1212

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

June 14, 1918.

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.

Abstracts of Contracts Open.

Ashton-undeb-Lyne, June 19.—645 tons house coal and
916 tons engine coal for Guardians. Tenders to the clerk,
Union Offices.

Audley, June 25.—Best washed gas nuts or best gas
burgy (12 months) for gas works ; also best engine slack (12
months) for water works. Tenders to the clerk to the
council, Kidsgrove, Staffs.

Basford, June 24.—Coal for the Guardians. Forms
from the clerk, Public Offices, Basford.

Bedford, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) for the
Bedford A.S.C. Forms from the O.C., A.S.C. Head-
quarters, 21, Rothsay-road, Bedford.

Bradford, June 21.—Coal for the Guardians. Forms
from the offices, 22, Manor-row, Bradford.

Brigg (Lincs), June 18.—Screened coal and washed
nuts (12 months) for the U.D. Council. Forms from the
manager, Gas Department.

Brighton, June 18.—885 tons good house coal and a
quantity of coke for the Guardians. Forms from the
offices, Princes-street, Brighton.

Bulford, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) for
Salisbury Plain, Larkhill, and Wilton districts. Forms
on application as follows : For Salisbury Plain, Chisel-
don, Devizes, Warwick, Worcester, Birmingham, Leam-
ington, Oxford, Reading, Milton, Banbury, Didcot, Holy-
port, Witney, Rugby, etc., from Officer Commanding,
Army Service Corps, Salisbury Plain, Bulford. For Lark-
hill district, from Officer Commanding, Army Service
Corps, Larkhill, Salisbury Plain. For Wilton, Codford,
Heytesbury, Warminster, Fovant, Gillingham, Westbury,
etc., from Officer Commanding, Army Service Corps,
Wilton.

Burton, June 24.—Coal for the Guardians. Forms from
the clerk, Union Offices, Burton-on-Trent.

Bury (Lancs), June 20.—Coal for the Guardians. Forms
from the offices, Bury.

Chatham, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) at the
various stations in the Chatham administrative district.
Forms from the Officer Commanding, A.S.C., Southill
Barracks, Chatham.

Cheltenham, July 20.—Good household coal, free from
slack, and coke (12 months) for schools. Forms from the
secretary, Education Dept., Municipal Offices, Cheltenham.

Chester, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) at the
various stations in the Western Command. Forms from
the District Barrack Officer, Headquarter Office, 22,
Nicholas-street, Chester.

Colchester, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) at
the various stations in the Colchester district. Forms
from the Officer Commanding, A.S.C., Headquarters
Office, 1, Abbey-field, Colchester.

Croydon, June 19.—Coal for Guardians. Forms from
the clerk, Union Offices, Thornton Heath, Surrey.

Derby, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) at the
various stations in the North Midland district. Forms
from O.C., A.S.C., Headquarter Office, North Midland
District, 91, Burton-road, Derby.

Derby, June 24.—Coal and • slack for the Guardians.
Forms from the clerk, 3, St. Mary’s Gate, Derby.

Dublin, June 19.—2,500 tons best Wigan coal for South
Dublin Guardians. Forms from the master, Workhouse,
James-street, Dublin.

Durham, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) at the
various stations in the . Northumbrian A.S.C. district
(Counties of Northumberland, Durham, and Cleveland
district (Yorkshire). Forms from the Officer Commanding,
A.S.C., Old Elvet, Durham City.

Edinburgh, June 19.—Coal and coke (12 months) at
the various stations in the Scottish Command. Forms
from the District Barrack Officer, 42, North Bridge, Edin-
burgh.

Epping, June 29.—Coal and coke for Epping schools.
Forms from H. J. Goodwin, Education Office, High-road,
Loughton.

Gloucester, June 21.—House coal for Wotton Asylum,
Gloucester. Forms from the steward.

Greenwich, June 26.—Coal for Greenwich Guardians.
Forms from the clerk, Board Room, East Greenwich.

Hindley, June 24.—8,000 tons of best screened Arley
gas nuts for U.D. Council’s gasworks. Forms from the
engineer.

Kinsale, June 19.—130 tons of coal, at per ton. Forms
from the clerk’s office, Kinsale.

Lancaster, July 16.—Slack or nuts (6, 9, or 12 months)
for Electricity Committee. Forms from the Electricity
Works, Marton-street, Lancaster.

London, June 24.—Coal and coke (12 months) for Pad-
dington Borough Council. Forms from the town clerk.

Londonderry, June 21.—400 tons English house coal
and 600 tons Scotch coal. Forms from the clerk, Asylum,
Londonderry.

Loughborough, June 24.—Coal and coke for the Guar-
dians. Forms from the clerk, Union Offices, Lough-
borough.

