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By T. Fraser, R. L. Sutherland

Under a cooperative agreement between United States Bureau of Mines and the Truax-Traer Coal Company, some operating-scale experiments have been made with the cyclone thickener in the preparation plant of the Shamrock No. 1 mine at Kayford, West Virginia. These tests were made with a 14-in. cyclone of the type developed by the Dutch State Mines in Limburg. It was applied experimentally to the thickening of solids in washery water to obtain performance data to show the range of sizes that may be recovered and other operating characteristics that would indicate the field of usefulness of this device in coal preparation practice. This is a progress report only. It covers results obtained in a series of 17 tests of the operation of what has been considered a unit of commercial size operating on suspensions of fine coal mixed with a relatively small amount of freeimpurities. The underflow material, after further dewatering in centrifuges, is a marketable grade of coal.

Jan 1, 1949

By Sherwin F. Kelly

GEOPHYSICS may be considered a vice (albeit, I submit, a comparatively harmless one) whose career is aptly described by Pope's lines: Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace. Although there may be some that have not yet succeeded in emancipating themselves from the first stage of horrified contemplation, geophysicists may be duly thankful that there are mining men and geologists that have arrived at a state of apparently irretrievable damnation.

Jan 1, 1936

By William B. Plank

A NEW record-a quarter million students in the engineering schools of the United States and Canada-has resulted from the great demand for engineers following World War II. The figures released by the American Society for Engineering Education and which appeared in detail in the Journal of Engineering Education for January 1948, show that, on Nov. 1, 1947, 252,250 students were studying engineering in 149 engineering schools of both countries. There are 244,390 in the 143 schools canvassed in the United States, and 7860 in six schools in Canada. These figures include both undergraduate and graduate students and are therefore comparable with the figures in previous presentations on this subject. This unprecedented engineering student body

Jan 1, 1948

By W. A. Barrows, Carl Zapffe

Jan 1, 1913

By H. C. Weed

THE Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co., located in the Globe-Miami district at Inspiration, Ariz., became a producer of copper in 1915. From 1915 until 1948, 116,278,000 tons of ore were produced from underground workings by the block-caving system of mining. In April 1948, open-pit ore production from portions of the ore body was started and earlier plans for block-caving in these areas were abandoned. The change was due to economic conditions.

Jan 8, 1950

By D. I. Bardos

The occurrence of Laves phases (AB,) in various binary alloy systems has been reviewed in recent papers.13 Iron forms Laves phases with Sc-, Ti-, V- and Cr-group elements. However, two of the corresponding Laves phases with cobalt, namely MoCo, and WCo,, are missing. Nickel forms binary Laves phases with Sc and Y, but not with any Ti-, V-, or Cr-group element. These conditions are schematically illustrated in Table I. That electron concentration is a significant factor in determining which type of Laves phase is formed in a given case was recognized long ago by Laves and Witte,4 This concept has been more recently applied to Laves phases formed by transition ele-ments. It now appears that the average electron concentration (average number of electrons per atom outside of the closed shells of the component atoms) may be an important factor also in determining whether or not a Laves phase can occur at all in a given system. As shown in Table I, in the transition element systems considered Laves phases are absent at electron concentrations of 8, or larger (to the right and below the double line in Table I). These absences clearly cannot be accounted for on atomic size considerations, as evidenced by the many inconsistencies apparent in Table 11. While the ideal radius ratio for Laves phases is 1.222, in the systems which do have Laves phases the ratios of CN 12 radii range from 1.10 to 1.46. The consistent absence of Laves phases at RA/RB< 1.10 might be attributed to the low values of these radius ratios. However, Table II shows that absences also occur irregularly throughout the radius ratio range covered. In a previous paper7 it was concluded that, in transition element systems forming u-phases, silicon may act as an acceptor of electrons, thus stabilizing the u-phase at electron concentrations higher than

