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AUGUST began with a reminder that warfare was still in progress in the world, in that the Greeks, still at war with Turkey, threatened Constantinople in spite of the small British and French forces of occupation and opened a vista of international dangers. There was in this, moreover, a recollection that religious questions in India had prevented the British from permitting a real settlement of the Turkish question, wherein the absence of Russia as a great power is missed. Civil warfare also continued in Ireland and China. Even in the military way the world is far from being at peace. Bloody fighting between the Fascisti (anti-communists) and the com-munists in Italy led to several provinces being put under martial law, but after a while these disturbances were quelled. In the latter part of the month the assassination of Michael Collins in Ireland produced a great shock. From China, however, there came rather favorable news, indicating the early reintegration of that country, which sooner or later ought to play an important part in world affairs. Economically, instead of there being any improve-ment, there grew a clearer perception of how bad things really are. Italian politics were in chaos through inability to find anyone to accept the premiership and assume the all but hopeless task of averting national bankruptcy. The French, too, began to see their own position in true colors, and especially to see how in reconstruction they had incurred debts on the strength of what they hoped to collect from Germany, with at last the understanding that the Germans could not pay and that France herself was thereby put in a desper-ate economic position. As for the Germans, them-selves their Reichsbank defaulted on ordinary bills early in August. As the month wore on the value of marks fell more and more and at the end it appeared that Germany was on the verge of economic collapse. On Aug. 7, another international conference (with America again absent) was assembled in London, this being the thirteenth since the war, and there was a general feeling that it would be the last. The prime question was what is to be done about the German reparations, but underlying was the whole subject of the entente. The conference opened like a meeting of importunate creditors, doubtful whether the debtor had any tangible assets. On Aug. 14 this conference broke up without coming to any useful conclusion. Indeed, the acrimony among the premiers was so sharp that even the entente between Great Britain and France was endangered. The international situation was saved only by the Reparations Commission excusing the Germans from the payment of 50,000,000 gold marks that come due on Aug. 15 But although the entente was nominally preserved there is no longer any illusion about the interests of Great Britain and France being different and that henceforth they will play their own hands. The London conference was really an effort to maintain the partnership, and it failed.

Jan 9, 1922

Jan 1, 1920

By Henry J. Sandri

The use of economic models for forecasting purposes is an inexact yet necessary tool for mineral decision making. One method not commonly used is cyclical analysis because of its "non-scientific approach". However, under certain circumstances a modified cyclical approach can provide useful insight to mining companies. The current paper discusses mineral modeling, the type of economic models and the use of cyclical forecasting for mining firms (not speculators) involved in precious metals.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. S. Leaver

THE amount of gold that occurs in a ton of milling ore from most of the large-scale copper mines is so small that unusual care and special attention are necessary to recover it. In some cases the gold is not considered important enough to warrant daily assays of the various products. Considering the large tonnage of copper ores that are now concentrated by flotation, as computed in a recent review, the gross gold content is surprisingly large, probably amounting to over 10 million dollars per year in the United States. The indications are that in many of the copper-milling operations with gold content under $1 per ton, only 50 per cent. of the gold is recovered in the flotation concentrates. Lime is generally used as a depressant for pyrite in the flotation circuit. The authors have shown that high lime or a solution high in calcium ions is also a depressant for gold. Their experiments on several well-known ores show that by careful regulation of the alkalinity of the mill solutions, a higher flotation recovery of the gold can be obtained, together with equally good copper recovery in a good grade of copper concentrates. In cyanidation for the recovery of gold, the best accepted practice demands that the mill solutions be tested and regulated by simple chemical reactions at definite periods during treatment or with each change in the treatment. It is similarly important for the recovery of gold that the solution in the flotation circuit be analyzed for calcium ions at regular periods and at each step in the flotation practice. The lime should be added when and where needed and not in excessive amounts at the head of the mill.

