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F. W. Matthiessen, who, with E. C. Hegeler, of La Salle, was one of the creators of the zinc industry in the-United States, was born in Altona, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Mar. 5, 1835. He was one of a family of remarkable brothers, two of whom were long absociated in this country with the sugar and glucose industry. Mr. Matthiessen was educated at Freiberg, and came to this country in 1857 with Mr. E. C. Hegeler, after having, in company with that gentleman, visited the mining districts of Germany, Belgium, and England. They first went to Friedensville, near Bethlehem, Lehigh County, Penn., wherc attempts had already been made to produce zinc from the ore deposits found in that place. The ore was a he silicate but all attempts to extract zinc from it had failed. Mr. Matthiessen and Mr. Hegclcr were successful, but declined to invest their money in the zinc industry at Bethlehem because 01 certain local conditions. Hearing of the discovery of zinc -ore in the West, they visited both Wisconsin and Missouri and thought of settling in the coal region of East St. Louis. Finally La Salle, as being near to the Wisconsin fields and having much coal, was selected ae the site of the new smelting company, and on Dec. 24, 1858, the first shovelful of dirt was turned for the buildings of the new industry. The Civil War at first interfered with the manufacture of zinc, but afterward a lively demand for the metal arose and the future success of the institution was established. A large rolling mill was added in 1866, and in 1881 the manufacture of sulfuric acid as a byproduct was begun. Mr. Matthiessen also developed the Western Clock hlanufacturing Co. of La Salle, which manufactures the Big Ben alarm clock, from a small plant having 25 men to the present large institution which employs some 2000 workers. Mr. Matthiessen's affiliations with other metal industriefi have been numerous. But the contributions of the great zinc manufacturer to the causes of philanthropy and education have made his name known throughout the country, beyond industrial circles. He has given to the city of La Salle probably a sum total of $500,000 in various benefactions. Among the objects of his philanthropy were the La Salle-Peru Township High School, which he has made a model institution of secondary education for the entire United States; also the Tri-City Hygienic Institute of La Salle, Peru, and Oglesby, Ill., which he endowed for $200,000 This Hygienic Institute, which is unique in the United States, has a traincd staff of health officers, bacteriological laboratory, medical library, infant welfare station, milk station, free dental clinic, school nurse, and isolation hospital. Mr. Matthiessen was elected mayor of the City of La Salle three times and gave generously to the municipality of which he was the head. He also saved for the people of Illinois one of the great scenic districts of the state, Deer Park, with its cafions and natural beauties, which he con-verted into a model scenic resort, and the proceeds of which he gave to the charities of the Tri-Cities in which he lived. He died on Feb. 11, 1918.

Jan 1, 1920

By AIME

HAPPILY, a large group of the non-ferrous fraternity have long valued a personal association with the new Chairman of the Institute of Metals Division. Many others who will meet him, either officially or unofficially this year, will find themselves sharing the enthusiasm with which he has been welcomed to his new office. Albert A. Smith, Jr., was born at Butler, N. J., on Dec. 28, 1904, and moved to New Haven in time to initiate his preparation for Yale University on the home grounds. After receiving a B.S. degree cum laude in 1926, he stayed on for graduate work at the Hammond Laboratory under C. H. Mathewson, and was awarded an M.S. degree in 1928.

Jan 1, 1948

By P. W. Bridgman

DURING the war, the Navy undertook the construction, under my direction, of an experimental gun embodying features designed to lessen the cost and time of production. These experiments were initiated after representations as to their, desirability had been offered by myself, by the Naval Consulting Board, and by the National Research Council. The first drawings were made in June, 1917, and the experiment was completed in November, 1918. For the sake of clearness it will pay to recapitulate briefly the fundamental idea of gun construction. It is well known that if a hollow cylinder is subjected to internal fluid pressure, the maximum stress occurs in the inside layers, the outer parts carrying much less than their due share of the stress. This inequality of stress is more pronounced the thicker the walls of the cylinder. If such a cylinder is pushed to the elastic limit, failure in elasticity will take place long before the outer layers have reached the limit of their capacity. Economical use of the material would demand, however, that all parts of the cylinder reach the limits of their capacity simultaneously. This may be brought about, at least in cylinders of not too great thickness, by producing in. the inner layers an initial compression, and in the outer layers an initial tension. The effect of internal pressure is at, first to relieve the compression of the inside layers, while increasing the tension of the outside layers. If the initial stresses are properly distributed, all parts of the cylinder will reach their elastic limits simultaneously, thus giving a cylinder of maximum strength for its weight. In gun construction as hitherto practiced, this initial distribution of stress is produced either by winding the inner tube with wire, a common English practice, or by shrinking hoops over the inner tube, which has been the standard American practice. Either process is long and expensive, particularly with the larger guns, 12- or 14-in., which require

