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By AIME AIME

A PERIOD of business depression and falling prices always raises questions as to the possible responsibility of the monetary or banking system. This is natural enough, for it is agreed that the supply of money or credit is a very important factor in modern business and in prices. However, it is far from being the only important factor. One of the chief merits of the gold standard is that under its workings the supply of currency and credit is regulated automatically to the masimun extent, in- stead of by the control of any arbitrary authority. The supply of new gold comes from the mines, and mining is free. It is distributed among the countries by the currents of trade and the play of economic forces, with the general result that the distribution tends to be in accordance with the economic development of the countries and their ability to use it or command it. Inasmuch as the accumulated stock of monetary gold is very large in comparison with the annual additions, the total avail- able supply changes but little from year to year, and it may be assumed that price-changes that are properly chargeable to gold will take place gradually rather than suddenly.

Jan 1, 1930

Throughout October, U.S. producers priced unalloyed 99.5 percent aluminum ingot at 53¢ per pound. Dealers, in last month's domestic market, were quoting unalloyed ingot at a range of 45.5¢-46.3¢ per pound. Costa Rica recently issued a proposal to Japanese aluminum smelters to participate in an integrated aluminum-refining project which would include bauxite development. The project reportedly would include a 600,000-kilowatt hydroelectric power station, a 600,000-metric-ton-per-year alumina plant, and a 300,000-ton-per-year primary aluminum smelter. Two U.S. firms--Aluminum Co. of Amerjca (Alcoa) and Martin Marietta Co.--and several European aluminum smelters are also said to be interested in taking part in this project. Alcoa conducted a feasibility study for the Costa Rican Government in 1970 and estimated the bauxite reserves to contain 150 million metric tons.

Jan 1, 1977

By George C. Stone

WHEN George C. Stone, a Director of the Institute, and so well known to our Members in connection with the Institute's many activities was abroad in 1.919, he secured an interesting collection of these coins, which appeared in Zinc, a publication by the New Jersey Zinc Co. Regarding this collection of coin, Mr. Stone says: "During the war, all gold and most of the silver disappeared, making small change very scarce. As the French Government was fully occupied by the war, it allowed various Chambers of Commerce and other bodies to issue money, both paper and coins. Many of the latter were made of zinc, and I secured several while in Paris. We had all heard of the Belgian and German zinc coins, but I imagine few knew how many different kinds there were. The accompanying plates show both sides of those I got. I took all that the dealer had; but he said that there were a number of others in existence. The coins in the bottom line were issued by the Germans in Belgium during the war and all are still in common use. The first two in the next to the bottom line are German. All of the others were issued by Chambers of Commerce or corporations. A few have been nickel plated; these look and wear much better than the others. "Coins" made of pasteboard were also issued by similar bodies, also notes.

Jan 1, 1920

By Hazel B. Comstock

[This material survey on magnesium and magnesium compounds is one of a series of Bureau of Mines publications designed to serve the needs of Government and industry for comprehensive, up-to-date information on mineral commodities and activities Magnesium, the world's lightest structural metal has become a most useful material in airborne and space vehicles, automotive equipment, machine tools, and consumer products. Use of magnesium on in basic refractories for iron and steel furnaces has expanded as the production of iron and steel has increased. Progress in converting steel furnaces to the use of oxygen has further increased the use of magnesium and magnesite brick.]

Jan 1, 1963

By Hazel B. Comstock

This materials survey on magnesium and magnesium compounds is one of a series of Bureau of Mines publications designed to serve the needs of Government and industry for comprehensive, up-to-data information on mineral commodities and activities. Magnesium, the world's lightest structural metal, has become a most useful material in airborne and spare vehicles, automotive equipment, machine tools, and consumer products. Use of magnesium ores in basic refractories for iron and steel furnaces has expanded as the production of iron and steel has increased, Progress in converting steel fun cares to the use of oxygen has further increased the use of magnesia and magnesite brick.

