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By M. Krasowska, K. Malysa, M. Krzan

The paper presents fascinating, in our opinion, observations on mechanism and course of processes occurring during bubble collision with hydrophobic and hydrophilic solid surface. Hydrophobicity of particle surface is a necessary condition for the particle attachment to bubble. We have observed that even in the case of such hydrophobic solid surface as Teflon, the bubble attachment didn't occur at first collision. In distilled water the bubble bounced a few times without attachment. Influence of a-terpineol and n¬pentanol on bubble local and terminal velocity and the phenomena occurring during bubble collisions with hydrophobic and hydrophilic solid surfaces was studied. Bubble collisions with the solid surfaces were monitored and recorded using the high-speed (1182 frames per second) camera. It was found that in distilled water the velocity variations of the "approach-bounce" cycles were identical for Teflon and glass. Four distinct "approach-bounce" cycles were detected both at Teflon and glass surfaces. Moreover, the amplitude and frequency of the velocity variations were identical on collisions with the hydrophobic (polished) and hydrophilic surface. There was no immediate three phase contact formation, with the hydrophobic Teflon surface, what we found really astonishing. Roughness of Teflon surface seems to be important parameter, which affects probability of the bubble attachment as a result of a presence of micro-and/or nano-bubbles at the surface. It was detected that the presence of the micro-bubble affected attachment of the colliding bubble even in distilled water. Presence of a small amount of a-terpineol or n-pentanol affects dramatically the bubble velocity, but their role in mechanism of the bubble attachment needs further study.

Jan 1, 2004

By V. C. Wansbrough

First, permit me to say with what very great pleasure we find ourselves assembled in this most ancient and honourable city of Quebec. It is a city which we deeply respect as the fountain-head of the culture of French-speaking fellow citizens, and the seat of government of a province which is steadily recording new achievements in Canadian mining. Such achievements prove what can be accomplished when enlightened and progressive government policy, technical and scientific competence, and private initiative pull forward together in harmonious rhythm. It is a most happy and auspicious event also that the guiding control of the affairs of the Institute and of the fine traditions of provincial administration have for the past year been united in the person of our honoured President, Dr. A. O. Dufresne. This year, again, we have bad prepared for us by our hosts a splendid programme of technical sessions and social entertainment. Each year we pay an unspoken compliment to the Institute, expecting as a matter of course nothing but the highest standards in both these spheres. In its annua1, semi-annual, and regional meetings, in the constant activity of its local Branches, the Institute continues with marked success to perform its great dual service, social and educational. We are all its beneficiaries to the extent to which we choose to profit by participation in its affairs. But, one imagines, to none are the advantages of Institute membership more valuable than to young men embarking on their professional careers.

Jan 1, 1951

By Wynne Potter

"On the west coast of Cape Breton Island four coal basins have been identified, varying in age and extending from Port Hood northeasterly to Chimney Corner. Those of Chimney Corner - St. Rose in the north and Port Hood in the south belong to the Pennsylvanian Riversdale Group while lying between them are the coal basins of Mabou and Inverness belonging to the younger Pictou Group. Almost all of the coal basins are submarine and coal mining was carried out on all basins at various times. The seams in all basins dip steeply seaward at angles from 10 to 20 degrees but were found to flatten seaward. The coal is ranked as a high volatile C bituminous coal. Ash and sulphur contents are high compared with Sydney coal and the coal has a tendency to spontaneous combustion when stored in large quantities.Of the four basins, the most significant is that of Mabou. At Mabou recent seismic and drilling investigations have indicated that although a sizable reserve of coal may be found offshore the structural problems, particularly faults, and the poor quality of the coal encountered will make it a resource of the future, if at all. Inferred resources have been calculated at 150 million tonnes in four seams over a 10 km2 area and extending 3 km from shore. The quality of the Mabou coals varies with ash, ranging from 5 to 25 per cent and sulphur up to 6 per cent. Calorific value ranges from 25.3 Mj I kg to 31. 7 Mj I kg. The Port Hood and St. Rose -Chimney Corner fields (Fig. 1) contain 16 million and 3 million tonnes respectively, but the Inverness basin is considered to have been depleted. The active mine in this area is the Evans Mine at St. Rose that is currently producing between 30 -50,000 tonnes a year from proven reserves of approximately 3 million tonnes."