Jan 2, 1920

By J. L. Weeks

THERMAL conductivities of several samples of uranium and uranium alloys were determined using an apparatus previously described.' The value previously reported for uranium,' 0.035 cal per sec per cm per "C at 70°C, is in error due to the failure of a thermocouple during the determination on uranium. The defective thermocouple was detected after a reanalysis of the data obtained during the run and since has been replaced. Subsequently, runs on several samples of uranium show the thermal conductivity of uranium to be 0.069 cal per sec per cm per 'C at 70°C. The accuracy of the determinations was checked by measuring a sample of synthetic sapphire whose thermal conductivity was previously reported and found to be in agreement with other values."-" The values given in Table I are believed correct to % 3 pct or 0.003 cal per sec per cm per "C, whichever is larger. The samples were provided by J. H. Kittel of the Argonne National Laboratory, Metallurgy Div. References J. L. Weeks and R. L. Seifert: Apparatus for the Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity of Solids. Review of Scientific Instruments (1953) 24, pp. 1054-1057. J. L. Weeks and R. L. Seifert: Note Regarding the Thermal Conductivity of Synthetic Sapphire. Journal American Ceramic Society (1952) 35, p. 15. :' J. Francl and W. D. Kingery: Thermal Conductivity: IV, Apparatus for Determining Thermal Conductivity by a Comparative Method; Data for Pb, Al2O3, BeO, and MgO. Journal American Ceramic Society (1954) 37, No. 2, Part 11, pp. 80-84. (Part 11: special issue on thermal conductivity.) ' W. D. Kingery, J. Francl, R. L. Coble. and T. Vasilos: Thermal Conductivity: X, Data for Several Pure Oxide Materials Corrected to Zero Porosity. Journal American Ceramic Society (1954) 37, No. 2, Part II, pp. 107-110. (Part 11: special issue on thermal conductivity.) Edwin Ruh: New Jersey Ceramic Research Station, Rutgers University. Private communication.

Jan 1, 1956

By AIME AIME

IN view of the approaching visit to Japan and the Imperial Steel Works at Yawata by our members, the following notes on present conditions in the industry there will be of interest. The data were collected by the representatives of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce in Japan and are furnished here through the courtesy of the Department. In connection with the proposed suspension of both new and old Government undertakings and the general depression in building, which is expected to result from the retrenchment policy of the Government, some cuts in iron and steel prices have been made by dealers. It is expected that the Yawata Steel Works may reduce its round bar prices for November delivery by 1 yen.

Jan 1, 1929

By L. O. Howard

L. D. RICKETTS, New York, N. Y.-The advance which has been made in Smelting has been in the line of cheaper cost of handling, due to larger units and decrease in losses. At the International smelter, Mr. McGregor designed everything to handle the ore under cover. But we do find an unaccounted for loss of 0.7 per cent. of our copper, which is serious. Mr. Wallace has made a suggestion that I think metallurgists ought to know of and think about. He made it years ago-and that is that one of the chief losses is undoubtedly in the charging and discharging of the calcine cars. His idea is that possibly the dryers and heaters might be put immediately over the reverberatories So that they could discharge in conveyors. They could feed on both sides, and thereby the dust raised by discharging in the cars from the hoppers could be overcome. E. P. MATHEWSON, Anaconda, Mont.-I might Say a few words on the plants we have visited So far. I was particularly struck with the cleanliness of the plants, which is next to Godliness. I noticed also that the skull-cracker arrangement they have for handling their converter slag is very good. And they have paid considerable attention to ventilation, and are taking steps to take care of the health of the men. "Safety first" has been well looked after in all the plants we have visited so far. The steel structures are right up to date, and the buildings are of the most modern type, and everything is conveniently arranged. I think the designers of the plants in the Southwest are to be congratulated on what they have done.

