Search Documents

By C. F. Wang

Page I. Introduction............:.............. 395 Manchuria in General ....................... 395 Pen-hsi-hu............................ 397 Pen-hsi-hu Coal & Iron Co., Ltd................... 399 I1. organization........................... 400 III. Coal Deposit........................... 402 Location..............................402 Geology............................. 403 Coal Mining...........'.................. 404 Mining Methods........................407 Mining Cost.........................408 IV. Coal Washing Plant.......................408 V. Coking Plant..........................410 VI. Iron Deposit...........................413 Magnetite Belt.......................... 413 Origin of Deposit......................... 414 Iron Mining........................... 415 VII. Concentration Plant........................ 417 VIII. Briquetting Plant.......................... 418 IX. Blast-furnace Smelting...................... 418 iNTKODtrCTION Manchuria in General Manchuria. called the "Three Eastern Provinces" in Chinese. forms the northeastern corner of China and is bordered by Siberia on the north and northeast. and by Korea on the east. It is a land famous in Chinese annals as the place of origin of the Ching dynasty. and in more recent times it has bcen an arena for diplomatic maneuvering and commercial competition between the Russians. advancing from the north. and the Japanese from the southeast. It derives its name of "three eastern provinces" from the fact that it is divided into three provinces; Hei-

Jan 1, 1918

By J. E. Howard

On Aug. 25, 1911, a rail failed on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, causing a disastrous wreck. The surface of the fracture was in a plane at right angles to the length of the rail. There was a dark-colored, oval spot on this surface, located on the gage side of the head, representing the part of the rail which was the first to fracture. The nucleus of this spot showed that the fracture had an interior origin. Other fractures of this kind, the peripheries of which had not reached the surface of the rail, presented surfaces having a (silvery luster. The darkened surface of the present fracture was caused, doubtless, by the air having had access to it. This fracture was recognized as a fatigue fracture, of a modified type, its interior origin having been due to a component in the rail which is not usually present in cases of fatigue fractures. The metal next the running surface of the head of the rail was in a state of internal compression, this being the component not commonly met with in other cases, and which caused the fracture to have its interior origin. For the purpose of giving this modified type of fatigue fracture a specific name, for identification, the term "transverse fissure" was applied. No mystery was thought to attach to its formation, or to its development. The explanation of its occurrence seemed obvious in the light of common knowledge upon the behavior of steel under repeated alternate stresses.' By reason of the state of internal compression at the running surface, the maximum tensile stresses in the head, ander bending loads, were along an interior element. Here the tensile strains were higher than in the fibers more remote from the neutral axis. Under such conditions the fracture of the rail would be expected to have an interior origin. A discussion of the subject of transverse fissures essentially becomes a discussion of fatigue fractures, since they are believed to be identical. The descriptive term employed, merely for the identification of this type of fatigue fracture, had the appearance of creating alarm. Apprehensions arose that a new phenomenon in the physical properties of steel had presented itself, the explanation of which was sought in every

Jan 1, 1918

A1 in carbon steel, equilibrium temperature, XLVII, 740-747. A2 and A3 in pure iron, critical ranges, XLVII, 665-739. Abbott, Ai Arthur: [biog. notice, Bulletin No. 27, Mar., 1909, xxvii]; death, XXXIX, . [xl]. Abbott, Arthur Vaughan: [biog. notice, Bulletin No. 16, July, 1907, 6581; death, XXXVII, [xxxix]. [ ]

Jan 1, 1918

By H. N. Wolcott

Among the many cases of replacement of one mineral by another, that of quartz or silicates by pyrite, or even other sulphides, is not uncommon, but the reverse of this process does not appear to have been recorded, even if it has been observed. It seemed to the writer, therefore, that the case described below was worthy of record. Fig.1. GROUndALass of chalcopyrite (C) containing Rounded GRAINs of TYRITE (P) SHOWING DEFFERENT DEGREES OF REPLACEMENT BY QUARTZ (($), AND ALSO QUARTZ VEINLETS CUTTING THROUGH THE PYRITE. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY REFLECTED LIGHT.) The specimens described in this paper were obtained by R. B. Morton of Idaho Springs, Colo., from the Old Town mine, in Russell, Gulch, and ;re in the collection of Cornell University, where the writer studied them. In the rough, the specimens appeared to consist largely of chalcopy-rite. with some grains of tetrahediite. The polished surface of some of

