in hulks.

St. Thomas.

The island of St. Thomas is situated about 40 miles
east of Porto Rico, and was recently acquired from
Denmark by the United States. It possesses an extensive
natural harbour dredged to a depth of 30 ft. in mid-
stream, and has attained prominence as one of the
most important coaling stations of the West Indies.
There are four coal wharves which permit of vessels
going alongside, and there is extensive deep water
anchorage near the shore. About 88,000 tons of
American coal were consigned to St. Thomas in 1914,
which represented in value one quarter of the imports,
whilst the previous year, 1913, over 106,000 tons were
imported. Bunkers are supplied in baskets from lighters
at the rate of about 40 tons per hour, or at wharf side,
by carrying up gangways at the rate of about 60 tons
per hour. A recent important development is that of
the Danish West Indian Company’s depot (flg. 2), the
wharf of which is 2,145 ft. in length, with a waterway
alongside 30 ft. deep for a width of 500 ft. This wharf
is equipped both for coal and oil supplies, provision for
the latter including two tanks 110 ft. in diameter, and
30 ft. in height, with a capacity of about 2| million
gallons. For coal handling, two electrically-operated
movable bridge transporters have been provided, which
are 338 ft. in length, the span over the storage ground
between the supports being 223 ft., with a clearance
from ground level of 55 ft.; and the hinged extension
at the waterside is 95 ft. long. A grab of 3 tons
capacity is operated by an independent trolley, which
traverses the bridge, the speed of travel of the tr. lley
being about 600 ft. per minute, and the hoisting of the
grab is effected at a speed of about 200 ft. per minute.
On account of the high working speed and the large
capacity of the grab, about 120 tons per hour can be
discharged to storage or taken from storage for bunker-
ing, notwithstanding the extent of travel over the long
bridge. This means that the trolley can make 40
complete trips—from ship to storage and back—in an
hour. The long reach of the bridge extension over the
wharf side enables deliveries to be effected into bunkers

< .

Fig. 2.—Coal Storage Ground and Equipment at St. Thomas (West Indies).

on the further side of large vessels. The raising of the
extension is accomplished by special mechanism whereby
the centre of gravity is only slightly raised, thus
reducing the power required for the operation. Fig. 2
shows the extension of one of the transporters being
raised, and it will be noticed that the shore end is first
lowered. The span and height of these transporters
over the storage ground enables an extensive stock of
coal to be kept, amounting to about 180,000 tons.

Porto Rico.

Porto Rico is a U.S.A, possession of the West Indian
islands. San Juan, the capital, is the principal port,
and is situated in the north-east of the island. It
provides a natural harbour of considerable extent, the
entrance channel of which is about 500 ft. in width and
30 ft. deep, and this gives access to a bay some four
miles in length averaging about 1.1 miles wide. A
considerable area of the harbour has a depth of from
25 to 35 ft. It may be stated that San Juan is about
1,400 miles from New York and 960 miles from the
Panama Canal. An important coaling depot has
recently been constructed there, which comprises a
wharf of reinforced concrete with a water frontage of
450 ft. and a width of 150 ft. Alongside there is a
waterway 180 ft. wide, having a depth of 27 ft., so that
large vessels can be accommodated. The equipment at
this depot includes an electrically-operated bridge
transporter, which is 127 ft. in length between its
supports, the cantilever hinged extension of the bridge
extending a distance of 72 ft. over the waterside, and
affording a clearance of 50 ft. above water level. The
bridge is capable of travelling along the wharf, and
spans the storage ground, on which a stock of about
15,000 tons of coal is maintained. The self-contained
trolley which traverses the bridge handles a grab with
a capacity of 2 tons, discharging or bunkering being
effected thereby at the rate of about 120 tons an hour.
When changing from the position of one hatchway to
another, the hinged cantilever extension of the bridge
can be raised in one minute, and the bridge can be
moved on its tracks at a speed of about 150 ft. per
minute. Bunker deliveries to side pockets and ’tween
decks are effected with a smaller grab or skips.
Bunkering at San Juan is also largely dealt with
at anchorage, lighters being kept ready loaded
and towed to the vessels by means of a tug or

motor boat, and deliveries can be effected either by
carrying in baskets, or by means of mechanically-
equipped barges. These barges are similar to those in
use in Havana, being of the conveyor-elevator type,
whereby the coal is raised to a hopper supported by a
tower structure on the barge, and delivered by means
of an adjustable chute. About 100 tons per hour can
be supplied in this manner. Over 100,000 tons of
American coal a year are handled at the depot, as, in
addition to bunker deliveries, coal is also supplied for
railway use, there being a branch line connecting with
the depot; also, road wagons are loaded for supplies to
sugar factories, etc. It may be added that the shipping,
not including sailing craft, dealt with at Porto Rico
during the year 1915, amounted to a total of about
a million tons, rather more than half of which was
engaged in trade with the United States.

