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By AIME AIME

OUT of the fabulous iron ranges of Michigan?s Upper Peninsula since Pearl Harbor have come go to the steel mills to become tanks, guns, ships, and other weapons for a United Nations' victory. But the contributions to the war effort, as far as Michigan's iron country is concerned, do not stop there. The same men who mine iron ore deep inside the earth also are "mining" on top of the ground, gleaning a harvest of scrap iron and steel that is writing a big chapter in the War Production Board's salvage program. At virtually every mine over an area of a hundred square miles, everyone from the top mine official and straw boss to the man in the dippings is scrap conscious. They know the importance of the ore they mine but they are equally familiar with the importance of iron and steel scrap in war production. The successful job they are doing in salvage is a tribute to the entire Upper Michigan mining industry and to the man who marshaled them into action-John M. Bush, chief of the land department for the Cleveland- Cliffs Iron Co. at Negaunee, and for ten years an A.I.M.E. member. Also, this job should be an inspiration to 611 mining. metallurgical, and petroleum communities as to the latent possibilities of organized scrap recovery.

Jan 1, 1943

By Alan Kissock

MOLYBDENUM is thought of as one of the rarer elements, for though it occurs in almost every country of the world it is seldom found in commercial quantities. In this country, however, there is one deposit which makes the term "rare" a misnomer. There are two commercially mined molybdenum minerals: molybdenite, the sulfide, and wulfenite, a lead molybdate. Of these two only the former is of any con- sequence but wulfenite is of mineralogical interest. It is frequently associated with oxidized lead ores and particularly in arid sections. Deposits, however, are usually quite superficial. It is highly oxidized and yet it does not appear to be an alteration product for it apparently disappears below water level and I know of no case where primary molybdenite, or in fact any molybdenum whatever has been identified below these surface wulfenite occurrences. The genesis of wulfenite would make an !- interesting study.

Jan 1, 1933

By Games Slayter

NO reasonably well-informed person believes that the role of minerals, both metallic and nonmetallic, will be any less important in the future than it has been in the past. The contrary is true. Industrialization is based on mineral resources and man's ability to make use of them. A nation's standard of living, its political and military power, will continue to depend largely upon the extent to which it is industrialized-and minerals are the raw materials both of the machine and the power to run the machine. Minerals are also the raw materials of human health and stamina. The world's healthiest, most vigorous, and most long-lived peoples have always been those that have lived in regions of the globe where the earth is rich, and kept rich, in the phosphates and other minerals required for the production of the so-called growth foods. Only a small proportion of the land surface of the globe is suitable under any circumstances for large-scale production of these and other essential foods. As things stand, only a part of this land is capable of such production either because the soil minerals have been exhausted by cultivation, or because they never existed in the soil in sufficient quantities.

Jan 1, 1943

By Arthur A. Center

World production of electrolytic zinc has shown an increase for each year since 1932. Production up to 1936 was summarized in my earlier paper [Trans. A.I.M.E. (1936) 121, 453-4641, and this present paper carries the subject through 1943. During this time of increase, it is safe to say that the average purity has been raised more or less continuously, and the amount of four-nines metal has been in- creased. While the period reflects preparations for and the carrying on of the present war, electrolytic zinc proved its value in many industries as a peacetime metal in the years from 1919 to 1940. World production (Table I) increased from about 594,000 tons in 1936 to around 858,000 tons in 1943; United States production increased from 127,171 tons to 329,903 tons for the same years. Total production of primary zinc in the United States is given in the first column of Table I; retort production of primary zinc, obtained by difference, in the last column. The curves drawn from these figures are shown in Fig. I. They represent continuations of the curves in the earlier paper that cover commercial production of electrolytic zinc from its inception in 1915 to 1935. The earlier paper gave data for total world production and foreign retort production (calculated therefrom) and showed curves of electrolytic vs. retort production

