March 28, 1918.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

651

THE LONDON COAL TRADE.

Wednesday, March 27.

The London coal market continues very slow for all
qualities of household coal, , as supplies have been coming
forward very plentifully lately, and many of the London
depots are now fairly full. Heaps of stock coal are
gradually accumulating at the railway depots, and mer-
chants are in consequence refraining from ordering
anything beyond contract supplies. Whilst, however,
London merchants are buying moderately, the out town
depots are still pressing for better supplies. Those mer-
chants who own a great number of wagons are busy
in allocating them to stations in the southern areas.
Hard steam coals are still in good request, and deliveries
are exceedingly small. The bulk of the factories are
pressing for an extra supply to cover holiday requirements,
and all kinds of manufacturing fuels are in strong demand.
Gas coals, also, are in good request, and many of the larger
gas works are considerably in arrear with their monthly
contract requirements. Tlie Daylight Saving Order will
unquestionably decrease the household consumption as
well as the gas accounts. Shipping orders are reported to
be more favourable, as there has been an appreciable
increase in the number of vessels available. Yorkshire
hard steam coals are quoted at 36s. to 38s. per ton f.o.b.
in the Humber ports, but the pit prices are still ranging
at 20s. to 21s. per ton at pit for the railway tonnage for
London district, consequently very little can be secured
for the London area, whilst the shipping and export trade
continues brisk. The vessels arriving in the Thames last
week numbered only 38 for the whole week. Railway
companies are pressing for better supplies of hard steam
coals. The merchants decided on Monday last not to meet
on Wednesday, March 27. The next market day is
Wednesday, April 3. Happily, London is well provided
with both inland and seaborne coals for the week. The
unusual number, of 40 vessels were entered for Monday’s
market as arriving in the River Thames, loaded principally
with gas coals ; but all were contract cargoes, and already
three others have been reported as arriving in the Thames
for this week. An announcement has now been received
that the allowances for London householders will be
reduced during the coming winter; but as the supplies in
hand are fairly proportionate, there would not appear to be
any great difficulty in securing a full supply during the
summer months. The withdrawal of some of the large
vessels bringing gas coal to the Thames, and the
rumour of the appropriation of a considerable number of
privately-owned railway wagons, is causing an unusual
amount of anxiety amongst the larger merchants. All
prices are unchanged at present. Silkstone pit prices range
from 21s. to 22s. per ton ; blackshale, 20s. per ton ; Derby
brights, 12s. to 2<«s. per ton; kitchen coal, 18s. to 19s. per
ton ; nuts, 18s. 6d. to 19s. per ton ; Nottingham hards, 20s.
to 21s. per ton; hard cobbles, 18s. 6d. to 19s. 6d. per ton.
The summer quotations commence from April 1, but very
little change is anticipated.

From Messrs. Dinham, Fawcus and Company's Report.

Friday, March 22.—The seaborne house coal market
continued firm, with a good demand, but very small supply
on offer. Cargoes, 5.

Monday, March 25.—The changeable weather caused
uncertainty in the seaborne house coal market to-day, but
the fair supply on offer found a ready sale, the demand still
keeping good. Cargoes, 40.

THE IRISH COAL TRADE.
Wednesday, March 27.

Dublin.

