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By Paul M. Tyler, Oliver Bowles

The extensive employment of nonmetallic minerals antedates the use of metals, but only within the last two decades has the production of nonmetals begun actually to keep pace with the complicated activities which characterize the so-called Machine Age. The economic changes ushered in by the Industrial Revolution were reflected first in an increased demand for metals and for fuels. In the modern sense, therefore, the nonmetallic mineral industries are new and afford new opportunities for engineer and economist alike. A certain amount of caution is indicated, therefore, before attempting to apply ready-made formulas to the problems of these industries. Economics is not an exact science. In the field of production technology where the number of variables is fairly well known, the principles of economics are readily applicable, but as the student proceeds through the province of marketing into the unexplored regions of psychology and sociology he must distinguish carefully between scientific reasoning and purely metaphysical speculation, even when the latter masquerades as economics. The present paper attempts to prove no preconceived theorems and is designed primarily to stimulate careful thinking on sundry neglected phases of these industries. An attempt is made to differentiate the general problems into single aspects which afford promise of being comprehended separately; also, some fundamental statistical data are presented, but merely to indicate a method of scientific approach applicable to more intensive studies. Definition Before discussing the economics of the nonmetallic mineral industries, it is appropriate to consider what we mean when we say "nonmetallic minerals." This term, inasmuch as it is merely a negative description, is somewhat loose and ambiguous and gives rise to questions in regard to minerals that, like chromite or bauxite, are alternatively classed either as nonmetallic or as metallic minerals (or ores). The chrome ore used to make ferrochrome for steel manufacture is undoubtedly metallic in character; similar material destined for use as a refractory in the same

Jan 1, 1934

By Evan Just

Government aid, regulation, and participation in the mineral industry are not new; they date back to the time when man first adopted communal living. Even in primitive tribal life, the obtaining of arrowhead or ceramic materials, washing of gold, or mining of copper were specialized activities, under tribal sponsorship. Later, when kingdoms, dynasties, and hierarchies developed, titles to mining properties were held by the sovereign or the state, work usually being done by slaves. Title acquisition through denouncement developed in Europe in the late Middle Ages and spread to the Western Hemisphere with the Spanish and Portuguese empires. Denouncements still recognized the rights of the sovereign in the requirement to pay royalties, which practice continues in many places today. Thus, anyone who views government participation in mineral activity as "encroachment" has no historical perspective. Only in a few countries and for a few generations have private interests enjoyed the right to exploit mineral deposits without the specific consent of the sovereign or without payment of royalty. Governments and the mineral industry have been linked together by other factors. Governments have had special interest in metals and minerals as stores of value and for armaments. Spanish conquests in the New World were energized by the lure of gold and silver. Pursuit of gold led to the American seizure of California in the days of the Forty-niners. The strategic importance of minerals in our own times has called for special steps to stimulate production in national emergencies and to prevent the enemy from acquiring mineral supplies. Our export controls to deny certain minerals to unfriendly countries, purchases for Government stockpile, and subsidies for domestic production are examples. Production regulation by state governments of oil and gas has become a well established routine. In brief, the mineral industry has never lacked aid, regulation, and participation by governments. The entrepreneur who wishes to explore for or develop minerals must deal with governments in most areas before he can begin, because mineral rights are reserved by them. He can proceed through discovery and de-

Jan 1, 1964

By N. V. Hansell

The last few years have shown an increasing interest in the subject of beneficiating iron-ores in all iron-producing countries. In the United States, this movement has been slower than in certain parts of Europe, for the obvious reason that the abundance and relative cheapness of the Lake Superior irou-ores has hindered the development of enterprises for the preparation of low-grade ores. Gradually, however, conditions have changed. The world's consumption of iron is increasing enormously. Being in 1900 about 40,000,000 tons, in 1910 it was already 60,000,000; and there is no reason to doubt that for the near future the increase in iron-cousumption mill continue at the same rapid rate, especially with the development of China, certain parts of Africa, and other regions which have hardly been touched as yet by modern industrialism. It is, therefore, not surprising that apprehension is felt that the known available iron-ore resources of the world are gradually being depleted. Signs of this feeling are the recent iuvestigation, under the direction of the U. S. Geological Survey, of the iron-ore resources of the United States, and the estimate presented to the last International Geological Congress, at Stockholm, Sweden, of the iron-ore resources of the world. These investigations have emphasized the fact that the known high-grade ore-deposits are limited in extent, and will, at a not distant future, be exhausted, compelling the iron industry to depend for raw material on the enormous deposits of low-gratle ores which are distributed over almost all the world. The discovery of new deposits of high-grade ore, in countries not yet thoroughly explored, will not materially change this prospect. Of course, the part which such new deposits will play in the future cannot be forecast. The difficulty and cost of transportation will probably exclude many of them from use at the present centers of the iron industry.

