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By J. B. Littlefield

[At B. meeting of the Subcommi ttce on Chemica.l _ et.lOds of Air Ant:..1ysis of-the American Public Health Ascociation in October 1937, the llse of the impinger for collectinG lcs.d fu.l1e wa:., discussed. The Bureau of \~nes de-cided to obtain infornw.tion on the efficiency of the lerge and midget im-pingers for this purpose y using the electric recipitator as a r?ference ]

Jan 1, 1938

By I. AITKENS

The basic mining law of Cuba is contained in the basic Spanish mining decree having the effect of law December 29 , 1868. This legislation has remained substantially unchanged , with the exception of a few minor administrative changes made by the present Government . These changes provide for the register of mines , oil wells , and operations of such nature , and also provide for the keeping of records showing the value of minerals taken out . By Royal decree of April 17 , 1883 , the law of mines enacted for the Peninsula ( Spain ) on July 6 , 1859 , and the General Bases of December 29 , 1868 , were declared in force in Cuba . In order to encourage the mining of iron org , in 1883 the Crow of Spain issued a royal decree to the following effect.

Jul 1, 1931

By Lucien Eaton

The mining methods described in this paper are those used in a large mine producing hard specular ore on the Marquette Range in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Although the conditions of mining are unique in this district, they are similar to those in many other districts, and information in regard to the methods used and the results obtained should be of interest. The methods now used are an outgrowth of those of former years which have been adapted to conform with improvements in mechanical appliances, changes in the wage scale and labor supply, and the' selling price of the product. The mine is situated' at Ishpeming, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 16 miles west of Marquette, its shipping port on Lake Superior.

Jan 1, 1929

By Harry W. Campbell

In 1986, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied parts of the 19,747-acre Lower John Day (OR-005-006) and 7,538-acre Thirtymile (OR-005-001) Wilderness Study Areas in order to evaluate their identified mineral resources. The study areas are located in Gilliam and Sherman Counties, OR, about 13 mi west of Condon. The area is underlain by the Miocene-age Columbia River Basalt Group. The Thirtymile study area is inferred to have 790,000 yd3 of subeconomic gold resources averaging 93.8 mg/yd3 gold ($1.21 yd3 at a gold price of $400 per oz) in two river bars. The Lower John Day study area has five river bars with gold occurrences totaling 1.0 million yd3 and averaging 13.5 mg/yd3 ($0.17 yd3) gold. A preliminary mining feasibility estimate suggests gold could be profitably mined in the study areas from placer deposits containing at least $3.83 yd3 in gold content. Stone, sand, and gravel occur in the study areas, but more accessible deposits are closer to regional markets. No mines or prospects are in or near the study areas; however, one lode mining claim, now abandoned, was located in the Thirtymile study area. Oil and gas leases cover both study areas.

Jan 1, 1987

By C. L. Brown

The frequency of mine fires during recent years, with an apparent increase in recent months, has focused attention on the necessity of reducing this hazard by every means possible. Investigation reports are available on 51 mine fires of electrical origin between August 15, 1949, and August 16, 1954. Nine other fires in the same period were suspected as being of electrical origin. Every mine fire is a potential hazard to underground workmen; it is remarkable that only six lives were lost as a result of these fires, since the injury list was very high. Modern mining methods, with increased power demands and extended distribution systems underground, involve greater electrical hazards and possibilities of costly production delays as a result of inadequate electrical service. Improvements in electric-power-distribution facilities in many underground coal mines is desirable. The purpose of this paper is to show the need for this improvement as revealed by studies and investigations of electric-power-distribution systems representative of those in a large number of coal mines.

Jan 1, 1955

By W. E. Miller, G. S. Scott, G. W. Jones

"An important activity of the Bureau of Mines is the promotion of safety in mining and industry. In connection with these activities, the Bureau determines the explosion hazards of combustible gases, liquids, and solids and investigates means by which explosions may be eliminated or reduced in violence.The limits of inflammability and ignition temperature of combustible gases, vapors, and solids are of practical importance because such materials can be manufactured, transported, and used with greater safety, provided the range of concentrations and temperatures that cause explosions are known.Many organic compounds, which until a few year ago were merely laboratory curiosities, are now being manufactured in large quantities owing to the national emergency, particularly those chemicals entering into the manufacture of synthetic rubber, a product that is playing a major role in the Government program of national defense. This re Jolt gives results relative to the limits of inflammability of styrene and its ignition temperature in air and oxygen. This combustible liquid is now used extensively in the manufacture of synthetic rubber."