The past week has been a busy one in the trade, and
many householders have been purchasing supplies, possibly
for fear of future shortage. Prices remain unchanged.
Prices of coal at Castlecomer collieries, County Kilkenny,
are Best small coal, 30s. per ton; best large coal, 28s. 4d.;
bottom coal, 25s.; breakage, 16s. 8d.; culm, 13s. 4d. The
Irish Shipping Director recently summoned a meeting of
the coal importers and large coal users in Ireland, and laid
before them the serious state of affairs in regard to the
Irish coal supply. He stated that up to the present he had
been able to allocate sufficient ships to bring a barely
sufficient supply to Dublin, but owing to the tonnage diffi-
culty the shortage of ships would represent a diminution
of 1,000,000 tons, or about one-fourth of the usual supply.
Hs also stated that in addition to economy in large concerns,
domestic fires would have to be reduced. He suggested
that a committee of principal importers and users should be
formed to take the matter in hand, and if they were
not able to deal satisfactorily with the crisis he would
undertake the appointment of supplies himself. It is
stated that the Dublin Corporation Electricity Supply
Committee have decided that no further consumers should
be taken on, except for necessary Government work, and
that the tramway company have discontinued some of
their services. It is understood that arrangements have
already been made by which certain vessels which were
used in conveying coal to Dublin, and have been diverted
to the transport of other traffic, have now been replaced by
other vessels, and that no fears need be entertained of a
shortage of fuel at present.

Belfast.

The prospect of a greater scarcity has caused a rush for
household coals, the result being that stocks are now
very low. There is no change in prices, viz. .-—Best
English coal, 51s. per ton ; English nuts, 50s.; English
kitchen coal, 50s.; best English slack, 47s. ; Scotch house
coal, 45s.; standard coal, 44s. per ton net. A representative
conference took place at the City Hall last week regarding
the present coal situation. It was decided to appoint three
committees, one to approach the manufacturers, another
the shopkeepers, and a third the householders of the city,
in order to urge upon them the necessity for the utmost
economy in the use of coal.

THE TIM-PLATE TRADE.

Liverpool.

The tone of the market is not very good just now. Those
makers who are well booked are holding out for the official
maximum price, which now stands at about 31s. 9d. basis
for cokes net f.o.t. at works, but there are several works
short of specifications. They are cutting in, and trying to
secure suitable orders by quoting 30s. 9d. and less. The
volume of business going through, however, is not large.
Wasters are in fair demand ; 28 x 20 continue very scarce,
and full prices have to be paid. Terne plates are very slow
of sale.

SAMPLING COAL FOR SHIPMENT
OR DELIVERY.*

By George S. Pope.

Introduction.

The directions here given are intended to apply
to sampling coal at points where the conditions for
sampling are not fixed and no such facilities are at
hand for methodically collecting and preparing
samples as are available at power plants that regu-
larly receive and sample coal. Frequently there is
need of sampling a special shipment of coal as it
is loaded into railroad cars at the mine, or as
it is unloaded from railroad cars into bins or ships,
and at such times there is need of instructions
regarding hand methods of sampling.

Time of Sampling.

Collect the sample when the coal is being loaded
into or unloaded from railroad cars, ships, barges, or
wagons, or is being discharged from supply bins,
industrial-railway cars, grab buckets, or coal-
conveyors. In case the coal is crushed at the place
of sampling, the sample should be collected, if pos-
sible, after the coal has passed through the crusher.
Do not collect samples entirely from the surface of
coal in piles, or bins, or in cars, ships, or barges,
as samples so collected are generally unreliable. A
reliable and representative gross sample can be
collected only by taking portions of coal from different
parts of the mass, and such opportunity is afforded
only when the coal is being transferred from one
carrier to another—mine cars to railroad car, rail-
road car to barge,-or wagon to bin, etc.

Collecting Gross Sample.

Use a shovel for taking equal portions or increments
to make up the gross sample. For slack or small sizes
of anthracite, increments as small as 5 to 10 lb. may
be taken, but for run-of-mine, or lump coal, the
increments should be at least 10 to 30 lb., depending
on the size and weight of the pieces of coal and
impurities being sampled.

Collect the increments regularly and systematically,
so that the entire quantity of coal sampled will be
represented proportionately in the gross sample, and
collect them at such intervals that the gross sample
will be of the required size. The gross sample should
contain the same proportion of lump coal, fine coal
and impurities as the coal sampled. When coal is
extremely lumpy, making difficult the collection of
representative increments by shovel, break a quantity
of the lumps and collect portions, as required, from
the broken coal.

