Search Documents

By Richard P. Rothwell

In January last I published in the Engineering and Mining Journal a table giving, with a considerable degree of accuracy, the production of anthracite coal for the year 1874. At that time it mas impossible to give any correct estimate of the production of bituminous coal, for the returns I had been able to secure from such distant and scattered districts were not always forwarded punctually, and the work of .obtaining anything like a true estimate of the coal mined in districts from which I was unable to obtain official returns was both laborious and tedious. As will be seen from the detailed reports furnished herewith, I have succeeded in obtaining tolerably accurate returns of 20,093,704 tons; and upon careful revision by numerous well-informed local authorities, my first estimate of the amount of coal not officially returned to me has grown very considerably; indeed, as I get more information on the subject I find that our bituminous coal production greatly exceeds the amount we have been accustomed to hear it placed at, aggregating as it does, 26,465,704 tons. Mr. Andrew Roy, State Inspector of Mines for Ohio, has reported the production of Ohio at 4,168,445 tons, while his first estimates were but 3,820,000 tons; and similarly, in other cases, the more full the returns direct from the mines the more incorrect do I find all previous reports. I am able now to furnish, not an accurate statement, indeed, but by far the most full and reliable one that has yet been published of our coal production. The amount of labor involved in obtaining this admittedly imperfect report has been simply enormous. In the following tabular statement it will be perceived that Pennsylvania produces nearly one-half of all the bituminous coal mined

By R. J. Teitel

FOUR or five years ago an investigation was initiated to study and develop basic information on llquid metal fuels for future power nuclear reactors. The objective was to find fluid forms of uranium (solutions or dispersions) in low melting alloys. A summary of the different fuels was presented in a recent article by Teitel, Gurinsky, and Bryner.' The combination of uranium and bismuth, with its low thermal neutron cross section and low melting point, is of basic interest to the development of these fuels. Most of the previous effort on the U-Bi phase diagram was done under security regulation. Ahmann and Baldwin' reported their findings on the U-Bi system in 1945. Their results indicated that the phase diagram had at least two compounds and possibly one more. UBi, and UBi were established by chemical analyses of residues after high temperature centrifugation of alloys. UBi, decomposed peritectically at1980°C and there were signs of another reaction above that. UBi melted at a very high temperature, and there were also signs of a monotectic at high temperatures in high uranium alloys. The solubility of uranium in liquid bismuth has received attention by three groups of authors: Bareis,X ayes and Gordon,' and Ahmann and Baldwin.' The latest and most widely accepted data is that of Bareis, and it is included in Fig. 1 along with new data at higher temperatures. Brewer et al." and Ferro"'' have used X-ray diffraction to determine the number and crystal structure of the compounds. Brewer identified the structure of UBi to be a simple NaCl cubic structure having a cell edge of 6.364A. The density of the compound was calculated to be 11.52 g per cu cm. Two other unindexed patterns were presented as possibly belonging to two other compounds. Ferro agreed with Brewer on the crystal structure of UBi and identified the structure of UBi, and U,Bi,. The intermetallic compound UBi, has a tetragonal cell with a = 4.445A and c = 8.908A. The density of the compound was determined and the number of atoms per cell (six atoms) was calculated. The X-ray density reported was 12.35 g per cu cm. The compound UsBir was treated in a similar way and it was reported to have a cubic structure 9.35A on an edge and to contain 28 atoms per cell. The density was given as 12.59 g per cu cm. Teitel reported that there was a compound UaBi, and no UBi, compound. (The difference in the compositions is 3.3 pct U.) This conclusion was based upon the extrapolation of some 20 tie lines in the