Jan 1, 1944

Robert W. Hunt, Chicago, Ill.:—It has been my good fortune to know of this development of Mr. York's for some time, and I think he will permit me to say that this is not the first demonstration that he has made of his method for rolling difficult shapes, and which, as he has stated, had in the past been regarded as practically impossible. I have good reason to know that Mr. York has been successful on other lines, because I myself went through a period of professional disrepute for having reported favorably on his methods, which received discredit up to the time that it was practically demonstrated that his claims were true ones. Years ago Mr. York built a mill at Duluth, Minn., for the production of structural shapes, and notably of what might be called balanced beams—beams that did not have flanges of restricted width. His scheme was to produce beams with flanges so wide that they could be used in place of built-up beams. The mill, of course, went through the difficulties that such a mill would have to encounter. I mas called upon to make an examination of the property and report. These beams were rolled on a universal mill—a mill which would admit of various-sized sections without change of rolls. I was convinced that Mr. York could do it, and I so reported. Having received condemnation and ridicule for having taken that position, later on I was glad to find that Mr. John Fritz had come to the same conclusion, and had so reported. I concluded we both could rest content, while awaiting developments. Later still, as we all know, there was another difficulty that Mr. York met with—namely, that the architects or structural engineers would not accept his proposed sections. That is still a great difficulty in America. Later, the Grey mill came into successful operation in Luxemburg, producing such sections, which are being used in England and on the Continent. In fact, the whole process, both from a commercial and a mechanical point of view, is a success. The Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa.,

Jan 1, 1907

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Mining Engineer. Graduate of Colorado School of Mines, 1912, experienced in coal, lead manganese and limestone mining, wishes execu¬tive position. A-2146. Graduate Mining Engineer.-Discharged, reserve officer, age 32, single, 7 years' experience holding responsible executive positions, in iron, copper, and talc mining. Well recommended. A-4913. Mine Manager, Superintendent or Engineer. Age 41, graduate of Michigan College of Mines; 20 years' experience in responsible positions in connection with large operations; in iron, copper, pyrites, lead and zinc mines; successful in finding and developing orebodies, increasing production, and reducing costs. Desires a position with a future. A-4081. Mining Engineer.-Graduate from Polytechnicum, Stockholm; 14 years' practical experience in Sweden, United States, Belgium, and Spain, in iron-ore development, mining, and milling; thorough knowledge of English, French and Spanish; desires position as superintendent or assistant manager. Good references; member; now in Sweden. A-4914. Research Engineer. Now in Chile on the erection of a 50-ton mill with modern machinery for the treatment of Chilean nitrate. Desires connection from the first of next year; with firm operating in South or Central America. A-4915. Metallurgical Engineer. Junior member, age 26, single, graduate Columbia School of Mines; recently discharged as lieutenant in the heavy artillery. A-4916. General Superintendent. Technical graduate, age 35, desires position over a group of four or five mines or as assistant general superintendent for a large. company. Has had experience in superintending mines, construction work, opening new and abandoned mines, safety and effi-ciency engineering and handling organized labor. At present employed by a coal company in the middle West. A-4917.

Jan 11, 1919

By Rossiter W. Raymond

The term " pipe-vein " has recently been applied in this country to certain deposits of lead ore in magnesian limestone. The use of the term has been twofold. It has been revived as a term found in textbooks on mineral veins, with the implied or declared assertion that the ore-deposits thus named in this country are similar to those which have borne the title abroad. It has also been advanced as an appropriate name for a new class of deposits, even if such a class had not previously been recognized. In either case, the assumption is that pipe-veins form a group or class by themselves, and are not merely interior and subordinate features in larger deposits. The peculiar mining law of the United States, which regards " the vein," whatever that may be, as the basis of title, lends a special interest to these claims. But the object of this paper is rather to discuss the subject from the standpoint of geology and technical literature. I shall briefly answer two questions: (1) What are pipe-veins as described in technical literature? and (2) Is the name appropriate or necessary for a new class of deposits ? The term " pipe-ore," as applied, for instance, to irregular, cylin-

Jan 1, 1879

By R. J. Grissom

PHOSPHATE deposits have been worked in many countries of central and south central Tennessee, but only ht ebrown rock deposits of Maury and Giles Counties will be discussed at any length in this articles, as all of the major opeations are now located there. They are: Mt. Pleasant District-Federal Chemical Co., Hoover and Mason Phosphae Co., International Minerals and Chemical Corp. (Maury and Giles Counties), Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corp. (formerly Charleston Mining Co.), and Victor Chemical Co. Columbia District-Armour Fertilizer Works and Monsanto Chemical Co. In the near future, the well-known, extensive deposits of blue rock in Lewis and Hickman Counties,also the brown rock in Hickman, Willamson, Summer and Davidson Counties, will again come into production. Certain physical peculiarities of the Tenessee deposit have played an important part in the design and use of mining and milling equipment.