Jan 12, 1916

By K. P. Gupta, P. C. Panigrahy

The stabilization of the R, a-Mn, and 0-Mn phases have been studied in the Mn-Ti-Fe and Mn-Ti-Co systems. Iron and cobalt both appear to stabilize the (Mn-Ti) R phase to almost the sarne extent. The R-phase region was found to extend from the lowest e/a to slightly beyond the maximunz e/a limit known for this phase. But, while iron appears to stabilize the a-Mn phase, cobalt tends to stabilize the p-Mn phase. In the two systems manganese appears to get replaced by iron and cobalt in each of the mentioned phases. The instability of the a-Mn phase in the Mn-Ti-Co system and the /3 -Mn phase in the Mn-Ti-Fe system cannot be explained on the basis of adverse size effects because atomic diameters for both iron and cobalt (C.N. 12 at. diam) are ziery similnr and not much different from manganese which they replace. Qualitatively, the reason for the stability of the a-Mn and the p-Mn phases can be traced to the more favorable e/a ratio prevailing in the respective systems and to a competing tendency between the two phases. In transition metal alloy systems the o, p,P, R, a- Mn,' and p-Mn2 phases have been claimed as electron compounds. A large volume of work has been done to establish the criterion for the formation of the o phase but until very recently practically no systematic work was done on the a-Mn and the /3-Mn phases. A recent investigation on the P-Mn phase3 indicates the e/a criterion for p-Mn phase stabilization. Since the R phase was first known to appear only in certain ternary systems1 no detailed work was then possible for this phase. The R phase has been recently discovered as a binary intermetallic compound in the Mn-Ti~ and Mn-si~-' binary systems. The existence of binary R phases opens up the possibilities of studying the effect of alloying elements on the stabilization of the R phase. Of the two binary systems possessing an R phase, the Mn-Ti system appears to be more interesting because at a suitable high temperature it is possible to find the three electron compounds, the a-Mn, p-Mn, and R phases, side by side and it is possible to study the effect of a third transition element on these three electron compounds. For the present investigation iron and cobalt, so called B elements for the formation of electron compounds, have been used as the third element to study the stabilization of the a-Mn, P-Mn, and R phases. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloys were prepared by using 99.9 pct pure electrolytic Fe and Mn, 99.5 pct Co, and crystal bar titanium, supplied by Semi Elements Inc., New York and Gallard Schelsinger Mfg. Co., New York. Weighed amounts of the components were melted in recrystal-lized alumina crucibles in an inert atmosphere (argon) high-frequency induction melting unit. Titanium was made into fine chips for easy dissolution and a special charging procedure was adopted to avoid contacts of titanium chips with the alumina crucibles. Up to 20 at. pct Ti, the maximum titanium content in the investigated alloys, there was no visible sign of reaction of titanium with the alumina crucibles. With a careful control of melting time and temperature the losses were minimized and were always found to be below 0.1 pct. Because of such small and almost constant weight losses, the alloys were not finally analyzed. The alloys were wrapped in molybdenum foil and annealed in evacuated and sealed silica capsules at 1000" * 2°C for 72 hr and subsequently quenched in cold tap water. Annealed samples were examined metallographically and by X-ray diffraction. For all high manganese alloys oxalic acid solutions of various concentrations and 1.0 pct HN03 solution were found suitable as etching reagents. Best contrast between the a-Mn and the R phases could be obtained by using freshly prepared 60 pct glycerine + 20 pct HN03 + 20 pct HF solution. For high iron and cobalt containing alloys, especially for alloys containing the a-Fe, y-Fe, and P-Co phases, 15 cc HNOJ + 60 cc HC1 + 15 cc acetic acid + 15 cc water solution was found to be the best etching reagent. All X-ray diffraction work was carried out (using specimens prepared from annealed powders) with a 114.6 mm diam Debye-Scherrer camera using unfiltered FeK radiation at 25 kv and 10 ma. All calculations for X-ray diffraction work were carried out using an IBM 7044 digital computer RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The two ternary systems, MnTiFe and MnTiCo, were investigated near the manganese rich end, Figs. 1 and 2, and show some common features. In both alloy systems large extensions of narrow R phase regions occur at almost constant titanium contents. At titanium contents higher than that of the single phase R-phase alloys, the same unidentified X phase was found in both ternary systems. The extensions of the X phase close to the Mn-Ti binary indicate that this phase could be the TiMns phase. Too few X phase diffraction lines were present in the diffraction patterns to make positive identification of the X phase. In contrast to this similarity the two systems show opposite behavior in the extensions of the a-Mn and 8-Mn phase regions; while iron tends to stabilize the a-Mn phase, cobalt

