The following notes record some of the features of interest seen by visitors to collieries, works, etc., which were, by kind permission of the owners, open for inspection during the course of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne meeting on September 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th, 1902:—

The Consett Iron Company, Limited, at the present time, own eleven collieries, extending over an area of 13,000 acres, and producing annually about 1,500,000 tons of coal. There are about 1,050 coke-ovens, producing about 600,000 tons of coke per annum. The greater proportion of the coke is consumed at the company's blast-furnaces, and the remainder is sold for use in blast-furnaces, etc., in Cumberland, Cleveland, and foreign pig-iron producing districts.

Blast-furnaces. — The 7 blast-furnaces are each 55 feet high, with a hearth 9 feet in diameter; height to top of bosh, 20 feet; diameter of the bosh, 20 feet; diameter of the throat, 14½ feet; and a bell with an opening of 10½ feet. There are seven tuyeres to each furnace. All the furnaces are fed with material by means of a bell and hopper, with a standard beam and hydraulic brake. The ore and other material for the furnaces is conveyed on a high-level approach, considerably above the tops of the furnaces, in bottom-door trucks, and is tipped from these into depots, from which the charging barrows are filled.

Each of the furnaces is equipped with three Cowper stoves, varying from 65 to 90 feet in height, and from 21 to 24 feet in diameter.

The pressure of blast, now maintained, is 5 pounds per square inch, and its temperature on entering the furnace is about 1,200° Fahr. At the present time, six furnaces are in blast, and the seventh one is being relined. The six furnaces are making Bessemer pig-iron from imported Spanish and other ores, amid produce on an average 750 tons per furnace per week. The limestone comes from the Consett Iron Company's quarries at Stanhope-in-Weardale.

The blowing engines are either of the beam or the vertical tandem type. There are six beam-engines, and two, being obsolete, will shortly be removed. The remaining four engines of this class have steam-cylinders, 50 inches in diameter; and blowing-cylinders, 100 inches in diameter, by 9 feet stroke, designed for a blast-pressure of 5 pounds per square inch. The two vertical tandem engines have steam-cylinders 50 inches in diameter; and blowing-cylinders, 100 inches in diameter, by 5 feet stroke, designed for a working pressure of 10 pounds, and in ease of emergency will work to 15 pounds per square inch. They are fitted with Wheelock steam-valve gear and Adamson expansion-governors.

The steam required for driving the blowing-engines, etc., is raised in 19 double egg-ended boilers, each consisting of two lengths, 35 feet long by 4½ feet in diameter; and 12 double tubular boilers, each 31 /13 feet long, six of which are 7 feet in diameter, and the remainder 7½ feet in diameter. At the present time, three blocks of two boilers are being erected, each of the Babcock-Wilcox water-tube type, capable of working to a pressure of 160 pounds per square inch. The waste-gases from the stoves and boilers pass through a large underground flue to a fire-brick chimney, 250 feet high and 164 feet in internal diameter, at the top.

The slag from the furnaces is removed in side-tipping ladles, with a capacity of 10 tons.

Engines and Brush dynamos, which generate the energy for lighting the works, are placed in Nos. 1 and 4 blowing-engine houses.

There are two melting-shops supplying ingots for the manufacture of steel plates. In the east shop, there is a range of nine Siemens open-hearth furnaces, six of 35 tons capacity, and three of 28-tons. In the west shop, there are eleven similar furnaces, nine of 20 tons capacity, one of 28 tons and one of 35-tons. These furnaces are supplied with gas from a range of 33 steam-blown Siemens gas-producers. The two melting-shops produce about 4,200 tons of ingots per week.

The No. 2 cogging-mill is a 28 inches mill, driven from the No. 2 plate-mill engine, through steel bevel-gearing, and is reversed by means of a steam-clutch. The mill consists of one stand each of pinions and rolls, fitted with the usual live-roller frames, and screwing and edging gear. Cutting is done by means of a steam-hammer placed at right angles to the mill, and served by a steam jib-crane. This mill is capable of dealing with about 1,650 tons of ingots per week.