Jan 1, 1944

By P. K. Lucke

One of the interesting features connected with the great continental uplift, which formed the table land of Mexico, is the great depth to which oxidation and secondary enrichment of orebodies occurred. This table land lies at altitudes ranging from 4000 to 7000 ft. (1219 to 2133 m.) above sea level. Several cases could be cited of oxidized zones in copper and lead mines which reached depths of upward of 1500 ft. (457 m.) below the surface, and it is universally admitted that the oxidized zone in a mine is limited by the permanent water level. Mexico, however, like many other countries in which deserts occur, is visited at rare intervals by tremendous floods, which sometimes cause variable water levels over long periods. The following cases bear out the idea, and lead to interesting conclusions of commercial value. My paper demonstrates that carbonates of ores may occur below water level and sulfides above, and I will endeavor to explain the causes of the phenomena in certain specific instances. Case I.—Fig. 1 in this case shows that sulfides of lead remained

Jan 1, 1920

By E. P. Mathewson

DURING the past 35 years it has been my privilege to deal with hundreds of recent graduates from engineering schools all over the world. In consequence, I, feel that I have learned something about the training of, engineering students. In the first place, I believe that too great specializa-tion is a mistake. A student should receive general training in engineering for at least three out of the four years of the course, and any specializing that may be required should come in the fourth year. Too great emphasis can not be laid upon the fact that the four years' training does not make an engineer; on the contrary, the graduate is only fitted to enter the pro-fession. He becomes an engineer in the true sense of the word only after years of practice; the college train-ing merely shows him where to look for information and develops his intellectual powers. Some of our engineering schools have lengthened the term of study to five years and talk of increasing it still further. This, in my opinion, is a mistake. A young man who spends more than four years in college is apt to become too academic and theoretical. It is better to stiffen the matriculation examinations than to prolong the years of study in college. No matter how good the faculty may be and how carefully selected the course of study, the graduate can never become an engineer unless he has some natural qualifications for the vocation. There are one or two subjects in which most recent graduates seem to be weak; these are accounting, the command of English, and training in the writing of reports. A short course in general accounting should always be included in the curriculum. To this should be added instruction in the preparation of estimates and cost statements. In making reports it should be borne in mind that these reports are to be submitted to busy men,-and not to technical men. The busy man wants the gist of the report summarized on the front page of the report. He wants to know that if he expends a certain sum of money in a certain way, he will get certain results and make so much profit. This should be put clearly before him in short statements, free from technical terms. The details of the report can follow .at greater length; it should be remembered that the employer is not going to read these details, but will confine his attention to the summary.

Jan 1, 1923

By W. M. Corse

AS THE outstanding contribution of the Committee on Correlation of Research of the Institute of Metals Division for 1932, may be mentioned the publication of Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6637, entitled "Research Activities in the Mineral Industries of the United States." This circular was compiled by A. C. Fieldner and Alden H. Emery, members of the Committee, in cooperation with the Bureau, and comprises a285-page list of research problems reported to the Bureau as engaging the attention of the various mineral industries. To obtain this information questionnaires were sent to 106 governmental agencies, 338 trade and professional associations, 524 colleges and universities, 9 endowed research institutions, and 1847 private companies and consulting laboratories. In order that the returns should be as complete as possible, the original mailing list included names from which it was not expected much pertinent information would be obtained. However, the procedure was justified as significant returns were obtained from many of these.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. E. C. Eustis

1st. THE fine iron ore is mixed with a sufficient proportion of fine coking coal, and is coked in any of the ordinary methods for making coke. The effect of this is to convert the iron oxide into sponge in such a shape that the usual trouble of oxidation is avoided. 2d. The resulting mixture of coke and sponge is melted down in an ordinary cupola, the coke furnishing more than sufficient fuel for that purpose. I may briefly point out here that in the first place the iron is sponged, and this sponge, as is well known, contain-, no phosphorus or silicon when the reduction takes place at a low temperature; and in the second place this sponge is melted down in a cupola in which there is no zone of reduction for phosphorus or silicon, and that con¬sequently the resulting iron should be free from both of these impu¬rities. 3d. The liquid sponge, now carburized, is run into an open-hearth furnace, where the requisite degree of hardness or softness is obtained by adding some of the fine ore, and the usual dose of ferronmanganose. I have merely given above the rough outlines of the process, but it is my intention, as early as possible, to bring the process more fully before the Institute.

