Search Documents

By C. W. Handy

ONE LAW cannot he evaded, the economic law of supply and demand. Silver, like any other commodity, is subject to this law; and its price in the long run is determined by existing conditions. I say "in the lone run because at times silver has appeared to mope contra to basic coalitions. Such movements, however, are, occasioned by the market's attempt to anticipate changes in these governing conditions. If the expected changes materialize then the new market level is justified, but if they do not then the market will revert to its previous status, A striking example of such a move occurred in November when the price advanced over 70, in ten days and then in the next two weeks lost more than it had gained. The reasons for this advance were that the speculative element interpreted certain events as favorable to silver namely, England suspension of the gold standard, higher shat prices, and the Chinese-Japanese crisis. When these expectations proved unjustified the inevitably, elapse followed became the governing conditions had not channel.

Jan 1, 1932

By AIME

NEW YORK'S largest hotel, the Pennsylvania, will be filled with mining and oil men and metallurgists the third week of February when some 3000 AIME members, their wives, and guests will gather for the Institute's 1948 Annual Meeting-its 166th general meeting. Except for the usual Sunday afternoon and evening sessions of the Mineral Industry Education Division at the Columbia University Men's Faculty Club, the big assembly will be under one top and members will not this year have to consult compass and map to find their next session. Possibly enervated by the stupendous effort of the Anniversary Celebration last spring and the plethora of highly successful fall meetings, the various committees have been a trifle slow in arranging their social and technical programs, but in mid December as we go to press there is already much to report indicative of substantial fare and high interest. The definite timetable schedule will appear in the February M&M.

Jan 1, 1948

By JOHN JANNEY

STABILIZATION of the adjustment of normal consumption to normal production of world commodities is quite different from reducing production until visible surpluses are consumed. The first means restoration and maintenance of prosperity, the second means merely a temporary alleviation of a condition with the prime cause remaining uncorrected. Overproduction of foodstuffs in some sections of the world while millions starve in other sections represents not so much overproduction of foodstuffs as mal-distribution of foodstuffs. The flour mills of Washington and Oregon normally ship quantities of flour to China. Now, the wheat that would make this flour goes East instead of West. Is this overproduction, or is there something wrong that calls for study, analysis and correction? Can the plan used by the ostrich of hiding its head in. the sand get us by this present world tragedy, or must the challenge to solve this problem be met, constructively? Can we not make out of this breakdown in the world's economic system an opportunity? And use it as the stimulus for remedying the basic cause of the trouble and not content ourselves with devising temporary expedients that aim at remedying this or that of the obvious conditions, in themselves not causes at all but rather the evidence of causes, or that are the symptoms of the real trouble.

Jan 1, 1931

By Zay Jeffries

AN acute current shortage of copper, with the prospect that conditions may become worse, indicated by Office of Production Management information. Present estimates of copper requirement for defense indicate that nearly all the available metal will be required in the future for this purpose. Severe dislocations are, expected, but the objective is to distribute the copper available for civilian use in such a manner as to minimize these dislocations. The advisory committee on metals and minerals has been asked for a suggestions which may be helpful in meeting this situation.\

Jan 1, 1941

By Frederic P. Dewey

THE Bureau of the Mint of the United States Treasury maintains 13 offices for the purchase of gold-bullion, and this paper describes an investigation to establish the reasonable differences in the assay-results at the various institutions which may be commercially allowable in the settlements between them. Beginning with the comparative assay of proof-gold at the Philadelphia mint and the Utrecht mint, which shows 0.00002 as the closest agreement now possible, eight tables of comparative results, taken from the regular work of the service, are given. These tables begin with very fine gold, produced in an electrolytic refinery, showing close agreement. in the assay-results, and follow through decreasing gold fineness and . increasing amounts and complexity of base metals to very impure and complex bars produced at cyanide-mills, some of which give widely-varying results. Next is given a series of results on samples, prepared and sent out to various laboratories in the service, to test the influence of different metals and various combinations upon the' agreement of the assay-results; 11 samples were sent out and each one was assayed from 44 to 71 times, making a total of 623 assays. To these are added 107 assays of identical samples of coin-gold. On a previous occasion,' I have endeavored to show the degree of accuracy that may be expected in the ordinary everyday analysis of various materials, and on another occasion2 I

Aug 1, 1909

By HARRINCTON EMERSON

UNEMPLOYMENT is the most ominous shadow ahead of the industrial nations today. Only two great industrial countries are free from unemployment, France and the Soviet Commonwealth. In France the social unit is the family, not the individual. This has saved France. In the Soviet Commonwealth, development is proceeding so rapidly from agricultural to industrial that there is still a dearth of muscle workers in the non-agricultural enterprises. In the other industrial countries unemployment results both from acute temporary recession in industrial activities and from the rapidly increasing substitution of the machine for the man. Temporary recessions can be mitigated, alleviated by makeshifts, often ill considered. Secular recessions due to a fundamental change in the way of accomplishing physical, chemical results cannot be cured by any makeshift. There must be a period of transition. There is therefore before us the three- fold problem, immediate, prosimate and ultimate.

