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By G. F. LOUCHLIN

A FEATURE of the International Geological Congress to be held at Pretoria, South Africa, in the summer of 1929,. will be a symposium on the gold resources of the world. In this connection the U. S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Mines have been asked to prepare a report, showing production in the United States, describing the geology of its principal gold- producing districts, and estimating reserves (a) assuming a continuation of presen6economic conditions, and (b) assuming lower costs. This report will not be completed before April 1, but data thus far assembled are here presented with the hope of profiting by discussion and by information from those well informed on any of the important gold-producing districts. Gold production in the United States rose to a maximum exceeding $100,000,000 in 1915 and then rapidly declined to about $52,000,000 in 1920. Since then it has fluctuated, but on the whole slightly declined. Reviews of the eight leading states afford the following tentative conclusions :

Jan 1, 1929

By F. Weston Starratt

The opening of a new large-scale beneficiation plant is always news, but the start-up of Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.'s Eagle Mills near Ishpeming in Michigan's Upper Peninsula early in October is of particular interest because of the completely different type of operation being carried on at this plant. The ore boat which left Marquette, Mich. on the 3rd of October bound for the plant of Wisconsin Steel Division of International Harvester, not only carried the first output of this new mill, but also carried the first agglomerate made from the Upper Peninsula's jasper ore, the first commercial output from an updraft traveling-grate furnace, and the first large-scale commercial application of the balling disk, also called the flying saucer, to the agglomeration of an iron flotation concentrate.

Nov 1, 1956

By Wilfred Walker

With the advent of the New Global Tectonics a coherent pattern of geology is emerging. To the economic geologist this is of vital concern because the type of mineralization in particular environments is predictable. Developments in geological reasoning now take their place beside developments in geochemistry and geophysics. Much is known of the worldwide geography of the Alpine orogenic period because it is now ending its 200 million years of existence, starting with the Jurassic, and we can see the mid-ocean rises and the down flow zones, and between them the stable oceanic and continental platforms. The concepts of mantle cells, the spreading sea floor, and continental drift have gained general acceptance. The oceanographers have demonstrated the uprises like that in the mid-Atlantic. In this paper it is suggested that down flows in the oceans are marked by island arcs, like the West Indies; and down flows in the continents are marked by orogens like the American Cordillera. The number and position of mantle cells is controversial: a total of about 16 cells is suggested in this paper. Certain cells expand, and as they carry continents with them give rise to concepts of plate tectonics. Specific types of mineral deposits are associated with the uprises, oceanic and continental platforms, and down flows. The uprises are accompanied by the currently described Red Sea and Salton Sea deposits, the oceanic parts of the platform have the nodular deposits, and the continental platforms have the post-tectonic deposits. However, most economic metal deposits are associated with the down flow zones in which the stage of geosynclinal development controls the type of deposit: (1) In the initial development stage the simatic upper mantle may be tapped and give rise to the volcanogenic massive base metal sulfide deposits and to the ophiolite suite which characteristically carries nickel, chrome, and cupreous pyrite. (2) In the early geosynclinal stage sialic crust is driven down into the simatic magma of the upper mantle and basic to acidic differentiates give rise to stocks accompanied by skarn and hydrothermal deposits. (3) The intermediate stage of geosynclinal development gives rise to tin-tungsten, lithium, and beryllium deposits as the magma chamber rises above the level of the upper mantle and there is no simatic component. (4) The late stage is one of regenerated deposits. The porphyry deposits are not restricted to stages but only by the time of generation of acid magma. As the geosynclinal system dies, the mantle is again the source of magma, giving rise to gabbro and diabase dykes and sills: in this last, post-tectonic, continental platform environment are found the Mississippi Valley type lead-zinc deposits, the Blind River and Witwatersrand type of sedimentary uranium and gold deposits, and also Sudbury's nickel. The key relationship of major ore deposits generated by downflows is depicted herein on a framework of uprises, platforms, and downflows in the Alpine orogenic period. There is evidence for nine orogenic periods, of which the Alpine period is the latest, having taken place from 3500 million years ago to the present. Each period was characterized by its own worldwide mantle cell system and associated uprises, platforms, and down flows. The cycle of geosynclinal development, including corresponding cycles of mineralization, can be precisely defined in relation to each of these orogenic periods. The development of the Alpine orogenic period therefore can be used as a guide to the study of the earlier orogenic periods which comprise well known periods: Kenoran, Hudsonian, Grenville, and Paleozoic; and less well known: Konkian, Aulian, Belomorian, and Elsonian [(Table 1)]. Each name is used for the period as a whole, and not for the main orogenic event.