Jan 1, 1913

By J. E. Tobey, David R. Mitchell, J. H. Kerrick

DETAILED knowledge of purchase specifications established by coal consumers is essential to the successful design and operation of a coal preparation plant. ANTHRACITE Specifications should be considered by both the consumer and the producer as guide posts outlining a certain path for both to follow. Plants differ, therefore specifications must differ to meet the varied requirements. Specifications are not of themselves a "cureall" or an assurance of complete satisfaction in fuel utilization. Specifications should not be regarded as a license to engage in an orgy of buying any and all coals that may happen to fall within their limits. This would lead to the indiscriminate mixing of coals which may vary in their burning characteristics. Different coals of equal grade tend to be individualistic in their burning characteristics. Rather, specifications should be used to help simplify coal selection, to reduce the actual number of coals used over a given period; in other words, to have a stabilizing influence on coal or customer turnover. In the final analysis, the use of too many coals per year in a plant is costly to both the consumer and the producer. Too many sources usually result in higher operating and maintenance costs for the consumer and higher sales costs for the producer. Finally, the statement included in the report accompanying the comprehensive Coal Selection Charts prepared by the Coal Committee of the National Association of Purchasing Agents, and released in 1938, is significant. This Committee worked diligently for a period of 15 years seeking to find a scientific and reliable method for selecting coals. The two following paragraphs are quoted from its report: More important is the fact that no ready-made classification or set of specifications can possibly replace the judgment and resourcefulness of an experienced combustion engineer or fuel technologist, nor the usual need for full scale plant tests under the exact conditions of use before a final decision is made.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. E. Tobey, David R. Mitchell, J. H. Kerrick

DETAILED knowledge of purchase specifications established by coal consumers is essential to the successful design and operation of a coal-preparation plant. ANTHRACITE Specifications should be considered by both the consumer and the producer as guide posts outlining a certain path for both to follow. Plants differ, therefore specifications must differ to meet the varied requirements. Specifications are not of themselves a "cure all" or an assurance of complete satisfaction in fuel utilization. Specifications should not be regarded as a license to engage in an orgy of buying any and all coals that may happen to fall within their limits. This would lead to the-indiscriminate mixing of coals which may vary in their burning characteristics. Different coals of equal grade tend to be individualistic in their burning characteristics. Rather, specifications should be used to help simplify coal selection, to reduce the actual number of coals used over a given period; in other words, to have a stabilizing influence on coal or customer turnover. In the final analysis, the use of too many coals per year in a plant is costly to both the consumer and the producer. Too many sources usually result in higher operating and maintenance costs for the consumer and higher sales costs for the producer. Finally, the statement included in the report accompanying the comprehensive Coal Selection Charts prepared by the Coal Committee of the National Association of Purchasing Agents, and released in 1938, is significant. This Committee worked diligently for a period of 15 years seeking to find a scientific and reliable method for selecting coals. The two following paragraphs are quoted from its report: More important is the fact that no ready-made classification or set of specifications can possibly replace the judgment and resourcefulness of an experienced combustion engineer, or fuel technologist, nor the usual need for full scale plant tests under the exact conditions of use before a final decision is made . . .

Jan 1, 1943

Coal was known in this county before 1819, but there is no record of its use before that year. In that year a furnace, the first one built in the northwestern countries, was put in blast on Bear Creek; it was built to use coke and its first blast was with this fuel, which was made in heaps, but the blast was too weak and the furnace chilled after two or three tons of iron had been made. Charcoal was then substituted, and this use of coal ceased.1 In November of the same year a resolution was adopted urging state aid for a road from Kittanning to. Hamilton, New York: "that this road will increase the trade and industry of the whole county, between Pittsburgh and the New York line; and that our soil will in consequence be better tilled, our mines of coal, of iron and of salt, be better wrought, etc."2 In 1828 an advertisement of lands situated near Freeport on the Allegheny River and contiguous to the canal nearly completed between the Kiskiminitas and Pittsburgh stated that they contained "large and never failing springs, Coal in abundance, and a great deal of Fine Timber."3 In 1830 there were said to have been 24 salt wells in this county producing 327,000 bushels of salt, chiefly on the Kiski and Allegheny Rivers. In 1837 there were a number of wells in the vicinity of Freeport. As all the salt works on the Conemaugh River, were using coal long before 1830,4 it is safe to say that a considerable tonnage of coal was used for some years in these plants. In 1837 a tract of land in Clarion Township having a new saw mill and abounding "in Stone Coal" was offered for sale,5 and also one in Toby Township having "an abundance of the best quality of iron ore and stone coal."' In 1839 an advertisement in the Pittsburgh Mercury said

