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By James Paul

BEGINNING in December, 1933, and continuing to the close of April, 1934, large sums of money were expended in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia through the conduct of Federal and State Civil Works Administration, financed by the Government as a part of the President's recovery program to furnish employment to mine employees idle as a result of the economic depression. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT The protection of the public health against the pollution of public water supply by acid mine drainage was the incentive that prompted the request that the sealing of abandoned bituminous coal mines be made a Federal project. A paper before the Central Section of the American Water Works Association, Wheeling, W. Va., on Aug. 24, by E. S. Tisdale, Chief Engineer of the West Virginia Department of Health, tersely says: In October, 1933, the combined experience of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the U. S. Public Health Service and the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky resulted in a report being filed in Washington, first with the Public Works Administration and later with the Civil Works Administration, where it was favorably acted upon, calling for these governmental agencies under the direction of the U. S. Public Health Service to expend $1,500,000 in a unified effort to seal abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and six other states farther down along the Ohio river. The report referred to was embodied in a petition that was signed by the chief engineers of the State Departments of Health of the several states contiguous to the drainage area of the Ohio River. The project as established under Federal supervision became interstate with respect to the several states involved, and upon the termination of the Federal project on Feb. 15, it was authorized as a State C.W.A. project, effective Feb. 20, under the supervision of the State Departments of Health and the State C.W.A. Administration, which continued to March 29, and was succeeded by the S.E.R.B. of the R.W.D. from April 2 to April

Jan 1, 1935

By B. F. Zwick

No new fields have been discovered in Ecuador during 1945, though Shell. Company of Ecuador's Vuano No. 1, near Arajuno in the Oriente concession, which was reported to have drilled to .5281 ft., tested a small, noncommercial quantity of 13° gravity oil. In the upper section, the well tested large flows of fresh water and has been abandoned. Shell is preparing to move to another location.

Jan 1, 1946

By Kirtley F. Mather

FROM almost every point of view, petroleum was "strategic mineral number one" during the World War that ended in 1945. Even the spectacular advent of the atomic bomb in the final days of the conflict did not displace it from its position of prime importance, although within a few years uranium will almost certainly be the "number one" material in the minds of military strategists, if it is not even now in that position. But both as fuel and as raw material for chemical industries, petroleum will hold the center of the stage for many years to come. Hardly any other substance illustrates so fully the manner in which science and technology may be combined to achieve the utmost success in contributing to human efficiency and comfort. Fundamental to any understanding of the problems implied by my topic

Jan 1, 1948

By George Otis Smith

A PHILOSOPHER has pointed out that inventive genius, in substituting mechanical power for human brawn, leaves' man the intellectual factor in the industrial life. "Almost human" is the description sometimes applied to the automatic machine, yet the true characteristic of the perfect machine is its unquestioning obedience. "Its not to reason why." The human operator, not the mechanism of gears and levers, has freedom of choice: he wills; the machine obeys: There map be a grinding monotony, a tiring rhythm, that passes from machine to man, but the responsibility resides in the man. In no proper sense call the machine worker be called the slave: whether he guides an electric shovel or tends a group of automatic 1athes.in the machine shop.

Jan 1, 1930

By Smith, George Otis

ENGINEERING is in essence quantitative, and the engineer must deal with exact figures when he plans and, constructs. Engineering truths are not best expressed by adjectives, yet my wish, today, is not to attempt a quantitative measure of the dominant position of the mineral industry of the United States in the existing scheme of material things, but rather to seek a clualitative appraisal of what mining and metallurgical engineers are doing to promote and make secure our , national progress. Statistics help when we wish to gage material prosperity, but they fail when we desire to determine what share the engineers have in adding to the happiness and welfare of our people

Jan 1, 1928

By Arthur F. Taggart

TO all Mineral Dressers, but particularly to those in the Coal and Industrial Minerals Divisions: Ted Counselman, retiring after two years at the helm of the Milling Committee, pointed with pride to the continued growth of that committee, and sang the swan song "Why ain't we a Division of Mineral Dressing?" Our genial Secretary pointed out, handily, that, you see, the way the Institute is divided there are several blocks running across this way here, and one running all the way down here, and another running part way down here, and they all cut across each other like this, and anyway the miners want to be a Division now, so why not you Mineral Dressers be good and not upset the big Institute organizational chart? And anyway again, Divisions have vested interests, and a Division of Mineral Dressing would take something away from Coal and something from Industrial Minerals, and any good institutional man can see that a Division would never give anything up. It was all quite confusing, and apparently not too convincing, because then the Milling Committee went ahead and voted unanimously it is a good idea, let's see what the other fellows think about it as well.

