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By J. J. Forbes

THE Federal Coal Mine Safety Act (Public Law 552, 82nd Congress) was approved on July 16, 1952. It incorporates, as Title I, the Coal Mine Inspection and Investigation Act of May 7, 1941 (Public Law 49, 77th Congress), which gave Federal inspectors only the right to enter coal mines for inspection and investigation purposes but no power to require compliance with their recommendations. Title II contains the enforcement provisions of the act; its purpose is to prevent major disasters in coal mines from explosions, fires, inundations, and man-trip or man-hoist accidents. At this point a brief account of events that pre- ceded the enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act seems appropriate. The hazardous nature of coal mining was recognized by the Federal Government as long ago as 1865, when a bill to create a Federal Mining Bureau was introduced in Congress. Little was done, however, until a series of appalling coal- mine disasters during the first decade of this century provoked a demand for Federal action. As a result an act of Congress established a Bureau of Mines in the Department of the Interior on July 1, 1910. The act made it clear that one of the foremost activities of the Bureau should be to improve health and safety in the mineral industries. One of the first projects selected by the small force of engineers and technicians then employed was to determine the causes of coal-mine explosions and the means to prevent them. By investigations after mine disasters the fundamental causes and means of prevention were soon discovered, and the coal mining industry was informed accordingly. However, despite this knowledge and the enactment of State laws and the Federal Coal Mine Inspection and Investigation Act of 1941, mine disasters continued to occur with disheartening frequency and staggering loss of life. The devastating explosion at the Orient No. 2 mine on December 21, 1951, resulted in the death of 119 men. The Orient disaster rekindled the memory of the Centralia, I11., disaster of March 25, 1947, which caused the death of 111 coal miners. These two tragedies ultimately brought about enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act.

Jan 1, 1954

By G. W. Tracy

The material balance equation has been used for many years by engineers to determine reservoir performance. The use of this equation in general has been twofold: first, to determine the oil-in-place in a reservoir; and second, to predict the future performance. The Schilthuis form of the material balance equation, or one equivalent to it, has been used by many of the engineers. The use of the Schilthuis form in predicting future performance has proved to be laborious in that one generally must make several estimates at each step of the trial and error calculation before arriving at a check of the oil-in-place. A method is presented for expediting the calculations. The Schilthuis form of the material balance has been rearranged into a more useable form. In using the material balance to predict the future performance of a reservoir, it has become common practice to estimate the incremental oil production for each step of the calculation which corresponds to a given pressure reduction. Instead of estimating the incremental oil production, the method outlined in this paper better lends itself to estimating the instantaneous gas-oil ratio. A check of oil-in-place is more easily accomplished by estimating gas-oil ratio since it is less sensitive to small inaccuracies. This method incorporates the same self-checking feature inherent in the Schilthius form. DEVELOPMENT OF SIMPLIFlED EQUATION In the development of the simplified equation, the Schilthuis form of the material balance equation will he used. Substituting in Equation 1 for and rearranging terms In Equation 2, the cumulative oil production (n) is multiplied by a factor which is uniquely a function of pressure. Also, the cumulative gas production (G) and net water influx are also multiplied by factors which are a function of pressure alone. These factors are called and are defined as follows: Using these factors, Equation 2 becomes The equation in this form is easier to manipulate mathematically than any of the previous forms which, have been used. Sources of data for the pressure factors are a bottom-hole fluid analysis and the ratio of initial gas cap volume to oil volume in the reservoir. AID IN DETERMlNING THE ORIGINAL OIL-IN-PLACE Each of the curves and +, have a similar shape. Each is infinite at the bubble point pressure. As lhe pressure is reduced below the bubble point, the

