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By James P. Savely, Victor L. Kastner

Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company is currently mining in four pit areas; Live Oak, Red Hill, Thornton and Joe Bush Extension, near Globe, Arizona. Small satellite orebodies lying outside the main pits have been mined out in a series of small open pits. Major slope instability has affected production in every pit. Some consequences of the instability have been; (1) Serious interruption of mining plans, which resulted in deferred ore production, lost ore, reduced mining rates and increased stripping requirements. (2) Forced replacement of crushing facilities. (3) Serious effects on other production facilities. The introduction of a slope stability monitoring and control function as an integral part of mine planning has been successful in reducing the impact of these failures and will eventually result in economic pit design based on probabilistic slope analysis. This case history presents a brief review of the problems associated with slope instability at Inspiration's mines followed by a more detailed report on one specific failure area in the Thornton pit where the use of horizontal drain holes for slope stabilization appears to be successful. Relationships between slope movement rate, rainfall, and mining activity are shown.

Jan 1, 1983

F. McMillan Stanton was born in New York City on May 23, 1865, the son of an English father and of a mother whose family was linked with that of Peter Stuyvesant. Mr. Stanton took his degree from the School of Mines of Columbia University in 1887, worked for two years as an assayer and surveyor and then went into the mining field on his own account. After a few years, he was offered a position with the Atlantic Mining Co., and began the work which was to continue with marked success for twenty-three years. In 1910, Mr. Stanton retired and went to Europe for a rest. Upon his return in 1914, he was elected treasurer and director of the Mohawk Mining Co., the Wolverine Copper Mining Co. and the Michigan Copper Mining Co., to which group was later added the White Pine Extension, Copper Co., and continued to serve these companies until the time of his death, Sept. 12, 1916.

Jan 12, 1916

Draftsman and transitman for coal mine work in Middle West. Salary $125 per month. No. 277. Mechanical draftsman familiar with mill and machinery design for metallurgical and chemical plants. Advise experience, salary expected, and references. No. 289. Two cyanide shift bosses, one cyanide mill supt, and one assayer, for work in South America. Expenses clown and return if two year contract is made. No. 290. In assay laboratory of University in the Middle West, man to take charge of ore-dressing and. help in assay laboratory work. Willing to give right man assistant professorship. No. 291. Experienced appraisers familiar either with field or office methods, capable of field survey of the physical properties and able to check up their survey on the books of the company, which require a very intimate knowledge of accountancy. Salary $2000 to $2700. No. 292. Young man trained in chemistry and engineering to conduct experimental work on storage of coal. No. 293.

Jan 4, 1918

Experiments on the Rate of Heat Transfer from a Hot Gas' to a Cooler Metallic Surface Members of the American Institute of Mining Engineers will be much interested in the subject of teat transfer from a hot gas to a cooler metallic surface, and although the book on this subject recently published by the Babcock & Wilcox Co., of New York, deals primarily with boilers, it contains a great deal of information which metallurgical engineers will find of great value. The book starts out with an introduction giving some of the current theories regarding this subject; it then describes in detail the experimental apparatus used, and the methods of conducting the experiment's and recording the data. Then follow some account of the determination of radiation losses in jackets and cooler; measurement of metal temperatures; detection and correction of errors; etc., concluding with a discussion of the results and derivation of corrective formula for heat absorption; heat pressure rate and specific heat of gas.

Jan 5, 1916

By R. S. Shrode, R. F. Bunting

Transportation is one of several important increments in the total market cost of most commodities. On a national average it has been reported that transportation accounts for about 25% of the total cost of a product at the market place. And industrial minerals are no exception. In fact, the proportionate cost frequently exceeds the 25% average. Further, it may actually determine the economic value of a deposit. Transportation possibly may be thought of as a specialized subject, of concern only to a traffic manager and of only nominal interest to the mining engineer, the geologist or other technically oriented member of a mineral producers' staff. However, in the industrial minerals field, interest is not commonly confined to exploration, development, production or marketing, but is in contrast an overlapping one. In a very real sense this broad area of interest in the total economics of the business is the specialty of the industrial minerals man. And transportation is a vital part of the total picture.

