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By S. W. Zanolli

The history of labor relations in the coal industry of the United States is a study of its collective bargaining. This study of collective bargaining is largely the history of the United Mine Workers of America and its contractual relations with the various coal mining employers who have produced this country's coal over the years under a free enterprise system. There have been other unions in the picture from time to time and some coal miners have mined coal without representation by any union. Even today some 25% of the nation's coal is produced outside of the collective bargaining relationship with the UMWA. However, more than 100,000 coal mine wage employees - well over 75% of the total in the industry - are covered by labor agreements negotiated for them by the UMWA. Practically all of these work in bituminous mines.

Jan 12, 1972

By Albert Hill Fay

In giving a sketch of the geology and mining of the tin-deposits of Cape Prince of Wales, a short description of the geographic and climatic conditions may be of special interest on account of this being a part of the world of which very little is known, even by the reading public. As shown in Fig. 1, the location of the Cape is lat. N 65° 35' and long. W. 168o. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic ocean ; on the west by Bering strait and on the south by Bering sea. It is the Westernmost point of the mainland of North America, and to the west, across the strait, one can see East Cape, Siberia, which consists of a rugged, steep coast of granite cliffs. The climatic conditions arc of interest because of the part they have had in the surface geology, and also because they affect mining from an economic standpoint. In connection with the climate and geography, it does not seem out of place here to quote a few lines from the prologue of The Wandering Jew, written by Eugene Sue, under the caption " The Land's End of Two Worlds." "The Arctic Ocean encircles with a belt of eternal ice, the desert confines of Siberia and North America—the uttermost limits of the Old and New World, separated by the narrow channel known as Bering's Straits. " To the north, this desert is bounded by a ragged const, bristling with huge black rocks. At the base of this Titanic mass lies enchained the petrified ocean (Bering sea) whose spell-bound waves appear fixed as vast ranges of ice mountains, their blue peaks fading away in the far-off frost-smoke, or snow-vapor. " Between the twin peak* of East Cape, the termination of Siberia, the sullen sea is Been to drive tall icebergs across a stream of dead green. There lies Bering's Strait. Opposite, and towering over the channel, rise the granite masses of Cape Prince of Wales, the headland of North America. "These lonely latitudes do not belong to the habitable world."

Jan 1, 1908

By J. W. Bolton, S. A. Weigand

Production of sound bronze castings is a matter of great practical interest to users and manufacturers of high-grade non-ferrous engineering specialties. Although there has been much excellent research in this field, there still remains some confusion regarding the fundamental principles underlying production of really sound bronze. The literature of the past 20 years on this subject indicates that the prevailing opinion of metallurgists and foundrymen has been that unsoundness in bronze is due generally to oxidation. The following references are typical. Review of Literature Carpenter and Edwards1 state that when gun metal is melted the alloy dissolves gas, the amount increasing with rise in temperature and duration of the melting. The solubility of the gas diminishes during the fall in temperature and it escapes through the liquid metal. At the moment of incipient solidification there is an evolution of gas. Sperry2 says that by using charcoal a reducing atmosphere is supplied whereby oxidation is prevented, and this also prevents gases from coming in contact with the metal. Logan3 says that many of the troubles that occur in non-ferrous castings are the direct result of one thing—oxidized material. He mentions how readily copper absorbs oxygen when molten, but does not mention the harmful effects of reducing conditions as observed in overpoled copper. Guillemin and Delachana14 investigated the gases occluded in bronze and found that the better bronzes contained mostly hydrogen while the poorer ones had a larger proportion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Jan 1, 1929