Jan 1, 1962

By Francis Church Lincoln

I. Situation and Surroundings, The Promontorio mine is situated at the northern end of the Sierra San Francisco de Coneto, in the town of Promontorio, Partido of El Oro, State of Durango, Mexico. As shown in the sketch-map, Fig. 1, the nearest railroad station is Chin-acates on the Mexican International Railroad, 82 miles north of the city of Durango. The mine is 16 miles north of the sta-tion by air-line. It is reached by means of a good wagon-road which first crosses the Guatimapé Plain, passing the ranches of San Antonio and San Julian, to Estacion—a distance of about 15.5 miles—and then entering the mountains crosses the Sierra to Promontorio—a further distance of 11.5 miles— making in all a distance of 27 miles by road from railroad to mine. Promontorio is just beyond the summit of the range, at an elevation of about 8,000 ft. above sea-level, or 1,350 ft. above the Chinacates station. The Castillo de San Francisco, the highest peak in the Sierra, has an altitude of 10,000 ft., and the Promontorio road crosses the summit of the ridge at an elevation of 9,000 ft. by a pass just below this peak known as the Puerto del Almagre. The Promontorio mill is situated at Santa Inés, 2 miles by tram or 3 miles by wagon-road to the north of Promontorio and about 600 ft. lower. The Sierra San Francisco de Coneto decreases in height towards the north and west till it comes to an end at the Mel-chor Arroyo on the ranches of Melchor and Ramos. Beyond this arroyo another range, the Sierra de la Candela, begins. In the vicinity of the Promontorio mine the hills are very rugged and the surface is furrowed by ravines which contain running streams during the rainy season-—July, August and

Jan 1, 1908

By J. McD. Porter

IN many of the old placer-mining districts are still to be found large tracts of gold-bearing gravel not suitable to be worked with a dredge, because the bed is too shallow- or the gulch too narrow. Frequently there is not enough grade to handle the gravel successfully by ground-sluicing or a bedrock flume, or it contains too many boulders to be worked successfully with the ordinary pipe or tube hydraulic elevator. In southwestern Oregon, two practical placer-miners named Ruble, after working for years trying to make money out of placer-ground containing many large boulders, invented and patented a hydraulic elevator of an entirely new type, and one . that has been found to work very successfully in flat&apos; ground and in gravel containing many large boulders. It is a very simple contrivance. A few years ago I acquired the property near Pierce City, Idaho, known as the American placer-mine. Various attempts .bad been made to work this ground. A bed-rock flume had been installed by one company, an Evans elevator by another, and still other methods were tried on a smaller scale. All were unsuccessful. I installed a Ruble elevator, and it has proved very satisfactory. Working under 100-ft. (pipe) head, the &apos;ground has been handled at a cost of a little less than 8 cents per cubic yard. The conditions at the American mine are exceptionally hard, the boulders being large, heavy, and numerous. Basalt-boulders, up to a size of 16 by 18 by 32 in., have been elevated to a height of 16 or 17 ft., with a 4-in. nozzle-stream, under 100-ft. head. Boulders larger than this size are blasted. At the American mine, a foreman, two pipemen, and two laborers are-required per day of 24 hr. to operate the elevator. Several sizes of this elevator are in use, the one at the American mine being the 25-ft. size, having 25 ft. of grizzly