Jan 1, 1956

By S. Arthur Krom

ThE James diagonal-plane slimer is specially adapted to handle the finest slimes, but it will also handle sands as coarse as 40-mesh. The saving efficiency of this machine is due to the original construction ,of the deck, and to the rapid reciprocating movement imparted to it by the head-motion. The deck consists of a plurality of connected planes, having a certain fixed ratio of inclination one to another. These planes intersect each other diagonally to the stroke-line of the table and are arranged so as to give the pulp on the table a double treatment. This double concentration performed by the diagonal-plane deck produces cleaner concentrates and tailings than those obtained by the operation of two separate machines. The action of the diagonal planes settles, combines, and holds all the concentrates in one compact mass, sharply defined from the gangue, and easily cut away without loss. Many slime-concentrating machines distribute the feed-pulp for a distance of 4 or 5 ft. only, and upon a very limited settling-surface. This results in a thick, heavy deposit, from which it is impossible to stratify the values and wash away the gangue, the resulting products being dirty concentrates, and tailings carrying high values. The diagonal-plane slimer distributes the feed-pulp for a distance of 10 ft., and upon a settling-surface having an area of 40 sq. ft.; in other words, it spreads the pulp thinly on the table, which allows the metallic values to settle through the gangue quickly, forming a bottom stratum from which the thinly-distributed overlying stratum of gangue is easily brushed away by the feed-water without disturbing the underlying concentrates. Referring to Fig. 1, plane A is the main settling-section of the table. The feed pulp flows gently down this plane and is

Jan 1, 1913

By John M. Hartman

The high temperature of the blast of modern furnaces renders it desirable that the pipe conveying the blast into the furnace crucible shall transmit and radiate as little heat as possible. To accomplish this, the pipe shown in the accompanying sketch was devised and patented. It consists of a slide-valve, leg-pipe, and belly-pipe, which are held together and to the tuyere by a system of levers and links. The slide-valve is superior to the old throttle-valve. The legpipe is formed of two thicknesses of wrought-iron pipe, with a space of half an inch filled in with clay and brick. The belly-pipe is made in the same way as the leg-pipe, and terminates in a globe face to suit the tuyere. The quarter turn is made extra thick, of cast iron, and the cap on the end is lined with clay also. The catches, A, B, C, are merely for convenience in putting the pipe together. The joints D and E are globe faces, and allow the pipe to adjust itself to any angle. The eye-piece is made of violet glass, which cuts off the glare from the bright coals in the furnace and allows a close examination of the interior, so that any water dropping or vapor can be detected. The glass does not become coated with dirt, like mica. Since good running of furnaces is shown by a bright tuyere, it is necessary to have a good eye-piece to examine them. To detach the pipe, a man lifts the weights, the side rods are then slipped off the bell crank under the quarter turn, the link under the belly-pipe is unhooked, and the pipe carried away. The same process is reversed to put the pipe together. The nozzle is changed by taking off the cap, G, drawing the nozzle through the belly-pipe, and inserting another. In this way the change can be made quickly, without taking down the pipe. On the old tuyere pipe bolts with brass nuts were used, which burned up and gave trouble. In other cases key-bolts were used, making it difficult to adjust the pipe. Bolts make too rigid a joint, and there is no provision for movement from contraction or expansion. As the temperature of the blast increases there is more expansion, and where rigid joints are

Jan 1, 1879

By H. G. Turner

The coals mined in the area known as the anthracite fields of Pennsylvania have always been recognized commercially as anthracites. In the literature, however, some of these anthracites have been called semi-anthracites by various writers. The coals mined in Sullivan County, especially those from the Bernice field, have been recognized commercially both as anthracites and semi-anthracites. In the literature they have almost always been referred to as typical semianthracites, although Franklin Platt,1 in his report to the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, uses the terms semibituminous, semianthracite, and anthracite in describing them. The purpose of this paper is to endeavor to dispel the confusion of names used to describe these coals and to supply further information that will permit a logical and definite classification. Most of the confusion of the past has been due to the impossibility of securing enough fresh face samples from which to draw sound conclusions; some of it was due, no doubt, to lack of standard methods of analysis, and of course, to the ever-present lack of definition of boundaries from the standpoint of classification. Map Showing Lines of Equal Volatile Matter and Lines of Equal Specific Gravity As a foundation for this work the writer constructed a map showing lines of equal volatile matter and lines of equal specific gravity throughout the anthracite and semianthracite regions. The points on these lines were determined from a study of analyses of 214 face samples from 28 mines and composite analyses from 18 different breakers. These samples were collected through the joint efforts of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the Anthracite Institute. The Bureau of Mines standard method of sampling was used in all cases. All analyses were made by the Bureau of Mines and are used here with its permission. The