Jan 1, 1931

THE paper on "Specific Efficiency of the Blast Furnace" by Richard Franchot, which was pub-lished in the September issue of MINING AND METALLURGY, was presented for discussion at the Pitts-burgh meeting. The session opened with a discussion among S. P. Kinney, Mr. Franchot, and J. N. Reese as to the methods and results in sampling for cyanides in the blast furnace. This is covered in detail in writ-ten discussion below. T. T. Read objected to the use of the term specific efficiency as likely to be confusing. The blast furnace has to perform the function of reducing Fe, 03 to Fe as well as that of fusing the metal and, since the reduc-tion of Fe, 0? involves a CO equilibrium, it seems mis-leading to calculate efficiency on the basis of burning the , all carbon to CO? since it is not possible. Mr. Franchot replied that he used the term in the sense defined by Richards in his "Metallurgical Calculations;" but a subsequent search failed to reveal the term in Richards, who says (page 245, 1st edition): The practical conclusion is that a blast furnace generates in itself not much over 40 per cent of the calorific power of the fuel used, and rejects nearly 60 per cent; by using part of the waste gases to heat the blast, however, some of this rejected heat, to an amount representing net 5 to 10 per cent of the calorific power of the fuel used, is returned to and injected bodily into the furnace, thus rendering available for the purpose of running the furnace about 50 per cent of the calorific power of the fuel as a maximum. The efficiency with which the furnace applies this 50 per cent usefully to the objects of the reducing and smelting is another question for investigation.

Jan 2, 1927

By Robert H. Holgers

Eveleth Taconite Co. was chartered on July 29, 1963, and is 85% owned by Ford Motor Co. and 15% by Oglebay Norton Co. The latter also serves as managing agent. The location of the company's facilities is depicted in Fig. 1. The Thunderbird mine is located midway between the cities of Eveleth and Virginia, Minn. (Fig. 2). The Fairlane plant and General Office are located approximately 10 miles south on the St. Louis River near the community of Forbes (Figs. 3 and 4). The crude ore and the finished pellets are transported by a common carrier railroad, the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Co. The facilities are also serviced by the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway Co. Pellets are hauled year around by the DM&IR to its docks 60 miles south in Duluth, Minn. Ford Motor Co. consumes its share of the high grade pellets at its Rouge plant in Dearborn, Mich., and Oglebay Norton Co. sells its share in the open market. HISTORY Following six months of preliminary engineering by the initial staff of Eveleth Taconite Co. and the Western Knapp Engineering Div. of Arthur G. McKee & Co., the project was approved by Eveleth's board of directors on Apr. 17, 1964. On May 1, 1964, contracts were awarded to McKee for the mine, coarse and fine crushing and concentrating facilities, and to Allis-Chalmer for the pelletizing facilities. The pre-production surface overburden stripping contract was awarded to Skubic Brothers Co., Virginia, Minn. Ground-breaking ceremonies were held at the Thunderbird mine on

Jan 1, 1969

By George A. Koenig

This new departure in assaying is the outcome of a long-felt desire to shorten the time required in muffle-assaying, as well as to do both crucible- and scarifi cation-work in one furnace. The first object in view was the gold-assay, which must always be a combination of the crucible- and muffle-work. The large lead buttons consume much time in their reduction by scorifying and cupelling. The Hoskins gasoline furnaces have been a great convenience, for years past, in that class of practice, where only one assay was required at a time. But even with them I found myself hampered, since the crucible-furnace only takes one crucible at a time, and my practice implies always duplicate assays. Another difficulty was to get the muffle up to the necessary heat and to maintain it at that heat. Whecever I had pumped myself into perspiration and out of breath, the question presented itself, " Is the muffle necessary to do this work properly ?" Hartmann and Plattner and all their blow-piping disciples have shown that very good results are obtainable by playing a direct flame upon the work-lead. Could this be done on the regular muffle-assay scale ? I placed a cupel upon a fire-brick, surrounded it with charcoal, and then played upon it with a Bunsen gas blow-pipe. The result was encouraging. With some care a 2.75-inch scorifier charged with 0.1 A. T. of a 100-ounce ore could be melted down and scorified without any apparent loss. I thought then of constructing a furnace with four blow-pipes in a row; but the combination of gas and charcoal seemed unpractical. Instead, I placed an F crucible, bottom up, in a Hoskins crucible-furnace. Upon this support I placed a charged scorifier. The rapidity with which a very refractory charge melted and scorified was simply amazing to me. Then a cupel was put in the place of the scorifier, the lid was moved sideways, and a blow-pipe was

