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By V. H. Gottschalk

THE solubility of gases in metals has been of interest since Graham's time in 1866, but, although the subject was actively studied by iron and steel metallurgists during the eighties, the era of painstaking laboratory investigation begins in 1907 with the publication of Sieverts'1 thesis on the occlusion and diffusion of gases in metals. Since then, Sieverts has worked almost continuously in this field, and his views on the subject are the prevailing ones at the present time.2 Probably the most important result obtained by Sieverts, and frequently verified since by other observers, is the discovery that at a constant temperature the solubility of almost all gases in both the liquid and solid state of most of the metals is proportional to the square root of the pressure (for pressure above 100 mm.). The obvious explanation of this fact is that the gas dissolves as atoms and not as molecules, although it has been pointed out a number of times, first by Donnan and Shawl in connection with their work on the solubility of oxygen in silver at 1075° C., that the formation and solution of a compound of the metal and gas would also be indicated by a variation of the solubility with the square or higher root of the pressure. Sieverts4 himself raised the question whether the usual explanation (i. e., that the gas dissolves as atoms) may not be wrong, when he found that the square root law held also for the solubility of sulfur dioxide in molten copper; in which case dissociation into simpler molecules or atoms does not take place. Stubbs5 subsequently showed that Sieverts and Krumbhaar's "constant" for sulfur

Jan 1, 1932

By Charles Catlett

My attention having been called several years ago to the possibility of increasing the yield of coke per ton of coal, as obtained in certain bee-hive ovens, I called the attention of the Institute to the matter at the New York meeting in 1899. I have had occasion since to witness the indifference with which this matter is ordinarily considered, and, on the other hand, the marked improvement which comes from even a most perfunctory effort in that direction; and I am almost tempted to say that nothing in connection with the coking of coal is at present so important. There are other factors, which are fundamental and necessary; but they have been considered already ; while the question of yield is, as a rule, absolutely ignored, or some figure is taken as the result of a special burning of one or two ovens, and the assumption is made that the whole battery is yielding at that rate. The uncertainty of this assumption I may illustrate by saying that, in my own observation, the burning of a single oven in a battery frequently gives, by actual weight, as much as 69 or 70 per cent. of merchantable coke, while the battery as a whole was yielding only an average of 63 per cent. Only from careful records, checked at least once a month, of the weight of the coal going to the ovens and the weight of coke produced, can any correct idea of the actual yield be gained, or methods be modified so as to produce good results; yet, as a rule, the crudest estimates are usually the only available data. In many cases there are reasons for this loose practice. The coal is mined by measurement; the payment for drawing the ovens is in proportion to the amount of cod which goes to them; and, not uncommonly, the royalty is so much a ton of coke, not of coal. The mine-manager is tempted to increase the volume of coal mined which is paid for as a ton, and to do the same thing in charging the ovens. Nor does he

Jan 1, 1903

By W. D. Robertson, H. H. Uhlig

INTRODUCTION THE intermetallic compounds Mg2Sn and Mg2Pb are two of the important series of stoichiometric compounds pounds which magnesium forms with elements of the fourth group of the periodic system, Since there is a complete series, of compounds, all possessing the same comparatively simple structure, a unique opportunity is presented to study their properties with respect to increasing atomic number of the anion as it varies from silicon and germanium, through tin and lead. The present work deals with the two lower members of this group, and it is hoped eventually that additional data regarding the silicide and germanide will be obtained. The results of such a complete study provide part of the essential basis for the empirical correlation and theoretical treatment which, in other systems, has contributed to an understanding of intermetallic compounds and the metallic state in general. Some experimental data are already available in the literature, However, they re fragmentary and limited in significance owing to the methods of preparation employed and the impure materials available at the time, It was our objective, therefore, using pure metals and improved metallurgical methods of preparation, to produce stoichiometric compounds of high purity for the study of their electrical and chemical properties. We felt that a detailed investigation of chemical properties, about which relatively little is known, combined with electrical properties, would be a significant contribution to the understanding of these compounds and in particular to the mechanism of corrosion associated with types of bonding in alloy systems. The chemical studies are reported elsewhere. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Previous work concerning the electrical properties of these compounds was undertaken in connection with the establishment of the two phase diagrams which are available in Hansen1 and Beck,2 The first comprehensive investigation of the electrical conductivity of magnesium-tin and magnesium-lead alloys was made by Kurnakov and Stepanov.3 This was followed by Grube and Vosskühler4 who studied electrical conductivity and thermal expansion over a wide range of temperature and who, unlike Stepanov, appreciated the significance of the large solid solubility of tin in magnesium and took some precautions to obtain an equilibrium state. However, at the time these investigations were made, neither pure magnesium nor