By T. L. Joseph

Blast furnaces are most efficient thermally when the CO2 in the top gas is highest. Oxygen introduced in the air blast is converted to CO in the combustion zones. The extent to which CO, generated in front of the tuyeres, is converted later to CO2 depends upon the ratio of ore to coke in the charge and the degree to which CO2, formed by reduction of iron oxides with CO, reverts to CO by the secondary reaction C + CO2 = 2CO. About 300 to 400 lb. of carbon' per ton of pig iron is normally involved in the solution-loss reaction or direct reduction of FeO with carbon, which produces the same over-all results; that is, lower CO2 in the top gas. Rich2 has recently reported a reduction in fuel consumption at slower rates of blowing on two furnaces in spite of higher heat losses per ton of iron. Lower fuel consumption at slow operating rates was due to more complete reduction of the ore that resulted in higher CO2 in the top gas and consequently more efficient use of carbon. Kinney3 has reported substantial savings in fuel as a result of crushing and sizing the ore charge. Improvements in practice brought about by sintering magnetite concentrates, flue dust and fine ores have been due to the establishment of conditions favoring more complete reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace. The extent to which oxides and fluctuations in composition in pig iron affect the quality of steel and finished product needs further study. There is evidence that more thorough preheating and reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace tend to give a better quality of iron. Bogatzkii4 found from laboratory work that the amount of oxygen entering electrolytic iron, melted under various slags, was directly proportional to the concentration of free FeO in the slag and inversely proportional to the basicity of the slag. Herty and Gaines5 concluded that the silicate content of open-hearth steel before deoxidation is related to the concentration of silica in the pig-iron charge, indicating that most of the persistent inclusions are silica from the iron. They also found that

Jan 1, 1936

By Charles Morgan

An increased demand for brown iron ore in the Birmingham district during the past 18 months has caused renewed activity both in prospecting and mining these ores. In recent years the production in Alabama has ranged from 41,559 tons in 1932 to 639,351 tons in 1928. During the last 9 years about 83 per cent of the total brown ore produced in the United States has come from Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Prospecting Two methods of prospecting are used in this district: (1) test pits, (2) churn-drilling. Usually there is certain quite definite information on an area to be prospected; some of the indications are float ore such as small gravel or small and large boulders known as "dornicks" scattered over the surface, and ore exposed by erosion in gulleys and ravines, which have cut or eroded through the overburden. Often these natural erosions furnish an indication of the thickness of the ore and to some extent of the area of the ore body. Deposits of brown ore are very irregular both in thickness and extent. Deposits are often lens-shaped or long narrow leads, some of which may be parallel and separated from one another by sand, clay or gravel. The bottom—the footwall—is also very irregular. This footwall is usually lime clay—disintegrated limestone, locally called "white horse," which usually is found at a depth of 6 in. to 20 ft. overlying the limestone. At some places sand and gravel is found under the ore instead of clay. No ore is found under the lime clay, although often the ore has sunk or slumped and is found in the upper portion of this clay, as at some of the Sloss workings at Russellville. The origin of these ores has been discussed by Major E. C. Eckel and Dr. E. F. Burchard in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 400, and recently the latter has done further work on ores in the Russellville district, of which reports undoubtedly will be published.

