coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL
not to overset or over fuse such circuits, for in
case of an over set breaker the trolley line may
arc and spark against the rail for some little time
before it develops load enough to open the breaker.
ft is very possible that this was the cause of the
Naomi explosion.
In one of the publications of the Bureau of
Mines appear several suggestions for reducing the
number of accidents due to the use of electricity
in mines that will be a fitting conclusion for this
paper.
1. Remove contributory causes.
2. Treat all wires, however well insulated, as
bare wires.
3. Remove from the vicinity of electrical apparatus
all elements susceptible to its influence,
(gas, dust, explosives and combustible material).
4. Keep the electric current where it belongs.
5. If under certain circumstances the current
cannot be entirely confined, at least limit the area
of its activity by using protective devices.
6. Insure a high factor of safety by, (a) selecting
materials and apparatus with care; (b) installing
equipment in a strictly first class manner;
(c) inspecting equipment frequently and
thoroughly; (d) maintaining it in good condition
at all times.
In conclusion the writer urgently recommends
that a rigid inspection system such as maintained
by the Electrical Bureau of the National Board of
Fire Underwriters be adopted at all mines, not only
for mining equipment, but for power house and
outside electrical installations as well.
COAL MINE LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES.
An invention that is attracting attention among
those interested in the coal mines of the Dunfermline
district is a patent for life and property
saving in the event of a cage rope breaking in the
pit of coal mines, writes Consul H. D. Van Sant,
Dunfermline, Scotland. The working model has
been favorably commented upon by the British
Inspector of Mines, who says that because of its
simplicity and easy establishment in coal pits
its future adoption is highly probable.
The working of the patent is quite simple. Two
extra chains come from the base of the rope, and
these running down the sides of the cage are fastened
to four pieces of strong wood that project
from the four bottom corners of the cage. When
the weight of the cage is on these chains the wood
pieces are drawn inside the framework of the cage,
but when the weight is taken off, as happens in
the event of the rope breaking, the wood pieces
are at once projected by means of springs that
catch the bunting at present used, with the result
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 49
that the cage is brought to a standstill within a
maximum space of 4 feet. The old plan of lacing
the sides of a pit shaft with pieces of wood, known
as bunting, is thus much improved upon, and it
is claimed this improvement will save much loss
of life and property. Several mining men interviewed
say that if this appliance fulfills what it
seems likely to accomplish, it will be one of the
best recent mine-working inventions.
Mrs. Alexander E. Hamilton, mother of F. WcN.
Hamilton, state mineralogist of California, died
suddenly of heart failure at San Francisco, recently.
Mr. Hamilton was returning from a professional
visit to the oil fields and other mining
districts in southern California at the time, ancl
could not be informed of the death of his mother
until he reached San Francisco. Mrs. Hamilton
was 67 years old, born in New Brunswick, and ,
with her husband, now deceased, went to California
in 1868.
Mr. John H. Marble, member of the Interstate
Commerce commission, who has been conducting
the commission's probe of the so-called "anthracite
trust" at Philadelphia, died at Washington,
D. C, recently, after a shost illness. He was aged
46 and was from California.
Mr. William H. Watson, aged 70, of Fairmont,
W. Va., and a son of the late James Otis Watson,
a pioneer coal operator, and a brother of former
U. S. Senator Clarence W. Watson, of West Virginia,
died at St. Elizabeth's hospital, Richmond,
Va„ recently.
Mr. F. H. Ketch am, president of the Mendota
Coal & Coke Co., Centralia, Wash., died suddenly
a few days ago.
The House committee on public buildings and
grounds Dec. 5 authorized a favorable report upon
the bill permitting the Secretary of the Treasury
to accept the appropriation of $25,000 by the Pennsylvania
legislature to be used towards the construction
of buildings for the Bureau of Mines, at
Pittsburgh. The bill authorizes the acceptance of
any other appropriations or contributions for this
purpose. Congress has authorized the erection of
a $500,000 building, but the money for it has not
been appropriated.
According to reports from Salt Lake City, Utah,
representatives of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk
& Western railroads are planning to put their
coal into consumers' hands in San Francisco at
$4.75 to $5 per ton as soon as the Panama canal is
opened.