Jan 1, 1985

By Tony Breuer

Can international development NGOs and the mining industry find common ground and work together in the Third World? The Canadian Hunger Foundation/PARTNERS in Rural Development (CHF-PARTNERS) has, over the past forty years, implemented more than 800 rural community development projects in some 38 countries of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Working with or for the Canadian mining industry offers both opportunities and risks. We can help a mining company ensure that the workers, their families and communities share adequately in the economic and social rewards from a mining operation in their area. We can contribute to the provision of sustainable livelihoods when an operation winds down. The company?s reputation as a good corporate citizen can be enhanced. On the other hand, mining companies and NGOs have generally very different values and missions. The risk of misunderstandings from conflicting motives and work practices is correspondingly high. Both partners must state their values and expectations clearly at the start of collaboration. The NGO must ensure that the company abides by acceptable ethical standards. It must not directly or indirectly subsidize a private company from its charitable donations. The mining company must satisfy itself that the NGO has the capacity, resources and experience to produce the results expected.

May 1, 2001

By A. J. Faulds, K. C. Westaway, Z. Waszczylo

"PAH compounds have been found in the exhaust from all types of engines burning hydrocarbon fuels . They have also been found in the air over cities and in water. The authors report on a study to assess the concentrations of twelve different PAH compounds in several different environments in dieselized underground mines. In addition, the differences in the PAH levels and distributions in different mines will be demonstrated. Finally, the influence of blasting and the type of diesel engine used as well as the effect of catalytic converters in the exhaust system on the PAH concentration in the mine will be discussed.IntroductionMining methods have been altered significantly in the last 25 years; i.e ., the tools and machinery used underground have changed from electrically operated trains and other equipment to diesel-powered equipment. This has been done for several reasons: 1) economics, 2) convenience and 3) safety. Today, most mines are heavily committed to using diesel equipment.Although the introduction of diesel equipment has revolutionized mining methods and has been a tremendous boon to the mining industry, it has also created new problems. These problems arise because the exhaust from diesel engines contains several pollutants which can be hazardous to the health of the miners. These pollutants are CO2, CO, NO., SO2, oxygenated hydrocarbons produced during the buring process and unburned hydrocarbons. There are two classes of hydrocarbons, of which polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs or PNAs) are a part."

Jan 1, 1981

By A. Lam

The use of a liquid fed direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) as a power source for micro and small portable applications is attractive due to its system simplicity, low temperature, etc. The aqueous methanol is directly oxidized and does not require additional fuel processing steps as in reformate based PEM fuel cells. In addition, the use of a liquid fuel is advantageous with respect to humidification, stack cooling and system energy density. The DMFC however, has technological issues that must be addressed before it can be widely adopted, particularly in larger applications such as small utility and transportation. At present, the crossover of methanol from the anode to the cathode is a major limitation on DMFC performance and fuel utilization efficiency. In this paper we discuss the influence of fuel modification on the control of crossover. This involves the use of different fuel additives and concentrations to minimize crossover. This appears to be the first reported case of the use of fuel modification (additives) to reduce methanol crossover. The rate of methanol permeation under passive conditions is discussed with respect to the different conditions.

Jan 1, 2005

By Y. Huang

Corrosion of GaAs in aqueous electrolytes is a major limitation in implementing GaAs-based photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion systems, In this work, the corrosion behavior was investigated by electrochemical methods and surface analysis approaches, in both H2SO4 and NH3?H2O solutions, Open-circuit measurements showed that the cleaned GaAs surface was very sensitive to water/air, Impedance measurements for n-GaAs showed that an inductive loop only appeared at a high corrosion rate because a reaction intermediate is the oxidant for a further decomposition step in combination with chemical reaction with water, The results suggest that the same corrosion/decomposition mechanism occurred on n-GaAs in the two solutions, When the surface-hole concentration was low, the hole injection or generation process was the rate-determining step, At large reverse bias on n-GaAs, with high-hole concentration, the corrosion rate was limited by a Faradaic adsorption process, involving an adsorbed intermediate, The different surface compositions after corrosion in the two solutions can be explained by the dissolution of As(0), Further oxidation of As(0) to As(III) in NH3?H2O solution is still slow, as suggested from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis,