Jan 1, 1942

By R. W. Raymond

The tidings of Mr. Hewitt's death, cabled to me at Rome, Italy, brought me a great shock as well as a sincere sorrow. I had left him, a few weeks before, not indeed in vigorous health, but still quite able to command recognition as a continued power in public affairs; and I thought him destined to enjoy for many years that final stage of a long, active and honored career, in which, having passed beyond the struggles and rivalries of business and of politics, his life and character could be justly appreciated by all men, like some noble work of art, already crowned, and marked henceforward "hors de concours." Moreover, he was, and would be to the end, not merely the passive recipient of admiration and esteem, but the source of iuspiring appeals, effective warnings and wise counsel. His rich and varied experience he had placed at the service of his fellows. His lightest word was weighty, and those who contradiEted him only injured their own cause thereby. Great trusts (true " trusts," in the old and proper sense of the term), like the Cooper Union, the Carnegie Institution, and others, still commanded his disinterested services. Great principles of liberty and of justice continued to be reinforced in perilous crises by his powerful advocacy; great measures were daily receiving from him a decisive impetus. No wonder it seemed to. us that this happy period of reward so well earned, and of beneacence so welcome to innumerable recipients of its blessing, must continue yet awhile. We did not expect the night instailtly to engulf the full-orbed sun. Nor, indeed, has this been our experience; in this instance, the sunset has left an afterglow more luminous than many a noonday. For the principal data contained in the following brief sketch of Mr. Hewitt's life, I rely upon memoranda personally approved by hirn, some months before his death, for my use in

Jan 1, 1904

By Charles M. Means

A thoroughly modern coal-handling system has been installed at the Pittsburgh Terminal H. H. &. Coal Co.'s new No. 8 shaft, or Cover-dale mine, about 11 mi. (17.7 km.) from Pittsburgh on a spur of the Montour R. R. The Pittsburgh scam, which is the one worked, is reached at a depth of 342 ft. (104 m.). Power is delivered to the mine at 22,000 volts over a transmission line of the bow-arrow type of construction. A private telephone line connecting the various mines and the main office in Pittsburgh is carried on the same poles. The high-tension line is brought to an outdoor, step-down, transformer substation, where three 833-kv.-a., single-phase, 60-cycle, oil-insulated, self-cooled transformers reduce the potential to 2300 volts. The transformers are protected by electrolytic, aluminum-cell lightning arresters, horn gaps, and choke coils. High and low-tension busses, together with fuses, choke coils and air-break horn-gap switches with thcir remote-control operating mechanism are mounted on a substantial structural-steel tower 25 ft. (7.6 m.) in height. Mine Substation The transformer substation is adjacent to a. pressed-brick building that houses direct-current substation equipment together with switchboards, etc., for the control and distribution of power. This building also contains the hoist for the men and supplies. Main Switchboard The 2300-volt circuit is carried underground in a conduit from the transformer substation to an oil switch in the substation and supply hoist building. This is the main switch controlling the 2300-volt busbars mounted back to a twelve-panel black-slate switchboard. From the switchboard, 2300-volt circuits are carried to transformers feeding the street and house lighting systems and to other transformers furnishing power for the elevator and lighting circuits in the store building. Other 2300-volt circuits run from this switchboard to the main hoist building, fan house and auxiliary or man-and-supply hoist. High-tension wiring,