Jan 1, 1881

By W. E. C. Eustis

1st. The fine iron ore is mixed with a sufficient proportion of fine coking coal, and is coked in any of the ordinary methods for making coke. The effect of this is to convert the iron oxide into sponge in such a shape that the usual trouble of oxidation is avoided. 2d. The resulting mixture of coke and sponge is melted down ill an ordinary cupola, the coke furnishing more than sufficient fuel for that purpose. I may briefly point out here that in the first place the iron is sponged, and this sponge, as is well known, contains no phosphoras or silicon when the reduction takes place at a low temperature; and in the second place this sponge is melted down in a cupola in which there is no zone of reduction for phosphorus or silicon, and that con . sequently the resulting iron should be free from both of these impurities. 3d. The liquid sponge, now carburized, is run into an open-hearth furnace, where the requisite degree of hardness or softness is obtained by adding some of the fine ore, and the usual dose of ferromanganese, I have merely given above the rough outlines of the prows, bat it is my intention, as early as possible, to bring the process more fully before the Institute.

Jan 1, 1881

The great additional clue given to professional books by adequate alphabetical and analytical indexes has been recognized from the beginning in the publication of the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers The bust ten volumes, edited by Dr Thomas M Drown, the secretary, were provided with indexes, as well as tables of contents Moreover, he included in Vol V (published in 1877), a consolidated index of Vols I to V , inclusive, and, at the triune of his resignation in 1884, he had prepared a similar index of Vols I to X , inclusive, which was published in the following year The indexes of the annual volumes from Vol XI on were made much more extensive than their predecessors Casual mentions, as well as important discussions, were included, the geographical localities of mines of works alluded to in the text were added in the index, and numerous cross-references were introduced, with the purpose of making it easy for the student to discover at once what the Transactions contained, either of thorough treatment or of hints and clues to further inquiry, concerning any topic, locality, or person within their scope In order to extend the advantages of this larger scheme to the earlier volumes a consolidated index of Vols I to XV , inclusive (published in 1888), was prepared by compiling the several annual indexes and introducing additional items for those preceding Vol XI Vol XX , issued in 1892, contained a similar consolidated index for Vols XVI to XX , inclusive, in 1897, a sepal ate index-volume, covering Vols XXI to XXV, inclusive, was published, and on 1902 appeared another for Vols XXVI to XXX These four indexes, for Vols I to XV, XVI to XX, XXI to XXV , and XXVI to XXX, respectively, bound together into a book of about 950 octavo pages have constituted for the last five year s a consolidated index to the Transactions which they cover-with the single difference that the book had to be consulted four times, where a single comprehensive index would require to be consulted but once This disadvantage, however, was relatively small, compared with the great convenience of finding by four trials m one book what would otherwise call for 30 separate searches in 30 books Moreover, the possession of the one might be most useful to a student who did not possess the 30, by indicating to him what they con-

Jan 1, 1907

By S. E. Bretherton

Mr. AllaW Gibb, of Mount Perry, Queensland, Australia, in an interesting and instructive paper,* describes fully the great difficulties metallurgists encounter in seeking to produce marketable copper by smelting refractory ores containing arsenic, antimony and bismuth. After reading this description, I prepared a paper for the Institute, which was, however, through a misunderstanding on my part, published in the San Francisco Mining and S'cie~ztiJic Press of April 4, 1903, after its acceptance by the Council, and without credit to the Institute. Consequently, it cannot be reprinted for the Transactions of the Institute; and I can only here summarize its contents and conclusions, referring the reader to the article above named for further particulars. In that article I omitted the col~sideration of bismuth, which we do not encounter in our smelting at Val Verde, and added lead and zinc, which Mr. Gibb had not discussed; and I undertook to shorn, by the record of a year's practice of the Val Verde Copper Co., Arizona, that copper-ores containing arsenic, antimony, lead and zinc may be successfully smelted, without preliminary roasting, in an ordinary blast-furnace with hotblast, making a normal slag, such as one would aim to make under ordinary conditions with cold-blast, so as to produce a marketable matte, containing not less than 45 per cent. of copper, free from arsenic and antimony, and below the limit in lead and zinc penalized by the refineries.

