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By B. S. Butler, H. D. McCaskey

The New London copper mine, about 8 1/2 miles east of Frederick, Md., was visited by the writers for a few hours in the spring of 1909 and the following brief notes on ore specimens collected are presented as a contribution to studies in chalcocite ores. For certain data on the structural and areal geology of this portion of Maryland the writers are under obligation to the unpublished notes and maps of Arthur Keith. The detailed study of the ores is the work of B. S. Butler. The deposit here discussed has many similarities to those of the Virginia district of Virginia and North Carolina, which have been described by Gratonl and Laney,2 except that in the deposits of the New London mine chalcocite is by far the most important ore mineral, while in the Virginia deposits bornite is commonly the most important sulphide. In the New London occurrence calcite is the most important gangue mineral. Field relations The -town of Frederick lies in the center of a narrow belt of limestone ranging in age from Ordovician on the east to Cambrian on the west. This belt is about + mile wide at Noland's Ferry, on the Potomac, and broadens to a width of 3 miles at Frederick. The general direction is east of north. The eastern boundary is, in places, a fault plane along which a series of metamorphic rocks of presumptive pre-Cambrian age have been thrust up. These ancient rocks, for several miles east and west of New London, are phyllites in the main, but closely inter-folded near the New London mine are long, narrow lenses of epidote

Jan 1, 1915

By J. M. GLEDHILL

IT would doubtless have been felt by many but a few years back that there was little left to be said on the subject of crucible tool-steel, and that something akin to finality had been arrived at in its manufacture and general treatment. Probably such feeling was justifiable when it is remembered that the making of steel in crucibles is by far the oldest method known, dating back from time immemorial, it being indeed impossible to accurately trace its origin and earliest development; but it seems certain that carbon-steel was made and used thousands of years ago for cutting-tools. Proof of this may be seen by the marvelous carvings and workings on the intensely hard stone-work of the ancients, for it would be difficult to conceive by what means, other than with steel tools, such work could have been executed; and it is wonderful to contemplate that steel cutting-tools should have been used so long ago, whilst the principle of manufacturing them-that is, by fusion of iron and charcoal in crucibles-was then in a measure on the sane lines as we work on at the present day. Archaeologists have discovered that the Chinese made steel in crucibles long before the Christian era. " Wootz " steel fabricated in India centuries ago was crucible steel, as was also the celebrated Damascus steel, produced at the forges of Toledo, and, curiously, this latter steel furnishes' yet another proof that "There is nothing new under the Sun," for it is recorded that Damascus steel contained certain percentages of tungsten, nickel, manganese, etc., some of the very elements, in fact, contained in the present modern high-speed steel, so that a latent high-speed steel may be said to have existed

Mar 1, 1905

By L.L. Wyman

The exact nature of the changes that take place in the iron-nickel alloys, giving rise to the interesting and useful expansion alloys in the Invar range, has yet to be fully understood. Similarly, the ternary iron-nickel-cobalt alloys, which also possess such commercially useful expansion characteristics,1,2 are concerned with transformations that appear to be identical with those found in the parent iron-nickel alloys. The investigations on iron-nickel alloys in the range 26 to 29 per cent Ni have been reported by several authors3-9 wherein it is shown that there are factors other than temperature, such as stress and grain size, which play an important part in determining the temperature at which the low-temperature transformation takes place. It will be shown in this paper that the ternary iron-nickcl-cobalt alloys having nickel contents comparable to the alloys mentioned above behave in a parallel manner. The alloys in the range of 26 to 31 per cent Ni and 16 to 21 per cent Co have a coefficient of expansion of about 4.0 X 10-6 per degree Centigrade, and the alloys in this range of composition find considerable application in making glass-to-metal seals, because these expansion properties so well match commercial glasses. The behavior of these alloys is not a simple matter, for it has been observed in alloys of 28.5 per cent Ni and 18.5 Co that severe working ran cause the appearance of a second phase having a needlelike structure similar to the martensite structure in carhon steels. Fig. 1 shows the change brought about in an alloy of this composition when a strip of this material was cut with tin shears. This second phase has been identified as the body-centered cubic alpha phase, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the results of some of the preliminary investigations in the study of the changes involved in these alloys. Materials The past work on these alloys has concerned itself primarily with materials made by the usual casting procedure and involving the use

