108 COALFIELDS AND COLLIERIES OF AUSTRALIA. 



causing a flaring flame. There is a feed hole on the top of the 

 oil vessel at one side protected with a screw plug. Pure kero- 

 sene is used as the illuminant : this gives a sensitive flame for 

 ordinary gas testing, and does not give a charred wick, which 

 requires constant trimming. There is a movable ring to which 

 the hasp for locking the upper part of the lamp to the oil ves- 

 sel is attached, so should the screw get worn by constant use, 

 the lamp can still be screwed up tightly and properly locked. 

 Any part of a lamp is interchangeable with a similar part of 

 another lamp of the same make, as the lamps are all made to 

 template. A cone is placed round the wick to keep out dust 

 and hold the wick in place ; the cone is nickel-plated so as to 

 act as a reflector. Above the glass are two gauzes, one inside 

 the other. These gauzes have what is known as a metallic 

 seam, that is the edges of the gauze are bent backwards on 

 themselves longitudinally, and are then clamped by a strip of 

 metal, the edges of which are bent round in the opposite direc- 

 tion, so as to fit in the hooks formed by the gauze. Should the 

 gauze become crushed, it can be opened out again without 

 splitting the seam, which often happens when the seam is wire 

 sewn in the usual way. The lamps are lighted by means of 

 electricity, which causes a platinum wire across the top of the 

 wick to become red hot. Being lighted just before the men 

 want them, there is no waste of oil, as there would be if the 

 lamps were lighted by match, and locked ready for the men. 



A tell-tale board is placed in a position so that the men 

 have to pass it going to their work. Each man, before going 

 to his place, puts a metal disc stamped with his special number 

 on a certain peg : by this means the officials can tell who is 

 underground. On returning from work the disc is removed to 

 another part of the board. Non-compliance with this regula- 

 tion makes a man subject to punishment. The men only work 

 me shift. They start work at 7 a.m., knock off at 9 a.m. for 

 half an hour, to have breakfast, then work till 12.30 p.m., 

 when they take till 1 p.m. for dinner, after which they work 

 on till 5 p.m. 



The coal is tipped on to shaking screens from a cylindrical 

 side tippler. The tippler is put in motion by means of a lever 

 which brings friction gear into action. The present friction 

 pulley has a rounded face, but the next tippler will be given a 

 V-shaped face, with a truncated point. The tippler itself re- 

 volves on wheels. This class of tippler is slow, but for that 

 reason is more suited for soft coal, such as it has to deal with, 

 as then it is less likely to break up. The screens make four 

 sizes of coal 1st, round; 2nd, large nuts; f-f in., 3rd, small 

 nuts, - in.; 4th, duff, or dust. The large coal, and some 

 unscreened bunker coal is sold, the small nuts and duff are 

 coked and sold to smelting works. The coal before going to 



