KIPPAX COLLIERY – OWL WOOD (HOOL WOOD PIT)

TRIAL OF A NEW MACHINE FOR GETTING COAL.
A few days ago a coal-cutting machine on an entirely new principle, the invention of Mssrs. Lock and Warrington, colliery owners, Kippax and Messrs. Carrett and Marshal, engineers, Leeds, in the presence of a number of colliery owners and mining engineers, including Mr Embleton, Mr. Morton, Mr. Pope, Mr. Rayner, Mr. Parker, Mr. Pickersgill, and other gentlemen. The trial in every respect was perfectly successful, and every gentleman present expressed his satisfaction at the manner the machine performed its work. The coal-cutting machines which have been tried recently in other districts have been worked by compressed air, and on the principle of pick motion. This machine is, however, worked by water pressure at 150lbs. to an inch, conveyed 1 1/2 inch wrought iron pipes, from a small engine fixed near the bottom of the pit. The trial was made in the Allerton seam of coal, which is five feet six inches thick, but contains a layer of dirt three inches thick at the height of 20 inches from the floor, which seperates the best and second seams of coal. The machine was mounted on four wheels, and traversed on the corf tramways. The "holding" or "baring" which is the hardest and most labourious part of the collier's work, was done remarkably well, in one even straight line, and to a uniform depth. The cutters were fixed in a slotting bar, worked with a steady longtitudinal reciprocating motion at a slight angle, which ripped out the whole of the partition of dirt to a depth of three feet three inches, The apparatus being entirely self-acting in all its operations, it propelled itself forward, secured itself dead fast between the floor and roof, whilst the cutters were in operation, and again released itself with the return stroke. The machine is strong, and not at all complicated, and is likely to work with durability. It is beautifully arranged in its various movements, and works with such precision and exactness that any one might almost fancy it was endowed with intelligence. One man is all that is required to attend to it, and he has nothing to do but to set it in motion, and stop it when required. The machine worked on Wednesday two hours forty nine minutes, and excavated the dirt out three inches thick and three feet three inches under for a length of twenty two yards and two feet, and liberated from the solid bed of coal forty-four tons. The average cost of "baring" by hand labour at the same colliery is 8d. per ton; but the principal saving is in the economic working of the coal without cutting such a large proportion into slack as is done by hand labour. The pressure of water can be increaed to any required extent, and it's quantity needs only be enough to fill the circuit of the pipes - the same incompressible fluid thus being used over and over again to convey the power any required distance from the source of power to the coal seam to be operated upon. The miners have named this new labour saver the "iron man", and, from his self-acting and industrious powers, it is probable he will never become tired. Messrs. Lock and Warrington are so well satisfied with the advantages of getting coal by machinery, that we understand they are making more machines in order to take all their coal worked by them.