Jan 1, 1939

By L. L. Wyman

The exact nature of the changes that take place in the iron-nickel alloys, giving rise to the interesting and useful expansion alloys in the Invar range, has yet to be fully understood. Similarly, the ternary iron-nickel-cobalt alloys, which also possess such commercially useful expansion characteristics,1,2 are concerned with transformations that appear to be identical with those found in the parent iron-nickel alloys. The investigations on iron-nickel alloys in the range 26 to 29 per cent Ni have been reported by several authors3-9 wherein it is shown that there are factors other than temperature, such as stress and grain size, which play an important part in determining the temperature at which the low-temperature transformation takes place. It will be shown in this paper that the ternary iron-nickcl-cobalt alloys having nickel contents comparable to the alloys mentioned above behave in a parallel manner. The alloys in the range of 26 to 31 per cent Ni and 16 to 21 per cent Co have a coefficient of expansion of about 4.0 X 10-6 per degree Centigrade, and the alloys in this range of composition find considerable application in making glass-to-metal seals, because these expansion properties so well match commercial glasses. The behavior of these alloys is not a simple matter, for it has been observed in alloys of 28.5 per cent Ni and 18.5 Co that severe working ran cause the appearance of a second phase having a needlelike structure similar to the martensite structure in carhon steels. Fig. 1 shows the change brought about in an alloy of this composition when a strip of this material was cut with tin shears. This second phase has been identified as the body-centered cubic alpha phase, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the results of some of the preliminary investigations in the study of the changes involved in these alloys. Materials The past work on these alloys has concerned itself primarily with materials made by the usual casting procedure and involving the use

Jan 1, 1939

By George J. Young

(San Francisco meeting, October, 1911.) THE nature of slimes handled in the treatment of gold- and silver-ores has been discussed in technical literature to a considerable extent. The subject of slime-filtration from the practical worker's stand-point has also received much comment, and scattered through the literature of the subject are descriptions of many slime-filtration installations. Articles of this nature serve a valuable purpose and assist materially in the design of new and the improvement of old plants. The subject of the physics of slime-filtration has been touched upon to only a slight extent. The underlying principles are worthy of more intensive study and experimentation than they have received, and the main purpose of this paper is to present the results of such study and experimental work as will serve to make clear in part at least many of the principles which control the filtration of slime. Nature of Slime. Much has bean written concerning an accurate definition of the term ? slime," but no comprehensive definition seems to be generally accepted. The reason for this is clear. A slime consists of at least three different substances, each, when separated, possessing distinctly different physical and to a certain extent chemical properties. These substances are extremely fine sand, a colloidal material which may be and generally is in a coagulated condition, and a colloidal material which is in a non-coagulated condition. Suspending a slime in a relatively large volume of water by shaking and allowing sedimentation to take place, results in the fine sand settling out with comparative rapidity, followed by the coagulated material, which settles much more slowly and finally a certain portion remains

Nov 1, 1911

By E. H. Wells, A. Andreas

Greater progress than in any previous year was accomplished by the oil industry in New Mexico in 1936. The total number of completions in the state was 631, of which 549 were oil wells, 21 were hydrocarbon gas wells, three were carbon dioxide gas wells, and 58 were dry holes. The total oil production for the year was 26,804,446 bbl. Compared with the production for 1935 of 20,228,947 bbl., this represented a gain of 32.5 per cent. Of the total production, 25,337,382 bbl. came from Lea County. The average daily nonmarginal well allowable for that county was 115 bbl. the first of the year and 86 bbl. at the close. Production was regulated by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission,

Jan 1, 1937

Jan 1, 1893

By Samuel S. Wyer

THE installation of the gas-producer power-plant in America has been so unusual that all engineers have viewed it with in¬terest; a large majority, however, regard it with a lack of con-fidence and many with positive distrust. Despite the fact that European engineers have usually been less inclined to take the initiative along experimental lines than are Americans, they have, nevertheless, developed the gas-producer plant to a very high state of efficiency to which they were forced by the neces¬sity of economy in fuel-consumption. The gas-producer power-plant is so common in Europe that engineers as well as the general public regard it with the same degree of confidence that is now universally placed in steam¬plants. Gas-engines, both small and large, are in general use there, and central stations, aggregating several thousand horse¬power, are quite numerous. The fact that gas-producer power-plants have received so little attention in America may be attributed to five conditions:-1', ignorance and prejudice; 2, newness of work; 3, in-