Jan 1, 1918

Discussion of the paper of CLARENCE A. WRIGHT, presented at the St. Louis meeting, October, 1917, and printed in Bulletin No. 130, October, 1917, pp. 1565 to 1591. H. A. WHEELER, St. Louis, Mo.-This paper by Mr. Wright is one of the most thorough and exhaustive studies that has been made of the milling practice in the Joplin district. Mr. Wright spent about two years there, in behalf of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the Missouri Geological Survey, and this paper, which is the result of his work, will, repay careful reading by any student of ore dressing and is invaluable to an operator in that district.

Jan 1, 1918

E.T. CONNER;. Scranton;. Pa-I had the honor of being associated with Mid. Griffith in an investigation of the Scranton mine cave problem several years ago; in the course of which we investigated rather carefully the bearing strength of various materials that might be utilized for, the support of over We found that there were no reliable data as to the resisting strength, for instance, of gob pillars or timber cogs or cribs, nor as to the amount of compression that might be expected under a given burden. We made a series of tests at the Fritz engineering laboratory of Lehigh University, from which we, reduced certain conclusions, subject, however, to further test before they could be definitely recommended. Onr study of the subject was later checked by a commission appointed by the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania, to investigate the same subject the subsidence of the surface, and the danger entailed thereby. The State, commission made a series of tests on a much more ambitious scale at Pittsburgh, in the laboratory of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and their tests agreed quite closely with those that Mr. Griffith and I had made. As the result of our study, we determined that the most elastic support is the ordinary timber cog or crib, while the most rigid support is a

Jan 1, 1918

By J. B. Warriner

Stripping is the name given to the process of removing clay, rock, or other cover from deposits of coal or ore. In this paper it is intended to cover the methods used in carrying on this operation in the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania. In doing this, attention will be chiefly devoted to those methods wherein practice in different sections of the region differs, or is susceptible to change or improvement, though it is intended to give as complete data as possible concerning all stages of the operation. The data from which this paper has been prepared have been collected and submitted by a committee† representing the larger users of stripping methods, of which committee the writer has acted as chairman. Data and assistance have also been obtained from various mining men, engineers, contractors and manufacturers of stripping equipment, to all of whom our appreciation is due. Early History and Statistics The earliest mining operation on a commercial scale in the anthracite region was a stripping operation. This was the famous Quarry mine at Summit Hill, where this method was used only because no other method of mining a deposit of the nature found there seemed feasible to the early operators. A description of this stripping from a report published in 1821 is as follows: "The coal mine at present worked by the company lies on the top of a mountain, and appears to extend over some hundred acres of land covered by about 12 ft,. of loose black dirt resembling moist gunpowder, which can be removed by cattle with scrapers, and thrown into the valley below so as never to impede the work. The thickness of the coal is not known, but a shaft has been sunk in it 35 ft. without penetrating through. More than an acre of mine has been uncovered and presents a huge rock of coal, which is easily quarried without blasting."

Jan 1, 1918

By Dorsey Hager

The possibility of oil and gas production in Alabama his been little considered as yet. Gas and some oil have been found in northwestern Alabama, near Birmingham, in the Pennsylvanian beds, but the oil and gas possibilities in the Cretaceous beds are not generally appreciated. The recent activity of oil companies in that State has attracted much attention, and in this paper the main structural and the general strati-graphic features are described. Four favorable areas are outlined. These contain folds of major interest. There are other favorable areas which have not been mapped-l Commercial pools discovered in this area would have the advantage of being near tidewater. Mobile, Ala., on the Gulf of Mexico, would be the logical site for refineries and shipping facilities. A pipe line could readily be laid to that city from the Hatchitigbee and the Jackson areas. The logical outlet for the Geneva and the Gordon areas would be Panama City, Ha., on the Gulf of Mexico. Topography The whole of the area under consideration lies in the Gulf coastal plain and slopes gently to the southwest and west. The elevations vary from 200 to 400 ft. (60 to 121 m.) above sea level. The streams have sunk their channels into this gently sloping plain, the main drainage flowing south or southwest into the Gulf of Mexico. Between the

