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By T. F. Witherbee

In a paper read at the Lake Superior meeting, August, 1580, an account was given of the successful use of Rendrock. and Monaky powder upon a .scaffold- and salamander in the furnace. On April 5th, 1881,' the same trouble called for like treatment, which, though not so immediately successful, was on the whole more instructive than the first trial, and points, I trust, to a reasonably sure remedy for all such difficulties. Up to December 4th, 1880, foundry and mill iron were made from Old Bed and Sew Bed magnetite, and Kearney red hematite, when a return was made to Bessemer iron, from an inferior quality of New Bed ore as compared with that used during first blast. January lath, 1881, New Bed, Chateangay, and East-shaft, a newly-opened Bessemer deposit of Messrs. Witherbee, Sherman $ Co., were first used, and continued up to February 13th, on a fuel charge of 80 per cent. anthracite and 20 per cent. coke, the product on the three ores being about 10 tons more per day than on New Bed alone. From this time until March 11th all coal was used, and New Bed, Chateaugay, and East-shaft ores, up to February 224 and from that date Chateaugay and New Bed, the product falling off 9,8, tons per day as a result of not using coke. It is fair, however, to state that the furnace was not in good condition during this period, being over-burdened, and the New Bed ore was, temporarily, uncommonly poor, for reasons of no particular interest here. It required to properly flux it at least 140 per cent. of limestone; and 101 per ent. was actually used. March 11th, all Chateaugay ore aid 80

Jan 1, 1882

Discussion -of the paper of I. N. KNAPP, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 96, December, 1914, pp. 2783 to 2793. A. C. LANE, Tufts College, Mass.-Is there any noticeable effect in drilling against salt water? Mr. Knapp says that the mud settles very quickly when brine is added-. What is the effect when you strike a strong salt water ill boring? I. N. KNAPP.-You are supposed to have enough mud pressure in your well to keep the saltwater out. I have drilled against what I knew to be 80 ft. head of water, and hot water too at 99.5°; this water did not show until the well was bailed and the mud pressure reduced. HENRY Louis, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England (communication to the Secretary*).-Mr. Knapp may be interested to learn that the use of mud in drilling through porous strata is much older than lie appears to be aware of. It has been used notably by Honigmann for boring shafts in Holland and in some of the adjoining portions of Germany. At the Oranien Nassau colliery, shafts about 12 ft. in diameter and 425 ft. deep were sunk in. this way-namely, by boring with a rotary borer, a thick mud puddle being pumped into the shaft, so as to maintain a pressure in the shaft greater than the hydrostatic pressure in the surrounding loose sands and thus keeping the sides of the shaft from collapsing. He will find references to this method in Das Abbohren von Schächten; Handbuch der Ingenieurwissenshaften, p. 134, also in the Transactions of the Institution of Mining Engineers, vol. xiii (1896-97), p. 155. The process appears to have been employed even before 1895, though I cannot give the exact date when it was first used.

Jan 5, 1915

By T. F. Witherbee

IN a paper read at the Lake Superior meeting, August, 1880, an account was given of the successful use of Rendrock and Monaky powder upon a scaffoldn and salamander in the furnace. On April 5th, 1881, the same trouble called for like treatment, which, though not so immediately. successful, was on the whole more instructive than the first trial, and points, I trust, to a reasonably sure remedy for all such difficulties. Up to December 4th, 1880, foundry and mill iron were made from Old Bed and New Bed magnetite, and Kearneyy red hematite, when a return was made to Bessemer iron, from an inferior quality of New Bed ore as compared with that used during first blast. January 18th, 1881, New Bed, Chateangay, and East-shaft, a newly-opened Bessemer deposit of Messrs. Witherbee, Sherman & Co., were first used, and continued up to February 13th, on a fuel charge of 80 per cent. anthracite and 20 per cent. coke, the product on the three ores being about 10 tons more per day than on New Bed alone. From this time until March 11th all coal was used, and New Bed, Chateangay, and East-shaft ores, up to February 22d, and from that date Chateangay and New Bed, the product falling off 9 6/10 tons per day as a result of not using coke. It is fair, however, to state that the furnace was not in good condition during' this period, being over-burdened, and the New Bed ore was, temporarily, uncommonly poor, for reasons of no particular interest here.. It required to properly flux it at least 140 per cent. of limestone; and 101 per cent was actually used. March 11th, all Chateangay ore and 80

