to greater thoroughness in technical training than are our men. Better facilities, in this respect, are placed before them, and realizing the paramount importance of such training, they take greater advantage of it than seems to be deemed necessary in this country. Technical education is held in higher regard by the owners of mines and other industrial concerns in America, than is as yet the case in Great Britain. Anyone who has read the accounts of what is done and provided in the United States and contrasts the magnificent educational apparatus of their universities with the scanty system, or want of system in this respect in this country, will no longer be at a loss to understand one reason why the British miningengineer, who seeks employment in our Colonial mining regions, is handicapped in the race for supremacy.

At Birmingham, at any rate, it is hoped that this deficiency will be remedied, and the writer believes that it will be so, with the assistance of the mining-engineers of the Midlands. Much good work has been and is being accomplished by the County Council lecturers in mining in the Midlands, and this will undoubtedly be the means of inducing many of the young men who benefit by such instruction to proceed to the University with the view of further advancement in this department of study.

The mining department of Birmingham University has been founded by the authorities in order to meet the requirements of the large mining community of the Midlands, and at the same time to afford mining men, from other parts of Great Britain and the Colonies, theoretical and practical instruction in the various branches of mining for a complete mining department should include instruction in both branches of mining-coal and metalliferous. Coal-mining students will undoubtedly constitute by far the largest and most important class, those attending this course of instruction being chiefly intending colliery-managers, drawn from the surrounding and other coal-fields. The students of metalliferous mining will be mainly derived from the Colonies, those who intend proceeding to the Colonies and foreign countries, and some few from the metalliferous mining-districts of Great Britain. There will also be a class of students who intend practising as general mining-engineers, who will take up both branches of study.

In an ideal mining school, such as one would wish to see established at Birmingham, the laws of ventilation, the modes of working, of timbering, of haulage (underground, etc.), would be demon

strated in a model mine, and one would wish that some one would present such a sum to the mining department of this University as would allow of its construction. Coal-washing, surface-arrangements at collieries and metal-mines, mining tools, the construction and testing of safety-lamps and blasting materials, would all be shown in this ideal mining school, as well as the demonstration of the principal modes of dressing, in operation at metalliferousmines (which now constitutes an essential adjunct to every mining department in leading American colleges). The working of drills and coal-cutting machines, the manner of testing the safety of explosives in gaseous mixtures and mixtures of coal-dust, would also constitute an integral part of the equipment. Advanced students would be encouraged to carry on useful research-work dealing with the problems of underground ventilation, collieryexplosions, coal-washing, ore-dressing, coal-cutting and the like. Much of this, it is hoped, will be carried out at the Birmingham University.

As it is, courses of study have been arranged, and are already being conducted for practising and consultative mining-engineers, colliery-managers, managers of metalliferous mines, teachers of mining and mine-surveyors. The complete mining course includes instruction in the following subjects :-(1) Mathematics, including algebra, trigonometry and geometry; (2) inorganic chemistry with laboratory practice; (3) geology and mineralogy; (4) physics and laboratory practice; (5) mechanical and electrical engineering (6) coal and metal-mining; and (7) metallurgy and assaying, so far as applied to the treatment of ores, and the analysis of fuels.

Besides indoor work, there will be frequent visits to the mines of the neighbourhood, and occasional surveying classes will be held out of doors, in which the students will practise what they have learned theoretically, and 4 or 5 weeks will be devoted by the students each year in company with the professor, to the inspection and study of some group of mines in Great Britain or abroad, which will constitute the summer mining school.

In conclusion, the writer maintains that if only we will take heed of the fact that the day for the rule-of-thumb man has passed, that the necessity of a scientific education is an ever increasing factor in the training of practical men, and that our chief industrial competitors, Germany and the United States,

have already realized this fact, and are acting accordingly, there need be no cause for despondency, nor any reason why we should not continue to hold our proud position as the producers of the foremost captains of industry, mining and otherwise, in the world.

APPENDIX. --Two UNDERGROUND ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE COUNTY OF DURHAM IN 1854.

The PRESIDENT (Mr. T. J. Davies) proposed a vote of thanks

to Prof. Redmayne for his paper.

Mr. W. B. COLLIS seconded the proposition, which was cordially approved.

THE MIDLAND COUNTIES INSTITUTION OF
ENGINEERS.

GENERAL MEETING,

HELD AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, NOTTINGHAM,
DECEMBER 6TH, 1902.

Mr. G. ELMSLEY COKE, PRESIDENT, IN THE CHAIR.

The SECRETARY announced the election of the following gentlemen :

MEMBER

Mr. STUART MCMURTRIE, Halesowen, Birmingham.

STUDENTS

Mr. JOHN DICKINSON, c/o Mr. A. Hunter, New Tupton, Chesterfield.
Mr. ALBERT ALFRED PEAKE, Holywell House, Codnor.

DISCUSSION OF MR. G. A. LONGDEN'S

PAPER ON "CHANGING HEADGEARS AT PLEASLEY

COLLIERY."*

Mr. G. J. BINNS (Duffield) said that he would like to allude to the somewhat delicate question of cost. It was a subject which many engineers did not care to divulge, but it would be useful to know what was expended in connection with this exceedingly interesting and extremely well-described operation.

Mr. W. E. WALKER (Manners Colliery) said that they had had done very similar work. Their headstocks, built of wood, were 50 feet high and weighed fully 50 tons. The new headstocks were erected as close by the side of the old ones as possible; and taking advantage of the Miners' Demonstration Holiday, on Monday, July 14th, 1902, they started on the previous Friday night to dismantle the old headstocks and to push the others into position. The six legs of the new headstocks had been previously * Trans. Inst. M.E., 1902, vol. xxiii., page 348.

fixed on heavy rollers, resting upon old boiler-plates. On the Saturday morning, crabs were attached to the old headstocks which were then pulled bodily over and out of the way. The old headstocks were removed by 12 workmen, and all was cleared away by Saturday midnight. Work was resumed at 5 a.m. on Sunday; at 4 p.m. the new headstocks had been "pinched" into their proper position; and at 10 a.m. the headstocks had been dropped into the shoes placed ready for them-the men only worked for 6 hours on the Sunday. All day on Monday was spent in suspending the guide-rods, and completing the fittings, in order that everything should be ready for winding on Tuesday morning. As a matter of fact, the work was completed at 7 p.m. on Monday, and the ordinary men were run down at 8:30 p.m. The number of men employed never exceeded 12, and 6 of them were engaged all night on Sunday. The whole cost was £15 10s.

Mr. G. SPENCER (Mapperley) said that since the Pleasley headgear had been fixed there had been two similar operations in the district:The one described by Mr. Walker at Manners colliery; and the other at Mapperley colliery under his (Mr. Spencer's) charge:

The new headgear, at Mapperley colliery, constructed of pitchpine, was erected during the previous year in a field about 300 feet from the pit-top, where it awaited a favourable opportunity to be placed in position, without impeding the work of coalturning. Such an opportunity did not occur until the present year, owing to regular trade and other circumstances. Advantage was therefore taken of the August Bank Holiday, which is observed by the miners, and takes place at a time of year when the days are long. It was originally intended to erect the headgear temporarily, so as to ensure the proper fitting of the parts, and to take it to pieces for re-erection close to the pit-top, and in a line parallel to the old one, which it was intended to replace, so that the operation of moving it into its permanent position would be comparatively a simple one. Consequently, no regard was paid to building it in the line which it was found that it would afterwards have to traverse, if moved as a whole. Considering, however, that the headgear was completed in every detail, and that the expense of taking it to pieces and of re-erecting it would be considerable, it was decided to adopt the bolder plan of moving