Document 3Q9kLY49yQ6ZVmRx4LLOEawKa

FILE NAME: Engineering (ENG) DATE: 1931 Sept DOC#: ENG019 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Trade Journal Article - Asbestos % * Wi E S T A B L IS H E D 1856. REGISTERED AS A NEW SPAPER. Xo. 3949 28, ESSEX ST.. LOXDOX. W.C. 2. [SEPTE M B ER 18, 1931 5 Sept. 18, 1931 THE ENGINEER 283 .^iyfcSEr A Seven-Day Journal The Cheltenham Flyer. On M onday la s t th e n e w G re a t W e s te rn e x p re ss Iwtwcen Sw indon a n d P a d d in g to n c a m e in to serv ice. It left Swindon p ro m p tly a t 3.48-- th e n e w sc h ed u le time--but in ste a d of a rriv in g a t 4.55 in a c c o rd a n c e with the tim e-tab le , it re a c h e d P a d d in g to n a t 4.474, having thus covered th e 77J m ile s in h a lf a m in u te - under the hour. F o r n early 70 m iles o u t o f th e to ta l distance its speed w as g e n e ra lly w ell o v e r 80 m iles rr hour, an d a t m ile-p o st X o. 2 fro m P a d d in g to n wkm 86-7 m .p.li. T h e a v e ra g e s ta r t- to - s to p sp e e d "<'9 miles per hour. T h e engine w as X o. 5000, unceston C astle," a n d th e tr a in of six coaches 180 dons. F o r m a n y y e a rs th e S w in d o n -- l run has been notable. In 1929 70 m in u te s w ere 1by schedule. T h a t tim in g h a s n o w b e e n re d u c e d lininutes, m ainly w ith th e o b ject of recovering a fu tu re," M r. ITurford concluded, " w ill be th e w orks m anager. I n a sense, he will be prim arily responsible fo r B r i t a i n 's in d u s tr ia l fu tu re . H is ta s k , h o w e v e r, is full of difficulties, a n d th e com m unity w ould be well advised to give him every encouragem ent and to refrain from m aking unw arrantable reflections on his a b ility an d vision. H o n est criticism is w elcom e and helpful. T h e w orks m an ag er is a loader of lab o u r an d one of his m an y task s is to secure confidence, and unjustifiable atta c k s upon his ability m ake his task doubly difficult." Asbestos. The danger to health arising from exposure to asbestos d u st was established by an inquiry con ducted last year by the F actory D epartm ent of the H om e Office. In th a t rep o rt a n u m b er of p re cautionary m easures were recom m ended for the prevention of inhalation of asbestos dust by w orkm en em ployed in th e industry, the most im portant of w hich w as th e application, both in the textile and non -tex tile sections, of exhaust ventilation. So far. th e B oard of T rade, w hich then sends a surveyor to co n d u ct a p re lim in a ry in q u iry . If it is th e n d eem ed desirable-- generally in order to place responsibility-- a form al in v estig atio n by tw o Com m issioners, one a law yer an d th e o th er an engineer, m ay be ordeied. bince 1882, 3152 explosions have been d ealt w ith. T h ey cau sed th e d e a th s of 1065 an d injuries to 2570 p e rs o n s. T h e R e p o r t b y th e B o a rd fo r th e y e a r 193(1 h as ju s t been p u b lish ed . In that, y e a r 55 explosio ns were th e su b jects of inquiries, b u t not a single form al in v e s tig a tio n w as h e ld . I t is sa tisfa c to ry to n o te th a t th e n u m b er of d e a th s w as th e lowest on record, b u t in recent years fatalities have varied through wide lim its. T hey w ere as h ig h as 22 in 1924 an d as low as 7 m 1925 an d 1928. T h e d e a th s in 1930 w ere 5 in n u m b e r an d were caused by four explosions, ene a t sea an d four on land. In only one case was a real boiler concerned ; in it th e fire-box fa ile d ow ing to w astage. T h e o th e r fatal accidents occurred to an old econom iser ow ing to w astage ; a steam receiver, over-pressure ; a steam ch est, w a te r h am m er ; an d a t sea, ail old copper pipe, vibration. 