A series of experiments of great interest and vital importance to colliery owners and all those engaged in mining coal has been carried out during the last ten days in the South Yorkshire coal field. The new mines regulation act provides that any explosible used in coal mines shall either be fired in a water cartridge or be of such a nature that it cannot inflame firedamp. This indeed is the problem which has puzzled many able chemists during the last few years, and which Dr. Roth, of Berlin, claims to have solved with his explosive "roburite." We recently gave a detailed account of trials carried out at the School of Military Engineering, Chatham, to test the safety and strength of roburite, as compared with gun cotton, dynamite, and blasting gelatine. The results were conclusive of the great power of the new explosive, and so far fully confirmed the reports of the able mining engineer and the chemical experts who had been sent to Germany to make full inquiries. These gentlemen had ample opportunity of seeing roburite used in the coal mines of Westphalia, and it was mainly upon their testimony that the patents for the British empire were acquired by the Roburite Explosive Company.

It has, however, been deemed advisable to give practical proof to those who would have to use it, that roburite possesses all the high qualities claimed for it, and hence separate and independent trials have been arranged in such representative collieries as the Wharncliffe Silkstone, near Sheffield, Monk Bretton, near Barnsley, and, further north, in the Durham coal field, at Lord Londonderry's Seaham and Silksworth collieries. Mr. G.B. Walker, resident manager of the Wharncliffe Colliery Company, had gone to Germany as an independent observer - provided with a letter of introduction from the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs - and had seen the director of the government mines at Saarbruck, who gave it as his opinion that, so far as his experience had gone, the new explosive was a most valuable invention. Mr. Walker was so impressed with the great advantages of roburite that he desired to introduce it into his own colliery, where he gladly arranged with the company to make the first coal mining experiments in this country.

These were recently carried out in the Parkgate seam of the Wharncliffe Silkstone colliery, under the personal superintendence of the inventor, Dr. Roth, and in the presence of a number of colliery managers and other practical men.

In all six shots were fired, five of which were for the purpose of winning coal, while the sixth was expressly arranged as a "blowout shot." The roburite - which resembles nothing so much as a common yellow sugar - is packed in cartridges of about 4½ in. in length and 1½ in. in diameter, each containing about 65 grammes (one-seventh of a pound) inclosed in a waterproof envelope. By dividing a cartridge, any desired strength of charge can be obtained. The first shot had a charge of 90 grammes (one-fifth of a pound) placed in a hole drilled to a depth of about 4 ft. 6 in., and 1¾ in. in diameter. All the safety lamps were carefully covered, so that complete darkness was produced, but there was no visible sign of an explosion in the shape of flame - not even a spark - only the dull, heavy report and the noise made by the displaced coal. A large quantity of coal was brought down, but it was considered by most of the practical men present to be rather too much broken. The second shot was fired with a single cartridge of 65 grammes, and this gave the same remarkable results as regards absence of flame, and, in each case, there were no noxious fumes perceivable, even the moment after the shot was fired.

This reduced charge gave excellent results as regards coal winning, and one of the subsequent shots, with the same weight of roburite, produced from 10 to 11 tons of coal in almost a solid mass.

It has been found that a fertile cause of accidents in coal mines is insufficient tamping, or "stemming," as it is called in Yorkshire. Therefore a hole was bored into a strong wall of coal, and a charge of 45 grammes inserted, and very slightly tamped, with the view of producing a flame if such were possible. This "blowout" shot is so termed from the fact of its being easier for the explosion to blow out the tamping, like the shot from a gun, than to split or displace the coal. The result was most successful, as there was no flash to relieve the utter darkness.

The second set of experiments took place on October 24 last, in the Monk Bretton colliery, near Barnsley, of which Mr. W. Pepper, of Leeds, is owner. This gentleman determined to give the new explosive a fair and exhaustive trial, and the following programme was carried out in the presence of a very large gathering of gentlemen interested in coal mining. The chief inspector of mines for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, Mr. F.N. Wardell, was also present, and the Roburite Explosives Company was represented by Lieut.-General Sir John Stokes, K.C.B., R.E., chairman, and several of the directors.

1. Surface Experiments. - A shot fired on the ground, exposed. This gave no perceptible flame (70 grammes of roburite was the charge in these experiments).

2. A shot fired on the ground, bedded in fine coal dust. No flame nor ignition of the coal dust was perceptible.

3. A shot fired suspended in a case into which gas was conducted, and the atmospheric air allowed to enter so as to form an explosive mixture. The gas was not fired.

4. A shot fired in a boiler flue 16 ft. by 2 ft. 8 in., placed horizontally, in which was a quantity of fine coal dust kept suspended in the air by the action of a fan. No flame nor ignition of the coal dust took place.