Jan 1, 1973

By George Harrington

THIS paper is a brief description of the design and equipment of a new coal mine in southern Illinois, which has many features not common practice in shaft coal mining and which is laid out and equipped for such unusually large capacity that it promises soon to become one of the largest mining operations of its kind. Shaft sinking for the mine, New Orient, was commenced in May, 1921, by the Chicago, Wilmington & Franklin Coal Co. In October, 1924, the plant was practically completed and was producing over 6000 tons of coal per day. There is good prospect that within a few years, when the mine is fully developed and manned, the output will attain a daily rate of 12,000 tons. The coal seam at New Orient lies approximately horizontal, about 500 ft. below the surface, and may be said to run from 9 to 12 ft. in thickness. The tendency in Franklin County has been toward large mining units (5000 to 6000 tons per day) with great care being given to protection against fire and explosion hazards, and usually with quite elaborate surface plants permitting careful preparation of the coal into graded sizes comparable with those made in the anthracite region. The field is unionized, with uniform conditions of wages for various classes of work, hours, etc., and the Illinois mining laws are quite specific with regard to fireproofing and safety measures. These conditions make it difficult for any but well-equipped and well-operated mines to meet the competition of the numerous fine properties of which this county can justly be proud. The coal company's property was already developed on the western side by the Orient. mine-a much visited and written about operation (with which many of you are possibly familiar through the Department of Mines' film "The Story of Coal ") which until recently held the 8-hr. production record with 8218 tons and usually ran quite consistently with production of slightly over 6000 tons per day. Experience at Orient was naturally one of the greatest influences in determining the location and character of the New Orient.

Jan 2, 1925

By John A. Bonucci

AMAX Base Metals R&D, Inc. has developed technology for extracting and recovering platinum and palladium from spent automobile exhaust emission control catalyst. Our most promising route is a chloride-based hydrometallurgical flowsheet in which catalyst pellets or crushed monoliths are leached in HC1 with an oxidant at 95°C without agitation. Alumina co-dissolution can be limited by thermal pre-treatment of the catalyst. The leach solutions are treated by one of several precious metals recovery techniques to produce a high grade PGM concentrate. For the new generation of three-way catalytic converters which contain rhodium, an H2S04 preleach could selectively extract much of the rhodium while leaving the platinum and palladium behind. Capital and operating costs will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By Eckley B. Coxe

The subject of this paper will be treated as briefly as possible under the following heads : I. The latest designs of some of the machinery used at these collieries in the preparation of coal. 11. The means employed for elevating, conveying and transporting the coal and slate in and about the breaker. 111. The means employed for raising the coal from the mines to the top of the breaker. IV. The iron breaker as a structure. V. The preparation of the coal as effected in the iron breaker. A key to the plates and the letters and numbers designating different parts, will be found at the end of the paper. I. Preparing Coal. Anthracite coal as it comes from the mines is not marketable. The "run of mine" cannot, as in the case of bituminous coal, be sold. Anthracite, being very compact and practically free from volatile combustible matter, burns only at the surface, and it is, therefore, deemed important to have the lumps as nearly of a uniform size as possible, so that between them a large amount of surface will remain exposed to the action of the air without checking the draught too much, or allowing enough air to pass to cool the coal below the ignition-point, In other words, if the pieces of coal of the size of a chestnut and smaller are mixed with lumps of the size of an egg they fill the air-passages and prevent a free draught. It has long been recognized, therefore, that one of the most important points in preparation is to have a uniform sizing, and also to make as large a number of different sizes as can be produced without too