Jan 1, 1944

By M. D. Hassialis

THE object of a technical paper is to communicate new technical knowledge, the paper being the vehicle of communication and the existence of new knowledge its reason for being. It follows that the development of information worthy of communication, the criterion being novelty, is prerequisite to exercising the privilege of communication. The act of communication is achieved when the reader perceives the nature of the new knowledge, i.e., when he understands it. A paper achieving this objective is an acceptable technical paper. Development of new knowledge has as one of its purposes the increase of the existing state of knowledge and the enjoyment of the benefits derived therefrom. Technical knowledge is a collection of facts so ordered as to make apparent, relations existing between the facts. When the interrelations have been exposed the facts have been interpreted or explained Three broad, overlapping categories of technical papers may be recognized: papers consisting of (a) a report of facts, (b) an explanation of facts, or (c) a combination of a report and an interpretation. Ideally a technical paper should belong to one of the last two categories but current practice is to accept papers belonging to any of the three categories. Based on a small sample drawn from the scientific and engineering literature, the relative frequency of the three types is a: b: c:: 20:1:14. If the sample be limited to engineering literature, the ratios become a:c::2:1; type (b) being nonexistent. This large departure from the ideal is a consequent of the

Jan 1, 1948

In the Bowen Basin of central Queensland, coal production has gone from virtually nothing in 1961 to more than 24 million tons today4ut there's a cloud over this success.

Jan 1, 1977

By ROBERT. RICHARDS

I. INTRODUCTION The object of this paper is to enlarge the field of settling velocities treated by me in my former papers, Close Sizing Before Jigging, and Sorting Before Sizing.' There seemed need of work both on coarser and on finer sizes. Messrs. A. Sidney Warren and M. L. Nagel undertook the investigation for the coarser sizes, from 12.85 mm. down to 2.05 mm. diameter. Their work, because of the closer spacing and because of the increased number of observations and consequent stronger averages, called for a revision of the former work. Messrs. G., A. Barnaby and Ralph Hayden undertook this part of the work, from 2.49 mm. down to 0.28 mm., which is near the limit of sifting. Their work covers the ground much more minutely and comprehensively than the former papers. There remained to be covered the portion of the field too fine for investigation with the sieves. This part, covering the range of grains from 0.48 to 0.03 mm., was undertaken by Mr. E. S. Bardwell. For it he used the elutriation method. II. THE FIRST, OR COARSEST, SECTION OF THE FIELD. The first desideratum in this investigation was a series of sieves for sizing the sands preparatory to making the tests. It became necessary, therefore, to decide on a sieve-scale for this purpose. A sieve-scale is a series of sieves in which the dimensions of the holes of the successive members form a series increasing by a. definite ratio. There are three natural sieve-scales : 1, progressing by doubling the width of the hole for each suc-

May 1, 1907

By D. W. Jessup

THE handling of native labor is offering an interesting problem that requires diplomacy. It is difficult to induce many of the men to leave their villages and enter into regular work. They do not feel the necessity of manual labor other than to obtain sufficient money to pay the annual hut tax and to buy a little clothing. The ground provides mealies (corn) which means food and beer, he hunts and catches fish, so why work? But gradually, as the native becomes more civilized, his wants increase and his ideas change; he now needs money to supply his desires and eventually he must work more. So in time it is hoped that the labor market will be better supplied.

