In late years, there has been great difficulty in preventing the coals that are first placed on board ship from being broken and crushed into small pieces (and a portion becoming practically duff) in the hold of the vessel, in a direct line below the hatchways.

The following is a description of a telescopic spout in use at the Wallsend coal-shipping staithes for preventing this breakage of coal in the first portions shipped

The Wallsend staithes are a range of three fixed spouts four tiers in each, at a distance of 45 feet apart, sloping at an angle of 40 degrees. A swinging spout A, is attached to these, and reaches from the front of the fixed spouts, to the centre of the hatchway of the vessel, and is raised or lowered by winches as the tide rises and falls (Figs. 1, 2, and 8, Plate III.).

Formerly, the vessels were loaded through the swinging spout, direct into the vessel's hold, and in vessels of various tonnage, the holds were of various depths. In the process of filling up to each hatchway there was a great deal of breakage, and the deeper the vessel's hold the more breakage and crushing of coal there was. On many occasions there were complaints from buyers of the smallness of the coals in that portion of the vessel's hold, before-mentioned, when discharging the cargo. This telescopic spout was designed to avoid these breakages.

The telescopic spout consists of three sections B, C, and D, which may be of any length (Figs. 4, 5, and 6, Plate III.). The lower section I) is made with an internal angle-ring E, E at the top of its length, which, in the extended position, rests upon an external ring F, F at the lower end of section C. The sections C and B engage in a similar way by the rings G, G and H, H. Guide-bars I, I are fixed on the upper part of section D passing upwards through an external ring K, K placed on the top of section C, attached by chains to a crossbar L suspended from a steam-crane. Similar bars pass through an external ring at M, M on section B. The upper section B is suspended independently by ropes from the same crane.

The top part of section B is brought immediately under the outer end of the swinging spout A (Fig. 2, Plate III.), to which it is secured by light chains, to keep it in position for loading. The telescope is then run down into the hold of the vessel, by lowering the main chain of the crane. Coals are then teamed in the usual way until the spouts are filled up to the waggon. The lowest section D is then lifted by the crane sufficiently to allow the coals to flow gently into the vessel's hold. In loading, the craneman watches the coal in the swinging spout A, and regulates the lifting of the telescopic spout, B, C, and D, by keeping the swinging spout, A, full of coal, until the heap is up to the hatches. By this mode of shipping, 250 tons of coal can be placed in the vessel's hold in one hour.

After the heap of coals in the vessel's hold is run up to or near the level of the hatchways, the telescopic spout is taken out, and loading proceeds as usual.

It is needless to add that the object for which this telescopic spout was designed has been accompanied with the most satisfactory results.