Jan 1, 1970

By A. M. Gaudin

THE so-called Kick law' is generally accepted to . mean that for each reduction to one-half in particle diameter, in a unit weight, the same amount of work is required. In crushing-efficiency calculations on crushing tests it is customary, when basing the calculation on Kick's law, to assign ordinal numbers to each standard sieve size. These ordinal numbers increase by a constant difference with each successive sieve aperture, because standard sieve apertures are in constant ratio. Minus 200-mesh is generally assumed as equivalent to 37 microns in size. By definition, the ordinal number multiplied by the per cent material of any size is equal to the energy units in the material of that size in a unit weight of sample. The sum of all energy units is the energy units content of a unit weight of sample, whether it be crusher feed or product. The difference between the energy units in the product and that in the feed is the tangible result of the work input per unit weight of feed. From this the amount of work necessary for one energy unit may be calculated. This has been done for a quartz crushing-test made at the Intermountain Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines at Salt Lake City, in which the net work going to crushing was carefully measured. The results of this crushing test are given in Table 1.'

Jan 1, 1929

By A. E. Wells, H. O. Hofman, R. P. Reynolds

A Discussion of the Paper of H. O. Hofman, R. P. Reynolds and A. E. Wells, read by title at the London Meeting, July, 1906 ; presented at the New York Meeting, April, 1907, and printed in Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 13, January, 1907, pp. 37 to 52. GEORGE A. PACKARD, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary*) :-The very interesting results obtained by Prof. Hofman and his assistants came to my attention when I had temporarily assumed charge of the metallurgical department of the Missouri School of Mines, and had found it, pending the completion of a new building, lacking a furnace in which to roast ore preparatory to the customary lead blast-furnace run. An attempt at lime-roasting had been already determined upon, but the use of a charge which would make a slag of definite composition was a new idea. The results following were obtained by Messrs. Aubrey Fellows, J. C. Long, E. R. Wash, and Dr. T. C. Tseung, under my supervision. It is regretted that the data are not more complete; but the work was done simply incidentally to securing the desired ore for the blast-furnace, with no idea of obtaining any results of especial interest. It is submitted because of the metallic lead obtained, no notice of which has been seen elsewhere. The ore was an aggregate of several lots of concentrates, apparently from Missouri ores. The analysis follows, with that of the limestone and sandstone used, as far as made:. Ore, SiO2, 3.04; Fe, 0.77; CaO, 2.53; Pb, 68.74; Zn, 5.77; S, 13.9 per cent.; limestone, SiO2, 1.0 ; CaO, 54.35 per cent.; sandstone, SiO2, 99.8 per cent. The converter was made in the shops from a sheet of No. 14 iron riveted in the shape of a truncated cone, 20 in. in diameter at the top, 15 in. at the bottom and 22 in. high. A grate of No. 8 iron, 17 in. in diameter, with 130 s-in. holes placed at about 1.25-in. centers, was held in place by the shape of the

Jul 1, 1907

By W. R. Ingalls

THE paramount subject of interest and concern at the present time is the readjustment in economic conditions following the cataclysmic disturbance produced by the war and the misconceptions leading to an orgy of extravagance that prevailed during two years following the armistice he, time is too short for me to undertake to review the nature and extent of the upheavals occurring between August, 1914, and October, 1920. Bulky volumes will be written about them. . But I shall have to refer to some of the results in order to outline a prognosis. It is the future, not the past;' that is of most interest to us. Let me be so bold as to say, without further preface, that I am not optimistic as to the near future. .We shall, indeed, have revivals in trade, but they will be delusive if their nature be not 'understood. We shall build hopes and expectations upon political maneuvers and events, only to find in the end that they were folly. In the meanwhile fundamental economic influences will continue to exert their steady and irresistible pressure. The new administratiow at Washington has no magic wand with which to kindle the fires in our idle steel furnaces, or create a million new houses for the people; nor can the premiers of Europe put into motion the spindles of the cotton and woolen mills, or by any incantations compel the people of the Orient to buy goods. The people of the Orient, and of, Europe, and of the two Americas are in the grip of the same economic forces. The readjustment has proceeded further in some parts of the world than in others. In the United States I do not think we, have gone more than over the threshold. I shall tell you why 1 think thus, but in telling you I shall be limited, in view of the immensity of the subject, to a series of bald statements, without much elucidation.