Magherafelt, June 20.—200 of 300 tons screened coal
for Guardians. Forms from the clerk, Board Room,
Magherafelt.

Malling, June 26.—Best steam coal, house coal, gas
coal for Guardians and R.D. Council. Forms from the
clerk, Union Offices, West Malling.

Merthyr Tydfil, June 19.—Coal for the Guardians.
Forms from the master, Workhouse.

Newtown and Llanidloes, June 19.—Coal for the
Guardians. Tenders to the clerk.

Portsmouth, June 19.—Coal and coke (one year) at
various stations in the Portsmouth district. Forms from
the Officer Commanding, A.S.C., Headquarter Offices,
High-street, Portsmouth.

Salford, June 20.—Coal for the Guardians. Forms from
the offices, Eccles New-road, Salford.

Shotts, June 18.—1,500 tons washed treble and double
nuts for the S. and D. Gas Company Limited. Offers to
the manager.

Sleaford, June 18.—250 tons hard steam coal for elec-
tricity works. Tenders to the clerk, U.D. Council Offices,
27, Carr-street, Sleaford.

Spenborough, June 19.-4,000 tons of slack for the
U.D. Council. Forms from the engineer, Electricity
Works, Dewsbury-road, Cleckheaton.

Staines, June 20.—Coal and coke for the Staines
Guardians. Forms from the clerk, Ashford, Middlesex.

Strood, June 20.—Coal and coke for the Guardians.
Forms from the clerk, Union Offices, Strood, Kent.

Wellingborough, June 17.—Anthracite stove nuts, best
house cobbles, best hard steam coal, for the U.D. Council.
Forms from the clerk, 29, Church-street, Wellingborough.

Westminster, June 19. — Coal for the Westminster
Guardians. Forms from the clerk, Princes-row, West-
minster.

Woodbridge, June 19.—Coal and coke (2 months) for
3rd Cyclist Brigade. Forms from the Supply Officer,
42, Cumberland-street, Woodbridge.

Wrexham, June 21 — Coal for the Croesnewydd
Auxiliary Military Hospital, Wrexham. Forms from the
matron.

York, June 26.—Coal for the Guardians. Forms from
the clerk, 1, Museum-street, York.

The date given is the latest upon which tenders can
he received.

CONTRACTS OPEN FOR ENGINEERING, IRON
AND STEEL WORK, Ac.

Belfast, June 20.—Various.—Iron castings, malleable
iron and tinplate, steam tubes and fittings, flexible
metallic tubes, etc. Forms from the engineer, Gas Works,
Belfast.

Melbourne, July 2.— Wire.—Galvanised iron wire, gal-
vanised steel standard wire, copper wire, etc., for the Post
Office. Copies of specifications may be seen at the Enquiry
Office of the Department of Overseas Trade (Development
and Intelligence), 73, Basinghall-street, London, E.C., 2.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS.

Any of the following publications may be obtained
on application at this office at the price named post free.

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research :
“ Monograph on the Constitution of Coal,” by Marie
C. Stopes, D.Sc., Ph.D., and R. V. Wheeler, D.Sc., price
2s. 3d. ; “ Report on the Causes and Circumstances attend-
ing the Accident which Occurred at Springhill Colliery,
Ayrshire, on July 18 1917, from an Explosion of Fire-
damp,” by W. Walker, H.M. Acting Chief Inspector of
Mines, price 3d. (London : Published by His Majesty’s
Stationery Office).