Jan 1, 1882

By Richard W. Lodge

Ix the crucible-method of assaying ores for silver a certain amount of litharge is essential to supply sufficient lead to collect the precious metals. The object of this paper is to point out that the use of a .large excess of litharge in the assay of some ores will give results for silver that are uneven as well as low. So far as I know, however, an excess of litharge does not affect the results obtained in the crucible-assay of ores for gold. The main reasons for using, in the crucible-assay, much more litharge than is required to give the necessary lead button are : 1, its action as a flux; 2, its action as a desulphurizer; and 3, its action as an oxidizer, especially on metals like copper and nickel, whereby they are forced into the slag as oxides and thus prevented from passing into the lead button. Hence, by the use of much litharge in the crucible-assay more-ore can often be taken than in the scorification-process, and a lead button obtained which can possibly be cupelled at once or after a single scorification. The method is specially advantageous with an ore carrying much copper or similar impurity and poor in silver, when the assayer does not wish to resort to a wet-analysis for the determination of the silver. It is well known that some ores give better results when assayed by the scorification-method, while others give better results by the crucible-method. For several years I have noticed that, when much litharge was used with certain sulphide and arsenical ores, the results were considerably lower than when the scorification-method was used. This fact was more forcibly brought out in connection with certain work carried on this year by Messrs. H. A. Frame and

Sep 1, 1907

By H. E. Rorschach

Activity in Oklahoma fields declined in 1938 from the banner year of 1937. During the year, 1768 wells were completed as compared to 2632 completed during the year 1937. The following tabulation sets out details regarding the wells completed during the year: These computations do not take into account the wells drilled for repres-sure and salt-water disposal, and other nonexploratory wells. Purchasers' reports filed with the Corporation Commission of the State of Oklahoma show a total of 168,789,229 bbl. of oil purchased from Oklahoma leases in 1938, or a daily average of 462,436, a decrease of about 25 per cent from the year 1937. The outstanding operation of the year was the further development of the Ramsey pool, in western Payne County, the producing horizon being classified as the Wilcox. This pool was discovered on the last day in the year 1937, by the Mid-Continent Petroleum Corporation drilling on a unitized block in see. 18, T. 18 N., R. 2 E. The map in Fig. 1 shows the development at the end of the year 1938. An important discovery of the year was the Champlin Refining Company's No. 1 Boehm, in Garfield County, sec. 4-24N-8W., the producing horizon being the second Wilcox found at a depth of approximately 6700 ft. This pool was assigned the name of Hillsdale. Some of the offsets to this discovery well had not come up to expectations at the end of the year, but the discovery seems to be important as indicating that the Wilcox sand is productive in the Anadarko Basin area, providing that the right structural conditions are present.

Jan 1, 1939

By H. E. Rorschach

Activity in Oklahoma fields declined in 1938 from the banner year of 1937. During the year, 1768 wells were completed as compared to 2632 completed during the year 1937. The following tabulation sets out details regarding the wells completed during the year: These computations do not take into account the wells drilled for repres-sure and salt-water disposal, and other nonexploratory wells. Purchasers' reports filed with the Corporation Commission of the State of Oklahoma show a total of 168,789,229 bbl. of oil purchased from Oklahoma leases in 1938, or a daily average of 462,436, a decrease of about 25 per cent from the year 1937. The outstanding operation of the year was the further development of the Ramsey pool, in western Payne County, the producing horizon being classified as the Wilcox. This pool was discovered on the last day in the year 1937, by the Mid-Continent Petroleum Corporation drilling on a unitized block in see. 18, T. 18 N., R. 2 E. The map in Fig. 1 shows the development at the end of the year 1938. An important discovery of the year was the Champlin Refining Company's No. 1 Boehm, in Garfield County, sec. 4-24N-8W., the producing horizon being the second Wilcox found at a depth of approximately 6700 ft. This pool was assigned the name of Hillsdale. Some of the offsets to this discovery well had not come up to expectations at the end of the year, but the discovery seems to be important as indicating that the Wilcox sand is productive in the Anadarko Basin area, providing that the right structural conditions are present.

Jan 1, 1939

By R. C. Canby

The difficulty of exact neutralization by ammonia of the acid solution obtained in the determination of arsenic by the method of fusion with carbonate of soda and nitrate of potassium, led me to try the effect of neutralization by oxide of zinc. I obtained most satisfactory results, and found a great saving of time. The oxide of zinc being added in excess, there is no delicate testing with lit? mils paper and tedious alternate adding of dilute ammonia arid acid until the proper point is reached. The excess of oxide of zinc, too, seems to hold, from the filter, the gelatinous silica and alumina, which are usually precipitated upon neutralization, and thus to render the washing of the precipitated arseniate of silver almost invariably much more rapid. Except the substitution of the neutralization by oxide of zinc for the more tedious method by ammonia, the details of the process are practically the same as those published by Mr. Richard Pearce, of Argo, Colorado (Proceedings of the Colorado Scientific Society, vol. i.), who shows what very accurate results can be obtained by the fusion process. I have made numerous tests of comparison between the two methods of neutralization, and find that those by the oxide of zinc agree almost exactly with the old method. Increasing the quantity of nitric acid, even to considerable excess, to be neutralized by the oxide of zinc did not affect the precipitation of arseniate of silver. The process may be outlined as follows : Take 4 to 1 gramme finely pulverized ore, and mix in a porcelain crucible with eight to ten times its weight of a mixture of equal parts of carbonate of soda and nitrate of potassium (Kerl. Metallurgische Probirkunst gives 4 to 5 nitre to 14 soda). Gradually bring to fusion and keep so, three to five minutes. Cool. Disintegrate in hot water. Filter and wash with hot water. Acidify the filtrate with nitric acid, and boil to expel carbonic acid and nitrous fumes. Cool. Add an excess of an emulsion of oxide of zinc. The bottom of the beaker should have quite a layer of oxide of zinc, after stirring.