Jan 1, 1934

TO THE, BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS Gentlemen -The following report covers briefly some of the more important activities of the Institute during the year 1923. In my report for the year 1922, I drew attention to the falling off in membership of the Institute due to the depressed condition of the mining industry in several lines and the inability of many of our members to find profitable employment in mining or its associated branches. A number who were unemployed during 1922 established connections during 1923, but a still greater number have been forced to resign or drop their membership during 1923 Fortunately, the number dropped is not so great as in the previous year. The Employment Service conducted by, the four Founder Societies bears witness to the trend in business For the young men just out of college, there are plenty of opportunities at small salaries, there are plenty of opportunities for them as laborers; but for the mature members, those of experience, there are few calls During the last eighteen months, our Employment Service has been able to place only six of our members out of every hundred engineers for whom it has found work. Another loss which this Society has suffered, but which is not felt so keenly by our sister societies, is in its foreign members. The A. I M. E. has always had a large foreign membership, but of recent years exchange has been so heavily against many European and South American coun¬tries that a large number of members residing abroad have been compelled to relinquish their membership Almost invariably these members express keen regret because of the necessity that confronts them, and almost invariably the writers express hope that present conditions will not last long and that they will soon be able to ask for reinstatement. Having stated the darkest side of the picture first, it may now be drawn to your attention that in spite of these losses the number of persons applying for membership was decidedly encouraging. From the quality point of view, the membership has not gone back¬ward The Membership Committee has declined to recommend many

Jan 1, 1923

By Olav Dalen

A HUNDRED years have passed since Wöhler made the first few particles of aluminum by decompos-ing aluminum chloride with potassium. In 1854 Deville used sodium to decompose the double chloride of aluminum and sodium, but even various subsequent improvements of the process, especially by Castner, did not sufficiently decrease the cost of the metal to bring it into general use. In 1862 Monckton proposed to reduce Al O? with carbon by the aid of the electric current, but the efforts of the Cowles brothers to do so were not successful and in 1884 they turned to making aluminum alloys by electrolysis. At about the same time Hall in America and Heroult in France success-fully worked out the technology of dissolving A12O3 in fused cryolite and electrolyzing the bath. It is hard to realize that forty years ago the annual production of aluminum was only 30 to 40 tons per year and the price of the metal thirty times what it is today. Great strides in decreasing the cost of production, improving the quality of the metal, and increasing the output have been made in the lifetime of middle-aged men. The large consumption of electrical energy in the form of direct current makes it necessary to locate aluminum-producing plants near waterfalls, to avoid transmission losses. Norway with its abundant water-falls is therefore a logical place for the development of aluminum production, even though it is necessary to import the bauxite, which is the raw material of the process. It was foreigners who first started the aluminum in-dustry of Norway and the first two plants were built by the British Aluminium Co. in 1906 to 1908; one at Vigeland near Kristiansand, and the other at Stavan-gerfjord in Nordfjord. These two plants are still oper-ating and producing over 3000 tons a year. When the plant at Vigeland is enlarged the production of the company will be more than 4000 tons a year.

