3. The method of freeing a moving stream of mine water from thermally decomposable suspended organic material which comprises collecting the material on the outside surface of an endless screen as the material is moved by the stream of mine water against the outside surface of the screen, advancing the screen and material that collects thereon to the open air above the stream, thermally decomposing the material to mainly an inorganic residue by heating the material collected on the screen at a point when the screen is above the stream, dropping the residue from the screen into the moving stream of mine water to be carried away from the screen by the moving stream of mine water and washing any remaining residue from the outside surface of the screen by movement of the stream of mine water against the inside surface of the screen to allow the residue to also be carried away by the moving stream of mine water.

5. In an apparatus for continuously removing thermally decomposable material from a stream of mine water including an endless traveling screen, said screen being constructed and arranged so that the lower portion thereof extends into the stream for collecting the material while the upper portion thereof extends above the stream, a heater situated adjacent the upper portion of the screen above the stream in position to thermally decompose to a residue the material collected on the screen and carried thereby above the stream, and means for advancing the screen out of the stream and passing it back together with the residue into the stream of mine water.