Jan 1, 1940

By Gordon M. Yocom

A pRopeR consideration of the subject of this paper should include economic aspects as well as the technical phases of the metallurgy, production, and properties of the product. The metallurgical phases of the processing and properties of the product will be considered only from practical aspects and within the scope of the writer's experience with tonnage production. The Bessemer process was invented 85 years ago and became important because it put steel manufacture upon a larger and less costly basis. In America the Bessemer production has declined for many years and has not maintained its proportionate place with the rapid advances of the open hearth. The achievements in the open-hearth field were attained by the greater number of technical people attracted to that branch of the industry. The antipathy of technical students for the older and less popular Bessemer field gradually weakened the forces defending it and retarded the development of new and better methods. In Europe the economic advantage of the basic Bessemer process has not been overlooked and the tonnage usually is greater than that of the open hearth. The acid process has been the subject of renewed attention in America during the past few years and those who are more familiar with it are striving to show that the method is too valuable to abandon. A considerable tonnage of Bessemer-blown metal, in both molten and ingot forms, used in connection with the open-hearth practice makes it an important auxiliary unit to the industry. This practice aids in modifying the price level of heavy remelting scrap in addition to speeding up the open-hearth operation. The use of Bessemer steel has continued not only because of periodic economic advantages but also because of certain inherent qualities of machinability, weldability and stiffness, which are valuable for many applications. The properties of stiffness and rather high reaction to cold-work require some modification in order to meet the demands of modem methods of processing, which involve cold-reduction and cold-forming. At least one factor contributing to the stiffness of this steel is the relatively high phosphorus content of the acid product. The phosphorus content of the Thomas or basic Bessemer steel of Europe is considerably lower than the normal acid product in America. The American industry has continued the use of the acid process chiefly for the reason that the available ores are more easily adapted to this process from both metallurgical and economic standpoints. In European practice the basic process is necessary with the highly phosphoric ores available and it is sustained to some degree by the sale of the rich phosphate slag as a by-product. The basic process was used in this country at several plants many years ago, but was abandoned for economic reasons. A part of the past history of these trials is given here because the author believes it has not been published and it has some bearing on the subject of this paper. The information is authentic to the extent that he possesses chemical laboratory notebooks

Jan 1, 1941

By Sylvan Cromer

The need for a clear understanding of the physical nature of the flow of gas-liquid mixtures in vertical pipes is ever becoming more apparent. This type of flow is encountered when gas and oil are produced from a well; when water is removed from gas wells with siphon lines and when liquids are elevated by means of air or gas lift. Although a number of investigator1-7 have published data on the flow of gas-liquid mixtures, in only a few cases has the experimental setup been devised to permit visual study. In the fields of heat transmission, such as the boiling of liquids and the study of the critical phenomena of the hydrocarbons, researchers have been able to throw additional light on heretofore unexplainable happenings through actual observation in glass apparatus. This investigation was therefore undertaken in order to obtain qualitative as well as quantitative results for air-water flow. Experimental Apparatus and Procedure The flow column used in these tests was made of standard 2-in. pipe and was approximately 98 ft. in height. Pyrex observation sections 2 ft. long having the same internal diameter as the wrought-iron pipe were placed at 14-ft. intervals in the column. The bottom of the tube was cut off square and terminated in the mixing chamber. No perforated nipple or footpiece of any kind was used. To the top of the column was fastened a semicircular return bend having a 4-ft. radius. The flow column was supported by a standard cable-tool drilling derrick (Fig. 1) into which were built observation platforms at each Pyrex section.

Jan 1, 1940

By Holbrook G. Botset

It is possible by means of the electrolytic model to simulate water-flooding or gas recycling systems involving input and output wells, and also the encroachment of a natural water drive. The results are obtained pic-torially, and by simple measurements and calculations the percentage of recovery is obtained qualitatively as a function of the total input. Introduction The increased demand for petroleum products, together with the decline in discovery rate and the higher cost of recovery as deeper formations are brought into production, has stimulated interest in methods for studying and predicting efficiencies of various production programs. Among methods Of recovery that have become of increased significance recently are gas recycling in condensate fields and secondary recovery by water-flooding. The electrolytic model is a useful device for studying such methods in the laboratory, at least in a qualitative way. The original experiments with electrolytic models and the development of their application to the study of secondary reCoverY problems were published in 1933. 1,2,3 Subsequently other investigators continued the development and modification of the bait method, with resultant improvements and extension of its applications.4-7 The method and equipment to be described here are thought to represent still further improvement in the results obtainable, with increased validity in their application to field problems. Sand OF Principles of Operation The underlying theory of the operation of the model is given in references I, 2 and 3. However, a brief statement of principles involved is given herewith. The applicability of the model is based on the fact that Ohm's law and d'Arcy's law are exactly analogous; whence, electrical flow through a conducting medium may be used to simulate homogeneous fluid flow through a permeable medium. If two electrodes are placed in a conducting (ionized) solution and connected to the positive and negative terminals of a source of direct current, the positive ions of the solution will move toward the negative terminal, Since the velocity of an ion in an electrolytic medium is proportional to the electrical gradient, just as the velocity of a fluid particle in a porous medium is proportional to the pressure gradient, the motion of the ions in the potential field will be the same as the motion of fluid particles in a porous medium if the positive and negative terminals (input and output wells) and boundary conditions are made equivalent in shape and distribution. In order for the analogy to hold exactly, the sand must be assumed to have uniform porosity and permeability and the input