Jan 11, 1927

By J. S. Miller

This paper describes the method of mining a steeply pitching anthracite seam on a heavy pitch in the Orchard vein in No. 1 Tunnel of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. The Orchard vein in the Neaquehoning district has a thickness of about 15 ft. on the level of the gangway, which is sufficient thickness for the gangway to be driven full width in coal. Above the gangway, the vein becomes thinner and near the surface is about 8 it. thick. The coal is of good hard quality and carries a fairly good roof. The pitch of the vein is between 65" and 70". Usually the breast-and-pillar method has been employed in the mining of the steeply pitching veins in this section. This method produced good results as far as the mining of the breast was concerned but the recovery of the pillar was difficult as to full extraction and expensive as regards costs. To recover these pillars after the breasts were driven, three methods were commonly employed; they were known as the pillar-breast method, pillar-skipping method, and pillar-chute method. The pillar-breast method consisted in putting a battery in one corner of the pillar (Fig. I), coupling the manways A and B of the two adjacent breasts for two or three lengths ahead of the working face of the pillar being cut, and working the pillar as a breast. This method was used by the more skilled miners of the earlier days but has practically been abandoned. A slight variation of this method is used to some extent. In this case, the pillars are left wider than ordinarily and of sufficient width for the full-width breast to be driven in and a small pillar left on each side of the pillar breast between it and the regular breasts. With the completion of the "pillar breast," the ribs are drilled full of holes, loaded, and fired. In the pillar-skipping method (Fig. 2), the middle breast of three is not driven through and is drawn empty while the outside and inside breasts are kept full. At the corners of the two pillars standing, batteries are put in and a skip of the two pillars started; the coal in the two pillars is blasted over into the empty breast. A small pillar is kept along the

Jan 1, 1925

The mining fraternity of North America was grieved and shocked to learn of the death of Dr. Willet G. Miller on Feb. 10, 1925. Doctor Miller was for many years the Provincial Geologist of Ontario and the one who more than any other had contributed by his personal work and the reports of his subordinates to the recent extraordinary mineral development of the Province. Doctor Miller was fifty-eight at the time of his decease. A man of unusually stalwart physique, he seemed destined to many years of useful service. His friends in both the American and Canadian Mining Institutes can with difficulty reconcile themselves to his loss. Doctor Miller was born in 1867 in Port Rowan, Ont., on the shores of Lake Erie. After preparation in the high school of his native town, he entered the University of Toronto and took his bachelor's degree in 1890. He pursued graduate studies in geology at Chicago, Harvard, and Heidelberg Universities. In 1893, he was first appointed lecturer and soon thereafter Professor of Geology in Queens University, Kingston, Ont., a chair which he held until 1902. He was then appointed Provincial Geologist of Ontario and was placed at the head of the Survey which was attached to the Department of Mines. Within the next year, 1903, he performed the service that made him famous. In the summer of 1903, in connection with the building of the Ontario Government Railway toward an objective on James Bay, veins had been noticed by construction parties just north of what is Cobalt Lake today, and in the rocky pass that is now traversed by the main line of the Canadian National Railway en route to Vancouver. The pink stain of cobalt bloom on the vein, known later as La Rose, caught the eye of a workman; in November, Doctor Miller recognized the silver in it, and brought the possibilities of the district to general attention. In December, he published an article in the Engineering and Mining Journal, stating that the veins could be worked at a handsome profit. During the winter and spring, the mining interest awoke, which resulted in the astonishingly productive silver district of Cobalt; but in which, Doctor Miller, because a government official, scrupulously refrained from having any financial interest whatever. Seldom has so high a sense of honor been manifested; and as the result, Doctor Miller commanded confidence and respect to an extraordinary degree. Hard on the discoveries at Cobalt came, in the next few years, those at the other famous camps in Northern Ontario; and step by step with them, reports issued from

Jan 1, 1925

By Samuel L. Hoyt

This paper gives a brief description of an investigation made several years ago on the diffusion of zinc into copper. The material for that study was furnished in the form of thin copper strips coated with zinc. The result was required rather quickly and at not too great an expense, and especially information was desired as to the rate at which zinc would diffuse from the zinc coating into the copper and the temperature at which the operation should be carried out. A study of the requirements of this problem indicated that the solution might be secured by means of six determinations. This is the smallest number that will give the information desired and, at the same time, furnish checks on the accuracy of the determinations which justify an abbreviated experimental program. This does not count a preliminary test which was designed to give some idea of the correct temperature to use. The minimum number of temperatures that can be used is two. Knowing the rates of diffusion of zinc into copper at two properly chosen temperatures, it is possible to calculate the rate for any other temperature, and also to check the accuracy of the determination by means of the heat of diffusion, which is calculated from the effect of temperature on the rate of diffusion. The minimum number of determinations at any one temperature is three. The amount of diffusion which occurs at a fixed temperature is definitely related to the time of diffusion, so that by determining the amount of diffusion for three different time intervals, this relationship may be established and possibly a check on the accuracy may be secured. This accounts for the six determinations or experiments, and suggests the logical plan of the work. The check used here is not generally applicable to diffusion phenomena, but it seems to hold closely enough for the limited amount of diffusion in this investigation to justify its use. The samples used were 5 to 6 mils thick and about 1 in. square. They were placed between iron blocks and set in the hot zone of a nichrome furnace which had been brought to the desired temperature Time was taken from the moment the samples reached the furnace

