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By George A. Miller

ALTHOUGH the Andean mountain belt, which contains almost all the metal deposits of the other South American nations, does not enter Brazil, this country is rich in mineral resources, for in area it accounts for half the continent and geologically it contains almost all of the Brazilian Shield. This great mass of ancient rocks has been relatively stable for a long time and forms a great area of plateaus and highlands interrupted only by the syncline which carries the Amazon River across it to the sea. Lowland Brazil - the great flood plains of the Amazon. Tocantins, Paraguay, and Parana Rivers-is of no interest to the miner, and in fact supports but a small proportion of the country's population. The highland area is divided into unequal parts by the Amazon River; the north half is underlain by the north lobe of the Brazilian Shield which extends into Venezuela as far as the Orinoco, and into the Guianas, and is known as the Guiana Highlands. Mineralization appears to have been weak in the Brazilian portion of these hills. In fact most of the ore deposits are to be found in the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia, although the neighboring states of Sao Paulo, Pernambuco, and Piauhy can also boast of some deposits. Goias and Matto Grosso are as yet incompletely prospected but are considered to contain reserves for the future.

Jan 1, 1945

By George A. Miller

AMERICANS like engines, but more than anything they like powerful engines, and next to that they want them quiet, silent, smooth; perhaps a slight purr might be permitted, but they must not knock. To provide a gasoline to fit all these requirements, American petroleum technologists have experimented for years, and mounting octane numbers of the gasolines the refiners have produced both before and during the war bear witness to their success. The question on everyone's mind now is what may we expect in the way of engine fuel in the postwar period? The gasoline drouth during the war rationing, the inconvenience of doing without a car were major annoyances to all motorists, but they put up with them pretty cheerfully for the most part. However, now that the war is over, and the jalopies are all out and the better cars have been taken off the jacks and brought out on the road, the call is for "Some of that good gas-fill her up, if you please."

Jan 1, 1945

By Mark Eisner

ONE'S JOB is the watershed down which the rest of one's life tends to flow write the Lynds in the first pages of their classic social study, "Middletown in Transition." Certainly engineers will confirm this statement after a check among those in their own profession with whose lives they are at all familiar. I have no hesitancy in acknowledging the truth of their observation for the men and women who are engaged in the profession of the law. It has been often remarked that American public life is overrun with members of the law profession. The highest public office in the land, that of President. has been occupied by lawyers almost to the exclusion of citizens of any of the other professions. Twenty-two Presidents of the United States out of the total of 31, were members of the bar. For the most part, members of Congress, the governors of the states, the state legislators and the mayors and other local leaders, men who occupy important positions of responsibility and public trust, have had legal training. Now this fact is no mere accident. Those who were fitted for the "job" of the practice of the law are favorably placed with respect to their participation in public life. Thus public service and public office is the watershed down which the "lawyer's" life tends to flow.

Jan 1, 1940

THE hall of the Western Iron and Nail Associations having kindly been placed at the service of the Institute, the opening session was held at 3 o'clock, Tuesday afternoon, May 13th, with an attendance of about one hundred and twenty-five members. Mr. William Metcalf, of Pittsburgh, read an address of welcome on behalf of the Local Committee of Arrangements, to which President E. B. Coxe responded. The following papers were then read and discussed : Regenerative Stoves; a Sketch of their History and Notes on their Use, by John M. Hartman, of Philadelphia. Some Curious Phenomena Observed on Making a Test of a Piece of Bessemer Steel, by William Kent, of Pittsburgh. On the Use of Determining Slag Densities in Smelting, by Thomas Macfarlane, of Wyandotte, Michigan. After the reading of these papers each member was presented by the Local Committee with a schedule of excursions, a specially prepared map of Pittsburgh and surroundings, and a directory of industrial works, all tastefully bound, and also with a metal badge bearing the seal of the Institute, to be worn on the excursions. The second session was held on Tuesday evening. The following persons, duly proposed for members and associates of the Institute, were, on the recommendation of the Council, unan¬imously elected. (In this list are included those elected at the final session on Friday morning.) George Bartol, - Cleveland, Ohio. Luther S. Bent, - Steelton, Dauphin Co., Pa. Octave Chanute, - New York City. Albert H. Childs, - Allegheny, Pa. Theodore Cooper, - New York City. Andrew Cosgriff, - Brewster, Putnam Co., N. Y. William B. Crocker, - New York City. Henry M. Curry, - Pittsburgh, Pa. Charles Davis, - Allegheny, Pa. Henry F. De Bardeleben, - Birmingham, Ala. Herbert Du Puy, - Pittsburgh, Pa. Charles L. Fitzhugh, - Pittsburgh, Pa. W. S. Franklin, - Ashland, Md. F. G. Fricke, - Pittsburgh, Pa. Paul A. Fusz, - St. Louis, Mo. Ignatius Hahn, . Pittsburgh, Pa. Henry Hargreaves, - South Pittsburgh, Tenn.