Oct 1, 1909

By H. M. Chance

Discussion of the paper of H. M. Chance, Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 23, September, 190S, pp. 791-808. CHARLES CATLETT, Staunton,Va. (communication to the Secretary *):-Mr. Chance&apos;s suggestions that the brown hematite ores of the Potsdam formation are due to the alteration in place of iron sulphide, and that their extension may reasonably be expected to contain valuable deposits of unaltered sulphide, are interesting; but the facts marshaled by him are too limited to justify more than the hope that they may serve as a commercial source of sulphur. It is true that these deposits have been the source of large amounts of iron-ore; and it. is common, as stated by him, for the mining operations to extend to a shallow depth only; but this is largely due to the fact that the surface-material represents an accumulation from the breaking down and collection of the ore which formerly reached a much higher level. With, increasing depth comes a decreasing thickness of valuable material. This is especially appreciated by a glance at Mr. Chance&apos;s drawings. This is the reason why so many disappointments have resulted when these ores have been followed to greater depths. Even if the ore is largely derived from oxidation in place, it is impossible to ignore the great number of concretionary forms, as well as those showing the evidence of secondary solution and deposition now taking place, such, for instance, as the part replacements of fragments of quartzite derived from the underlying beds. Concretionary form does not necessarily mean long transportation, and may be a variation of material in place; but commonly it is an evidence of collection, and tends to imply that more or less concentration has taken place. This fact would also argue against an equally extensive develop¬-

Nov 1, 1908

By Frank Rieber

EVERYONE is familiar with the story of the poor Indian and his leaking tepee. He couldn&apos;t repair the leak while it was raining, naturally. And when it wasn&apos;t raining, where was the incentive? Even if this traditional Indian was apochryphal, his counterparts are certainly alive today, and operating on a world-wide scale. - A recent issue of the Wall Street Journal, for example, carried an impassioned letter from an old cocoa planter, who wants the world to know why the price of cocoa has gone skyrocketing. For years, he says, British and American interests have bought cocoa at the cheapest possible price and, incidentally, from growers willing to sell at that price. Between them, they didn&apos;t put enough money back into the business, either to fight disease in the cocoa groves or to plant new cocoa trees. Until new trees are planted and come into bearing, we will be paying exorbitant prices for our cocoa, and getting less of it.

Jan 1, 1948

By Russell G. Haworth

Three companies, United States Potash Company, Potash Company of America, and International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, are now operating potash mines and refineries in the Carlsbad, New Mexico, area. The three mines are located approximately twenty miles east of Carlsbad. The deposits have been found ideal for mechanized mining methods. This summary has been compiled from information made available by the three operating companies.

Jan 1, 1949

By Walter Miller

NOW, after a year&apos;s continued impact of war, the task of the petroleum-refining industry stands out clearly and looms up in larger aspect. This time it is not, as it was so largely in the first World War, simply a matter of increased quantity- more and more of the same petroleum products that had substantially been standard for years. In this era the emphasis is largely on newer and improved materials which had been produced, if at all, in comparatively insignificant quantities, and for which manufacturing equipment was not available on a large scale. At the beginning of 1942 four great product needs (besides a number of lesser one-) confronted the industry: 100-octane aviation gasoline, toluene for T.N.T. production, high-quality lubricating oils for aviation and Army equipment service, and petroleum chemicals for synthetic rubber manufacture.

Jan 1, 1943

By T. M. Girdler

IN THESE perilous days of world- wide uncertainty, this Institute and the profession represented by it take on new importance in the economic life of the nation. I have long been impressed by the fact that the objects of the A.I.M.E. are purely professional and scientific. The country has benefited from your honorable tradition of adherence to those objectives over a period of 68 years. The Institute&apos;s policy of refraining from controversial matters - has made possible the serious, balanced, and uncolored consideration of the particular problems that come before it.

Jan 1, 1939

By Raymond C. Moore

The oil-producing districts of Kansas comprise the northern portion of the so-called Mid-Continent field. As shown in the accompanying map, these districts are located chiefly in the southeastern and south central parts of the state. A considerable area in southeastern Kansas, extending northward nearly to Kansas City, has long been known as oil territory, the productive wells being distributed in patches or spots of irregular size and shape, the location of which is controlled by conditions of rock structure, and by the texture and porosity of the "sands" beneath the surface. In south central Kansas, there are a number of producing fields, the location of which appears to be controlled chiefly by well-defined structure. The most important districts are those in Butler County, especially that in the vicinity of El Dorado, which was for a time the most productive district in the entire Mid-Continent field. Recently new production of importance has been brought in the vicinity of Peabody and present development is active to the north across Marion County. Tests in the western parts of Kansas have not been successful in finding new petroleum fields. Histoby The first well drilled for petroleum, in Kansas, was near the town of Paola, Miami Co., about 40 mi. southwest of Kansas City, in the summer of 1860, only a few months after the completion of the famous "Colonel" Drake discovery well in Pennsylvania. Kansas appears to be the second state to engage in a serious attempt to find oil by drilling. The Civil War caused the temporary abandonment of attempts at oil development in the state. It was in the vicinity of Paola, where numerous oil seepages had been observed, that the first well producing oil in commercial quantities was drilled,&apos; where also gas was first piped to the city for commercial use. Prospecting spread southward into Linn County and northward into