Jan 1, 1929

By J. P. Sheeha, W. F. Craig, M. Baeyertz

The loss in toughness caused by phosphorus within commercial ranges was studied in AISI-SAE 1340 steel and in molybdenum modifications of this grade. The replacement of part of the manganese by molybdenum in amounts which maintain the hardenability of the standard 1340 grade was shown to counteract to a marked degree the detrimental effects of phosphorus. THIS paper deals with the effect of phosphorus on the toughness of 1340 steel and with the effect on toughness of replacing part of the manganese by molybdenum while retaining the same hardenability as that of 1340. In previous work1 a progressive decrease in toughness was observed when the phosphorus content of 5140 was raised from 0.020 to 0.036 pct; that is, from a moderate phosphorus level to one higher but yet within the AISI-SAE specification for this grade. The structural condition of the steel was tempered martensite. Toughness was evaluated by the transition temperature determined by V-notch Charpy tests. Replacement of a part of the chromium in 5140 by molybdenum provided a factor of safety against loss of toughness caused by phosphorus, especially where the steel was cooled slowly after tempering. Scope of the Study: In view of the improved tolerance for phosphorus obtained by replacing a part of the chromium in 5140 with molybdenum, it seemed desirable to investigate the possibility of obtaining similar improvement in 1340 by replacing part of the manganese with molybdenum. Heats were made at different phosphorus levels, in a series that began with 1340 and ended with steels containing 0.32 to 0.35 pct Mo with 0.82 and 0.90 pct Mn. The analyses of the heats are given in table I. In order to facilitate later discussion, the 1340 heats have been placed together in the order of increasing phosphorus content, and the molybdenum modifications have been grouped according to phosphorus

Jan 1, 1951

By T. S. Hutchinson, C. E. Kemp

The bottom water drive analysis presented by Muskat has been extended to include fields with wider well spacings. Curves are presented from which volumetric sweepout, water-oil ratio, and rate relations may be calculated. The effects of non-unity ratios on sweepout eficiency and productivity decline have been studied by an approximate method. Also, the effect of gravity on volumetric sweepout has been approximated for a particurlar geometry. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to report work done in applying the analysis of bottom water drive reservoirs given by Muskat1 to a larger class of reservoirs, to extend this analysis to include the effects of gravity and non-unity mobility ratios in an approximate manner, and to investigate the rate of decline of productive capacity. The bottom water drive type reservoir is one where the oil is underlain by a water zone of sufficient thickness that water movement is essentially vertical. This system is defined in more detail in the appendix and a one well element is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1. Muskat obtained solutions to the equations describing the volumetric displacement efficiency of idealized bottom water drive systems by assuming that gravity effects due to differences in density betwecn oil and water were negligible and that the mobilities of oil and water were the same. If either of these assumptions is not made, the complexity of the system makes an analytical solution well nigh impossible at the present stage of mathematical development. Coles and Stade' developed an approximation to consider these factors. The authors have refined approximations, starting with the same basic assumption, which should give a somewhat quantitative picture of bottom water drive performance when mobilities are not equal and the effects of gravity are not negligible. The results of these approximate calculations can then be used to obtain the decline in well productivity as the field is depleted.

