if they must take them forward to higher work, to get a good foundation, and without such a foundation it was impossible to gain anything like satisfactory results.

The PRESIDENT said they might be assured that he would not lose sight of the matter they had been discussing. The mining interest should have his hearty support, and he would do what he could to push it forward in this County of Derbyshire. He quite understood the difficulties Mr. Smith had mentioned as having occurred in his (Mr. Smith's) own experience, and it appeared to the speaker that it would be best to get hold of the boys directly they had left school and before they had time to forget what they had learned. If they could get them at thirteen years of age, the work would be much more easy and satisfactory than having to reeducate the lads in what they had once learnt and forgotten. I thought we were going to have a blank day, but it has proved a very enjoyable and profitable meeting. I have pleasure in proposing that the best thanks of this meeting be accorded to the Mayor of Derby for his kindness in allowing us the use of this room. I am sure we all feel our indebtedness to his worship.

Mr. H. LEWIS seconded the proposition, and observed that they all felt the great privilege they were granted of meeting there occasionally.

Mr. G. E. COKE proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was carried with acclamation.

Mr. JACKSON briefly acknowledged the compliment.

The following paper on "Germans," by Mr. F. S. Marsh, of Birch Coppice Colliery, Tamworth, was taken as read in the absence of the author :

GERMANS,

BY F. S. MARSH.

In the Midland District, during the past seven years there have been 6 fatal and 116 non-fatal accidents caused by the use of explosives underground.

Many of these have been caused by the use of germans defectively constructed, or by inefficient means taken to light them.

The chief causes of failure of the german have been :

1st-In the fireman not allowing sufficient time to return to a place of safety. 2nd-In lighting the german instead of the match or touch-paper.

3rd-In returning to the shot before it has exploded.

During the past seven years 25 accidents have occurred, two being fatal, which can be placed under the 1st head; 15 accidents, two of which were fatal, under the 2nd head; 5 accidents under the 3rd head. It was to minimize such risks as the above that a new german was introduced in January, 1889, at the Birch Coppice Colliery. This german is a tin tube 3 inches in length, and of such a bore that a safety fuse can be readily inserted for one-half of the length of the tube, which is securely fastened by pincers to the fuse. The remaining half of the tube is then filled with common sporting powder, and the end sealed up with soap or tallow, which completes the german ready for use. This german is used in the ordinary way, viz. :-The hole is bored for the main charge, which is then, on the point of a greased copper spindle or needle, pushed to the back of the hole, damp holing dirt is then rammed home, the spindle withdrawn and the german placed in the spindle hole, leaving out one inch only of fuse, which after being secured in place by clay is ready for firing. By the use of this german the time allowed for it to do its work is controlled by the management, who by specifying a sufficient and uniform length of fuse ensure for the fireman time enough to retire to a place of safety, and at the same time relieve the fireman of the responsibility of an error of judgment on his part in timing his german by match or touch-paper, as he was obliged to do with the old forms of germans.

At Birch Coppice Colliery, for shots in the coal face, 9 inches of fuse has in practice been found an ample length to remedy the first cause of failure. It is obvious that this german effectually removes the second cause of failure, as the fuse can only be lighted at the end.

Returning to the shot before it has exploded has been the cause of serious accidents, which have many times happened, because, although the german had

fired or gone off, pieces of paper had been left smouldering at the back of the hole next the charge of powder. This gradually burnt until the main charge was reached, resulting in explosion, whilst the fireman had reasonable cause to suppose that the charge had missed altogether. A case occurred where the german fired and bounded out of the spindle hole: while the fireman thinking a piece of dirt had blocked the hole again put up the spindle to clear it, and in doing so pushed a piece of smouldering paper on to the charge, which exploding, fatally injured him.

The writer would submit that this class of accident cannot occur with the tin tube german, because, 1st, directly the german is fired the charge of powder in the tin tube is sufficient to throw the german, with considerable violence, out of the spindle hole, this invariably happens; 2nd, there is nothing of a combustible nature in the german which can be left smouldering in the hole.

Men have returned to a shot before it had exploded, because they thought the match or touch-paper had gone out clearly showing that in the old way of making germans great errors of judgment could and did occur. With a uniform length of fuse in the tin tube german, a time fuse is made which the men quickly get accustomed to, and which has been found very reliable. Besides which, the report subsequent to the explosion of powder in the tin tube is sufficiently loud to give good notice that the german has fired, but not loud enough to denote that the main charge has exploded.

