Contents.

Preface.—I., Causes of Pit Fires: 1, Fires Resulting from the Spontaneous Ignition of Coal; 2, Fires Caused by Burning Timber; 3, Fires Caused by Fire-damp Explosions.—II., Preventive Regulations: 1, The Outbreak and Rapid Extension of a Shaft Fire can be most reliably prevented by Employing little or no Combustible Material in the Construction of the Shaft; 2, Precautions for Rapidly Localising an Outbreak of Fire in the Shaft; 3, Precautions to be Adopted in case those under 1 and 2 Fail or Prove Inefficient Precautions against Spontaneous Ignition of Coal. Precautions for Preventing Explosions of Fire-damp and Coal Dust. Employment of Electricity in Mining, particularly in Fiery Pits. Experiments on the Ignition of Fire-damp Mixtures and Clouds of Coal Dust by Electricity.—III., Indications of an Existing-or Incipient Fire.—IV., Appliances for Working in Irrespirable Gases: 1, Respiratory Apparatus; 2, Apparatus with Air Supply Pipes, (a) The Bremen Smoke Helmet, (b) The Müller Smoke Helmet, (c) The Stolz Rescue Mask; 3, Reservoir Apparatus: 4, Oxygen Apparatus. The Schwann Respiratory Apparatus. The Fleuss Respiratory Apparatus. The Improved Walcher-Gärtner Pneumatophor, (a) The Single Bottle Apparatus, Instructions for using the Pneumatophor, Taking to Pieces and Resetting the Apparatus ready for Use; (b) Two Bottle Apparatus (Shamrock Type). The Neupert Rescue Apparatus (The Mayer-Pilar System).—V. Extinguishing-Pit Fires: (a)Chemical Means: (b) Extinction with Water. Dragging down the Burning Masses and Packing with Clay: (c) Insulating the Seat of the Fire by Dams. Dam Building. Dam Work in the Fiery Pits of Southern Hungary: (a) Cross-dams of Clay; (b) Masonry Dams, Gallery Linings. Wagner's Portable Safety Dam. Analyses of Fire Gases. Isolating the Seat of a Fire with Dams: Working in Irrespirable Gases ("Gas-diving"): 1, Air-Lock Work (Horizontal Advance) on the Mayer System as Pursued at Karwin in 1894; 2, Air-Lock Work (Horizontal Advance) by the Mauerhofer Modified System. Vertical Advance. Mayer System. Complete Isolation of the Pit. Flooding a Burning Section isolated by means of Dams. Wooden Dams: (a) Upright Balk Dams; (b) Horizontal Balk Dams; (c) Wedge Dams, Masonry Dams. Examples of Cylindrical and Dome-shaped Dams. Dam Doors: Flooding the Whole Pit.—VI., Rescue Stations: (a) Stations above Ground; (b) Underground Rescue Stations.—VII., Spontaneous Ignition of Coal in Bulk.—Index.

Illustrations.