Jan 1, 1957

By Edward D. Peters

IT frequently occurs in the establishment of reduction works, in an entirely new and untried mining district, that the metallurgist in charge finds considerable difficulty in determining the process best adapted to the ores which he receives for treatment. At the first glance it would seem easy enough to decide what style of furnace is best adapted for beneficiating any one class of minerals. If the ore possessed a quartzose gangue and was comparatively free from base metals, while salt could be obtained at a reasonable price, one would naturally resort to a chloridizing roasting, and pan or barrel amalgamation for the extraction of its silver contents. If galena or carbonate of lead was the prevailing mineral, and charcoal could be obtained at moderate figures, the blast-furnace would beneficiate the ores most advantageously. But if, as is usually the case in Colorado, the ores consisted of an intimate mixture of galena, zinc-blende, copper-pyrites, and noble silver minerals, associated with an overwhelming mass of siliceous heavy spar, or limestone gangue, the common reverberatory furnace can be used to the greatest advantage; and, although the product is only a copper matte, I do not hesitate to affirm that it can be treated, and the silver, gold, and copper produced at nearly the same price for which silver and lead can be separated. In Germany, blast-furnaces are frequently used for this same purpose, both for argentiferous and non-argentiferous copper ores ; but any one who will take the trouble to examine the statistics of smelting at Fahlun, the Oberharz, and other Continental works of this description, will see that the expenses are far too great, and the production much too small to think of employing this method in our mining districts, where only the softest and most miserable kind of charcoal is obtainable. I propose in this paper to give an accurate account of the expenses incurred at the Mount Lincoln Smelting Works in treating the same kind of ore, and producing the same end-product in both blast and reverberatory furnaces. I have taken for comparison a favorable campaign of the blast-furnace, and a good average month's running of the reverberatory. In the blast-furnace estimate I have included the calcining and concentration of the matte produced during that campaign, as I always, when possible, concentrated the regulus made

Jan 1, 1874

By W. R. Toeplitz

Probably a more descriptive title would be "Much Ado About Nothing." By "nothing," of course, I refer to the porosity which is the main feature of this type of bearing. Porosity has a decided effect on the manufacturing techniques, the structure and physical properties, the oil content, and on the installation and service of oil-retaining porous bronze bearings. A simple curve can be drawn by plotting specific gravity along the abscissa and percentage of porosity by volume on the ordinate. A bronze composition, analyzing 89 Per cent copper, 9.75 Per cent tin, and 1.25 per cent graphite, has an absolute solid specific gravity of 8.5. At this specific gravity, of course, occurs the point of zero porosity. Conversely, at loo per cent porosity, the specific gravity is zero. A similar curve can be drawn for bearings impregnated with oil; the only change being that the specific gravity at loo per cent oil will be 0.89 if we assume that that is the specific gravity of the lubricant. The curve is useful in determining the oil content by volume for any specific gravity. The normal range of oil content for porous bronze bearings of this composition is from 35 to 16 per cent, which is in the specific gravity range of from 5.8 to 7.3. In addition to the amount of porosity, the type of porosity is important. The first consideration here is that the porosity must be intercommunicating. This can be determined by a number of simple tests. The first method, which is very accurate, is to extract the oil in the bearing by cycling

Jan 1, 1945

By J. H. Frye, R. M. Treco, J. W. Caum

IT has been suggested that: "Insofar as the hardening due to a solute depends upon the increase of lattice parameter produced by it, it is reasonable to suppose that this hardening might be related to the resistance which the pure solvent would offer to increase in its parameter."' It was further suggested that this hypothesis might be examined by comparing the hardnesses of analogous silver and copper alloys, since the stress necessary to produce a given lattice expansion is quite different in the two metals. Suitable data2,3,4 are now available on these alloys, and we shall proceed to an examination of the hypothesis quoted above. Hardness, Lattice Parameter and Ionic Overlap Increase in ultimate Meyer hardness has been plotted against increase in lattice parameter in Figs. I and 2. It is believed that most of the values are accurate within the limits indicated by the rectangles. These data are also presented in Table I. Ultimate Meyer hardness, P u, is defined by the equation: where L = load, D = diametei of an impression having the same diameter as the testing ball, which in this case is 4 mm. Increase in lattice parameter is defined as the difference between the lattice parameter of the solid solution and that of the pure solvent. The curves in Figs. I and 2 are based on equal solute concentration and an equal degree of plastic deformation pro duced by the testing ball. Hardnesses are corrected to a constant grain size for copper and silver alloys, respectively, and these two grain sizes are approximately equal. Furthermore, all solutes are from the same period of the B subgroup of the periodic table as their solvent. The question arises as to whether Or not lattice parameter is the only factor controlling the hardness of these alloys. There