Jan 1, 1922

By B. D. Thomas

GRAVITY concentration is a general term designating processes for separating and sorting granular material by means of forces that depend on the density, size and shape of the particles. When these forces are applied to the particles the latter are caused to move, those of a given density along one path and those of a different density along another, until ultimately they are sufficiently separated to be removed from the operation of the process. The forces producing this separation are in general complex and, unfortunately, no completely rigorous analysis of them has as yet been devised. The science of the hydrodynamics of viscous fluids deals with the little that is known about the problem. Every observer of nature is familiar with the fact that an object moving in a fluid encounters a force of resistance. We have only to walk against a brisk wind or stir a cup of coffee, or observe the slow fall of a grain of sand in water, to experience directly the fact that such forces exist. The exchange of force between an object and a fluid in which it is moving operates on the fluid as well as on the object. Thus a sailboat may be set in motion by the force exerted by the wind on the sail; but the sail also deflects the wind-furthermore, the water in which the boat floats is set in motion by the force exerted by the boat as it cleaves through the water. The wind is thus enabled to do work on the water through the intermediary of the boat. In general, an object moving through a fluid encounters a force that opposes the motion and also acts to change the motion of the fluid. In gravity concentration we are dealing with this force of resistance acting on the granular particles that are to be separated. Furthermore, the motion induced in the fluid by a particle will in turn affect the motion

Jan 1, 1943

By R. H. Thurston

THE writer became convinced, many years ago, that the generally accepted values of the coefficient of friction for lubricated surfaces were not applicable to such heavy machinery as he had been called upon, in the course of professional work, to design, to construct, and to operate. Experience frequently seemed to indicate, also, a wide departure, in such cases, from the accepted "laws of friction." In the year 1869, or earlier, he invented an apparatus to redetermine these laws and these coefficients for a wide range of temperatures, pressures and velocities. The construction of the machine was delayed, however, some time, and no experiments were made for several years, when, finally, the construction of the apparatus was commenced in the workshops of the Stevens Institute of Technology, and experiments were begun in the Mechanical Laboratory organized by the writer in connection with the Department of Engineering. These machines have now been in use about five years, and have furnished an immense amount of valuable information. Those now in use are of two styles: one designed and built by the Class of 1877, Figs. 1 and 2; the other a much larger machine, Figs. 3 and 4. The first has been already frequently described,* and a working drawing of the second has been also published.† For convenience, engravings of both are herewith reproduced. In the “'77 machine,” a journal, F, is made on the overhung extremity of a shaft carried in the two bearings, B B'. This journal is grasped by brass boxes which are carried in a pendulum, II H. They are forced against the journal by a screw which compresses a coiled spring with a pressure which is read off on the scale, N H. A weight at the lower end of the arm, at I, gives it the necessary resistance to deflection. The angle of deflection is measured on the * In Scientific American, Railroad Gazette, Jour. Frank. Inst., Johnson's Cyclopaedia, Knight's Mechanical Dictionary, etc. † Railroad Gazette, Jan. 18th, 1878, p. 25.

Jan 1, 1879

By Charles H. MacDowell

Up to 1909 the American public had little knowledge of, or interest in, potash. Some remembered that it had to do with soft soap and sore throat,, but further they knew not. In 1909-10, the German-American potash war, and the publicity attending hostilities, brought home to America the knowledge that potash was an important article of commerce; that Germany monopolized its production and distribution, and exercised all the prerogatives attending complete control. The present war, with its transportation embargo, has again directed attention to Germany's strength as a potash producer and her present unfortunate situation as a distributor. As a consequence, the search for potash takes on new life and it again becomes a subject of general interest. My first knowledge of potash came from a study of the German potash exhibit at the World's Fair in 1893. This investigation led to the recommendation that Armour & Co. engage in the manufacture of commercial fertilizers and the fertilizer branch was organized early in 1894. From then to now " potash " has been a live subject. Two and eight-tenths per cent. of the earth's crust consists of potassium oxide. It is an important constituent of feldspar, granite, and other igneous rocks. Potash is valuable commercially in a water-soluble form. In igneous rocks it is locked in so tight that it is of little value and no utilization in a commercial way has been made of these insoluble forms. Potash in water-soluble form is found in large deposits in Germany; in smaller deposits in Austria and Spain; and in brines in some of our Western arid basins. The deposits in Germany, Austria, and Spain are concentrations from sea waters containing potash derived from the decomposition of potash-bearing rocks. It has been found that the amount of potash remaining in decomposed rocks is not the same as that in the original rock. For instance, granite containing originally 5.58 per cent. potash contained only 1.49 per cent, in the decomposed rock. Syenite containing 6 per cent. in the original

