r V The Coal Miner’s Handbook A HANDY REFERENCE BOOK FOR Coal Miners, Pit Bosses, Fire Bosses, Foremen, Superintendents, Managers, Engineers, and All Persons Interested in the ' Subject of Coal Mining BY International Correspondence Schools H SCRANTON, PA. 1st Edition, 6th Thousand, 1st Impression © > ® ) ) ' SCRANTON, PA. International Textbook Company r N ? o i> .1(0 f Copyright, 1913, by International Textbook Company Copyright in Great Britain All Rights Reserved c: 4^ /#) 5^ )? 24566 ©CI.A347221 PREFACE This Handbook is intended for all who are interested in coal mining and for all who are employed in and about the coal mines. While the treatment of some of the subjects included is necessarily brief, we have striven to anticipate the daily wants of the user and to give him, in the manner best suited to his needs, the informa¬ tion he desires. The breaker boy, the driver, the helper will find many useful hints to help him in his work and to assist him in securing advance¬ ment. From a vast number of reference tables and formulas only the best have been selected and incorporated, and these have been thoroughly explained. This feature in itself should result in a great saving of time and in preventing the selection of the wrong table or formula. The subjects of surveying, use and care of wire ropes in connection with hoisting and haulage, electric¬ ity, opening of mines, timbering, methods of working, and of ventilation have received special attention. Safety appliances, which include elec¬ tric signaling devices and safety lamps, are treated in detail, as is also the care and use of m IV PREFACE explosives. Considerable space is also devoted to the treatment of persons injured in and about the mines and those overcome with mine gases. The man employed on the surface will find recorded many useful facts dealing with surface plants, considerable space being devoted to dams, pumping, steam, preparation of coal, etc. This little book should satisfy a want long existing in the coal-mining industry for a ready pocket reference containing information that any- once can use in making calculations and settling questions. International Correspondence Schools March 1, 1913 INDEX A Anthracite or hard coal, 130. Acetylene mine lamps, 256. Revolving screen mesh for, Acid waters, Pumps for, 129. 311. Afterdamp, 253. screens, Duty of, 311. Air brattice, 288. will run, Table of pitch at bridge, 288. which, 314. column, Calculation of mo¬ Arc for any radius, To bend tive column or, 281. rails to proper, 300. Composition and measure¬ lamps, 165. ment of, 247. Arcs, Measure of angles or, 2. Compressed, 144. Area of cut timber. Table for, -current. Natural division 9. of, 271. of round timber. Table for, -current. Proportional divi¬ 8. sion of, 272. of tract of land. Determin¬ -current, Splitting of, 270. ing, 84. -current, Velocity of, 260. Atmospheric pressure, Calcu¬ currents. Conducting, 287. lation of, 249. Equal splits of, 271. Avoirdupois weight, 2. in mine ventilation. Dis¬ Axle, Wheel and, 93. tribution of, 270. Azimuth course, 83. in pipes, Transmission of, 144. B Proportionate division of, Barometer, Aneroid, 248. 277. Mercurial, 248. required for ventilation. Bars, Platform, 309. Quantity of, 259. Batteries, 165. Alabama methods, 222. Battery, Double-chute, 235. Alternating-current circuits, Single-chute, 234. Power in, 158. working, 232. -current generators, 149. Beam, Breaking strength of a, -current motors, 149. 102. Aluminum wire, 162. Beams, Tables for bending American coals, Analyses and moment and deflection heating values of, 134. of, 100. Analyses and heating values Bell wiring, 166. of American coals, 134. Bending moment and deflec¬ Aneroid barometer, 248. tion of beams, Table for, Angles or arcs, Measure of, 2. 100. Anthracite coal, 130. Biram ventilator, 284. Handling of, 313. Bituminous, or soft coal, 130. Methods of mining, 229. Blackdamp, 251. v VI INDEX Blasting by electricity, 244. j Chains, 115. Blowers, Force fans and, 283. Charge, Firing a, 242. Board measure,Timber and, 8. Tamping a, 242. Boiler incrustation, 139. Charging explosives, 241. Boilers, Horsepower of, 137. Chokedamp, 251. Steam, 137. Chute breasts, 216. Bord-and-pillar method of Circuit, Series, 150. mining, 202. Circuits, Electric, 150. Box regulator, 272. Electric-haulage, 153. regulator, Calculation of Parallel, 151. pressure for, 273. Power in alternating-cur¬ Brattice, Air, 288. rent, 158. Breaking strength of a beam, Power in direct-current, 102. 158. strength of columns, 102. Protection of, 153. Breasts, Buggy, 215. Classifying apparatus, Sizing Chute, 216. and,309. Bridge, Air, 288. Cleaning safety lamps, 256. Briquetting, 315. Clearfield region method of British thermal unit, 133. mining, 220. Brown coal, or lignite, 131. Clinometer, 79. Bucket, Sinking, 177. Closed work method of mi¬ Buggy breasts, 215. ning, 201. Coal, Anthracite, 130. C Bituminous, 130. Calculation of atmospheric Cannel, 131. pressure, 249. -crushing machinery, 307. of mine resistance, 263. Formations likely to con¬ of motive column or air tain, 168. column, 281. Methods of working, 200. of power, or units of work or bedded materials, 170. per minute, 264. Removal of sulphur from, of pressure for box reg¬ 313. ulator, 273. seam. Determining con¬ of tension of haulage rope, tents of, 84. 