Search Documents

By George J. Young

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912.) I. GENERAL. THE recurrence of mine-fires in Nevada during the past decade is not only a matter of interest, but also one of considerable concern to engineers and mine-managers. The more important fires may he enumerated as follows: Forman Shaft fire., Gold Hill, April 21, 1903 ; shaft-house, machinery, and shaft, destroyed; loss estimated at $50,000.; Cause Unknown. Union Shaft fire, Virginia City, July 14, 1904; shaft-house, machinery, and shaft in part destroyed; loss estimated it $100,000; cause of fire stated as the careless throwing of a match in the rope-house. Sutro Tunnel fire, Virginia City, Jan. 27, 1909 ; 700 ft. of tunnel-timbering destroyed, and direct damage of $10,000; cause ' probably electric wires." Belcher Shaft fire, Gold Hill, Aug. 9, 1910; shaft-house destroyed, machinery ruined, and upper part of shaft damaged; damage, $25,000; no cause given. Belmont Mine fire, Tonopah, Feb. 23, 1911; fire started in winze ; 17 men killed. Giroux Mine fire, Kimberly, Aug. 23, 1911 ; fire originated iii shaft-station from unknown cause; 7 men killed, and $34,¬521 damage caused. (NOTE 1.-On June 11, 1912, some time after the present paper was written, a fire broke out in the pump-room on the 2475 station of the Ward shaft, Virginia City. This fire was caused by the short-circuiting and exploding of the starting-switch on No. 5 pump. The oil in the switch was scattered about and set fire to the timbers and laming of the pump-room. The pump-roan in charge notified the surface, and the * Professor of Mining and Metallurgy, Mackay School of Mines.

Oct 1, 1912

Apr. 26-May 11, Liege International Fair, Liege, Belgium. May 4-8, Electrochemical Society, Inc., Spring meeting, Benjamin Franklin Hotel, Philadelphia. May 5-6, National Air Pollution Symposium, Huntington Hotel, Pasadena. May 5-7, American. Mining Congress, coal convention, Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati. May 6-9, Scientific Apparatus Makers Assn., annual meeting, Edgewater Beach Hotel, Chicago. May 9-10, AIME, joint meeting, Industrial Minerals Div. and Metals Branch, Davenport Hotel, Spokane, Wash. May 11-14, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Atlanta Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta. May 17, AIME, Chicago Section, President's night dinner dance, Shoreland Hotel, Chicago. May 27, AIME, Morenci Subsection, Longfellow Inn, Morenci, Ariz. June 2-4, Chemical Institute of Canada, annual conference, Montreal. June 4-14, Mechanical Handling Exhibition and Convention, Olympia, London.

Jan 1, 1952

The program of 'the Chicago meeting, which is to be held Sept. 22-26, is as follows: Monday. Morning-Registration. Afternoon-Technical Session. Evening Smoker. Tuesday. Morning and Afternoon-Excursion by boat to Gary and trip, through United States Steel Co's. plant. Evening-Technical Session. Wednesday. Morning- Technical Session. Afternoon-Technical Session. Evening-Banquet, Congress Hotel. Thursday. Morning and Afternoon-Special train to La Salle and De Pue, Ill., Inspection of Zinc Smelters, Cement Works, and Coal Mines. Trip to Starved Rock and points of historical interest. Evening-Return by train to Chicago. Friday. Morning-Optional trips. 1. East Chicago Metallurgical Plants and Oil Refineries at Whiting, Ind. 2. North Chicago and Milwaukee. 3. Local Chicago Plants. 4. Coal trip to Franklin and McCoupin Counties.