Jan 1, 1921

By R. J. Grissom

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

Jan 1, 1944

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Jan. 10, 1916 to Feb. 10, 1916: William Rettie, Yonkers, N. Y. Wallace E. Pratt, Manila, P. I. R. V. Norris, Wilkesbarre, Pa. T. Skewes Saunders, El Oro, Mex. Fred MacCoy, El Oro, Mex. M. L. Requa, San Francisco, Cal. Reno H. Sales, Butte, Mont. R. W. Schultz, Ravenna, O. R. T. White, Batourn, Russia. H. J. Brown, Chester, Pa. David T. Day, Washington, D: C. A. M. Van Rensselaer, New Rochelle, N. Y. H. M. LaFollette, LaFollette, Tenn. Norman C. Stines, Russia. F. N. Speller, Pittsburgh, Pa. Howard R. Hughes, Houston, Tex. Robert W. Hunt, Chicago, Ill. C. F. Schnepp, Ridgefield Park, N. J. B. E. Fernow, Toronto, Ont., Can. George L. A. Thomson, Elizabeth, N. J. A. F. Bennett, New York City. Jasper T. Robertson, Chicago, Ill. J. C. Ralston, Spokane, Wash. J. B. Tyrrell, Toronto, Ont., Can. George J. Lyon, Schenectady, N. Y. H. G. Officer, New York Cty. Jesse C. Porter is now superintendent of the San Fernando Mine, Hoyo de Manicaragua, Santa Clara Province, Cuba.

Jan 3, 1916

By Philip D. Wilson

AS thin most important and vital component of an airplane aluminum hay rapidly become the heart and tome- of the war program. Its production ham increased amt will continue to increase, in comparison with its pre-war position further than that of any of lie other important critical metals except magnesium. Compared with the 1939 production of tons of primary ingot coming from four plants, all owned by the Aluminum Company of America the 1942 figures are more than three timer as large. Including, recoverable scrap and contracted ingot from Canada the 191,, supply of aluminum for the United States will be over siren times dial of 1939- A substantial part of this increase has been achieved during the past year as total production in 1941 was only some 307,500 tons. During 1942 six great new ingot plants sponsored and owned by the Government have come into production and three others are nearing completion.

Jan 1, 1943

By H. W. McQuaid, E. W. Ehn

It is usually assumed that chemical specifications are sufficient for steel to be used for case carburizing, and if the steel analyzes within the ordinary limits specified for steel for this purpose, no difficulty traceable to the steel used should be encountered in obtaining satisfactory results in the case carburizing and hardening. Much work has been done to determine the effect of various alloying elements on the rate of carbon penetration, etc. but, to our knowledge, little if anything has been published in regard to the effeet of the quality of the steel on the final results in the hardening of case-carburized steel parts. The writers believe that the structure of the case both before and after quenching is greatly affected by the actual condition of the steel itself as made, and that for good results in the case-carburizing and hardening departments, the steel should be of the best possible quality as regards non-metallic impurities. It is the purpose of this paper to prove that the presence of excess dissolved oxides in the steel, as made in the melting furnace, affects permanently the results obtained in carburizing and hardening and that it is possible that the presence of dissolved oxide call result in total unfit-ness of low-carbon steel for case hardening purposes. When races and rolls for roller bearings are made from a low-carbon steel, case carburized and hardened, it is of primary importance that the results of this treatment be of the highest quality. It is necessary, therefore, that in the case-carburizing work each detail be rigorously checked to avoid any defects which would cause the loss of much time and material. The case carburizing with which this paper deals was done in under-fired oil furnaces. The temperature of each furnace is controlled by means of a platinum platinum-rhodium thermocouple, in connection with a potentiometer indicator and potentiometer recorder. The temperature of each furnace is registered every 15 min. by an operator, who is continually checked by the automatic recorders.

