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By H. M. Morse

This report covers the period from Jan. I, 1943 to Dec. 31, 1943. During the year, II2 wells were drilled in Mississippi, as foilows: wildcats drilled and abandoned, 54; wildcats producing oil, 4; oil wells drilled in oil fields, 26; oil wells drilled in fields, dry and abandoned, 10; sulphur-test wells drilled, 14; salt-water-disposal wells, 3; core tests, I. Prospecting Geophysical work in Mississippi during 1943 amounted to 1127 crew weeks, divided as follows: reflection seismograph, 809 weeks; gravity meter, 285; magnotometer, 30; torsion balance, 3. A considerable amount of core drilling was done over a large part of the state. The complete data on this activity are not available at the present time. Salt Domes To date, the following salt domes have been discovered in Mississippi: Midway, Edwards, Glass, Newman, Tatum, Oak-vale, Kings, Halifax, D'Lo, Hazlehurst, Byrd, Leedo, Prentiss, Carson, Moselle, Monticello, Ruth, Keno, Taylorsville. New Oil Fields Lincoln County.—On March 10, 1943, the California Company completed its Smith No. I in sec. 4, T. 7 N., R. 7 E., Lincoln County, as an oil well and produced 29 bbl. of 25" gravity oil in 24 hr. through a fi-in. choke. Two outpost wells have been drilled in this area by the California Company, and both have been abandoned as dry holes. Madison County. —Love Petroleum Co. completed its J. R. Anderson No. 2, sec. 2, T. 8 N., R. I W., Madison County, on Sept. 7, 1943. This well produced 135 bbl. of approximately 30" gravity- oil in 24 hr. through a )/4-in. choke. The production comes from a sand or porosity in the upper part of the Chalk formation of the Cretaceous age. Adams County.—The California Company drilled its National Gasoline Co. of Louisiana No. I in sec. 52, T. 7 N., R. I W., to a total depth of 10,383 ft., and at 10,280 ft, it perforated and obtained gas and a condensate. The well had several showings in the Wilcox of the Eocene age. Several of these showings were tested and the well finally was completed at 5888 ft. on Oct. 6, 1943, producing 44" gravity oil in the second sand in this formation. No other wells were completed in this field during the year. However, a number of wells are contemplated in the near future, and locations have been staked by the California Company. The Oklahoma Pipe Line Co. will market the oil through its pipe-line facilities. Wayne County.—The Gulf Refining Co. drilled Davis No. I in sec. 2, T. 9 N., R. 9 W. in Wayne County. After several stem tests 545'-in. casing was set at 6850 ft. and production was obtained in the so-called Massive Sand of the Lower Tuscaloosa. The well produced 359 bbl. of oil in 24 hr., and it Was completed on Oct. 4, 1943. Other locations have been staked ill this area and probably will be drilled in 1944 by

Jan 1, 1944

By L. E. Young

LOADING machines may be classified in several ways: (1) Machines which cut or break down and load .the coal; (2) machines which simply load the coal; (3) devices which load and transport the coal; (4) de-vices which elevate; (5) devices which transport the coal after it has been shoveled onto the device. There are many types of mechanical loading devices, Bull. 17, Coal Mining Investigations, under the auspices of Carnegie Institute' of Technology, U. S. Bureau of Mines, and the Advisory Board, listing 31 exclusive. of -the large shovels used in thick coal seams. Mechanical loading of coal is not in its infancy; I think some of the early patents go back to 1890. One large coal company, properly called the early leader in this field of mechani-zation, has about 26 large machines at work. This company spent about thirty years in developing a ma-chine, and at the present time is loading approximately two million tons of coal a year in its mines. The chair-man directed a question at the previous speaker; inquir-ing if real progress was being made in mechanical load-ing. The experience of the company just referred to is in itself an adequate answer. A review of a list of mines using mechanical loading devices shows that there are 28 mines which we may say are 100 per cent mechanical. There are four more mines which have been 100 per cent mechanical, but which are idle at this time on account of labor condi-tions. There are at least 25 more at which the tonnage is more than 50 per cent mechanical. In speaking of a 100 per cent mine I do not mean that every pit car of coal is loaded by machine, because when complete, re-covery of the coal is attempted it is not practical to load all the coal at, the break line. In order to load the last 5 to 10 per cent of coal with a minimum of gob material and in order to keep the. working places along the break line timbered in a safe manner it is generally desirable to use a few hand loaders. At a certain mine operat-ing on the block system 90 percent of the coal is being loaded by what is properly a mechanical loading: device, and about 10 per cent -is being loaded by hand. This 10 percent is right off the break line, out of what might be called, the screen pillar. The mines referred to are scattered over the country, . in seven different' States, and the equipment used is produced by ten different machinery companies. As to size, these mines vary from small mines of 500 tons mining capacity-up. In one instance a company with one loading machine is producing an, average of 450 tons per day. One of the large mines that is idle pro-duced at the. rate of 4300 tons per day, of which 97 per cent was actually loaded by machinery.