Jan 6, 1919

By C. W. Spencer, J. T. Smith

GRAIN-BOUNDARY surfaces are penetrated by a liquid phase when the liquid-solid interfacial tension is less than one-half the tension of the grain-boundary surfaces. Grain growth may occur in the presence of this liquid phase. burke1 reports that grain growth of this nature has been observed in two-phase ceramic systems. He suggests that the presence of a grain-boundary liquid may accelerate or decelerate the

Jan 1, 1963

By Arthur Wade

The most important development in connection with the search for oil in Australia during 1940 was on the legislative side. Prior to 1939 legislative enactments in the various states with regard to prospecting for petroleum were such as to prohibit large-scale effort and to bar the major oil companies from operating. The preparation of the Wade Model Bill for the Commonwealth Government in 1939 and the acceptance of the Bill in principle by all States, has gone far to remove these obstacles. Amending Acts, largely based on the Alodel Bill, have now been passed by all States with the exception of New South Wales and Tasmania. In New South Wales an Amending Bill is being drafted, while the Govern-ment of Tasmania is preparing to introduce an Amending Bill provided there is any demand for it. Noteworthy developments followed immediately on the passing of these Amending Acts. The Shell Company (1)1 and the Superior Oil Company of California (2) too$ up large areas in Queensland and com-menced work during 1940. Caltex acquired a big tract of country in the Kimberley district of Western Australia (3) and has made application for an area in the Territory of Papua. An Australian company, The Phoenix Oil Extraction Co., has obtained a permit to prospect over an extensive area bordering the south coast of Western Australia (4). Other developments are foreshadowed. The Shell Company is making an intensive examination of its area in Queensland (I). Geological, geophysical and aerial surveys are in progress. Caltex has three geological parties in the held in Western Australia while Superior Oil Company of California has done some geological work in the interior of Queensland (2). None of these concerns envisages a drilling campaign in the near future. Much exploratory work is necessary. Further work has been done by the companies that were already operating in 1939, though an important Australian company - Oil Search—has abandoned the work of prospecting in Australia. This company has subleased its holdings, at North West Cape in Western Australia (;), to Caltex on a royalty basis. The company also maintains its holdings in, and connection with, the Australasian Petroleum Company Proprietary Limited, which is a combination of Standard Oil (New Jersey), Anglo-Iranian and Oil Search. This company is operating in the territories of Papua and New Guinea. Drilling Victoria.—Although a good deal of drilling was done in the LaBes Entrance Tertiary Basin of Victoria (7), no appreciable production of oil was obtained. In order to test the extent and possibilities of the oil-bearing sand in this region, the Commonwealth and State Governments jointly put down six scout boreholes to depths of between 1200 and I500 it. The results were nega tive. A deeper exploratory horehole put down by the Governments at Seacornbe, or 26

Jan 1, 1941

By Arthur Wade

The most important development in connection with the search for oil in Australia during 1940 was on the legislative side. Prior to 1939 legislative enactments in the various states with regard to prospecting for petroleum were such as to prohibit large-scale effort and to bar the major oil companies from operating. The preparation of the Wade Model Bill for the Commonwealth Government in 1939 and the acceptance of the Bill in principle by all States, has gone far to remove these obstacles. Amending Acts, largely based on the Alodel Bill, have now been passed by all States with the exception of New South Wales and Tasmania. In New South Wales an Amending Bill is being drafted, while the Govern-ment of Tasmania is preparing to introduce an Amending Bill provided there is any demand for it. Noteworthy developments followed immediately on the passing of these Amending Acts. The Shell Company (1)1 and the Superior Oil Company of California (2) too$ up large areas in Queensland and com-menced work during 1940. Caltex acquired a big tract of country in the Kimberley district of Western Australia (3) and has made application for an area in the Territory of Papua. An Australian company, The Phoenix Oil Extraction Co., has obtained a permit to prospect over an extensive area bordering the south coast of Western Australia (4). Other developments are foreshadowed. The Shell Company is making an intensive examination of its area in Queensland (I). Geological, geophysical and aerial surveys are in progress. Caltex has three geological parties in the held in Western Australia while Superior Oil Company of California has done some geological work in the interior of Queensland (2). None of these concerns envisages a drilling campaign in the near future. Much exploratory work is necessary. Further work has been done by the companies that were already operating in 1939, though an important Australian company - Oil Search—has abandoned the work of prospecting in Australia. This company has subleased its holdings, at North West Cape in Western Australia (;), to Caltex on a royalty basis. The company also maintains its holdings in, and connection with, the Australasian Petroleum Company Proprietary Limited, which is a combination of Standard Oil (New Jersey), Anglo-Iranian and Oil Search. This company is operating in the territories of Papua and New Guinea. Drilling Victoria.—Although a good deal of drilling was done in the LaBes Entrance Tertiary Basin of Victoria (7), no appreciable production of oil was obtained. In order to test the extent and possibilities of the oil-bearing sand in this region, the Commonwealth and State Governments jointly put down six scout boreholes to depths of between 1200 and I500 it. The results were nega tive. A deeper exploratory horehole put down by the Governments at Seacornbe, or 26