Jan 1, 1970

This is a brief account of the history of unit operation in the Salt Creek field, Wyoming, from the time of the agreement to prorate production in March, 1921, to the present. An attempt has been made to evaluate the savings in development and production costs resulting from the unit plans adopted. Summarized, these savings have amounted to $11,650,000. No effort has been made to estimate any increase in ultimate recovery, for it is believed that unit operation can be justified on saving in development and production costs alone. It would require nearly 20,000,000 barrels of additional oil to be produced in order to return the amount saved by not drilling unnecessary wells. Four horizons are affected by unit or near-unit programs, as follows: The principal operator is under contract with six companies to operate 10,400 acres. This includes all of the productive area of the First Wall

Jan 1, 1930

By John W. Gruner

On account of the tremendous increase in the production of steel there has been much speculation as to the reserves of iron ore. A number of estimates of world scope have been published, which show that these reserves are definitely limited if a long range view is taken. There are, however, optimists who believe that in perhaps two generations the metallurgy of iron will have advanced to the point where any kind of iron mineral combination of perhaps 20 pct iron will be usable. This thinking has been particularly applied to the new taconite developments of the Mesabi Range, for here is an iron formation of such vast extent that its iron could almost last forever. Let us briefly examine this most favorable of all low grade ore reserves in North America. Nothing will be said about the 1,000 million long tons of material now classified as ore, for they will be largely gone in less than 20 years.

Jan 3, 1954

COLUMBIA LOCAL SECTION STANLY A. EASTON, Chairman, FREDERIC KEFFER, Vice-Chairman, L. K. ARMSTRONG, Sec.-Treas., P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. The fifth annual meeting of the Columbia Local Section was held in Wallace, Idaho, November 19-20, 1915, with headquarters at the Samuel Hotel. The afternoon session scheduled for November 19, was adjourned to give the members an opportunity to hear the testimony in the case between the Alameda and Success mining. companies on trial in the Superior Court of Shoshone County. The Success Company offered some excellent mine models and maps and furnished some interesting testimony. In the evening a technical session was held at which Stanly A. Easton presided in the absence of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Section. The following papers were read: Progress in Ore Dressing By D. W. Buckby,.. Mine Accounting for Small Mines, By J. E. Chapman. Zinc Smelting and Smelter Rates, By W. E. Henry.

Jan 2, 1916

By W. R. Wardner

During 1928 low prices in the East greatly restricted the Atlantic market for California petroleum. The situation was made difficult by only partial control of production. The month of December is estimated in the figures presented here and it is hoped that the differences in the final figures will be immaterial. Daily averages are used throughout. Production Daily average crude production for 1928 was 633,942 bbl., very little more than 1927. Natural gasoline production was 35,453 bbl. daily and the supply (crude and natural gasoline) was 669,395 bbl. However, potential supply was 785,621 bbl. daily, 47,436 more than that of 1927. This is accounted for by more production being shut in so that 116,000 bbl. daily was conserved in 1928 which would otherwise have been produced. Fig. 1 shows production by months for 1928. It will be noticed that while crude production held fairly uniform from January to October, the

Jan 1, 1929

By W. M. Rust, W. D. Mounce

THE almost universal acceptance of electrical logging by the petroleum industry calls for a critical examination of the physical bases of the common methods. This is particularly needed for the natural potential log. The conventional explanations are based on the phenomena of electrofiltration and electro-osmosis. However, experimental data show that they fail to give a basis that is quantitatively sound. Moreover, they lead to interpretations of details of electrical logs that are erroneous. It was found experimentally that when a plug of shale is placed in a chain of dissimilar electrolytes, a current flow results. Experiments on oil-well cores and fluids similar to those existing in wells show that potentials are set up which are in reasonable agreement with those encountered in electrical logging. Doubt- less other sources of potential are important but this explanation not only accounts for much of the potential but also clarifies some fairly familiar examples of misinterpretations.

