[i] NORTH OF ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERS. TRANSACTIONS. VOL. XVII. 1867-8. [ii] Newcastle upon Tyne: Andrew Reid, Printing Court Buildings, Akenside Hill. [iii] CONTENTS OF VOL. XVII. PAGE. Rules as altered to Aug. 1, 1868, xxxv Report of Council..................... v Finance Report ........................ ix Treasurer's Account.................. x General Account ..................... xii Patrons................................... xiii Honorary Members.................. xiv Officers, 1868-9 ....................... xv Members ................................. xvi Graduates ........................... xxxii Subscribing Collieries......... xxxiv GENERAL MEETINGS. 1867. PAGE Sept. 7.—Messrs. Teale's and Higg's Safety-Lamps presented......... 1 Rule V. altered ; Safety-Lamp experiments at Hetton discussed ... 2 Summary of Safety-Lamp experiments read ... ... ... ... 3 Safety-Lamp Committee re-appointed; Tail-Rope Committee's Report ordered to be printed and a summary of its contents read at the Meeting ........................... 4 Oct. 5.—Alteration of Rules I, XI, and XX............... 21 Mr. Waller's Paper on " Pumping" discussed...... ...... 22 Mr. Daglish's Paper " On a New Application of the Water Gauge for ascertaining the Pressure of the Ventilating column in Mines" 27 Nov, 2.—Building Committee's Report, recommending the formation of a Limited Liability Company, read and adopted ... ... ... 31 Specimen of Legrand's Iron Chair Sleepers, submitted by Mr. Beck ... 32 Dec. 7.—Second Report from the Safety-Lamp Committee read ... ... 33 Paper by Mr. Bunning describing the various patents which have been taken out for Coal-Cutting machines............ 34 1868. Feb. 1.—Messrs. Pease's Donation of £100 towards new Building ; Discussion on Mr. Daglish's Paper " On a New Application of the Water Gauge for ascertaining the Pressure of the Ventilating Column in Mines" ........................... 41 Mr. Philip Cooper's Paper " On an Outburst or Sudden Issue of Firedamp at Strafford Main Colliery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, 1st October, 1867" .......................... 42 Mar. 7.—Mr. Watson's Bequest of Colliery Plans, Sections, &c. ...... 53 Paper by Mr. Bunning describing the various patents which have been taken out for Winding and other matters connected with the Coal Trade ... ... ... ... ... ... 54 April 4.—His Grace the Duke of Cleveland elected a Patron ; Memorandum from Building Committee recommending sale of ground and Buildings to the Institute and Coal Trade Chambers Company Limited ; Mr. Cooper's Paper " On an Outburst or Sudden Issue of Fire-damp at Strafford Main Colliery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, 1st Oct., 1867," discussed .............. 55 Second Report of Safety-Lamp Committee discussed... ... ... 60 Galloway's Method of Preventing Smoke at Sea ... ... ... 63 [iv] PAGE. May 2.—Mr. George Elliot, Mr. I. L. Bell, and Mr. Cochrane asked to give evidence before Technical Education Committee......... 65 Mr. Lishman on Consumption of Smoke ... ... ... ... 66 The subject discussed ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 67 Committee appointed to make investigations............ 76 June 6.—Technical education discussed; " Further observations on an Outburst or Sudden Issue of Fire-damp at Strafford Main Colliery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, 1st Oct., 1867," by Mr. Cooper ; Mr. Hake's descriptive Paper " On A. S. Cameron's Special Steam Pump " ... 77 Specimen of Coal from Port Natal, presented by Mr. Jos. Cowen, jun.; Accompanying communication from Mr. R. E. Bidley, of Port Natal ........................... 78 Aug. 1.—Rule IV. altered ; Mr. Cooper's Paper " On an Outburst or Sudden Issue of Fire-damp at Strafford Main Colliery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, 1st Oct., 1867," further discussed ; Mr. Rake's Paper " On Cameron's Special Steam Pump " discussed ; Technical Education Committee appointed ; Officers for 1868-9 elected......... 105 Advertisement The Institution is not, as a body, responsible for the facts and opinions advanced in the papers read, and in the Abstracts of the Conversations which occurred at the Meetings during the Session. [v] Report. The Council, in presenting to the Members of the Institute their Report for the past year, have again the pleasing task of congratulating them upon the continued favourable progress and prospects of the Institute. They have again to report a large accession of members, which is the more encouraging since the admission of Mechanical Engineers having now ceased to be a novelty, the increase may be considered due, more to the general interest taken in the Institution than, to its sudden extension to a new branch of the profession. So that, in comparing the gross increase of members (61) with the gross increase of last year (70), there is much cause for congratulation. From this gross increase of 61, however, they have to deduct for death and other causes 21, which leaves the net increase of 40 for 1867-8. In lamenting the demise of a valued member, Mr. William Watson, they have their attention drawn to the deep interest he took in the success and