Jan 1, 1880

By Herbert Hoover

THE Federation of Engineering Societies has been created for the sole purpose of public service. This initial meeting surely warrants some discussion of a few of the problems to which this organization, for expression of the --. engineering mind, can quite well give consideration. Some of the greatest of the problems before the country and, in fact, before the world, are those growing out of our industrial development. The enormous industrial expansion of the last fifty' years has lifted the standard of living and comfort beyond any dream of our forefathers. Our economic system under which it has been accomplished has given stimulation to invention, to enterprise, to individual improvement of the highest order, yet it presents a series of human and social difficulties for the solution of which we are groping. The congestion of population is producing subnormal conditions of life. The vast repetitive operations are dulling the human mind. The intermittency bf employment due to the bad coordination of industry, the great waves of unemployment in the ebb and flow of economic tides, produce infinite wastes and great suffering. Our business enterprises have become so large and complex that the old personal relationship between employer and worker has to a great extent disappeared. The aggregation of great wealth, with its power of economic domination, presents social, economic ills which we are constantly struggling to remedy.

Jan 1, 1920

By L. Russell Van Wert

DURING an investigation in which the solubility relations of the phases in Muntz metal (60 per cent. copper, 40 per cent. zinc) were under study, certain phenomena that had no immediate connection with the main problem were observed, which were thought sufficiently interesting to study further. Because of lack of time, only a preliminary survey was made of two of these; namely, the cleavage structure developed under certain conditions in a 60:40 brass and abnormal grain growth in this alloy. CLEAVAGE STRUCTURE IN HEAT-TREATED MUNTZ METAL Carpenter noted many years ago that cold-working a brass of the Muntz metal type, which had been quenched previously from within the beta field, results in a partial breakdown of the supersaturated beta solution and the precipitation of the solute (the alpha solution) in the cleavage planes of the beta grains. This manner of rejection of a solute from a metastable solid solution is not peculiar to this particular alloy, for among others, it occurs in the cold-working of certain austenitic steels; for example, the austenitic nickel steels. In these ferrous alloys, cold deformation produces a partial decomposition of the austenite, with the formation of martensitic "needles" and zigzags in the austenitic poly-hedra. It is interesting to note that while the two solid solutions-austenite and quenched Muntz metal- are metastable and in their mode of decomposition behave quite alike when deformed in the cold, the metastability of each results from a different cause; viz., that of the austenite from the fact that it is a supercooled solution (its solvent, gamma iron, at ordinary temperatures is below its normal stable range) whereas the metastability of the quenched Muntz metal is the result of supersaturation.