Jan 1, 1930

By W. A. Gibson, A. D. Trujillo

The Santa Rita copper deposit first served as a source of native copper for Indian implements and weapons. In 1801 Santa Rita copper, trans- ported by mule train to Chihuahua, began to be used commercially for making coins. It was a small- scale operation made difficult by Indian raids, transportation costs and depletion of the higher grade ores. There was, moreover, no known method for economically extracting copper from the under- lying low grade sulfide ores. Originally, copper and copper oxide ores were mined by underground methods, but there was virtually no development of the deposit-which became United States territory after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848-for almost a hundred years. A number of small underground mines had been started during that time, but it was not until 1873 that all the principal claims were consolidated under one control.

Jan 1, 1966

Jan 1, 1885

By George F. Becker

(San Francisco Meeting, October, 1911.) A MERE record of Emmons's professional career would very inadequately represent the man. That he was eminent we know, and our successors will realize in due time; but they must depend upon us for knowledge of a singularly wholesome, modest, unselfish personality, and of a character that did honor to a profession in which trustworthiness is indispensable: Those members of the Institute who met Emmons are his friends, and I never knew one of these who was not the better for that friendship. Emmons was born in Boston, Mar. 29, 1841, the son- of Nathaniel H. and Elizabeth (Wales) Emmons, and was named Samuel Franklin after an ancestor who was of the same family as Benjamin Franklin. He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Harvard in 1861, and soon afterwards went abroad to complete his education. From 1862 to 1864 he attended the courses at the École Impériale des Mines at Paris, lie e Beaumont and Daubrée being among his professors. The year 1864-1865 he spent at Freiberg under Cotta and other famous teachers; after which he spent another year in traveling through Europe. Like many other renowned geologists, he approached his ultimate profession from its economic side, and was thus from the first imbued with a sense of high responsibility in the promulgation of scientific opinions or conclusions. With hypotheses which were interesting merely because. they were ingenious or even plausible, he would have nothing to do. In 1867 he joined the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel at its organization under Clarence King, serving at first as a volunteer, but soon receiving a regular appointment. This expedition was the first one of purely geological character sent out by the United States Government. As Emmons has shown in his admirable presidential address on " The Geology of Government Explorations," its work was founded on a com-

Sep 1, 1911

By F. W. Bradley

GOLD is a large subject. One could talk about its geological or mineralogical occurrences, prospect- i11.g for it, mining of .it, its metallurgy or its marketing; but I have decided to limit my discussion to gold as a business-that is, to its production and marketing. In the production of gold, it is necessary to consider the many possible sources, the quantities available, the capital and operating costs and the chances of price-breaking competition. So in the following remarks I shall endeavour to point out that though gold is found in every formation constituting the earth's crust, though it is possible to-find it free in great concentrated placer deposits on the surface, though there are still large unprospected areas of both the surface and the crust, though it may be possible to produce it by the cheapest labor on earth, and by processes not as yet developed, it still has an unlimited market at a definite price. There is no reasonable fear of disturbance by the finding of bountiful deposits, or by cheapening the cost of production due to devaluation, or by the development of any easy processes for direct, or for by product, production.

Jan 1, 1932

By George J. Young

DR . JOHN A . CHURCH, in his treatise on the Comstock Locle 1 gave a full and clear account of the conditions of the mine during the period of greatest activity. The difficulties in the way of deep mining at that time were excessive water and high temperature. The drainage of the mines taxed the financial resources of the mining companies, and the high temperatures restricted the capacity of the miners for underground labor. In spite of these difficulties exploratory work was continued until the financial burden of removing the water became too great. The companies then restricted the work to the upper levels. The years 1883 to 1886 marked the period of cessation of deep mining. For 12 years thereafter mining was confined to the levels above the Sutro tunnel; and, while the question of drainage was more or less agitated, nothing of importance was done until the formation of the Comstock Pumping Association in 1898. Since that time successive levels have been drained until, at present, on the north-end mines, a depth of 700 ft. below the Sutro-tunnel level has been reached. Mining is now carried on in the Ophir mine from the 1,700- to the 2,200-ft. levels, and a winze is being sunk to make connection with the 2,300-ft. level (the 2,450 ft. of the C. & C. shaft). In 1903-the Ward Shaft Association was formed to undertake the draining of the Central and Gold Hill group of mines, and at the present time a depth of 2,500 ft. has been reached in the Ward shaft. The situation at the Ward looks promis¬ing, and the 3,000-ft. level may be reached in the near future. It is proposed to establish a large pumping-station on this level, and then begin the opening of known ore-bodies and the prospecting for new ones. The main factors which have contributed to the successful solution of the drainage problem are the Sutro tunnel, the use of the hydraulic elevator as a sinking-pump, the concentration of pumping-units, and cheap electrical power. The question of high temperature and its control still remains as a minor but important problem. The temperatures encountered in the new workings are as great as those in the earlier periods. The Comstock was considered the hottest group of mines in the world, and I am not aware of similar conditions in any other mining-district. A water-temperature as high as 160° F. has been reported from the Ward shaft, and temperatures below the Sutro tunnel are very high in many instances.