Jan 1, 1918

By W. G. Scott

Since devising the incline top-slicing method in use at the Coronado mine,l I have had numerous inquiries as to how the same system could be adapted to larger orebodies. Based upon our experience here, I have outlined below some suggestions for its application to orebodies of larger size. Modifications and extensions, of course, would have to be made to take care of different dimensions and irregularities. In order that one may have a better understanding of the scheme, a brief description of the Coronado method will be given first. CORONADO METHOD The portion of the Coronado vein that is worked by the slicing system ranges from 20 to 40 ft. (6 to 12 m.) in width. Preparatory work in this orebody consists of driving sub-levels every 55 ft. (1 6.77 m.) vertically, or in multiples of 11 ft. (3.36 m.) (which is the height of a slice). These levels are usually driven along the hanging wall until the end of the orebody is reached. Crosscuts, at right angles to the strike, 50 ft. (15.24 m.) apart, are then run from wall to wall, or until the lean ore is reached. They are run in the middle of the block, which is 50 ft. in length and the width of the vein. The crosscut on the hanging-wall side is extended in the wall a short distance for a manway and timberway raise. This raise is carried up in the wall to the sub-level above, leaving a pillar about 5 ft. in thickness between it and the vein. Connections are made every 11

Jan 1, 1918

W. VAN DER GRACHT, Tulsa, Okla. (written discussion.*).-I fully agree with Mr. Daly's observation that there is such a coincidence between petroleum deposits and geosynclines as to suggest them to be "closely allied phenomena." However, I accept no "identity of cause." To me the explanation is a simple one. Geosynclinal deposition is the first phase in the formation of a mountain, chain, and petroliferous deposits are indeed closely allied to zones of, mountain folding. In fact, petroleum is a typical occurrence in those beds, which represent the flysch facies, to use the Swiss expression. The uplifting of a great mountain chain is a very slow process; it gradually sets ill as a slow geo-anticlinal upheaval within a zone off former geo-

Jan 1, 1918

By Y. Oinouye, H. Ries

Of the several interesting physical properties of clay which have claimed the attention of investigators in recent years, none is more important than the behavior of the material when heated to temperatures above those of dehydration. Some of the problems to be solved are: 1. The mineralogical changes that take place in firing. 2. The relation between temperature and change in constitution, shrinkage, porosity, etc. 3. The importance of the time factor, as duration of firing, either in reaching a given temperature, or of exposure to a constant temperature. Mineralogical Changes As a result of fusion, reactions take place between the constituents of a clay, which result in a reorganization of the mass, and the formation of new compounds. Of the new minerals developed, sillimanite is the one usually recorded, and has been referred to by a number of observers.' There appears to be a difference of opinion, however, regarding the temperature at which it is formed. Thus Klein2 notes that sillimanite forms only above 1300" C., while Mellor claims that it can develop below 1200" C., the difference in results being conditioned by the time factor. In Klein's experiments the test pieces were fired in 12 hr., while in Mel-lor's, the temperature rose from 800" to 1180" in 24 hr., and occupied the same time in cooling back to 800".

Jan 1, 1918

By L. D. Frink

THOSE actively interested in mining are fully aware of the ever-increasing difficulty of making conditions such that efficient work can be clone in underground openings, especially as higher rock temperatures are encountered in depth. This is also true where an effort is being made to cut down the burden of overhead expense by working headings 24 hr. in a day if blasting is done as often as is possible in that time. That the conditions resulting from both these causes have driven the native-born Americans from the mines and that their places have been taken by less efficient foreigners is a fact that we must all admit. The great war now being fought in Europe and the educational qualification clause written into our immigration law by the last Congress will probably limit very materially the supply of labor, such as we are now using in our mines, and will force upon mine operators the necessity of making this work appeal again to Americans. Metal tubing, with blower or exhaust fans, has long been used in supplying air to dead ends where natural ventilation is impossible, or in driving the smoke from such places, or in doing both, as the need might be. Here in Butte we have now come to use canvas tubing very extensively and find that it has many advantages not possessed by the metal. The use of flexible tubing is not new, but it has not been generally used in mining operations. Recent improvements, however, in the canvas itself and in the jointing of sections and manner of suspension have so increased its usefulness that it promises to add much to the efficiency of mining. There is now on the market a product that is impervious to air, is fireproof, and has a system of jointing which, permits it to be put up or taken clown in a few seconds. In this article an effort will be made to explain the manner in which canvas tubing is being used in the North Butte company's operations at Butte, Mont. The accompanying photographs will, I hope, help make clear what may be done with this material.