Jan 1, 1958

By F. N. Rhines, A. S. Nemy

The mode of high-temperature tertiary creep of 523-0 aluminum alloy was found to be strongly stress dependent. The occurrence of necking and/or fissures during tertiary creep exhibited a sequence with varying stress, wherein fissures with no necking occur at a minimum stress and necking with no fissures occur at a maximum stress. At an intermediate stress, tertiary creep begins without necking but with fissures in a region just beneath the external surface, followed by necking and the development of fissures along the axis of the specimen. The results are interpreted in terms of grain boundary gliding and the hydrostatic stresses produced by restraints to grain boundary gliding. THERE appear to be two possible reasons for the existence of a period of accelerating elongation prior to rupture during high-temperature creep in metals; namely, 1) a change in the structure of the metal itself, leading to a change in its response to loading, and 2) a reduction in the cross section of the metal resulting in a higher unit loading. Howe,' by annealing and retesting broken low-temperature creep specimens, found that irreparable damage is done once a metal is subjected to creep. Andrade2 first pointed out the association between the reduction in cross section and the increase in creep rate. The present research was designed to investigate both of these factors by retesting specimens machined from material which had been subjected to high-temperature creep testing short of rupture. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD An aluminum alloy, 52s-0, was selected for these studies because it is constitutionally simple, is strong enough to be relatively insensitive to mechanical damage during machining,3 and undergoes accelerating creep in a convenient temperature range. This alloy is hardened by 2.6 wt pct Mg in solid solution and is not subject to overaging effects; it has a very small quantity of an insoluble impurity phase, Mg2Si, finely dispersed throughout its micro-structure. Creep specimens, similar in design to ASTM 0.252-in. tensile specimens, were machined from 3/4-in. round stock and the surfaces were electro-polished. A 24-hr anneal at 500°C was then applied to stabilize the grain size to an average diameier of 0.27 mm. Subsequent heating for as long as 700 hr at the intended test temperatures produced no change in the tensile properties, indicating a well-stabilized state of the material. Corresponding to each of the typical testing conditions listed in Table I, one creep specimen was tested to destruction and this test was employed as a guide in the selection of times for subsequent tests. Duplicate creep tests were then run to various points along the creep curve to produce specimens which were used to determine changes in mechanical properties and microstructures. The latter were examined at the midsections of the specimens. Other specimens were tested to various stages of tertiary creep, after which they were remachined to new cylindrical test specimens, electropolished and re-tested in creep. RESULTS The major findings of this investigation may be illustrated by a comparison of the results of three sets of creep tests. These were run at 400°C at three stress levels, namely 750, 1000, and 1500 psi. In presenting these results in Figs. 1, 5, and 8, the creep curves are given in pairs: That curve of each pair which is drawn through filled circles corresponds to the initial test, and the curve drawn through open circles (and designated by - R) represents the result of retesting the same specimen after machining to a new cylindrical surface. The load was readjusted to the original unit stress at the beginning of each retest.

Jan 1, 1960

By John C. Branner

Five of the geologic horizons that yield oil in other parts of the world are represented in Brazil; namely, the Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary. Thus far, the first two have shown no evidences of being oil bearing within Brazilian territory. Not enough exploring has been done to permit trustworthy comparisons of the relative importance of the Permian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary as oil-bearing horizons in this country. The most important, indeed almost the only, information available relates to the locations of the areas and to the structural features of the several horizons. The theories regarding the physical conditions under which these rocks were laid down, however, I regard of the utmost importance. Permian Rocks of Permian age cover an enormous area in Brazil, extending from Rio Grande do Sul to Maranhao on the north, and to Matto Grosso on the west. These Permian rocks in many places are known to include oil-bearing shales and in some locations contain small veins of gilsonite. The geologic map of Brazil shows that the Permian area is widely distributed, but there is considerable doubt about the origin of some of the rocks. Some of the lower Permian beds in southern Brazil contain marine fossils, but in Minas no fossils have as yet been found in them, and in Bahia, at only one locality have a few Permian plants been found. Indications of oil have been found in the states of Sa0 Paulo, Parana, and elsewhere farther south, but wells drilled in the Permian of SaO Paulo near the Morro do Bofete did not find oil. One well has been started, by the Brazilian Government, in the Permian of Parana near Marechal Mallet, close to latitude 26" south, but thus far oil has not been found.