Sheet I., Respiratory and Rescue Appliances—Precautions against Fire. Figs. 1, Smoke Helmet; 2, Muller's Smoke Helmet; 3, Low-pressure Respiration Apparatus; 4, High-pressure Respiration Apparatus; 5, The Stolz Mask for Rescue Work: 6, Precautions against Fire.—Sheet II., Respiratory and Rescue Apparatus. Figs. 1, Recovery Work with Müller's Smoke Helmet after a Fire: 2-8, The Fleuss Respiration Apparatus: 9, The Walcher-Gärtner Pneumatophor: 10-12, Pneumatophor (Shamrock Type).—Sheet III., Respiratory and Rescue Apparatus—Stretchers. Figs. 1-8, Rescue Apparatus manufactured by O. Neupert's Successor (Mayer-Pilar System); 1, Front View; 2, Section through Bag and Mask; 3, Rear View: 4, Apparatus and Mask laid out Flat (view from above); 5, Apparatus and Mask laid out Flat (view from below): 6, Locking Device for Closing Bag; 7, Apparatus Complete, Mounted for Rescue Work; 8, Improved Valve in the Respiration Tubes; 9-12, Stretchers. Fig. 9, Stretcher Covered with Brown Canvas: 10, Stretcher Covered with Brown Canvas, fitted with Adjustable Head-rest: 11, Folding Stretcher Covered with Brown Canvas; 12, Rupprecht's Stretcher Covered with Brown Canvas; 13, Dr. Rühlmann's Stretcher.—Sheet IV., Dams. Figs. 1-7, R. Wagners Portable Safety Dam.—Sheet V., Signalling Appliances —Dam Construction—Cable Laying. Figs. 1-3, Signalling Appliances: 1, Small Induction Apparatus for Pit Work; 2, Bell Signal for Pit Work; 3, Pit Telephone; 4-18, Dam Construction; 4, 5, Upright Timber Dam; 6, 7, Timber Dam with Wooden Door; 8, 9, Dome-shaped Dams; 10,11, Dome-shaped Dam with Iron Door; 12,13, The Wenker and Berninghaus Locking Device for Dam Doors; 14-17, Dam Construction: 18, Damming a Gallery Lined with Iron: 19, Support for Cable.—Sheet VI., Working with Diving Gear in Irrespirable Gases—Gallery Work. Figs. 1-4, Air-Lock Work (Mayer System); 5-7. Air-Lock (Mauerhofer's Modification of the Mayer System); 8-11, Construction of Dams at the Pluto Shaft.—Sheet VII., Working with Diving Gear in Irrespirable Gases (Mayer System)—Appliances in the Shaft. Figs. 1, 2, Sections of Shaft and Air Apparatus; 3, Salzmann Reducing Valve for Reserve Air Supply; 4,5, L. v. Bremen's Respiration Apparatus with Karwin Reserve Appliance: 6, Cross Section of the Franziska Shaft; 7, Method of Supplying Air to Main Pipe and Winding same on Drum; 8, Clamp.

Press Opinions.

"A work of this extremely valuable character deserves to be made widely known amongst colliery managers and mining engineers at home and abroad."—Coal and Iron.

"This book is, in a manner, unique. The literature of mining accidents is fairly extensive, but it consists largely of departmental Blue Books."—Sheffield Daily Telegraph.

"A concise and lucid description of the principal methods pursued, especially in fiery mines, and of the various appliances employed, such as respiratory and rescue apparatus, dams, etc."—Staffs Advertiser.

"The prevention of spontaneous combustion in collieries and the extinction of underground fires are duties that fall heavily on many colliery managers. They should, therefore, welcome this translation of Mr. Lamprecht's German treatise."—Ironmonger.

"The book under notice supplies the needed full description, drawings, and mode of using these new appliances in actual fires, and should be studied by every colliery manager, seeing that even our best managed collieries have not been free from fires, more or less disastrous to life and property.—Colliery Manager.

THE PREVENTION OF SMOKE. Combined with the Economical Combustion of Fuel. By W.C. POPPLEWELL, M.Sc, A.M.Inst., C.E., Consulting Engineer. 46 Illustrations. 190 pp. 1901. Demy 8vo. Price 7s. 6d.; India and Colonies, 8s.; Other Countries, 8s. 6d.; strictly net.

Contents.

Introductory.—Chapters I., Fuel and Combustion.—II., Hand Firing in Boiler Furnaces.—III., Stoking by Mechanical Means.—IV., Powdered Fuel.—V., Gaseous Fuel.—VI., Efficiency and Smoke Tests of Boilers.—VII., Some Standard Smoke Trials.—VIII., The Legal Aspect of the Smoke Question.—IX., The Best Means to be adopted for the Prevention of Smoke.—Index.

GAS AND COAL DUST FIRING. A Critical Review of the Various Appliances Patented in Germany for this purpose since 1885. By ALBERT PÜTSCH. 130 pp. Demy 8vo. 1901. Translated from the German. With 103 Illustrations. Price 7s. 6d.; India and Colonies, 8s.; Other Countries, 8s. 6d.; strictly net.

Contents.