Jan 1, 1899

By G. P. Halliwell, C. R. Austin

The investigation described in this paper deals with the development of high-temperature alloys of the Konel series over a considerable period of time at t,he Research Laboratories of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. The word ''Konel" has been coined to designate a class of alloys which are essentially nickel-cobalt-iron with other elements added, usually in small quantities. Most of these alloys contain titanium, usually about 2.5 per cent. The main consideration related to strength at high temperatures but the thermionic characteristics of the alloys was also of considerable importance. It is, however, with the mechanical properties at elevated temperatures that we are herein concerned. Much attention has also been devoted to their age-hardening characteristics. There is little need to stress the utilitarian aspect of this subject, as it has been discussed frequently. Alloys exhibiting superior properties at normal or elevated temperatures rapidly find many suitable applications. There may be some question, however, as to what constitutes a "superior alloy," or an alloy that may have good service possibilities at high temperatures. The problem is complex and various means have been employed to predict the useful life that may be expected of a material. In recent years the "creep limitJ' has been used as the best means of evaluation. Such tests necessarily are prolonged and hence collection of data is very slow. In a general survey of many alloys therefore the creep test is not desirable and recourse must be had to much shorter time tests in order more rapidly to select alloys which appear to show promise. For this reason the present survey has been made using the high-temperature tensile test and a bend test developed by Howard Scott.' In the tensile test the conditions have been standardized for all tests, so that values obtained are at least comparable, one alloy with another, although the absolute values recorded merely indicate the mechanical properties at the given temperature under a definite rate of loading.

Jan 1, 1932

By Henry Doherty

FOR many years more money was spent in the search for and the production of gold than the gold that was produced was worth. The same thing is now true of petroleum. More money is spent for the search and. production of petroleum than the market value of the petroleum produced. The first thought concerning this statement will be that men would not embark in a business in which more money was expended than the value of the product produced. Few people realize that more money is spent in the oil business than the market value of the oil produced. This would not stop the spending if they knew it. Everybody knows that more money goes into a lottery than comes out of it, yet the instinct for gambling is so widespread and so easily excited that lotteries are forbidden by law. The hope of winning the grand prize is what lures men on. The search for and production of oil has become a more frenzied game than the search for gold ever was. THE OIL BUSINESS PAYS NOW BUT THE PUBLIC WILL PAY FOR ALL ETERNITY The public could sit back and enjoy all of this, knowing they were being supplied with petroleum products at less than their real cost, if it were not that our most valuable and least plentiful natural resource is being dissipated at an alarming rate, which is constantly increasing. Here is an industry that for many years has not been governed by natural laws. The so-called laws of individual and mass psychology play a more important role than natural physical and economic laws. Even the law of supply and demand works only in the most remote way in this industry. The oil production business as a whole is now paying the price for this folly; but the public will pay the price for all eternity. The seriousness of this matter, as an outstanding national problem, has been under consideration by many men for a long time, but nothing has been done to conserve our petroleum resources and prolong the supply, although very important steps have recently been taken to make this possible.

Jan 3, 1925

By C. J. Rodgers

The present day success of gravel packs to prevent or retard the migration of unconsolidated sands into the well bore is due to: (I) the use of a saline or non-aqueous, nonsolids drill fluid, (2) proper preparation of the well bore prior to gravel packing, and (3) pressure placement of the gravel. The experience gained from the "pressure pack" method of gravel packing indicates that sand-free fluid production can be maintained for a length of time sufficient to make the operation economically attractive. Data pertaining to the first 15 wells so completed by Gulf indicate that for each dollar spent to effect the completion, there will be a return of more than $2.92. The pressure pack technique of gravel packing is essentially the placing of gravel in and adjacent to the producing formations. This is done with fluid pressure and by the use of a drill fluid that will permit partial or complete loss of returns to the formation during placement. This technique was first intentionally used by Gulf in May, 1950, and since that time has been applied in more than 90 wells. Other advantages claimed for this type of completion are that the pressure placement of the gravel has a scouring effect on the casing perforations, that additional drainage channels to the well bore are created, and that the possibility of shifting of the formations adjacent to the casing is minimized and possibly prevented. During the past few years, the use of gravel to prevent or retard the migration of unconsolidated sands into the well bore has met with a favorable degree of success. Numerous methods and techniques of "gravel packing" have been used, each having its own relative merits, and with varying results. M. L. Cashion1 in 1939 ably reviewed the history of gravel packing to that time. As stated in his paper, ". .. the idea of gravel packing wells is not new." During the period 1939 to 1949, very little if any progress or change in technique in this type of completion was made. However, it was noted in some cases that during the placement of gravel, if there was a loss of drill fluid to the formation, there was a corresponding loss of gravel to the formation. Also, it was noted that in those gravel-packed completions (opposite casing perforations) that "sanded up," there was found to be an absence of gravel in the annular space between the liner and casing, although gravel had previously been placed in this space and no gravel had been removed from the well at the surface. These findings resulted in the placement of gravel with fluid pressure and by the use of a drill fluid that would permit partial or complete loss of returns to the formation during placement. Pressure placement of gravel became an accepted practice in late 1949 and early 1950. Another fact brought to light that has contributed to the current success of gravel pack completions is that drilling fluids containing solids will to some extent cause plugging of the screening medium or blocking of the producing section. The removal of these solids by chemical action, mechanical action, or a combination of the