Jan 1, 1963

Many of the difficulties faced by the U.S. mineral industry in 1982 and 1983 emanated from the worldwide recession, from the high value of the U.S. exchange rate, and, in part, from actions taken by foreign governments to protect selected industries. While some problems will be minimized with continued worldwide economic recovery, others remain and may require special attention by U.S. policymakers. These problems include declining U.S. production capacity in selected mining and mineral processing industries, the impact of the high value of the U.S. exchange rate, and protectionist trade practices by competitor nations. Illustrative of the last is the International Trade Commission (ITC) determination in June 1984 that both the domestic steel and copper industries have been substantially injured by foreign imports. In its July 1984 recommendations to the President, the ITC suggested higher tariffs and quotas for 5 years on 70 percent of steel imports but conditioned the aid on cost-cutting and modernization steps by the domestic industry. In the copper decision, two commissioners recommended increased duties, two recommended that quotas be imposed, and one recommended that no relief be provided. The President decided in September to seek voluntary restraint agreements with nations that export steel to the United States and rejected both quotas and higher tariffs on copper imports. General Economic Setting This decade opened with the U.S. mineral industries struggling to deal with double-digit inflation, record high peacetime interest rates, and almost 7 years of oil-cartel-induced energy price increases that seriously affected the profitability of energy-intensive industries such as mineral production and processing.

Jan 1, 1985

By Henry S. Washington

I. INTRODUCTION. DURING the last twenty years or so the chemical investigation of rocks has made great advances, and it is now generally recognized that a knowledge of the chemical composition is as essential as that of the texture or mineral composition-if not more so-for the proper classification of rocks and study of their origin and relationships. Rock-analyses have vastly increased in numbers and, what is of greater importance, in quality. New and improved methods permit of greater accuracy than was possible in the early days, and the list of chemical constituents frequently determined has risen from the seven or eight of the greater part of the nineteenth century to twenty or more. Indeed, rock-analyses with determinations of so many constituents are now commonly made by the chemists of the United States and Australia, while in Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy the rarer constituents are determined more frequently than formerly. As a consequence of this modern, accurate work, it has been discovered that some elements which were formerly supposed to be rare are of wide-spread occurrence and are often present in considerable amount. The fact is further being developed that the elements tend to show certain relations of occurrence or abundance in connection with each other. This is a fact which is applicable to the rarer elements, and which also finds a broad geological and petrological expression in the recognition of petrographic provinces. We are beginning to obtain some definite, though as yet rudimentary, knowledge of the distribution of the elements among igneous rocks. Some of the results along these lines obtained by study of the vast accumulation of analytical data now available are well known to petrologists, while others do not seem to be so gener-

Sep 1, 1908

U.S. Bureau of Mines contract H0122053, "Improved Sensors and Fire Control Systems for Mining Equipment", was an investigative effort involving: ? Study of the fire problem on large mobile mining equipment ? Identification of equipment most prone to fire, to serve as a design case example ? Design of an improved fire protection system ? Demonstration of the developed system This effort was performed during the period June 1972 through May 1973, and was conducted in two phases. Phase I, June through November 1972, was devoted to identifying the fire problem and developing and evaluating design criteria. Phase II involved translating the design into hardware and demonstrating its effectiveness during actual fire tests, first on a wooden mockup of a truck, then on an operating truck at a working mine site.

Jan 1, 1973

By LESTER W. STRAUSS

FOR fifteen months after the other dominions of the British Empire and the entire so-called sterling 11loc loosed the shackles that bound the111 to the gold standard, South Africa, giant among gold-producing nations, remained stubbornly attached to gold at the traditional ratio of 85 shillings in currency to one ounce of gold. But eventually even South Africa had to heed the dictates of trade and the obvious interests of its great gold-mining industry. In December, 1932, South Africa's currency severed its golden bonds. Today the South African pound is 011 a par wit11 the British pound.