Jan 1, 1921

By John P. Harmon

This paper was written with two objects in view: (1) To describe in detail what has been done toward the ventilation of the main unit of the Portovelo mines and the results; (2) to give information that may be useful to anyone who may have to make a preliminary mine ventilation survey, with recommendations for the improvement of the existing system and finally the maintenance of the improved system. General Description The mining operations of the South American Development Co. at Portovelo, Province of El oro, Ecuador, are described here only briefly, as a full discussion does not fall within the scope of this paper. The orebodies are of the steeply dipping, gold quartz vein type, averaging about 2.0 meters wide. As shown in Fig. 1, the ore chutes are relatively far apart, making considerable development work necessary before connecting raises can be driven between the levels. Faulting&apos; on a large scale and a parallel vein system have made long dead-end drifts and many crosscuts necessary in the exploration of veins. The ventilation of these dead ends is described under Auxiliary Ventilation. The method of mining2 is the filled rill stope method, similar to the method that is largely employed at the Butte mines. The main shaft of the mine is in the Amarillo Valley, on either side of which mountains rise abruptly to a height of several hundred feet above the collar of the shaft. Entrance is made to the mine: (1) Through the American shaft, which extends vertically from the surface to a depth of 1100 ft., of which only the first 700 ft. are in active use at the present time; (2) levels are driven from the American shaft at intervals of 30 m. (100 ft.), of which only the third, fifth and seventh levels need be considered in the ventilation problem; (3) adits at intervals of 30 m. (100 ft.), with a few exceptions, above the collar of the American shaft.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. F. Dietrich

This paper deals with the methods of mining the high-grade clays of California. The fact that the majority of the clay pits in the state are operated on a scale that is small by comparison with most metal mines causes a diversity of methods and gives rise to problems of selection of the method best suited to given conditions. Two or three operators in California produce approximately 500 tons per day of a single kind of clay from a single pit. About five varieties of clay are mined on a scale of 200 to 400 tons per day; not over 15 varieties are mined on a scale of 50 to 200 tons per day; and more than 50 varieties are mined at the rate of less than 50 tons per day. It is the aim of this paper to delimit, as far as the data at hand permit, the conditions and scale of operations that favor the selection of each dominant method of mining that is actually being applied at California properties. Details of the occurrence and utilization of the clays of California have been given in a recent bulletin1 and will not be considered here. Geographical and Geological Features of California Clay Deposits The greater part of the high-grade clays consumed by clay-working plants in California is mined from one of three producing areas in the state: (1) Lincoln, Placer County, on the eastern edge of the Sacramento valley, 30 miles northeast of Sacramento; (2) Ione, Amador County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 38 miles northeast of Stockton, and 12 miles west of Jackson, one of the important towns of the famous Mother Lode gold-mining district; and (3) Alberhill, Riverside County, 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Other districts of minor importance are near Cardiff and Carlsbad, San Diego County, and El Toro and San Juan Capistrano, Orange County. In addition, there are a number of isolated properties in various parts of the state.