Mar 1, 1942

By J. B. Newson

This is one of a series of circulars dealing with mining methods, practices, and costs. It describes the method of sinking a shaft 60 inches in diameter with a shot drill, as employed at the Idaho Maryland mine, Grass Valley, Calif. The operation involved a great deal of experimentation in applying the shot-drill method to large bore drilling, overcoming mechanical and other difficulties which developed during sinking, and developing operating technique. Under such circumstances, costs are obviously higher than they would be after the pioneer work has been done, but even so, these actually obtained compare favorably with costs of sinking by more conventional methods. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are indebted to Mr. Errol McBoyle, president of the Idaho Maryland Mining Co., not only for his cooperation and advice during the sinking of this experimental shaft, but for permission to prepare this article for publication with the inclusion of cost data.

Jan 1, 1936

By R. H. Sprute

This report describes a feasibility study to consolidate coal waste sludge in a 100-acre pond by applying direct current between floating and buried electrodes. The study was conducted by the Bureau of Mines under a cooperative agreement with Washington Irrigation and Development Co., located near Centralia, Wash. Part 1 covers results of laboratory tests at the Bureau's Spokane Research Center and a small-scale field test at the cooperator's coal preparation plant in western Washington. The process is efficient and cost-effective when power is applied at low current density. A proposed system, fully described in part 2, has electrodes covering 21 acres of pond surface radially arranged around a central power platform. Densification of pond contents would require 2 to 3 years of treatment. Total cost of equipment, labor, and material is approximately $500,000.

Jan 1, 1982

Five conclusions that emerged from ADL's Contractor Noise Measurements Assessment done for the Bureau of Mines and the 7 December 1971 Bureau of Mines Contractors' Round Table Meeting in Boulder, Colorado were: ? a limited amount of good data has been obtained for characterizing the noise environment for electromagnetic (EM) coal mine operational/emergency communications systems; ? significant noise date gaps still exist; ? suitable instrumentation and data analysis methods are available for filling these data gaps; ? the immediate and most important data gaps should be filled by means of a timely field measurement effort that is purposely limited in scope and duration; ? this field measurement effort should preferably be carried out by a team knowledgeable and experienced in coal mine EM noise measurements.

Jan 1, 1972

By Peter H. Toepfer

This report presents the factual data obtained by the Bureau of Mines during diamond-drilling investigation of the Sunset copper deposit in the Index mining district, Snohomish County, Wash. The Sunset mine, first produced copper ore in 1902, but its main period of activity was from 1923 through 1930, The mine has produced 263,500 tons of ore, from which 1,500 ounces of gold, 156,000 ounces of silver, and 12,912,000 bounds of copper-were recovered. The mine has, been idle since 1946

Jan 1, 1953

By R. Van A. Mills

This preliminary paper is intended to answer briefly some of the inquiries coning to the Bureau of Mines regarding the so-called "paraffining", of oil wells and methods of preventing and remedying that trouble. The increased difficulties in operation and the losses of production caused by the deposition of gummy and waxy hydrocarbons, commonly called paraffin, in the wells, tubing, other pumping equipment, and in the pores of the productive sands, have long been recognized but the trouble has not been overcome. The nature and causes of the trouble, together with some of the possible methods by which it may be diminished or overcome, are outlined below. Character of the Peraffining Materials. The so-called paraffin that collects in oil wells end in the pores of the oil-producing sands immediately around the wells, is generally made up of amorphous wax or uncracked paraffin, asphalt, or other gummy hydrocarbons mixed with more or lees water, oil, and inorganic silt. Some of the samples of this "paraffin" collected from oil wells in different fields and examined by the Bureau of Mines contain as mach as 20 per cent by weight of water and inorganic silt, whereas other samples are composed entirely of waxy hydrocarbons and oil. The inorganic silt accompanying this "paraffin" is mostly fine sand, clayey materials, common salt and finely disseminated precipitates of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Sulphates of calcium, barium, and strontium are less common constituents of the "paraffin."

Jan 1, 1923

Because surface mining removes the original plant cover from the land and exposes the soil, special care is needed. Until the mined land is stabilized by revegetation, snowmelt and rainfall can pick up sediment and erode mined lands much faster than undisturbed areas. Sediment control is an important aspect of protecting the environment during mining and reclamation because without it, large amounts of sediment can clog streams, increase the risk of flooding, damage irrigation systems, harm aquatic habitat, and limit the use of water for other purposes. Stream quality can be affected many miles downstream from the mine. Before SMCRA was implemented many streams were degraded by uncontrolled sediment from mining. Sediment is controlled through careful planning and a design that incorporates a variety of measures that work together to reduce soil erosion at the mine. Disturbed areas are graded, and some areas terraced, to achieve stable slopes, reduce runoff water velocity, increase infiltration, and divert runoff into drainage channels so that it flows away from unvegetated, erodible areas. Grading along the slope contour and scarify in gun vegetated slopes with bulldozer track marks help prevent erosion by slowing down the flow of water. Runoff from haul roads is controlled by culverts and roadside ditches. Sedimentation ponds or other forms of sediment control are required at all mines to minimize the amount of sediment leaving the site.