Jan 1, 1935

By Shigeo Asai

"Electromagnetic processing of materials is newly proposed to be considered as one of the engineering fields where functions of electromagnetism are utilized for processing electrically conducting materials, such as liquid metals, electrolytes and plasmas. The background requiring this processing and the engineering characteristics supporting it are described. The applicable functions of electromagnetism to material processing are revealed from the view point of magnetohydrodynamics. The existing processes and the proposed ones are classified into utilized functions and engineering applications are discussed. IntroductionElectric energy has been used in the metallurgical field for the processes of melting, refining and solidification. In these cases both the magnetic field which is induced by an imposed electric current, and the electric current are applied on electrically conducting materials such as molten metals. Thus, it turns out that the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena have unconsciously been seen in metallurgical processes using electric current. The academic backbone studying MHD phenomena is the Magnetohydrodynamics which is being developed in the fields of plasma physics, astrophysics, fusion research and nuclear energy.The first attempt where magnetohydrodynamics was intentionally applied on metallurgy was a Symposium of IUTAM (The International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics) in titled as ""Metallurgical Applications of Magnetohydrodynamics"" at Cambridge, UK, 1982 [1]. This timely event stimulated a few metallurgists to recognize the importance of ~MHD and was a good warning to the metal societies in the world. Especially in Japan, the Steelmaking Investigative Subcommittee of Research Planning Committee in the ISIJ (The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan) discussed the application of ~IHD to metallurgy and selected it as one of the four major innovative subjects for future steelmaking technology in Japan [2]. Indeed, the term of ""Electromagnetic Metallurgy"" itself was firstly coined by this subcommittee. Upon the request of a report from the subcommittee, the ISIJ has established a committee on ""Electromagnetic Metallurgy"" at 1985, under the author's chairmanship."

Jan 1, 1988

By Terry S. Cory

This report is a comprehensive summary of the results of the propagation measurements program conducted for the US Bureau of Mines under Contract H0366028. Data was gathered in the MF frequency range from a cross sample of six mines representative of the industry having typical wireless requirements. From the raw data which was gathered, a logical method of data reduction is presented which culminates in a set of average attenuation characteristics for all mines visited. These characteristics define a typical MF wireless system when the communication range requirements are known. Direct through-the-earth propagation and the range enhancement mechanism due to coupling on and off conductors are evaluated and related to the planning of a typical wireless MF communications system.

Jan 1, 1977

The value of domestic raw nonfuel mineral output in 1985 was estimated at $23.7 billion, 2% above the 1984 value of $23.1 billion. This crude mineral output was the basis for approximately $244 billion worth of processed materials of mineral origin. [ ] A U.S. company permanently closed its alumina plant in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, reducing domestic alumina capacity by 10%. Another U.S. company sold its 26% interest in an alumina plant in Jamaica to its two U.S. partners. On completion of the purchase agreement, the two remaining partners promptly closed the plant for an indefinite period, citing a world oversupply of alumina and unacceptably low prices.

Jan 1, 1986

By Scott G. Britton

Mine exploitation is a broad subject whose focus is the technical skills or efforts needed for the extraction of mineral from a known ore body. Mine exploitation can be considered the very core of the mining engineering discipline. It begins at the conclusion of the exploration and development stages of mining and ends when the ore body is exhausted and the mine (or mines)closes and is reclaimed. Section 8 on mine exploitation is comprised of seven chapters: (1) classification of mining methods, (2) mine surveying and mapping, 3) systems engineering, (4) computer methods, (5) labor relations and training, (6) management and administration, and (7) mine closure, sealing, and abandonment. Each chapter focuses its efforts towards providing detailed and useful information for the engineer on basic mine exploitation principles. The information can be applied to a broad range of mining problems without regard to mineral type or mining method.