Jan 1, 1948

By C. R. Boyd

THE region to which I have the pleasure of calling your attention, though limited in area, is remarkable for the quantity and purity of its mineral deposits, and in these respects it would be difficult to find its equal anywhere. IRON ORES. The red and brown hematites, pipe ore, and semi-magnetites, from which is made in charcoal furnaces the highest quality of iron for car-wheels, extend through the counties of Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth, Washington, Bland, Tazewell, Russell, Scott, Lee, Floyd, Carroll, and Grayson, Virginia, and run over into Ashe County, North Carolina. One locality of semi-magnetite, in the centre of the great Giles County basin, has in sight, by actual measurement, 50,000 tons of ore, which, according to Prof. Fesquet, contains 69.74 per cent. of iron and no phosphorus. In the great brown-ore belt, which passes through the counties of Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth, and Washington, there is an extraordinary deposit of more than a million tons. A small section of this very long vein, on Cripple Creek, in the County of Wythe, yields an ore which, analyzed by Mr. James Aumann, gave the following results: Metallic iron, - 58.15 Water, - 12 96 Alumina, - 2.32 Silica, - 1.09 Phosphorus, - none. At one point towards the western end of Red Land Mountain, in Pulaski County, New River section, I measured a body of ore in this belt which will yield, to a depth of 150 feet, over 8,000,000 tons, and the deposit extends far below the 150 feet measured at the upper part. Again, at Rich Hill, near the mouth of Reed Island Creek, these veins show extraordinary surface development, giving an ore of very great purity. At numerous places, also, in the counties of Giles, Bland, Tazewell, Russell, Scott, Wise, and Lee, these brown and red iron ores are exposed in such vast quantities as to baffle both description and measurement. That of Chestnut Flat, in Giles County, back or west of the Angel's Rest Mountain, is an easily reducible ore, blood-red when crushed, of which there are fully 300,000 tons in sight. Its analysis is as follows

Jan 1, 1880

By Harold A. Linke

The following article presents notes and data compiled and computed by the writer for use in the determination of: size and slope of mill launders, details of junction boxes and downspouts, and distribution of pulp. It also includes pulp formulas, volume of discharge through bushings, paths of discharging streams, banking of turns and curves. In the design of a concentrating mill, the draftsman usually considers launders to the extent of providing ample "head" for transmission of pulp from one department of the mill to another. The superintendent of construction aims to build his launders wide and deep, and on a slope steep enough to ensure positive flow. So launders are laid generally on too steep a slope, with the result that the repair gang works to maintain launder bottoms and sides against the erosive action of the conveyed pulp. To this end many kinds of liners have been devised: concrete, mastic, white iron, glass, rubber. True, the reduction of slope to the point where a pulp will flow with minimum wear, will minimize labor and expense; but when the desired slope is not predetermined, the millman hesitates to readjust his launder slopes by cut-and-try methods. To the end that the desired size and slope may be found readily, the writer has: (1) conducted experiments with pulps of different specific gravity, screen analysis and dilution; (2) gathered a few graphic data from standard reference works (such as Peele's Mining Engineer's Handbook and Taggart's Handbook of Ore Dressing); (3) computed several tables; and compiled results that have proved dependable for Utah Copper ore. It is quite possible that the following tables and graphs may not be applicable to all ores, but it is hoped that they may prove helpful, even in slight degree, in alleviating a portion of the trouble and migraine of some other millman. Launder Slopes The main object in the study of launder slopes is to provide grade steep enough to prevent "sanding" by a safe margin, and to avoid