Jan 1, 1943

By Edwin Chance

DURING the last decade many conditions have been encountered that have materially increased the cost of the production of coal. As in most cases it has not been practicable to increase the selling price of such coal sufficiently to insure the necessary margin of profit, the mine management has been forced to avail itself of what might be termed unusual means that costs might be held at as low a figure as possible. The so-called efficiency engineer has been called upon, costly power plants have been built and machinery has been installed to replace manual labor wherever possible. Another aid used recently to secure economies through the more intelligent production of coal, is the chemist. As the coal industry, barring the production of byproduct coke, does not at once give evidence of its need of the services of the chemist, the writer will endeavor to point out a few of the services that this branch of the staff has been able to render. The preparation of coal in the past has been carried on entirely upon an empirical basis, that is, the criterion adopted has been an ocular inspection. Unfortunately, the appearance of a coal and especially of an anthracite, has but little relation to its fuel value, and as long as coal is purchased for the heat that 'can be obtained from it by its combustion, the quantity of such heat that is purchased must be one of the principal desiderata in selecting or preparing a coal. Were coals purchased for use as bric-a-brac or for exhibition in museums it might be both wise and just to purchase them upon their appearance. After 4 or 5 years of investigation the fact has been established that coals of very inferior appearance, and I now have special reference to anthracite, might and often did possess heating and burning properties superior to those possessed by, bright coals which in the past had commanded considerable and uniform premiums in the market. This being the case the question arose as to whether the trade could be convinced of this fact. While at first some difficulty was experienced in establishing the quality of such dull coals, still it was found that the real obstacle to the sale of these

Jan 4, 1916

Discussion of the paper of CHARLES H. MACDOWELL, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 98, February, 1915, pp. 103 to 114. GEORGE S. RICE, Pittsburgh, Pa.-I am especially interested in the mining side of this important question. In 1911, when in Europe investigating mining matters, giving special attention to subsidence clue to mining, for there is a very big problem of that kind, as many of you know, in the Pennsylvania anthracite region, I visited Stassfurt, which is one of the chief centers of potash mining, and which was pointed out as the place to see surface subsidence. We found the town much askewsome of the streets having sunk from 15 to 30 ft., leaving many ancient buildings pitching at various angles. One old church, 500 or 600 years old, has been sunk about 20 ft., cracking it badly. I understand that this condition came about because in early mining clays they were careless about leaving proper supports and used no filling or packing. The Stassfurt mines work along a buried anticline the sides of which pitch at 45° on the average. Through this careless mining they had a break of the hanging wall which let in water from the overlying marls and sands. The water rapidly dissolved the salts in the pillars, and spreading through the entire chain of mines, caused their complete loss, with serious trouble for the old city. They had to start new mines some distance away, and take care to prevent roof caves. The packing system is of interest. They were driving large rooms into the rock-salt foot wall and using the rock salt as dry filling. The application of hydraulic filling, using a saturated solution, was under contemplation at some plant nearby. Whether 6r not the plan was carried out I do not know. I was reminded of the plan by Mr. MacDowell's remarking on the use of a saturated salt solution in the core drilling. His reference to the apparent breakdown of the potash syndicate raises an interesting question. We have had the German system of syndicates pointed out as perhaps one means of solving our troubles in the soft-coal mining industry due to overproduction. It seems to have worked out admirably in the case of the Westphalian coal-mining syndicate and also in the syndicate of Upper Silesia; but apparently the syndicate plan did not work in the potash industry. .