Nov 1, 1909

By H. A. Wheeler

IT may surprise some of our members to learn, among the industries based on the mineral resources of the United States that of clay now ranks third, being exceeded in value of product only by pig-iron and coal. The present annual value of clay-products exceeds the value of the outputs of gold and silver, and also exceeds the combined values of copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, mercury, antimony and nickel. These facts are shown in Table I. which gives the statistics for the year 1902

Jan 1, 1905

By W. R. Ingalls

THE following chronology presents the history of lead-mining in the United States in a brief form and is a useful reference in connection with the statistics of production 1621. Lead was mined and smelted near Falling Creek, Va., to supply the local demand for bullets and shot. This was the first mining and smelting of lead in what is now the United States. 1632. In a report made on the minerals of New England, lead-ore is mentioned. (Bishop, I., 470.) 1650. Supposed beginning of mining by Jesuits in Pima county, Ariz. 1651. Grant of lead-mine at Middletown, Conn., to Gov. John Winthrop.

Jan 9, 1907

By CHARLES M. A. STINE

THE value of chemical research has been so thor¬oughly demonstrated in the last few decades that the general public has become "research-conscious" to an extent which allows the advertising agent and publicity man to make use of research as a selling point in his advertising campaigns. We thus see the advertisements of concerns in the most varied industries stressing the research which is back of their products. The reason for this "research-consciousness" of the general public. is primarily that the products of research have increasingly engaged public attention and have. revolutionized our daily life. When we. reverse the flight of .time and imagine ourselves-in the century previous to our own, we find that we are .without the automobile, the radio, the improved telephone and electric light, refrigerated transportation, the airplane, X-rays, and many other things now taken for granted. A generation ago we find gloomy prophets foretelling the certain over-population .of the world within a few decades and an insufficiency of food due to lack of the fixed nitrogen which is now so plentifully ours.

Jan 1, 1930

By T. Lane Carter

(Canal Zone Meeting , October , 1910.) INTRODUCTION. IT is a curious fact that while in our Transactions there are papers dealing with mining-districts in all parts of the world, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, there is not one which describes the mining possibilities of Nicaragua; our near neighbor. To be most interested in distant objects, like the moon, .and to neglect what lies at our feet, appears to be a trait of human nature. The neglect of Nicaragua is not confined to the American Institute of Mining Engineers. In no other transactions am I :able to find papers dealing with mining in Nicaragua, some parts of which are as much in need of discovery and research as the North Pole.. I hope this paper will be the precursor of many others to be printed in our Transactions, dealing not only with the mining possibilities of Nicaragua, but with the whole of Central America, where there are vast areas awaiting skill and capital for their development. Much of this capital and skill should come from the United States in the future, although it is probable that European capitalists, when they appreciate fully the possibilities, will investigate more and more the mining-resources of Nicaragua and other Central American republics. Fig. 1 is a sketch-map of Nicaragua showing the principal mining-districts. II. HISTORY. Mining in Nicaragua did not begin yesterday. It was commenced by civilized man when the Spanish conquerors penetrated into the interior and forced the natives to procure the precious metal for them. It is strange that the Spaniards did not find more gold, and work on a scale as extensive as in Colombia and other parts of South America. Probably in Nicaragua the Indians covered up most of the rich prospects

Dec 1, 1910

By Paul M. Tyler

MUCH has been said in print, and much more that was unprintable, about burdensome controls, taxation, and multiplying restrictive, regulatory, or taxing activities of the Federal Government, but not so much has been said about ways and means whereby the Government can and does render economic assistance. Economics has been defined as the study of men earning a living, and economic assistance to industry as well as to individuals properly should take the form of helping enterprisers to help themselves rather than charity. Proposals to have the Government play Santa Claus must be examined carefully if -only to avoid undue favoritism to politically important persons and downright venality by potentially crooked public officials. Thomas Jefferson is credited with the remark that the best government is the one which governs least. Paternalism is abhorrent to most Americans.