Jan 1, 1929

By AIME AIME

THE convention which met in Washington at the call of the Joint Conference Committee was called to order at ten o'clock on Thursday morning; June 3, by Richard L. Humphrey, temporary chairman, member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, who made a brief statement of the reason for the meeting. Lieut. Col. Charles W. Kutz, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., and Engineer Commissioner of the District of Columbia, then welcomed .the engineers composing the convention on behalf of the District of Columbia and, the Washington engineers. Although an elaborate program had been prepared on which were many well-known speakers on interesting and important topics, , it was voted to intersperse this to fill in the usual and unavoidable hiatuses in the business program of such a convention[ Calvert Townley, president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, was elected permanent chairman, and J. C. Hoyt, of Washington, was elected secretary of the convention. The following committees were appointed: Consti¬tution and by-laws, Richard L. Humphrey, chairman; resolutions, Philip N. Moore, chairman; and program, F. H. Newell, chairman. Then, Gardner S. Williams, member of the, A. S. C. E. and the Grand Rapids Engineering Society of. Grand Rapids, Mich., and one-time member of the American Association of Engineers, offered the following resolutions:

Jan 1, 1920

By S. F. Shaw

MINING conditions in Mexico during the current year have been most unfavorable, synchronizing with conditions in the United States, but the outlook for the near future is improving. The chief difficulties met with are because of the following conditions: severe drop in prices of metals; high smelting rates; high prices of supplies; inadequate means of transportation; low efficiency of labor. In comparison with pre-war prices for metals it cannot be said that prices are low, particularly for silver, which recently has gone to a level that would have been considered exceedingly good in 1912. But conditions have changed so greatly that only the most favorably situated properties can operate without loss.

Jan 1, 1921

Philip Argall, Denver, Colo. (communication to the Secretary) : Mr. Rickard expresses regret that I have not given more extracts " from the fresh leaves of nature's open book." The quotations used by me in argument were all from nature's open book, and by authorities recognized in the scientific world as being able to decipher nature's unwritten pages, if not lay bare her inmost secrets. The study of -nature should be preceded by a knowledge of her laws. Natural science is but the summary of the observations of the past or an organized and accurate knowledge of the order in which things have been observed to happen. One who ignores the 'knowledge of the past or despises that of the present and approaches nature's open book with a virgin mind but too often finds her

Jan 1, 1895

By Lucius W. Mayer

WHILE the mind of the financier does not normally run along channels similar to those of his technical adviser, engineers, because of their exactness, are ever more called upon to manage affairs where financial matters are involved. It is, true, not a relatively large number have thus far functioned in this capacity. It is also true that the essentially financial mind could not serve in a responsible engineering position; for to be a successful engineer one requires precise thinking, making due allowance for factors of safety. To be a financier seems to require less aptitude for exact thinking than of enthusiasm and confidence in capitalizing prospective possibilities. Both require imagination, the engineer being, more conscious of the limitations of natural conditions. It is to be regretted that the engineer' stands so far aloof from financial matters. Many consider them- selves successful, as did Steinmetz, as long as their reward is the consciousness that they are giving supreme service to mankind. They are 'generally happy in their work and, like our honored brothers who are teachers, gain their greatest satisfaction, not in the amount of their remuneration so much as in the service rendered society and in the excellence of results achieved. Indeed, these sentiments bespeak character and command respect.

Jan 1, 1924

By C. S. Harloff, Frank R. Corwin

THE Nichols Copper Co., associated with the Phelps Dodge Corp. and the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co., has constructed at El Paso, Tex., and is now operating a copper refinery with a yearly capacity of 100,000 tons of anodes. Transportation facilities were perhaps the most important of the considerations that led to the selection of this site. The rapid industrial development of the Middle and Far West has increased the consumption of copper there. The advantage of local refining as against shipping the copper to the Atlantic sea- board is apparent. Copper refined in the Southwest is equally competitive for export shipment, either from the Gulf or the Pacific Coast ports. The tonnage of copper produced in the Southwest not only justifies the construction of this plant, but may warrant considerable expansion in years to come.

Jan 1, 1930

By Charles H. Fulton

IT is assumed that the word "college" for the present purpose signifies technical school or technical department of a college or university. About ten or fifteen years ago, and more recently in some instances the contact between the technical school and the industry, as represented by the operating companies, was very limited. The school made no effort to place its graduates in the industry and the graduate's first position was obtained by his own or his friends' efforts; the friend often was a professor. The industries, or the operating companies, seemingly had little interest in the training of the technical graduates they employed or in seeking to discover their personal characteristics and fitness for the work. In the public mind there was little relation between technical training and industry. Such training was in the field of education; industry was in the field of business; and the interrelationship was not a matter of common knowledge or concern.