Size of Gross Sample.

For run-of-mine or lump coal, the gross sample
should not be less than 1,000 lb. If the coal contains
an unusual amount of impurities in pieces of con-
siderable size, the gross sample should be about
1,500 lb. For slack coal and small sizes of anthracite
in which the impurities are in not abnormal quanti-
ties, or are not in pieces larger than three-quarter
inch, a gross sample of approximately 500 lb. is suffi-
cient. Whether the quantity of coal sampled consists
of 1 ton, 500 tons, or more, the need of the gross
sample being of the sizes stated is the same.

Quantity Represented by Gross Sample.

The number of gross samples that should be
collected must vary for each consignment or ship-
ment, and each case must be considered individually.
For example, a shipment of 1,000 tons, of 20 railroad
cars of 50 tons each, may be represented by one gross
sample of approximately 1,000 lb., if properly col-
lected ; but in case coal from several mines enters
into the shipment and a separate gross sample from,
say, four cars to represent the coal produced by one
mine is desired, or if for some other reason a sample
is desired from four of the cars, then to represent
the coal in the four cars a gross sample of 1,000 lb.
should be collected by taking approximately 250 lb.
from each car. If, for example, another sample for
eight of the cars is required, then approximately
125 lb. should be taken from each car. The sampler
will, presumably, be instructed as to the number of
gross samples desired, or the number of cars, or the
coal each sample is to represent.

Storage of Gross Sample.

As the shovelfuls or increments to make up a gross
sample are taken, deposit them on a clean, tight,
and smooth floor, or place them in clean barrels,
boxes, or other receptacles. Protect the sample from
rain, snow, wind, and beating sun. Do not let
cinders, sand, chippings from floor, or any other
foreign matter get into the sample. Inspect boxes,
barrels, buckets, or other receptacles each time before
using, to ensure that they are clean.

Wagonload Sampling.

Collect shovelfuls of coal from each wagon, or every
second or third wagon, as the coal is being loaded
into or unloaded from the wagons, the number of
shovelfuls and the number of wagonloads sampled
being dependent on the number of loads that the
gross sample is to represent. If the coal is unloaded
by shovel, take shovelfuls from different parts of the
wagon or wagons; but do not take all shovelfuls from
similar points, as from the surface or the ends of
loads, or from the very last coal remaining in the
wagons. If dump w’agons are used, take shovelfuls
as the coal flows from the wagon; observing care,
however, not to take shovelfuls from the very first
or last coal running.

Carload Sampling.

Collect the number of shovelfuls or increments of
coal required to make up the gross sample from dif-
ferent points in the car or cars, from top to bottom

* U.S. Bureau of Mines, Technical Paper 133.

and from end to end, while the coal is being loaded
or unloaded.

In sampling a shipment of coal at the mine, take
the shovelfuls or increments systematically and
regularly as the coal is loaded into the railroad cars,
so that the gross sample will represent the entire
quantity sampled. The frequency of collecting the
increments will depend on the number of cars of coal
to be represented by the gross sample. If only one
railroad car is to be sampled, collect from each mine
car dumped the number of shovelfuls required to
obtain a gross sample of the required size. If two
or more cars of coal are to be represented by one
sample, the gross sample should be collected by taking
a shovelful of the coal dumped from each mine car,
or from every second, third, or fourth, etc., mine car,
in order to have a gross sample of proper size, so
that representative portions of coal will be taken in
equal quantities from each car. In case the railroad
cars differ in size, the quantities taken from each car
should be in proportion to the capacities of the cars.
When coal is dumped from mine cars into railroad
cars, the lumps usually roll to the bottom, hence
shovelfuls should not be collected entirely from the
bottom of the car, but should be taken systematically
over the surface of the coal.