Jan 1, 1946

By E. O. Jones

DURING the heating of cold-worked nickel silver, the tendency of the material to crack is well known. The present research deals with this question, and may conveniently be divided into the following sections: Changes in these alloys during heating and cooling, determination of the temperature at which cracking occurs, effect of grain size, quenching cracks, methods of overcoming annealing cracking. The work is far from complete, in particular the influence of impurities on this tendency has not been investigated, but the results so far obtained lead to certain definite conclusions, which are of theoretical and practical importance. CHANGES IN ALLOYS DURING HEATING AND COOLING During the annealing of many metals at a temperature just below that at which recrystallization sets in, there is evidence of some change, the effect of which is to harden and embrittle the material. This effect has been most clearly demonstrated in the cases of aluminum, copper, brass, and nickel silver, and appears to be a common property of cold-worked metals and alloys, or, at any rate, the non-ferrous ones. The effect would obviously offer an explanation for certain types of annealing cracking, but the trouble is so much more common in the nickel silvers than in the other alloys that some special cause should be looked for. There is, however, fairly good reason for believing that similar cracking may occur in some of the brasses; D. Bunting suggests that the a brasses toward the saturation limit are subject to a transformation closely allied in nature to that known to occur in the nickel silvers at around 320° C. Although the existence of this critical temperature range was known, it did not necessarily follow that this transformation was responsible for the trouble under investigation, so the first portion of this paper deals with the attempts made to determine whether other critical changes might not occur in these alloys. There were already reasons for the belief that such would prove to be the case, as the mechanical properties of the nickel

Jan 7, 1925

By E. H. Jr. Dix

THE success of the Charpy impact test in the steel industry has led those interested in aluminum alloys to investigate the possible applica¬tion of this test to aluminum and its alloys. In this paper are set forth the results of a few preliminary tests made at the Lynite Laboratories of the Aluminum Manufactures, Inc. In order to study more thor-oughly the significance of the Charpy test, slow-bending tests have been made duplicating the arrangement of the impact machine. Tests have been made on both notched and unnotched specimens of a series of copper-aluminum alloys. APPARATUS The standard American-made Charpy impact machine delivering a blow of over 200 ft.-lb. was- much too large to test aluminum-alloy specimens of the same type used for steel, so that it was necessary either to adopt a larger specimen or to have a special light-weight hammer made. Since there is no known relation between specimens of different sizes, even though geometrically similar, it was decided to adhere to the 10 by 10 mm. specimen. Accordingly, Sauveur and Boylston, the American makers of the machine, were asked to construct a special light-weight pendulum adapted to their standard machine, this pendulum to have one-tenth the capacity of the standard. The writer wishes here to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. H. M. Boylston for the personal interest and care exercised in constructing this pendulum. The machine with, the light-weight hammer in place is shown in Fig. 1. It is mounted on a concrete foundation with the concrete covering the flange on the base of the machine. Vibration is further prevented by four 5/8 -in. (15.8 mm.) foundation bolts. The large standard hammer shown against the wall was also used for some of the unnotched bars that requited more than 20 ft.-lb. to rupture.