Jan 1, 1904

By G. H. Billings

The following data were collected some years since in the course of a series of experiments with oil as a substitute for coal in puddling, the earlier form of the Archer apparatus being employed. While I am not at liberty to give the name of the works at which the tests were made, I can personally warrant the accuracy of the record, and feel justified, therefore, in making this contribution to a discussion in which all trustworthy figures are likely to be helpful. Oil in Puddling. Starting with everything cold, we used 3518 pounds of oil to get the furnace in condition to charge a heat. After charging, we ran until we took out 13,340 pounds of puddled-blooms, using 8437 pounds, or 1333 gal1ons of oil. At 49 cents per gallon, the cost for oil per gross ton of blooms was $10.91; with coal at $4.871/2, and a consumption of 1.5 tons per ton of blooms (the usual quantity is ton for ton), the cost for coal is $7.31. The quantity of oil consumed in heating the furnace to the proper temperature and to make the bottom, is not included in the oil consumption stated. The quantity used was 3518 pounds of oil. Usually, the furnace need only be lighted, but in this case it had been repaired, and it was necessary to make a new .bottom. This required the quantity of oil necessary to make three heats of blooms, or 2109 pounds. Deducting this from the 3518 pounds leaves 1409 pounds of oil as the quantity consumed every week in lighting up.

Jan 1, 1889

[Furnaces (see also Blast jurnaces) :-(Continued.) McGill, Nev., LI, 765. roasting: XLIX, 184, 188. Anaconda, Mont., XXXVII, 462, XLIX, 676. concrete hearths for, XLVI, 419. Crouse, XLVI, 413. gas, XXXVIII, 163. Heberlein, XXXVII, 634.]

Jan 1, 1918

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 L. W. Casteel, E. A. Jones

MINING the lead deposits of Southeast east Missouri has reached a high stage of technical development dictated by the scattered occurrences of low-grade ore through favorable horizons in the Bonne Terre formation. The rock-breaking, handling, and related practices described here have evolved as the best way of mining these particular deposits. These methods are applied in the production of about 19,000 tons of lead ore per operating day from four mines in Southeast Missouri. Development drilling Drifts 10 ft wide and either 8 or 9 ft high are driven in this district on contract. Miners are guaranteed standard wages plus a bonus on the footage advanced, if earned. Labor, fuse, caps, wire, and dynamite used are charged against the contract. Normally the cycle of operations in drifting is performed by a two-man crew, a motor operator and a shovel operator who first load out the rock broken by the preceding shift. The drift crew then sets up two vertical column and mounts the drills. Cleveland HC-10's are used which have a steel lug integral with the cylinder for connection with the air feed. All drilling in drifts is wet. Air pressure is 85 to 100 lb at the face. From 28 to 32 holes are drilled per swing in a pyramid cut. Cut holes

Jan 1, 1947

By JAMES A. VEASEY

SINCE the World War, excepting for a few brief periods of relief, the American petroleum industry has been obliged to meet its important economic responsibility to this nation hampered by the maladjustment that inevitably follows a marked and unwholesome over-production of its raw material, crude oil. Despite the warnings of the Federal Oil Conservation Board and the endeavors of many of the leaders in the business to stem the flow of oil from the wells of the country, the evil ,not only persists but, at the moment, seems more malignant than ever before. Unless the local and temporary restraints on drilling and production now in effect in California, Wyoming, Texas, and Oklahoma are continued, and, indeed, unless stricter and more comprehensive measures of the same sort are imposed and adhered to by the industry in those States, over-production in the enterprise during the current year will be more pronounced than in any other period in history.

Jan 1, 1929