Jan 1, 1891

By John M. Lovejoy

NATURAL resources become a source of wealth as they are exploited and made available to the people in usable form. Experience has taught us that Nature does not readily give up her treasures, but the ingenuity of man in the field of techologic progress is required to find and efficiently exploit these resources. History has also demonstrated that with advancing technologic knowledge the. world has become progressively richer in its resources. Those that could not be commercially exploited are now being turned to beneficial use. Through expanding technology and the use of substitutes and synthetics, availability of the world's sources of natural wealth is today many times that of a hundred or a thousand years ago. And so it is with petroleum. Technology is also the great multiplier of our petroleum resources. Through improvements in the art of finding, drilling, and producing, our ability to meet rapidly increasing demands over the last quarter century has been maintained. On the other hand, had our

Jan 1, 1944

By D. M. McFarland

IN mining, quarrying, and construction, drilling and blasting have an important influence on the operations that follow. If the fragmentation of material being disrupted is inadequate, loading and transportation equipment will not operate at or near full capacity. Any operator faced with this difficulty should not be satisfied until he is convinced by a careful study of his methods of drilling and blasting that no improvement can be made. Rock in a certain quarry in Ohio seemed to defy any grade of explosive or means of detonation that the explosives industry had to offer. The average result of a blast was that a great part of the burden would be pushed out from the face in a number of large sections that would jokingly be referred to as "boxcars." These were no credit to the explosives man and a costly problem for the quarry company. Such blocks retard shovel operation as they have to be uncovered and subjected to secondary drilling and blasting which, if extensive, is an expensive operation. It was an attempt to improve the fragmentation obtained in primary blasts that led to the development of milli-second-delay electric blasting caps. The reasoning that prompted the trial was that even with wide spacing of the drill holes it seemed that the burden was separated too quickly from the face by the cutting action of the explosives from hole to hole. If the time of firing of the holes could be regulated so that

Jan 1, 1948

The following is an incomplete list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Oct. 10, 1919, to Nov. 10,1919. Carl A. Allen, Salt Lake City, Utah. W. G. Mitchell, Montreal, Canada. M. M. Altmayer, Paris. Henry S. Munroe, Litchfield, Conn. A. E. Bellis, Major Ord., Springfield J. S. Negru, New York, N. Y. Armory, Springfield, Mass. Edmund Newton, New York, N. Y. R. S. Botsford, New York, N. Y. A. W. Newberry, Cleveland, Ohio. Henry S. Burnholz, Monterrey, Mexico. C. C. O'Harra, Rapid City, S. D. D. E. A. Charlton, New York, N. Y. Fred S. Porter, Philadelphia, Pa. C. C. Colburn, Denver, Colo. Donald A. Powell, Columbus, Ohio. C. V. Corless, Coniston, Ontario. Thomas T. Read, Washington, D. C. I. N. Daily, Seattle, Wash., W. L. Remick, Chrome, N. J. E. V. Daveler, Butte, Mont: Hallet R. Robbins, San Francisco, Calif. John Davis, Fairbanks, Alaska.' Milnor Roberts, University Station, E. W. Engelmann, Salt Lake City, Utah. Seattle, Wash. M. E. Erdofy, New York N. Y. Thos. S. Roberts, Lakehurst Proving W. F. Ferrier, Toronto, Canada. Grounds, N. J. H. A. Fisher, Pittsburgh, Pa. George B. Rodgers, Dobbs Ferry, N. Y. Walter Fitch, Sr., Eureka, Utah. John C. Rogers, Copper Cliff, Ontario. C. D. Grier, New York, N. Y. Joseph L. Rosenmiller, Bethlehem, Pa. A. Hibbert, London. . C. J. Saville, Portland, New South Wales. John E. Hodge, Minneapolis, Minn. W. A. Scheuch, New Jersey. W. E. Hopper, Newark, N. J. S. B. Shutts, Lynchburg, Va. M. R. Hull, McGill, Nev. E. W. Smith, U. S. Army. A. W. Ibbett, Trinidad, B. W. I. S. J. Speak, London. A. O. Ihlseng, Joplin, Mo. John. B. Stewart, Santiago de Cuba, Sherwin F. Kelly, Lawrence, Kans. Cuba. R. G. Knickerbocker, Logansport, Ind. S. A. Taylor, Pittsburgh, Pa. .M. H. Kuryla, Eureka Colo. Karl Thomas,' New York, N. Y. F. G. Lasier, Detroit, Mich. F. L. Torres, Eureka, Nev. David Lasuer, Elizabeth, N. J. Henry Traphagen, Toledo, .Ohio: H. H. Lauer, Allentown, Pa. W. D. Van Doren, Ottawa, Canada. J. Whitney Lewis, Care First Nat'l Bank, J. A. Vernon, Newport, R. I. Tulsa Okla James Wilding, San Francisco, Calif. James W. Love, Knoxville, Tenn. D. J. Williams, Butte, Mont. Dorsey A. Lyon, Washington, D. C. Harry J. Wolf, New York, N. Y. M. E. Martiner, Boston, Mass.. Dwight E. Woodbridge, Duluth, Minn. Benj. L. Miller, Bethlehem, Pa. Percy E. Wrighn, Seattle, Wash. W. G. Miller, Toronto, Canada. F. Yamada, Tokyo, Japan.