Jan 1, 2005

By P. Nelson

Extending the campaign life of the Mitsubishi furnaces at Xstrata Copper's Kidd Metallurgical Division Copper Smelter has been a major focus of attention for many years. One aspect of this effort is real time monitoring to detect abnormal conditions and safely shut the furnaces down before significant damage occurs. Traditional real time methods of monitoring the integrity of refractory furnaces containing molten metal include alarms on individual temperatures of the refractory or cooling water. The need to set alarm limits which are not exceeded across the range of normal operating conditions leads to a system that only provides a limited warning, if any, before a failure occurs. Integrity monitoring systems that look at many different signals and alarm only changes in the relationships between the signals have been implemented on the smelting and converting furnaces. The systems are based on principle components analysis (PCA) models and implemented with the monitorMV software package. These provide much more sensitive and selective alarms so that changes in integrity are alarmed well in advance of any event. At a critical alarm level, the converting furnace is set to automatically shut down so that operating and technical personnel can review the situation. The configuration of the systems and operating experience with them will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2007

By P. Tukkaraja, K. Katzenstein

"Block caving is one of the most economical and efficient underground mining methods and has gained popularity around the world especially for extracting low grade and massive ore bodies. However, during the extraction of ore from the draw bells, gases trapped inside the cave could emit into the working areas; hence, ventilation plays a key role in operating block cave mines successfully where gas emission is a concern. To design an effective ventilation system for a block caving mine, given the dynamic nature of the caving process, it is necessary to develop airflow characteristic curves (P-Q) for a given cave. This study uses a 1:100 scale physical model with an exhaust fan system, and a Computational Fluid Dynamics model of a block cave to investigate the airflow behavior through the cave filled with broken rock material. From this study, it was observed that the cave airflow resistance increases with the decrease in cave porosity and the particle size.INTRODUCTIONThe block cave mining method is gaining popularity owing to its low cost and high productivity. This study considered a case where this bulk mining method is used for the extraction of an orebody that contains uranium mineralization. During the extraction of broken ore from the draw bells, radioactive gases trapped in the cave zone could be released into the production drifts and could create unsafe working conditions in the mine. Mine ventilation systems play an important role in regulating the migration of radon in working areas. One of the strategies to control radon migration in a block cave mine is to exert negative pressure on the cave zone by using an exhaust fan above the cave zone. In order to select an appropriate exhaust fan system, it is necessary to study the airflow resistance of the cave zone (Loring & Nelson, 2006).Extraction of broken ore via drawpoints creates a void volume inside the cave called the air gap. Air gaps with larger heights can lead to air blasts in a block cave mine should the cave collapse. Besides that, the air gap can also lead to decrease in ventilation system efficiency due to recirculation of air flow and associated shock losses. Air gap height can also have a profound effect on the variation of cave airflow resistance (Erogul et al., 2015, 2017). The knowledge of cave airflow resistance is also important for predicting the intensity of an air blast. Cave airflow resistance is a function of cave properties such as broken rock size, air gap, and porosity inside the cave zone (Baysal et al., 2017). Initially, a scaled experimental model with a forcing system was developed to investigate the airflow behavior through the cave, however, this model couldn’t provide an observable change in the airflow resistance when the cave properties were changed (cave porosity, and airgap) This was attributed to the difficulties associated with forcing system in terms of achieving lower porosity values with the available material (lightweight shipping boxes) for simulating broken rock inside the cave zones, and controlling air leakage from the model (Ajitha et al., 2018)."

Jan 1, 2019

By Marcel M. Djivre

The paper will outline the destructive test methods and test procedures including the evaluation criteria currently used at the Materials Testing Laboratory (MTL), Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, a laboratory approved by the Ontario Minister of Labour for the purpose of testing or examining mine shaft ropes or other hoisting appliances. For the evaluation of the mechanical properties of rope samples used in "ultra-deep" single-lift shafts, additional discard criteria used in Ontario, Quebec and South Africa shall be presented. Most of the methods and test procedures currently used at MTL can also be found in the current CSA G4-00 Standard, Steel Wire Rope for General Purpose and for Mine Hoisting and Mine Haulage, published in November 2000. In this latest or sixth edition of CSA Standard G4-00, a new Clause 14 has been added outlining the requirements for in-service destructive testing of steel wire ropes for mine hoisting applications. The CSA G4-00 Standard is also intended for the manufacturing of new ropes, and includes requirements for raw materials and construction features for round strand and flattened strand rope, and locked coil rope in bright and galvanized finish. To-date the Ontario Mining Regulations require only that destructive test of new ropes be performed in accordance with CSA Standard G4-00, but does not require conformity to the Standard, and on the other hand the inservice wire ropes are required to be tested in accordance with CSA G4 and thus require conformity. The author recommends that the Ontario Mining Regulations (and regulations of other mining jurisdictions) be improved in order to ensure quality control in the manufacturing of wire ropes destined for mines in Ontario (and Canada). Also, the author recommends the revision of the CSA G4-00 Standard by the technical committee in order to address manufacturer?s concerns with respect to compliance, and harmonize the Standard with Internationally recognized Standards.