Mar 1, 1905

By W. J. Taylor

Nature has furnished us with fuel in three forms, solid, liquid, and gaseous; solid, the most common; liquid, containing the greatest energy; gaseous, the most convenient for use. The tendency of the day is to the conversion of solid and liquid fuel into the gaseous form. There is magic in the word gas to many men who through ignorance or indifference imagine that by mere conversion into gas an immense quantity of energy can he added to fuel of other forms, forgetful of the law of nature, that. the conversion of any substance from one form to another involves a loss of effective energy, and therefore that if in certain cases more duty can be obtained out of the gas resulting from a given amount of coal than the coal itself will supply when used direct, the cause lies solely in the more efficient utilization of the fuel in its gaseous state. Nevertheless, new processes for making gas are constantly crowded upon our notice with claims of less cost for manufacture and delivery than natural gas, and often of far more energy for the product than is contained in the coal or oil from which it is made. I was recently asked to examine a new process of this kind. From an analysis shown me the calorific energy of the gas approximated 375 heat-units per cubic foot; on ascertaining the quantity of gas claimed to be made from a given amount of solid and liquid fuel, it appeared, that for every 325 heat-units contained in the latter 900 heat-units were alleged to he delivered into the gas, or nearly three times as much energy as the original fuel really held. The extravagant claim of some oil-gas advocates is still frequently heard, that by vaporizing oil with steam and then passing the mixture through a coil of hot iron pipe, an oil-water-gas containing 26,600 heat-units is formed from 1 pound of oil carrying originally 21,000 heat-units, while the only energy expended on the gas has been by the introduction of a -little steam and a little extraneous heat. Theoretically, 1 pound of oil converted into water-gas carries 26,600

Jan 1, 1890

THE Institute assembled in Packer Hall of the Lehigh University, the President, Mr. David Thomas, of Catasauqua in the chair. Professor Henry Coppée, President of the Lehigh University, made an address of welcome to the Institute, and placed at its disposal a convenient hall for purposes of meeting. Mr. Thomas tendered his resignation as President of the Institute, as advancing years prevented him from actively participating in its meetings. The Institute declined to accept the resignation, and, on the assurance that active duties would not be expected of him, Mr. Thomas was induced to withdraw it. Invitations were received from Mr. B. C. Webster, President of the Lehigh Zinc Company, to visit the mines and works of the company; from Mr. Charles Brodhead, to visit the Chapman Slate Quarries; and from the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, to visit their works at Summit Hill and Mauch Chunk and the Nesquehoning Tunnel. The Council reported the names of persons already elected in the two classes of members and associates. The following resolutions were passed : Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed, who shall take into consideration the printing and publishing of papers originating with the Institute, and that a uniform system as regards size and execution be adopted. The committee appointed consisted of Messrs. R. W. Raymond, E. B. Coxe, and the Secretary. Resolved, That the Council design and prepare a seal for the Institute at the earliest practicable time. Resolved, That a committee of six, with power to add to its numbers, be appointed to examine into the question of the more economical production of iron in this country. The committee appointed consisted of Messrs. G. W. Maynard,

By Edwin B. Eckel

This paper, based on brief field examination and on data supplied by the operators, records the condition of the Italian mercury industry as of March 1945, not long after Italy's collapse. Except for the once-Italian but now Yugoslavian Idria mine near Trieste, virtually all the known mercury deposits are in the Monte Amiata district in Siena and Grosseto Provinces, 75 miles north of Rome. This district contains the Abbadia San Salvatore. the Siele. the Argus, and the Cerreto Piano mines besides numerous prospects and unproductive mines. Under pressure from Germany the principal mines were highly productive during the early part of the war, but production fell off long before its end. All of the mines were damaged in some way at the German withdrawal but by September 1944 the Abbadia had resumed production and several others were only lacking power by the early spring of 1945. The Monte Amiata district is characterized geologically by a thick series of sedimentary rocks that range from Triassic to Eocene in age . and are surmounted on Monte Amiata itself by a thick cap of extrusive trachyte. Bodies of travertine and of landslide detritus, younger than the trachyte, are rather widespread. The structure is complex and little known but most of the ore deposits seem to lie along or near a major, north-trending fault or on associated cross-fractures. Cinnabar is the only important ore mineral and clay minerals are by far the most abundant products of hydrothermal alteration. A southward increase in the amount of stibnite, relative to cinnabar, suggests horizontal zoning. The grade of ore ranges from 0.60 to 3.0 Pet and the reserves, as compared with those in American mines, are enormous. Even in the face of war-time scarcities, the mines are remarkably self-sufficient and labor is plentiful, but the costs of production are estimated to be not greatly below those of the better American mines. Notes on the principal mines, on the mining and metallurgical methods, and on the manufacture of synthetic cinnabar are included in the paper. Introduction With but few brief interludes, Spain and Italy, including the Idria mine near Trieste, which has passed from Austrian to Italian to Yugoslavian hands in the Past 3 decades, have led the world in the production of mercury, or quicksilver, for many centuries. Despite their enviable position with respect to the supplies of a metal so essential in both war and peace, there is a notable lack of up-to-date information in America on the mercury industry of either country. Duschak and Schuette' and Schuettez,3 give by far the best summaries in English known to the writer, but the latest firsthand report cited by them on the Italian mines was published in 1915.' Having been deeply interested in the geology and economics of mercury for several years, the writer naturally felt most fortunate in being the to obtain enough firsthand information on the Italian industry to fill at least a few of the gaps in our knowledge. The opportunity came during the war, soon after this industry, together with the rest of Italy, had capitulated to the Allies. Many of the facts presented here are thus definitely "dated," but others are of less transitory nature, and even the dated facts should be of interest in showing the strength and