Jan 12, 1919

The following is a 'partial list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Oct. 10, 1917, to Nov. 10, 1917. Edwin T. Blake, Berkeley, Cal. Alfred C. Lane, Tufts College, Mass. H. M. Boylston, Cambridge, Mass. W. G. Matteson, Houston, Texas. W. B. Cogswell, Syracuse, N. Y. E. Francis M'Crossin, Birmingham, Ala. Paul R. Cook, Zaruma, Ecuador. R. E. Murray, Butte, Mont. F. W. DeWolf, Washington, D. C. Edmund Newton, Minneapolis, Minn. A. Faison Dixon, Venezuela. J. J. Ormsbee, El Paso, Texas. W. H. Dufur,, Oil City, Pa. Pablo Ortega, Havana, Cuba. Maxwell E. Erdofy, Lieut. Engr. Officers'. W. E. Pomeroy, El Paso, Texas Reserve Corps, New York. J. C. Ralston, Spokane, Wash. Evan Fraser-Campbell, Scotland. W. L. Remick, Chrome, N. J. David B. Gemmill, Crown King, Ariz. Howard D. Smith, San Francisco, Cal. F. Lynwood Garrison, Philadelphia, Pa. Harold C. E. Spence, Steeple Rock, N. M. C. J. Hall, Spassky, Siberia. R. K. Stockwell, Salt Lake City, Utah. H. Hamada, Tokyo, Japan. Maurice W. Summerhayes, Timmins, Rush M. Hess, Bouse, Ariz. Ont., Canada. A. Howard Higgin, London, England Malcolm M. Thompson, Morsemere; N. J. A. O. Ihlseng, Joplin, Mo. Nicholas Truschkoff, Petrograd, Russia. T. Ishikawa, Japan. H. J. Wendler, Los Angeles, Cal. C. H. James, Tucson, Ariz. Ira T. Wright, Hurley, N. M. R. R. Landon, Philippine Islands. C. Yabe, Japan. Robert W. Bissell has now become associated with Gunn, Richards & Co., of New York, N. Y. Major Reginald W. Brock is giving a course in a school for commanding officers in England.

Jan 12, 1917

By Samuel S. Wyer

Bethlehem Meeting, February, 1906 THE following abbreviations have been used in the text:¬ Am. MF. and Iron World. American Manufacturer and Iron World, Pittsburg, Pa. Can. Min. Rev. Canadian Mining Review, Ottawa, Can. Cass. Mag. Cassier's Magazine, New York, N. Y. Col. Eng. Colliery Engineer, London, Eng. Col. Guard. Colliery Guardian, London, Eng. Eng. and Min. Jour. Engineering and Mining Journal, New York, N. Y. Eng. News. Engineering News, New York, N. Y. Engr. Engineering, London, Eng. J. I. and S. I. Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, Lon¬don, Eng. Jour. W Soc. of Engrs. Journal Western Society of Engineers, Chicago, Ill. Lond. Eng. The Engineer, London, Eng. Mines and Min. Mines and Minerals, Scranton, Pa. North of Eng. I. M. E. North of England Institute of Mining Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. Oester Zeitsch f. Berg u. Hüt. Oesterrcichische Zeitschrift für Berg. und Hüttenwescn, Vienna, Austria. Pract. Engr. Practical Engineer, London, Eng. Proc. I. C. E. Proceedings Institution of Civil Engineers, London, Eng. Trans. A. I. M. E. Transactions American Institute of Mining Engineers, New York, N. Y. Trans. A. S. M. E. Transactions American Society Mechanical Engineers, New York, N Y Trans. Fed. I. M E. Transactions Federated Institute Mining Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. Trans. I M E Transactions Institute Mining Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.

