COAL - Clpdigital.org

44 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
The only boat of its kind ever built is the Marquette
and Bessemer collier now plying between
Conneaut Harbor and Rondeau, Canada. The
usual style of coal-carrying ferry provides for
loaded cars being run from the docks over an
apron on the vessel and subsequently switched to
tracks laid on the ferry floor. The cars are then
locked in place, where they remain until the vessel
reaches Canada, when they are released, transferred
to a Canadian railroad and go on to their
destination. The Marquette and Bessemer ferry
receives the cars aboard in the same manner, but
after being emptied they are run off the boat again.
The deck is provided with two tracks. Between
the forward and aft apartments is one continuous
hatch, the tracks running the length of the opening.
On these tracks ten hopper cars can be run
at one time, while their loads are being emptied
into the hold beneath. At the Canadian side the
cargo is removed by grapple unloaders. much after
the plan of unloading ore at ports on this side of
the lake. Four unloading machines can work in
tne hold of this boat at one time, removing the
cargo in eight hours or less. The loading of the
vessel is a much shorter operation.
Recently the steamer James P. Walsh made a
record for rapid unloading of coal on the Great
Lakes. This vessel unloaded a cargo of 9,304
tons of bituminous coal (at the dock of the Milwaukee-Western
Fuel Co., at Milwaukee, Wis.) in
30 hours. Of this cargo 2,000 tons was placed on
the dock. Eight clam-shell buckets were used.
One of the best, if not tne best, ways of preventing
or stopping a squeeze in anthracite coal
mines, is by flushing in material and filling up the
worked-out portion of the mine. When once the
top commences to settle over an area of any con
siderable extent, individual props are like so many
matches. Cribs built of logs and filled in with
rock may be effective, if enough of these supports
are used in time.
James E. Roderick, chief of the state bureau of
mines, has informed coal companies wnich have
written to him regarding the enforcement of the
new mine labor law, which goes into effect on
October 15, that in his judgment the act was not
intended to apply so radically to young men between
the ages of 16 and 21 as appears on first
interpretation. He has informed the companies
ihat in his opinion the educational test is to be
required only in the cases of boys between 14 and
16 holding or seeing employment in the breakers,
and those 16 years old who work or may ask for
employment in the mines.
Some time ago options were secured by J. J-
Mitchell on the coal holdings and mining properties
of the Merchants' Coal Co., inclining those at
Boswell. the Tunnelton and Elk Lick and the West
Virginia properties, valued at $4,000,000. When
the hour for lifting the options arrived Mr. Mitchell
did not put in an appearance and the deal
was announced to be off.
The Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Co. has issued Bulletin
No. 2004 entitled "Stone Working Tools."
It is a comprehensive and interesting booklet.
ANTHRACITE PRODUCTION.
The September production of anthracite reached
record-breaking figures for that month. The production
is 5,082,232 tons, which is an increase of
1.114,632 tons over the corresponding month of
last year, while the 1905 production of 45.387,810
tons is 3,214,042 tons in excess of the output for
the corresponding nine months of the previous
year. The Reading company leads in the increased
production for September with 334,080
tons, and the Lehigh Valley comes second with
an increase of 212,437 tons. The Pennsylvania
and the Delaware, Susquehanna & Schuylkill railroads
are the other roads to fall behind. The
tonnage of the respective roads for beptember
and for the nine months of 1905, with comparison
for the corresponding periods of 1904, is as
follows:
Sept., 1905. Sept., 1904.
Reading 1,067,916 733,838
Lehigh Valley 861,529 649.092
Jersey Central 709.700 552,742
D„ L. & W 772,506 673,564
Del. & Hudson 422,789 290,609
Pennsylvania 62,414 339,094
Erie 568,799 405,915
N. Y.. O. & W 218,980 185,472
Del.. Sus. & S 134,599 137,276
Totals 5,082,232 3,967.600
The shipments of anthracite since January 1 to
September 30, 1905. as compared with the same
period in 1904 are as follows:
For 1905. For 1904.
Reading 9,301,724 8,174,026
Lehigh Valley 7,446,881 6,870,073
Jersey Central 5,896.574 5,388,906
D., L. & W 6.939.033 5,082,713
Del. & Hudson 4,253,367 4,002.638
Pennsylvania 3,598.210 3,524,929
Erie 4.669,415 4,318,429
N. Y., O. & W 2,113.527 1,950,805
Del., S. & S 1,196,079 114,149
Totals 45,387,810 42,173,768