Other islands of the West Indies to be noted include
Curasao, a Dutch possession, and Martinique, belonging
to France.

Curasao.

Off the north-west coast of Venezuela is the island of
Curasao, the principal harbour of which is Santa Anna,
in the south-west of the island. The bay is about
21 miles in length with a depth of water of about 40 ft.
to 65 ft. in the stream, and there are wharves on both
sides extending over a mile from the entrance. Vessels
can go alongside the wharves, and coal bunker deliveries
are dealt with by carrying in baskets up gangways.
Owing to the extent of the labour employed, supplies of
up to about 100 tons an hour can be effected. Bunkering
to vessels at anchorage from lighters is also dealt with,
in a similar manner, at the rate of about 50-60 tons per
hour. There are four wharves provided specially for
coal supplies, and stoi age is kept in covered sheds as
well as in the open. The coal imported at Curacao
amounts to from 50,000 to 60,000 tons a year.

Martinique.

The French island of Martinique is situated about
30 miles to the north of St. Lucia. The capital, Fort
de France, is at the west of the island, and has an
extensive natural harbour, affording an anchorage of

up to about 60 ft. near the shore, with an entrance
channel from 60 to 125 ft. in width. There are two
coal depots with 40 ft. of water alongside, and bunker-
ing is effected either alongside the wharves at the rate
of up to about 80 tons per hour, or from lighters to
vessels at anchor. About 70,000 to 80,000 tons of
coal per annum are bandied at Martinique, most of
which is utilised for bunker supplies. The total imports
of coal and briquettes in 1913 were nearly 86,000 tons,
and the bunker deliveries that year amounted to nearly
72,000 tons. It may be added that most of the coal is
consigned from Philadelphia in Norwegian vessels, but
supplies are also received from France for naval require-
ments, a covered storage of about 10,000 tons being kept
available for that purpose.

In concluding these notes, reference may, perhaps, be
made to Bermuda; although not comprised in the West
Indies it is frequently mentioned in connection there-
with .

Bermuda.

Bermuda, or more correctly the Bermudas, are a series
of islands in the western Atlantic, situated about 665
miles from New York, Hamilton and St. George being
the principal harbours. At Hamilton there is a depth
of water of 20 ft. alongside the wharves, and ships also
lie just off the shore, stagings being utilised for landing
and discharging. The anchorage in the harbour is in
about 30 to 40 ft. of water. At St. George vessels
also lie about 30 ft. from the shore, and stagings are
used. Bermuda is a naval station, and storage of
Welsh coal is kept there. The coal is handled in large
cane baskets, with a capacity of about 10 cwt., and
bunkering is effected from lighters at the average rate
of from 20 to 30 tons per hour, the baskets being
hoisted from the lighters to the vessels by steam
winches.

Coal Output in the Pas-de-Calais.—The following figures,
which are not official, are given in Pour et Contre as the
output of the Pas-de-Calais collieries, not occupied by the
enemy, in 1916, the corresponding figures for 1913 being
included in parentheses :—Bruay, 3,200,000 tons (2,600,000
tons); Maries, 1,850,000 tons (1,700,000 tons); Noeux,
1,900,000 tons (2,000,000 tons); Bully-Grenay, 300,000
tons (2,400,000 tons); Ferfay, 280,000 tons (228,500 tons);
Vendin-les-Bethune, 225,000 tons (?); Ligny-les-Aires,
190,000 tons (195,500 tons) ; Clarence, 150,000 tons (?).

INDUSTRIAL INSPECTION IN 1916.

The annual report of the Chief Inspector of Fac-
tories and Workshops for the year 1916, states that
the inspectors have again been largely employed on
special war work much on the lines indicated in the
previous report. Of the staff, 14 more have joined
the forces during the year, bringing up the number to
45, and three more were lent to other Government
departments, making this total 43. Three inspectors
and one inspector’s clerk have been killed in action,
and one inspector’s assistant was accidentally killed
while on active service. One of the central office clerks
has been posted as “ missing ” since October 1 last.