Jan 8, 1928

The Pueblo Viejo Mine, a 7, 250 mtpd (8,000 stpd) gold-silver cyanidation plant built by Rosario Dominicana S. A., was described in Volume I of this monograph. At the time of writing that volume, Pueblo Viejo had not yet gone on-stream and operating data or costs could not be presented. Since that time this information has been obtained and several interesting modifications and an expansion have been made to the plant. Because Pueblo Viejo is the largest open-pit gold mine in the world and one of the world's leading gold-silver operations with production of approximately 31 kg (1,000 oz) gold and 125 to 155 kg (4,000 to 5, 000 oz) silver per day, the authors have updated the previous data and flow sheet. The Dominican Government, which held a 4670 interest in Rosario Dominicana S. A., completed purchase of the mine to gain full control in 1979. Rosario Resources will continue to manage the mine, at least until the end of 1980. Gold was produced at Pueblo Viejo almost 500 years ago with initial production in the year 1505. Rosario Resources became interested in the property in 1969 and found surface oxidation had rendered the upper portion of the ore body amenable to direct cyanide treatment. The treatment of the underlying gold-bearing sulfide zone is still undergoing metallurgical studies. The ore is considered to be a laterite; and because there appeared to be few boulders in the ore zone, only a 400 m (16 in. ) square grizzly was initially installed ahead of the mills when the plant went on-stream in late 1974 at a design capacity of 7,250 mtpd (8,000 stpd). Operation also proved the ore to be harder than was originally anticipated. During 1967 a 1. 25 m by 1. 5 m (48 in. by 60 in. ) jaw crusher was installed to -feed the 1, 000 mt (1, 100 st) mill bin. Minus 200 mm (8 in.) crushed ore is fed directly to two 5.5 m by 1. 8 m (18 ft by 6 ft) semi-autogenous mills re-powered with 750 km (1,000 hp) motors and 50 mm (2 in.) grates. Each mill product is screened at 13 mm (1 /2 in.) by a vibrating screen. Screen oversize from each mill is combined on a single return belt equipped with a magnetic head pulley for grinding ball removal. The non-magnetic oversize is then split into two fractions for return to the primary mills. Originally, a minus 6 mm (1/4 in ) product was made on each screen and fed to a 300 kw (400 hp) 2.6 m by 3. 7 m (8-1/2 ft by 12 ft) regrind mill. During a plant expansion in 1978, an intermediate mill of 746 kw (1,000 hp) was installed to operate in open circuit on the combined primary mill

Jan 1, 1981

By H. M. Morse

This report covers the period from Jan. I, 1943 to Dec. 31, 1943. During the year, II2 wells were drilled in Mississippi, as foilows: wildcats drilled and abandoned, 54; wildcats producing oil, 4; oil wells drilled in oil fields, 26; oil wells drilled in fields, dry and abandoned, 10; sulphur-test wells drilled, 14; salt-water-disposal wells, 3; core tests, I. Prospecting Geophysical work in Mississippi during 1943 amounted to 1127 crew weeks, divided as follows: reflection seismograph, 809 weeks; gravity meter, 285; magnotometer, 30; torsion balance, 3. A considerable amount of core drilling was done over a large part of the state. The complete data on this activity are not available at the present time. Salt Domes To date, the following salt domes have been discovered in Mississippi: Midway, Edwards, Glass, Newman, Tatum, Oak-vale, Kings, Halifax, D'Lo, Hazlehurst, Byrd, Leedo, Prentiss, Carson, Moselle, Monticello, Ruth, Keno, Taylorsville. New Oil Fields Lincoln County.—On March 10, 1943, the California Company completed its Smith No. I in sec. 4, T. 7 N., R. 7 E., Lincoln County, as an oil well and produced 29 bbl. of 25" gravity oil in 24 hr. through a fi-in. choke. Two outpost wells have been drilled in this area by the California Company, and both have been abandoned as dry holes. Madison County. —Love Petroleum Co. completed its J. R. Anderson No. 2, sec. 2, T. 8 N., R. I W., Madison County, on Sept. 7, 1943. This well produced 135 bbl. of approximately 30" gravity- oil in 24 hr. through a )/4-in. choke. The production comes from a sand or porosity in the upper part of the Chalk formation of the Cretaceous age. Adams County.—The California Company drilled its National Gasoline Co. of Louisiana No. I in sec. 52, T. 7 N., R. I W., to a total depth of 10,383 ft., and at 10,280 ft, it perforated and obtained gas and a condensate. The well had several showings in the Wilcox of the Eocene age. Several of these showings were tested and the well finally was completed at 5888 ft. on Oct. 6, 1943, producing 44" gravity oil in the second sand in this formation. No other wells were completed in this field during the year. However, a number of wells are contemplated in the near future, and locations have been staked by the California Company. The Oklahoma Pipe Line Co. will market the oil through its pipe-line facilities. Wayne County.—The Gulf Refining Co. drilled Davis No. I in sec. 2, T. 9 N., R. 9 W. in Wayne County. After several stem tests 545'-in. casing was set at 6850 ft. and production was obtained in the so-called Massive Sand of the Lower Tuscaloosa. The well produced 359 bbl. of oil in 24 hr., and it Was completed on Oct. 4, 1943. Other locations have been staked ill this area and probably will be drilled in 1944 by

Jan 1, 1944

By F. S. White, E. L. Kinsella

THE solids fluidization process brought out by the Standard Oil Development Co. in the early forties for catalytic cracking of petroleum enabled rapid transfer of large quantities of heat from gases to solids under closely controlled temperature conditions. As the technique developed, it was natural that applications for the process outside the petroleum industry would be sought. The calcination of limestone to ' quicklime requires the transfer of a large quantity of heat at high and closely controlled temperatures. For these reasons, this possible application was one of the first to be investigated. Laboratory work conducted by the Dorr Co. indicated that lime produced by solids fluidization would be of exceptional quality. Calculation of theoretical heat balances showed that savings in fuel could be expected. Accordingly, a pilot plant of 10 tons per day capacity was erected by the New England Lime Co. at Adams, Mass., to substantiate the process. Operation of the pilot plant, previously described,1 showed that excellent lime could be produced with a saving in fuel. The work also indicated the necessity of preparing feed to remove the finer fractions if dust losses were to be held to a tolerable level. A single-stage fluidized solids drier-stripper was developed to accomplish this sizing.2 Subsequently a commercial lime reactor was erected at Adams, beginning operation in June 1949, followed by air sizer facilities completed in November 1951. This paper will describe these two applications of solids fluidization. The raw material for preparation of lime by the fluidizing process is a high calcium crystalline lime stone having the approximate chemical composition shown in Table I. The stone is first prepared by crushing and grinding in conventional equipment to pass a 6-mesh sieve. After crushing, the material is sent to the FluoDry unit for drying and dedusting. Fluidized Drying and Sizing As shown in Fig. 1, the FluoDry unit consists of a 1/4-in. cylindrical steel shell, 9-ft ID by 22-ft 6-in. overall height. Attached horizontally at the bottom is a 6-ft diam combustion chamber, approximately 7 ft 6 in. long. A refractory constriction dome, consisting of first-quality fire brick shapes, partitions the inside into two sections. The lower section is called the windbox and the upper the bed compartment. The vertical wall of the shell is lined with 6-in. first-quality rotary kiln blocks. In the bottom of the windbox a hoppered section is formed with castable refractory to permit the windbox to be readily cleaned via a 6-in. screw conveyor. The combustion chamber is similarly lined with refractory shapes. On the 6-in. diam section, 4 1/2 in. of insulating brick, HW-26, are used. The inner combustion chamber is lined with 4 1/2-in. Korundal brick to withstand the high flame temperatures encountered. An 8-in. steel feed pipe, entering vertically through the top and fitted with an air-operated cone valve,