Jan 1, 1923

By John C. Branner

Five of the geologic horizons that yield oil in other parts of the world are represented in Brazil; namely, the Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary. Thus far, the first two have shown no evidences of being oil bearing within Brazilian territory. Not enough exploring has been done to permit trustworthy comparisons of the relative importance of the Permian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary as oil-bearing horizons in this country. The most important, indeed almost the only, information available relates to the locations of the areas and to the structural features of the several horizons. The theories regarding the physical conditions under which these rocks were laid down, however, I regard of the utmost importance. Permian Rocks of Permian age cover an enormous area in Brazil, extending from Rio Grande do Sul to Maranhao on the north, and to Matto Grosso on the west. These Permian rocks in many places are known to include oil-bearing shales and in some locations contain small veins of gilsonite. The geologic map of Brazil shows that the Permian area is widely distributed, but there is considerable doubt about the origin of some of the rocks. Some of the lower Permian beds in southern Brazil contain marine fossils, but in Minas no fossils have as yet been found in them, and in Bahia, at only one locality have a few Permian plants been found. Indications of oil have been found in the states of Sa0 Paulo, Parana, and elsewhere farther south, but wells drilled in the Permian of SaO Paulo near the Morro do Bofete did not find oil. One well has been started, by the Brazilian Government, in the Permian of Parana near Marechal Mallet, close to latitude 26" south, but thus far oil has not been found.

Jan 1, 1923

By Oliver Bowles

GLASS razor blades, glass chairs, and marble window panes attest that creative genius was still active in 1935. Many less striking, though doubtless more important, developments are to be recorded for the nonmetallic mineral industries, and not the least of them is the establishment of an Industrial Minerals Division in the A.I.M.E. under the able leadership of Samuel H. Dolbear, Chairman. Thus the nonmetallics are rightly granted equal dignity with metals and fuels in the category of mineral industries. The brief review of progress that follows merely touches the fringe of important developments in this broad field.

Jan 1, 1936

By Richard L. Stowe, Donnie L. Ainsworth

The static, rapid, and shock-loading response of rock is of interest to many in the field of rock mechanics. For example, the effects of loading rates on strength and stress-strain characteristics of rock are quite important in defining input loading for use in the design of underground protective installations. Response data on rock subjected to shock loading over a wide range of pressures are also vital in the field of underground nuclear testing. In addition, material response is needed in design of shock-absorbing liners. A number of investigators have reported that ultimate compressive strength of rock increases with increased rates of loading.1-6 Wuerker3 stated that modulus of elasticity, obtained from sonic determinations, increased in some rocks by a factor as high as 4.5. It appears that only a limited amount of work has been done on comparing static modulus and modulus obtained from impact testing.6 Phillips4 showed that with increased rates of loading the deformation decreased. More recent work by Atchley and Furr5 showed that when moderate-strength concrete is stressed with increased loading rates, the axial strain at failure increased. One would expect this to occur if we think in terms of purely elastic materials. For example, if E is constant and maximum strength [amax], increases, the axial strain would also increase. However, in rock testing thus far we have worked almost exclusively with nonhomogeneous and inelastic rocks. From this fact alone the increase in axial strain with increased load application is noteworthy.

Jan 1, 1972

By E. von Maltitz

IN his highly interesting paper on "Piping and Segregation in Steel Ingots,"1 Prof. Howe emphasizes the effect of successive phases of internal pressure in the ingot in the evolution of gas, and the consequent formation of blow-holes. From his statements in other places, it may be inferred that he does not here intend to ignore the other variable factor, temperature, but rather to discuss this one more particularly. At all events, it is my purpose not to engage in controversy with Prof. Howe, but rather to contribute, towards the complete elucidation of this important subject which we all desire, my own views and experience. If, in doing so, I specially emphasize other factors than pressure, I need not be understood as denying what I do not think it necessary to discuss fully. Nor, in presenting my own original conclusions, need I be understood as claiming to be the first who ever reached or announced them. Many things are asserted or suggested upon inconclusive evidence; and to confirm such tentative propositions may be as valuable a service as to overthrow them. In the following passage, Prof. Howe adduces analogies, based upon the behavior of charcoal and of water, respectively, which seem to me questionable "In general, the. solvent power falls as the pressure falls ; and in general it rises as the temperature falls. Thus, to heat a solid, for instance charcoal, may expel part of its dissolved gas ; and a tumbler of water drawn cold from the faucet gradually evolves gas, as it stands and warms up on the sideboard." (p. 238.) Charcoal is a solid body, which has the property not only of absorbing gases in large quantities, but also of expelling the thus absorbed gases upon heating. A comparison between charcoal and iron as to the absorption of gases is scientifically not possible ; the gas-content of charcoal is partly due to the