Jan 1, 1931

By P. A. Beck, M. V. Nevitt

All binary and a number of ternary u alloys formed by first long period transition elements were examined and found to be ferromagnetic at low temperatures. The Curie temperatures for these alloys were measured. It was found that the correlation of the Curie temperature with composition may be described qualitatively in terms of the contributions of the various component atomic moments to the saturation moment of the alloy. Ternary Fe-Cr-Mo u phase alloys were also found to be ferromagnetic, with a Curie temperature dependent on the iron content and largely independent of the unit cell dimensions. Similar relations were found for the Co-Fe-Cr and the Co-Cr-Mo a alloys, where the Co + Fe content appears to determine the Curie temperature. RECENTLY, it has become increasingly evident that the u phase is some kind of an "electron compound." Several papers1-' discussed the empirical correlation between the composition of the various u phases in alloys of the transition elements and the distribution of electrons in the partially filled d-levels of the component atoms. However, a picture of the latter can be formed only in a more or less intuitive manner, as in the Pauling theory," and the rigorous treatment of these problems is at present prevented by lack of adequate knowledge of the electronic structure of the transition elements in the metallic state. It appeared reasonable to expect that investigation of the magnetic properties, which are related to d-shell electrons, may help in clarifying the physical nature of the foregoing empirical correlation. Qualitative tests of samples of various compositions have shown that certain u alloys become ferromagnetic at liquid nitrogen temperature." The present investigation was undertaken to determine whether or not low temperature ferromagnetism is characteristic of a large variety of u alloys and to establish how the Curie temperatures of ferromagnetic u alloys are influenced by changes in composition and in lattice parameter. In the first portion of the in- vestigation, Curie temperatures were measured for a series of u alloys containing either vanadium or chromium with one or two of the elements manganese, iron, cobalt, or nickel. In the second phase of the work, data were obtained on the Curie temperature of ternary (Fe, Co, Cr)a, (Fe, Cr, Mo)a, and (Co, Cr, MO)U alloys, as a function of composition and of interatomic spacing. Experimental Procedures High frequency vacuum melting in high purity re-crystallized alumina crucibles was employed in the preparation of the u alloys, using metals whose lot analyses are given in Table I. Approximately two-thirds of the alloys were analyzed chemically, the analytical results being in acceptable agreement with the intended compositions, as seen in Tables I1 and 111. The specimens were annealed for homogen-ization in an atmosphere of purified 92 pct He and 8 pct H, mixture or in evacuated and sealed Vycor tubes at temperatures from 780" to 1300°C, depending on the temperature range of the u phase field for the particular composition. The annealing temwerature and time for kach alloy are given in Tables 11 and 111. Curie points were determined by an induction method; the change with temperature of mutual inductance between two coils was observed when the i-u specimen was inserted into the flux path between the coils. The transformer consisted of three coils each containing 1200 turns of 0.0050 in. diam enameled copper wire. The center coil, P in Fig. 1, served as the primary coil, and was linked magnetically with each of the two secondary coils, S, and S? which were connected in series opposition. The primary coil, P, was energized by an audio-oscillator, set at a frequency of 500 cycles per sec, while the signal from the transformer secondary circuit,

Jan 1, 1956

By Elmer W. Pehrson

NINETEEN FORTY-SIX was an eventful year for the mineral industries. Perhaps the most significant development was the socialization of industry in Great Britain, initiated in 1945 but carried to fruition in the coal industry in 1946. On Jan. 1, 1947, management of the coal industry will be vested in a National Coal Board, responsible to the Ministry of Fuel and Power. A sum of £164,660,000 has been provided to compensate private owners for assets transferred to the Board. The British coal industry has been a problem for many years. Production has declined to a point where serious shortages of fuel for domestic needs have developed. Exports have dwindled to a small fraction of the previous trade. Costs have increased greatly, and quality has deteriorated. The industry's physical plant has not kept pace with the rapidly mounting wage scales in recent years. Some claim that the best and most accessible coal reserves of Britain are heavily depleted. The industry has been harassed by difficult labor problems, including bad morale among the workers and a shrinking labor force.