Jan 1, 1992

By Van H. Manning

EXPLOSIVES RESEARCH. As the physical laboratories of the explosives section of the Pitts- burgh experiment station were equipped for testing the physical properties of explosives, both the Army and Navy Departments for many years had requested the Bureau of Mines to make such tests. Chemical control of the physical tests through analyses, heat tests, analyses of gaseous products of combustion, and sand tests was exer- cised through the explosives chemical laboratory. Often an investigation was cooperative between two laboratories. The explosives chemical laboratory also aided the work of the Ex- plosives Regulation both by chemical tests and investigation of acci- dents in explosives plants. COOPERATIVE WORK FOR ARMY AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS. The explosives chemical laboratory devised, at the request of the Bureau of Ordnance of the Navy, a more economical method of making hexanitrodiphenylamine. This problem was assigned to the Bureau of Mines by Dr. C. E. Munroe, chairman of the committee on explosives of the National Research Council, acting as the depart- ment of science and research of the Council of National Defense. Before the United States entered the war the following reports of investigations were submitted to the Army or the Navy: 1. Report of sensitiveness and relative efficiency of TNT and ammonium picrate, dated February 6, 1913, undertaken at the re- quest of the Chief of Ordnance. 2. Report of tests and examination of two samples of TNT and one of TNA for the Ordnance Department of the Army, dated August 5, 1915, was undertaken at the request of commanding officer, Frankford Arsenal. 3. Report of tests for sensitiveness to detonation of mercury ful- minate of 21 samples of TNT crystallized from various solvents, for the Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department, dated June 17, 1916. 4. Report of tests of two samples of mercury fulminate for Frank- ford Arsenal, dated December 2, 1916, undertaken at the request of the commanding officer, Frankford Arsenal. After the United States entered the war the following reports of investigations were submitted: 5. Report of pendulum friction and large impact tests on two samples of "sodatol" and two samples of "amatol." The final report was dated July 20, 1918; and the preliminary report, May 15, 1918. This investigation was undertaken at the request of the Ordnance

Jan 1, 1919

By Ralph H. Espach

The value of careful fractionation in the manufacture of petroleum products is recognized more and more by petroleum refiners. Recent studies have shown that the quality of the products depends largely on the type of fractionating equipment and on the care used in operating the equipment. For example Rue3 has shown that careful fractionation of pressure distillate will greatly reduce the amount of chemical treatment necessary to produce finished gasoline. The advantages of the combination of pipe still and bubble tower in obtaining good fractionation are well recognized in the petroleum industry. However, the equipment designed in the past has in general been much too large for convenient laboratory use. The present paper describes a continuous-distillation apparatus for the laboratory study of fractionation. This apparatus has given very satisfactory results in the study of different crude oils and petroleum products. A discussion of the theory and action of bubble towers has not been given, as this subject has been discussed previously by Cooke and Rue4. It is believed that the distillation curves of the products obtained from this apparatus show clearly its capabilities.

Jan 1, 1928

By R. P. Jewett

The object of this investigation was to correlate the crushing strength of green pellets prepared from magnetite, specular and earthy hematite with the particle size of these respective raw materials. In this study no attempt was made to correlate the strength of fired pellets and particle size. The effect of particle size upon a number of fine ores and concentrates was studied. Much of the low-grade ore reserves in the Lake Superior Region must be finely ground before concentration and then agglomerated for iron and steelmaking processes. Fine natural ores also must be agglomerated. Pellets constitute an important type of agglomerate. Considerable handling occurs during screening to remove undersize and oversize pellets, and in transfering green unfired pellets from the balling machines to the heat-hardening equipment. As a result the strength of the green pellets is a factor of great importance.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. D. Leitch

The work of the United States Bureau of Mines on stream pollution by coal-mine drainage has included a study of seasonal variations in acidity and volume of several streams in Pennsylvania. The acidity of these streams has been determined during the two or three years prior to 1930 and the results may be considered to represent "normal" low water conditions. The summer of 1330, however, was unusually dry and represents what may be termed "extreme low water conditions on these streams. This report is a comparison of the results obtained for extreme low water of 1930 and for other years. The streams investigated were Buffalo Creek in Somerset County, Indian Creek (lower 5 miles) in Westmoreland County, Little Toby Creek in Elk and Jefferson Counties, Daguscohonda Run in Elk County and West Creek in Elk and Cameron Counties. These will be treated separately in the order given. Most of the descriptive matter and physical data pertinent to the streams and drainage basins are taken from published reports of the Pennsylvania State Water Supply Commission, 1917.