Jan 1, 1928

By Emile Rector Abadie

The picturesque little mining town of Grass Valley, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at an altitude of 2500 feet, has been for 43 years the scene of uninterrupted activity and prosperity, as the center of a mining district which was intimately associated with the pioneer days of California, and the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall, in El Dorado county, in January, 1848. Although placer-mining was inaugurated in Nevada county as early as 1848, the first quartz ledge was not located until the summer of 1850. Discoveries made on Gold Hill and Massachusetts Hill increased the excitement in quartz-mining, and hastened the erection (during the same year) of the first mill operated in the State. At the close of 1864, the district had produced $23,000,000 in gold, and all the well-known properties of to-day had been discovered and worked. The Eureka-Idaho, the North Star, and the Empire mines were in active operation ; and to-day we still find them equipped with large crushing-plants, operating 80 per cent. of all the stamps in the immediate Grass Valley district. Of the mines just named, the North Star possesses the most recently constructed mill, a description of which, the writer believes, may prove of interest to members of the Institute engaged in the milling of goldores. During the year 1386, operations at the North Star mine (the property of the North Star Mining Company) had reached such a stage of development that the necessity of a crushing-plant at the mine became imperative, and early in October the erection of a 30stamp mill was in progress. The building designed to contain 40 stamps was speedily erected ; and within sixty days the large structure was under cover. Plate A represents the appearance of the mill 40 days after work was commenced. Late in February, 1887, the mill was in readiness, and, upon the

Jan 1, 1895

By Arthur S. Dwight

From the latest and best literature on lead-smelting, little can be learned concerning the present state of the art of mechanical feeding in the United States. H. O. Hofman, in his Metallurgy of Lead (5th ed., 1899), briefly describes the main features of the system in use at Pueblo, Colo., and later (p. 235) says " the only successful mechanical feeding, as far as the writer is aware, is that found at the works of the Pueblo Smelting and Refining Co." H. F. Collins, in his Metallurgy of Lead and Silver (London, 1899), covers American practice pretty thoroughly; but as to mechanical charging, he says: "The German plan of taking off the gases by means of a small iron pipe suspended in the center, and the plan of charging by means of cup and cone, as in iron blast-furnaces, have both been tried, but have not found favor, chiefly on account of the difficulty of obtaining free access to the furnace-shaft for barring, etc., with such devices."&apos; . H. W. Hixon, in his Notes on Lead and Copper Smelting (3d ed., New York, 1900), gives a description and drawing of the Hixon feeding device, as originally installed at East Helena. Evidence that this system of feeding has passed its experimental stage, and deserves more serious consideration than it has heretofore received, is furnished by two large plants—the Pueblo and the East Helena—of the American Smelting and Refining Co., where mechanical feeding has been in continuous and successful operation for a considerable period; one new plant now erecting at Salt Lake City, Utah, and one old one belonging to the same company, the El Paso works, now being rebuilt after a disastrous fire, in both of which mechanical feeding is to be a prominent feature ; one new plant of an independent concern at Torreon, Mexico, which will adopt mechanical feeding; and a number of other smaller plants, among

Jan 1, 1902

By L. A. Cowan

IF the elements of personality be those characteristics in which humans differ, and if this definition be applied to the purchasing department for the Climax operations in Colorado, it must he concluded that this department has no distinguishing traits that would give it a departmental personality different from that possessed by the similar department of any progressive mining enterprise. Or, one may go further by stating that the rudimentary functions of any purchasing practice employed principally in the acquisition of maintenance, repair, and operating supplies are much alike, whether or not the industry involved be mining or milling. However, in the fact that the principal purchases of a mining company are materials for maintenance and repair and consumable operating supplies lies that essential characteristic which differentiates mining and milling purchasing functions from those of the manufacturer, the fabricator, or the ordinary processor.

Jan 1, 1946

By W. W. Anderson

A formula for quantitative efficiency is proposed, in which the efficiency value is a function of the improperly distributed material at the, gravity of separation effected by the cleaning equipment. The misplaced material is expressed as a percentage of the total material discharged from the equipment. Numerous examples are given, demonstrating application of the formula to various types of separation, including multiple-product separations.

Jan 1, 1950