Sample the coal after it has been prepared for
market. If the coal is washed or is passed over
picking tables, or if pickers are employed on the
car to remove impurities, the sample should not be
taken until the coal has had its final preparation.
If the coal is picked after it is dumped into the car,
the sample must be collected from within the car
as the coal is being loaded and after the pickers have
gone over it. If no pickers are employed on the car,
the sampling may be done at some advantageous place
on the tipple before the coal reaches the car.

In sampling coal being unloaded by hand from
cars, the shovelfuls to make up the gross sample
should be taken at regular intervals. Workmen
unloading coal usually begin at one end of a car and
shovel the coal out to the bottom so as to facilitate
shovelling from the floor. As a result the load is
exposed from top to bottom, and an excellent oppor-
tunity is afforded for taking shovelfuls for the sample
from different places in the face exposed as unloading
progresses, and it is easy to obtain a final sample
composed of shovelfuls from all parts of the load,
from top to bottom and from end to end.

In sampling coal from dump cars, shovelfuls may
be taken from the stream of coal being discharged,
observing care not to collect portions of the first or
last coal spilling from the car. Because of the
suddenness with which coal may drop out of a rail-
road car, and because of the momentum of the rapidly
falling lumps, the collection of a satisfactory sample
by attempting to catch shovelfuls may be impossible.
In such event it may be necessary to collect shovelfuls
of coal that has overflowed on the pier or the trestle
deck or the sides of pockets. If beams 10 to 12 in.
wide span the pockets immediately underneath the
car a fairly satisfactory sample can often be collected
in shovelfuls from the coal lodging on the beams.

Ship or Barge Sampling.

In sampling a ship or barge, as in sampling a car,
portions of coal should be taken in equal quantities
and at frequent and regular intervals while the coal
is being loaded or unloaded, so as to represent pro-
portionate parts of the whole consignment. If the
coal is unloaded by grab buckets, or into barrows,
or coal-conveying equipment, shovelfuls usually can
be advantageously collected at regular intervals from
the buckets, barrows, or equipment.

Preparation of Gross Sample.

Crushing :—After the gross sample has been col-
lected, it must be systematically crushed, mixed, and
reduced to convenient size for transmittal to the
laboratory. The crushing may be done with a tamper
or a sledge. If a suitable iron tamper or sledge is
not available, a satisfactory tamper can be made from
a piece of 6 by 6 in. timber, 12 to 15 in. long, by
boring a suitable hole in one end and inserting a
handle about 3 ft. long and lj to 2 in. in diameter,
and by screwing an iron plate on the other end. The
handle should fit the hole snugly. By splitting the
end to be inserted and loosely placing a wood wedge
therein, the handle will be firmly held in place when
it is driven home.

Crush the sample on a smooth, clean, sheet-iron
plate of suitable dimensions or on a solid floor. If a
suitable plate or floor is not available, the crushing
may be done on a heavy canvas. In crushing the
sample, take care that no pieces of impurities fly out
of it, and that no cinders, sand, chippings from the
floor, or any other foreign substances get into it.
Crush samples of the weight indicated in the accom-
panying table so that no pieces of coal and impurities
will be greater in any dimension, as judged by the
eye, than specified for the sample, before division into
two approximately equal parts: —

Largest Sizes of Coal or Impurities Allowable in
Samples before Division.

Weight of sample to be divided : In.

1,000 lb. or more.......... 1

500 lb................... i

250 lb................... 1

125 lb................... i

60 lb................... {

30 lb................... re	or	4-mesh screen.

The method of reducing by hand the quantity of
coal in a gross sample must be carried out as prescribed
below, even though the initial size of the coal or of
any impurities be less than is specified in the table.

Halving.—The alternate shovel method of reducing
the gross sample is to be repeated until the sample
is reduced to approximately 250 lb. Before each
reduction in quantity the sample must be crushed to
the fineness prescribed in the table.

The crushed coal must be shovelled into a conical
pile by depositing each shovelful of coal on top of