Jan 1, 1922

By H. W. McQuaid, E. W. Ehn

It is usually assumed that chemical specifications are sufficient for steel to be used for case carburizing, and if the steel analyzes within the ordinary limits specified for steel for this purpose, no difficulty traceable to the steel used should be encountered in obtaining satisfactory results in the case carburizing and hardening. Much work has been done to determine the effect of various alloying elements on the rate of carbon penetration, etc. but, to our knowledge, little if anything has been published in regard to the effeet of the quality of the steel on the final results in the hardening of case-carburized steel parts. The writers believe that the structure of the case both before and after quenching is greatly affected by the actual condition of the steel itself as made, and that for good results in the case-carburizing and hardening departments, the steel should be of the best possible quality as regards non-metallic impurities. It is the purpose of this paper to prove that the presence of excess dissolved oxides in the steel, as made in the melting furnace, affects permanently the results obtained in carburizing and hardening and that it is possible that the presence of dissolved oxide call result in total unfit-ness of low-carbon steel for case hardening purposes. When races and rolls for roller bearings are made from a low-carbon steel, case carburized and hardened, it is of primary importance that the results of this treatment be of the highest quality. It is necessary, therefore, that in the case-carburizing work each detail be rigorously checked to avoid any defects which would cause the loss of much time and material. The case carburizing with which this paper deals was done in under-fired oil furnaces. The temperature of each furnace is controlled by means of a platinum platinum-rhodium thermocouple, in connection with a potentiometer indicator and potentiometer recorder. The temperature of each furnace is registered every 15 min. by an operator, who is continually checked by the automatic recorders.

Jan 1, 1922

By AIME AIME

THIS year's Chairman of the Mineral industry Education Division is, like his predecessors, no novice in that field, having been in 1928 Chairman of the Engineering Education Committee which labored so well that it was enlarged into a Division of the Institute's activities . For almost a quarter of a century lie has been a dean in mining and engineering schools, with considerable experience before that as a teacher. A native-born New Englander (June 23, 1881), he naturally went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received the Bachelor's degree in mining in 1904. Just why a Fitchburg. Massachusetts boy yearned to he a mining engineer he has never explained, but why should any boy ever have to explain why lie wants t? be a mining engineer? Like the old rhyme about the reasons why a man should drink, "any other reason why" is adequate..

Jan 1, 1945

By P. P. Gregory

The rate of drilling operations in the West Texas district during 1940 was approximately equal to that of 1939. The total number of wells dillled in the area during the year was 1834, of which 1716 were completed as oil producers, 12 were gas wells and 106 were dry holes. The number of wildcat wells drilled during the year was comparatively small. The drilling of inside locations in proven areas and the drilling of wells for the purpose of extending the productive limits in producing fields constituted the bulk of development during 1940. Gaines County led all other counties in the district in the total number of oil-well completions. The oil production totaled 83,345,381 bbl., the highest figure for any year since proration was begun. The 1940 oil production exceeded the 1939 production by approximately four million barrels. Discoveries While comparatively few new oil-producing areas were discovered during 1940, it appears that the oil production found in simpson lime in the Abell field, pecos County, was an outstanding discovery for the year. This was the second Ordovician discovery in Pecos County. Taubert, McKee & Siemoneit located its discovery well, V. W. Crockett No. 1, set. 4 1/2 H. & T. C. R.R, co, survey in the Imperial area of northwestern Pecos County. The top of pay was encountered at 5270 ft., and the well was bottomed at 5357 ft. in simpson lime, on act. 17, I940. The initial production was 928 bbl. of 43" gravity sweet oil in 11 hr. 23 min., flowing naturally through 2-in. tubing with gas-oil ratio of 783 cu. ft. per barrel. Following the completion of the discovery well, large blocks of land were leased in the area, and several locations were made toward the close of the year. There is every indication that the Abell field will become a major producing field in the West Texas district. There was no pipe-line outlet for the field at the end of the year. Shipley-Silurian field, discovered by the Gulf Oil Corporation, appears to be another major addition to the oil reserves in 1940. The discovery well, Wristen Brothers No. 5, is in sec. 18, block 5, H. & T. C. R.R. Co. survey in Ward County. The well was drilled to a total depth of 9187 ft. and was plugged back to 7075 ft. The Silurian lime section was acidized with 3000 gal., from 6993 to 7075 ft., and on Dec. 5, 1940, the well was completed for initial production of 3040 bbl- of 32.2" gravity oil in 24 hr., flowing through tubing. Todd Deep field, Crockett County, was discovered by the Continental Oil Co. et al. The discovery well, J. S. Todd No. 2, set. 29, block WX1 G.C. & S.F. R.R. Co. survey, was completed on April 3, 1940. The top of pay was encountered at 5623 ft., and the well was bottomed at 5691 ft. for initial production of 1613 bbl. of 40.6' gravity oil flowing naturally through 2-in. tubing. The pay section was found in Strawn lime of Pennsylvanian age. There were six producing wells in the field at the end of the year. This appears to be another major discovery in 1940. There was no pipe-line outlet in the field at the end of the