Jan 4, 1920

By G. F. Loughlin

More than 20 years have passed since the publication of Lindgren and Ransome's report on the Cripple Creek District,1 which was made when the district was much more active and prosperous than in recent years. They concluded that the output of the district, which had reached its maximum of about $18,200,000 in 1900, would gradually decline, and their conclusion has been confirmed by records of subsequent production. Between 1905 and 1915 annual declines were partly compensated by encouraging increases, especially in 1908, 1914, and 1915; but a rapid continuous decline followed, due largely to the war and its after-effect's, until in 1922 the value of output was only slightly more than $4,000,000. It rose to nearly $5,000,000 in 1924, but declined again in 1925 and in 1926, when it was about $4,400,000, and represented ores mainly from deep levels in the Cresson and Portland mines. The profitable operations of these two mines were the principal factors leading to a study of ore at deep levels in the district by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Colorado Metal Mining Fund. The principal reasons for Lindgren and Ransome's conclusion were three: (I) the greater cost and difficulty of deep exploration; (2) the decrease in the number of veins with increasing depth, and (3) the probability that the telluride ore, believed to have formed at comparatively low temperature, would not persist indefinitely in depth. Operations since they made these statements have verified the first two, but call for some modification of the third. Rich telluride ore is being mined at a profit in the Portland mine 3000 ft. below the present surface, 07. 5000 ft. below the original surface of the Cripple Creek volcano, as interpreted by Lindgren and Ransome. The question arises, therefore, as to the number and extent of such deep deposits, and the answer, so far as it can now be given, must be based mainly on structural data, supplemented by data on the processes of ore deposition. Presentation of these data based on a study of deep mines in the southeast quarter of the district, the only

Jan 1, 1927

By S. LeFevre

, The solution of the housing and sanitation problem in mining communities, keeping in view both economic and humanitarian aspects, demands the best thought of the management of such enterprises. Upon the solution depend the health and comfort of the employee and his family, and as a consequence his contentment and efficiency. The following description covcrs briefly the methods installed for Witherbee, Sherman & Co. The operation of the system has been for about two years under the direct supervision of T. A. Hammond, Land Agent, and I am indebted to him for a compilation of the results. Sanitation The sanitary service covers 238 tenements. The installation cost was about $22 per tenement, as follows: Privy, $15; privy box, $3; proportion of incinerator cost, $2; garbage can, $2. The operating cost is $1 per month for each tenement. In considering the installation of an ordinary village system of water supply and sewerage two difficulties were encountered: First, lack of a sufficient quantity of water; there is no stream large enough, as Mineville is situated very close to the divide between the Lake Champlain and Hudson River watersheds. A storage reservoir was tried, but the only location available, among glacial hills, would not hold water. Second, the expense of digging ditches for the distribution of water and sewer pipes is so great as to be prohibitive; Mineville is built chiefly in a valley covered in the bottom with drift, in this case a combination of boulders and hard pan. Digging in this material costs 80c. to $1 per cubic yard, and pipes must be placed 41/2 ft. down to be below frost. The houses are scattered along 4 miles of streets, the oldest having been built in the original forest 65 years ago. The newer houses have gone up a few at a time wherevcr a clear space could be found and the slopes were not too steep. This has advantages, as it separates the dwellings into

Jan 1, 1915

By H. M. Chance

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) ADEQUATE treatment of the difficulties surrounding the valuation of mineral lands requires that agreement be first reached defining value as understood for the purpose of appraisal. To define value as the price of a product is not sufficient, and does not assist us in using the factors that cause variations in values and in relative values. The real value of any product depends primarily upon its relation to the necessities, comforts and pleasures of mankind. As the necessities, comforts and pleasures of the civilized races differ-from those of more primitive man, the value of products varies with the degree of civilization and the environment of the consumer. Coal has no value to the savages of warm climates, and arrow-head flint none to the residents of New York. It has long been recognized that what has. been termed ?intrinsic value " must be limited to materials that are essential to existence-air, water, food. But " intrinsic value " cannot be measured in monetary terms. The intrinsic value of a bushel of wheat is due to the fact that it will support the life of an individual for a certain definite time, but this fact does not enable us to measure or to express that value in monetary terms. It has often been proposed to adopt as a measure of the value of any product the quantity of labor necessary to produce it, but this method is of limited application, and will not apply to what may be termed " intrinsic values." For many reasons it might be well, while assenting to the fact that any material may be intrinsically valuable, to abandon the use of the term "intrinsic value." One of these reasons is the tendency to confuse the idea of " intrinsic value with a value that is conferred by economic conditions, that is purely artificial and that may be permanent or evanescent. Intrinsic value must from its nature be permanent and unchangeable.