Jan 1, 1944

By Thomas N. Walthier

ROSPECTING for uranium in the East is hampered by the lack of bedrock exposure due to extensive overburden and residual soil. But, despite the problems of this physiographic province, it has not been ignored in the search for radioactive materials. Since 1951 both the U.S. Geological Survey and the Atomic Energy Commission have had field parties in the eastern U.S. Tempo of private prospecting is increasing, and many discoveries have resulted. AEC work so far has been concentrated in the areas of most numerous discoveries-Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Accounts of uranium mineralization in the eastern U.S. are found in the old literature and one site in the Mauch Chunk area of Pennsylvania has been known since 1874. In 1949 McKeown examined the original occurrence there and found another southeast of the town. The deposit appeared to have commercial possibilities and a short period of production began in July 1954

Jun 1, 1955

By S. D. Michaelson

Open pits and quarries are the major sources of all "hard rock" tonnage mined today. Normally, ore is fractured from the pit face by blasting and then truck-hauled to a primary crusher where pro- cessing begins; overburden (or waste) is generally truck-hauled from the pit to dump areas. Truck haulage of blasted ore and overburden accounts for some 25 to 50% of total mining costs in a typical open pit and commonly is the largest single cost factor. Obviously then, cost reduction efforts should properly focus on improving existing haulage systems and developing new breakthrough techniques for material transport. Continuous flow systems for large tonnages ordinarily will result in a lower cost than batch systems such as truck or rail haulage. Continuous flow with pipelines for liquids and slurries, or conveyors for medium to coarse dry materials (in the -8-in. range) are the economic answers for bulk materials handling over reasonable distances.

Jan 11, 1968

By John A. Church

IN May, 1878, I had the honor of presenting to the Institute, at the Chattanooga meeting, some observations upon the heat of the Comstock Lode, and since then the subject has attracted some attention and criticism, in the course of which, I have observed errors of apprehension which I beg leave to correct now. Mr. John Arthur Phillips discussed it before the Geological Society, his paper being printed in the Quarterly Journal for August, 1879.* His criticism is based upon that part of my paper in which I quote a number of analyses of the mine waters, to illustrate the fact that the heat does not come from the oxidation of pyrite. I pointed out that these waters contain only an insignificant proportion of sulphuric acid, and not enough to account for even one per cent. Of * A Contribution to the History of Mineral Veins. By J. Arthur Phillips, Esq., F.G.S. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for August, 1879.

Jan 1, 1880

By Paul C. Merritt

For more than 100 years, British Columbia has been considered a mountainous mining province, rich with potential but relatively poor in actual production. Times have changed. Today, Japanese interests and money have altered the difficult, if not once impossible, economic conditions and market factors which until recently precluded any great growth of the British Columbia mineral industry. The mining boom now underway in British Columbia has carried the total value of mineral production in the Province to a record height in 1962 as it rang up a 27% increase over that of 1961. Breaking the $200 million barrier for the first time, total value of British Columbia's mineral output reached $229- 276,385. Of this amount, metals accounted for 70%; industrial minerals, 6 %; structural materials, 9 %; and fuels, 15%. The substantial increase is attributed to the record production of copper, iron, asbestos, natural gas and petroleum, in addition to the continuing high production rate and favorable prices of other mineral commodities.

Jan 12, 1963

By Richard Moldenke

A. E. OUTERBRIDGE, JR., Philadelphia, Pa. (written discussion).¬ The fact that iron castings improve with age has long been known. Many years ago the late Sir Frederick Bramwell, a distinguished engineer, formerly in charge of the metallurgical and gun-making department of the Woolwich Arsenal, England, determined to break up a large number of cast-iron mortars of an obsolete type that had been in stock for years. It was then reported to biro that it was found to be much more difficult to break these old gun castings under the "drop" than it was to break similar gun-castings recently made, under his own supervision; he changed the.. composition of the iron and still found that whenever castings made recently were broken up (on account perhaps of superficial defects) great disparity was observed in apparent strength between the old and new castings. Sir Frederick then made many other comparative tests, such

