396 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. February 22, 1918. present unable to present the accounts. For several pre- ceding years the dividends were similar to that proposed for 1917. Mather and Platt Limited. — The net profits for 1917 were £168,487, and £86,514 was brought forward. A final dividend of 12^ per cent, is proposed on the ordinary shares, making 17-^ per cent, for the year, adding £35,000 to the income tax equalisation fund, and carrying forward £95,001. Net profits were £171,514 for 1916, £103,622 for 1915, £121,808 for 1914, and £164,525 for 1913. New Sharlston Collieries Company Limited. — The directors recommend a final dividend of 15s. per share, less tax, making 5 per cent, for the past year. There will be delay in the preparation of the accounts for 1917, and the annual meeting will be held later than usual. Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company Limited. — The directors recommend a final dividend for the year ended December 31 last of 10 per cent, on the ordinary shares, free of tax. Vulcan Boiler and General Insurance Company Limited. —The report for the year ended December 31 states that the divisible surplus is £68,012, including £8,314 brought forward. The dividend on' the shares is again made 12s. 6d., less tax; £5,000 is placed to current risk and reserve funds, raising the funds to £100,000; and £7,500 to investments and superannuation; leaving £8,637 to be carried forward. NEW COMPANIES. Allied By-Products and Chemical Industries Limited.— Private company. Registered office, 11, Stonemonger-lane, London. Registered February 15. To carry on the busi- ness of manufacturing chemists. Nominal capital, £100 in £1 shares. Subscribers (one share) : J. A. Fuller and J. H. Chopman. Canonbury Engineering Company Limited. — Private company. Registered office, 34a, Northampton-street, Essex-road, Islington. Registered February 15. Nature of business indicated by the title. Nominal capital, £4,000 in £1 shares. Directors shall be appointed by the subscribers. Subscribers (one share): T. V. Riordan and H. W. E. White. Lightning Fuel Marketing Company Limited.—Private company. . Registered office, Finsbury-pavement House, E.C. Registered February 14. Nature of business indi- cated by the title. Nominal capital, £1,500 in £1 ordi- nary shares. Directors: J. C. Sharrott, L. F. Savage, and one other. Madeley Wood Company Limited. — Private company. Registered office, Kemberton Pits, Madeley, Salop. Regis- tered February 14. To carry on the business of colliery proprietors, iron manufacturers, etc. Nominal capital, £80,000 in £1 shares. Directors: Sir J. A. Anstice, Sir R. H. Anstice, and R. E. Anstice. Qualification of directors, 1,000 shares. Pollard and Ashby (France) Limited.—Private company. Registered office, Welton Chambers, Hull, Yorkshire. Registered February 12. To carry on the business of coal and coke factors, etc. Nominal capital, £1,050 in 1,000 Is. ordinary shares and 1,000 £1 cumulative preference shares. Directors shall be appointed by the subscribers. Sub- scribers (one ordinary share) : J. W. Pollard and H. R. Ashby. Robinson (B.) (Gresley) Limited. — Private company. Registered February 24. To carry on the business of manufacturers of firebricks, fireclay, etc. Nominal capital, £10,000 in £1 shares. Directors : F. C. and J. M. Robinson. Tees Power Station Company Limited. — Registered office, Royal Exchange Building, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Registered February 13. To carry on the business of sup- pliers of electrical energy in all its branches, etc. Nominal capital, £700,000 in £1 shares. Minimum subscription to precede allotment, seven shares. Directors: J. H. Arm- strong and one other. Qualification of directors, £100. Tonglam and District Coal Supply Company Limited.— Private company. Registered February 13. Nature of business indicated by title. Nominal capital, £500 in £1 shares. Subscribers (one share): E. E. Whitaker and C. H. M. Lavender. Wardwilts Limited. — Private company. Registered office, 55, Temple - row, Birmingham. Registered February 12. To carry on the business of iron founders, mechanical engineers, etc. Nominal capital, £2,000 in I. 600 £1 cumulative preference shares and 8,000 Is. ordi- nary shares. Directors : E. W. Taylor and W. E. Warden. Weldon Engineering Company Limited.