Jan 1, 1949

By Edwin B. Eckel

This paper, based on brief field examination and on data supplied by the operators, records the condition of the Italian mercury industry as of March 1945, not long after Italy's collapse. Except for the once-Italian but now Yugoslavian Idria mine near Trieste, virtually all the known mercury deposits are in the Monte Amiata district in Siena and Grosseto Provinces, 75 miles north of Rome. This district contains the Abbadia San Salvatore. the Siele. the Argus, and the Cerreto Piano mines besides numerous prospects and unproductive mines. Under pressure from Germany the principal mines were highly productive during the early part of the war, but production fell off long before its end. All of the mines were damaged in some way at the German withdrawal but by September 1944 the Abbadia had resumed production and several others were only lacking power by the early spring of 1945. The Monte Amiata district is characterized geologically by a thick series of sedimentary rocks that range from Triassic to Eocene in age . and are surmounted on Monte Amiata itself by a thick cap of extrusive trachyte. Bodies of travertine and of landslide detritus, younger than the trachyte, are rather widespread. The structure is complex and little known but most of the ore deposits seem to lie along or near a major, north-trending fault or on associated cross-fractures. Cinnabar is the only important ore mineral and clay minerals are by far the most abundant products of hydrothermal alteration. A southward increase in the amount of stibnite, relative to cinnabar, suggests horizontal zoning. The grade of ore ranges from 0.60 to 3.0 Pet and the reserves, as compared with those in American mines, are enormous. Even in the face of war-time scarcities, the mines are remarkably self-sufficient and labor is plentiful, but the costs of production are estimated to be not greatly below those of the better American mines. Notes on the principal mines, on the mining and metallurgical methods, and on the manufacture of synthetic cinnabar are included in the paper. Introduction With but few brief interludes, Spain and Italy, including the Idria mine near Trieste, which has passed from Austrian to Italian to Yugoslavian hands in the Past 3 decades, have led the world in the production of mercury, or quicksilver, for many centuries. Despite their enviable position with respect to the supplies of a metal so essential in both war and peace, there is a notable lack of up-to-date information in America on the mercury industry of either country. Duschak and Schuette' and Schuettez,3 give by far the best summaries in English known to the writer, but the latest firsthand report cited by them on the Italian mines was published in 1915.' Having been deeply interested in the geology and economics of mercury for several years, the writer naturally felt most fortunate in being the to obtain enough firsthand information on the Italian industry to fill at least a few of the gaps in our knowledge. The opportunity came during the war, soon after this industry, together with the rest of Italy, had capitulated to the Allies. Many of the facts presented here are thus definitely "dated," but others are of less transitory nature, and even the dated facts should be of interest in showing the strength and

