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By Wesley G. Josephson

THE MINING PROPERTY of the Argonaut Mining Co., Jackson, Calif., is one of the oldest on the Mother Lode. A vein outcropping on a hill in this section could not long elude the eye of the forty-niner, so it was first discovered in 1850. From that time until 1893 the Pioneer mine, as it was then called, limped along under various poorly equipped and financed operators who tried tapping it by trenching and tunneling. Then the Argonaut Mining Co. took over the property and sank the present 65° inclined shaft in the hanging wall of the vein. The mine workings have now reached the 6000-ft. level, which is 5283 ft. vertically below the surface, or just 3 ft. over a mile. The total production of the mine is uncertain, because of lack of early records, but from 1893 to 1932 it is known to have produced in excess of $17,000,000.

Jan 1, 1932

Jan 1, 1935

By Herbert Hoover

IT is always a pleasure for me to join in the Ameri-can Mining Congress, for not only has my own professional life been closely linked with the industry, but the Secretary of Commerce is specifically enjoined in the organic act creating the office to promote and foster the interests of the mining industry. And it is a vital part of our national life. It is one of those indus-tries without which. the nation could not go on for a week. It ranks second only to the agricultural industry in its contribution to our raw materials. Its production amounts to nearly 6 ½ billions annually, providing direct support to probably ten millions of our people through employment to about two million workers. But the in-dustry has a greater importance than even these figures indicate, for with agriculture, forestry, and water power it furnishes the raw materials upon which the whole work of our civilization rests. When the raw ma-terials of our mines emerge. from manufacture with the added expenditure of labor and capital upon them, they have a wholesale value of over fifteen billions of dollars. And in this, the second stage of their application, they give employment to another two million workers and support to about ten million more of our people. A large portion of these manufactured commodities must filter through the retail trade; their total value when delivered to the consumer exceeds twenty billions of dollars. And from this distribution arises the support of many more millions of our people. It is estimated that the products of agriculture when they reach . the consumer, with transportation, manu-facturing, and distribution costs added, have about the same value as the mineral industries-each of them thus contributing about one-quarter of our total na-tional income. No other continent has demonstrated its possession of such a magnitude of minerals as has ours, and such a bountiful distribution over our whole land. But our mineral resources differ in one essential from our other natural resources-they are not renewable. Agricul-ture, forests, and water power replenish their supplies from season to season. Some people conclude from the non-renewable character of the mineral supply that they must shortly be exhausted. The practical question is ,one of time, and time in these matters needs to be measured in generations, and apprehension of exhaus-tion needs to be tempered with many probabilities in-cluding the advance in technical methods of extraction. In some of our minerals, such as coal, iron, and building materials we can, through a knowledge of their geologi-cal structure and occurrence, make fairly good estimates of our reserves. We. know that they will outlast many generations of Americans. In non-ferrous metals and oil, geology affords us no great basis for an estimate of future supply. We only know of the occurrence of minerals of this type by actual exposure of them, and we can thus make no estimates except upon reserves which have been proved by actual development by the process of mining. To develop them ahead merely for national satisfaction of assured future supply would imply an unbearable waste of capital. The consequence is that in these groups there is never a demonstrable assurance of more than a few years' supply ahead of us. Yet we have never failed from year to year to find new deposits and extension of old deposits.

Jan 1, 1928

By Byron Johnston

IN 1926 I had occasion to make numerous measure-ments with a Pitot tube. The differential gage was mounted in a box, and since the work entailed setting upon girders, staging, and flues of various shapes and slopes, much time was generally expended in getting the box blocked into the level position. This inconvenience was so considerable that I devised the gage stand shown in the accompanying illustration. The gage is bolted to the board seat, the bolt per-mitting unlimited adjustment in the plane of the paper. The seat, carrying the gage, revolves on trunnions, per-mitting unlimited adjustment in a second plane, per-pendicular to the first. Consequently, the stand may be stood up, hung by one corner, leaned against some-thing or simply laid down, and the gage levelled from any position. On uneven surfaces, where the stand naturally rests on only three of its legs, it may be swung in the manner peculiar to the tripod, bringing the center of gravity within the triangle formed by the legs, thereby providing a firm set-up. Rubber stoppers under compression were found to give sufficient friction to hold the seat in the desired position.