Sep 1, 1907

By George Holderer

THE Enos Coal Mining Co. owns an area underlaid by coal, of approximately 5000 acres. This property is situated 9 miles from Oakland City, in the southern part of Indiana. The mine has been in operation 5 years, during which time some 350 acres have been stripped, and stripping is now proceeding at the rate of about 100 acres per year. TOPOGRAPHY These coal lands consist of gently-rolling agricultural fields which in times past were farmed for wheat. There is no timber and but very little brush to contend with. The overburden varies from 10 to 60 ft. in depth. A thin bed of slate overlies the coal, followed by limestone, which varies from 3 to 15 ft.; this, in turn, is followed by sandstone, slate, shale and clay. There is a very wide variation in the thickness of all of these beds. The coal has an average thickness of 5 ft., and is a good grade of high-volatile bituminous. MINING OPERATIONS Briefly, the sequence of operations is: drilling holes with churn drills; blasting with L. 0. X.; stripping overburden to, uncover coal and, finally taking up the coal, which is sent to a tipple for cleaning and sizing. In order to show what is being accomplished by the use of L. 0. X., results will be shown from May to November, 1926, inclusive, and compared to the same period in 1925. No work was done in No. 1 pit during May, 1925, hence all figures are unduly low for this month.

Jan 2, 1927

By E. W. Henderson

Development work in the state of Utah in 1935 consisted of additional work done on wildcat tests started in previous years and on a number of new wildcat tests started during the year. No effort was made to extend areas or to discover deeper productive horizons in proven fields. Principal areas of development were in Daggett County, northeastern Utah; Grand and Emery counties, east-central Utah; and in Washington County, southwestern Utah. Daggett County Clay Basin.—The Mountain Fuel Supply Co. deepened Murphy No. 2, sec. 21, T.3N., R.24E., from 6030 to 6790 ft. for a test of the Sundance formation. Two sandstone members at 6520 to 6644 ft. and 6737 to 6790 ft. contained water. The hole was plugged back to 5860 ft. and left as a future gas supply for the Salt Lake City-Ogden pipe line. The failure of the Sundance formation to produce in this test, in view of the recent Sundance discoveries in Colorado arid Wyoming, was disappointing Emery County Last Chance.—-Thc wildcat test of the Rainsey Petroleum Corporn-tion, Well No. 1-X, sec. 18, T.26S., R.7E., completed plugging back from total depth of 3168 ft. to 2771 ft. and was shut in as a gas well. A gas sand at 2724 to 2771 ft. produced approximately 21 million cubic fert. A deep test of the structure will be started upon approval of a wit plan of development. Grand County Cisco.—-The wildcat test of the Utah Southern Oil Co., sec. 33, T.22S., R.22E., of which the total depth was 1720 ft. on Dec. 31, 1935, is the most interesting operation ill the state. Location of the test was deter-

Jan 1, 1936

By E. W. Henderson

Development work in the state of Utah in 1935 consisted of additional work done on wildcat tests started in previous years and on a number of new wildcat tests started during the year. No effort was made to extend areas or to discover deeper productive horizons in proven fields. Principal areas of development were in Daggett County, northeastern Utah; Grand and Emery counties, east-central Utah; and in Washington County, southwestern Utah. Daggett County Clay Basin.—The Mountain Fuel Supply Co. deepened Murphy No. 2, sec. 21, T.3N., R.24E., from 6030 to 6790 ft. for a test of the Sundance formation. Two sandstone members at 6520 to 6644 ft. and 6737 to 6790 ft. contained water. The hole was plugged back to 5860 ft. and left as a future gas supply for the Salt Lake City-Ogden pipe line. The failure of the Sundance formation to produce in this test, in view of the recent Sundance discoveries in Colorado arid Wyoming, was disappointing Emery County Last Chance.—-Thc wildcat test of the Rainsey Petroleum Corporn-tion, Well No. 1-X, sec. 18, T.26S., R.7E., completed plugging back from total depth of 3168 ft. to 2771 ft. and was shut in as a gas well. A gas sand at 2724 to 2771 ft. produced approximately 21 million cubic fert. A deep test of the structure will be started upon approval of a wit plan of development. Grand County Cisco.—-The wildcat test of the Utah Southern Oil Co., sec. 33, T.22S., R.22E., of which the total depth was 1720 ft. on Dec. 31, 1935, is the most interesting operation ill the state. Location of the test was deter-