Jan 1, 1952

By Leo H. Glanville

Until 1934, natural ventilation was depended upon in the mine of the Climax Molybdenum Co. at Climax, Colorado. In that year a 7-ft. axial-flow, low-pressure fan was installed as an exhausting unit. In 1936, three more fans of the same kind were installed, all as exhausting units, with a total capacity of 115 000 cu, ft. per min., and since then fans and sprays have been added as required. Atmospheric Conditions Adverse atmospheric conditions at this elevation of 11,500 ft. account in part for difficulty in maintaining adequate ventilation throughout the mine. Barometric pressures range from 18.99 to 20.01 in. of mercury; the norma1 average being 19.70 in. Air weight is 0.051 lb. per cu. ft., and humidity is low—about a 30 per cent yearly average. This makes the use of mechanical humidity aids mandatory the Year around to prevent excessive dryness of the mine workings and the resultant dust hazard. The yearly temperature range is from minus 24" to 75°F.; typically, in February 1942 the mean low was minus 3.25°F. and the mean high, 21.3°F. In August the mean low was 34.8°F.; the mean high, 64.26°F. Even during the summer month air filtration through the openings of the cave area is 32°F., owing to accumulation of snow in the glory hole and in Part to glacial ice, which, combined with a rock temperature of 39°F. on the upper levels (elevation 11,945 ft.) and 42°F. on the main haulage level (elevation 11,470 ft.], makes it difficult to maintain a comfortable working temperature. The one advantage in ventilation of mine workings at the altitude of the Climax mine is that the power required to circulate a given air volume is 32 per cent less than would be required at sea level. Problems since 1936 the mine management has studied intensively plans for providing adequate ventilation for the entire mine for its expected life. As the ore breaks into large pieces, much secondary blasting is necessary, therefore there is a considerable amount of smoke, gas and dust, which requires circulation of a large amount of air to remove the contamination, It is undesirable to use haulage drifts and manways as air passages because some would be passageways for contaminated air also, and there would be undesirable high velocities in some drifts. High velocities and large volumes of subfreezing air dry out the passageways through which they pass, and thus increase the amount of dust. Regulating doors in haulage drifts are difficult of upkeep and interfere with production. It was decided as a general principle to distribute fresh air to each working place at low velocities and low pressures and to remove contaminated air as soon as possible with a minimum of travel through working places.

Jan 1, 1943

By J. P. Smith

DURING the winter of 1946 to 1947 potash operations in Germany, France and Spain were visited by the author. The U. S. Department of Commerce, through its Field Intelligence Agency Technical, sponsored the inspection of German properties by representatives of the American Potash Industry. Vast deposits of potash salts occur in the above-mentioned countries, and the production and marketing of these salts are important in their respective economies. Germany An area of some ten thousand square miles of north central Germany is underlain by lenses of potash salts interbedded with greater thicknesses of sodium chloride or common salt. These salt measures are relict deposits from the evaporation of an arm of the Zechstein (Permian) Sea which formerly covered northern Europe. During the peak year of 1940, Germany produced salts containing 1,860,000 tons of K,O and, next to coal, potash is its most important mineral raw material. The German deposits are found in the synclinal areas flanking the Flechtingen, Hartz Mountain and Thuringian uplifts, and, to the north they lie beneath the plains of Hannover. The regional dip of the salt measures is to the north, hence, lenses of potash found at depths of 500 to 1000 m* in the Two general depositional provinces of potash concentrations are recognized: (1) the main basin, and (2) the subsidiary basin. The main basin embraces the producing districts of Stassfurt, Sud Hartz, Halle, and Hannover-Braunschweig. From J. P. SMITH, Member AIME, is Clzief Geologist, U. S. Potash Co., Carlsbad, New Mexico. New York Meeting, February 1948. TP 2621 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received May 26, 1948. 40 to 45 pct of the German production comes from this basin. The Werra-Fulda district, producer of 50 pct or more of the German potash, lies in the subsidiary basin. Salt Stratigraphy: Five commercial potash zones or beds are recognized. The three beds present in the main basin are: The Stassfurt bed that occurs near the top of the older salt, and the Ronnenberg and Riedel beds in the younger salt occurring 200 to 300 m, respectively, above the Stassfurt bed. The Stassfurt bed is found over the entire main basin, while the Ronnenberg and Riedel are restricted to the Hannover area. Two potash beds occur in the Werra basin. These are the Thuringian, or lower bed and the Hessen or upper potash bed that occurs 60 m above. These beds lie 210 and 150 m, respectively, below the position of the Stassfurt bed, and are restricted to the Werra basin. The upper bed is 2.5 to 11.5 m in thickness, and the principal ores are hartsalz with varying thicknesses of carnallite. The lower bed averages 3 m in thickness, and contains hartsalz. The upper bed is presently being mined, and the