295. Semibituminous, 130. of ventilating pressure in Splint, 131. furnace ventilation, 280. storage, 214. Cannel coal, 131. Systems of working, 202. Canvas doors, 288. The preparation of, 307. Capacity, Metric measures Coals, Classification of, 130. of, 4. Coking. 131. of pumps and horsepower Composition of, 131. required to raise water, Table of space occupied by 127. * 2,000 pounds of various, Capell fan, 287. 315. Centrifugal fans, 282. Coefficient of elasticity. Table fans, Types of, 284. for, 100. Chain, 78. of friction, 97. cables, Resistance and Coking coals, 131. proof tests of wrought- Columns, Breaking strength iron, 117. of, 102. INDEX Vll Columns, Constant used in Dams in mines. Construction formula for, 103. of, 120. Combustion, Spontaneous, Masonry, 125. 214. Stone, 124. Common logarithms of num¬ Wooden, 124. bers, Table for, 33. Data, Wire, 159. Compass, The, 76. Debris dams, 125. Composition and measure¬ Decimal equivalents, 12. ment of air, 247. equivalents of parts of 1 of coals, 131. inch, Table for, 9. of fuels, Table of, 136. Decimals of a foot for each Compressed air, 144. arj-inch, Table for, 10. -air locomotive, 298. Depth of shafts, Finding, 249. Conducting air currents, 287. Detaching hooks, 294. Connellsville region method Determining area of tract of of mining, 218. land, 84. Construction of dams in contents of coal seam, 84. mines, 120. Direct-current circuits, Power Contents of coal seam, De¬ in, 158. termining, 84. -current generators, 147. Control of roof pressure, -current motors, 147. 207. -current motors. Efficien¬ Conversion table for English cies of, 162. measures into metric, 6. Disk fan, 282. table for metric measures Distance between centers of into English, 7. breasts or chambers. tables, Metric, 5. Table of, 212. Copper wire, Properties of, Distribution of air in mine 161. ventilation, 270. Cornish pumps, 126. Door regulator, 272. Cribs, 207. regulator, Side opening for, Crushers, Selection of, 307. 274. Crushing machinery, Coal, Doors, Canvas, 288. 307. Double-chute battery, 235. Cubic measure, 2. Drainage and ventilation Culm, Flushing of, 239. during sinking, 178. Current, Definition of, 155. Drawing pillars, 211. Horsepower or power of, Drill holes. Arrangement of, 260. 245. Velocity of air, 260. Driving the gangway, 179. Currents, Conducting air, Drums on life of wire ropes, 287. Effects of sheaves or, Measurement of ventila¬ 110. ting, 261. Dry measure, 2. Curves, 300. Dunn’s tables of size of room in a mine, Laying out, 90. pillars for various depths, Cuttimber.Tablefor area of, 9. 211. Duplex pumps, Simple and, D 126. Dams, 120. Duty of anthracite screens, Debris, 125. 311. Earth, 124. Dynamite, Thawing, 245. Vlll INDEX E F Earth dams, 124. Factors of safety, Table for, Effects of sheaves or drums on 99. life of wire ropes, 110. Fan, Capell, 287. Efficiency of steam at various Disk, 282. pressures, 138. Nasmyth, 284. Elasticity, Table for coeffi¬ Position of, 283. cient of, 100. Fans and blowers, Force, Electric apparatus in fire¬ 283 damp, 154. Centrifugal, 282. circuits, 150. Exhaust, 283. exploder, 243. Types of centrifugal, 284. generators and motors, 147. Fastenings, Wire-rope, 113. -haulage circuits, 153. Faults, Schmidt’s law of, mine lamps, 257. 171. -mining locomotive, 298. Firedamp, 252. signaling, 165. Electric apparatus in, 154. Electrical calculations, 155. Firing a charge. 242. units, 155. Flattened-strand ropes, 104. units, Mechanical equiv¬ Flow of air in pipes, Table of alents of, 156. loss of pressure by, 146. Electricity, 147. of water through pipes, Blasting by, 244. 119. Electromotive force, Defini¬ Flushing of culm, 239. tion of, 155. Force fans and blowers, Elevators, Miscellaneous 283. forms of water, 128. Formations likely to contain Elongation and shortening coal, 168. under stress, 102. Formula, Rankine-Gordon, Endless-rope haulage, Deter¬ 27. mination of friction pull Formulas, 25. on, 296. for lamp wiring, 163. -rope system, 296. for primary splits, Table of Engine, Sinking, 178. ventilating, 275. Engines, Steam, 142. for secondary splits, Table English, Conversion table for of ventilating, 276. metric measure into, 7. Heating, 133. measures into metric, Con¬ Splitting, 275. version table for, 6. Table of ventilation, 267. Entries, Number of, 208. Wire, 162. Equal splits of air, 271. Friction and lubrication, 97. Equivalent orifice, The, 264. Coefficient of, 97. Examples in solutions of tri¬ pull on endless-rope haul¬ angles, 60. age, Determination of, Exhaust fans, 283. 296. Exploder, Electric, 243. Fuels, 130. Exploration by drilling or Table of composition of, bore holes, 171. 136. Explosives, 240. Furnace ventilation, 280. Charging, 241. ventilation, Calculation of Permissible, 240. ventilating pressure in, Explosions, Mine, 258. 280. INDEX IX G Horsepower of boilers; 137.