Jan 1, 1936

By Craig R. Barrett

The influence of the stress dependence of the dislocation density on the overall stress dependence of The steady-state creep rate is discussed. Experimental measurements of dislocation densities and creep rates jor an Fe-3.1 pct Si alloy tested over a wide range of stress are presented which indicate a close correlation between the two quantities. EXPRESSING the stress dependence of high-temperature steady-state creep rates has been the subject of numerous investigations over the past decade. From these investigations have emerged a few general equations which fit most of the available data reasonably well. Garofalo 1 has proposed that for a wide range of stress and temperature the creep rate, i, can be expressed by a relationship of the form: where A, ß, and n are temperature-dependent and is the applied stress. Eq. [I] gives a stress dependence of a at low stresses and exp(nßo) at high stresses, both consistent with experimental observation where n = 5. A number of other investigatorshave proposed a similar expression where: where m and w are in general functions of temperature. Theoretical justification for Eqs. 111 and [2J comes from two different approaches, theories based on dislocation glide3-5 and theories based on the balance between work-hardening and recovery.' Dislocation glide theories predict where p is the mobile dislocation density and V is the activation volume. In order for Eq. [3] to predict a on stress dependence at low stresses with n = 5, it is necessary for p to be a strong function of stress, about proportional to u3 or u4.436 Recovery models of creep start with the general expression:' where r is the recovery rate and h is the work-hardening rate, and then employ a detailed model to determine the stress dependencies of r and h. As example, weertman2 has described a model based on pile-up hardening which results in an expression similar to Eq. [2] with m = 2 and p = 2.5. A recent, seemingly more general approach suggested by McLean is to use Friedels dislocation network growth expression to calculate the stress dependence of r. This model predicts r = p 3,2 and, as h is taken to be a relatively weak function of stress, the stress dependence of i should be about proportional to p3, 2. Once again, it is required that p be a strong function of stress to yield i This recovery model is by no means complete as the stress dependence of network growth is calculated in the absence of an applied stress meaning that r should probably be a stronger function of stress than given by p3, 2 and also some recent work by Mitra and McLean8 suggests that the stress dependence of h may be as large as Because of the importance of the stress dependence of p in determining the overall stress dependence of the strain rate it seems reasonable to examine this relationship in some detail. Measurements made on dislocation densities present during high-temperature steady-state creep generally obey the following relationship a =o0 + aGVWp [5] where uo is usually called a friction stress, a is a numerical constant about equal to unity, G is the shear modulus, and b is the Burgers vector. Depending on the magnitude of uo, data obeying Eq. [5] can give rise to a range of stress dependencies of p. For example, if we assume that the expression where 6 is some constant, adequately represents the stress dependence of p over a range of o, then from Although Eq. [6] obviously breaks down when u 5uo for uo 6 can vary over a wide range of values. In particular, if u > a, > 0 then 6 will be greater than 2. As an example the data of Ishida and McLean are plotted in Fig. 1 showing excellent agreement with dynes per sq cm) and also showing good agreement with a p cc u3 dependence when plotted on a log-log basis. As oo increases 6 tends to increase and correspondingly the stress dependence of the predicted creep rate should also increase,* as-