Jan 1, 1947

By Robert E. Sorenson

EXPLORATION for deep-seated orebodies in the Silver Belt area of the Coeur d'Alene mining district is complicated by meager surface expressions of diagnostic criteria, lack of knowledge of the significance of specific alteration phenomena, and the great expense involved in the exploration for ore shoots, the tops of which often occur near sea level elevation or below and as much as 4000 ft or more below the surface. Except for the early studies of Ransome and Calkins in 1903 and 1904,[1] little geological work was done in the Coeur d'Alene district for many years, and it is only during the last 15 to 20 years that complete and careful geological mapping has been applied to most of the mines in the area. Much early information, which now would prove invaluable, is lost in hundreds of miles of caved and inaccessible mine openings not mapped by mining geologists. In more recent years mining geology has become a tool of greater use in the district, and some measurable progress is being made in the accumulation of observations that are adding gradually to the knowledge of ore deposits in the district.

Jan 7, 1951

By Richard W. Bayley

The Atlantic City district encompasses several districts and has been previously called by different names, e.g., Atlantic gold district, Atlantic City-South Pass mining district, and Sweetwater mining district. The district is located in a terrane of folded and faulted early Precambrian metamorphic rocks which lies near the south end of the Wind River Range in Fremont County, Wyoming, Historically it is a gold district of little production, but today is an iron district of considerable importance. Gold was discovered in placer deposits about 1842 and in quartz-arsenopyrite veins about 1867, after which there occurred a mining boom lasting a few years. Minor, intermittent gold production from placers and lodes has continued to date, but the total production has probably not exceeded a few millions of dollars. Past lode mining was generally shallow ( in the oxidized zone), the deepest about 3 60 feet. The deeper, less oxidized and sulfide ores on the same lodes have not been explored. They appear to hold the only hope for future gold mining. Sedimentary iron-formation, similar to the Lake Superior taconite, occurs in the northern part of the district. Locally, where the ironformation is thickened by folds and faults, sufficient tonnages are present to be minable, as at Iron Mountain, where the U.S. Steel Corporation produces about 1.3 million tons of iron-ore pellets annually. Exploration of the iron deposits began in 1954, and the first ironore pellets were shipped to Provo, Utah in August 1962. Indicated reserves of iron-formation (about 30 per cent Fe) are reported to be about 300 million tons.

Jan 1, 1968

By W. R. Ingalls

DUPING the last two years, and especially during the last six months, a number of important articles upon the new methods for the desulphurization of galena have been published in the technical periodicals, particularly in the Engineering and Mining Journal and in Metallurgie. I proposed for these methods the type-name of "lime-roasting" of galena as a convenient metallurgical classification,' and this term has found some acceptance. The articles referred to have shown the great practical importance of these new processes, and the general recognition of their metallurgical and commercial value which has already been accorded to them. It is my present purpose to review broadly the changes developed by them in the metallurgy of lead, in which connection it is necessary to refer briefly to the previous state of the art. The elimination of the sulphur-content of galena has been always the most troublesome part of the smelting-process, being both costly in the operation and wasteful of silver and lead. Previous to the introduction of the Huntington-Heberlein process at Pertusola, Italy, it was effected by a variety of methods. In the treatment of non-argentiferous galena concentrate, the smelting was done by the roast-reduction method (roasting in reverberatory furnace and smelting in blast-furnace); the roast-reaction method, applied in reverberatory furnaces; and the roast-reaction method, applied in Scotch hearths 2 Precipitation-smelting, simple, had practically gone out of use, although its reactions enter into the modern blast-furnace practice, as do also those of the roast-reaction method.

Sep 1, 1906

By H. C. Fowler, G. B. Shea

MODERN industry's incessant demands for increased operating efficiency and lower costs require that hazards attending all occupations be reduced to a minimum. Reduction of the inevitable losses that result from accidents and injury to the worker is one of the important economic problems confronting industry today and is the basis for the widespread safety movement. Dr. Charles E. Munroe, chief explosive chemist of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, is father of the statement, "The existence of a nuisance is evidence of an economic waste." This pointed expression of the internationally recognized scholar and explosives engineer has a direct relation to the prevention of accidents. Every injury and death in industry is a waste in human endeavor and a lessening of productive gain. Dr. Munroe has aptly paraphrased his previous summation with reference to wastes as follows: "A lost-time accident is evidence of an economic waste." That the economic waste entailed by occupational accidents is chargeable to industry is well substantiated by the fact that all but four states (Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida and Arkansas) now have workingmen's liability and compensation laws.