Jan 1, 1915

By Galen Clevenger

THE losses of gold and silver occurring during the conversion of the precipitate, resulting from the cyanide process, into bullion may occur in two ways: first, there may be mechanical losses during the handling of the precipitate up to the time that it is charged into the melting furnace; and second, there may be losses after the precipitate reaches the melting furnace. Much of the loss during the handling of the pre-cipitate can be eliminated, and in fact, in modern plants this loss is known to be very small; particularly since preliminary acid treatment of the precipitate with the attendant extra operations has been abandoned in all but certain plants where gold predominates and this extra step is still deemed necessary. The losses in the melting furnace are from dusting and volatilization; losses in the furnace bottom and linings; floor sweepings; and slag and matte. The gold and silver in the: products which do not: go out of the flue are readily recoverable by standard methods, and while there may be considerable gold and silver tied up at times, the ultimate loss with careful "work should be small. The losses resulting from volatilization and dusting in connection with the melting of the silver slime from copper refineries have been determined by standard methods, and the possible recovery: definitely estab-lished through the installation and operation of electro-static precipitation units. This subject has not been thoroughly investigated in connection with the melting of`. cyanide precipitate; at least, there are no published accounts of such tests. Experiments have been made in the past to determine melting losses by weighing and assaying the precipitate, but this method gives results which are uncertain on account of the difficulty of accurately sampling and assaying cyanide precipitate. Attempts to ascertain these losses by bubbling a measured sample of the gas through cyanide solution or, other absorbent have likewise failed to give depend-able results.

Jan 1, 1922

By Howard N. Eavenson

The information contained in the following paper was collected at the request of the U. S. Coal Commission, and is published with the permission of that body and of the various companies furnishing the data. For obvious reasons, the names of the companies are not given. No data were obtained from states south of Virginia or west of the Mississippi River. The data about the amount of labor, in man-hours, required in producing a ton of bituminous coal have been collected with the idea of showing what is being done at some well-managed plants, and not to show the average amount required by all mines, which undoubtedly is considerably higher than the average of the figures shown.* Almost all of the figures were supplied by the various companies in reply to a questionnaire; when they were obtained from other sources the company was asked to verify them. On account of the amount of work required, the data were only requested for one or two months for each plant, and the figures represent in each case a month when the car supply was good and the work was practically steady. In the case of most of the West Virginia and Kentucky mines, these conditions were best met in May and June, 1922. The mines for which the figures are given are arranged by states and as to whether the mine operates under union or non-union or open-shop conditions. The union mines listed are generally considered to be as well-managed as are the non-union ones. The production per month in a few cases includes the amount of slate which is loaded and hauled out of the mine, as of course this requires nearly as much labor per ton as does the coal. These cases are noted. The number of days worked includes only the total time in which the tipple operated; not the number of days on which the mines operated. This makes the output per day appear slightly higher than it should be in

Jan 1, 1924

By Thomas Adair

Moderator-Thomas Adair is now a tunnel consultant with Perini Corp., Spring Lake, N.J. He has had 40 years experience in tunnel and shaft-sinking work in both soft and hard rock, as well as subaqueous rock. He has used moles in various locations and has traveled around the world studying the problems. SOME BRIEF COMMENTS ON "MOLES" by Thomas Adair We of the Perini Corp. have been, over the past 15 years, in the forefront of the battle to develop the mechanized miner. We have contributed much to pioneer, develop, and promote the use of the mining machine. Our money and talent have not been spared in this effort. However, we are sorry to say that as of the present time (1968), at least from the economic stand- point, this effort has not been very rewarding. But, I must say to those who are presently involved in the work of building mining machines, do not be discouraged. There is money in it. We of Perini Corp. know because we put it in there. It has been estimated that during the next 15 years, some $20 billion will be spent on underground excavation; more than 13 thousand miles of sub- surface tunnels will be excavated throughout the nation. An aggressive, properly structured research and development effort would produce, within the next five or ten years, a better excavation technology and improved boring system capable of reducing present costs drastically, with a resultant great saving. The time for this effort is now, but where the enabling money for this effort will come from, I have no idea. Machine builders should be encouraged to design and develop a shield- type boring machine capable of continuous mining through varying types of ground or rock by incorporating the possibility of making minor modifications such as change of bit type, power package, etc. Such a machine could

