New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-01-04
PRACTICAL STUDENTS.
Hoe Montreal University EncOur-
ages This Kind Of Youth.

AS one who has been not only spectator but also
a participator in some of the work carried on at
NcGtli University, thought short account OF the
summer tour of the mining department might prove
interesting, says correspondent OF The LONDON
Times
The course in the mining and metallurgical de-
partment covers four years. the first two years
being devoted TO general scientific study whlie
In the last years the subjects more especially
associated with mining and metallurgy are taken
up. One feature of the department Is the summer
mining school which is held at the close of the
college session. lasting about a month or SIX
weeks and which every third year mining student
is expected to join while the second year men are
allowed to attend if they wish This mining school
takes the form OF tour TO some centre where
the work can be practically observed and studied
on the spot. Last year British Columbia and many
of the celebrated mining camps of that great coun-
try were visited while this year the tour has been
TO the extreme east of the Dominion of Canada.
for the purpose of seeing something of the coal
mining and steel manufacturing industries which
are RAPIDLY rising in the Province of Nova SCOTIA
and Cape Breton.
The McCsiI party twenty in number, included
two professors and two demonstrators. We had
been provided by the Canadian Paclnc hah"aS
with a special tourist car, with cooks. Kitchens
and lavatory arrangements, which FORMED our
Headquarters throughout the tour; thus we were
independent of hotel boarding mouse accoLl
r,odation and through the kindness of the rail-
able to move from place to place when and where
we pleased The first week Of the tour was oe
voted to geology. and for tins purpose Ine sA
nation of a district in Cape Breton anu Soou
twelve miles from Sydney called Georges rN'ei'
was undertaken Each day the party went out as
though engaged upon a regular geological survey
of an unexpored country. armed with compdsseS'
clinorneters measures, colored pencils hoteOooAS,
hammers bags and rough Typographical MAPS Vi
the district When an outcrop or exposure was
div md
thickness of the strata were measured anu NO.
ond marked on the maps; the character ana COM
pos;tion OF the rock were made OUT speciine" ~
tanned and if any fossils occurred theS aIso w.
noted In this manner the whole area was -,
md from, the collected notes we were aOie pS ''e
ra - the week TO fill in the maps with correct
,itrbution of the rocks exposed. and from the u'd
TINS obtained 20 construct seNerai 'e-e7
CROSS sections showing the positions OF the Naiou
formations relatively to one another week
Thus snent in climbing over the surrounding nii''
,,, through dense woods and soft Dogs or
Touskegs nut us irto good form for the next part
of our programme. which was Gal mnihs
For this purpose we moved on In our car 70 the
town of C1lsce Bay an important mining town on
the northeast coast of Cape Breton. The DOMINION
coal Companv Uimited) owns all the mines In the
vicinity which in the aggregate are no" pu''iiis
ont about so coo tons week Our car was piaceu
on siding close to the Caledonia mines OF the
above company, and here spent week examin-
inP various departments of mine work As 1t took
o,r car attendants about an hour and half TO
make nm the sleeping berths and prepare breakfast
II was necessary for us 10 get up at about . a m
IN order that might be ready to descend into the
mine at a. m. when the day shift miners went on
dirty The party of students was divided up into
small groups of two three each. every group
being sent with of the workers in the mine TO
examine the various departments of mining work
To take the doings of group as an example OF
the others. the programme for the week was some
what like the following: The first day was spent
in exa mining the haulage system used in the work
ings of the mine for bringing the coal TO the pit
bottom: for this purpose we went with an under
ground man whose duty ID Is to that the haulage
ways or roads are kept in working order, and to
attend to breakdoUns IL they occur The system
adopted in this mine Is endless wire rope the
main haulage ways. and horse traction along the
various levels from the point where the miners
were mining the coal 10 where the levels open out
on to the haulage ways. We had TO notice the
method of loading the coal at the face the tcketng
grade and gauge OF the tracks wear, size and
weight Of rail- and other details connected with the
tracks such as points turntables; we inspected the
stables and obtained large amount or tnforma-
ton about the OF the horses used In the mine
Or the main haulege ways we observed the way
OF attaching the cars TO the rope and the means
whereby the cars brought TO the pit bottom
and returned the face again. We also had an op-
portunity Of seeing or two breakdowns ~ 70
fights The second day devoted to tinlbering.
and this occasion we ACCOMPANIED timber