—Private com- pany. Registered February 15. Nature of business indi- cated by title. Nominal capital, £50,000 in £1 ordinary shares. Directors shall be appointed by the subscribers. Qualification of directors, £50. Subscribers (one share) : J. F. Seacombe and V. Ludbrook. ________ This list of new companies is taken from the Daily Register specially compiled by Messrs. Jordan and Sons Limited, company registration agents, Chancery-lane, E.C. ____________________________ Mr. Hewlett, of Briton Ferry, has been elected president of the British Steel Smelters’ Association. Coal Trade Benevolent Association. — The directors of the association have decided to present the outgoing chair- man, Mr. J. Shaw, K.C., with a silver cigar box, suitably engraved, to commemorate his successful year of office. Mr. H. Cecil Rickett (Rickett, Cockerell and Company Limited) is the newly-appointed chairman for 1918, and Mr. H. Ashley Longbotham, of Sheffield, is to be appointed deputy-chairman. The annual balance-sheet shows subscriptions amounting to £2,109, and donations £4,077, and the relief grants amount to £4,229. Exports and Imports of Mining Machinery. — Imports and exports of mining machinery during January were as follow:— January. 1917. 1918. Tons. Tons. Imi orts ............... 11,235 ... 21,977 Exports ............... 81,066 ... 40.726 The following shows the value of exported prime movers other than electrical;— January. 1917. 1918. j? £ Rail locomotives....... 74,390 ... 133,443 Pumping.............. 47.120 ... 18,193 Winding.............. 2,108 ... 4,600 ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS RECENTLY ACCEPTED. 111322 Improvements in Means of Automatically Tipping Trucks, etc. W. H. Johnston, Nourse Mines Limited, P.O. Box 32, Denver, Johannesburg, and C. E. Francis, 401a, Jules Street, Malvern, Johannesburg.— This invention relates to a means of arrangement designed for automatically tipping or discharging trucks which travel the rails of a permanent way or track. The inven- tion is particularly applicable for use in the mechanical haulage sysems installed in underground workings as well as for mechanical haulages on the surface or ground level. The tipping means or apparatus is designed for trucks which are tipped or emptied endwise. The invention relates to that class of tipping arrangement in which the truck or like vehicle is received bodily in a tipper or revolvable structure, which is rotated to invert or partially invert the truck or vehicle, and in which the full trucks as they approach or travel in the direction of the tipper act on a releasing lever to automatically release the means whereby the preceding truck is kept in position in the tipper during the tipping operation ; and so that the full truck as it approaches the tipper pushes the empty truck out of the tipper. According to this invention the trucks are tipped or emptied endwise by the action of gravity and returned to the upright position after tipping in which position the tipper is retained by a catch until a full truck approaches and after releasing and pushing out the empty truck releases the tipper retaining means, which means thereupon allows the tipper to revolve by the action of gravity to tip or discharge the full truck. (Six claims) 111309. Improvements in the Manufacture of Sulphate of Ammonia. E. V. Evans and South Metropolitan Gas Company, 709, Old Kent Road, London, S.E.—By this invention, a substantially white, yet substantially neutral ammonium sulphate is made by using in the saturator an acid of such dilution that crystallisation of the salt does not occur at the temperature of saturation, continuing passage of the ammoniacal gases until the liquor is slightly alkaline, then filtering the liquor from the saturator at such a temperature that crystallisation still does not occur, and finally causing crystallisation of the filtered liquor by cooling it, preferably while it is in rapid movement, for instance by passing it through a cooled system of pipes. The mother liquor from the crystals may be returned to the saturator. When the demand is for a white ammonium sulphate, the practice hitherto has been to keep the liquor in the saturator acid so as to avoid precipitation of the various coloured substances which are thrown out of solu- tion as soon as the liquor becomes slightly alkaline. These substances become entangled in the crystals whether the latter separate in the saturator, as is usual, or after the liquor has left the saturator and has been cooled, a practice which has been proposed. In any case unless the slightly alkaline liquor is filtered hot, as prescribed by this inven- tion, the sulphate produced is not white. Being formed in an acid liquor the white sulphate usually made has an acid reaction which is objectionable. On the other hand the neutral but coloured sulphate has a lower market value than one which is both white and neutral, such as is pro- duced by this invention by making the liquor slightly alkaline and filtering before crystallisation. In Naef’s Specification No. 13302 of 1901 a procedure is described which apparently produces a hot neutral liquor in the saturator; this liquor is cooled, while in movement, to crystallise the sulphate, after it has left the saturator, and preferably after all oily matter has been separated, which may be done by filtering. Such procedure would not pro- duce a white, neutral ammonium sulphate, it being essen- tial for this purpose that the saturator liquor should be slightly alkaline before it is filtered. 