Jan 4, 1917

In 1974, iron pellet production in the Great Lakes region reached the 53-million-tpy level, accounting for more than 88% of the nation's pellet production. By 1978, pellet output from the Great Lakes district will climb to at least 78 million tpy. To achieve this 50% increase in output, the US iron and steel industry is investing at least $1.25 billion in new mines and pelletizing plants, mostly in Minnesota and Michigan. The biggest effort is concentrated in the Mesabi Range of Minnesota, the heart of the US steel industry's major iron ore source: here, plans for two new taconite plants-one by Hibbing Taconite Co., and the other by Inland Steel Mining Co.-and three major expansions of existing facilities are already under way to boost Minnesota's total iron pellet capacity from the current 41.2 million tpy to 65 million tpy by 1978. The facilities being expanded are those of US Steel Corp. (Minntac operations), Eveleth Taconite Co., and National Steel Pellet Co.

Jan 11, 1975

By Frederick Prime

AT the last meeting of the Institute, Mr. A. L. Holley read a paper on "Steel," in which he proposes for it a definition so opposed to the one generally received, as to call for some remarks. Until within the last five or six years there has been no dispute on the subject, and it seems worth while to investigate the matter. For not only does a proper tax on all importations depend on a proper appreciation of the term steel, but it is necessary to know whether steel, or wrought-iron, or homogeneous iron are requisite in all processes of manufacture in which malleable iron is employed, on account of cost, strength, etc. Karsteu* says : " Iron may be obtained, either as an unforgeable, unweldable metal, which melts at a high heat, termed cast-iron; or as a ductile, weldable, soft metal, which can only be melted at the * Karsten, Handbuch der Eisenhüttenkunde, 3d ed., vol. i, p. 6. Berlin, 1841.

Jan 1, 1876

By J. R. Campbell

During the past few years, the writer has had occasion to take several excursions into the realms of the washability of beds 3 and 4 of the Pocahontas coal and the proper handling of these coals in prepared sizes Fig. 1.—Washability curve for 4 by 2½-in. egg, PocahoKtas coal. Note that definite break occurs at about 1.60 sp. gr., and washing at this gravity removes all heavy rock and slate, amounting to about 5 per cent. Curve 2 indicates a bony coal, and washed egg coal might not have a good appcarance, and would be condemned by visual inspection, although it would be well prepared mechanically. to attain the greatest realization for the operator and yet produce a market product acceptable to the consumer. Preparation is not new in the southern field, but some new angles have presented themselves in recent years on account of the progress of mechanical preparation. Mechanical methods are entirely devoid of the five senses given to

Jan 1, 1931

By Alfredo O. Del Campo

Copper concentrate smelting has been the subject of significant improvements during the last three decades. Several new processes are being successfully applied at industrial scale, and probably no new copper smelter will be built with the old-fashioned reverberatory furnace. However, because of financial reasons, the existing reverberatory furnaces, which smelt a significant part of the copper produced worldwide, are likely to last at least another decade. Some improvements have been introduced in reverberatory smelting practice, the best known being the use of oxyfuel burners. However, efforts to optimize the reverberatory furnace operation through automatic control have not been reported. The complex and semi-continuous nature of the process makes it dificult to find a suitable strategy for its automatic control. Many factors, like fuel economy, productivity, boiler capacity, refractory wear, converter slag return, copper losses in discard slag, etc. are interconnected. The chosen control strategy should take into account all these factors to achieve good economic results. A detailed discussion of these problems is presented.

Jan 1, 1984

GENTLEMEN : It is my privilege to transmit herewith the reports for the calendar year 1932 of your Treasurer and the Chairmen of the following Standing Committees: Finance, Admissions, Membership, Papers and Publications, Library, and Mining and Metallurgy. To these reports you are referred for additional details of the year's activities. Finances.-Continuation of depressed conditions in the mining industry (in common with other industries) caused the income of the Institute to decline from $168,274 in 1931 to $138,331. However, economies were effected so as to reduce expenditures from $171,198 to $135,977. As a consequence the net result of the operations for the year was a-surplus of income amounting to $2,354 compared with a deficit of $2,924 in 1931. This gratifying result is accounted for in large measure by the foresight of the Finance Committee in anticipating a substantial decline in income and preparing the budget accordingly. Incidentally, the tentative budget for 1933 has been balanced at $125,000.

Jan 1, 1932