Jan 1, 1918

By F. C. Stanford

The work of an engineer is to direct natural forces so that the: bring about the results that he wishes to secure. Heretofore he ha concerned himself chiefly with physical forces and inanimate objects until he has secured a truly marvelous degree of control over them The great problem of the present age is to secure a like degree of know1 edge and control of the human factor. Progress has already been made along this line, but it is only a beginning. Wilhelm Ostwald says tha scientific knowledge enables a man to be a true prophet; but it must be remembered that a good many people do not seem to be able to main tain a high average in prophecy. In short, 'the average of knowledge is not equal to the average needs of the present time, but continually fails to keep pace with it. It has been aptly said that the really essentia need of the period is for more brains; if we only had sufficient knowledg and sagacity we could not only solve all difficulties, but prevent then from arising. This generalization holds good for an industrial organization. Th most vital need of the management is for more brains. The logica course for an engineer in charge of an industrial organization is, therefore to direct whatever forces may be at his command toward the development training, and guiding of all the brains in his organization. This is easie said than done, for it involves the carrying on toward two objective: the maximum of productive work, and the development of the individual who perform it. This is essentially like the rebuilding and enlarging of plant, keeping it in full operation the while. On the other hand, if th aim is merely for maximum production from an organization, withou offering opportunity for development, the final outcome will necessari be like that of a plant that is driven at full capacity without stoppin for repairs or improvements; it eventually becomes so run down th either a complete rebuilding is necessary or else it has to be abandone

Jan 1, 1918

By Marcel R. Daly

In a preceding paper1 the writer has pointed out some apparent relationship between the distribution, on the surface of the globe,, of the known hydrocarbon deposits and the disposition of the principal zones of deformation of the earth's body (geosynclines). He wishes to present some further remarks on this subject. Petroleum deposits, or their derivatives or descendants, are found through the whole range of sedimentary strata, from the pre-Cambrian to the Quaternary. For instance, the prc-Beltian (Shuswap) series of the Canadian Cordillera are interbedded with limestones which are sometimes rich in carbonaceous matter (Sicamous limcstone); and the Beltian system of the same region contains layers of argillitcs and dolomitic limestones which are equally high in carbon content.2 This carbon may be interpreted as the last remnant of hydrocarbons previously contained in the rocks. On the other hand, the actual formation of hydrocarbons under conditions that would eventually permit their deposition in modern sediments is conceded by some geologists.3 Between these two extreme limits, bitumens are found indifferently in all sedimentaries. Thcy constitute a continuous series, some kind of a large family, whose individual members may be entitled to a community of origin and probably represent the different stages of evolution of the primitive, parent matter. The kinship between petroleum and such substances as asphalt, ozocerite, manjak, grahamite, albertite, etc., is well known; and E. H. Cunning-gam-Craig has recently shown how intimately shale fields and oil fields are connectcd.4 For this reason, no distinction is made in the present