Mar 1, 1906

By E. M. Wise

WHEN man became dissatisfied with the mere utilization of physical force and began to use weapons, he made a definite stride forward. At first he used sticks, animal bones and stones, often rudely shaped to some particularly lethal form. These devices, while crude, were moderately effective. How- ever, some of the brighter men of the tribe found that certain particularly heavy "stones" were somewhat ductile and could be hammered into more effective weapons than those previously known. Later, probably through the misuse of one of these weapons to stir the campfire, it was found that heating softened and perhaps actually melted the material. The process of annealing had been discovered! Smelting the more easily reducible metals was in all probability one of those fortuitous accidents which was followed up by thoughtful researchers who ultimately developed the technique of mixing various ores to produce bronze and even some of the nickel content alloys. The resulting products were at first lumps of more or less ductile material which could be hammered to shape, and were thus incidentally hardened by this process. The hardening of metals by alloying and cold working remained for many centuries the only known methods for improving their properties.

Jan 1, 1931

By H. Van F. Furman

As the cyanide-method for the extraction of gold from ores is extensively used in the United States and elsewhere, and appears destined to prove a factor of increasing importance in the metallurgy of gold, a description of the latest laboratorymethods may prove of interest. The history of the development of the process in the United States has been analogous to that of all new processes. Many failures are to be recorded and a few successes. It is the opinion of the writer that, had the following simple tests been better understood, many of the failures would not have occurred, and we should probably have a larger number of successful plants in operation. While the process is not simple, but requires a high degree of chemical and engineering skill, the determination of the adaptability of an ore to the method is generally not difficult. While the laboratory-results will not always coincide with the actual results obtained in the mill, they will serve as a guide and control on the working of the mill, and mill generally suffice to determine if the ore can be

Jan 1, 1897

By N. L. ALISON

MUCH has been published on the general subject of metal mine ventilation but, so far as I can discover, few specific data on selection of fan equipment to meet the requirements of a given mine ventilation problem are available. This article is intended to point out some of the more important considerations which influence the selection of such equipment. It will be assumed that the mine operator is able to determine the quantity of air which is necessary in the various parts of his mine to produce the required results and the pressure in inches water gage needed to circulate this quantity of air through the mine. There may be instances in which this assumption is not justified, but the fact remains that, with proper engineering talent, these data can be approximated sufficiently close for practical purposes.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. R. FINLA

THE three great war periods of recent times involving the-chief industrial, commercial, and military nations of the world have been the following: 1. Wars centering around the French Republic and Napoleon Bonaparte, .1791-1815;. involving every nation in Europe, parts of Asia Minor and *North Africa., and the United States of America. 2. Wars in Europe, Asia, and North -America beginning with the Crimean War, 1854-56, the British Empire, France, Sardinia, and Turkey against Russia; the Sepoy rebellion in India, -1857; -war of France . and Sardinia against ..Austria in Italy, .185.9; :the Taiping rebellion in China, 1861; Civil War in , America, 1861-65; French. occupation .of .M Mexico, .1863; Prussian war against :Denmark, :1864; (Prussia and Italy against Austria sand various -south German : states, 1866; :the Franco-German War, 1870.7,1.