Apr 1, 2005

By Edouard Asselin, Tasawar Javed

This study was conducted as a part of ongoing work to characterize sulphide concentrate leach residues generated under CESL (Cominco Engineering Services Limited) and Vale pilot and demonstration plant medium temperature (150 °C) process conditions. Three different samples were analyzed. Derivative samples were prepared by extracting gypsum, sulphur and amorphous/poorly crystalline iron oxyhydroxide phases from the leach residues. Thermal behavior of the samples was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) in the temperature range 25 to 800 °C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres, with XRD analyses both before and after heating. Thermal transformation temperatures for different iron oxides/oxyhydroxides present in hydrometallurgical leach residues vary over a wide range which suggests the variable crystallinity of the phases. Raman spectroscopic analysis was carried out to help identify the type of iron phases in the residues. Furthermore, hydroxylamine hydrochloride (HaHC) and oxalate extractions were used to compare the fractionation of the amorphous/poorly crystalline iron phases in the residues. Given the compositions of the residues, any thermal events in the temperature range of 200 °C to 480 °C were attributed to amorphous/poorly crystalline iron phases.

Jan 1, 2014

By J. Stiksma, K. Buban, J. Oftsie, R. Kalanchey, S. Sadykov, E. McConaghy

The Kazakhmys zinc refinery in Balkhash, Kazakhstan, which employs the Dynatec Zinc Pressure Leach Process, officially launched autoclave operations on December 27, 2003. The Kazakhmys plant is the world's first greenfields zinc refinery based on Dynatec's two-stage pressure leach technology. Production of zinc was realized on February 9, 2004, when the first cathode was stripped. Currently the plant start-up is ongoing, with progression to two-stage zinc pressure leach operation and ramp-up to full design capacity continuing through 2004.

Jan 1, 2004

By C S. Walker

This paper analyzes the physical, operational and economic site conditions which were conducive to the design of a diesel-electric power plant wherein the over-all use of the thermal energy of the fuel exceeds 80 per cent. The heat energy supplied to the diesel engines is recovered in power generation, vapour phase cooling, waste heat boilers, air to exhaust gas heat exchangers and lubricating oil coolers. Electric boilers are also integrated into the plant design to enable the ratio of electric power output to heat recovery to be varied to suit the seasonal and daily variations. The criteria relative to thermal and electric power design requirements are discussed, and the design details of some parts of the plant which conform to these criteria are illustrated. Some data in regard to the actual operation of the plant over a short period are also included. Introduction THE Cantung mine (Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation) is located some 180 miles north-east of Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. It is situated on the upper reaches of the Flat river at an elevation of about 3,700 feet.

Jan 1, 1965

By L. H. Thorleifson

Demand for both gem and industrial diamonds is very strong. Synthetic production supplies industrial uses, but synthetic gems remain inferior and expensive, so the large gem market is supplied by mining. Several major mines have been depleted, and the market is receptive to new sources of high quality gems. Canada's Precambrian terrane, extending across the Canadian Shield and under the Phanerozoic cover of the Plains and Hudson Bay, has excellent potential for diamonds, but exploration conditions are difficult due to recent glaciation. Early world exploration relying on recognition of diamond in alluvial sediments was adequate to launch pre-1900 production from India, Brazil, and Africa. Exploration success in Canada, as was the case in Russia and other more recently discovered sources, however, had to await large investments in effort supported by advanced science and technology. Canadian exploration in many ways is similar to that in other regions, relying on analysis of tectonics, indicator minerals, geophysical surveys, and multiple stages of drilling and sampling. Very different from other regions, however, is Canada's surficial environment, in which recent glaciation has caused fresh indicator minerals to be transported hundreds of km. Exploration accelerated in Canada after 1960, first in Ontario and the Arctic Islands, then in Saskatchewan in 1988, and most importantly after the Chuck Fipke - Stew Blusson discovery at Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories, in 1991 that led to the billion-dollar BHP - Dia Met Ekati Mine that opened in 1998. In 2003, production from Ekati is expected to be supplemented by that from the similar and nearby Diavik Mine of Rio Tinto and Aber, currently under construction. These mines will bring Canadian output to over 10% of world supply, and will position Canada with Botswana and Russia as world leaders in production of high quality gem diamonds. There could be other mines as well, as sites across the Arctic and in the south from Alberta to Québec are being explored by an array of companies, including De Beers, other majors, and several juniors.