Jan 7, 1913

By Richard L. Gordon

THE PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Toward the end of the 19th century, American industry began a drastic reorganization. The many, small, often-regional firms were supplanted by large national corporations-often produced by mergers among the existing firms. Giant companies appeared throughout American industry and many of them were engaged in the mineral industries.a The largest combines, by far, to emerge during the period were United States Steel and Standard Oil. Long before the restructuring had run its course, widespread concern arose over the process of concentration. Efforts were made to control, if not stop, the transformation. The concern produced the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 and the first of many federal regulatory agencies-the Interstate Commerce Commission (see Refs. 24, 31, 42). The basic objectives of these policies remain unclear to this day. The crucial issue is whether the goal is primarily to insure development of a more competitive economy or to preserve a social structure leaving more scope for small businesses. Complications arise from difficulties in agreeing upon the meaning of these terms. Studies of the early years of the antitrust movement suggest that it involved no particular concern over the mineral industries. Objections were directed at big companies in general. To be sure, the conservation movement arose in roughly the same period and did stress the evils of monopoly control of minerals. However, direct, continuing influence of conservation policy on antitrust is not apparent. Many of the most important antitrust cases, nevertheless, involved minerals. This, of course, may be sheer coincidence; the choice of cases has never followed any obvious pattern. Certainly, no simple hypothesis can explain the interest consistently. Once it may have been true that mineral industries were more likely than other sectors to be dominated by a few large companies. Yet, often sharp reversals of such tendencies -e.g., in oil and aluminum-have not removed antitrust interest. The importance of minerals to the economy cannot satisfactorily rationalize antitrust interest. The equally

Jan 1, 1976

By T. L. Joseph

Blast furnaces are most efficient thermally when the CO2 in the top gas is highest. Oxygen introduced in the air blast is converted to CO in the combustion zones. The extent to which CO, generated in front of the tuyeres, is converted later to CO2 depends upon the ratio of ore to coke in the charge and the degree to which CO2, formed by reduction of iron oxides with CO, reverts to CO by the secondary reaction C + CO2 = 2CO. About 300 to 400 lb. of carbon' per ton of pig iron is normally involved in the solution-loss reaction or direct reduction of FeO with carbon, which produces the same over-all results; that is, lower CO2 in the top gas. Rich2 has recently reported a reduction in fuel consumption at slower rates of blowing on two furnaces in spite of higher heat losses per ton of iron. Lower fuel consumption at slow operating rates was due to more complete reduction of the ore that resulted in higher CO2 in the top gas and consequently more efficient use of carbon. Kinney3 has reported substantial savings in fuel as a result of crushing and sizing the ore charge. Improvements in practice brought about by sintering magnetite concentrates, flue dust and fine ores have been due to the establishment of conditions favoring more complete reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace. The extent to which oxides and fluctuations in composition in pig iron affect the quality of steel and finished product needs further study. There is evidence that more thorough preheating and reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace tend to give a better quality of iron. Bogatzkii4 found from laboratory work that the amount of oxygen entering electrolytic iron, melted under various slags, was directly proportional to the concentration of free FeO in the slag and inversely proportional to the basicity of the slag. Herty and Gaines5 concluded that the silicate content of open-hearth steel before deoxidation is related to the concentration of silica in the pig-iron charge, indicating that most of the persistent inclusions are silica from the iron. They also found that