Jan 1, 1968

By J. R. Linney

THE Eastern Magnetite Industry produced approximately 7,850,000 long tons of crude ore in 1945 from which was obtained approximately 3,650,000 long tons of shipping product or a ratio of 2.10 to 1. Lack of skilled or experienced miners was the greatest handicap. Veterans returning to work improved the underground labor shortage in some localities but as a whole the labor shortage was keenly felt throughout the industry. One cannot now predict what may be accomplished in 1946 but barring major steel strikes a worthwhile improvement can be expected. At the Richard mine of the Richard Ore Co., the shipping product for the year amounted to approximately 124,650 long tons of concentrate and lump ore. Crude-ore production was 160,600 long tons. The average analysis for lump ore was 63 per cent iron and for concentrates 66.05 per cent. The Warren Foundry and Pipe Corp. at their Mt. Hope mine produced 73,000 long tons of lump ore averaging 59.5 per cent and 57,000 long tons of concentrate averaging 67 per cent. The total mine hoist was approximately 209,000 long tons. Operations were commenced through the new Leonard shaft on Jan. 18; the Brown shaft through which operations had been conducted since 1912 caved beyond repair on Sept. 26. No one was injured but pumping facilities were somewhat disrupted. In order to reach designed capacity a total of 400 men will be required with 300 underground. Due to shortage of labor all operations in 1945 were concentrated on the 1700 level. As fast as men can be hired and trained development of the 2100 and 2500 levels will commence. Mt. Hope has a consider-

Jan 1, 1946

William Clinton Brown, Brooklyn, N. Y.: The demand for an apparatus for cooling water for condensers, refrigeratingmachinery and air-compressors, as well as water-jacketed furnaces, has led manufacturers to put such an apparatus on the market, so that it is now possible to purchase a cooling-tower, properly designed and constructed, by simply stating the amount of water to be cooled and the temperatures of the hot and the cold water. The principle is similar to that described by Mr. Henrich, but wood is not used in the best apparatus. There are two great objections to wood: First, it cannot last long under the very trying conditions to which it is subjected; and second, it absorbs the organic matter with which water in constant use becomes impregnated, and the resulting odor is very disagreeable. A few days ago I saw a cooling-tower and condenser, built by the Henry R. Worthington Co., in operation at the Edison electric-lighting station in Brooklyn, N. Y., cooling the water for a 700 horse-power condenser. It consisted of a large stack of iron, about 15 feet in diameter by about 30 feet high. This stack was filled with tiling through which the water falls. A whirligig distributes the water evenly over the top, and a large fan, about 6 feet in diameter, driven by a 10 horse-power electric motor, blows air into the bottom, thus giving a positive circulation. The water, in running down the sides of the tiling, is met by the blast of air, and enough is evaporated to cool the rest. The vacuum-gauge on the condenser showed 26 inches; so the condenser was undoubtedly getting sufficient cool water.

Jan 1, 1896

By JO. E. SHERID

THE Dawson coal-mines are owned and operated by the Stag Canon Fuel Co., of which Dr. James Douglas is President and E. L. Carpenter general manager. The property is situated in Colfax county, N. M., and the openings now in operation are in townships 28 and 29 N. R. 20 E., and township 28 N. R. 21 E., shown in Fig. 1. The mines are part of the southern end of the Raton coal-field, which extends north into Colorado and embraces many coal-camps of the Trinidad section. II. GEOLOGY. Geologically, the coal-measures, commonly known as the Laranmie series of the Cretaceous system, have a thickness of about 800 ft. in the vicinity of Dawson. The coal makes an excellent coke, and, according to some authorities, its coking properties are clue to the action of intruded sheets and sills of igneous rock, the sheets occasionally thickening into masses resembling laccoliths, at such places making nearer approach to the coal and sometimes producing small areas of natural coke. There are but few dikes through¬out the entire southern portion of the field and little or no faulting along the dikes. In some parts of this great coal-field the intrusive sheets are far removed in the green shales below the coal-measures, and are so much altered as to be difficult of identification. There is but little disturbance of the strata through¬out the Raton coal-field in as far as it extends into New Mexico. There are two workable seams in the coal-measures, and two or three smaller coal-seams, ranging from 1 to 2.5 ft. in thick-