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

“ Methods of Measuring Temperature,” by Ezer Griffiths,
D.Sc. (London: Charles Griffin and Company Limited,
Exeter-street, Strand, W.C. 2), price 8s. 6d. net;
University of Illinois Bulletin (No. 102) “ A Study of
the Heat Transmission of‘Building Materials,” by A. C.
Willard and L. C. Lichty, price 25 cents; (Circular
No. 6) “ The Storage of Bituminous Coal,” by H. H.
Stoek, price 40 cents; New Zealand Department of
Mines—Geological Survey Branch (Bulletin No. 20) :
“ The Geology of the Oamaru District, North Otago
(Eastern Otago Division),” by James Park, F.G.S. ;
“ Transactions of the Manchester Geological and Mining
Society,” edited by the Hon. Secretary (Vol. 35, Parts
7 and 8), issued May 1918 (published at the Rooms
of the Society, Queen’s Chambers, 5, John Dalton-street,
Manchester) ; “ The Journal and Transactions of the
Society of Engineers (Incorporated) (Vol. 9, No. 4),
April 1918 (published by the Society of Engineers, 17,
Victoria-street, S.W. 1), price 2s. 6d. ; “ Chemical Engi-
neering and Mining Review ” (Vol. 10, No. 115), April
1918; “ The Mining Congress Journal ” (Vol. 4, No. 5),
May 1918, 20 cents per copy; “The Iowa Engineer”
(Vol. 18, No. 7), April 1918 ; “ Compressed Air Maga-
zine ” (Vol. 23, No. 5), May 1918, single copies 10 cents ;
“ Commerce—The Official Organ of the Sydney Chamber
of Commerce (Incorporated) ” (Vol. 1, No. 3), April
1918, price 6d. ; Canadian Department of Mines—Mines
Branch (Bulletin No. 16), Mineral Springs of Canada
(in two parts)—Part I. “ The Radioactivity of Some
Canadian Mineral Springs,” by J. Satterly and R. T.
Elworthy ; (Bulletin No. 17) “ The Value of Peat Fuel
for the Generation of Steam,” by J. Blizard ; (Bulletin
No. 19) “ Test of Some Canadian Sandstones to Deter-
mine their Suitability as Pulpstones,” by L. Heber
Cole; Iron Ore Occurrences in Canada (in two vols.)—
Vol. I. “ Descriptions of Principal Iron Ore Mines ” ;
Vol. II. “Descriptions of Iron Ore Occurrences,” com-
piled by E. Lindeman and L. L. Bolton; “ The Pro-
duction of Coal and Coke in Canada during the
Calendar Year 1916,” by John McLeish ; “ The Pro-
duction of Iron and Steel during the Calendar Year
1916,” by John McLeish; “ The Production of Cement,
Lime, Clay Products, Stone and other Structural
Materials in Canada during the Calendar Year
1916.” by John McLeish;	“ The Production of

Copper, Gold. Lead. Nickel, Silver, Zinc and
other Metals in Canada during the Calendar Year
1916,” by John McLeish; “Summary Report of
the Mines Branch of the Department of Mines for
the Calendar Year ending December 31, 1916 ” ; “ Pre-
liminary Report on the Mineral of Canada during the
Calendar Year 1917,” prepared by John McLeish.

A Cabinet Committee, consisting of Lord Curzon and
Mr. Barnes, has been formed to deal with the question
of afforestation.

South African Coal Output.—The official report states
that 64 collieries were in operation in the Union of South
Africa in March last. The quantity of coal mined was
1,043,705 short tons (including 123,262 tons of waste),
and the quantity sold totalled 862,310 tons, valued at
£291.036. In the three months 2,463,708 tons, valued at
£822,734, were sold.

Whitley Committee and Arbitration.—A report on
conciliation and arbitration issued by the Whitley Com-
mittee pronounces definitely against compulsory arbi-
tration, and also to schemes of conciliation which
would compulsorily suspend a strike or lock-out pending
an enquiry. The Committee, however, advocate the con-
tinuance of the present machinery for voluntary concilia-
tion and arbitration, and hope that the setting up of joint
industrial councils will tend to the growth of such
machinery. Their main constructive suggestion is that a
standing arbitration council should be established (on the
lines cf the present temporary Committe on Produc-
tion), to which disputants could refer such differences as
they are themselves unable to settle. The Committee are
opposed to the enforcement of awards and agreements by
means of monetary penalties.

ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS
RECENTLY ACCEPTED.

114936. Coke Ovens. H. B. Porteous, 5, Muriel-street,
and P. T. Allen, 19, Granville-terrace, Redcar, York.—
This invention relates to coke ovens of the horizontal type
in which the gas passes in flues disposed in the pillars
between the ovens, one or more of said flues extending
the full length of the oven to a main flue disposed trans-
versely of the ovens at one end. A coke oven made in
accordance with this invention is characterised in that all
the horizontal gas flues extend the full length of the
oven, and in that flues carrying the products of com-
bustion are disposed between two combustion flues, and
in that all the air travels the full length on top of the
oven, and down a flue at one end of the oven, and then
the full length of the oven, below the sole of the oven,
between flues carrying the products of combustion to the
main flue. The means for regulating the gas and air are
disposed at one end of the oven. Six heating flues are
employed one above another at each side of each carbon-
ising chamber, but there is no restriction in regard to the
number of heating flues employed. One form of coke
oven made in accordance with this invention consists of
a plurality of units, each unit comprising a carbonising
chamber disposed longitudinally, two or more combustion
flues on each side of the carbonising chamber, means for
admitting hot air and gas to one end (hereinafter called
the front end or ram side) of each combustion flue, two
or more return flues on each side of the carbonising
chamber for the combustion gases from the combustion
flues and forming together with the combustion flues the
heating flues for the carbonising chambers, longitudinal
division walls between the adjacent units, said walls being
constructed or arranged to act as regenerator walls, being
located between the before mentioned combustion and
return flues of adjacent units, and being formed with flues
or passages in which the air for combustion is heated on
its way to the combustion chambers before referred to.
The said regenerator passages may be situated at the
lower part of the dividing walls, or may extend any
distance above or below same. Preferably this air is
admitted at the front end of longitudinal air flues at the
upper part of the structure, and passes down at the other
end to enter the rear end of the said heating flues in the
dividing and regenerator walls, and thence passes through
these air flues to the front end, whence they rise or pass
to the front end of the combustion chambers, longitudinal
flues being provided on each side of the dividing
regenerator walls, through which flues the combustion gases
from the return flues before mentioned pass on their way
to the outlet, so that their heat is utilised for heating the
air on its way to the combustion flues. Over each carbon-
ising chamber are charging orifices or shafts. Chambers
for containing a sand filling, or the like, may be provided
in a well known manner over the structure between the
charging orifices or shafts of the carbonising chambers for
the purpose of retaining the heat. (Four claims.)