5. A shot fired as above, except that an explosive mixture of gas and air was flowing into the boiler tube in addition to the coal dust. That this mixture was firedamp was proved by the introduction of a safety lamp, the flame of which was elongated, showing what miners call the "blue cap." There was no explosion of the gas or sign of flames.

6. A shot of roburite fired in the boiler tube without any gas or suspended coal dust. The report was quite as loud as in the preceding case; indeed, to several present it seemed more distinct.

7. A shot of ½ lb. gunpowder was fired under the same condition as No. 5, i.e., in an explosive mixture of gas and air with coal dust. The result was most striking, and appeared to carry conviction of the great comparative safety of roburite to all present. Not only was there an unmistakable explosion of the firedamp, with very loud report, and a vivid sheet of flame, but the gas flowing into the far end of the boiler tube was ignited and remained burning until turned off.

In The Pit

1. A 2 in. hole was drilled 4 ft. 6 in. deep into coal, having a face 7 yards wide, fast at both ends, and holed under for a depth of 8 ft., end on, thickness of front of coal to be blown down 2 ft. 10 in., plus 9 in. of dirt. This represented a most difficult shot, having regard to the natural lines of cleavage of the coal - a "heavy job" as it was locally termed. The charge was 65 grammes of roburite, which brought down a large quantity of coal, not at all too small in size. No flame was perceptible, although all the lamps were carefully covered.

2. A 2 in. hole drilled 4 ft. 6 in. into the side of the coal about 10 in. from the top, fast ends not holed under, width of space 10 ft. This was purposely a "blowout" shot. The result was again most satisfactory, the charge exploding in perfect darkness.

3. A "breaking up" shot placed in the stone roof for "ripping," the hole being drilled at an angle of 35 deg. or 40 deg. This is intended to open a cavity in the perfectly smooth roof, the ripping being continued by means of the "lip" thus formed. The charge was 105 grammes (nearly 4 oz), and it brought down large quantities of stone.

4. A "ripping" shot in the stone roof, hole 4 ft. 6 in. deep, width of place 15 ft. with a "lip" of 2 ft. 6 in. This is a strong stone "bind," and very difficult to get down. The trial was most successful, a large heap of stone being brought down and more loosened.

5. A second "blowout" shot, under the conditions most likely to produce an accident in a fiery mine. A 2 in. hole, 4 ft. 6 in. deep, was drilled in the face of the coal near the roof, and charged with 105 grammes of roburite. A space of 6 in. or 8 in. was purposely left between the charge and the tamping. The hole was then strongly tamped for a distance of nearly 2 ft. The report was very loud, and a trumpet-shaped orifice was formed at the mouth of the hole, but no flame or spark could be perceived, nor was any inconvenience caused by the fumes, even the instant after the explosion.

Further Experiments At Wharncliffe Colliery

On Tuesday, October 25, some very interesting surface trials were arranged with great care by Mr. Walker. An old boiler flue was placed vertically, and closed at top by means of a removable wooden cover, the interior space being about 72 cubic feet. A temporary gasometer had been arranged at a suitable distance by means of a paraffin cask having a capacity of 6 cubic feet suspended inside a larger cask, and by this means the boiler was charged with a highly explosive mixture of gas and air in the proportion of 1 to 12.

1. A charge of gunpowder was placed in the closed end of a piece of gas pipe, and strongly tamped, so as to give the conditions most unfavorable to the ignition of the firedamp. It was, however, ignited, and a loud explosion produced, which blew off the wooden cover and filled the boiler tube with flame.

2. Under the same conditions as to firedamp, a charge of roburite was placed on a block of wood inside the boiler, totally unconfined except by a thin covering of coal dust. When exploded by electricity, as in the previous case, no flame was produced, nor was the firedamp ignited.

3. The preceding experiment was repeated with the same results.

4. A charge of blasting gelatine, inserted in one of Settle's water cartridges, was suspended in the boiler tube and fired with a fulminate of mercury detonator in the usual manner. The gelatine did not, however, explode, the only report being that of the detonator. After a safe interval the unexploded cartridge was recovered, or so much of it as had not been scattered by the detonator, and the gelatine was found to be frozen. This fact was also evident from an inspection of other gelatine dynamite cartridges which had been stored in the same magazine during the night. This result, although not that intended, was most instructive as regards the danger of using explosives which are liable to freeze at such a moderate temperature, and the thawing of which is undoubtedly attended with great risk unless most carefully performed. Also, the small pieces of the gelatine or dynamite, when scattered by the explosion of the detonator, might cause serious accident if trodden upon. - Engineering.