Jan 1, 1949

By Harry C. Gatos, Frank J. Bachner, Mario D. Banus

The portion of the Nb-Sn phase diagram between 75 and 79 at. pct Nb at temperatures near the liquidus has been investigated by melting alloys of known composition and examining the microstmc-tzlres resulting when these melts were quenched. The Nb-Sn samples were contained in magnesia sleeves, and were mounted in a high-pressure apparatus. It was shown that Nb3Sn me1ts by a peri-tectic decomposition and that the composition of the compound Nb3Sn at the peritectic horizontal lies between 77 and 78 at. pct Nb. Analysis of the phases present in the samples was accomplished by anodic staining techniques and an electron-microbeam analyzer. DURING the past several years a great deal of work has been devoted to the Nb-Sn system, and the bulk of this work has been primarily concerned with the intermetallic phase Nb3Sn. However, the melting characteristics of Nb3Sn have not been investigated because of the difficulty in maintaining known compositions due to tin losses by vaporization, and the added difficulty of containing Nb-Sn alloys without sample-container reaction at the high temperatures involved. This paper reports on the development of a technique for containing Nb-Sn alloys under pressure high enough to prevent tin losses at temperatures in excess of the liquidus. Using this technique, melts of known composition were made and a phase diagram near the liquidus is proposed based on the microstructures resulting when these melts were quenched. EXPERIMENTAL The Nb-Sn alloys weighing 0.7 g each were prepared in the form of cylinders. Niobium powder, -200, +325 mesh, and tin shavings with a minute amount of tin powder for a binder were mixed in the desired proportions and cold-pressed at 50,000 psi in a 0.150-in. die. This cylinder was then enclosed as shown in Fig. 1, and the entire arrangement mounted in a 2.6-in. pyrophyllite tetrahedron.' The desired temperatures (-2500°C) presented several problems in high-pressure container materials. Boron nitride, the usual sample holder, was found to react with niobium to form the nitride. However, MgO cans and plugs machined from refractory rods did not melt nor react with the sample. Thick tantalum contact disks were used to carry the large currents (~450 amps) to the graphite heater, since tantalum did not melt and had enough strength to prevent extrusion of the sample. It was further observed that the graphite heater and tantalum disks could not be in direct contact with the pyrophyllite because it melts and decomposes at these temperatures to kyanite and coesite (SiO2),2 the former reacting with graphite and the latter with tantalum to form the silicide. The use of a MgO outer sleeve

Jan 1, 1965

By AIME AIME

THE Federated American Engineering Societies through its Executive Board has endorsed House Bill 5230, introduced April 26, 1921, which provides for- the completion of the topographical survey of the United States. Before this bill can be reported out it will be necessary for the House Committee on -interstate and foreign commerce to hold hearings. This will not be done unless the engineers of the country show interest -and demand action which should be taken immediately after the recess ends and Congress reconvenes this fall. Surveys and maps have been made in this country ever since Captain John Smith mapped Chesapeake Bay about. 300 years ago, but it is only in comparatively recent years that the need for accurate maps has been keenly felt by those engaged in the industrial' and commercial development of the country.

Jan 1, 1921

By Richard A. Hawkins

O the American coal man, Australian coal mining most appear to have little, if any, influence on American coal-mining practice and to bear little relation to it. Actually, the relationship has been close, for Australian operators have carefully studied American practice by reading American technical publications, by consulting American engineers, and by visits to Ameriean operations. They have leaned heavily on America for their supply of mechanization equipment and many American mining-machinery manufacturers are active in that country, supplying its needs and furnishing technical assistance. Australia's influence on American coal mining has been obscure and probably negligible. However, it seems reasonable to assume that this influence will increase. The wartime development of air transportation will inevitably bring these two countries into much more intimate contact than existed in recent years. American servicemen. many of them former miners and coal-mining technicians, have visited Australian operation, while stationed in that country, have talked with operators and men over there, and undoubt-

Jan 1, 1945

By Charles W. Dickson

Jan 1, 1904

APPROXIMATELY 26 percent of the total ore production to date from the largest single deposit of copper-bearing material in the world was mined during the war years, 1942 to 1945, at Chile Exporation Company's great open-pit mine at Chuquicamata, Chile. About 18 percent of the total waste removed during the life of the mine was handled in the same period. The total of ore and waste represents approximately 24 percent of the total material that has been excavated from the pit. This is more than was removed in the first fourteen years of operation from 1914 through 1927. The pit at Chuquicamata is 17/8 miles long, 1/2 mile wide, and has a present vertical extent of 817 ft between the top of the highest bench and the lowest bench being worked. However, when