Jan 1, 1929

Jan 1, 1879

By Eugene McAuliffe

MANAGEMENT and control of any body of workmen can be effected through various - well-known methods ' though many managers hold certain personal theories of control that range from an absolute dictatorship to what might be called the principle of laissez faire, or the "let alone" method. Managements of many mines, factories, smelters and refineries have been compelled in recent years to accept certain restrictions in hours of labor as well as in methods employed, imposed either by federal or state laws, or by labor agreements. Broadly speaking, regulations of the above character were brought on the industry by managers who failed to recognize fully the rights of their employees to proper sanitary, safe, and compensatory working conditions, as well as working hours that were proper and just. As an example of poor management and worse psychology, we have only to hark back to the days when many bituminous coal operators maintained an inadequate number of pit cars for the number of miners or loaders employed, or if the pit cars were available, the haulage facilities

Jan 1, 1934

By G. W. Thomas

Jan 1, 1967

By Clyde Williams

A MAN who is a first-class metallurgist, engineer, and scientist and an outstanding organizer, administrator, and executive and who, at the same time, has an innate ability to "make friends and influence people" everywhere he goes is an exceptional personality at any time. And if such an individual can retain this combination of virtues during a great war despite the fact that the Government loaded him with enough work and responsibility for three such men. he is a most exceptional personality. And if he can keep his head and maintain an unfailing sense of humor during the trying war years and, while dealing with hundreds of jittery metallurgists and metalworkers, with Army and Navy brass, and with red-tape-entangled war agencies by the dozen, he is a rare personality indeed. Such a man is Clyde Williams, director of Battelle Memorial Institute. who will be President of AIME in 1947. The Institute is fortunate in having him as its mentor during what may be a critical and important year.

Jan 1, 1947

By AIME AIME

MORTIMER ELWYN COOLEY, dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Michigan, has been elected president of the American Engineering Council of the Federated American Engineering Societies. This was announced at a meeting of the Executive Board of the Council held at the Cosmos Club in Washington on Sept. 30. Dean Cooley assumes office at once. The new head of organized engineering is a past president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has a long record of distinguished service in education, under the government and in private capacities. He was born in Canandaigua, N. Y., March 28, 1855, and was graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1878. With his classmate, Dr. Ira N. Hollis, he was ordered to the U.S.S. "Quinnebaug," then fitting out at the Norfolk Navy Yard preparatory to a cruise in the Mediterranean.

Jan 1, 1921

By F. Robertson Jones

IF the tendency toward extending the scope of the workmen's compensation system to include life, health, accident, old age, and unemployment insurance for workers is not promptly altered, I believe there will be a complete breakdown of that system. This is not because of any objections, there may he to requiring industries to provide these additional forms of protection in whole or in part to their employees. It is rather because our workmen's compensation laws, their scale of benefits, and the administrative procedure under them are not adapted or suited to such situations. If the compensation principle is limited to its own proper sphere and is not enlarged so as to include all the ills that the flesh is heir to, it is practical, "workable, and beneficent. If it invades foreign realms, it is bound to grow into a veritable Frankenstein' which will harm principally those it 'is supposed to aid, and, at the same time, will promote waste, fraud, and Industrial demoralization. Compensation risks will become almost uninsurable; the cost to business will be intolerable; and the development of sound relief measures which will give to labor the protection now sought by the uneconomic device of enlarging the compensation law territory will be retarded.