111412. Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing Powdered Fuel and Air. H. A. Gill, 55/56, Chancery Lane, London, W.C. 2. (A communication from Powdered Coal Engineering and Equipment Company, McCormick Building, 332, South Michigan Avenue, Chicago.)—This invention relates to apparatus for mixing powdered fuel and air prior to supplying the mixture to a burner or other device for combustion. In the devices heretofore in use the practice has commonly been to supply the fuel by means of a blast of air, superheated if desired, additional air being admitted at the burner to provide the necessary amount of oxygen to support combustion. The great objection to this system, however, is that the air is not fully mixed with the fuel at the burner, and hence com- plete combustion, where it is had at all, only occurs at a considerable distance from the burner, and in order to get complete combustion at all it is necessary to supply an excessive quantity of air. Furthermore, in the prior constructions it has been found impossible to regulate the length of the flame without seriously affecting the char- acter thereof by changing the proportion of air to fuel. The improved apparatus is provided with a pair of adjacent chambers separated by a perforated wall, one of said chambers being supplied with comminuted fuel in regulable quantities and the other chamber with air in regulable quantities, the mixed fuel and air being directed through a closed passage to the point of combustion. Pro- vision is also made where a longer flame is desired than that which would be produced in the normal operation of the device to provide a larger supply of fuel and air without substantially altering the proportions, the air being so introduced that the mixture moves forward while being consumed at a somewhat greater speed than under normal conditions. As a result of the foregoing construc- tion, there is supplied the burner or other devcie for the combustion of the fuel, a mixture of air and fuel in which each particle of fuel is completely surrounded by an envelope of air sufficient in quantity to provide for the complete combustion of the particle, so that when the mixture is brought to the proper temperature, as by intro- ducing it into a heated furnace, combustion takes place directly at the point of introduction, and as the burning mixture moves slowly forward a voluminous so-called “lazy ” flame is produced. (Seven claims.) 111495. ‘ Improvements in the Manufacture, Utilisation and Combustion of Fuel. G. Helps, Manor Court, Nun- eaton.—This invention claims that a great saving in fuel can be obtained if in place of burning ordinary coal gas, which has a net calorific value of about 400 to 450 British thermal units per cubic foot, a gaseous mixture of a hydrocarbon gas with a diluent, such as Mond gas, pro- ducer gas, air or nitrogen, and having a calorific value of about 400 to 250 British thermal units per foot is burnt. The main discovery is that gas of about 350 British thermal uits net will in general use give as good a duty as gas of about 500 British thermal units net, and when such gas is burned in properly constructed appliances it will give a better duty than the higher grade gas, the main reason for the advantage of low grade gas being that at the pres- sure at which gas generally is supplied from gas works throughout the country only about 1 to 1| in. of water is usually available at the nipples of appliances when in use and at such pressures the necessary primary air for advantageous combustion of the gas is not injected into the burners. Further, a low grade gas such as indicated, produces a coneless flame, and the only efficient manner to apply such a flame for heating is by flame contact in thin layers of the area and temperature required. One inci- dental result of these discoveries is that by dilution as described, all the difficulties of distributing a gas of regular quality such as requires one constant and regular supply of air so essential to efficiency are removed. Hitherto, town gas has been supplied of about 500 British thermal units per foot, requiring about five j>arts of air to allow of complete combustion. Such a gas is generally supplied at such a pressure that two and a half volumes of air are injected into the burner tube (primary air) and the remaining two and a half volumes are found as secondary air. The result is that the flame is a large one, having a comparatively large inner cone, and any ob ject to be heated cannot be brought into intimate contact with such a flame as it would interfere with the supply of primary air and secondary