A SELF-DISCHARGING COLLIER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14274, 15 August 1910, Page 7

A SELF-DISCHARGING COLLIER.

A self-discharging collier should soon be on her way to Sydney—a vessel that will be independent of shore labour. An order for tho collier was placed last year with an English firm by one of the big Sydney coal companies, and her appearance is being awaited with much interest.

There are so far very few self-dis-charging colliers in existence, but it is i understood that the one which the Sydney-owned vessel resembles is | double-bottomed, the inner bottom being raised and sloped uowards in the wings, and built'into the sides of the' craft, forming a suitable incline for gravitating the cargo to the conveyers, and also giving the vessel the advantage of being half-loaded when in ballast and bunkers. At the after end of the cargo space the conveyers rise from the horizontal and pass upwards into iron chambers through the machinery space, and thence into the conveyer-driving engine-room, and discharge ' the load into guide shoots in the stern of the vessel. The load eventually reaches telescope shoots, adjustable for loading lighters, or hulks on either side of the collier, or tho conveyer apparatus may be adjusted to high love's. The new vessel's terminal conveyers may. however, be carried in swivel boonm. which are raised or lowered as required, and swung over to the points of delivery, thus obviating the use of delivery shoots. Two men may work a whole cargo of coal by a vessel such as this at the rate of 000 tons per hour. Tn the larger vessel, known as the Pallion. operating in Home waters, the unloading can be done in six hours with one stoker, one engineer, two labourers in the hold, and two adjusting the shoots or booms into the craft alongside. The total cost of discharging is said to lie about £l2, including the upkeep of the gear, whereas it is shown that the cost of discharging a similar cargo to the Pallion's by ordinary collier at Hamburg, say, is £ll2, with 110 men employed, and occupies 11 hours.