Jan 1, 2008

A unity of viewpoint emerged from the workshop. The concept that transmission is via characteristic modes was a common theme in many of the presentations. Also, the confusion an the meaning of monofilar and bifilar to describe these dominant modes was cleared up. But, there was still a healthy divergence of opinion on what constitutes an optimum system. It was generally agreed that further analytical and experimental work is definitely needed. In particular, it was stressed that independent measurements of the constitutive properties of the electromagnetic environment are needed. Also, there was considerable concern that laboratory measurements of rock samples could lead to misleading results for the effective conductivities. Also, there was a general recognition that over simplified propagation theory should not be used to interpret field data. From a theoratical and practical point of view, it was realized that mode coupling plays a vital role in the transmission channel. One must not only understand which and how many propagation modes are excited by the transmitting antenna, but the conversion of energy from one mode type to another must be accounted for. This conversion can either be done intentionally (by fixed mode convertors) or non intentionally (by random wall roughness). In fact, mode conversion can be quite complicated when various propagation paths exist such as when insulated cables, leaky feeders, grounded rails, coal seams, etc. all convey portions of the electromagnetic energy. However, this state of affairs should be regared as an. opportunity for extended communication coverage in mines rather than a limitation of a desig. procedure based on preconceived notions of the dominant propagation mechanism.

Jan 1, 1978

Workers at the Consolidated Aluminum Corp. primary aluminum smelter at Lake Charles, LA walked out at midnight March 31 when their contract expired. Management personnel operated the smelter and prebaked carbon anode facilities until an agreement for a new 3-year contract was reached April 18. The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) began operations at its can recycling facility at Taylor, MS. The facility can process 3 million pounds per month of aluminum and steel cans. Alcoa announced plans to increase the capacity of its aluminum paste and flake production plant at Logan's Ferry, PA by 50 percent. Completion was scheduled for mid-1980.

Jan 1, 1979

By E. D. Gardner

A general survey of the mineral industries of the Black Hills is being made by the Bureau or Mines, but this report is confined to the tin deposits of that region. Because of the strategic importance of tin in a national emergency, special attention was given in the field to deposits of this metal. The present paper outlines the procedure that would be required for determining the potentialities of the most promising deposits as emergency sources of tin and gives estimates of the cost of sampling and rehabilitating some of the old tin mines. Tin mining in the Black Hill was quiescent in 1938. Tin occurs in two areas inn the region. The deposits have received considerable attention, and since 1884 numerous articles have been written about them. It is estimated that between 7 and 15 million dollars has been spent in promotion expenses, acquiring claims, development work, and equipment; production, has totaled about 160 long tons of metallic tin worth about $95,000.3/

Jan 1, 1939

By Christopher B. Kapes

To reduce concentrate dewatering and drying costs, the Concentrator Division at Phelps Dodge Morenci, Inc. investigated available filtration technologies. Numerous methods were explored, including: drum, disk, belt, pressure, hyperbaric, and ceramic media filtration. An economic evaluation of the individual filtration technologies indicated the advantages of ceramic media filtration for Morenci concentrates. This paper discusses the technological development culminating in the first full scale application of ceramic media disk filters in North America. Low moisture contents are obtained at high production rates and greatly reduced operating costs.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. D. Bardill

"The Stoddard mine, Cheshire County, N. H., was explored by the Bureau of Mines in 1944 as a source of the strategic fluorite. It was reported that the vein persisted in the bottom of old workings and the geology of the immediate area indicated the possibility of finding additional lenses.In its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Nines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts pre¬liminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches are under the supervision of Dr. R. S. Dean, assistant director.Special acknowledgment is expressed for the cooperation and assistance given by Robert F. Sherwood of the United Feldspar & Minerals Corp.; by McHenry Mosier, chief, College Park Division, Mining Branch, who aided in re¬vising this report; and by J. B. Zadra, chief, College Park Division, Metallurgical Branch, and others of his staff, who assisted in performing the beneficiation tests and analyzing samples. The field work was under the direction of Harry P. Hermance.The property lies on the southern boundary of the town of Westmoreland, Cheshire County, N. H., at approximately 72° 39’ west longitude, 42° 27’ north latitude, in the Keene, N. H. (G.S.) quadrangle.Good gravel roads lead from paved State Highway 63 to the property. A dirt road in fair condition suitable for truck leads to the nine.Dwight H. Smith, Putney, Vt., is the owner and has leased the property to the United Feldspar & Minerals Corp., 10 East 40th Street, New York 16, N. Y.Property titles were not investigated.The fluorite deposits of Cheshire Count', H. H., have been known for many years, being reported by Jackson, (Geology and Mineralogy of New Hampshire, by Charles T, Jackson, 1844) and by Hitchcock, in1878 (Geology of Now Hampshire, vol. 3, 1878, by Charles H. Hitchcock). A large pit on the largest or east vein was mined by Lovat Frazer from about 1908 to 1917, This operation is reported to have produced approximately 3,500 tons of fluorspar. In 1917, the American Steel & Wire Co, took over the mine end is said to have produced 3,500 tons of fluorspar before relinquishing the lease in 1923.From 1935 to 1937 the New Hampshire Fluorspar Cc. operated the Stoddard mine, working chiefly on the most westerly of the three known veins on the property, as well as doing some preliminary work on the small central vein. In 1938, the United Feldspar 6 Minerals Corp. leased the mine, and less than 100 tons of fluorspar was produced from exploration and development work, No mining has been done since that time."