Jan 1, 1970

By J. Versluys

A well can flow exclusively through the casing or exclusively through a tubing but can also flow partly through a casing and at the top part through a tubing. The main principles of the flowing of wells under these conditions were explained in the author's former paper.' Practically all factors that influence the regular flow are dealt with therein. The question of irregular flow, however, will be discussed briefly here. As a rule, an irregular flow must be avoided, as it may be assumed that the efficiency is thereby very small, while on many fields it is injurious to the sand of the oil-bearing layer. Periodical flowing often occurs with rising mixtures of gas and liquid. The phenomenon can be explained if it is accepted that two conditions are possible in the mixture; namely, the foam condition and the mist condition. If there is no stabilizer in the liquid, the foam condition can exist only when the liquid forms a greater portion of the volume than the gas. The mist condition, on the other hand, can exist only when the liquid occupies a smaller part of the volume than the gas. The foam condition occurs when there are gas bubbles in the liquid mass, while in the mist condition drops of liquid are disseminated in a gas-filled space. For sake of simplicity, it has been assumed that the mist condition prevails when 50 per cent. or more of the volume is occupied by gas, while with less than 50 per cent. gas the foam condition will arise. For distilled water and for oils which do not tend to form stable foams this is probably approximately true. If this does not hold good, however, two cases are possible: (1) The fields of the two conditions overlap or (2) they do not meet. If the fields of the conditions overlap there is an intermediate field where either of the two conditions can exist, depending on the history of the mixture. Suppose the foam condition prevails first and the gas

Jan 1, 1931

By Guy W. Crane

The geology of the Tintie mining district, fully treated, would occupy an elaborate monograph. This less comprehensive paper is devoted primarily to the occurrence and origin of the orebodies of the district, while space is given to those phases of the general geology only which seem necessary to a proper setting of such a discussion. The first geological report on the Tintic district to be issued was that by Tower and Smith, published in 1899, in the form of a paper in Part III of the Nineteenth Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey, and also as Folio No. 65, Geologic Atlas of the United States. About four years ago a second investigation was begun by Waldemar Lindgren and G. F. Loughlin, of the U. S. Geological Survey. With the exception of a paper on the oxidized zinc ores of the Tintic district by Mr. Loughlin, the results of their work are still unpublished. The writer's acquaintance with the district began in the fall of 1913, and has extended over a period of about two years. 1. Location The Tintic district lies about 65 miles due south of Salt Lake City, and on the west central slope of the Tintic Mountains, a short range, which forms the connecting link between the Oquirrh Mountains on the north and the Canyon Range on the south—the group constituting the first of the Basin ranges to the west of the Wasatch Mountains. The productive portion of the district embraces an area about 6 miles long and 2 miles wide, which is divided between Juab and Utah Counties. Within this area are the towns of Eureka, Mammoth, Robinson, Silver City, and Knightsville. All these points are tapped by the Denver & Rio Grande and S. P., L. A. & S. L. Railways. 2. Topography As in most of the Basin ranges, topographic relief is strong, dropping rapidly from peaks of 8,100 ft. above sea level to elevations of 5,600 ft. in Tintic Valley on the west and 4,500 ft. in Goshen Valley on the east.

Jan 1, 1916

By A. S. Adams

A glance at the list of papers1 that have been published since 1920 on the general subject of flotation suggests the variety of ideas that exist regarding the underlying cause of the phenomenon. Among these ideas, we find several coherent theories, but none that adequately and completely explain the phenomenon. Ralston2 and Bains3 suggested an electrical theory which has to do with the attachment of mineral particles to a bubble by the attraction of unlike electrical charges. This theory has its root in the fact that a bubble of air in pure water is electrified in such a way that the surfacc is negatively charged while the body of the water is positively charged. This result, which was first discussed by Helmholtz, also obtains when the water contains anything except a high concentration of hydrogen ions, or ions which are trivalent or tetravalent. The theory also holds that the mineral particles have positive charges on their surfaces, and so there is attachment between bubble surface and mineral particles by the old law of electrostatics, which states that unlike charges attract. Contact Angle and Oil Attraction The contact angle—the angle formed by a fluid-fluid boundary when both are in contact with a solid-—has been indicted several times for complicity in the phenomenon of flotation. This angle is supposed to indirectly measure the surface energy of a solid. Thus if we have two fluids in contact with a solid, we may express the difference between the two fluid-solid tensions as equal to the fluid-fluid tension times the cosine of the angle between the two fluids.4 If the two fluids are in contact with the solid, this is, no doubt, an excellent way of establishing relative surface energies. However, in flotation, we deal with substances which are not wetted by water. What assurance have we, then, that the angle

