[i] NORTH OF ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF MINING ENGINEERS. TRANSACTIONS. VOL. XV. 1865-6. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE: A. REID, PRINTING COURT BUILDINGS, AKENSIDE HILL. 1866. [ii] [Blank Page] [iii] CONTENTS OF VOL. XV. PAGE. Report of Council............... 5 Finance Report .................. 9 Patrons ..............................13 Officers, 1866-7 ..................15 Honorary Members ...............14 Members and Graduates.........16 Subscribing Collieries .........28 Rules ....................................29 GENERAL MEETINGS. 1865. PAGE Sept.2.—Mr. T. Y. Hall on The Progress of Coal-Mining Industry in China 1 Oct. 5.—Mr. Thos. Doubleday on The Causes of Certain Boiler Explosions 3 Nov. 4.—General Meeting ..................... 3 Dec. 7.— Do. Do. ..................... 3 On the Causes of Certain Boiler Explosions, by T. Doubleday... 5—11 *On Some of the Leading Features of the Lancashire Coal-Field, by Joseph Dickinson, F.G.S., with discussion ... ... 13—17 *On Direct-Acting Pumping Engines, etc., by Jno. Knowles ... 19—42 1866. Feb. 3.—Mr. T. Doubleday read a Memoir of the late President, Mr. N. Wood ........................ 43 Discussion on Mr. Doubleday's Paper on Boiler Explosions ... 43—47 Memoir of the late Nicholas Wood, Esq., by Thos. Doubleday ... 49—59 *Coal-Washing Apparatus in use at the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company's Collieries, by G. Gilroy......... 61—66 On the Progress of Coal-Mining Industry in China, by T. Y. Hall 67—74 Mar. 1.—Election of President..................... 75 Mr. Green's Paper, The Chronicle and Record of the Northern Coal-trade in the counties of Durham and Northumberland 77 Discussion on Enlarging the Objects of the Institute...... 77—80 *On Tail-ropes, by G. C. Greenwell, F.G.S., and Cuthbert Berkley 81—97 *Particulars of an Explosion and Standing Fire at Newbottle Colliery, by W. Lishman ............... 99—102 *On certain Improvements in the Construction of the Water-gauge, by Jno. Daglish. 103—105 *Observations on Safety-cages, by Jno. Marley ......... 107—120 Apr. 7.—Discussion (renewed) on Mr. Knowles' Paper ... ... ... 121—129 Mr. Lishman read a Description of Pumping Engines in use at Lyon's Pit, Newton Cap Colliery ............ 131—133 May 3.—Mr. Greener read a Paper on the Improved Method of Raising Water from Mines, by Bastier's Patent Chain Pump ... 135—140 Mr. J. B. Simpson read a Paper on a Direct-acting Engine, at Towneley Colliery, in connection with Mr. Knowles' Paper 140—143 Discussion on Tail-ropes .................. 143 Discussion on Mr. Lishman's Paper ............ 144 On the Improved Method of Raising Water economically from Mines, by Bastier's Patent Chain Pump, by T. Greener ... 147—155 On a Direct-acting Engine, at Towneley Colliery, etc., by J. B. Simpson......... 157—161 Jun. 2.—G. F. Ansell, Esq., read a Paper on a New Method of indicating the presence and amount of Fire-damp, etc., in Coal Mines 164 On a New Method of indicating the presence and amount of Fire-damp, etc., in Coal Mines, by G. F. Ansell, Esq. ... 165—175 The Chronicles of the Coal Trade, etc., by William Green ... 175—281 Aug. 2.—President, T. E. Forster, Esq., Inaugural Address of ...... 283—293 Discussion on Mr. Simpson's Paper on Direct-acting Pumping Engine 294—299 Note.-Marked thus (*) are Pipers read at Special Meeting, at Manchester, July, 1865. [iv] ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL, XV. PAGE. Plate I..........Cleggswood Pumping Engine, by J. Knowles ......... 19 „ II.........Cleggswood Pumping Engine, by J. Knowles ......... 19 „ III.......Clifton Hall Winding Engine, by J. Knowles ......... 19 „ IV.......Clifton Hall Winding Engine, by J. Knowles ......... 19 „ V.........Plan of Arrangement of Pumping Rods ... ... ... 19 „ VI.......Plan of Water Cisterns for Winding at Clifton Hall, by J. Knowles 19 „ VII......Plan of Cages for Clifton Hall, by J. Knowles ... ...... 19 „ VIII. ...Plan of a Pumping Engine in use at Thornhill Collieries, to illustrate Mr. W. P. Maddison's Paper............ 40 „ IX.......Plan, etc., of Coal Washing Apparatus at Ince Hall Colliery, near Wigan, by C. Gilroy 61 „ X..........Plan and Sections of Underground Engine-roads at Marley Hill Colliery, Durham, by C. Berkley ............ 83 „ XI........Ditto, showing Way-branch, Changing of Ropes, and Disconnecting Apparatus .................. 84 „ XII.......Plan of Holing into Jane Pit Old Workings, Newbottle Colliery, showing the extent of Fire on the 8th April, 1864...... 100 „ XIII....Drawings to illustrate the Improvements in the Water Gauge, by J. Daglish 103 „ XIV...Map of China, showing the localities in which coal has been obtained ... 67 „ XV.......Calow's Patent Safety Cage, with Detaching Hook and Indicator, by J. Marley 108 „ XVI. ...Ditto ........................... 108 „ XVII. ..Ditto ........................... 108 „ XVIII...Ditto, Wire Rope with Indicator............... 120 „ XIX. ...Ditto ........................... 120 „ XX......Ditto ... ...................... 