Continental Oil Company

Consolidation Coal Company

William N Poundstone

Will B Jamison

Francis A May

William J Miller

Coal can be mined from a substantially vertical or steeply inclined seam by forming a cavity in the seam and filling the cavity with a magnetite slurry having a specific gravity greater than the coal being mined therefrom. As the coal is dislodged, it will float to the top and be pumped from the cavity by the excess magnetite slurry being supplied to the cavity. A coal-magnetite slurry separator is used to separate the coal from the magnetite slurry, whereupon the magnetite slurry is reinjected into the cavity.

Apparatus for mining coal using vertical bore hole and fluid

A closed compartment for storing multi-conductor electric cable on an electrically powered mobile mining machine is secured to and extends laterally from a sidewall of the vehicle. The storage compartment has a slotted opening in the front portion thereof through which the cable is conveyed. A support frame is secured to the conveyor boom of the vehicle and extends outwardly therefrom and forwardly of the storage compartment. A first traction roller is rotatably mounted and fixed on the support frame between pairs of guide members that serve to direct the cable into the storage compartment. A second traction roller is rotatably mounted in spaced parallel relation above the fixed traction roller and is resiliently supported on the support frame by spring members. The cable passes between the rollers, and the springs maintain the rollers in frictional engagement with the cable. Prime movers, such as hydraulic motors, are drivingly connected to the first and second traction rollers to rotate the rollers in a selected direction to convey the cable into the storage compartment as the vehicle advances toward the power source. When the vehicle stops the pressure of the hydraulic motors is reduced, and the frictional engagement between the rollers and the cable prevents rotation of the rollers and conveyance of the cable. Movement of the vehicle away from the power source exerts a sufficient force upon the cable to reverse rotation of the rollers and feed the cable from the storage compartment at a speed corresponding to the speed of the vehicle. Thus, only that length of cable required to permit operation of the vehicle in the mine is extended from the vehicle with the excess cable stored in a loosely held fashion within the storage compartment.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

William N Poundstone