114937. Destructive Distillation of Carbonaceous
Materials. F. M. Perkin, Albion House, 59, New Oxford-
street, London, W.C., and J. West, Alton Lodge, Park-
crescent, Southport.—This invention relates to the destruc-
tive distillation at high temperatures of carbonaceous
materials, and more particularly to the continuous carbon-
isation of coal in vertical retorts, and has for its object to
provide means whereby a higher yield of coal tar, and of
lower boiling point aromatic hydrocarbons may be obtained
under high temperature distillation with a corresponding
diminution in yield of hydrocarbons of the aliphatic series.
When distilling coal at low temperatures, there is a pro-
portionately high yield of hydrocarbons of the aliphatic
series, and even with high temperature distillation there
is a considerable, though reduced, yield of such hydro-
carbons. The presence of the latter in the lower fractions
of the tar increases the difficulty of purifying the benzol
and toluol. As coal is a bad conductor of heat and coke
a worse one, it is only a thin outer skin or layer of coal
in the retort that is carbonised at about the temperature
existing on the retort surface, and the remainder or the
core of the discharge is distilled at a gradually increasing
temperature, which may attain its maximum only after
practically all the volatile products have been driven off.
In high temperature vertical retorts, the aliphatic hydro-
carbons are formed during the period when the core or
inner body of the coal charge is having its temperature
gradually raised practically by conduction through the
outer skin or layer. The inventors find that if an inert
gas, such as, for example, stripped coal gas or producer
gas, be passed into the lower portion of the retort at such
a rate (due either to the pressure at which it is supplied,
or to the amount of the vacuum in the gas off-take from
the retort, or to a combination of both these methods)
that it is able, after passing through the red hot coke, to
carry the volatile matter from the highly heated partially
carbonised coal through the relatively cool coal which has
just entered the hot zone of the retort, without the said
volatile matter becoming condensed or condensed to any
marked degree in said cool coal (necessitating its re-distil-
lation), and if the evolved gases and distillates, together
with the inert gas be withdrawn from the retort imme-
diately after their passage through the heated zone of
the retort and without their being passed through the cold
coal in the retort feeding hopper, then not only is the
amount of the tar distilled increased in volume, but its
specific gravity is lower and larger quantities of benzol,
toluol, xylol and phenols are obtained with a corresponding
diminution in the yield of hydrocarbons of the aliphatic
series. Further, there is a slight increase in the amount
of gas produced, and any volatile matter which may have
remained in the coke is liberated by the inert gas. Also,
the volatile vapours are passed more rapidly through the
heated zone of the retort and so escape decomposition.
The invention consists therefore in expediting the heating
up of the coal charge so as to reduce the period of low
temperature distillation to a minimum, by causing an inert
gas to travel upwards through the red hot coke in the
lower portion of the retort where the said gas becomes
highly heated, then through the partially coked mass of
coal, from which it carries off volatile matter, and finally
through the coal which is receiving its first heat in the
hot zone of the retort, where the inert gas gives up
heat, but owing to its rate of travel is not sufficiently cooled
to cause condensation or excessive condensation of the
volatile matter on the said coal, the whole of the gas
and distillates being then withdrawn from the retort by
the gas offtake.

114971. Carbonising Coal. J. A. Yeadon, 4, Albion-
place, Leeds, and T. Whitaker, Westminster Chambers,
East Parade, Leeds.—This invention relates to methods
and apparatus for carbonising coal, and particularly to
those in which the process of carbonisation is mechanical
and continuous throughout. In the well-known methods
of intermittent carbonisation of coal in mass, in retorts
or chambers of either the horizontal, vertical, or inclined