Jan 1, 1931

By R. U. Fitting, A. C. Bulnes

Field experience with limestone and sandstone production indicates the existence of wide differences between the reservoir behavior of these two types of formation. Little attention appears to have been given to the separate study of the flow of fluids and the retention of fluids in limestones. This paper presents data and arguments to demonstrate the existence of a difference between the two types of formation, and urges the separate intensive investigation of limestone reservoirs. AH experimental data presented pertain to dolomitic limestone formations in west Texas and New Mexico. Two kinds of Porous media are recognized— intergranular and intermediate. Intergranular rocks are those in which the porosity and permeability are determined by the geometrical properties and the sorting of the sedimentary units; intermediate rocks, those in which there is no direct relationship between grain properties and the porosity and permeability. Limestones in general are intermediate media. The partial relationship between porosity and permeability of any class of Porous media is represelried by an area of .finite extent and definite shape on the permeability-porosity plane. The horizontal and vertical variations of porosity and of permeability in limestone and sandstone formations are discussed and compared. Comparisons are made of connate-water content, the relative permeability-saturation relationship, and capillary phenomena in the two kinds of rocks. A number of tentative conclusions are drawn relative to the reservoir properties of lime- stones; in particular, (I) dolomitic limestones are oil bearing and apparently are oil productive in zones of permeability less than 0.1 millidarcyj and (2) primary depletion (by gas expansion) oil saturations may be lower in dolomitic limestones than in sandstones. Introduction It is well known that the reservoir performance of limestones displays numerous irregularities when compared with that of sandstones, and that the departures from "normal" behavior of limestones are more frequent and generally more marked than in sandstones. This is particularly true of fractured limestones and those that have undergone considerable development of secondary porosity' A review of the literature of production research published during the past 15 years reveals a startling absence of theoretical and experimental investigations directed specifically toward explaining and predicting the performance of limestone reservoirs, even. though such problems as the prediction of water encroachment and the estimation of ultimate recoveries continue at the "inspired guess" stage. By far the greater part of the experimental data reported pertain to measurements on sandstone core samples, while the theoretical studies, almost without exception, are developed from the assumption of an ideal porous medium and therefore seldom are applicable to limestone formations. The chief cause of this situation appears to be the common belief that, to all practical intents and purposes, sandstones and the majority of producing limestone formations

Jan 1, 1945

By P. F. MINISTER

AT Lime Spur, Mont., the East Butte Copper Mining Co. has been quarrying limestone for twenty years. The quarry is beside the Northern Pacific R. R. in the Jefferson River canyon, 4 ½ miles east of Cardwell, at Lime Spur, Montana. HISTORY This quarry was opened early in 1900 by Dan Morrison of Whitehall, the discoverer of the Morrison cave, to supply a demand for smelter flux. Limestone was sold to the Pittsmont smelter of The East Butte Copper Mining Co. and to the Butte Reduction Works. As no particular effort was made at the quarry to select the rock that delivered to the smelters was unduly high in magnesia and impurities. The East Butte com¬pany, therefore. Bought the quarry. in 1909 and confined operations to the high-grade beds in order to supply rock of the desired purity for its own smelter and the Butte Reduction Works until the latter shut down. It also developed a market for some of its rock with the sugar factories. The latter market increased until in later years all rock, larger than 4 in. in size over a bar grizzly, was being shipped to the sugar factories, and the rock smaller than 4 in. was being used as a flux in the blast furnaces at the Pittsmont smelter. In 1924, the East Butte concluded a contract with the Anaconda company for the treatment of its ores, and the Pittsmont -smelter -was shut down: which made the minus 4-in. rock a useless by-product. Since there was not enough revenue in the sugar rock alone and also because of limited waste room it became necessary, if Lime Spur was to continue to operate, to increase- the proportion of plus 4-in. rock and to develop a market for the minus 4-in.