Jan 1, 1951

By C. E. Shoenfelt

Wildcat drilling in the Rocky Mountain region did not suffer as large a decline in 1942 as was anticipated. The drilling program laid out by the Government at the beginning of the year stressed wild-catting operations and called for reduction of drilling in proved fields. The increased wildcatting campaign did not yield a great many new discoveries, nor important extensions to old fields. Several interesting wildcat wells were drilled in Colorado in 1942 but no new fields were discovered. The Wilson Creek field was extended and about 400 acres added to its reserves. In Montana two new oil fields and two small gas fields were discovered. The developments in the marketing situation had improved, however, making the prospects especially bright for 1943, as will be shown presently in the section on Montana in this report. In New Mexico eight wells were completed, which constituted discoveries ol either oil or gas but none of these was of major proportions. In Wyoming one new oil field and one new gas field were discovered, and one old oil field and one old gas field were extended. Most important was the disco-very of prolific oil producers in deeper sands in three old oil fields, of which one at least, Elk Basin, probably is of major proportions. Government Action On Dec. 26, 1942, President Roosevelt signed the O'Mahoney bill, calling for a flat 12.5 per cent royalty on lands in the public domain. It is expected that the enactment of this bill will encourage wildcatting in the public land states. Opportunity for a full discussion of the problems of reserves and production was afforded at the hearings conducted on the O'Mahoney bill by the minerals subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Public Lands and the statements submitted at these hearings last fall placed the situation, its causes and the logical remedy, clearly on record. It was established at the hearings that for several years the volume of oil discovered per wildcat well drilled has steadily declined; new fields discovered have not been of major proportions; drilling costs have advanced rapidly; a sharp decline in exploratory drilling took place in 1942, while the proportion of dry holes increased; the inescapable conclusion is that to find new reserves the search for oil must be intensified and much more wildcat drilling ' must be done. To ensure an adequate drilling campaign, the Petroleum Industry War Council, the Interstate Compact Commission and other representative oil organizations have voiced by resolution their opinion that an upward revision of crude prices is necessary to provide an incentive to the prospector to undertake the hazards of wildcat drilling, since statistics prove that only ope in five or six wells drilled results in actual production. Former Price Administrator Henderson rejected the recommendations for price increases and declared himself unalterably opposed to a general price advance, On the ground that such advances would contribute to inflation. Now that Mr. Hender-

Jan 1, 1943

By David B. Reger

Wildcat drilling for new supplies of gas and the expansion of previously discovered oil and gas pools were the principal petroleum activities in West Virginia .during 1942. Much of the new gas exploration is still uncompleted and still indecisive but various wildcats made substantial extensions to existing pools. Out of 53 wildcats drilled 27 resulted in commercial gas and 6 in commercial oil. Four of the oil discoveries also had commercial gas. No strictly new pools of oil or gas can safely be described as discovered but several scattered oil and gas wells previously drilled have been confirmed as the openers of definite pools; also, various completions closed wide gaps between apparent gas pools already discovered. The proved oil territory of the state was increased about 4850 acres and the proved gas territory about 51,000 acres. The new proved oil reserves should about balance withdrawals and the new gas may represent a substantial increase. Aside from the drilling in four rather lively pools, oil activity was slight because of unfavorable operating conditions and prices. Gas drilling also declined for reasons beyond the control of the operators. The account of operations, as gathered from trade journals and other reporting services, shows that 797 new wells were drilled, providing 119 new oil wells with 2762 bbl. of daily new production; 536 new gas wells with 1,228,501,000 CU. ft. of daily open flow: and 142 dry holes. Also... 76 old wells were drilled to deeper sands, with 71 bbl. and 26,034,000 cu, ft. of added production. On the new wells the oil average was 23.21 bbl. per well per day; and the gas average was 2,270,406 CU. ft. per well per day. On new wells the ratio of dry holes to completions was 17.82 per cent. On deeper drilling the ratio of failures was 21.05 per cent. Production of oil for the year was estimated by the Oil ad Gas Journal as 3,492,000 bbl., as compared with 3,378,000 bbl. in 1941. Production of natural gas for the year is estimated by the author as 220,000,000,000 cu. ft., as compared with the U. S. Bureau of Mines final figures of 207,000,000,000 cu. ft.* in 1941. General State op Industry Leasing of wildcat acreage increased considerably. The total land of all classes under lease may now exceed 5,000,000 acres. Taking into consideration completions, abandonments and corrected figures or estimates, Table I shows cumulative and late annual statistics. New Pools and Extensions Table 2 shows the principal areas of drilling activity during 1942. Various consolidations of territory, hitherto treated as separate pools, have been made. in addition to these active pools, extensive drilling was done in numerous other areas where pool boundaries can hardly be defined. Summary or Exploration Table 3 gives a summary of important wildcat or exploratory wells drilled during

Jan 1, 1943

By J. P. Smith

DURING the winter of 1946 to 1947 potash operations in Germany, France and Spain were visited by the author. The U. S. Department of Commerce, through its Field Intelligence Agency Technical, sponsored the inspection of German properties by representatives of the American Potash Industry. Vast deposits of potash salts occur in the above-mentioned countries, and the production and marketing of these salts are important in their respective economies. Germany An area of some ten thousand square miles of north central Germany is underlain by lenses of potash salts interbedded with greater thicknesses of sodium chloride or common salt. These salt measures are relict deposits from the evaporation of an arm of the Zechstein (Permian) Sea which formerly covered northern Europe. During the peak year of 1940, Germany produced salts containing 1,860,000 tons of K,O and, next to coal, potash is its most important mineral raw material. The German deposits are found in the synclinal areas flanking the Flechtingen, Hartz Mountain and Thuringian uplifts, and, to the north they lie beneath the plains of Hannover. The regional dip of the salt measures is to the north, hence, lenses of potash found at depths of 500 to 1000 m* in the Two general depositional provinces of potash concentrations are recognized: (1) the main basin, and (2) the subsidiary basin. The main basin embraces the producing districts of Stassfurt, Sud Hartz, Halle, and Hannover-Braunschweig. From J. P. SMITH, Member AIME, is Clzief Geologist, U. S. Potash Co., Carlsbad, New Mexico. New York Meeting, February 1948. TP 2621 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received May 26, 1948. 40 to 45 pct of the German production comes from this basin. The Werra-Fulda district, producer of 50 pct or more of the German potash, lies in the subsidiary basin. Salt Stratigraphy: Five commercial potash zones or beds are recognized. The three beds present in the main basin are: The Stassfurt bed that occurs near the top of the older salt, and the Ronnenberg and Riedel beds in the younger salt occurring 200 to 300 m, respectively, above the Stassfurt bed. The Stassfurt bed is found over the entire main basin, while the Ronnenberg and Riedel are restricted to the Hannover area. Two potash beds occur in the Werra basin. These are the Thuringian, or lower bed and the Hessen or upper potash bed that occurs 60 m above. These beds lie 210 and 150 m, respectively, below the position of the Stassfurt bed, and are restricted to the Werra basin. The upper bed is 2.5 to 11.5 m in thickness, and the principal ores are hartsalz with varying thicknesses of carnallite. The lower bed averages 3 m in thickness, and contains hartsalz. The upper bed is presently being mined, and the