Jan 1, 1948

By HOWARND N. EAVENSON

THE year 1930 resembled the preceding one in the coal industry in continuing the era of falling prices and 'of the abandonment of unprofitable mines. Practically all coal prices fell, and in the steam sizes during the last half of the year this was particularly true, due to the small industrial demand. No new mines of any size were opened in the bituminous coal industry, but there was a steady increase in the number of cleaning plants of all kinds built in all fields. It is estimated that at least nine million tons per year were added to the previous total of washed coal. The largest washing plant started during the year was that of the Buckeye Coal Co., at Nemacolin, Pa., with a capacity of 650 tons per hour. Fig. 1 shows - the mixing-bin, conveyor galleries, washing-plant and skip hoist, and Fig. 2 the 120-ft. Dorr thickener for collecting the 48-mesh material from the wash water. Dryers are used for drying the steam coal product. The following statement by J. R. Campbell shows the effect of cleaning on Pittsburgh coal in Greene County: "With the advent of the 650-t.p.h. efficient washing plant in Greene County at the Nemacolin mine of the Buckeye Coal Co., it has undoubtedly been demonstrated that the potential coking-metallurgical coals of the county can be brought within the pale of the highest grade high-volatile coals for steel manufacture. A few months' operation indicates that 9% per cent ash in the raw coal can be easily reduced to under 7 per cent ash in the washed coal and the sulfur from 1.60 per cent in the run of mine to 1.20 per cent sulfur in the washed coal.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. D. Cooner

SINCE my working life of 32 yr has been spent in and about the anthracite mines of the Hudson Coal Co., and the previous 4 yr in a college school of mines, I can write best about the safety program of a coal mining company. However, most of the suggestions, statements and practices mentioned herein are applicable to the members of a safety organization and program of almost any industry. It is realized that industrial officials actually interested in real safety work are fully acquainted with the requirements of a practical safety program. Therefore, for such persons there may be nothing new in this paper. The Hudson Coal Co. of Scranton, Pa., employs 7,000 men and produces 5,000,000 tons of anthracite annually at nine collieries scattered for a distance of 40 miles throughout the Lackawanna and Wyoming valleys of northeastern Pennsylvania. For the past 17 yr of the above mentioned 32, I have been engaged in safety work as a safety inspector, assistant mine superintendent, and at present the safety engineer. I have also had the privilege of visiting coal and metal mines in other parts of the United States and Canada. We Americans are the most careless people in the world. If any one doubts this statement why are 100,000 of our people killed accidentally annually? Or why during the almost four years we were engaged in World War II were more of our people killed accidentally at home than were killed in our army, navy, marine corps, coast guard, and other services during the same period? We are careless everywhere in our homes, on the highway, at work and at play. The purpose of this paper is to outline the requisites of a safety department and its program to stop the accidents occurring to employees at work in mines or industrial plants. The first requisite for a safety program is that the management must be convinced of the need and value of a real safety program. By "management" is meant each department head from the president down. Otherwise a good safety department with a good safety program will not succeed because it will not have the proper personnel and equipment to work with, its rules and regulations will not be enforced, and the members of the safety department will be belittled in the eyes of most of the workmen and supervisors. Next, a safety engineer and his inspectors should have worked in the production end of the mines as workmen and also in an official capacity. They are then in a position to have practical and first hand knowledge of the accident hazards of the industry, how to prevent them, and in general the problems of both the workmen and officials. Some men are appointed as safety inspectors when they are physically unable to carry on as mine officials. Such men may know the safety end of the industry and even be safety-conscious, but if they are physically unable to be mine officials they are also physically unable to be safety inspectors, as a safety inspector in our mines must walk from 2 to 4 miles on each daily inspection-and visit each working

Jan 1, 1948

By Charles P. Berkey, Joseph H. Sinclair

This paper describes the results of a visit to the Santa Elena Peninsula, Ecuador, in January and February, 1921. On account of the complicated folding and faulting of the rocks and the peculiar occurrence of petroleum, field work was possible on only a few of the many geological problems and the results here published are only a contribution to the solution of the general problem. We know of nothing published on the geology of the district, except one account, in Spanish and German, by Theodor Wolf. The Santa Elena peninsula, the most important headland of the coast of Ecuador, lies two degrees south of the equator. The chief town, Santa Elena, is about 75 miles west of Guayaquil, the main seaport of Ecuador. The nearest developed oil field is the Zorritos of northern Peru, 120 miles south across the Gulf of Guayaquil. If newspaper reports are true, viz. that the Anglo-Ecuadorian Oilfields, Ltd., has recently brought in a 700-bbl. well on the coast of the peninsula near Ancon, the district may become important in the production of petroleum. At the time of our visit, the best way to reach the peninsula was by a steamer of the Pacific Steam Navigation Go., southward from Panama and northward from Guayaquil. About once a week, one of these steamers anchored 1/2 mile off shore near the village of Salinas, an important cable station. An alternative route, in the dry season, is by automobile from Guayaquil. In February, 1921, a railway bed had been graded part way between Guayaquil and Salinas, but this was detcriorating rapidly because of lack of funds to continue construction or to keep in repair that portion already completed.

Jan 1, 1923