4for B ritish railw ay s. I n A p ril la s t th e C a n a d ia n h o w e v e r, a s r e g a r d e d th e te x tile se c tio n , it w as sRailway p u t on a flyer b etw een M o n treal a n d e v id e n t fro m th e re p o rt th a t fu rth e r in q u iry w ould be T he Clyde-built Oil Tanker Imperial It covers the 124 m iles in 110 m in u tes in necessary before a decision could be reached as to th e Transport. tion and 108 in th e o th er, g iv in g s ta rt-to 1 of 67-6 and 68 9 m iles p e r h o u r. T he ue for th e " C h e lte n h a m F ly e r " b rin g s th e - j * raiIways back to E n g lan d w ith an d o f 69 3 m .p .h ., b u t fo r a s h o r te r d is ta n c e ' train. If, however, th e astonishing Ved on M onday a n d im p ro v e d o n T u e s d a y amed. a good m argin on th e B ritish side The Rail-bus. September 10th, a d em o n stratio n ol the rubber-tired railw ay self > escribed in our issue of Septem ber ween. P a ris a n d D e a u v ille a n d b a c k , ordinary expresses are given 2 h. ^ ^ Jer-tired coach, or " M icheline "-- ii n ,C ? ame now g iv en to th e tv p e in * 6 md!stanee in 2 h . 3 m in ., or" a t a n id of ? er h o u r- as co m p ared w ith , m iies Per h o u r. T h e ru n n in g 1t,. j an d ii'e re w as n a tu r a lly fa r ',P duced by a tra in . I f th e re is it o1 ^he sPeefl a tt a in e d b y a ' be m M erest as show ing th at the h ,u satisfactorilv over long th .e r fe a tu r e s , , f r , i ; | w v best m ethods to be applied to the various m achines in use. A conference was therefore arranged w ith iepresen tativ es of th e asbestos textile industry, and, as a resu lt, a C om m ittee, consisting of three repre sen tativ e s of th e m an u factu rers an d tw o of H.M . Inspectors of Factories, was set up to consider the best m ethods w hich could be adopted generally for th e suppression of d u st in th is section of the industry. T his C om m ittee, in A pril, 1931, m ade a series of recom m endations w hich w ere'subsequently endorsed by th e o th er representatives of th e textile em ployers. T he S ecretary of S tate has decided to give effect to the recom m endations contained in these tw o reports. F o r th a t purpose, as required by Section 79 of th e F a c to ry a n d W orkshop A ct, 1901, he has form ally certified as dangerous the m anipulation of asbestos and th e m anu factu re or repair of articles composed w holly or p a rtly of asbestos, and processes incidental th ereto , a n d is now issuing, in d raft, regulations w hich follow generally th e provisions recom m ended in the tw o reports, w ith certain additions and m odifications w hich have been m ade after taking into consideration observations su b m itte d by th e G eneral Council of the Trades U nion Congress. T h e Illumination Congress. O n M o n d ay , Sepl em ber 14th. the delegates of the I l lu m in a tio n C o n g ress a-sem l iled .,t ' ( 'a in b rid g - At th e end of last w eek successful trials w ere con cluded in th e F irth of Clyde of th e oil ta n k e r " Im p erial T ra n sp o rt," w hich has been b u ilt by th e B lythsw ood S hipbuilding Com pany, L td ., of Scotstoun, to th e order of th e Em pire T ransport Com pany. L td., w hich is m an ag ed by H oulder B rothers an d Co., L td ., L ondon. T h e tanker* h as a le n g th of 460ft., w ith a b eam of 60ft., an d a dep th of 34ft. 6in., her m easu rem en t b ein g ab o u t 8000 gross tons, w ith a 11,500 to n s d e a d w e ig h t c a rry in g c a p a c ity . She is constructed on th e longitudinal system , and is classed w ith L lo y d 's fo r t h e c a rria g e of p e tro le u m in b u lk . T here a re eighteen m ain oil tanks, w ith a deep ta n k forw ard an d a d ry cargo hold, oil-tight cofferdam s being fitte d a t th e ends of th e oil cargo holds. T he bunkers and cargo tan k s are provided w ith heating coils, a n d th e re is a single pum p-room w ith tw o steam -driven cargo pum ps, each of w hich has a designed d u ty of 300 tons per hour. A ccom m odation for th e engineers is pro v id ed in deck houses on th e poop, w hile th e c a p ta in a n d deck officers are housed a m id ships. T he propelling m achinery consists of a single X o rth -E a ste rn fo u r-stro k e single-acting oil engine w ith e ig h t cy lin d ers. T h e h eatin g ste a m is fu rn ish ed hv tw o oil-fired cylindrical type donkey boilers. The trials w ere carried o ut in the deep loaded condition, a n d w ere, w e u n d e rs ta n d , hisrhlv satisfacto ry , a speed of over 12 k n o ts bem g obtained.