Jan 1, 1918

By Prince Lazarovich Hrebilianovich

I was asked by the chairman of one of the Sessions on Employment Problems to talk about the viewpoint of the foreign workingman. I am not a workingman. I have never done what a work-hand might call an honest day's labor; that is, I have never been in a factory or manufacturing plant or in a mine, though in truth, hard work and I are well acquainted. I was a soldier, am an engineer, have long been actively interested in the most important waterway construction in the near East, have served politics and diplomacy, written books and lectured at universities. My knowledge of the foreign workingman in this country comes from the fact that my own compatriots here at various times came to me and appealed for advice and help, and last year I was asked by the employment manager of a corporation to undertake a welfare job at one of their plants. I went out, saw the plant, talked with the superintendent and outlined certain of my ideas which he personally heartily approved, but which did not find favor with those higher up. I approach the subject of the foreign workman's point of view with the understanding that the industrial employer's effort is for the maximum of efficiency. I am conversant with labor conditions abroad both in industry and agriculture. What I have learned of industrial conditions in America as they affect the foreign immigrant has been chiefly gathered from the cases referred to of foreign workmen who from time to time have come to me with their troubles. In the course of those investigations, in order to give whatever help or advice was possible, I have been impressed with the fact that the great United States industries evidently had not yet sufficiently recognized the value of studying the conditions of the workingman in the lands of his origin across the seas. A careful study of that which could be called the moral element in connection with its foreign labor would give industry a knowledge of the man's reason for coming, what grievances he brings with him, his hopes for a future, and the peculiar character of his capacities. The employer would thereby be enabled to meet the man, to be helpful to him, to aid him and at the same time promote industrial efficiency, inasmuch as a workman who believes that he is being dealt with humanly and squarely is contented and satisfied and will give willingly, and even with pride, the best that is in him; justice and a 'air deal is all the man wants.

Jan 1, 1918

C. W. GOODALE, Butte, ,Mont.-While there are many points in Mr. Read's, paper which I am not prepared to discuss thoroughly, I am inclined to believe that difficulties are involved in the establishment of all employment bureau, which shall have exclusive control over the employment and discharge of workmen. I suppose you .have heard a great deal: about the so-called "rustling card? at the works of the Anaconda company. That is a very innocent sort of card, although the I. W. W. organization has made a great deal of noise about it. An applicant for a job is handed a blank on which he tells his nationality, his age, whether married or single, and the place of his last employment. The company then writes to the place where he says he was last employed to find out whether he is telling the truth; we do not ask the previous employer whether the man is blacklisted or has anything; against his record; but simply, "Was this man formerly in your employ?" A great hullabaloo has been made, about this practice by some of the men in Montana who are afraid, of their own records; but out of 53,000 applications for employment received by the Anaconda company since the employment bureau was formed, only 647 were rejected, which does

Jan 1, 1918

By Sidney Powers

Since the opening of the Wheeler oil and gas field in Carter County and the discovery of oil near Lawton, Comanche County, Okla., in 1904, interest has been aroused regarding the origin of the oil in the Permian "Red Bed" region which lies between the Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains on the north and the Red River on the south. The later development of the Healdton, Loco, Duncan, Fox, and Graham fields south and west of the Arbuckle Mountains has brought the region into prominence. Recent discoveries of Ordovician and of Pennsylvanian fossils in wells in the Healdton field and of Pennsylvanian fossils in the Fox and Graham fields are of such importance from a scientific and a commercial standpoint that the occurrences and the problems arising therefrom are here briefly described. Producing oil and gas sands in the southern Oklahoma fields, with the exception of those in the Cretaceous and underlying rocks in the vicinity of Madill, Marshall County, are associated with the Permian "Red Beds" or with the underlying Paleozoic strata. In the two fields farthest south of the Arbuckle Mountains, Healdton and Loco, production has been entirely confined to sands at depths of 700 to 1400 ft. (213 to 416 m.) and only recently has a producing sand as deep as 1860 ft. (567 m.)l been encountered. These sands are found near and below the base of the red rocks and were supposed by Wegemann and Heald2 to belong in large part to the basal Permian, Wichita formation, or to the immediately underlying formations. Fossils in the blue shales and in the limestones associated with the deeper sands now prove them to be Pennsylvanian and all the producing sands at Healdton are found to be of this age. In the fields nearest the Arbuckle Mountains, the Wheeler sands at a depth of about 700 ft. (213 m.) appear to be of Permian age,