Jan 1, 1955

By Marcel Daly

THE writer has devoted a number of years to practical operations and to the study of geology in the oil fields. In consequence, he has been brought to investigate the theories advanced to account for the accumulation of oil and gas in commercial deposits. It is the result of these investigations and his personal conclusions that he wishes to sum up in this paper. The writer is an advocate of the organic origin of petroleum found in pools. He has been led to believe that the present theories of oil and gas accumulations are incomplete and, in certain respects, incorrect, although they may embody certain elements of truth; that the forces that are called upon to explain the movement are only secondary forces in the process, and insufficient, by themselves, to cause this movement; and that the phenomenon of accumulation is of much larger order than heretofore admitted and bears an intimate relation with the general as well as with the local deformations of the crust and is a direct consequence and a mechanical effect of these deformations to which the term "diastrophic" has been applied. As a complement to this theory, the writer offers a new interpretation of the "rock pressure" and of the mechanism of the "sealing up" of this pressure in oil and gas pools.

Jan 7, 1916

By N. S. Stoloff, M. Gensamer

Pyramidal (1122) slip was observed in cadmium single crystals deformed in compression and bending at room temperature and —196°C. Crystals tested in tension twinned with no evidence of pyramidal slip. A critical resolved shear stress law for the propagation of twin nuclei appears probable. Twinning and low-stress kinking are believed to inhibit the appearance of pyramidal slip under ordinary experimental conditions. SEVERAL reports of nonbasal slip in cadmium have appeared in the literature recently, two of the reports having appeared after work on this project was in progress. Brown1 reported cross slip on electron micrographs, but did not identify the cross-slip plane. Wernick and Thomas2 observed nonbasal slip traces parallel to [1123] on a crystal bent with a pair of tweezers, but this too was an isolated observation, with no confirmation of the glide plane. The critical stress for pyramidal glide, and the temperature and strain rate dependence of glide on this system were not discussed. price3 has reported some observations of nonbasal slip in thin films of cadmium with the aid of transmission electron microscopy, but a full publication of these observations was not available at this writing. Pyramidal (1122) <1123> slip also has been observed on zinc single crystals4, 5 and (1122) <1010> slip on magnesium single crystals,6 all oriented with the basal plane nearly parallel to the specimen axis. Since the choice of slip system in the hexa- gonal metals is generally believed to depend on the axial ratio, with basal slip predominating for high-axial ratios, the occurrence of pyramidal slip in zinc and cadmium is unexpected. The objectives of the present investigation were to confirm the existence of nonbasal slip in cadmium, to identify the slip system, and to obtain an estimate of the critical resolved shear stress, assuming that the resolved shear stress law is applicable. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Two purities of cadmium, 99.95 pet and 99.99+ pet, were employed. As received bars were cold swaged to 3/16 in. rounds. Bicrystals and tricrystals were prepared by passing the polycrystalline rods through a gradient without seeds. It was desired to obtain a large yield of single crystals oriented xo* < 5 deg, in order to be able to suppress basal slip during deformation by keeping the resolved shear stress on the basal plane to a minimum. Cylindrical single crystals of cadmium were prepared by a seeding technique developed by Weiner,7 to obtain a predetermined orientation. The single-crystal rods were sectioned to specimen size by an acid-cutting technique originally developed for zinc crystals.&apos; An aqueous solution of nitric acid was the cutting agent. The acid was picked up by a plexiglass disc spinning at an optimum cutting speed through the acid, which was contained in a sump-like arrangement. The section to be cut, the acid bath, and the spinning disc were enclosed in a plexiglass case. The rod to be sectioned was coated with a thick layer of collodion. At the points at which sectioning was to be effected, the collodion was removed over a length of about 1/8 in. by dissolving it in acetone. To prepare a surface suitable for microscopic exam-

Jan 1, 1962

By Brahm Prakash, R. Schuhmann

Chemical conditions for flotation and nonflotation of quartz with oleic acid as collector and barium, calcium, aluminum, iron, and tin as activators were studied using a simple vacuum-flotation technique in glass-stoppered graduates. The detailed study of barium activation led to an interpretation based on ideal Langmuirian chemisorption.

