i STEAM COAL - Clpdigital.org

36
So long as coal remains the basis of industrial
progress, any means or method which results in
a reduced cost of coal production must be of
i^T^f* - — *
•«*&«?
$£MJjjS .^£$
^^ >|fJ
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
A NEW RADIAL COAL CUTTER.
i"
• " • \ . * - - -
• w ' ;• v.V'-- v , ,:.-*-'";.•
."' *,. "'*'' . . ^ ''. • "- -•• '"'
-'=» •"• V-.;-. v'-.-' ,..--i...;:'
Vertical Shearing.
P • 1
m. 0*f^~r-
interest to all branches of productive industry.
Machine methods have long held prominent place
in the coal mining field and the "puncher" or
pick machine is a recognized factor in coal mine
economy. But long years of experience
with this machine have clearly established
its limits of usefulness, and the need of
another machine to supplement or assist
the "puncher" has long been acknowledged.
Such a machine is the new radial
coal cutter, recently placed on the market
by the Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Co.. of
New York. While only lately brought
before the public, this machine has for a
long time been in severe experimental
service in some of the largest producing
coal mines in the country and its performance
there has aroused general interest
among coal mine operators. The
radial cutter is designed especially for
the work of shearing and entry driving.
The idea of the radial mounting is not
new, but as applied to the requirements
of coal mining it is claimed to be a distinct
innovation which may revolutionize
certain processes of coal mining, particularly
as a means of rapid development.
The economical development of coal properties
imperatively demands the use of a shearing ma­
chine, but the requirements of the situation are
so severe that many devices intended to meet
them have been abandoned after discouraging tests.
In coal mining catalogues but little has
been said and little information given on
methods of entry driving, on entry-driving
machinery, on shearing, drilling, cutting
out slate or other bands, and on
other economical questions of importance
more or less vital to the industry. A
machine to meet the conditions properly
must be light, simple, durable and eco­
nomical of power. It must also break
the coal without producing an unduly
large percentage of the smaller sizes.
In operation, the new radial coal cutter
has met these requirements. As an undercutting
machine it is adapted for undercutting
headings to any desired depth
at a single setting. It will also shear
either one or both of the sides of an entry,
from the floor of the mine to the roof, to
any desired depth at one setting. The
drill or cutter being mechanically directed,
all these operations are performed
without shock or jar to the operator. The machine
is light, and easily and quickly moved and
niounted. The cut made by the radial coal cutter
is 8 feet in depth and diminishes from a width of
Under Cutting.
4% inches at the face to about 2 inches at the
bottom. The piston and chuck having a rotating
movement, the machine can be used as a drill for