The whole staff has been working at high pressure,
and a great deal has been done in securing suitable
fencing of machinery, adequate means of escape in case
of fire, good sanitary and welfare conditions in fac-
tories and workshops generally, and also in adminis-
tering the special Orders made under section 150,
allowing certain latitude of hours of work and night
shifts. In addition to this, a great deal of assistance
has been given to other Government departments
directly engaged in war work, especially with a view
to the revision of badges issued to men of military age
employed in essential trades, in making enquiries on
behalf of the contract departments, in obtaining infor-
mation with regard to the indispensability or other-
wise in certain trades of interned aliens, and in secur-
ing the replacement of men by other labour, and
especially by the substitution of women in a large
variety of industries.

The Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provi-
sions) Act, 1916, which was passed on August 3, con-
tains two clauses which affect the work of the Factory
Department. One carries into effect a recommend-
ation made both by the Committee on Accidents in
Factories and by the more recent Committee on
Retrenchment in Public Expenditure, with regard to
the investigation of accidents by certifying surgeons.
It is no longer necessary for the occupier of a factory
or workshop to report accidents to the surgeon, and
the latter is only called upon to investigate those cases
which are referred to him by the district inspector, in
pursuance of the instructions issued by the Secretary
of State under the Act. The other clause empowers
the Secretary of State to require by Order in any fac-
tory or workshop or in any class of factories or work-
shops certain “ welfare ” provisions for the well-being
of the workers.

The need for better arrangements in regard to
accommodation for clothing, preparing and taking
meals, first-aid in case of accident, etc., has been long
recognised by the Factory Department, and much has
been done by the inspectors bringing these matters
before occupiers in the course of their inspections.
The question has been brought more prominently for-
ward by the great increase in the number of women
employed in factories during the war, and in many of
the large munition works excellent provision has been
made for the health, comfort, and social welfare of the
employees. The need is not less great in other classes
of industry, and the experience already gained will be
useful in administering the powers conferred by this
new Act.

Outside the ordinary range of duties, the most
important work done by the Department during the
year has been in connection with the substitution of
women in manufacturing industries. Trade confer-
ences to consider the re-organisation of the conditions
of work, so as to release men for the Army, similar to
those referred to in the previous report, have been
held by the inspectors in several other industries.
Long-standing customs in the trade, and the neces-
sity7 of providing suitable sanitary accommodation for
women in works in which they had not before been
employed have caused difficulties, but, on the whole,
the introduction of women into processes on which
they had never previously been engaged has progressed
steadily. This subject is further, dealt with in an
appendix by the principal lady inspector.

Again, as in 1915, considerable use has been made
of the powers under section 150 of the 1901 Factory
Act to allow latitude in the period of employment and
hours of work of protected persons. Although applica-
tions for relaxation of the law have been numerous,
and the enquiries involved have thrown a large amount
of work on the inspectors, there has been a notable
decrease in the requests for the long hours that were
common in the early months of the war. The general
tendency has been to restrict the weekly hours of work
to an amount very little, if at all, in excess of those
allowed under the Factory Act, and to arrange for
more elasticity in the daily limits. This has enabled
a number of applications to be dealt with by the
general orders authorising various schemes of overtime
and night shifts, but limiting the weekly total in most
cases to 60 hours, and restricting the overtime to a
certain number of days a week. Such of the previous
general Orders as it has been necessary to re-issue
have been considerably modified, and new Orders have
been made covering a few other trades.

In many of the munition factories and in machine
tool and similar works full use has been made of the
overtime allowed, while in shipbuilding, marine engi-
neering, and in some of the textile trades overtime
has been intermittent, especially in those cases where
special Orders have been issued, many of these being
only required to meet a sudden emergency.

It is fairly well recognised now that continuous and
excessive overtime very soon produces lassitude and
slackness among the workers, and injuriously affects
efficiency and both the quality and quantity of work.
In one weaving factory special records were kept when
the normal hours of 55| a week were increased for 16
weeks to 58, and for four weeks to 65J. The output
did not increase in proportion, and the difference was
more marked when working the 65J-hour weeks. On
the other hand, a moderate amount of overtime judi-
ciously arranged has given satisfactory results. Some
Sunday work of women and boys has been necessary
in certain of the more important munition factories,