Jan 5, 1950

By John L. Lamont, Walter Crafts

ADEQUATE hardenability has long been recognized as one of the first requirements for producing desired mechanical properties in a heat-treated steel. Since the introduction of the Jominy end-quench test1 and the development of correlative information to expand its use, industry has had an effective measure of hardenability. Prediction and control of the hardenability have been made possible by Grossmann&apos;s principle2 for calculating hardenability from chemical composition; and Field&apos;s conversion3 from depth of half-martensite hardening to Rockwell C hardness has made the relation more quantitative. These developments have facilitated the design of new steels and the control of standard grades to the extent that it has been possible to establish tentative hardenability bands for some of the more commonly used alloy steels.4 As the depth of hardening of the Jominy test specimen is usually measured by Rockwell C hardness, it was considered that it should be possible to predict the hardness by a more direct calculation. It has been found that this can be accomplished by the addition of Rockwell C units proportional to the carbon and alloy content, grain size, and position in the Jominy test specimen. The calculation has been found to be fairly accurate, and because of its additive character is relatively simple to use. In principle the method of calculation is somewhat similar to the expressions developed by Herty, McBride, and Hollenback,5 Burns, Moore, and Archer,6 and Burns and Riegel.7 The calculation is started from a base that includes the effects of carbon content and position in the Jominy test speimen. Rockwell C units are added to the base in proportion to the alloy content and grain size. This sum represents the Rockwell C hardness up to the level at which a disproportionate increase of hardness is caused by the formation of martensite, and above this level an increment for martensite hardening is added. The effects of alloys are directly proportional to the amounts present and are independent of each other, the carbon content, and the position in the specimen. Furthermore, the factors for determining the martensite increment are dependent only on carbon content and are independent of cooling rate and alloy content. It is this absence of interrelation between the different factors that makes it possible to calculate the hardness and makes the method of calculation consistent with the principle that the character of the hardening reaction is governed primarily by carbon and that alloys exert their effect chiefly through control of the critical cooling rate. The principle of the calculation, and the effects of alloys on the critical cooling rate,

Jan 1, 1945

By John W. Gruner

On account of the tremendous increase in the production of steel there has been much speculation as to the reserves of iron ore. A number of estimates of world scope have been published, which show that these reserves are definitely limited if a long range view is taken. There are, however, optimists who believe that in perhaps two generations the metallurgy of iron will have advanced to the point where any kind of iron mineral combination of perhaps 20 pct iron will be usable. This thinking has been particularly applied to the new taconite developments of the Mesabi Range, for here is an iron formation of such vast extent that its iron could almost last forever. Let us briefly examine this most favorable of all low grade ore reserves in North America. Nothing will be said about the 1,000 million long tons of material now classified as ore, for they will be largely gone in less than 20 years.

Jan 3, 1954

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Jan 12, 1959

By L. E. Mannion

Sodium carbonate or soda ash is one of the two principal alkalis of commerce, the other being sodium hydroxide. The use of sodium carbonate is recorded in ancient Egypt, where naturally occurring brines or solid salts were the source of impure soda for glass manufacture. In early modern times until the 19th century, soda ash, as well as potash, was recovered mainly by leaching the ashes of plants. In Europe, during the 18th century, a brown lye for laundering was produced by pouring hot water over burned seaweed. One of the better grades of this kind of material was a product from Spain termed "barilla," which analyzed 24 to 30% Na2CO3 (Hou, 1942). The birth of the modern chemical industry may be said to start with the LeBlanc process for making sodium carbonate from salt, sulfuric acid, and lime. Although invented in France in 1691, England made the most extensive use of it. In 1863 Ernst Solvay devised the ammonia-soda or Solvay process, and by 1874 the first of many Solvay plants was built. These were to supplant the LeBlanc method and dominate soda-ash production until the present time. Although of lesser importance, natural sodium carbonate deposits continued to support operations in various parts of the world. Shortages during World War II stimulated production of "natural" soda ash, particularly at Searles Lake, Calif., and at Lake Magadi, Kenya. Within the last ten years in the United States, a notable surge in production has occurred based on the vast trona deposits in Wyoming. Table 1 lists some principal producers of natural soda ash and the character of the source deposits. Uses and Specifications Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is a white, crystalline hygroscopic powder, an aqueous solution of which is strongly alkaline. Most commercial soda ash is a product that must meet high standards of purity and uniformity. Two forms are commonly sold: a fine, powdery material called light ash, and a more coarsely crystalline dense ash; these weigh 32 to 39 and 60 to 66 lb per cu ft, respectively. Dense ash may be produced by adding a little calcium chloride to the sodium carbonate solution to control crystal size and prevent agglomeration. Specifications and typical analyses of light and dense ash in the United States are shown in [Table 2]. Sizing generally achieves about 75% of light ash and 90% of dense ash between +30 and -100 U.S. screen mesh. World use of sodium carbonate now exceeds 24 million tpy, of which the United States produces more than 7 million tons. The market for soda ash is dominated by the glass industry, which uses almost half the supply. Inorganic chemicals, including phosphates and silicates, consume about 30%. Other principal uses include the manufacture of soaps and detergents, petroleum, caustic soda, organic chemicals, and paper; and nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy. [Fig. 1] shows the percent consumption by use of soda ash in Europe, Japan, and the United States. The price of soda ash in the United States remained relatively stable during the 1960s at about $33 per ton; in 1972 it reached $35 per ton. The price in 1975 was $42 per ton. Geology Mineralogy [Table 3] is a list of the more common sodium carbonate-bearing minerals. Anhydrous sodium carbonate is almost never found in nature; only natron, thermonatrite, and trona have been used directly as sources of sodium carbonate. At Searles Lake, burkeite and hanksite are important in the reconstitution of