Jan 1, 1943

By F. G. Tickell, R. C. McCurdy, O. E. Mechem

The behavior of fluids in the voids of a rock is fundamental to the study of many of the problems of oil-field development and production. For it is by virtue of these openings between grains that oil and gas are able to move through the rock, to be contained by the rock, and to pass from the rock into the well. The capacity to contain fluids is measured by the porosity of the rock, and the ease of fluid movement is governed by the permeability. When the engineer wishes to estimate the amounts of oil and gas in an underground reservoir he is often concerned with the porosities of the rocks and, when dealing with problems relating to rate of production, he is more likely to be interested in the permeabilities of the rocks. Rocks are permeable because they are porous, but they may be porous without being permeable. Clays are very porous, and yet they are impermeable from a practical standpoint. Attempts have been made1 to correlate permeability with porosity for certain rock members but, where a definite relationship between these two properties is found to hold, it is purely fortuitous and local. Porosity and permeability do not necessarily bear any quantitative relationship to one another. The porosity of a substance is the percentage of void volume to bulk volume. The petroleum engineer is usually interested only in the inter-granular voids that are accessible to fluids. In measuring porosity he does not wish to include scaled openings. The measurement he desires is one of "available porosity," otherwise called "apparent porosity." The porosity of a natural aggregate of solid grains, such as a sandstone or clay, is governed by: (1) Grain-size distribution, (2) angularity of grain, (3) colloidal content, (4) degree of compaction. It is not difficult, for unconsolidated rocks, to measure the effect of any one of these when it alone is varied, and then to predict what the effects on porosity will be for such single variables. It is very difficult, however, if not

Jan 1, 1933

By Sydney H. Loram

TEIS paper, which is merely an arrangement of data collected during several hurried journeys, is offered to serve as a record, until such time as a better substitute be compiled. My observations were confined, as far as possible, over the entire distance, to the actual river valley; because near the Central Cordillera the country is so mountainous as to be im; passable in any direction but that of the dominant valleys. The river is not navigable anywhere, and for the first part of its course is a mountain torrent that runs down the bottom of narrow, almost vertical-sided valleys, through which the only road requires repeated fording, and often following up the bed of the stream ; but the rock-walls, standing clean and free from debris on either side, present the different formations with remarkable distinctness. A topographical map and a cross-seetion of the Rio Huasco is given in Fig. 1. The Rio Huasco practically rises from Laguna Grande, a lake about 17 km. from the Argentine boundary, and 3,135 m. above se-level, which is fed by direct snow-water, and by a few streams varying from a considerable volume, when supplied by the melting snow, in late spring, to little or nothing during the rest of the year. It is a somewhat pear-shaped body of water, about 1.5 miles in length and half a mile in average width, with a reported maximum depth of 45 meters. It was formed by the choking up of a narrow continuation of the same valley with blocks of an agglomerate mentioned later. The present level is some 5 m. below high-water mark (to which point, according to local accounts, it has not been filled for 35 years). In the intervening margin is a calcareous deposit about 4 m. thick, formed by the rapid evaporation of the water in the exceedingly dry air, and aided by the capillary action of an aquatic plant, growing in thick masses around the edge of the lake. These masses, dying and banking up, form

Jan 1, 1905

By H. G. Botset

ANY information that will increase the accuracy of our knowledge of the conditions prevailing in petroleum reservoirs should be of direct value in the determination of the proper operating technique as well as in the estimation of reserves and of ultimate production. The obvious method of obtaining this information is by studying a sample of the reservoir rock and its contents. In any such study, the problem of primary importance and maximum difficulty is that of getting the core to the surface in such a manner that its original fluid content is undis-turbed, which has so far proved to be an impossible task. Though it might be rash to say this will never be done, it is certainly safe to assume that a method for the recovery of a core at the surface in its undisturbed original state may not be developed in the immediate future, and certainly will not be forthcoming without a great deal of costly experimentation. Therefore any information that may be obtained that will help to correlate the state of a core (its fluid saturation) at the surface with its condition at the time it was drilled should be of value to the petroleum industry. The experiments described in this paper were undertaken with the purpose of determining, if possible, any relationship that might exist between the saturation of a core at the surface and its original fluid content. No consideration has been given to the question of contamina-tion by penetration of drilling water, since this problem has been exten-sively studied by other investigators. 1-3 Furthermore, it was regarded as being outside the scope of the present experiments, which were con-cerned only with the effect of pressure reduction upon the liquid content of cores. In an experimental study of this sort involving a large number of variables, accurate control of all factors is very important. The essen-tial and obvious procedure is to vary systematically one factor or condi-tion while keeping all the others constant, which necessarily involves a rather protracted and sometimes tedious experimental program.