Jan 1, 1930

By B. M. Larsen, K. Heindlhofer

Jan 1, 1945

By W. S. Row

This mine is operated at 4000 to 4500 tons daily through a single shaft, with one rock hoist and one senice hoist. Latest shaft construction is concrete with wooden dividers. Economics of drifters and air-leg drills are compared, as well as costs of shrinkage and sub-level stoping. Economy of large haulage equipment and underground crushing is shown. THE property of Kerr-Addison Gold Mines is located in the Larder Lake district of Ontario about 3 miles from the Quebec boundary on the highway between Kirkland Lake and Noranda. It is roughly 320 miles due north of Toronto and 365 miles north of Buffalo, N. Y. The property was staked in 1906 and after several development efforts finally came into continuous production at 500 tons per day in 1937. In 1939 the daily tonnage -was increased to 1200 and in 1941 to 2100 tons. At the end of the war, because of the shortage of labor, tonnage was down to 1100 tons per day, rising to 2200 in February 1947. A further plant expansion inaugurated in 1946 was completed by December 1948, bringing the capacity of the mine and mill to a production rate of 4000 tons per day. Current production, with 880 men employed, is 4400 tons per day. Changes in mining methods and equipment, required by the recently completed expansion program, have yielded interesting comparative results, some of which are described in this paper. Hoisting of ore and waste from the mine, as well as all service facilities for handling men and supplies underground, are provided for in a single vertical five-compartment shaft. Ore and waste are hoisted in 12½-ton skips in balance by a 14-ft diam hoist with drums 115 in. wide, grooved for 2?-in. wire ropes. This hoist, with a total rope pull of 85,000 lb, was designed to operate at a speed of 2600 ft per min to a depth of 4000 ft, hoisting 15 tons of ore in each skip. It is amplidyne-controlled and powered with dual drive dc motors of 2250-hp each, through flexible couplings to two pinion shafts, one on each side of the main gear. Each motor has a peak load rating of 4500-hp at point of greatest duty. Direct current power to the hoist motors is supplied from a motor generator set consisting of a 5000-hp synchronous motor driving two 1750-kw dc generators. The loading pockets used so far are at depths of 1500 and 2725 ft respectively. Consequently the present hoisting speed is 2000 ft per min and the skips capacity only 12½ tons. Now that the shaft has been deepened the new pockets at 3934 ft will be increasingly used so that the speed and the skip size will be increased up to original specifications as required. Some difficulty in meeting the required hoisting cycle is expected because of the shape of the skips. As now in use the cross-sectional dimensions of the inside of the skip are 4 ft 6 in. x 3 ft 8 in. To hold 121/2 tons, therefore, they are 14 ft 10 in. deep. Since the skips are the conventional overturning or Kim-berley type, considerable hoisting time is lost in retardation in entering the headframe dump and in acceleration when leaving. It is expected that to obtain the specified tonnage from this hoist when the skip size is increased to 15 tons it may be necessary to resort to bottom dump skips. This type of skip could reduce considerably the present excessive acceleration and retardation times. Analyses of the skip-hoisting operation are made monthly, and every effort is made to reduce controllable delays. For a nine-month period in 1951 such an analysis shows that the hoist was in operation 92.5 pct of the available time, which was allotted as shown in Table I. Overall hoisting costs, cage and skip, for the year 1951, averaged $0.168 per ton of ore milled. The mine is serviced entirely by means of a single cage, capacity 35 men or 15,700 lb, operating in con-

Jan 1, 1954

By Richard E. Chism

If internal commotion can be called life, the Mexicans have certainly lived more in the last seventy-five years than any other people. To the oppression of the Spanish viceroys succeeded the sanguinary tumults of the Revolution of Independence, after which the Supreme Congress bequeathed its heritage of uncertain power to the empire of Iturbide, the only one ever established by Americans upon American soil, with an American at its head. That shortlived reign mas followed by years of ceaseless, bloody, and, to the superficial observer, meaningless revolutions—the deeper political and ecclesiastical significance of which it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss. Then came foreign intervention, the ill-fated Austrian's brief supremacy, and the final triumph of the patriot cause under rugged old Benito Juarez, who crowned the victory of arms by a series of reforms breaking forever the temporal power of the Church and ushering in the calmer era which has lasted from the first accession of Diaz to the present day. During all those troublous times, the revolutionary ocean, that rolled so deeply over all other relics of Spanish dominion, had left almost unaltered the ancient laws of Spain, still lifting themselves above the tide, like landmarks of a flooded world. Many of these laws were obsolete ; some were absurdly inadequate to the demands

Jan 1, 1886