Jan 1, 1936

By Arthur W. Gray

The thermal analysis of a metal or an alloy is ordinarily made with the aid of heating and cooling curves in which transitions are indicated by the rapid changes in curvature that accompany changes in the rate of heat absorption or evolution. Analysis by the method that depends on the change in thermal expansivity is not customary, partly, at least, because of the difficulties involved in making the necessary measurements. However, under certain circumstances, the dilatometric method of analysis may possess advantages over the thermometric method that will justify the additional trouble required. The addition of 1 per cent. of zinc to an alloy has been found to produce upon the volume changes that take place during transition effects that suggest the possibility of using the dilatometric method of thermal analysis as a rather sensitive means of obtaining chemical information. Although the illustrations presented in this paper are drawn from data obtained during an investigation of dental amalgams, similar phenomena can doubtless be observed with other alloys. Some of the results found during an investigation made in 1917l have been confirmed by data on the thermal expansivity of amalgams published by Souder and Peters of the Bureau of Standards in reporting tests of dental materials.2 Although the Bureau of Standards made experiments for the purpose of discovering effects of including zinc as one of the constituents of a dental alloy—a matter much discussed in dental literature but without the presentation of reliable experimental evidencae to support the views of either side—the reports of the tests made by the Bureau give the impression that certain striking phenomena associated with the presence of zinc were not noticed. Among such phenomena arc those connceted with the conditions that determine whether or riot a specimen of amalgam becomes covered with droplets from which crystals develop.

Jan 1, 1921

By C. K. Stoddard, R. G. Knickerbocker, E. T. Leidigh, R. R. Lloyd, K. L. Mattingly

DURING July 1941, a study was initiated at the Boulder City Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines on proposed methods for the production of magnesium metal. The major emphasis was placed upon development of a process that required minimum reliance upon the sale or utilization of by-products to meet economic competition from processes already in operation. It was felt that only through the development of such a process could the nation's vast resources of dolomite and low-grade magnesite that are contiguous to large blocks of firm power be properly utilized. During the course of exploratory tests on electrolytic and electrothermic processes, it was noted that fused magnesium chloride would dissolve appreciable quantities of magnesium oxide in the presence of small amounts of boric oxide. The use of such a solution in an electrolytic cell employing a graphite anode and a steel cathode caused the deposition of magnesium at the cathode and the evolution of carbon oxides at the anode with minimal amounts of chlorine The original results were sufficiently encouraging to justify further investigation on an enlarged scale, since the process seemed to present advantages over other proposed processes 1.2 for the direct use of magnesium oxide in a fused chloride electrolyte. When work on a larger scale was initiated it was found that the addition of boric oxide to the electrolyte resulted in dispersion of metal and constantly decreasing current efficiency. However, by this time solubility studies had shown that magnesium oxide was sufficiently soluble in magnesium chloride melts containing no boric oxide to effect the same anode reactions, and development work was continued. Over two years of development work have been carried out, and considerable work remains to be done. It is desired to emphasize the fact that many of the difficulties met require a long period of continuous operation before they become serious enough to affect operation of the cell. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This paper is one of many reporting on various aspects of the Bureau of Mines' program initiated in August 1939 by passage of the Strategic Minerals Act the scope of which was greatly expanded by subsequent legislation. Some of these papers are published as war minerals reports. others as bulletins, technical papers, reports of investigations