Jan 1, 1951

By Leo H. Glanville

Until 1934, natural ventilation was depended upon in the mine of the Climax Molybdenum Co. at Climax, Colorado. In that year a 7-ft. axial-flow, low-pressure fan was installed as an exhausting unit. In 1936, three more fans of the same kind were installed, all as exhausting units, with a total capacity of 115 000 cu, ft. per min., and since then fans and sprays have been added as required. Atmospheric Conditions Adverse atmospheric conditions at this elevation of 11,500 ft. account in part for difficulty in maintaining adequate ventilation throughout the mine. Barometric pressures range from 18.99 to 20.01 in. of mercury; the norma1 average being 19.70 in. Air weight is 0.051 lb. per cu. ft., and humidity is low—about a 30 per cent yearly average. This makes the use of mechanical humidity aids mandatory the Year around to prevent excessive dryness of the mine workings and the resultant dust hazard. The yearly temperature range is from minus 24" to 75°F.; typically, in February 1942 the mean low was minus 3.25°F. and the mean high, 21.3°F. In August the mean low was 34.8°F.; the mean high, 64.26°F. Even during the summer month air filtration through the openings of the cave area is 32°F., owing to accumulation of snow in the glory hole and in Part to glacial ice, which, combined with a rock temperature of 39°F. on the upper levels (elevation 11,945 ft.) and 42°F. on the main haulage level (elevation 11,470 ft.], makes it difficult to maintain a comfortable working temperature. The one advantage in ventilation of mine workings at the altitude of the Climax mine is that the power required to circulate a given air volume is 32 per cent less than would be required at sea level. Problems since 1936 the mine management has studied intensively plans for providing adequate ventilation for the entire mine for its expected life. As the ore breaks into large pieces, much secondary blasting is necessary, therefore there is a considerable amount of smoke, gas and dust, which requires circulation of a large amount of air to remove the contamination, It is undesirable to use haulage drifts and manways as air passages because some would be passageways for contaminated air also, and there would be undesirable high velocities in some drifts. High velocities and large volumes of subfreezing air dry out the passageways through which they pass, and thus increase the amount of dust. Regulating doors in haulage drifts are difficult of upkeep and interfere with production. It was decided as a general principle to distribute fresh air to each working place at low velocities and low pressures and to remove contaminated air as soon as possible with a minimum of travel through working places.

Jan 1, 1943

By C. E. Shoenfelt

Wildcat drilling in the Rocky Mountain region did not suffer as large a decline in 1942 as was anticipated. The drilling program laid out by the Government at the beginning of the year stressed wild-catting operations and called for reduction of drilling in proved fields. The increased wildcatting campaign did not yield a great many new discoveries, nor important extensions to old fields. Several interesting wildcat wells were drilled in Colorado in 1942 but no new fields were discovered. The Wilson Creek field was extended and about 400 acres added to its reserves. In Montana two new oil fields and two small gas fields were discovered. The developments in the marketing situation had improved, however, making the prospects especially bright for 1943, as will be shown presently in the section on Montana in this report. In New Mexico eight wells were completed, which constituted discoveries ol either oil or gas but none of these was of major proportions. In Wyoming one new oil field and one new gas field were discovered, and one old oil field and one old gas field were extended. Most important was the disco-very of prolific oil producers in deeper sands in three old oil fields, of which one at least, Elk Basin, probably is of major proportions. Government Action On Dec. 26, 1942, President Roosevelt signed the O'Mahoney bill, calling for a flat 12.5 per cent royalty on lands in the public domain. It is expected that the enactment of this bill will encourage wildcatting in the public land states. Opportunity for a full discussion of the problems of reserves and production was afforded at the hearings conducted on the O'Mahoney bill by the minerals subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Public Lands and the statements submitted at these hearings last fall placed the situation, its causes and the logical remedy, clearly on record. It was established at the hearings that for several years the volume of oil discovered per wildcat well drilled has steadily declined; new fields discovered have not been of major proportions; drilling costs have advanced rapidly; a sharp decline in exploratory drilling took place in 1942, while the proportion of dry holes increased; the inescapable conclusion is that to find new reserves the search for oil must be intensified and much more wildcat drilling ' must be done. To ensure an adequate drilling campaign, the Petroleum Industry War Council, the Interstate Compact Commission and other representative oil organizations have voiced by resolution their opinion that an upward revision of crude prices is necessary to provide an incentive to the prospector to undertake the hazards of wildcat drilling, since statistics prove that only ope in five or six wells drilled results in actual production. Former Price Administrator Henderson rejected the recommendations for price increases and declared himself unalterably opposed to a general price advance, On the ground that such advances would contribute to inflation. Now that Mr. Hender-

