COAL DISCHARGING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3092, 24 May 1917, Page 6

COAL DISCHARGING

. THE "GRAB" METHOD FASTER SYSTEM FOR WELLINGTON The engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board (iir. J. Alaictibanks) submitted to last evening's meeting of the board a report on methods of discharging coal at railway whurves. The report ran:— "Willi a view to improving the manner of discharging coul ashore from colliers lying at whurves which have railway tracks, and which are equipped with hydraulic portal cranes, I have had oho of the cranes oil the Iviujj's Wharf temporarily iitted with a single chain Priestman grab bucket and tried discharging coal from a hatch on a collier into railway trucks alongside. Two grabs were borrowed from the Railway Department, one of which is known as 'a wholetime grab , ; it is designed for digging ia rough material such as gravel and rock, and the amount lifted is small compared to its weight. The second grab is designed for digging and lifting mixed coal, and the results obtained are a good deal better. With the whole-time grab, using one man in the crane, and a hatchman, 200 tons were put out in 12 hours, or 16 3-3 rd tons per hour. After ine square of the hatch has been : taken out, it will be necessary to trim to where the grab can oporate, necessitating the employment of, say, an extra six men for one-half 'the timo worked. The second grab tried gives considerably bettor results; over 20 tone per hour being lifted. With a suitable grab fixed .on the Bailway Wharf cranee (which have less radius on the King's AVharf) there should be no difficulty in discharging at tho rate of 25 tons per hour, or 200 tons per eight-hour shift. Working with baskets off ships' winches and tramming the coal ashore as at present, a gang of nine men do not more than 100 tons per day of eight hours. The grabs will not be able 'to load carts directly, but if bins are built .oh the crane platforms it will be possible to dump the coal into them and ehoot it into carts as desired.

"Coal-discharging work is laborious and unpopular, and it is, I-think, obvious that in future there will at times be a difficulty in obtaining sufficient suitable labour at a reasonable cost. I think, therefore, the board would be justified in equipping the cranes on the Railway Wharf with efficient coal grabs so as ia make a bettor use of the existing equipment, and to lessen the cost of discharging coal ashore. A suitable style of crab is one built by Prinstman Brothers, Ltd., for large and mixpd conl; it weighs 2.lcwt.. and will lift 26 cubic feet at one operation. I would suggest that not less than six be obtained so as to fquip one side of the Railway Whnrf. with one as aparp. or, preferably, thnt sufficient irrnivs bp obtained to enable th° whole of the cranes ovi the Tiailway Whnrf to.be usfil at one time if Tenuired. Tf a charge o f 7s. 6d. per hour is made for the uso of the crane and grab, and if. ns T anticipate, they are rocularly used, t]io cost of tbo <?rabs will soon be recouped by the l*WTfl." The hoard ndnoM tlw rcoovt. ami decided to or(W six Prioshnan irrabs.