Jan 3, 1928

Magazine, Advertising $ 32,823 60 Sale of Magazines 3,93329 Total Magazine $ 36,756 89 Dues, 'Arrears 5,866 97 Dues Current 100,223 80 Dues of New Members 6,143 29 Dues in advance 1,586 32 Initiation fees 6,820 00 Sale of Transactions 5,464 99 Sale of Binding 5,618 90 Sale of Pyrometry Volume 336 30 Sale of Indexes and Emmons 106 10 Sale of Pamphlets 575 32 Miscellaneous Receipts 105 60 Interest on Bank Balances 1,217 67 Interest on Life Membership Investment 512 18 Interest on James Douglas Library Fund 5,678 67 Total Receipts $177,013 00

Jan 1, 1923

By John V. Beall

There were no easily identifiable tourists. Everybody carried attaché cases and sported the buttoned-down look in dress. They were all there at the Hotel Indonesia to make a deal. But deals don't come quickly over there and those that staved and persevered became bored. They clung to the air conditioning of the Hotel and sought hobbies to while away the weeks-and even months. It is not an easy life but it can pay off fog sonic company. The government officials are neither stupid nor lazy. They are new at their jobs. Many are ex-army men and they know they must learn before they can enter into a contract with confidence. So they take time, and time is on their side.

Jan 1, 1970

Closed-circuit television was first installed under- ground by United States Steel's Tenessee Coal & Iron Division during the summer of 1957. Placed at a rotary dump location in one of TCI's mines, the installation was designed to permit operation of all functions of the load car haul chain, rotary dump, and empty car haul chain from a remote location, and to improve safety. The initial installation was very successful, and similar ones were subsequently placed at all of TCI's operating ore mines. The 10-ton capacity, automatic coupled mine cars are placed on the load car haul chain by the main-line locomotives. The haulage dispatcher has been located at the skip loading point of the underground pocket, some 80 to 100 ft below the rotary dump. The video monitor is located so the operator has a constant view of the activities around the rotary dump. By means of remote controls, the TV camera can range through a four-way turret of lens changes, can pan 350° in about nine seconds, can tilt 45° up or 45° down in nine seconds, and also can range through an optical focus for any of the lens positions.

Jan 3, 1961

By Heinrich Ries

The fusion-point of clay has usually been considered to be influenced chiefly by the quantity of fluxing impurities which the clay contained. Those clays which contain a high percentage of fluxes, such as ferric oxide, lirne, magnesia, and alkalies, fuse at a low temperature. Aside from the percentage of fluxing-impurities, the size of the grains exerts an important influence. Yet, while this fact has, no doubt, been recognized by many, practically no attempts have been made to prove it by actual experiment, although in the case of fire-clays, Prof. H. O. Hofman has rather disputed it. To illustrate the point more clearly, suppose a clay to be made up of a mixture of very refractory grains, such as kaolinite, and some fusible ones. If this clay be heated, the more easily fusible grains will melt first on the surface, and the softening under heat will gradually extend from the surface of the grain to its center. The larger, therefore, the size of the grain, the longer the time required for the heat to penetrate it. Now, if two samples of clay contain the same volume of flux, but of unequal size, the one containing the smaller-sized grains should fuse first, because the fluxing materials are more evenly and thoroughly distributed through the clay, so that they will more or less surround the refractory grains, which tend to act as a framework and hold up the clay-mass when heated. In order to demonstrate the effect of fineness of grain on the fusibility of clay, several mixtures were made up, consisting of white clay and other minerals. The white clay used was a very refractory type from Georgia, the fusion-point of which lay about cone 35 of the Seger series. The mixtures were formed into small bars 1* inches long, and set on a narrow surface, so that the ends were free to bend as soon as the mass softened. They were burned in a Seger gas-furnace.