Jan 1, 1941

By A. R. Denison

The area discussed in this report comprises a group of 38 counties lying in the northeast corner of Texas. It covers all, and extends beyond, the borders of what is commonly described as the East Texas Basin. It includes two major oil fields, Van and East Texas; two major gas fields, Bethany and Waskom; and a number of fields, both oil and gas, of lesser importance. All commercial oil production comes from beds of Upper Cretaceous age and almost exclusively from the basal member, the Woodbine sand. Gas is produced from both Upper and Lower Cretaceous beds with the newer production from the older beds. East Texas Field This field continued as in 1932 and 1933 to dominate the drilling and production situation throughout the oil business. A total of 3681 producing wells was completed in this field during 1934. This is an increase of 1215 over the 2466 producers completed during 1933. Total wells

Jan 1, 1935

THREE regional meetings are planned for this summer and fall following the spring meeting held under the auspices of the Iron and Steel Committee and the Ohio Section at Cleveland in April and in lieu of a general fall meeting of the Institute. Plans for all of them are maturing rapidly. Excellent programs and. interesting visits to points of local tech¬nical interest are already assured. THE SALT LAKE CITY MEETING This meeting will be under the auspices of the Milling Committee and the Utah Section. It will be one of the features of the joint convention held the week of August 22 to 26 with the Western Division of the American Mining Congress. The Congress will be responsible for the general arrangements and for the program on the first day. The following general committees have been appointed:

Jan 7, 1927

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

SINCE the Sixth Book has described the iron tools, the vessels and the machines used in mink, this Book will describe the methods of assaying1 ores; because it is desirable to first test them in order that the material mined may be advantageously smelted, or that the dross may be purged away and the metal made pure. Although writers have mentioned such tests, yet none of them have set down the directions for performing them, wherefore it is no wonder that those who come later have written nothing on the subject. By tests of this kind miners can determine with certainty whether ores contain any metal in them or not ; or if it has already been indicated that the ore contains one or more metals, the tests show whether it is much or little ; the miners also ascertain by such tests the method by which the metal can be separated from that part of the ore devoid of it ; and further, by these tests, they determine that part in which there is much metal from that part in which there is little. Unless these tests have been carefully applied before the metals are melted out, the ore cannot be smelted without great loss to the owners, for the parts which do not easily melt in the fire carry the metals off with them or consume them. In the last case, they pass off with the fumes ; in the other case they are mixed with the slag and furnace accretions, and in such event the owners lose the labour which they have spent in preparing the furnaces and the crucibles, and further, it is necessary for them to incur fresh expenditure for fluxes and other things. Metals, when they have been melted out, are usually assayed in order that we may ascertain what pro- portion of silver is in a centumpondium of copper or lead, or what quantity of gold is in one libra of silver ; and, on the other hand, what proportion of copper or lead is contained in a centumpondium of silver, or what quantity of silver is contained in one libra of gold. And from this we can calculate whether it will be worth while to separate the precious metals from the base metals, or not. Further, a test of this kind shows whether coins are good or are debased ; and readily detects silver, if the coiners have mixed more than is lawful with the gold ; or copper, if the coiners have alloyed with the gold or silver more of it than is allowable. I will explain all these methods with the utmost care that I can.