Jan 1, 1943

By David B. Reger

Wildcat drilling for new supplies of gas and the expansion of previously discovered oil and gas pools were the principal petroleum activities in West Virginia .during 1942. Much of the new gas exploration is still uncompleted and still indecisive but various wildcats made substantial extensions to existing pools. Out of 53 wildcats drilled 27 resulted in commercial gas and 6 in commercial oil. Four of the oil discoveries also had commercial gas. No strictly new pools of oil or gas can safely be described as discovered but several scattered oil and gas wells previously drilled have been confirmed as the openers of definite pools; also, various completions closed wide gaps between apparent gas pools already discovered. The proved oil territory of the state was increased about 4850 acres and the proved gas territory about 51,000 acres. The new proved oil reserves should about balance withdrawals and the new gas may represent a substantial increase. Aside from the drilling in four rather lively pools, oil activity was slight because of unfavorable operating conditions and prices. Gas drilling also declined for reasons beyond the control of the operators. The account of operations, as gathered from trade journals and other reporting services, shows that 797 new wells were drilled, providing 119 new oil wells with 2762 bbl. of daily new production; 536 new gas wells with 1,228,501,000 CU. ft. of daily open flow: and 142 dry holes. Also... 76 old wells were drilled to deeper sands, with 71 bbl. and 26,034,000 cu, ft. of added production. On the new wells the oil average was 23.21 bbl. per well per day; and the gas average was 2,270,406 CU. ft. per well per day. On new wells the ratio of dry holes to completions was 17.82 per cent. On deeper drilling the ratio of failures was 21.05 per cent. Production of oil for the year was estimated by the Oil ad Gas Journal as 3,492,000 bbl., as compared with 3,378,000 bbl. in 1941. Production of natural gas for the year is estimated by the author as 220,000,000,000 cu. ft., as compared with the U. S. Bureau of Mines final figures of 207,000,000,000 cu. ft.* in 1941. General State op Industry Leasing of wildcat acreage increased considerably. The total land of all classes under lease may now exceed 5,000,000 acres. Taking into consideration completions, abandonments and corrected figures or estimates, Table I shows cumulative and late annual statistics. New Pools and Extensions Table 2 shows the principal areas of drilling activity during 1942. Various consolidations of territory, hitherto treated as separate pools, have been made. in addition to these active pools, extensive drilling was done in numerous other areas where pool boundaries can hardly be defined. Summary or Exploration Table 3 gives a summary of important wildcat or exploratory wells drilled during

Jan 1, 1943

By W. M. Johns

The geological mapping of Lincoln and Flathead Counties was a five-year project undertaken by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. This paper, written by the Project Geologist of the survey, is primarily concerned with the stratigraphy of the Belt rocks encountered in mapping. Lincoln and Flathead Counties of northwestern Montana are underlain by sedimentary rocks of the Belt Series of Precambrian age. In only a very small part of the area, near Libby and Troy, have economic mineral deposits been worked with any success. Most of the area has been inadequately mapped as to geology. The region is crossed by the Great Northern Railway and served by the Pacific Power and Light Co.; officials of these two companies believed that with better geologic maps, prospecting might be stimulated and lead to the discovery of mineral resources that would contribute to new economic development within the area. A cooperative mapping agreement was proposed jointly by the two companies to the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology in May 1958, and thus was born the Kootenai-Flathead five-year project. The dual objectives of this project are: 1) the possible location of mineral deposits of economic value, and 2) the ''stimulation of prospecting exploration" by others. This was to be achieved by geologic mapping of some 6800 sq miles and by establishing a field office in Kalispell where prospectors could come to have their rocks and minerals identified and receive geological advice on their problems. This writer has finished four field seasons as Project Geologist and thus became familiar with the Belt section in the Libby, Yaak River, Ural, Thompson Lakes, Pleasant Valley, and Stryker quadrangles (see Fig. 1). Progress on the project is given in annual reports issued by the Bureau.* This *Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Bulletins 12 (1959), 17 (1960), and 23 (1961). paper is concerned essentially with the stratigraphy of the Belt rocks so far encountered in mapping. PREVIOUS WORK IN THE AREA Willis28 made the first study of the stratigraphy and structure in the Lewis and Livingston Ranges of Glacier Park just east of the project area. In 1904, Daly made a study of the Belt rocks of the 49th parallel, using the names from bottom up, Creston, Kitchener, Moyie, and Gateway, for rocks ranging in age from that of Prichard to that of basal Missoula group. Walcott26 studied the Belt rocks exposed in the Mission Range (see Fig. 1) and other areas to the south of the area under discussion. Calkins and McDonald made a reconnaissance of northern Idaho and northwestern Montana in 1905. Calkins was the first to use Walcott's term 'Ravalli' as a group name for the strata equivalent to the Burke, Revett, and St. Regis formations (see Table I). Clapp worked on the Belt of western Montana (including Lincoln and Flathead Counties) throughout his lifetime. The Fentons9 studied the Belt of Glacier Park and