air, and thus much waste ensue through imperfect or retarded combustion. The vessel or article to be heated must be an inch or two away from such a flame, and the flame is cooled by the surrounding atmosphere. If this same gas of 500 be diluted with air before it reaches the nipple, so that its calorific value there is about 300 to 400 British thermal units, and it is then consumed in a Bunsen burner, the flame will not only allow of flame contact, but will be hotter than a larger flame containing the same number of heat units ; this is because the smaller flame is obtained by the perfect combustion of gas with a large proportion of primary air, whereas the larger flame is obtained with a smaller proportion of primary air and the gas is probably imperfectly con- sumed. The result will be a greater efficiency with the diluted gas than could be obtained with the richer gas. (Three claims.) 111622. Improvements in Mechanical Stokers. J. Proctor Limited, Hammerton Street Ironworks, Burnley.—This invention comprises adjusting means whereby the length of the shovel’s stroke and its position at the beginning of such stroke can be regulated, either when first installing the apparatus or new parts thereof, or periodically in order to compensate wear of the working parts. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one of the shovel boxes of the apparatus to which this invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale of the tappet disc 6 detached. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section of the said tappet disc. The reference numeral 1 indicates the shovel box, to which fuel is fed by mechanism not forming part of the present invention, this box having a hinged inspection lid 2 and giving passage to a shaft 3, on which is secured a lever arm 4 known as the “ tappet finger.” On another shaft 5 is secured a disc 6, carrying three tappets 7, which in the rotation of the disc succes- sively engage arm 4 and cause the shaft 3 to rock. On the shaft 3 is another lever arm 9, to which is connected a strong spring 10, the other end of this spring (not shown) Fig. 2. Fig.S. fig.1. being adjustably fixed to a suitable bracket on the frame- work of the apparatus. The arm 9 is slotted and provided with radial teeth. Keyed on the shaft 3 is a clutch piece having radial teeth and pierced for the passage of a bolt. The clutch piece being slightly moved longitudinally of the shaft 3, the two opposing sets of teeth (on one set) can be moved in an angular direction and re-engaged so as to adjust the position of the arm 9 relatively to the shaft 3 when at rest, and thereby its position at the beginning of a stroke can be regulated, and the bolt being tightened up to keep the said teeth in close engagement, the arms work together as one. Referring to figs. 2 and 3, from the former of which one tappet is omitted, each tappet is pivoted on an integral pin 23 adapted to enter a hole such as 17 (fig. 2) in the disc 6. On the face of the disc are formed racks or toothed quadrants 18 centred on the holes 17, and corresponding teeth are formed under the tappets. Holes 19 are also formed in the disc for the reception of the bolts 20, and curved slots 21 in each tappet enable it when slightly lifted to be swung on its pivot 23 so as to alter its position in regard to its bolt 20. After being brought to the desired position, the tappet is lowered so as to engage its teeth with those of the rack on the disc, and is then secured in such engagement by screwing a nut 22 down on to the said bolt. (Two claims.) 111642. Improvements in Mine Signalling Apparatus. J. Milligan, 119, Torbothie, Shotts, Lanarkshire.—The object of the present invention is to improve the construc- tion of mine signalling apparatus of the class wherein three pointers are used, the pointers working over the numbered dial of an indicator. When ordinary signalling is taking place, say, for the purpose of raising men or material from the pit bottom, or the various levels to the pit bank, or vice versa, the three pointers are simul- taneously moved to the number signalled, and, at some signals, only one of the pointers remains at the number signalled, the other two returning automatically to zero, and at other signals, two of the pointers remain at the number signalled, the other returning to zero. The arrangement is also such that, should a further signal be given before the first signal is complied with, the pointer or pointers is, or are, returned to zero, and the duplication or production of accumulative signals is thereby obviated. In addition to this, the invention also provides means in connection with the usual winding gear dial indicator mechanism and the signalling apparatus, whereby, when the engineman complies with a given signal, the putting in operation of the engine or the winding gear auto-