Jan 1, 1934

By A. English, M. J. Greaves

This paper is a discussion of pelletizing systems developed over the last 15 to 20 years for the agglomeration of fine iron ore concentrates. Five different pelletizing systems are now in commercial use in the U.S., and for the purposes of comparison, estimated operating costs and capital costs for the construction of four of them are included. Capacities of existing commercial plants are examined, together with the anticipated capabilities of plants presently being built or projected. In just 21 years, the art of pelletizing iron ore concentrates has reached maturity with mastery of the separation of finely divided concentrates from low-grade iron ores and their agglomeration into pellets containing about 65% iron. This accomplishment has firmly established an improved feed for the blast furnace, with resulting benefits in faster reduction of burdens and greater economy of operation. The present production capacity of pelletizing facilities in the U.S. is about 20 million tons annually, and it is expected to double by 1970. The rapid expansion of pelletizing in the U. S. has been closely observed in European countries, notably in Sweden and Germany, where pioneer agglomerating techniques were developed early in this century. PELLETIZING PLANTS AND PROCESSES Twelve commercial pelletizing plants are presently in operation in the U. S. and Canada. An equal number are in various stages of engineering and construction, and many others are being considered. The pelletizing systems currently employed include shaft furnaces, horizontal grates using three different airflow arrangements, and grate kilns. The capacity of pelletizing operations in North America is shown in Table I. All of these plants are integrated with the mine, the ore-crushing facilities and the concentrating plant and are equipped with storage and loading-out facilities for the product. Normally, a pelletizing plant is composed of a shuttle conveyor above the receiving bins; balling equipment; a heat-hardening system including the necessary auxiliaries such as furnaces, burners and controls, ducts, fans, meters and instrumentation; fines recovery equipment; and product handling equipment. Also included are the necessary auxiliaries and utilities such as boilers or power plant; oil unloading and storage facilities; coal unloading storage, grinding and distribution facilities; and bentonite or other additive storage and distribution equipment. Shaft Furnaces: Vertical shaft furnaces used in this country are limited to the treatment of natural magnetite concentrates containing minor quantities of residual fluxing elements. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the shaft furnace with balling, feeding and pellet-handling equipment. An elevation of a shaft furnace is shown in Fig. 2. A commercial shaft furnace unit is about 45 ft in height with a 6 x 14-ft rectangular cross section and has a nominal production rate of approximately 50 gross tons of pellets per hour. The upper portion of the furnace shaft is constructed of fire brick as protection from the high process temperatures involved. The lower portion of the shaft is lined with abrasion-resistant brick to withstand erosion from the fired pellets. Rectangular-shaped, refractory-lined and insulated combustion chambers are situated on each side of the shaft furnace. Oil or gas is burned to produce high temperature gases which are forced into the furnace through ports located near the top of the combustion chambers. The shaft furnaces operate at a pressure of approximately 6 psi. Pellets are fed into the top of the furnace by a pantographic feeder designed to produce the desired pellet stockline. The furnace is kept filled at all times and pellets are fed and discharged from the furnace at the same rate. In early development, 10 to 12 lb of solid fuel was incorporated in the pellets. However, the main source of process heat is now derived from the combustion chamber gases. In some instances no solid fuel is used. The pellet movement in the shaft furnace is counter-current to the flow of gases. Ambient air is introduced through louvers at the lower end of the furnace, at about 6 psi, cooling the fired pellets and supplementing the heat of the high temperature gases from the combustion chamber ports. The zone of maximum temperature, located above the ports of the combus-

Jan 1, 1963

By PHILIP N. MOORE

PHILIP NORTH MOORE was born on July 8, 1849, at Connersville, Ind. His father, a civil engineer, was descended from Henry Moore who came from Ireland in 1773 to live in Washington, Pa. Through his mother, Philip Moore was descended from John North, who came to America in 1635 and settled in Connecticut. The story of Mr. Moore's life as told by himself is given on pages 373-386 of T. A. Rickard's "Interviews with Mining Engineers." He studied at Miami University, where he gained the degree of A.B. in 1870, and A.M. in 1873. In 1920 his alma muter conferred on him the honorary degree of LL.D. He, as a special student, was a member of the class of 1872 at the School of Mines of Columbia University.

Jan 1, 1930