Jan 1, 1941

By P. P. Gregory

The rate of drilling operations in the West Texas district during 1940 was approximately equal to that of 1939. The total number of wells dillled in the area during the year was 1834, of which 1716 were completed as oil producers, 12 were gas wells and 106 were dry holes. The number of wildcat wells drilled during the year was comparatively small. The drilling of inside locations in proven areas and the drilling of wells for the purpose of extending the productive limits in producing fields constituted the bulk of development during 1940. Gaines County led all other counties in the district in the total number of oil-well completions. The oil production totaled 83,345,381 bbl., the highest figure for any year since proration was begun. The 1940 oil production exceeded the 1939 production by approximately four million barrels. Discoveries While comparatively few new oil-producing areas were discovered during 1940, it appears that the oil production found in simpson lime in the Abell field, pecos County, was an outstanding discovery for the year. This was the second Ordovician discovery in Pecos County. Taubert, McKee & Siemoneit located its discovery well, V. W. Crockett No. 1, set. 4 1/2 H. & T. C. R.R, co, survey in the Imperial area of northwestern Pecos County. The top of pay was encountered at 5270 ft., and the well was bottomed at 5357 ft. in simpson lime, on act. 17, I940. The initial production was 928 bbl. of 43" gravity sweet oil in 11 hr. 23 min., flowing naturally through 2-in. tubing with gas-oil ratio of 783 cu. ft. per barrel. Following the completion of the discovery well, large blocks of land were leased in the area, and several locations were made toward the close of the year. There is every indication that the Abell field will become a major producing field in the West Texas district. There was no pipe-line outlet for the field at the end of the year. Shipley-Silurian field, discovered by the Gulf Oil Corporation, appears to be another major addition to the oil reserves in 1940. The discovery well, Wristen Brothers No. 5, is in sec. 18, block 5, H. & T. C. R.R. Co. survey in Ward County. The well was drilled to a total depth of 9187 ft. and was plugged back to 7075 ft. The Silurian lime section was acidized with 3000 gal., from 6993 to 7075 ft., and on Dec. 5, 1940, the well was completed for initial production of 3040 bbl- of 32.2" gravity oil in 24 hr., flowing through tubing. Todd Deep field, Crockett County, was discovered by the Continental Oil Co. et al. The discovery well, J. S. Todd No. 2, set. 29, block WX1 G.C. & S.F. R.R. Co. survey, was completed on April 3, 1940. The top of pay was encountered at 5623 ft., and the well was bottomed at 5691 ft. for initial production of 1613 bbl. of 40.6' gravity oil flowing naturally through 2-in. tubing. The pay section was found in Strawn lime of Pennsylvanian age. There were six producing wells in the field at the end of the year. This appears to be another major discovery in 1940. There was no pipe-line outlet in the field at the end of the