Jan 1, 1939

Forty-three years ago a record for low cost was made at the Spanish mine, in Nevada county, California. In 22 days of September, 1887, there was mined 2796 tons of ore at a cost of 37.5 cents per ton, of which 32.4 cents was for labor and 5.1 cents for supplies. The mill treated this ore for 23 cents per ton, of which 12.3 cents was for labor and 10.7 cents for supplies. Thus the total operating cost was 60.5 cents per ton. The yield was $1.16 in gold per ton, leaving a profit of 56 cents per ton, or 48 per cent of the yield. The mine was an open-cut in a schist formation on a hillside and the work was done by Chinese laborers that were paid $1.40 per shift. The ore was soft, and could be ground effectively in four Hunting- ton mills, supplemented by silvered amalgamating plates.* The engineer in charge was F. W. Bradley, a student from the University of California. As has been indicated, the conditions were unusually favorable in respect of softness of ore, accessibility to the mill, metallurgic simplicity, with cheap labor and power, but even at that the results were so remark- able as to attract general attention, which, as might be expected, was magnified, for advertising purposes, by the manufacturers of the Huntington mill, the firm of Parke & Lacy, at San Francisco. The record made at the Spanish mine therefore found its way into many textbooks on mining published at that time. The editor of the 'Mining and Scientific Press'† (at that date, Charles G. Yale) evidently took a warm interest in. the

Jan 1, 1932

By J. A. Dos Santos

High angle conveyor (HA C) systems in open-¬pit mining offer many advantages over the traditional, truck only, haulage systems. These include superior energy efficiency, less dependency on petroleum products, less sensitivity to inflation, less excavation for the amount of ore recovered, and less ramp construction and maintenance costs. Various high angle conveying systems and the corresponding characteristics of the high angle conveyor are illustrated. Discussion includes the range of HAC systems from the low capacity (up to 1.8 kt/h or 2000 stph), low lift (10.7 to 36.6 m or 35 to 120 ft), continuously mobile to the moderate capacity (1.8 to 3.6 kt/h or 2000 to 4000 stph), moderate lift (36.6 to 76.2 m or 120 to 250 ft), intermittently mobile to the high capacity (greater than 3.6 kt/h or 4000 stph), high lift (greater than 76.2 m or 250 ft), semimobile. Combinations of the above as required for the various open-pit mining operations are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By C. P. Parsons

During the past year considerable interest has been shown in cementing operations for shutting off bottom water, whipstocking, etc. A number of plug-back methods have been used, with various adaptations for special conditions, but those described in this paper are representative of the methods now in use. Conditioning the Well Various preliminary operations for improving the results from plug-back operations have been evolved. In one method, a nitroglycerin shot is discharged at the upper portion of the formation to be plugged off, the purpose being to make a wide place in the hole in order to give the cement a more secure anchor against thrust pressure of the water against the bottom of the cement plug after the well is again put on production. Another is intended to attain a similar result by under-reaming a wide place in the hole by means of a rotary wall scraper. In one well in which this device was used there was a water sand at the bottom of the well immediately below the cap rock above which the oil sand occurred. Before the plugging back operation, the water sand was underreamed in an attempt to get a square shoulder on the underside of the cap rock, in order to prevent the water from breaking in over the top of the cement plug after the well should be put on production, and also to get a more secure anchor for the cement plug against the thrust pressure of the water against it. As an aid in calculating the amount of cement required to fill a given amount of hole to be plugged back, a device has been developed for measuring and recording the irregularities and cavities in open holes, called an "open-hole recording caliper." If consists of a steel shell, 5 in. in diameter, which encloses a recording mechanism that receives impressions from four movable arms that make sliding contact with the wall of the hole. The arms operate a ratchet, which raises and lowers a recording stylus against a chart. Each arm registers its own radius. The device is run into a well on a steel measuring line. While the device is being lowered, the arms are folded inside the shell; they are

Jan 1, 1936

By P. B. Liebermann

THE resistance to motion offered by mine cars is caused principally by: Rolling friction, flange friction, bending rails, bearing friction and wind resistance. With proper construction and with a fair amount of attention and care, that is, under favorable conditions, the first three items cannot be greatly improved. The wind resistance ordinarily is negligible on account of the slow speeds commonly used. The bearing friction, however, is a variable item, depending upon the design, the bearing material, the lubrication, the location (whether in wheel-hub or on car-body) and the alignment. Under the most favorable conditions the bearing friction will reach a lowest possible value. By the development of a successful anti-friction mine-car bearing this lowest value has been improved to such an extent as to affect the whole system of mine haulage. After being satisfied of their durability and certainty of operation, any investigation into the advantages of anti-friction bearings for mine cars will have to be based upon reliable information as to the saving in power of such bearings. While numerous tests have been made in this direction, the results have not always been convincing, principally because of the rather crude methods that were employed. These crude methods are the main cause of the wide variations existing in regard to the exact amount of the frictional resistance. Frequently an ordinary spring balance is used and the pull necessary to move a certain car or train of cars is obtained by a number of readings. Such spring balances necessarily have a coarse graduation and the continuous vibration and fluctuations to which they are subjected make them highly dependent upon the individual observer. Further, they must be frequently calibrated. Sometimes these tests were made without regard to acceleration, speed or even grade.