Jan 1, 1904

Jan 1, 1943

Jan 1, 1928

Jan 1, 1948

For the convenience of members who may be traveling from place to place, the Secretary has compiled a list of libraries or other places in the United States and foreign countries where MINING AND METALLURWGY or the Transactions may be consulted. This list will be sent to members if they so request.

Jan 1, 1925

Jan 1, 1915

By Fredrick C. Kruger

Risk capital for mining ventures becomes harder to get each year as the costs for exploration, construction and money continue to skyrocket in today's inflationary economy. Because of this and because mining prospects must compete for the same dollar as many other needs of a diversified company, then the success or failure of any new proposal depends on how well its return on investment compares with all other capital requests. Mr. Kruger presents case histories showing what it costs to explore for new mines, how many of these prospects reward their promoters with success and how well some of the more famous mines have paid off.

Jan 9, 1969

By A. J. Zinkl

A two-year test led to adoption of carbide insert bits at the Iron King mine. Results: greater production, lower costs, and happier miners.

Jan 4, 1951

Feeders and Grizzlies are links of the utmost importance in the chain of milling operations, but, hitherto, the close analysis granted to other equipment has been withheld from these machines. The development of. the self-clearing drop-bar feature, the result of many years' practical study of the problem, has made possible a machine which will

Jan 5, 1918

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute of members or other persons introduced by members) Young mining engineer, and geologist, member, technical, graduate with four years' varied mining experience in the West and Southwest as miner, surveyor and engineer. Past 18 months, work in mine geology, mapping and examinations. Would prefer assisting consulting engineer or work with exploration company in foreign service. Unmarried. Age, 28. No. 331. Member; aged 35, married, with 10 years' experience in the Southwest, thoroughly competent to take full charge of mining and milling operations. Particularly fitted to handle either gold or tungsten producers. At liberty February 1. Will go anywhere. No. 340. A member wants a roving commission to examine old mines of the Mother Lode in. California, especially those which can be bought for their taxes. Some of these mines are reported to contain large quantities of low-grade ores which can now be treated at a profit. No. 341.

Jan 2, 1917

The Commissioner of Education has issued a call for a public conference on business training for engineers and engineering training for students of business. This conference, national in scope and character fully representative of all interests, will be held in Washington, D. C. on June 23 and 24. Educational institutions, commercial organizations, and educational and engineering societies will be given an opportunity to state their views. Engineers, educators and business men will be invited to discuss the following major topics: Business Training for the Engineer; Engineering Training for Commercial Enterprises; Significance of the. War Experience for Engineering Education; Training of the Engineer for Foreign Projects. This conference has been called on behalf of the Conference Committee on Commercial Engineering. This Committee is composed of administrative professors in engineering and commerce from several of the large educational institutions and representatives from the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, The American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Society .of Mechanical Engineers, and a committee f fifteen on Educational Preparation for Foreign Service.

Jan 6, 1919

By A. L. Engel

STRICTLY speaking, ore-dressing does not commence until after the ore is in the mill bins, but where complex ores are treated and their minerals separated to make the best commercial concentrate with the lowest economical tailing, ore-dressing problems begin and often center in the mine itself. This does not refer to the grade of the ore, but rather to the frequent condition in which metallurgical results radically different from customary are obtained because of changes in the character of the ore treated. Different varieties of ore can usually be identified as coming from well-defined depths or zones in the mine, or from known sections of the orebody. Varying degrees of alteration of the ore, inclusions of harmful gangue material, or variations in the quantities of component metallic minerals are often causes of temporarily bad metallurgical results in otherwise successfully operated plants, especially those employing differential flotation to. recover several valuable minerals contained in the ore.

Jan 1, 1931

Jan 1, 1909