Jan 1, 1947

By Heinrich Ries

I. INTRODUCTION. THE facts is presented in this paper, based chiefly on recon¬naissance made, during the summer of 1903, by myself and my assistant, Mr. R.. C. Brooks, cover practically all that portion of Texas lying east of the 99th meridian. The work was undertaken for the University of Texas Mineral Survey, and was to have been extended over the entire State, but the sudden termination of the survey prevented even the official publication of the results already obtained. Most of the mineral resources of Texas were fully treated by the First Geological Survey, but the clay-industry was tit that time little developed, so that only a few scattered notes concerning it are to be found in the Survey reports. The extensive exploitation of the clay-deposits, however, has emphasized their commercial importance, and has also made accessible many facts of exceptional interest concerning their geologic conditions. The erection of new plants for the utilization of clay-products is usually preceded by more or less prospecting, which, by reason of the scarcity of outcrops, and the geologic and topographic conditions of eastern and southeastern Texas, is often slow and difficult work. This is especially true in the Tertiary and Pleistocene areas, where the structural conditions much resemble those of the Atlantic coastal plain, the deposits being mostly lenticular in form, and surrounded by beds of sand. II. GENERAL GEOLOGY OF THE CLAY-DEPOSITS. The accompanying sketch-map, Fig. 1, shows the location of nearly all the deposits examined, their relation to the geology of the State, and the type of clay found in each. The geology is based on the published work of Hill, Cummins, Tail, Adams, Hayes and Kennedy, but the boundaries have unfortunately not been determined over the entire region covered by the map, and, in many areas, are only approximate. It will be seen that the clay-deposits range from Carboniferous to Pleistocene in age, the older deposits being found in the northwestern part of the area, while those of Cretaceous and Tertiary age lie to the east, southeast and south. The Pleistocene clays are found in part in a belt along the coast, and in part along many of the larger rivers, where they often underlie extensive terraces.

Sep 1, 1906

By Louis, Jordan

THIS paper presents in an abbreviated form the chief points of interest in an investigation of the tarnish-resistant qualities of silver alloys, an investigation which has been carried out as a joint research by the Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Standards and will later be reported in detail in an official publication from these bureaus. In 1923 a Commission of Gold and Silver Inquiry was created by a Resolution of the U. S. Senate to study the causes of the depressed condition of the gold and silver industry. In cooperation with this commission the Bureau of Mines made a preliminary survey to determine in what ways, if any, it might be possible to increase the uses of silver. One of the possibilities indicated by this survey was the development of silver alloys which should be non-tarnishing, or at least less-tarnishing, than the usual sterling silver (copper-silver). The preparation of a rather wide variety of silver alloys and the determination of their behavior under accelerated tarnish tests in the laboratory was therefore undertaken by the Bureau of Mines and Bureau of Standards as a joint investigation.

Jan 1, 1927

By Raymond F. Gray, Victor J. Hoffman, Richard J. Bagan, Harold L. McKinley

The first indication of tungsten in the Bishop area was the discovery of scheelite concentrations in a gold placer operation in the ( since named) Tungsten Hills in 1913. After early intermittent production, the deposits of the district were slowly discovered and developed. The Pine Creek mine, located in 1916 and under the direction of Union Carbide Corporation since 1935, became the principal producer in the district. By the end of 1965, the total production of the district had reached 3,450,932 units of WO3, 17,071,242 pounds of molybdenum, and 19,599,110 pounds of copper. The topography of the district is characterized by its extreme relief, ranging in elevation from 13,986 feet to about 4400 feet in the Mount Tom quadrangle. The present topography is the result of the uplift and erosion of the Sierra Nevada and the great subsidence of the Owens Valley with its related deposition and volcanism. The general structure of the pre-Tertiary rocks consists of a series of tightly-folded metasedimentary and metavolcanic rock remnants surrounded by exposed plutons ranging in composition from hornblende gabbro to alaskite. The metasedimentary rocks consist of low- to intermediate-grade metamorphic equivalents of fine-grained sediments deposited during the Paleozoic era in a miogeosynclinal environment. Later volcanics were deposited in a eugeosyncline. The ore bodies in the Bishop district consist of scheelite-bearing tactite formed by the pyrometasomatic replacement* of calcareous sediments along the contact with an acidic granitic intrusive. A number of the metasedimentary remnants have had tungsten deposited along their edges.

Jan 1, 1968

By B. A. Rogers

IN addition to the usual methods of manufacturing steel, a number of special processes have been the subject of considerable experimentation-and use in manufacturing practice. A number of these methods have been of a type in which a rapid refining action has been secured through the intimate mixture of fluid slag with fluid metal. The persistence with which more rapid methods are sought is indicated by the current interest in the Aston' method for producing wrought iron and in the Perrin2 process for dephosphorizing and deoxidizing steel. In the Perrin process, in particular, the mixing action is extremely vigorous and the reactions proceed with surprising speed.

Jan 1, 1936