Jan 1, 1928

By E. Robert Ruhlman

The term potash refers to potassium oxide (K2O), a compound not found in nature or produced by man but used as a basis for comparison of all potassium compounds and now is applied generally to various compounds of potassium used by agriculture and industry. Potassium, the last of the three major plant foods to be used in appreciable quantities by agriculture, was originally produced only from organic materials for chemical uses. The first recorded identification of a mineral source of potassium was in 1797; but, until the discovery in 1839 of the large deposits of soluble potassium salts in Germany and their development in 1860-61, nearly all potassium compounds continued to come from organic sources. With the importance of potash to plant life discovered in 1840 by von Liebig and the production of potash in Germany after 1861, agriculture soon became the major consumer of potash. In 1958 agriculture accounted for about 95 pct of the total potash consumption; the chemical industry used the remaining 5 pct. Mineralogy and Geology Potassium, an important constituent of the earth's crust, occurs in many forms in numerous rocks and minerals, including water solutions, but is not found in its native state. Twenty-five of the more important potash minerals are listed in Table 1. The properties of the five potash minerals most common in Permian salt formations follow: Sylvite is isometric; has a hardness of 2, a specific gravity of 1.98, vitreous luster, and cubic cleavage; and ranges in color from clear to brick red. In taste it is similar to halite but has a sharper taste and a cooling effect on the tongue. It is very plastic under pressure. Langbeinite is isometric; has a hardness of 4, a specific gravity of 2.82, vitreous luster, conchoidal fracture, and no cleavage; and ranges in color from clear to gray. It is taste- [ ] less, somewhat granular, and slowly soluble in water. Polyhalite is triclinic; has a hardness of 3, a specific gravity of 2.77, and dull luster; and

Jan 1, 1960

By C. L. Berrien

MANY fires have occurred in the mines of Butte in recent years, and while all have been of a serious nature, simply because they were mine fires, six of them have been especially dangerous in respect to loss of life and property, and the expense of extinguishing or controlling them. It is not my intention to discuss the relative merits of methods used in fighting these different fires because the conditions under which they occurred varied in each case, and it was not always advisable to expend the large sum of money necessary to actually extinguish them if they could he bulk-headed off from the rest of the mine. It is needless to say that everything possible has been done to check all fires at the beginning, but without success in some cases; and it has then become necessary to bulkhead all connections to them, in which state several now exist. The mine fires of Butte, or fires in any mine, may be divided into two classes, namely: Those occurring in accessible workings, and those occurring in inaccessible workings; because these two conditions govern to the greatest extent the methods of fighting fires. Accessibility and in-accessibility in the case of mine fires concern not only new open workings and old closed workings, respectively, but also the condition of the ventilation in and about those places. When a fire is accessible at the start it should not be difficult to confine it to a small area and extinguish it in a relatively short time, but when it is impossible to actually reach a fire in old filled, abandoned workings, or there is no opening by which the gases may be conducted away from the fire zone, then the time consumed in changing those conditions permits the fire to increase to such an extent that it is a long, hard fight to overcome it.

Jan 6, 1915

By Jed H. Mosgrove

Ventilation is the method of producing, conducting, and distributing a constant current of fresh air through mine workings and returning the impure air to the outside atmosphere. Without ventilation no operations are possible in an underground mine. Therefore it is the most important single phase of mining, one on which everything else depends. A good ventilation system, therefore, must be correctly designed, properly conducted as the workings advance, and continually checked to make sure it is functioning correctly. Good air is essential for men to comfortably and safely perform their work. It is also essential to dilute, render harmless, and sweep the mine of any explosive fumes and the gases that are released in varying degrees by all coal seams and the rock strata in which they are contained. GENERAL The body of air that is being moved through the mine, known as the ventilating current, must have a definite way to enter and leave the mine. In other words, there must be a definite intake and return. The main consideration is to get the proper amount of good quality air to the working faces where it is needed. Inasmuch as the mine is divided into sections with interconnecting corridors, known as entries, it is necessary that there be a proper means of conducting the air to the proper points. As a simple explanation of a mine, consider a long tube and think of it in terms of a mine entry ill which the air must pass. The tube must have at least two openings before air can travel through it and this is the same for coal mine entries. The problem in ventilation is to find some means that will cause the air in the tube to flow from one end to the other. The only possible way to do this is to cause greater pressure at one end of the tube than at the other. Air at the end with the greatest pressure would then, of course, flow to the en which has the least pressure. Mine

Jan 1, 1973