Jan 1, 1941

By Lauren A. Wright

SINCE the early nineteen-thirties the production of talc* in California has increased five-fold to a yield in 1947 of about 76,000 tons (fig. 1); conse- .' Unless otherwise qualified, the term "talc" in this paper will imply a mixture of the pure talc with such related minerals as commonly occur in the commercial material. quently the state is now one of the nation's three principal talc producers. The 1947 output, which represented about one-sixth of the national total for that year, was approximately equal to production from Vermont, and was second in value to that from New York. New York has an annual output of about 130,000 tons. Three factors have been mainly responsible for the expansion of talc production in California. (1) Technical advances and innovations, particularly in the ceramic industry, have increased the demand for certain California talcs. The nation's high-qual- LAUREN A. WRIGHT, Junior Member AIME, is Associate Geologist, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, Calif. Los Angeles Meeting, October 1948. San Francisco Meeting, February 1949. TP 2622 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscripts received Dec. 7, 1948; revision received Aug. 29, 1949. This paper is Contribution No. 508 of the Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. the industry, mainly through demand for the urgently needed steatite. Fibrous talc, used as a paint extender by the armed forces, also was produced in quantity. (3) Expanding western industry has continued to draw heavily on California talc deposits, and has extended the upward production trend into the postwar period. Considerably more than half of California's current talc output is used as ceramic raw material. The paint, rubber, paper, and textile industries are the more important consumers of the remainder. Smaller amounts are used as insecticide carriers, and in cosmetics, and various minor industrial applications. During World War I1 the principal steatite deposits were studied in detail by members of the U. S. Geological Survey; other sources of commercial talc in the state have in the past received but scant geologic attention. The following discussion is essentially a preliminary report based on research currently in progress by the California Division of Mines, and includes a brief outline of previous steatite studies by the U. S. Geological Survey. Distribution of California Talc Deposits: The principal talc resources of both California and Nevada are confined to an elongate belt that extends from the vicinity of Baker, in north-central San Bernardino County, northwestward to include the southern Death Valley region, the Inyo Range, and the Palmetto-Oasis district of western Nevada (fig. 2). This belt, of which all but the northernmost tip lies in California, is approximately 200 miles long and 30 miles in average width. Included in the belt are four contrasting areas. The deposits within each area are geologically similar and yield talcs that have characteristic properties and applications. Three of these local "talc provinces" lie within California's portion of the talc-

Jan 1, 1951

By Lauren A. Wright

SINCE the early nineteen-thirties the production of talc* in California has increased five-fold to a yield in 1947 of about 76,000 tons (fig. 1); conse- .' Unless otherwise qualified, the term "talc" in this paper will imply a mixture of the pure talc with such related minerals as commonly occur in the commercial material. quently the state is now one of the nation's three principal talc producers. The 1947 output, which represented about one-sixth of the national total for that year, was approximately equal to production from Vermont, and was second in value to that from New York. New York has an annual output of about 130,000 tons. Three factors have been mainly responsible for the expansion of talc production in California. (1) Technical advances and innovations, particularly in the ceramic industry, have increased the demand for certain California talcs. The nation's high-qual- LAUREN A. WRIGHT, Junior Member AIME, is Associate Geologist, California Division of Mines, San Francisco, Calif. Los Angeles Meeting, October 1948. San Francisco Meeting, February 1949. TP 2622 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscripts received Dec. 7, 1948; revision received Aug. 29, 1949. This paper is Contribution No. 508 of the Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. the industry, mainly through demand for the urgently needed steatite. Fibrous talc, used as a paint extender by the armed forces, also was produced in quantity. (3) Expanding western industry has continued to draw heavily on California talc deposits, and has extended the upward production trend into the postwar period. Considerably more than half of California's current talc output is used as ceramic raw material. The paint, rubber, paper, and textile industries are the more important consumers of the remainder. Smaller amounts are used as insecticide carriers, and in cosmetics, and various minor industrial applications. During World War I1 the principal steatite deposits were studied in detail by members of the U. S. Geological Survey; other sources of commercial talc in the state have in the past received but scant geologic attention. The following discussion is essentially a preliminary report based on research currently in progress by the California Division of Mines, and includes a brief outline of previous steatite studies by the U. S. Geological Survey. Distribution of California Talc Deposits: The principal talc resources of both California and Nevada are confined to an elongate belt that extends from the vicinity of Baker, in north-central San Bernardino County, northwestward to include the southern Death Valley region, the Inyo Range, and the Palmetto-Oasis district of western Nevada (fig. 2). This belt, of which all but the northernmost tip lies in California, is approximately 200 miles long and 30 miles in average width. Included in the belt are four contrasting areas. The deposits within each area are geologically similar and yield talcs that have characteristic properties and applications. Three of these local "talc provinces" lie within California's portion of the talc-

Jan 1, 1951