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October, 1910 sum, under the general plans approved by the secretary of the interior, $120,000 is to be spent on the rescue stations, $36,000 for housing nine stations; $34,000 for equipping eight new stations; and $10,000 for additional equipment for five existing stations. The allotment for the investigation of explosives is $40,000; for electricity in mining, $14,000; appli- 'ances for preventing mine accidents, $8,- 000; examination and codification of mining laws, $5,000; and other tech- nologic investigations, ore treatment, etc., $10,000. For the analyzing and testing of the coals, lignites, ores and other mineral fuel substances belonging to or for the use of the United States, $100,- 000 was appropriated. Of this amount, $35,000 will be spent in the chemical and physical investigation of fuels; $25,- 000 in the inspection of government fuel purchase; $22,000 in fuel efficiency in- vestigations; $5,000 in lignite and peat investigations; and $4,000 in briquetting investigations. Mine Accident Investigations. The mine accident investigations, which have been transferred from the Geolog- ical Survey to the Bureau of Mines were first authorized in the legislative appropriation act of May 22, 1908, carry- ing for this purpose an appropriation of $150,000. This was followed by a sim- ilar appropriation carried in the act for the sundry civil expenses of the govern- ment for 1910. A mine experiment sta- tion was established in Pittsburg during 1908, at which, since that time, investiga- tions of explosives, coal gas, dust, elec- tricity and other possible causes of mine explosions have been continually under way. The mining engineering field force of the Geological Survey has already made decided progress in the study of .. 3 in 1905-1907, by R. H. Fernald; The underground mining conditions and meth- ods. in which mine explosions have occurred during the last two years have been carefully examined, the gases, coke and dust have been analyzed at the labora- tory at Pittsburg and every effort has been made to determine the explosibility of various mixtures of gas and air in the presence of shots of different types" of explosives. Considerable progress has also been made in the investigation of explosives used in coal mining, and the conditions under which they may be used with least risk. | Manufacturers have submitted many explosives for test at the station and a considerable portion of them passed and have been classified among the permissible explosives. The investigations and educational work in Connection with the use of artificial breathing and other types of mine Tescue equipment, the so-called oxygen elmets, have not only been useful in . - Practically all of the coal mines - "TAE MarRINE. REVIEW developing a more satisfactory use of such equipment in the examination of mine explosions, but also better methods for using this equipment in mine rescue work. Full Investigations. The fuel investigations under the Geological Survey and which are trans- ferred to the Bureau of Mines have already resulted in a better realization throughout the country as to the value of fuels... One result of this work is that nearly all of the fuel now pur- chased by the federal government is bought on specifications and subject to test by the fuel division, or purchased after examination made of the coal supplied by the mines from which coal is delivered to the government. The. publications of the Survey re- lating to mine and fuel investigations, those prepared by the Technologic Branch, will in the future be distributed by the Bureau of Mines. The publica- tions relating to structural materials will continue to be distributed by the Geological Survey. The last of the bul- letins of the Technologic Branch to be published by the Survey will be issued from the Government Printing Office about Aug. 1. This bulletin relates to the Explosibility of Coal Dust, and was prepared by G. S. Rice, with chapters by jo CG: Hrazer, Axel Larsen, «Frank Haas and Carl Scholz. The first of the Bureau of. Mines: bulletins, the Volatile Matter of Coal, by H.-C. Porter and. & K.. Ovitz,<.will be published in the next few months. Then will follow: Coal Analyses, by N.. W. Lord and J. S. Burrows; Final Data Regarding Steam Tests, by L. P. Breckenridge; North Dakota Lignite as a Boiler Fuel, by D. T. Randall. and Henry Kreisinger; Producer-gas Tests Perry Barker; and Petroleum for Com- bustion under Steam Boilers, by I. C. Allen. ae These publications, when issued, can be obtained by addressing the Director of the Bureau of Mines, Washington, Doe United Fruit Co.'s Acquisition The United Fruit Co. is now in complete control of Elders & Fyffes, which is engaged *extensively in im- porting bananas and other tropical products into Great Britain and dis- tributing them there and throughout Europe. In connection with its appli- cation to list new stock, the United Fruit Co. submitted a statement to the « 413 Stock Exchange which contained the fol- lowing: "The new shares are to be is- sued in payment for 225,000 shares which the compauy has agreed to purchase in the capital stock of Elders & Fyffes, Ltd. The authorized capital stock of the United Fruit' Co. is. $25,000,000. The amount at present outstanding is $23,474,000, and this will be increased by the additional issue of $1,125,000 about to 'be made to $24,599,000. The new stock is to be issued as of Oct. 1, 1910, and will be entitled to partici- pate in all dividends which may be declared payable on stock of record on or after that date. Elders & Fyffes, Ltd., is organized under the Compa- nies'. Acts of Gréat Britain, and is engaged extensively in importing ban- anas and other tropical products into Great Britain and distributing them there . and. throughout 'Europe. It owns, as a part of its equipment, tropi- cal plantations, a fleet of ten ocean- going steamships, especially built and constructed for its service, and will shortly add two other steamships now under construction. Its share capital is £450,000, in shares of £1' each. Of these 300,000 shares are fully paid, and on the balance of 150,000 there has been called and paid on each share five shillings, or 25 per cent. Here- tofore 50 per cent of the share capital of Elders & Fyffes, Ltd., has been owned by the United Fruit Co. The latter's interest will be increased by "the present purchase to 100 per cent. The United: Bruit, Co. seports othe following operations for the nine months ended June 30, 1910: . Net earnings, $4,584,087; interest and mis- cellaneous, $293,485; total net income, $4,877,573; dividends declared, $1,407,- 992; surplus for nine months $3,469,- 581; surplus income at close of pre- vious year, $12,006,804; total surplus, $15,476,385; less extra dividend paid November. 15, 1909, $2,134,000; balance surplus, $13,342,385. "~ Messrs.. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co., ship builders, Newcastle-on-Tyne, have secured about 70 acres of land on the Tyne side for the extension of their shipbuilding yard, which adjoins the land just purchased. The firm purpose spending over $2,500,000 on these new works, and the site, which has a river frontage of about half a mile, will pro- vide fully for the building and launch- ing of the biggest battleships that are likely to be required for many years to come. This enterprise further will place the Elswick firm in a superior position to any of the shipyards in England for carrying out the requirements of the British or any foreign government for building battleships.