Jan 6, 1916

By J. W. Littleford

The Roan Antelope Copper Mines Ltd. are situated in the north central part of Northern Rhodesia, at an altitude of 4000 ft. and 13" south of the Equator. The town site (Luanshya) is well situated and enjoys among other things a really temperate climate for 10 months of the year. The two spring and summer months, October and November, while hot and humid, do not bring any great discomforts as compared with many other mining camps. Strictly modern brick homes, with electric lights, purified water, telephone and water-borne sewage, add to the comfort of the employees. A rainfall of approximately 60 in. per year furnishes ample water for both industrial and domestic purposes. The rainy season generally begins in October and lasts through until March. As much as 3 to 4 in. is recorded in 24 hr., but this offers no difficulties because the runoff is very rapid. The property is connected by a 24-mile branch line from Ndola with the main line of the Beira-Mashonaland and Rhodesia Railways Ltd. Practically all supplies from overseas are transported over this line from Beira, 1743 miles distant on the east coast in Portuguese East Africa. The mine output also leaves Africa from this port. Passenger service is principally via Cape Town or Durban, a distance of about 2100 miles to either port. The Imperial Airways maintain a service from Cape Town to Croydon, taking 9 days for the trip. Connections can be made with this service at Broken Hill, 150 miles south of Luanshya, by either rail or automobile. Thus, after several days of travel through virgin bush, a visitor arrives at a typically modern town site in the heart of Africa. Every development in mining, milling and smelting practice is used to advantage. Plan of Mill The practice in the three principal phases of the production of copper from the ores of this company have been published from time to time. Milling practice, however, is continually changing and what may be

Jan 1, 1935

By D. F. Haley

The molybdenite deposits at Climax, Colo., have recently attracted considerable notice, because of their great size, as compared with other known deposits of the same mineral. Climax station, on the Colorado Southern narrow-gage railway, was at one time the Fremont Pass station on the Denver & Rio Grande. It is 141/2 miles northeast of Leadville, and exactly on the divide between the headwaters of the Arkansas and Blue Rivers. Climax station is 11,300 ft. (3444 m.) above sea level. The working tunnel of the molybdenum mine is about 1 mile from the railroad, and 900 ft. above it, at an elevation of 12,200 feet. The climatic conditions are severe, and snow can be expected during any month of the year. Winter sets in not later than Nov. 1, the snowfall is very heavy, and the ground remains covered with snow until June 1, and sometimes even later. From June 1 to Oct. 1, there is much rain and a little snow falls in the late afternoon nearly every day. In October, 1917, there was one of the biggest snowstorms and blizzards of the year. Being just on the divide, constant strong winds blow the fine, dry snow with such force that, during most of the winter, outside work of any kind is accomplished under most trying conditions. Within a few miles of Climax, some of the richest gold placers of Colorado occur. One of them, McNulty Gulch, was just across on the northeastern flank of Bartlett mountain. This mountain, therefore, was well prospected, and the presence of a bluish mineral and a yellowish one resembling sulfur was known to the old prospectors. They thought for many years that the blue mineral was graphite, and it is difficult to say when it first became definitely known that it was molybdenite. Claims had been staked as early as 1896, but it is evident that the prospectors at that time were looking for gold. In 1902, several claims were acquired by H. Leal, who drove a tunnel about 900 ft. (274 m.) long, probably to intersect a fault, which shows on the surface, and was thought to be a possible gold carrier. Gold was not found in paying quantities, but throughout its length the tunnel passed through a fractured silicified granite, showing a fairly uniform distribution of a fine-grained bluish mineral, which was finally determined as molybdenite. For several