May 1, 2001

By D. J. Lucifora

Monitoring-While-Drilling (MWD) is a proven technique that records instantaneous on-drill parameters which can be used to supply contextual information for in-situ, down hole conditions, such as: changes in geology, the presence of pre-existing fractures and dynamic alterations, down hole conditions including bit bailing, bit blockages and bit wear, and improper drill operation. This technique has been widely used in the oil and gas industry and, eventually, it was transferred to the mining industry. A challenge when analyzing and interpreting MWD data is in utilizing proper filtering which enables one to properly eliminate any ?noise? from the signals of interest. Overall the importance of MWD data is that, through the collection of operational field-based data, a dataset can be acquired which allows experimentation and analysis to be carried out. Such a dataset is often impossible to replicate in a laboratory setting. If successful, and through iterative refinement, any promising method can eventually be implemented on-machine and using real-time monitoring techniques. This paper will provide a state of the art review of presently used MWD techniques and applications in industry. The paper?s primary focus will be on shallow, mining-style, blast hole drilling but will also take into account techniques and applications utilized in oil and gas drilling which have not been adopted in the mining industry. In the cases where MWD techniques and applications exist solely in oil and gas drilling the paper will examine and comment on the potential utility of technology transfer to mining applications.

Aug 1, 2013

By Hajime Miki, Gde Pandhe Wisnu Suyantara, Tsuyoshi Hirajima, A. M. Elmahdy, Keiko Sasaki

"Seawater has been reported to depress molybdenite in a copper-molybdenum (Cu-Mo) flotation process at high pH due to the precipitation of Mg(OH)2. Meanwhile, to improve mineral recoveries, collectors are usually added into the flotation cells, thus adding the complexity to the mechanism of bubble-particle interactions involved in Cu-Mo flotation. Therefore, understanding the interaction mechanism in seawater flotation and in the presence of collectors is important to explain the minerals depression. The present work investigated the effect of kerosene on the bubble collision and attachment to pure chalcopyrite and molybdenite surfaces in MgCl2 solution as one of the seawater major components at pH 6 and 11. Mineral surfaces were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM). In addition, minerals floatability in the same system were tested in a column flotation. The study of bubble-particle interactions shows that following several collisions, bubble could displace the intervening liquid layer on the mineral surfaces, forming a three-phase contact (TPC). A TPC formed more rapidly in the presence of emulsified kerosene in a 0.01 M MgCl2 solution at pH 6 for both minerals. The reason is kerosene increased the surfaces hydrophobicity and destabilized the intervening liquid layer on the surfaces. Moreover, the average time required to form a TPC was shorter on molybdenite surface. This can be attributed to the effect of adsorbed kerosene on molybdenite surface and molybdenite surface roughness.INTRODUCTIONIn froth flotation, bubbles are used to separate hydrophobic mineral particles from hydrophilic particles. In this process, bubble-particle interactions (i.e., collisions, attachment, and detachment) are crucial with regard to mineral recoveries. The effectiveness of froth flotation depends on the formation of stable aggregates between the hydrophobic particles and the bubbles, allowing the bubble to carry the particles to the froth layer. To form such aggregates, the bubbles and particles must collide, and the intervening liquid layer must be drained below the liquid layer critical thickness, forming a stable threephase contact (TPC) (Ralston & Dukhin, 1999). Particles detachment may take place if the particles still have sufficient kinetic energy and the TPC is not formed. Previous studies of bubble-particle interaction in electrolyte solutions have been conducted using atomic force microscopy (AFM) (Assemi, Nguyen, & Miller, 2008), and by approaching the bubble using mica plate (Pushkarova & Horn, 2008), however, these studies did not focus on the bubble-particle collisions. Bubble collisions and attachment to hydrophobic (Teflon) and hydrophilic (glass) surfaces in a a-terpineol solution have been investigated by Krasowka et al. (2003)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Ham. Y. M.

