The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-29
INDUSTRIAL.


Pittston Gazette: If the new Mount
Lookout breaker. now being built to
take the place of the one recently de-
stroyed by fire. is not the finest and
best in the valley, 1t certainly will be
no fault of the officials of the company.
who are sparing no expense or labor to
make the plans as nearly perfect as it
Is possible to have them, and to adapt
them to the conditions found at the
colliery. General Manager j. L. Craw-
ford is giving his personal supervision
to the work of preparing the plans, and
they are now almost completed. In
some respects the new breaker will be
exactly the same as the old one. while
in other respects 1t will be materially
different, and statement of the points
of difference will be of interest to mine
workers generally. The new breaker
will occupy exactly the same site as the
one destroyed by fire. The new build
ing will be larger, however. for the rea-
son that it will be double, while the
former one was single. To make it 50
a wing will be built on the northeast
corner The foundation for the wing is
also in readiness, 1t having been built
some time ago when it was proposed to
enlarge the old breaker Some idea of
the massive character of the new struc-
ture may be gained from the statement
quired in its building. The coal will
be hoisted to the top of the breaker by
means of n plane, as before. ana the
manner of handling cars will be the
same. From the dumping platform
downward through the breaker. how
ever, Are radical changes from the old
style. which it will be interesting to
dumping platform are two pairs of
crushers. and here the changes begin
Into one pair of cruSherS, 40 by As
inches i'm size. goes all of the pure coal
Into the crushers, &c by Sc inches in
size. goes all doubtful and bony coal
Both classes of coal are treated alike
as to crushing and separating, passing
from the crusherS into counter screens
& by Z feet in diameter and "A feet long.
out of these screens broken and egg
coal Is prepared over automatic slate
pickcrs There is also an extra pair
of crusherS, by means of which the
broken and egg coal may be reduced, if
desired, to lower sizes. The pure coal
under broken and egg goes to the main
screen, from which the stove and chest
nut sizes are prepared over automatic
slate piclIers. The chestnut and pea
coal then passes over shakers and au-
tomato slate pickers, thence going d.
rect to the pockets. The pickings from
all of these sizes OF coal are elevated
and repicked. Going back to the top
of the breaker. the course of the doubt
full and bony coal may be traced. This.
after leaving the counter screens, in
stead of going to the main screens. as
the pure coal, passes. together with
the coal from the mud screens, under
the bars, over q series OF shakers, and
after being separated into sizes by the
shakers, run into twelve Lehigh Valley
pattern jigs (of the same style as those
in use at "Maltby"). All doubtful coal,
even the buckwheat size, Is jigged Az
ter being jigged 1t passes over auto
matte slate pickers. and thence goes to
the chutes. ready for market, the long
and perfect cleaning process through
which it has passed being expected to
make it clean enough to pass the most
rigid inspection. The breaker Is
equipped with three lines of elevators,
each sc feet high-one for lip screenings,
one for doubtful coal and one for re-
handling condemned coal The work of
rehandling condemned coal, frequently
a cource of much trouble and expense,
will in the new breaker be reduced to
The minimum, n deep pit having been
prepared under the breaker, into which
the coal can be dumped and then ele-
waited to the top of the breaker to pass
through the picking process second
time. 1t will not be necessary to use a
shovel on condemned coal. In all there
will be ten shaking screens and six
round screens in the breaker and the
total capacity will be about 1000 tons
day. The capacity of the new breaker
will not be much greater than the old.
the additional space and improvements
being used to better prepare the coal
rather than incre aSe the product. All
of the modern breaker accessories Will
be furnished. sdch as electric light
steam heat, water for fire purpose, etc.
Altogether, 1t is safe to say that 1t Will
he the best equipped coal-preparing
plant in this region:
-:Il:-
Conductors and trainmen on the l-e-
high Valley passenger trains began last
Sunday wearing their new service
badges. Those for the conductors are
heavy gold plate, while the badges for
the trainmen are made of aluminium.
Each shield is numbered according to
the length of service of the employe.
ill
Beginning March the Erie Will
charge for carrying bicycles whether
accompanied by owners or not. The
minimum charge Is fixed at Is cents
and the rate is not to exceed 20 per cent.
of the passenger fare. The Erie Will
charge IL cents on all fares between
cents and 81.