Jan 1, 1920

By E. C. Lee

The safety of mine workers has received more attention from both State and Federal law-making bodies than any other industry, a fact that shows clearly the hazardous nature of the industry. The last, but by no means the least, of the measures adopted for the protection of mine workers, is workmen's compensation legislation. This is proving to be a powerful instrument for greater safety in the industries, from the fact that special stress is laid not on how the accident happened or who may have been responsible for it, but on how badly the employee is hurt by it. The injured person does not have to employ lawyers to prove his case, because- the mere fact of his employment is proof of his right to compensation. The immediate effect of such legislation is the certainty confronting the mine operator that he must. pay out large sums for every accident, regardless of its cause, thus adding materially to the cost of the production of his coal. his fact furnished to the operator the strongest incentive to reduce the causes of accidents; not that the operator has ever lacked reasonable consideration for the welfare of his employees and a proper humane interest in their safety, but his engrossmentin earning his daily livelihood has been so great that he has not felt that he had the time to devote to the safety of the operation. This time he must now find because of the actual cash value of the prevention of accidents in his mines. This agency alone proved inadequate to bring about a material improvement because operators have always been willing enough to improve safety conditions when possible to do so within reasonable limits of their financial ability. The requirement in the Workmen's Compensation Laws of several of the States, that the mine operator shall insure as a guarantee of his ability to meet his compensation obligations, has furnished the needed incentive, moral and financial, necessary to the prompt and effective dissemination of a more general knowledge of the causes and

Jan 1, 1918

By Elliott J. Roberts

In spite of the fact that the percentage of true colloids in an ore grind is very small,' these pulps exhibit many of the properties of true colloidal suspensions. A quartz particle, appreciably finer than 10 microns in diameter, has a settling rate so low that at a dilution of 5:l or over, the capacity of a settling tank to settle such particles would be uneconomical if the individual particle rate prevailed. However, by grouping the finer particles into aggregates or flocs, the settling rate can be increased to an economical value. The colloidal chemistry of pulp thickening is thus chiefly concerned with particles having diameters of between 1 and 10 microns, although particles as coarse as 40 microns in diameter are more or less involved. These particles must be associated in such a manner that they settle at an economical rate and give a clear, supernatant liquid or overflow. The treatment of the subject may be divided into three phases, cach phase having a more or less different colloidal aspect. The first phase is the problem of getting the pulp or suspension into the proper condition of flocculence; the second is the behavior of the flocculent pulp in its initial and intermediate stages of settling; the third is the behavior of the flocs in the find period of settling or thickening stage. Let us look first into the methods and mechanism of obtaining the flocs and then consider their behavior and properties. Flocculation Colloids are merely ordinary substances reduced to a very small particle size, the upper limit being placed by definition at 1 micron (0.001 mm.) diameter by the soil chemists and at from 0.2 to 0.1 micron by various other colloid chemists. The lower limit is reached only when the particles approach molecular dimensions. The term L'colloid" should not necessarily imply lack of crystallinity. Particles as small as 0.01 to 0.02 micron give perfect X-ray patterns, while with 0.005 micron particles the bands on the powder photograph are merely broaderled and diffused.2

Jan 1, 1935

By Will Coghill

FLOTATION has been so closely allied with the sulfide minerals and their early and associated oily reagents that the term "oil flotation" has erroneously been applied to the entire flotation process. Today, the term "chemical flotation" might be used to advantage. Flotation literature has dealt primarily with the removal of sulfides from non-sulfide gangues, and the separation of one sulfide from another. Now, the application of the process to the separation of nonsulfide minerals is coming to the fore; and from the standpoint of the number of commercial minerals involved, the flotation of nonsulfides offers the larger field. Here, soap or soap-forming substances, such as the fatty acids and their derivatives, are used; hence there may well be a subdivision of the chemical flotation process called "soap flotation." Early experimenters learned that it was easy to form a froth or foam that would carry a part or all of the ore charge over the lip of the flotation machine; but this could not be regarded as flotation because of the lack of selectivity. Doubtless soap was one of the first reagents tried, and doubtless it was rejected on account of its gangue-carrying properties. Now this same gangue-carrying ability makes soap an acceptable reagent, for we are dealing with that, which among sulfides, is considered "gan-gue." As in the flotation of sulfides, so in the flotation of nonsulfides, the selective flocculation of the mineral and the dispersion of the gangue are the first objectives. In fact, these two phenomena epitomize flotation. They depend upon the unlike surface properties of the respective miner-als; and as long as the components of an ore have unlike surface proper-ties, a separation is possible, at least in theory. Often in nonsulfide flotation it makes little difference which mineral floats and which is depressed; generally only a separation is sought.