Jan 5, 1915

By Edwin A. Sperry

The use of steam-stamps in the crushing of ore for the purpose of amalgamation has been very limited, and little has been written on the subject. As the writer has been operating a mill of this kind during the past year, it is possible that he may be able to present a few points in regard to mill-practice in this line which will be of interest. The mill herein referred to contains two Tremain steamstamps, a more detailed description of which will be given below. A bond and lease had been taken on a property on Cross mountain, Gunnison county, Colo., and the parties operating wished to prospect it thoroughly and did not wish to ship out the ore, owing to high freight-rates. They looked around to find some mill that would answer the purpose and not be too expensive. The steam-stamp in question was finally decided on, and the writer was employed to erect and operate it. The economy of construction was demonstrated at the outset. The stamps were dropping within ten days from the time that the machinery was unloaded on the ground. A large portion of this period was consumed in waiting for supplies and fittings which should have been on the ground at the Hame time with the machinery. Ore.—The ore to be treated was a mixture of white, porous quartz, with the decomposed and undecomposed oxides of iron and manganese in varying proportions, from the pure white quartz to solid pieces of the oxides. It appeared to be the product of replacement in a soft dolomite at or near the line of contact with a dike of porphyry. On careful examination with the aid of a microscope it was found that the gold was in the form of an extremely thin film over the surfaces of the quartz, making only a bronzy-yellow coating, quite readily distinguished from the film of iron oxide, which was also present. Mill.—The mill was constructed on the usual plan, with the ore-bin above and against the hill, which was cut into for the

Jan 1, 1897

By A. S. Yue

It was deemed desirable to obtain an understanding of the vacuum desulfurization process. McKechnie1 has reported that the sulfur content of nickel- and cobalt-base alloys is reduced in vacuo. Keverian and Taylor2 have observed that vacuum melting causes desulfurization of iron-carbon-silicon alloys. Garnyk and samarin3 have desulfurized transformer steel by vacuum treatment. Experiments were conducted in order to investigate the desulfurization of liquid iron under reduced pressures, and to establish the effect of some alloying elements, and various crucible materials. A vacuum-induction furnace of 50-lb capacity was used. The charge was Armco iron. Silicon was added as 90 pct ferrosilicon, carbon as electrode graphite, and aluminum as high-purity aluminum metal. Magnesia and silica crucibles were used, their inside diameters were 5 1/2 and 5 3/8 in., respectively. The temperature was measured with an optical pyrometer and it was held at 1600 1 15°C. Samples were withdrawn with quartz tubes of 6 mm ID, without disturbing the furnace atmosphere. Pressures were measured with an alphatron gage. The experimental results are shown in Fig. 1. They indicate that: 1) Sulfur can be removed from liquid iron alloys by vacuum treatment; 2) The desulfurization is enhanced by the presence of silicon, carbon, and aluminum, all these elements increase the activity of sulfur dissolved in liquid iron;4 3) The pronounced effect of silicon indicates that probably a volatile silicon sulfide is formed, Alcock and Richardson5 have observed a similar phenomenon; 4) The same rate of desulfurization was obtained when the metal was contained in either magnesia or silica crucibles. Dr. J. Keverian has contributed many discussions and recommendations. M. S. Sutliff has helped in conducting the heats. The permission of General Electric Co. for this publication is gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1960

By N. R. Tipman, G. E. Agar, L. Paré

The flotation chemistry of the commercial INCO matte separation process was investigated. The slow cooling of Bessemer converter matte forms discrete phases of Cu2S and Ni3S2 and a Cu-Ni alloy. After magnetically removing the alloy, the Cu2S and Ni3S2 are separated by flotation at pH 12.4 (saturated lime) using diphenyl guanidine (DPG) as both collector and frother. DPG has been used exclusively in this flotation process because of its unusual selectivity for copper minerals. The surface product resulting from chemisorption of DPG onto theCu2S was identified as the double salt CU(DPG)2SO4.CU(DPG)2(OH)2. The adsorption followed Langmuir behaviour up to a monolayer coverage. In the absence of DPG, the rapid adsorption of oxygen by Cu2S in flotation pulps was observed. The surface product was identified as the insoluble basic copper sulfate CuS04.3Cu(0H)2 with the production of sulfate ion. In the presence of DPG, the oxidation reaction appears to be suppressed. The frothing properties of DPG and commercial frothers were compared. DPG is not a powerful frother. Batch flotation tests confirmed that DPG is a highly selective collector when compared to most sulfhydryl collectors.

Jan 1, 1976