During the twenty-two months the new german has been in use at the Birch Coppice Colliery, upwards of 66,000 have been used without any failure or mishap in any shape or form. When shots are fired at gate lips, back lips, or in headings, longer fuse is used, regulated by the management, according to the distance from the shot to a place of safety.

Bickford & Smith's No. 7 fuse has been found the most reliable of any yet tried by the writer, the running being very regular, a whole ring burning out in from 10 to 12 minutes, averaging 55 seconds per foot. A gross of these germans with 9 inches of fuse cost, for fuse, 1s. 5d.; tubes, 1s. 2d.; powder, 8d.; or 3s. 3d. in all.

For those who would use electric exploders, but are deterred through the risk of exploding the detonator whilst tamping, the writer may mention that he has tried some successful experiments to overcome this.

The main charge being prepared in the usual way as if a german were going to be used, a small detonator is put in a tin tube about 2 inches in length, which is then filled up with powder and the end sealed. The cables are connected to the detonator, which can then be pushed as far down the spindle hole as is considered desirable, the cable should then be secured at the entrance to the spindle hole by two wooden wedges and clay. Nothing then remains to be done except connecting the cable to the exploder, when the shot may at any time be fired. In this way the detonator meets with no violence.

Many other kinds of german have been tried by the writer, who found the most treacherous of all in one manufactured by pyrotechnists, consisting of a fourfold thickness of brown paper rolled in tube form, with touch-paper at the lighting

VOL. II.-1890-91.

N

end, which, on being lighted, burns down to a fuse preparation about 1 inches in length and timed for 30 seconds; this in turn ignites the powder which fills the remainder of the tube.

From experience gained during the use of many thousands of these germans or squibs, the writer found they varied in quality so much that whilst some parcels would not have more than 1 or 2 per cent. miss or hang fire, other parcels would have so much as 14 per cent. either miss or hang fire. On one occasion the fireman whilst using one of these squibs at a gate end lip waited half an hour before he went to see why the shot had failed; he then drew the german out of the spindle hole, but it was so hot that he dropped it on the floor. It at once exploded. After this occurrence a 10 yard length of wire was tied to the german before lighting (one end being up the benk along the coal face), so that if the german failed to go off in a few minutes the fireman withdrew it by the wire. This answered fairly well, but there remained the risk of leaving smouldering paper in the spindle hole.

All the old forms of germans, whether the lighting end be dipped in brimstone, greased with tallow, or made with touch-paper and lighted direct, are little worse than matched germans and straws, which have become much more unsafe since high ventilating currents have come into vogue, as it is now impossible to time them with any degree of certainty, and except in very low velocities of air current they should never be used.

MIDLAND INSTITUTE OF MINING, CIVIL, AND MECHANICAL
ENGINEERS.

GENERAL MEETING,

Held at the ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL, SHEffield, Feb. 17TH, 1891.

MR. JOSEPH MITCHELL, PRESIDENT, IN THE Chair.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

The following gentlemen were elected Members of the Institute, having been previously nominated:

Mr. Joseph Prestwick, Safety-Lamp Manufacturer, Eccles, Manchester.
Mr. W. Parkin, Colliery Manager, Rylands Main Colliery, Barnsley.
Mr. James Ed. Shaw, Colliery Owner, Darlington Hall, Pontefract.

Mr. Walter George Trench, Chemical and Mechanical Engineer, Faversham,
Kent.

Mr. Isaac Ford, Colliery Manager, Rotherham Main Colliery, Rotherham.

THE FEDERATED INSTITUTION OF MINING ENGINEERS. The minutes of the Council meeting of the Federated Institution of Mining Engineers, held at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on January 21st, 1891, were read.

The PRESIDENT, in reference to these minutes said--I may say we were in a very unfortunate position. The Secretary (Professor Lebour) was unable to be present. We had no agenda of the business to be discussed, no accounts or statement of accounts. Therefore we could not complete the work of the Council in the way we anticipated. That is the reason the Committee meeting was adjourned to York. In the meantime we appointed Mr. M. Walton Brown Secretary pro tem.

PROPOSED JOINT MEETING AND EXCURSION WITH THE CHESTERFIELD AND MIDLAND COUNTIES INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS. The PRESIDENT-I made a suggestion to Mr. Howard, the Secretary of the Chesterfield Institute that we should have a joint excursion-that is, the Midland and Chesterfield Institutes should meet and go together to some place of interest, to be decided upon mutually by the two institutes. For that purpose he has consulted the President of the Chesterfield Institute, and I have the following letter from him :