The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-10
Trades and Particularly to the Trade
in Iron. Steel and Anthracite Coal.

The Pittston Gazette on Saturday
printed long description Of the new
William "A. breaker of the Connell
Coal company which 1t pronounces the
largest and best equipped breaker in
the whole wyoming and Lackawanna
coal field. Says the Gazette: 1T is q
model of architectural skill and in
genuity, and reflects great credit on its
builder, G. A. Wescott. who has been
personally in charge of its construction.
Standing along the side of the build
ing and looking up to the tower one
gets a good idea of the vastncss of the
structure. which is 16O feet deep and
145 feet from the ground to the top of
the tower The building Is not quite
completed yet and upon entering II
there was a great scene of activity
Men could be seen in large numbers In
all parts Of the place working to get II
in readiness for beginning operations
In the breaker on October l. We next
proceeded to the engine house. which
Is a model one In every respect. every
thing connected with 1t being up to date.
The sides of the room and parts Of the
ceiling are all Of matched wood. max
ing a very neat and coZy place. Two
large second-mOtiOn engines. 1896 are
used for running the machinery, and
were rebuilt with all modern improve
ments by the Exeter Machine works
The breaker has a daily capacity of
1000 tons. Leaving the engine room we
proceeded to the mouth of the shaft.
which is 200 feet taway from the breaker
Leading from the shaft to the breaker
Is a double track and as the loaded
cars come from the cage they run down
an incline leading to tine breaker,
where the loaded cars run on to the
breaker carriage. humping the light
car off, which In turn runs down a
slight incline to n small plane. where II
Is hOisted by means of an endless chain
over a plane. and thence run on down
to the shaft. where it bumps the loaded
car off the cage. This plane has a ca
pacity of 14O cars an hour, We next
proceeded to the tower. At this point
the loaded cars. after being hoisted
up into the breaker. are dumped and
the coal passes through the different
processes of preparing II for market.
The breaker Is double. There are two
sides, and Ga boys will be required on
each side. On the top landing II will
require thirtyfOur boys. and on the
centre thirty-six, making in all almost
200 slate pickers. The breaker contains
something new In the line of slate
picking. In the screen room the slate
telegraphs are so arranged that not a
particle of coal will be wasted. There
are both coal and slate telegraphs and
II the boy at the coal telegraph should
happen to throw a piece of coal In the
slate telegraph. another boy. who IL
in the rear. picks It out and puts II into
separate pocket and 1t finally goes up
into the elevator. The screen room OF
the breaker is 10 feet wide. and the
main part 32 feet wide. The breaker
contains all the latest machinery. The
large rolls are 40x42 inches In size. the
pony rolls 36x40 and the monkey rolls
16x30 inches. The screens are Of a
com bination order, one screen doing
the work Of two. There are two double
center socket screens eight feet In d.
ameter and twelve feet long, four single
screens six fet In diameter. and thirty
feet long, and two pairs of double
buckwheat screens eight feet in dame
ter and twenty-four feet long. One set
of elevators, the buckets being 12x1S
feet There are 13O feet OF conveyors un-
der the breaker for taking screenings.
Coming down from the breaker we find
ourselves on the first platform. where
cars are loaded with buckwheat coal
and taken to the fire room. The culm
blower formerly used has been, done
away. with, and q plane with double
tracks takes its place. The tracks
leading from the breaker to the plane