The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-04
MANY CHANGES AT
THE EVEN BREAKER
Pennsylvania Coal Company Is Making
Extensive improvements.
CONSOLIDATION is THE MOTTO
New Plan Now Almost Perfected
Makes a Great Change in Handling
the Coal from No. 4, No. Z and
HOyt's Brcakcr--Oue of the Most
Compact and Wen Arranged Plants
at Breakers Being Taken Down.

Keeping abreast OF tlle times III the way
of modern Improvements for mining and
preparing coal. one could not be more
strongly impressed with this fact than
on a visit to the Even breaker. says
the Pittston Gazette, where much actiV-
ity is in progress, making a veritable
transformation in the entire plant and
introducing an entirely new system to
this vicinity.
The improvements affect not only the
breaker but the mines that empty their
product into the breaker as well. They
are undergoing general overhauling,
thus, in a sense. linking the entire four
places-Hoyt, Nos. and shafts and
the Even breaker-into one. The most
extensive transformation however, is at
the Even. Formerly large cars We're
loaded at that mine and run by a
roundabout way passing over a long
treStling to empty the coal into the
breaker. All this is done away with
and an entirely new system introduced.
The railroad tracks over which the
larg" cars We're formerly run have been
changed to a narrow guage road. AS
the small cars are hoisted out of the
different mines connected with the sys-
tenn they viii be Immediately taken by
means of small locomotives to the
breaker.
The new plan does away with the ad-
ditional dumping into the gravity cars.
When the cars are conveyed to the
breaker from Nos. 4 and shafts, they
pass over new scale, where they are
weighed and dumped into a pit located
alongside of the weigh house then pass
ing around a circuit and back to the
mines again. The Hoyt shaft, which is
located on the lower side of the break
er, sends its product up another route
and connects with the track leading
from Nos. A and and passing over the
scale.
TAKEN TO THE BREAKER.
Ihe coal when dumped into the re-
ceiving pit. is conveyed to the breaker
by means of immense cOnveyors that
are supported by a large iron trestlng
built in the shape of a plane. These
conveyors will be in continuous motion
The entire affair is located on the west
| side of the breaker and the distance
| from the pit to the top of the breaker
where the coal is to be conveyed, is
probably 200 feet. This contrivance is
new in this vicinity and forms prob.
| ably the most expensive part of the en-
| tire improvements. This portion of the
work was finished on Saturday last.
Other improvements that are being
made in the breaker is the placing il
| +, rition of new rolls or crushers OF
| larger and more modern design. A new
system of disposing of the accumulation
of culm is also being constructed. This
will be done by means of large con
veyors. The same principle as that uset
| to convey the coal to the breaker vii
| 'be employed only in smaller scale
| The conVeyors will run down through
the breaker and out through the
southern side of the building by mean:
of a long trestling and deposited int
| receiving pockets that are now being
erected on top of the culm pile. From
there. the culm will be emptied int
cars and dumped as formerly. All o
these mechanical arrangements Will bO
propelled by the engines that formerly
operated the breaker machinery, Will
the assistance of an additional engine
which will soon be placed in position.
NEW POWER PLANT.
A new boiler plant in connection will
the entire system has been constructed
to furnish power to No Z and No.
Hoyt shafts, and the Even breaker
thus doing away with the boiler rooms
at these shafts. The work on the boile
plant was completed about one weel
ago Since then steam has been rul
through the pipes in order to perfect.
test them. So far they have WORKED
very satisfactorily. The plant consist
of three chests of boilers, or twelv
drums.
Small conVeyors run from the break
er to the fire room, which convey tn
coal in sufficient quantity to feed tn
large furnaces. The same conveyor
after passing through the fire room, i
arranged so as to pass under the foo
directly opposite the fire boxes an
convey the ashes to the rear of tn
building. When the fires are bein
cleaned, holes in the floor receive tn
ashes and after the tireman has fin