120 „ XXI. ...Plan of Bastier's Patent Chain-Pump ............ 147 „ XXII....Plan of Direct-acting Pumping Engine in use at Towneley Colliery, by J. B. Simpson ............... 158 „ XXIII...Ditto ........................... 159 [v] Report In presenting to the members their Report for the year, which this day brings to an end, the Council have, once more, the pleasing task of congratulating the Society upon the progress and general prospects of the Institute. As far as the accession of members may be assumed to be an index of the general utility and good management of an institution, the past year affords evidence favourable to those of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers. The number of members who have joined the Institute during the past year is twenty-two; whilst the losses by death or by resignation have been nine; leaving a net balance of thirteen additional members. To draw attention to the great loss which the Society has sustained, by the demise of their late President, would be merely a superfluous task on the part of the Council. That which all feel and which all lament does not need comment, and does not admit of exaggeration. To repair the loss we have sustained the best way is to follow the example set us by our late President, and never to omit, by the exertion of such energy and talent as are embodied in this Society, to aid its progress and to increase its usefulness as an Institution. On looking through the Transactions of the year just ended, we shall find the Society indebted to the meeting held at Manchester, and to the gentlemen of that locality for a series of very valuable papers, relative, in part, to the geology of the district, but also embracing various practical subjects. Amongst these the merits of various pumping engines have been treated of and discussed in a way calculated to interest and instruct the mechanical as well as the mining engineer. In addition to these the Council may also draw attention to some able papers, as well as discussions connected with the transit of coals underground; a matter of growing importance, as the working of coal becomes more and more extended, and the area to be passed over of greater dimensions. [vi] Turning their attention to subjects of more general interest, the Council cannot refrain from congratulating the Society upon the appointment of a Commission to enquire into the supplies of coal still remaining to this country. And they may further be permitted to express their satisfaction to find an able, experienced, and practical man—as is the President of this Institute—selected, together with Messrs. Woodhouse and Elliot, to take part in an enquiry at once so important and so interesting. That an estimate, substantially correct, of the supply of coal still to be raised from the coal-fields of Great Britain, may be constructed by the enquirers the Council are inclined to admit, and without much hesitation. They cannot, however, recognise any impropriety on their part if they venture to advert to an opinion, very commonly entertained, that an enquiry if limited to the known coal-fields does not embrace more than half the question. Those who are acquainted with the Transactions of this Institution must be aware that strong reasons have been adduced by members, perfectly competent to deal with such questions, for the supposition that, in many parts of the United Kingdom, seams of coal exist, as yet untouched and, of course, unexplored. Gentlemen, whose opinion on such a subject are entitled to all respect, have expressed in this room a belief that the Durham coal-field is, in fact, conformable to that of Yorkshire in the Barnsley district; and that, at some future day, these continuous seams will be discovered, thrown down at a great depth probably, as they approach the Tees, within a short distance of which the Durham seams crop out towards the surface in the south-west and disappear. The probability that the coal measures will ultimately be found to underlie the new Red Sandstone formation of Cumberland, and the south-west of Scotland, has been also strongly advocated in papers which form part of the Transactions of this Society. Nor are there wanting competent judges of questions of geology, who assert the probable existence, at different depths, of a continuous coal formation, beginning on the east coast of Northumberland and extending directly southwards through the midland counties, where it again appears, as far, at least, as Gloucestershire, where it is also visible. That it would, in a national point of view, be well to submit these conclusions to the test of actual experiment is an opinion beginning to be very generally held. Should the Legislature give the subject their consideration, any expression of opinion by members of this Institute would have its due weight. That it is a matter of the first importance is undeniable, and [vii] without giving any opinion of their own, as a body, the Council deem it not unadvisable to elicit those of any members of this Society who may see fit to express them.