Jan 1, 1933

By F. B. Plummer

PROGRESS during 1940 in oil-production technology has been confined largely to a steady advancement in practices inaugurated in previous years, rather than the introduction of any new startling process or technique. The usual changes, improvements and additions in production equipment have been introduced. An increased attention to, and interest in, research has been noteworthy, resulting in improved efficiency in operation of oil wells. control, utilization of reservoir energies and reduction of production costs.

Jan 1, 1941

By O. E. Kiessling

THIS announcement of the topics relating to production control, which the Committee hopes to have discussed at the February meeting, supplements the preliminary announcement published in the November number of MINING AND METALLURGY. In the previous article, the writer indicated the kaleide-scopic nature of the questions involved in obtaining better coordination in industry, and that, as a matter of practical expediency, the discussion in February would be limited to the more obvious difficulties in industry which need attention and to those questions which the Committee thinks would be of greatest interest to members of the Institute. But while practical considerations necessitate limiting the program, free discussion of all phases of the subject is urged by 'the Committee. In a preliminary consideration of the production control problem, there loom up two questions which have to be faced: (1) First, there is the question of the extra industrial capacity necessary to meet demand during the ordinary fluctuations of business, commonly characterized as `the "business cycle." Anyone who tries to formulate a program pertaining to productive capacity must decide whether he wishes to discuss the control of business cycles. While this question may eventually lend itself to treatment, the Committee does not feel that it can be considered at present with much profit. (2) The second question arises from the existence of over-stimulated capacity above and beyond peak demands in boom times. Discussion of this topic, it is felt, would be most fruitful. How to prevent capacity from being over-stimulated to an extent beyond any hope of possible demand is a

Jan 1, 1929

By E. H. Hamilton

THE furnace on which the following investigation was based had dimensions 48 by 160 in., and was in continuous operation during the three days of the test. The average charge consisted of PER CENT. LB. PER HOUR Bed ore?14.5?2,980 Roast from Dwight-Lloyds?44.5?9,160 Siliceous ore?3.5?720 Iron flux?2.1?430 Battery plates?0.5?103 Lime rock?23.9?4,925 Briquettes?4.0?825 Scrap iron?2.1?430 M. P. slag?4.2?865 L. P.speiss?0.7?142 Total 100.0 THE furnace on which the following investigation was based had dimensions 48 by 160 in., and was in continuous operation during the three days of the test. The average charge consisted of PER CENT. LB. PER HOUR Bed ore?14.5?2,980 Roast from Dwight-Lloyds?44.5?9,160 Siliceous ore?3.5?720 Iron flux?2.1?430 Battery plates?0.5?103 Lime rock?23.9?4,925 Briquettes?4.0?825 Scrap iron?2.1?430 M. P. slag?4.2?865 L. P.speiss?0.7?142 Total?100.0?20,580

Jan 1, 1924

By Rollin A. Pallanch

THE Midvale mill of the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company is situated on a flat site whose elevation is 50 ft above that of the Jordan River. Tailings are impounded in the area between the river and the flat upon which the mill and railroad switchyard are located. The water supply is pumped from the Galena canal which leads from the river at a point some ten miles to the south. The mill has a present capacity of approximately 1700 tons daily. It started out originally in 1926 as a 750 ton three-unit plant. The tonnage was gradually increased to 1200 tons by 1934, and in late 1935 a fourth unit was added. The accompanying flowsheet shows the principal equipment and how it is utilized. The ore is principally sulphide with varying degrees of oxidation, with individual lots ranging widely in both precious and base metal content. In each of the four individual units of the mill there will often be mixtures of as

Jan 1, 1948