Jan 1, 1945

By Sylvan Cromer

The need for a clear understanding of the physical nature of the flow of gas-liquid mixtures in vertical pipes is ever becoming more apparent. This type of flow is encountered when gas and oil are produced from a well; when water is removed from gas wells with siphon lines and when liquids are elevated by means of air or gas lift. Although a number of investigator1-7 have published data on the flow of gas-liquid mixtures, in only a few cases has the experimental setup been devised to permit visual study. In the fields of heat transmission, such as the boiling of liquids and the study of the critical phenomena of the hydrocarbons, researchers have been able to throw additional light on heretofore unexplainable happenings through actual observation in glass apparatus. This investigation was therefore undertaken in order to obtain qualitative as well as quantitative results for air-water flow. Experimental Apparatus and Procedure The flow column used in these tests was made of standard 2-in. pipe and was approximately 98 ft. in height. Pyrex observation sections 2 ft. long having the same internal diameter as the wrought-iron pipe were placed at 14-ft. intervals in the column. The bottom of the tube was cut off square and terminated in the mixing chamber. No perforated nipple or footpiece of any kind was used. To the top of the column was fastened a semicircular return bend having a 4-ft. radius. The flow column was supported by a standard cable-tool drilling derrick (Fig. 1) into which were built observation platforms at each Pyrex section.

Jan 1, 1940

By L. C. Raymond

Valuations in the mineral industry differ from those of other enterprises because mines and oil wells have a definitive life so cannot be considered a perpetuity. This requires that in any mineral-property evaluation the recovery of invested capital is necessary during the life of the property. Capital writeoffs for nonextractive industries are assumed to be continuously plowed back to sustain the operation and produce yields on the capital invested. The extractive or mineral industry, however, generally attempts to return to the investor both interest and principal during the life of a property. Normally this is done currently and the dividend includes both items. Where the mineral properly possesses large reserves and the life factor approximates a perpetuity, the return on investment is generally comparable to that of industrial stocks. The valuation of a mineral property, at best, is based on educated estimates and judgment factors. This is particularly true as it relates to estimating selling prices over a long term or assessing the quality of management. Also, it is possible to make various assumptions as to rapidity of working out the deposit, varying time for start-up of operations, varying earning rates, so as to obtain different results with the same basic facts. Thus it is not surprising that two engineers, irrespective of their abilities, may not agree exactly even when given the same facts, but their results should be close enough to be used in establishing a fair value for trading purposes. The valuation is no better than the source of basic data and the soundness of judgment factors. Fundamentally the basic principles of mineral valuation are similar for base metals, sulphur, oil, or any other mineral. Each mineral, however, requires an engineer to have a knowledge of such factors as its occurrence, distribution, mining and processing methods, and marketing problems in order to gather and analyze all the facts and data that have a bearing on the earning potential of the property. PRESENTVALUEOFAMINERALPROPERTY In essence the present value of a mineral property is a sum of money in today's dollars that future earnings from the property are worth. It differs

Jan 1, 1959

By Charles Morgan

An increased demand for brown iron ore in the Birmingham district during the past 18 months has caused renewed activity both in prospecting and mining these ores. In recent years the production in Alabama has ranged from 41,559 tons in 1932 to 639,351 tons in 1928. During the last 9 years about 83 per cent of the total brown ore produced in the United States has come from Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Prospecting Two methods of prospecting are used in this district: (1) test pits, (2) churn-drilling. Usually there is certain quite definite information on an area to be prospected; some of the indications are float ore such as small gravel or small and large boulders known as "dornicks" scattered over the surface, and ore exposed by erosion in gulleys and ravines, which have cut or eroded through the overburden. Often these natural erosions furnish an indication of the thickness of the ore and to some extent of the area of the ore body. Deposits of brown ore are very irregular both in thickness and extent. Deposits are often lens-shaped or long narrow leads, some of which may be parallel and separated from one another by sand, clay or gravel. The bottom—the footwall—is also very irregular. This footwall is usually lime clay—disintegrated limestone, locally called "white horse," which usually is found at a depth of 6 in. to 20 ft. overlying the limestone. At some places sand and gravel is found under the ore instead of clay. No ore is found under the lime clay, although often the ore has sunk or slumped and is found in the upper portion of this clay, as at some of the Sloss workings at Russellville. The origin of these ores has been discussed by Major E. C. Eckel and Dr. E. F. Burchard in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 400, and recently the latter has done further work on ores in the Russellville district, of which reports undoubtedly will be published.

Jan 1, 1940