Jan 1, 1975

By G. M. Ritcey

Continuous contacting equipment for solvent extraction can be divided into two major areas, according to whether their mode of operation is stagewise or differential (Figure 1). Mixer settlers and the recent Kenics and Sulzer mixers typify the stagewise contactors. In these counter- current contactors, the aqueous and the organic phase are mixed and then separated in a large settling area before the next stage of mixing. Countercurrent differential contact- ors, such as centrifuges and various types of columns, are more compact in that they require less ground area than mixer settlers. [ ] Contactors, in addition to being either stagewise or differential, can be further subdivided into non-agitated and agitated depending on the method used for mixing the phases and producing the countercurrent flow. The simplest contactors such as spray, packed, or perforated plate columns achieve both the mixing and countercurrent flow by means of the gravity difference between the two phases. In agitated contactors such as the Scheibel, Reciprocating Plate, and Sieve-Plate Pulse, mechanical agitation is introduced but gravity differences still produce countercurrent flow. To conserve plant space, and for large throughput with short contact time, centrifugal contactors are used where possible. The reader can refer to reviews on the subject (1-11).

Jan 1, 1978

By J. P. Carson

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) THE works of the Tula Iron Company are in the Republic of Mexico, State of Jalisco, twenty-eight leagues southwest of Guadal¬ajara, ten leagues northwest of the town of Sayula, through which passes the projected line of the Mexican National Railroad. Its geographical position would be about: latitude, 20° 10&apos; N., longi¬tude, 4° 35&apos; W. of Mexico City. The surrounding country is a roll¬ing plateau, 6000 feet above the sea, enjoying the most magnificent climate in the world, the average temperature being about 70°. The works were commenced in 1850 by a company with very small capital, having not the least idea of the undertaking. They soon fell into the hands of the money-lenders, and after changing

Jan 1, 1878

By F. Louis Grammer

The iron industry has been so markedly the cynosure of all eyes, that a sense of weariness has overtaken many on-lookers, and a new wonder is desired. While the commercial phase of the iron industry has necessarily engrossed the public attention and probably is the more worthy of record, still the mechanical and metallurgical phases have recorded conspicuous advances and merit attention. In order to appreciate the present condition of blast-furnace practice, it is necessary before enumerating the advances made during the past decade to give a brief discussion of the tendencies in the methods of administration as well as the conditions governing supremacy, for these factors have modified the aims of the manager. It might also be well to apologize for a record of the advances made during such a short period as a decade, were it not that, for the individual, time is marked as much by the impressions recorded on the brain as by the jumps of the second hand of a watch. Furthermore, this article is written in order to carry out a project of the late Dr. Egleston, to have a record made each decade. I regret that the data collected by him, and forwarded to me, end with 1896, and therefore do not include the interesting results which followed the introduction of Mesabi ores. The perusal of the notes is melancholy reading, somewhat like the feelings we experience in going through a graveyard. It is a record made up of so many plants, which have ceased to be factors in the iron world, if they are not entirely moribund. Historically, they would be interesting, emphasizing as they do the abnormal and somewhat overestimated importance of furnace lines, taken without proper reference to volume of blast and nature of stock used. I regret, however, that the time at my disposal does not permit of this presentation.

Jan 1, 1905