The No. 1 plate-mill has one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, and one stand of finishing rolls, each 6¼ feet long by 25 inches in diameter, driven by a high-pressure, direct-acting, non-condensing engine, with a fly-wheel weighing 70 tons. The steam-lift is capable of handling slabs weighing from 20 to 25 cwts. The capacity of the mill is equal to 400 tons of plates per week.

The No. 2 plate-mill is a clutch-reversing mill, and contains one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, and one stand of finishing rolls, each 7 feet long by 25 inches in diameter. The mill is driven by a high-pressure, direct-acting, non-condensing fly-wheel engine; and the reverse action is obtained by the five-wheel method and a clutch-motion. All the wheels, shafts amid clutches are made of Siemens steel. The output of No. 2 mill is about 800 tons of plates per week.

Each of the preceding plate-mills has plate and scrap-shearing machines conveniently placed for its use. There are 6 Lancashire, 2 Babcock-Wilcox boilers, and 15 furnace-stack boilers, making a total of 23 boilers for driving these mills.

The No. 4 cogging-mill is a 45 inches mill, having one stand of pinions and one stand of cogging rolls, driven by an engine with a pair of coupled high-pressure, non-condensing, direct-acting cylinders, geared at 2½ to 1, the wheels, shafts and couplings all being made of Siemens mild steel. The mill is provided with live-roller gear on each side, and hydraulic edging gear on the delivery side. The top roll is balanced by hydraulic, and the screwing is effected by steam-power. In a line with the mill, a large bloom-shearing machine is placed, driven by a high-pressure reversing engine, and provided with live rollers mounted in falling tables on the receiving and delivery sides of the shear. The ingots are heated in 6 vertical heating-furnaces, served by a steam-derrick locomotive crane. This plant is capable of cogging 2,600 tons of steel ingots per week.

The No. 3 plate-mill has one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, one stand of finishing rolls, and one stand of chequering rolls, the roughing and finishing rolls being each 6¼ feet long by 25 inches in diameter, and the chequering rolls 5½ feet long by 23 inches in diameter, and all are driven by a high-pressure, direct-acting, non-condensing fly-wheel engine, geared inversely as 1ҥ to 1. The mill is furnished with a similar steam-lift to that at No. 1 plate-mill, and it is also equipped with the necessary plate and scrap cutting-shears. It produces about 380 tons of plates per week.

The No. 4 plate-mill is a 28 inches clutch-reverse mill, driven by a high-pressure, direct-acting, non-condensing fly-wheel engine, the reverse action being obtained by the five-wheel method and a clutch-motion, and all gearing and shafts are made of Siemens mild steel. The mill has one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, and one stand of finishing rolls, these latter being 8 feet long by 28 inches in diameter. The delivery side of the mill is provided with a traversing steam-platform, constructed so as to work the plates to and fro through the rolls, and also to take them bodily from the roughing rolls to the finishing rolls : and the receiving side is fitted with live roller-frames. A 15 tons steam travelling-crane running overhead upon steel-built box-girders is used for roll-changing. There are 2 strong plate-shearing machines, each capable of cutting plates 1½ inches thick. The output of this mill is 1,250 tons of steel plates per week.

A battery of 14 hand-fired Lancashire boilers is installed outside of the roof area; and in addition there are, in the cogging-mills and plate-mills, 16 boilers, making a total of 30 boilers; 8 being vertical, 4 Lancashire and 4 Cornish boilers.

The ingots for the angle-mills are supplied from the north melting-shop, containing 7 Siemens open-hearth furnaces, the charges for which are 28 tons. These furnaces are of similar construction to those in the east and west melting-shops, but are laid out somewhat more conveniently, with ample space, and having unusually large and well ventilated valve-chambers. Gas is supplied from 15 Siemens producers, to the melting-furnaces, and these also are conveniently laid out for dealing with both coal and ashes. The ingot-producing capacity of these furnaces is 1,800 tons per week.

The 45 inches cogging-mill is driven by a high-pressure non-condensing engine, with 2 cylinders 45 inches in diameter by 5 feet stroke, fitted with piston-valves and Allan link-motion, and geared at 2 to 1. It comprises one stand of roll-housings, and one stand of pinions, seated upon cast-iron bed-plates. The mill, with live roller-gear on each side, is designed for dealing with slabs or billets. The capacity of this mill is about 2,500 tons per week.