Jun 1, 1909

(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 John Branner

FIVE of the geologic horizons that yield oil in other parts of the world are represented in Brazil; namely, the Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary. Thus far, the first two have shown no, evidences of being oil bearing within Brazilian territory. Not enough exploring has been done to permit trustworthy comparisons of the relative importance of the Permian, Cretaceous, and Tertiary as oil-bearing horizons in this country. The most important, indeed almost the only, information available relates to the locations of the areas and to the structural features of the several horizons. The theories regarding the physical conditions under which these rocks were laid down, however, I regard of the utmost importance. PERMIAN Rocks of Permian age cover an enormous area in Brazil, extending from Rio Grande do Sul to Maranhão on the north, and to Matto Grosso on the west. These Permian rocks in many places are known to include oil-bearing shales and in some locations contain small veins of gilsonite. The geologic map of Brazil shows that the Permian area is widely distributed, but there is considerable doubt about 'the origin of some of the rocks:. Some of the lower Permian beds in southern Brazil contain marine fossils, but in Minas no fossils have as yet been found in them, and in Bahia, at only one locality have a few Permian plants been found. Indications of oil have been found in the states of São-Paulo, Paraná, and elsewhere farther south, but wells drilled in the Permian of São Paulo near the Morro do Bofete did not find oil. One well has been started, by the Brazilian government, in the Permian of Paraná near Marechal Mallet, close to latitude 26° south, but thus far oil has not been found.

Jan 6, 1922

By E. C. Wright

FOR many years the cost of making pig iron and steel in the Birmingham district has been about the lowest in the United States. The close proximity of the important raw materials such as coal, iron ore, limestone, and the large available scrap supply made it possible to assemble all of the important ingredients necessary for steel- making with only nominal costs for transportation. Both iron ore and coal were being mined in this district at one time for about $1 per ton from underground operations. At that time mining wages were low everywhere and the labor rate in the South was considerably below that of other mining districts. This situation persisted until the emergence of labor unions as an economic and political force, emigation of southern labor to northern plants, and continued growth of industry in the South in the years following the depression of 1932. Since that time union organizing of miners and steel workers throughout the nation has increased labor costs in mining and steelmaking. This influence has been felt particularly in underground mining operations since the proportion of labor cost to total cost is still high. The previous advantage in basic labor rate in the South has been almost entirely eliminated by the equalization of labor rates in basic industries by national unions. Since 1945 these influences have been especially noticeable in increasing the cost of mining coal and iron ore in the South. The northern steel districts are still being largely supplied with iron ore from the Minnesota open-pit mines and the cost of this ore has not increased nearly as much as the cost of ore obtained from underground mines in Birmingham. A similar situation exists in coal mining; the thinner seams in Alabama are not so amenable to mechanization as the northern mines and, as a result, the output per man-day in southern mines is only about three tons of coal as compared to five or six tons per man-day in the large captive mines of West Vir-

Jan 1, 1950

By J. D. Price, W. M. Bertholf

In preparing a paper on coal washing in Colorado and New Mexico, it is difficult to refrain from entering into a discussion of the historical aspects of this subject, for the story of coal washing in these states goes back well into the last century. This phase of the subject could well make a complete paper in itself, and of necessity this present discussion must be limited to current operations. Therefore, we are taking into consideration only those washing plants which have operated for some period during the years of 1947 and 1948.

Jan 1, 1949

By P. Barnes

THE sums given in the accompanying table are those actually paid for material and labor up to about August, 1875; but, as some parts of the machinery were not wholly completed at the starting of the works in September, 1875, the statement cannot be taken as an absolutely correct note of the total cost. A complete description, with engravings of the building and machinery, was given in Engineering, April 26th, 1878, in a paper by Messrs. A. L. Holley and Lenox Smith, to which convenient reference may be made. A detailed list of the construction accounts has been given in a paper, by the present writer, in vol. vi, Transactions of the Institute. A summary is given in the table of the items in each class which enter into the total cost, and also a note of the proportion which each of these items forms of the whole. A concise view may thus be obtained of the facts embodied in the statement, as a whole, even though it cannot lay claim to completeness in showing the entire or final cost. An urgent suggestion has reached the writer from a distant country that such statements of cost to be really most serviceable should give the details in days of labor, in weight of iron, and in number of brick, and to this an assent is most cordially yielded. It is true, however, that the mere labor of copying and compiling these details to such a degree of minuteness, would be very great, and, in any event, the probable difference between the plans of an existing establishment and one projected, would be so wide as to render even so complete a statement of cost of little more real service than the approximate notes given herewith.

Jan 1, 1879