Jan 1, 1950

By T. E. Watkins, M. D. Nelson

A method of determining the lime content of drilling muds proposed by Battle and Chaney* has been examined both in the Field Research Laboratories of Magnolia Petroleum Co. and in field drilling operations. This proposed analytical method is condensed as follows: Titrate one ml of mud and one ml of mud filtrate, each with 0.02 N H2SO4, to the end point with phenolphthalein. The volume of acid in ml required for the mud titration is recorded as Pm and that of the mud filtrate titration as Pf Calculation of the lb lime/bbl mud is accomplished by use of the formula, lb lime/bbl mud = 0.6 (Pm - 1.3Pf) - 0.6 The analytical procedure outlined by Battle and Chaney was found to be quite satisfactory when reasonable precautions are used in mud sampling technique. Calculation of lime concentration by the method proposed in the above publication, however, has given values that varied as much as 100 per cent from the known lime content, for muds of either high or low solids concentration. By use of a formula, lb lime/bbl mud = 0.26 (Pm-F1.Pf), based on chemical equivalents of acid required for titration, both laboratory and field data have been satisfactorily correlated with the known amounts of lime present in the muds. In this formula a correction, F1, or volume fraction of liquid in the mud, is made for the solid content of the mud. Pm and Pf * Paper on "Lime Base Muds," presented by J. L. Battle (Humble Oil and Refining Co., Houston, Tex., and P. E. Chaney (Sun Oil Co., Beaumont Tex.), at the 1949 Spring Meeting of the Southwestern District API Division of Production, Dallas, Tex. The analytical procedure has also had wide distribution in a trade journal, Kembreak, published by the Accuracy Rig and Tool Co., Houston, Tex, †Derivation of equation lb/bbl — grams/350 ml 1 ml 0,02 N acid = 0.000741 grams of lime 1 ml 0.02 N acid/ml lime suspension = 0.26 lb of lime bbl lb of lime/bbl = 0.26 (Pm -F1, Pf ) have the same significance as in the Battle and Chaney equation. Table I shows typical data employing both formulas in calculating the lime content of various lime muds. This suggested procedure ignores lime which is in solution in the mud. The solubility of lime in water, normally about 0.5 lb per bbl, is greatly decreased by the addition of caustic soda, and, in a lime mud, it is probable that the concentration of dissolved lime is of the order of 0.1 lb per bbl. Such an amount of lime can be ignored, since it is within the range of accuracy of the method.

Jan 1, 1950

By H Haas

H. HAAS, San Francisco, Cal. (communication to the Secretary?). -Fig. 1 plainly shows that the comparison of the steam-turbine and Diesel-engine plants was made on a basis of 6,000 kw. continuous operating load. The tabulation of costs for an 8,000-kw. load is merely done to show the relation of increased output on' the unit power costs. Both plants would sacrifice their reserve capacity, which is to insure continuous operation, if operated to generate 8,000 kw. continuously; unless Mr. Hawkins advocates the operation of one of the turbines at 33.33 per cent. overload, retaining the other as a standby, which, besides overtaxing the turbine, results in a great loss of efficiency. It would he well for Mr. Hawkins to qualify certain of his statements. Thus, under the caption "Diesel Engines, Selection of Units," he says that "two of the largest Diesel-engine builders take the position that, in the present state of the art, they would not attempt to put out units over 1,000 kw.;" he should qualify it by saving that "two of the largest American Diesel-engine builders take the position that, in the present state of the art in the United States, they would not attempt to put out units over 1,000 kw." The reason that American manufacturers restrict themselves at present to units of that size is to be found not so much in a lack of experience in building large units as in a lack of a sufficient, demand for them in the United States to justify the heavy capital outlay connected with the development of such engines. There are relatively few localities in the United States where fuel prices are as high as they are in the Southwest, and regions of high fuel prices are sparsely settled and have a very limited demand for power. Where low fuel prices obtain, steam turbines are active competitors of Diesel engines for large power plants, particularly when the station load factor is low. As most of the American manufacturers of Diesel engines work under license agreements with European manufacturers, which limit their market to the United States and its possessions and Canada, a further limitation is imposed upon them, leaving to European firms practically the entire world as a market.

Jan 5, 1917

By H. C. LIVINGSTON

At the Hanna No. 4-A mine of The Union Pacific Coal Co. a new system of trackless mining is being utilized to extract a 26-ft coal seam. By using shuttle cars and a conveyor belt for haulage in the rooms and panel entries instead of pit cars and panel hoist a saving of 12 cents per ton is expected. Mining is conducted in a 26-ft coal seam laid down on a synclinal structure with active workings on a pitch of approximately ten to twelve degrees. The coal seam is interbedded between a shale bottom and sand- stone top. The coal is friable, high in moisture, and subject to spontaneous combustion. The mine is rated gassy by the State Coal Mine Inspection Department. Mining is conducted at the present time by unbalanced rope haulage an main slopes spaced on approximate 4300-ft centers with the three-entry system driven to boundary lines, strike entries being turned on approximate 1300-ft centers. Panels are driven to the rise between entries at approximately 750-ft intervals with panel rooms driven on the strike 500 to 600 ft long, leaving 150 ft of barrier pillar between each block of panel rooms.