Jan 1, 1931

An active list of permissible explosives was published in December 1936 as part of Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 3324, under the title "Active List of Permissible Explosives and Blasting Devices Approved Prior to July 31, 1,936." This list included 170 brand names. Changes in the list that have been authorized to June 30, 1937 placed 35 additional brands of permissible explosives on the active permissible list as a result of tests, changes in brand names, or transfer from the inactive list. Ten permissible explosives were transferred from the active to the inactive list. The present list contains 196 brand names, one explosive having been placed on the list subsequent to June 30, 1937. The brand names of the permissible explosives placed on the active list are as follows: [ ]

Jan 1, 1937

By A. Visnapuu

The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the oxidation of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Type 304 stainless steel (SS) during annealing in simulated combustion products from several air-CH4 fuel ratios. Atmospheres representing air-CH4 ratios of 14:1 and 18:1 contained free 02, while atmospheres representing 10:1 air-CH, ratio did not. A Cr203 layer formed on SS samples annealed in atmospheres containing free 0, while a Cr-Fe spinel layer formed in atmospheres with no free 02. The Cr203 layer was adherent and presented a protective barrier to metal diffusion, effectively limiting oxidation of the metal substrate. The Cr-Fe spinel was not protective and allowed the diffusion of Fe through the spinel to the gas-oxide interface where it was oxidized to magnetite, which spalled from the surface. This resulted in thick scale layers on samples annealed in atmospheres containing no free 02, as compared to layers formed on samples annealed in atmospheres containing free 02. These results confirmed and explained industrial operators' observations that thick, smoky (fine spalled magnetite) scales form on SS annealed in low free-02 atmospheres, while thin protective oxide layers form on sheets in atmospheres containing free 02.

Jan 1, 2010

By R. L. Marek

An important problem in the efficient conduct of industry is that of helping the individual employee to formulate an attitude toward his work which will result in the reduction of accidents and the promotion of safety. Perhaps nowhere is the need greater for this type of Psychological training of carefully selected men than at oil refineries whore both the raw materials and the finished products are highly inflammable and explosive in nature. However, the refinery organization usually is well adapted to educational safety activities - much more so than in the producing, pipe line, and marketing departments where the personnel are more or less scattered; but the same general principles of conduct hold true in any industrial organization. This problem of directing the attention of the employees to their specific tasks or helping them to control and frequently eliminate hazards engendered by adverse mental attitude or emotion is met most satisfactorily by carefully selecting applicants and placing them at jobs for which their ability, best fits them. The subsequent training of these carefully selected employees to assure their most effective work in accident prevention mu be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as by personal supervision and instruction, inspections, drills, and by the studied use of well thought out safety pamphlets and posters. This procedure is simple in outline and not original in scope, yet the importance of selecting and training the personnel has, not been generally accepted by the petroleum industry until recent years. In 1926, the Bureau of Mines, while making a study of accidents in the petroleum industry, found that medical examinations of prospective employees were not receiving unanimous endorsement by all companies, and the point was stressed that the selection and allocation of employees was a problem requiring serious consideration in the petroleum industry.

Jan 1, 1932

By R. L. Marek

[An important problem in the efficient conduct of industry is that of helping the individual employee to formulate in attitude toward his work which will result in the reduction of accidents and the promotion of safety. Perhaps nowhere is the need greater for this type of psychological training of carefully selected men than at oil refineries whore both the raw materials and the finished products are highly inflammable and explosive in nature. However, the refinery organization usually is well adapted to educational safety activities -- much more so than in the producing, pipe line, and marketing departments where the personnel are more or less scattered; but the sore general principles of conduct hold true in any industrial organization. This problem of directing the attention of tie employees to their specific tasks or helping them to control and frequently eliminate hazards engendered by adverse mental attitude or emotion is met most satisfactorily by carefully selecting applicants and placing theta at jobs for which their ability best fits them. The subsequent training of these carefully selected employees to assure their Most effective work in accident prevention may be accomplished in a variety of gays, ouch as by personal supervision and instruction, inspections, drills, and by the studied use of well thought out safety pamphlets and posters.]

Jan 1, 1932