Jan 1, 1962

By C. Feng, W. E. Krul

A study was made of the development of texture and the anisotropy in plastic flow of Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V alloy. Based on Pole figure determinations, the shifting of texture induced by rolling at approximately 400°C was found to be due primarily to slip rotation for the major Portion of the material. Grain boundary shear is believed to be an important factor. The anisotropy of the textured alloy was examined in terms of the variations of yield stress under tension and the ratio of bi -axial strain increments µp, in the temperature range 25" to 290°C. The results were related to Hill&apos;s theory on plastic anisotropy. The Schmid factors of (1100)[1120], (1101)[1120/, and (1101)[1120] slip systems were analyzed and found to be compatible with the observed anisotropy. Cross-slip between these planes was proposed as a possible deformation mode. In a number of published articles, considerable interest has been directed to the possible achievement of texture hardening in hcp metals. Following Backofen, Hosford, and Burke,&apos; this phenomenon was related to the yield criteria of the material and was expressed in terms of the biaxial strain ratio, r = d?w/d?l. The higher the value of r, the greater is the expected potential for texture hardening under certain loading conditions. For a given material, r varies with direction. Such variation can be traced to the anisotropy in plastic flow and can be explained within the framework of the various modes of deformation. Hatch2 found that a high r value coincides with a texture whereby the (0001) pole is closely aligned with the surface normal for sheet materials, Based on the analysis of the slip on the {1010}, {1011}, and (0001) planes, Lee and Backofen3 and Avery, Hosford, and Backofen4 concluded that the resistance to thinning is reduced by the operation of the (0001) <1120> slip system; with this reasoning they were able to explain the low r values (i.e., r « 1) observed in magnesium alloy sheets in the rolling direction and in commercially pure titanium in the transverse direction. The general equation, dealing with plastic flow in a polycrystalline aggregate has been used to correlate the plastic anisotropy and texture. In this expression, T and s are shear and normal stresses, and dri and d? are shear and normal strain increments, respectively. Assuming that five slip systems are operative within each grain and applying the principle of maximum work,5,6 one can determine the m value among the available systems. On this basis, Hosford7 and Chin, Nesbitt, and Williams&apos; were able to correlate m with yield stress under plane-strain compression, and Svensson9 was able to predict the variation of yield stress in textured aluminum. These workers made their analyses from materials in which slip operation is known to be associated with plastic flow. Questions remain regarding the derivation of Hill&apos;s theory on plastic anisotropy,10,11 since it was formulated on von Mises&apos; yield criterion.&apos;&apos; Its ability to deal with other forms of deformation has been in doubt.13 Others have discussed the validity of Hill&apos;s quadratic equation relating strain and yield stress.14&apos;15 For hcp titanium, deformation by various modes of slip and twinning operations has been reported.16-20 If all possible modes of deformation operate and contribute substantially to the plastic flow, it is difficult to imagine how the quadratic expression can suitably describe the anisotropic plastic flow of titanium alloys. Backofen and Hosford15 considered that Hill&apos;s is a macroscopic theory and implied that the major mode of deformation by slip mechanism will adequately describe anisotropy of the material. In the present investigation, slip operation will be shown to play the major role in the development of sheet texture induced by rolling of a commercial titanium alloy. Although twinning and other modes of deformation may also operate, their operation is believed to be secondary. The anisotropic properties of the sheet, which can be expressed in terms of directional variation of r, µp = -d?w/d?l and the yield stress will be shown to be governed primarily by slip operation. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES The titanium alloy chosen for the present investigation had a nominal composition of 8 wt pct Al, 1 wt pct Mo, 1 wt pct V, and 0.1 wt pct interstitial impurities. Sheets varying between 0.1 and 0.15 in. thickness were used. The alloy was received in a condition which was prepared by rolling at 900°C and annealing at 700°C. Subsequently, the sheets were subjected to further reduction in thickness by rolling at 400°C. A total reduction in thickness of 65 to 70 pct was obtained by a series of quick passes in a rolling mill with intermediate reheating. Further reduction in thickness was not possible due to cracking developed at the edges of the sheets. X-ray measurements were conducted in a Siemens and a Norelco unit to determine the texture of the sheets. Reflection techniques were used exclusively with CuK, radiation and a nickel filter. The loss of X-ray intensity due to geometric defocusing was calibrated with a technique described previously." The (0001), (1010), and (1071) pole figures were plotted from 0 to 80 deg, and to present the texture elements quantitatively, inverse pole figures were constructed following the technique described by Jetter, McHargue, and Williams.22 Tensile experiments were carried out at 25", 175",

Jan 1, 1970

By Rudolph G. Wuerker

The progress made in testing the strength of rocks and minerals as they are encountered in mine operation is reviewed. An attempt is made to correlate these physical measurements with abrasive hardness, grindability, and behavior in comminution on one hand and fracture of rocks in pillars and roof control on the other. THIS paper reviews the progress made in testing the strength of rocks, ores, coal, salts, and other minerals as they are encountered in mine operations. It attempts to correlate the results of these physical measurements with technological properties more useful to the mining engineer: abrasive hardness, grindability, and behavior in comminution on one hand, and roof control, fracture of rocks in pillars, and mining methods with controlled caving on the other. In the following pages, the materials discussed will be referred to as rocks. Basic to rock mechanics and comminution are the problems of strength, elastic behavior, and failure, common to all brittle materials. A distinction will be drawn as to theoretical and applied research, and discussion of the progress made in each field will include test data obtained by the U.S. Bureau of Standards,1-1 the U.S. Bureau of Mines," the Iowa Engineering Experiment Station,"." the Committee on Geophysical Research at Harvard University,&apos;" Basic Industries Research of the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co.,11,12 by Philipps,13 and by Mueller," to name only a few. With refinements of testing methods and increased standardization. more useful and more comparable results have been achieved. This is especially important in testing a material like rock, as the inherent heterogeneity demands careful and exacting procedures. New measuring procedures that appear to supersede well known standard methods have contributed to faster and less costly testing yet have introduced new concepts, with implications as to comparability of results which must be watched. Reference is made to the sonic method for determining elastic properties," to be discussed in detail below. Basic Investigations Historically, all work in the field has started with the simplest determinations such as those for crushing strength, abrasive hardness, and grindability. These serve the limited objectives in the researcher&apos;s field of specialization: building construction, road ballast, roof control in mines, comminution, and seismic prospecting. Occasionally, fundamental properties like the modulus of elasticity E and Poisson&apos;s ratio v have been determined with the idea that they might have some bearing on the technological properties of the material under investigation. But it was not until the work of Philipps,13 of Harvard University,&apos;" and of the U.S. Bureau of Mines"&apos; that sufficient basic data were collected to allow researchers to go beyond the technological test and find the fundamental laws behind the behavior of rocks in mine and mill operations. The properties to be looked for are those that describe the elastic behavior of any material, the modulus of elasticity E and Poisson&apos;s ratio v being the ones determinable with least difficulties. Only two such properties are required to compute any other property such as the shear modulus, the modulus of rigidity, and the bulk modulus, all of which are related to each other according to well known equations of the theory of elasticity." In spite of their heterogeneous character, all rocks tested have possessed elastic properties. This does not mean that rocks of the same type always have the same modulus of elasticity, which varies exactly as the crushing strength or any other physical property of a rock can spread over a wide range. This has been explained by imperfections of the material always found in rocks, but to some extent this scattering of data is caused by inaccuracies inherent in the testing methods. Modulus of Resilience, a Criterion of Failure Increased availability of E values should allow us to test the validity of the quantity of strain energy theory which has been used in the solution of roof control problems by Philipps13 and by Holland.&apos;" Recently Bond and Wang12 have applied this theory to explain the failure of an elastic material in comminution. Actually it is a very old theory, proposed as far back as 1885 by Beltrami.16 By its assumption the condition of yielding is determined by the term S2 M, = — x volume. Here M, is the modulus of 2E resilience, and its dimension is inch-pounds per cubic inch, that is, work per unit volume. Its numerical value is equal to the area under the stress-strain diagram. In the foregoing equation S is the yield stress (in psi) in tension or compression, whatever the case may be. E, the modulus of elasticity, is in psi. The great appeal of Beltrami&apos;s concept of stored energy lies in the fact that the two properties which seem to influence failure most, strength and elasticity, occur in the formula for the modulus of resilience. As an illustration of this, the moduli of resilience in compression of some typical materials tested by the U.S. Bureau of Mines" have been plotted in Fig. 1. The sample of concrete of conventional mix is shown only for the sake of comparison. Its determination was made in the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Illinois. The values of the moduli of resilience of the various specimens in the plot are:

Jan 1, 1954

By MILNQR ROBERTS

THE Nicola Valley coal-field is small, but it seems likely to become important because of its commanding position in a rich region that is developing rapidly. Bituminous coking coal in workable quantity has not been found at any other point between the Crow&apos;s Nest Pass region, about 400 miles to the east, and Vancouver island, 250 miles westward. The Canadian Pacific railway reached the Nicola valley two years ago; two other lines, the Canadian Northern and the Great Northern, are building towards the valley. The vast region between the Rocky mountains and the Pacific coast, extending northward for several hundred miles from the international boundary, which has been the scene of extensive mining- and smelting-operations for many years, is filling up with settlers, who are attracted by the wealth of minerals and timber, the rich soil of the valleys, and the fine climate. The Nicola river, flowing westward through the valley of that name in the Yale district, discharges into the Thompson river, which is the eastern branch of the Fraser. The transcontinental line of the Canadian Pacific railway crosses the mouth of the Nicola river at Spence&apos;s bridge, 178 miles from Vancouver. From Spence&apos;s bridge the Nicola branch line ascends the valley for 40 miles to Merritt, the coal-center, and continues 7 miles farther to the town of Nicola. Thus the haul from the mines at an elevation of 2,000 ft, to saltwater is 218 miles down river grades. The Nicola branch will be continued about 150 miles farther eastward to Penticton, where it will connect with an extension of the line through the rich Kootenay and Boundary districts. The Canadian government has granted a subsidy of $6,000 per mile, to which the pro-

Jan 1, 1910

By AIME AIME

A REGULAR meeting of the Executive Board &apos;of American Engineering Council was held in the Onondaga Hotel, Syracuse, N.. Y., Feb. 14, 1921, with the president, Herbert Hoover, presiding. Reports of committees were presented and acted upon as follows: ENGINEER ON INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION The second meeting of the Committee was. called because it was represented to the Committee&apos; on Pro¬cedure that the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Association of Engineers, and the Ameri¬can Institute of Consulting Engineers were anxious to have President-elect Harding appoint an engineer to fill one of the vacancies on the Interstate Commerce Commission. The representative of The American Society of Civil Engineers agreed to endorse the recom¬mendations- of American Engineering Council, and the Committee on Procedure prepared and sent a letter to the President-elect, a - copy of this letter being sent to each member of the Board. No names were suggested. . The appointment of an engineer on the Interstate Commerce Commission was approved and the Board, after approving the action of the Committee &apos;on Procedure in writing the President-elect, voted that, if requested, the Committee on Procedure submit a list of not less than six names for the appointment of an engineer on the Interstate. Commerce Commission.

Jan 1, 1921

By William F. Boericke

THERE was a time when the selection of fire brick was .left to the judgment of the head bricklayer of the plant, whose choice was not unaffected by a box of Christmas cigars from a friendly salesman. But the days are past when it was generally believed, with complacent philosophy, that bricks were bricks without much distinction, and should be bought on a price basis alone. Gone, too, is the belief that in certain types of industrial work the eventual failure of refractories was assured. Modern metallurgical practice, with its trend toward handling larger tonnages at higher temperatures, demands the use of refractories that cannot be supplied by random guess. The logical development is to inquire into the properties of the brick to be purchased, and this resolves itself into the use of specifications. In 1925, the General Refractories Co., with the active support and hearty cooperation of some of its larger customers, established a laboratory, at its Baltimore plant, for testing and research in refractories. This was the outgrowth of a growing appreciation of the value of research in the refractory field. Since then the work has become more involved&apos; and the aims more ambitious, so that the present laboratory now employs a staff of 11 men working, under the direction of trained refractory technologists, on problems of research as well as the routine control of manufacture. It is believed s that `this type of laboratory is a comparative novelty among refractory manufacturing plants. It handles the testing and research work for all the 15 plants of the organization. Being at one of the works has the advantage of making it possible to carry on large scale plant tests on new products after the preliminary laboratory tests have been successfully completed.

Jan 1, 1929

By Roswell H. Johnson

What becomes of the water which must have filled the oil and gas sands at the time of deposition, has long puzzled students of oil and gas and has found expression in Munn&apos;s well-known article on the hydraulic theory. Both Munn and Clapp have pointed out that in the Appalachian field the deeper sands carry increasingly less proportionate amounts of water. It seems to me probable that the principal source of oil and gas has been in the shales in proximity to the sands which now contain these products. The sand spits which mark off the lagoons from the sea comply particularly with the requirements of a limited sand imbedded in shales rich in organic matter. Cunningham Craig has objected to this view that the rich organic muds of lagoons are found only at the surface. That such muds do extend to considerable depth 1 am assured by Prof. Douglas W. Johnson, who has made an extensive study of the Atlantic Coast marshes. As any particular sand body becomes weighted by a heavier and heavier overburden, the result of increasing deposition, a part of the very large percentage of water in the uncompacted sand and mud is forced out. The water percentage of freshly settled mud is vastly higher than that of the resultant shales, or even of a very porous sand. If beds of less compressible material meet or underlie the shales in question, there will frequently be a lateral motion along such beds to some point where the upward movement will be resumed. We find in our laboratory work here that oil, gas, and water have extremely slight capacity for gravitational sorting while in a state of rest, but when moving the gravitational sorting is readily accomplished. As the oil, gas, and water pass a body of larger pores, the gas, owing to its lack of capillary attraction, is retained in the large pores. This has been predicted by Washburne, Blatehley and others on the ground that the water has a higher capillarity and grips the finer pores in such a way that there will be a greater proportion of oil and gas in the large

Jan 1, 1915