prosperity of the Institute. For they find that in bequeathing his exceedingly valuable collection of drawings and plans to his brother, Mr. John Watson, he suggested that they might be presented to the Institute. This gentleman has kindly responded to his late brother's proposition, and the Institute has thereby become the possessor of a large and valuable collection of drawings, sections, borings, and papers, arranged in the most systematic and scrupulously careful way, forming a most useful and accessible mass of information on all matters affecting the geological strata and mining records of the district. Adverting to the Transactions and Papers, the Council think that the past year has not been behind its predecessors in the value of the essays produced. Mr. Cooper's paper " On an Outburst or Sudden Issue of Fire-damp at Strafford Main Colliery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, October 1st, 1867," elicited much valuable discussion, and affords matter for congratulation that there are appliances at the command of the miner which enable him to preserve life during such highly dangerous contingencies. They must also here draw attention to a new career of usefulness in [vi] which the Institute has entered, in making grants of money to Committees to enable them to report on matters of interest. Two of these Committees have presented most valuable and exhaustive Reports, and the Council have no hesitation in saying that the experiments therein quoted, and the data given, will form standards for guidance and information to the profession, either here or abroad, for many years. With regard to the Safety-Lamp Report, they consider nothing has been so conducive, since the invention of the lamp itself, to the safety of the miner. It has pointed out the weak points of this valuable invention, and has shown how the same may be remedied, so that the miner's lamp may be in reality and effectually that which before it was only partially and nominally, a safety-lamp under all the ordinary circumstances induced in mining operations. With respect to the Tail Rope Committee, the Council think they are also entitled to the thanks of the Institute. A portion only of their Report is before the members, but it is hoped that the whole will be printed before the conclusion of the present volume. The more severe and irksome duties of preparing for publication the immense mass of information elicited from the investigation, has principally fallen upon the engineer, Mr. Emerson Bainbridge, and the Council feel convinced that all who have read that portion which is now in print, will bear testimony to the able way in which this arduous duty has been performed. With respect to the Committee on Safety Cages, a large mass of information has been obtained, and the Council have no doubt, that at an early meeting of the Institute, a full report will be presented. It is a subject of peculiar difficulty, and the delay that has already occurred is due to the sense of responsibility the Committee feel in approaching so important a subject. The Committee for investigating the question of Smoke Prevention, has only lately been appointed. It has already decided on a plan of action, and the proceedings of the Institute will, no doubt in the course of a few months, be enriched with its Report; and another proof that the coal of this district can be smokelessly consumed will be added to that most convincing and unbiassed report of Mr. T. W. Miller, printed in 1864, by command of the House of Commons, all the points of interest in which appear in the reports of Messrs. Richardson and Bunning, in Volume XIV. of your Proceedings. The Council cannot dismiss the subject of Committees without giving a summary of the work effected by the Building Committee. [vii] Through its recommendation a Limited Liability Company has been formed to purchase a portion of the present site, and erect thereon a commodious and elegant structure in every way suited to the requirements of the Institute and Coal Trade. The remaining portion of the site has been presented to the Trustees for the erection of the "Wood Memorial Hall," and an elegant, suitable, and appropriate design has been supplied by Mr. Dunn. The whole of the preliminary formalities connected with the purchase of the site and the formation of the Limited Liability Company are definitely completed, and with respect to the fund at the disposal of the Committee for the erection of the Memorial Hall, although at present it is inadequate to the completion of the object contemplated, yet from the general favour the design has met with, and from the assurances of large additional support, it is hoped that there will be nothing to prevent the commencement of the buildings at an early period of the ensuing year ; and it is to be desired that those subscriptions which it is understood have been withheld whilst the Committee have been undecided as to the form the memorial should assume, will be handed in at once now the matter has been so satisfactorily arranged. It is certainly to be regretted that the buildings have not been already commenced, but unexpected difficulties connected with the transfer of the property have alone prevented it.