Jan 1, 1932

By Allen Garrison

THE chemistry of clays and shales has been assuming increasing importance in the petroleum industry, and two factors have greatly influenced this trend. The first has been the growing evidence that the marine shales are source beds, and that the petroleum compounds have migrated to the sand reservoirs overlying or underlying these shales: the second has been the demand for drilling, fluids better adapted to penetrate these marine shales without difficulty and expense. ORIGIN AND GENERAL COMPOSITION OF CLAYS AND SHALES Clays, shales and surface soils are all closely related materials. They are mixtures of finely divided compounds formed during the weathering of the solid crust of the earth. Their nature is essentially colloidal; that is, their behavior is determined by the state of division of the materials and the surface reactions of the smallest grains. Many of their chemical changes affect only the exposed areas and do not involve the interior of the grains of matter. The extent of these reactions is more nearly proportional to the area of the substances than to their mass, therefore it is possible for a small. amount of a material in an extremely fine state of division to completely dominate the character of the mixture. More than 83 per cent of the crust of the earth is composed of three elements-oxygen, silicon and aluminum. Consequently, the corrosion products of the crust are predominantly aluminosilicates, or compounds of aluminum, silicon and oxygen. If we add the compounds of six elements-iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and hydrogen-more than 98 per cent of the crust has been accounted for. These six elements, together with the first three, also appear in soils, clays and shales. But direct chemical analysis is of little value in describing the nature of such materials. Many chemical individuals may be present in variable amounts,. and the extreme subdivision of any one of the individuals may contribute qualities that dominate the mixture.

Jan 1, 1939

By A. B. Parsons

Not so many years ago the interest of the average mining engineer in money matters-aside from his pay check or his consulting fees-was confined to the per-ton cost of mining and beneficiating ore and to the amount of capital that would be required to erect the plant necessary to carry out such operations on a prescribed scale. The so-called "business men" assumed that questions of marketing the products, of profits, and of dividends were in their exclusive sphere-matters too intricate or, perhaps, too practical for the mere engineer! In the case of a new enterprise, the promoter shouldered the entire responsibility for raising the necessary funds, and incidentally he got the lion's share of profits. In fact, he frequently profited handsomely even though the mine earned little or nothing. Occasionally the engineer turned promoter or entrepreneur--conspicuous examples are Herbert Hoover, D. C. Jackling, William Braden and F. W. Bradley- but by and large he remained in a sphere of his own. To what extent this condition of affairs has changed is difficult to say. It might be argued that it were better that it be not changed; and yet I cannot help feeling that in mine promotion lies a distinct opportunity for the

Jan 1, 1932

By Archiblad MacMartin

The Kunigin-Marien-Hiitte is the only works in Germany where the Bessemer process is carried on by the direct method. The Besserner plant there, is arranged after the true English type, and the only resemblance to the Swedish mode of 'procedure is the dispensing with the use of spiegeleisen at the end of the "blow." In a new department of the establishment, started within three years, each of the converters is turned by means of a very neat and compact reversible engine, the steel shaft of which is an endless screw, which turns against the oblique cogs of a large wheel attached to the shaft of the vessel. An advantage which this arrangement possesses over the ordinary English hydraulic arrangement, is the fact that the endless screw suffices to turn the vessel, in either direction, any number of complete revolutions; while even the latest American improvements, so clearly explained to us by Mr. Holley at the opening session of this meeting, do not secure even one complete revolution without changing the angle of inclination of the hydraulic piston. In the endless screw arrangement, there being no limit to the working of the motor in either direction (no return-stroke necessary), the vessel can always, unless outside reasons demand the contrary, be turned around to any desired position by the shortest cut, whether backwards or forwards. Also, the diameter of the cogwheel attached to the vessel can be made sufficiently great to avoid all unevenness of motion. In the old department the motive-power still continues to be hydraulic. If reports be true, the new department produces spiegelized steel, for the manufacture of all-steel rails. But the old department is still, as from the beginning, devoted to the production by the direct method of steel for steel-headed rails. The most remarkable fact connected with this direct steel is the ease with which it welds to the iron 'of the rail-packets, although no borax or other fluxing agent is used to facilitate the welding. It is very rarely that an exception occurs, and an ingot or a charge is discarded by the rail-mill. The mixture of pig-iron used for the production of this steel is melted in cupolas of very interesting construction (not to be de-