Sep 1, 1946

By AIME AIME

THE following paragraphs comprise such information as the Secretary has been able to obtain concerning the members and associates whose deaths have been reported. Further particulars or corrections of errors, and biographical data concerning deceased members or associates not already noticed in this way, are solicited. [SECRETARY'S NOTE.-All of these notices have been revised, and some of then have been more or less completely prepared, by me. To those which contain more particularly the expression of my personal feeling, my initials have been appended. The labor of preparing or editing these paragraphs has been in many respects both welcome and interesting, on the one hand, and sorrowful, on the other. In going through the list, I have repeatedly felt like one who, visiting the Morgue, suddenly comes upon the pale face of a dear friend, of whose death lie was not aware ; and, even when this fact was known to me, the work of recording it has brought upon me a flood of recollections, almost preventing the discharge of that official duty. The list for 1907 seems to me to he peculiarly sad, comprising, as it does, so many sudden deaths by violence or accident, so many veterans, removed too soon, and so many young men whose early departure impoverishes the future, even more than the present. Probably, this feeling on my part is largely due to the circumstance that the increased membership of the Institute necessarily in¬volves an increase of the annual death-list. Probably, also, it is connected with the circumstance that during the first years of the history of the Institute-say from 1871 to 1880-it was joined by men of all ages, and that the death-rate is consequently now above the average which would result from the normal annual addition, principally of young men. And finally, I must admit that, as one of the original members of the Institute, and practically connected with it for nearly thirty-seven years as Acting President, President or Secretary, I am peculiarly impressed and depressed by the successive deaths of those who were my associates in the years of its early struggles and triumphs. I do not wish to inflict upon my younger colleagues the melancholy reflections of an increasingly lonesome old man. In fact, my prevailing mood concerning the Institute is not at all melancholy, but triumphant and hopeful. If I may be permitted to preach at all, I would enforce, from the texts given below, a moral which many of them declare so forcibly as to preclude the necessity of expository enforcements-namely, the duty of every one of us, old or young, to give to his brethren, as he goes along, and without waiting for some future occasion for a comprehensive and monumental contribution to technical literature, the results of his observation and experience. When I look at this list of names, my personal sorrow over many of them is drowned in my professional reflection as to each and all-How much has died with

Jan 1, 1908

New Trade Status for Mainland China--On January 24, the Congress approved a most-favored-nation trade status with Mainland China for both imports and exports. A Presidential Proclamation had been issued earlier in anticipation of the Congressional action. Import duties on such commodities as tungsten, mercury, and antimony are automatically decreased. Defense Production Act Extended--The Defense Production Act of 1950 was extended 60 days to March 28, 1980. The provision for the usual 2-year extension of the Act is reportedly included in an omnibus energy bill that is tied up in committee. The Act under Title III provides for the expansion of productive capacity and supply and, more specifically, it gives priority to defense contracting where defense and non-defense interests conflict

Jan 1, 1980