Jan 1, 1949

By John D. Morgan, Sylvain J. Pirson

An instantaneous and continuous analysis of a mineral suspension should be of great value in controlling various mineral preparation processes. Described herein is a method of analysis based on the use of high-frequency alternating current, which, under certain restrictive conditions, could be of use. Theoretical Considerations In a suspension of conductive minerals, the electrical effect primarily responsible for the variations in electric conductivity is the capacitance. In Fig Ia, let an alternating voltage E be applied across two electrodes F and F', between which are two rows (S and T) of mineral particles, all of approximately the same size, immersed in a fluid. Let the number of rows of particles between the electrodes be R and the number of particles in each row be N. If A is the area of a particle, D is the distance separating two particles, and k is a constant depending on the fluid, the capacity, CO, of the particle system will be given by: KRA C°= ND Referring now to Fig Ib, let R, the number of rows, be held constant, but let N, the number of particles in each row (S and T), be increased X-fold. The capacity, C1, of

Jan 1, 1949

By E. P. Bayer

MESABI RANGE ore is mined largely by the open-pit method. This involves having available at all times sufficient working places which in combination will produce ore of guaranteed analysis. Fast- loading power shovels turn out under favorable conditions 1000 tons per hour from each unit. Each unit loads ore differing materially in analysis from that loaded by the others, One may load high grade, another low grade, and another may be in a mixed bank with the lead ore so placed that the product must be mixed at the shovel before it is loaded into cars. In such cases the bank is combed with the bucket, the door being left open to permit the material to fall through.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. F. Boericke

WORLD production of silver in 1929 totaled 256 million ounces. In 1928 production was 258 million ounces, and in 1927, 254 million ounces. With an actual decrease in the amount of silver produced last year, as compared with 1928, and an increase over 1927 of less than one per cent, obviously there has been no overproduction of the metal in the popular sense. But the price of silver tells a different story. For 1927, the average quotation was 56.37 cents; it was 58.17 in 1928, and 53.0 in 1929. During the last year it reached a high point of 57 cents in January, and fell steadily, without interruption to the downward trend, to a low of 47 cents in December. Since then it has dropped to an all time low of 43 cents on February 6.

Jan 1, 1930

Organization Place Date 1919 American Railway Engineering Association Chicago, 111. Mar. 18-20 Society of Industrial Engineers New York, N. Y. Mar. 18-21 American Electrochemical Society New York, N. Y. Apr. 3-5 National Foreign Trade Council Chicago, Ill. Apr. 24-26 American Iron and Steel Institute New York, N. Y. May American Institute of Electrical Engineers Lake Placid, N. Y. June

Jan 3, 1919

By J. H. M. Thomeer

A method is presented that provides a mathematical description of capillary pressure curves and, probably, of differences in pore geometry of samples. The technique is based on the observation that the location and shape of a capillary pressure curve reflect characteristics of the pore structure of the sample. INTRODUCTION It has been noted1-5 that the observed differences in shape and location of capillary pressure curves reflect some basic properties regarding the pore geometry of the samples. For example, according to basic concepts of capillarity, the following statements can be made regarding the location and shape of a capillary pressure curve.* The location of the curve with respect to the (Vb)pc and PC axes is a measure of the interconnected pore volume and of the cross-sectional area of the pore first entered by mercury, respectively. The shape of the curve depends on the interconnection of the pores and the sorting of the pore sizes. It has been the object of this study to use this information as a starting point in an attempt to find a unique mathematical description of the PC — (Vv)p, relations of different samples. It may be expected that parameters in such a relation can then be used to describe differences in pore geometry of these samples. For a practical description of the PC — (Vb)p, relation, however, it appears desirable to describe each curve (i.e., each sample) by a limited number of parameters so that the curves taken from all samples form a family, each member of which is uniquely determined by one single combination of values of all parameters.