Jan 1, 1918

By C. M. Young

The following paper has been prepared with the object of placing on record in the Transactions some facts concerning the present condition and future prospects of the coal industry of Illinois. In presenting it, the writer wishes to say that a considerable amount of the material contained is taken from the publications and records of the Illinois Coal Mining Investigations, the annual Coal Report of the State Mining Board, and the work of the State Geological Survey. Coal Beds and Mining Methods According to the latest maps of the State Geological Survey, there are only 19 of the 102 counties of the State some portion of whose territory is not within the borders of the coal measures. If outlying areas in Calhoun and Whiteside Counties are considered, the number is reduced to 17. This does not mean that all of the 85 counties that are partly or wholly underlain by coal measures will become producers, as there are some portions of the State in which the coal does not occur in beds of such thickness as to warrant the hope that it can be mined. The mining of coal is widespread, however, for in 1916 there was production from 61 of the 102 counties of the State, There seem to be no cases in which operations will be limited by depth, as none of the coal measures lie at depths much greater than those at which it has been proved that coal may be profitably mined in this field. In fact, the deepest shaft reaching a bed of bituminous coal in the United States is located in this State at Assumption, where coal only 3 ½ ft. (1.07 m.) thick is worked at a depth of 1004 ft. (306 m.). The coal beds occur in the form of a basin which is deepest along a line extending through the central part of the State and bearing a little west of north. The northern, western and southern borders of this basin lie within the boundaries of the State, but on the eastern side the Illinois field is continuous with the Indiana field. The glacial drift covers all except the extreme southern end of the State and the visible outcropping

Jan 1, 1918

News has just been received that Flight Commander William T. Hall, a Junior Member of-the Institute, was killed in action on Saturday, May 19, 1917. According to the' Toronto Star, Commander Hall was 24 years of age, a native of Toronto, and a grandson of the late William Kersteman. During the four years of his course in mining at the School of Practical Science, Toronto University, he passed every examination with honors. When war was first declared Commander Hall endeavored to join the artillery as an officer, and for that purpose secured a provisional lieu- tenancy with a Hamilton battery, but he did not receive an overseas appointment, and on being graduated as a mining engineer in 1915, he was offered a position in Chile, which he accepted. He left Toronto on May 27, 1915, and was engaged in Chile as a mining engineer for nearly a year. In the latter part of April, 1916, he decided to offer himself again for service at the front. He crossed the Andes and sailed for Liverpool, where he landed on May 13, 1916. On May 27, 1916, Capt. Hall was given a commission as lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps. He went to the front on Sept. 1, 1916, and remained there continuously. On April 4, 1917, he was promoted from lieutenant to the rank of flight commander. No details of how Commander Hall came by his death have as yet been received.

Jan 1, 1918

By R. B. Sosman, J. C. Hostetter

It is well known that ferric oxide, Fe2O3, is paramagnetic, while magnetite, Fe3o4, is classed among the highly ferromagnetic substances. But magnetic data on oxides intermediate in composition between Fe2o3 and Fe3O4 have been almost completely lacking. Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 form a solid-solution series, according to present evidence.' In this series the properties change continuously from Fe2O3 toward Fe3O4, as the percentage of FeO increases from zero toward 31.03, which is the percentage in magnetite. It is possible that there is a break in the series near Fe3O4, but it has not yet been possible to establish the existence of such a break experimentally. The occurrence of solid solution in this series is shown by the dissociation pressure, or oxygen pressure in equilibrium with the oxides, which falls continuously over the range from Fe2O3 to Fe3O4. The oxygen-pressure curves at 1100" and 1200" are shown in Fig. 1. The existence of solid solution is also demonstrated by the continuous change in optical properties from Fe2O3 over to a composition containing about 18 per cent. FeO, at which point the opacity of the oxide becomes so great that it is impossible to obtain measurements at higher percentages of ferrous iron. Natural oxides of iron intermediate in composition between Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 are much more common than is generally supposed. If a mineral oxide is not strongly attracted by a small hand magnet and if it gives a red streak, it is usually labeled "hematite." If it is strongly attracted by the hand magnet it is usually labeled "magnetite" without further tests. As we shall show later, oxides containing from 1 up to 31 per cent. FeO can be thus erroneously lumped together as "magnetite." It is a fact, nevertheless, that the great bulk of natural oxides of iron lie fairly near either Fe2O3 or Fe3O4 in composition. The reason will be

Jan 1, 1918