The 32 inches angle-mill is driven by a reversing high-pressure non-condensing engine, with 2 cylinders 54 inches in diameter by 4½ feet stroke, fitted with piston-valves and Allan link-motion, and coupled direct to the mill by an inside crank-shaft and steel couplings. The mill, which is about 125 feet distant from the bloom-shear, has one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, and one stand of finishing rolls, all coupled through steel boxes and spindles. The capacity of this mill is about 2,000 tons per week.

The 22 inches angle-mill is driven by a reversing high-pressure non-condensing engine, with 2 cylinders 40 inches in diameter by 4 feet stroke, coupled through steel boxes and spindles in the same manner as the 32 inches mill. It comprises one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, and one stand of finishing rolls, with live roller-gear on the receiving and delivery sides, and an inclined shoot on the receiving side. The live roller-gear leads from the mill to the billet-shear and steam circular sawing-machine and on a line with these is a relief live roller-frame for distributing the rolled bars, as in the 32 inches mill. The capacity of this mill is about 1,600 tons per week.

The 12 inches guide-mill is driven by a high-pressure non-condensing fly-wheel engine, with 2 cylinders 30 inches in diameter by 2½ feet stroke, fitted with piston-valve and governor-gear. It consists of one stand of pinions, one stand of roughing rolls, one stand of finishing rolls, and two stands of guide-rolls, all coupled through steel boxes and spindles. A steam circular sawing-machine and billet-shear are likewise provided. This is a reheating mill, and two furnaces are conveniently placed, with stack-boilers attached. The capacity of this mill is about 350 tons per week.

The cogging-mill is served by a 25 tons overhead square shaft steam-crane; and two overhead cranes, each of 13 tons capacity, with attached boilers, traverse the three angle-mills and roll-turning shop, these being placed in one line and under one roof.

The roll-turning shop is placed at the end of the 32 inches mill, and contains three powerful lathes, each driven by its own engine.

The hydraulic plant comprises two sets of Worthington high pressure pumps, one accumulator and tank, with automatic governor gear attached, working to a pressure of 700 pounds per square inch.

There is a battery of 18 Lancashire boilers fired by automatic stoking-gear. They are arranged in pairs, and work through nine iron chimneys lined with brick. The mill-furnace boilers are of vertical type, with one internal flue fitted with cross tubes, and stand upon cast-iron columns. All the boilers are designed to carry a pressure of 100 pounds, and in daily working are pressed to 80 pounds per square inch. The steam-pipes, from 9 inches in diameter upwards, are made from Siemens mild wrought-steel in lengths up to 16 feet, welded from end to end, with solid flanges contracted and rivetted on.

The bar-bank is arranged at the southern end of the mills, Bar-skidding gear is provided, worked from the driving-engine through shafting, the friction-cones being set in motion by hydraulic-rams. The loading on the bank is done by two 3 tons steam locomotive travelling cranes, having 30 feet jibs.

There are the usual fitting, blacksmith, boilersmith, patternmaker, joiner and other shops, where renewals and repairs to machinery and other plant are executed.

The foundry is situated at Crookhall, 1¾ miles from the main works, and has a capacity of 200 tons of castings per week. The plant consists of three cupolas, air-furnace, drying-stoves, loam-mill, and blowing-plant, with two 25 tons overhead steam-cranes, and one hand-power jib-crane. The ingot-moulds, and the whole of the castings necessary for mill and general ironwork repairs, are made here. There are pattern and blacksmith shops, and a brass-foundry.

The brick-works, about ½ mile from the iron and steel works, have a capacity of about 120,000 bricks per week. There are 10 brick-burning kilns, each equal to 18,000 bricks per load, fired by the waste-heat from four rows of coke-ovens immediately adjoining, the waste-gases from which are collected in one large flue, and, after passing through the kilns, are conveyed in small flues under the floor of the drying-shed. There are also a small mill and press for mixing and making ganister-bricks, which are burnt in two suitable hand-fired kilns.

The locomotives and locomotive-cranes are of various classes, and 55 are in general use. The locomotive repairing-shop is situated at Templetown, about 1 mile from the works, on the main line between the works and the collieries, and is furnished with all necessary tools and appliances.