By Louise Reber

THE town of Jerome is located in Yavapai County in north central Arizona. It has a population of over 6000 people and the two important mines of the district, the United Verde and the United Verde Extension, lie almost within its limits. Perched high on the southwest side of the Verde Valley, at elevations of 4800 and 5500 ft.. (1463 and 1676 m.), both mines have long tunnels from their lower levels through which ore is hauled to their respective smelters. The two smelter towns of Clarkdale and Verde, out in. the center of the valley and about 2000 ft. (609 m.) below, form part of the wide panorama that meets the eye at Jerome. This panorama and the topographic and surface features and the geologic formations are shown in a separate pamphlet. In the vicinity of Jerome, the great southern escarpment of the Arizona plateau forms the northeast side of the Verde valley. The general level of this escarpment, or "the rim" as it is called, is about 4000 ft. above the Verde River. A corresponding elevation is reached only by the, highest parts of the Black Hills, which bound the valley to the southwest. The two lava-capped mesas, known as Mingus and Woodschute Mountains, form the culmination of the Black Hills. That part of the old Black Hills mining district which lies between their crests -and the Verde River is now known as the Jerome or Verde copper district. However, if the smelters are not included, a strip about 7 mi. long and 3 mi. wide (11 by 5 km.) embraces practically all the properties belonging to the Jerome district. This strip lies parallel to and along the side of the Verde valley from about First View, 2 mi. northwest of Jerome, to the neighborhood of Allen Spring, near the south end of Mingus. Mountain. The rank of the district in copper production, as well as features of peculiar geologic interest in connection with the ore occurrences, entitle the district to much more consideration than it has received in the literature of copper mining. Arizona stands preeminent as a copper-producing state. In 1918, it produced four-tenths of the total amount produced in the United States, and nearly equaled the, combined production of its three chief competitors, Montana, Michigan, and Utah. The production of the Jerome district places it in the sixth place among the copper

Jan 8, 1920

By E. A. Anderson

In 1918 the American Society for Testing Materials held a symposium2 on what was then known as season cracking. The sessions included six papers, all on brass. During the ensuing 26 yr., many new workers have come into the field and several other metals have been found subject to failure by stress-corrosion cracking when the right combination of stress and environment is achieved. It is not surprising, therefore, that the present symposium has brought forth 29 papers covering alloys of seven important metals. The phenomenon of stress-corrosion cracking is not necessarily confined to these seven metals. Dix3 has stated, "Indeed, it is probable that ingenious investigators can find solutions which will stress-corrosion crack any known metal or alloy." Mears, Brown, and Dix4 have indicated that stress- corrosion cracking failures are not necessarily limited to metals but may include the plastics. It is to be expected that the increase in the number of metals known to crack in service and the general emphasis on such failures at a symposium such as this will alarm many to whom the subject is un- familiar. Such alarm is not justified by the record. It is true that stress-corrosion

Jan 1, 1945

By K. Reinhardt

The idea of burning blast-furnace gases directly in gas-engines, instead of under steam-boilers, as had previously been done, was first put into practice barely ten years ago, almost simultaneously in Great Britain, Germany and Belgium. The pioneers of this movement made their first experiments with small engines. After these experiments had given satisfactory results, and it had been shown that the thermal value of the poor blast-furnace gases, in spite of defective scrubbing, could with safety be directly transformed into mechanical work in the gas-engine, there very soon arose a considerable demand for gas-engines of large power, similar to the large steam-engines employed in metallurgical works. In face of these sudden requirements, the gas-engine builders were placed in a difficult position; for up to that time the gas-motor was considered as suitable for small engines only, and it was generally believed that the limit of size had been attained with 100 to 150 effective h.p. in a single cylinder. Manufacturers of gas-motors, however, did not underrate the advantages offered by this new field for their manufactures, and it so happened that in Germany the Berlin-Anhaltische Masch-inenbau-Gesellschaft, of Dessau, was the first to undertake the construction of a 600-h.p. two-cycle gas-engine, with two cylinders of the Oechelhauser-Junkers type, for the Hoerder Mining & Smelting Company. The engine was started in 1898, and, with a few improvements and alterations, is still working satisfactorily. This engine worked with astonishingly high effciency, considering the period. The builders were therefore

Jan 1, 1907