The corrosion behaviour of Al-B4C metal matrix composites immersed in 2500 ppm boron-containing H3B03, 0.5 M K2SO4, and 3.5% NaC1 solutions was investigated. Effects of B4C particle volume fraction on the corrosion behaviour of composites were studied using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the surface morphology of the material before and after corrosion. Results show that all materials investigated are more corrosion resistant in 2500 ppm boron-containing H3B03 than in other solutions. No appreciable corrosion was observed in boric acid and sulfate solutions in contrast to an obvious pitting in NaC1 solution for both base alloy and composites. The preferential pitting sites are the interfaces of Al/Fe intermetallics for the base alloy, and the A1/B4C interfaces for the composites. Increasing the volume fraction of B4C particles in the composite decreases its corrosion resistance of Al-B4C composites.

Jan 1, 2011

By R. Heikkilä

A large research and development program called RYM PRE (Process Re-Engineering) has been active in Finland since 2010. As a part of the program, a work packet Infra FINBIM is focused on the development of new national process model, specifications and requirements for the whole Finnish Infra Industry. In the Infra FINBIM, total 15 companies and main owners and 3 research organisations are included. The work is further continuing. The main achieved results up today have been the first specifications and requirements of the BIM based total process for infra sector, about 30 different pilot projects for testing of the new design and construction process models producing a lot of results and observations, a new open information transfer format Inframodel3 based on LandXML standard, the achieved acceptance of the Building SMART organization for support of international development, utilization and extension of the format within the whole infra industry, processes, software and other technical equipment. An evaluation of the results and this work will be drawn.

Aug 1, 2013

By C. Van Den Heuvel, C. B. Van Buuren

BIOX® has been successfully demonstrated over the past 2 decades for the recovery of gold from refractory sulphide concentrates. To date 12 successful BIOX® plants have been installed in 8 countries spanning 4 continents with the 13th installation currently nearing completion in the Philippines. In 2010 BIOMIN introduced the ASTER™ process for improved water balances in commercial BIOX® applications by supporting tightening environmental legislation on water usage and availability in both arid and tropical regions. Previously, a common challenge for BIOX® plants was the inability to recycle thiocyanate containing water due to the low tolerance of the organisms. ASTER™, a biological thiocyanate and cyanide destruction process, renders a non-toxic solution for re-use in BIOX®. Two commercial ASTER™ plants are in operation with the 3rd ASTER™ plant under construction in the Philippines. A 3rd BIOMIN technology, specifically developed for double refractory ores is available for implementation. The HiTeCC process has shown considerable success on ores where competition from disseminated carbon has rendered ineffective gold recoveries. Through HiTeCC, gold is desorbed from the carbonaceous matter by manipulating the ionic strength and temperature of conventionally treated CIL product. One Australian commercial plant utilises HiTeCC while a 2nd installation is set for commissioning 4th Quarter 2014. BIOMIN’s premier solutions for refractory gold processing are described herein.

Jan 1, 2014

By R. B. Harkness

Many of us are familiar with the history of oil in the Province of Ontario, but for the benefit of those who have never heard the story I will repeat it. In 185 7 J. H. Williams, of Hamilton, an old-country Scotchman, who had the advantage of experience gained from the primitive methods used for refining the oil collected at seepages in Roumania, heard of the "gum beds" along Black creek in Enniskillen township, Lambton county. He erected a small plant in the bush and refined illuminating oil, where the village of Old Springs now stands. The labor of collecting this thick ?gummy substance from the sluggish water of the creek, prompted him to dig a well, the next year ( 1858), in the hope of obtaining a greater quantity. When his excavation reached a gravel bed on top of the rock, oil, resembling "lubricating oil of commerce", rose several feet. Several of these wells were dug and his refining business flourished. The following year the Drake well, in Pennsylvania, was drilled into rock, resulting in an oil find which encouraged one James Shaw to make a similar attempt on Black creek. With a spring-pole drill he completed his well in the spring of 1861 to a depth of 160 feet, and at that depth struck a gusher that flowed uncontrolled for several days. Great excitement followed and the village of Oil Springs had a mushroom growth. The Petrolia field was discovered in 1865. Lick followed up the Thames with a spring-pole rig testing the formations along that river and discovered the original Bothwell field in 1865. During the sixties wells were drilled in many counties in southwestern Ontario.

Jan 1, 1924