Jan 1, 1889

By C. H. Mathewson, A. U. Seybolt

As is well known, many questions affecting the properties and uses of a metal cannot be answered without careful consideration of the state of purity realized in the various operations of preparation, refining, or special treatment that have brought the product to its final state. The occurrellce of an impurity in minute quantity offers no guarantee that its effect will be inconsiderable because dissolved substances often modify the properties of a metal quite out of proportion to their concentration. In such cases the determination of solid solubility must be accepted as a problem of considerable difficulty, requiring the use of especially purified materials and methods not ordinarily used in the metallurgical laboratory. This aspect of the equilibrium between metals and their oxides is especially important and a search for fundamental data reveals little except conflicting opinion even concerning the systems of common occurrence and interest. Rhines and Mathewson1 in 1934 studied the solubility of oxygen in solid copper by annealing to equilibrium in air and gave reasons for the failure of other methods, notably the ordinary procedure of heat-treatment followed by microscopic examination, to yield reliable results. In this paper, a similar study has been made of the solubility of oxygen in cobalt. The simple theory of this method is outlined below. Conditions of Equilibrium between a Metal and Dissolved Oxide at Different Temperatures and Pressures The general conditions of equilibrium in any system are conveniently summarized in a projection of the triple curves of the P, T, X space

Jan 1, 1935

By T. Smales, P. L. Wright, K. Barron

The results of field measurements using an air injection technique to investigate the integrity of three pillars in the Mclntyre Mines Ltd. 114 seam at Crande Cache, Alberta, are reported. These pillars are shown to be stable and an estimate is made of the strength of these pillars. Using these results, together with Hustrulid's pillar strength formulae, a general pillar strength equation for the 114 seam is developed. This equation takes into account the probability of failure that may be deemed tolerable within the design requirements. The variation of the minimum pillar dimensions with depth below surface for uniform pillar layouts is then examined for a range of tolerable failure probabilities. A general equation of the form B = 2.60 +B Z relates the minimum pillar design width, B metres, with the overburden depth, Z metres, where B is a parameter related to the tolerable failure probability. This equation only applies for 3.05m high pillars with 6.lm wide entries. Finally, the question of what failure probability is tolerable within the design of mine pillars is discussed. This will depend on the support role required of that pillar and the anticipated period over which the pillar must perform that role. Five categories of coal mine pillars are defined, each with a somewhat different role to perform. Tentative design criteria in the form of "tolerable probabilities of failure" are suggested for four of these five categories of pillar. The fifth category of pillar has no reliable support function to perform and support must be obtained by other means.

Jan 1, 1983

IN NOVEMBER 1933 I had the pleasure of receiving an autographed copy of a small brochure entitled "Birth of the Porphyry Coppers." The author, James Colquhoun, a distinguished British mining engineer, had been the dominant figure in the Arizona Copper Company, Limited, which, until its acquisition by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in 1921, had been the principal producer of copper in the Morenci district. In addition to the highly productive Humboldt and Longfellow mines it owned the Clay property, which, of course, has now become Arizona's No. 1 copper mine. Except for Utah Copper it is the premier Porphyry copper enterprise in the United States. Mr. Colquhoun's little volume was inspired by THE PORPHYRY COPPERS which had appeared early that year. In a most courteous and friendly way he adduces data to show that "we (Arizona Copper Company Limited) were successfully treating low-grade porphyry ores in quantity for at least four years (1901 to 19W) before the Utah Copper Company did anything at all." This last remark is based on the figures in THE PORPHYRY COPPERS showing that Utah's first production came from the Copperton pilot plant in 1905. Mr. Colquhoun traces the story of Morenci beginning in 1883 when he first arrived there. He tells how the rich self-fluxing ores (containing lime- stone, silica, and iron in proportion to permit direct smelting to produce black copper) were gradually exhausted. High-grade siliceous ore could be mixed in limited quantity with the self-fluxing ores; and oxidized ores were leached to contribute substantially to the production of the district. But

Jan 1, 1957

By A. U. Seybolt, C. H. Mathewson

As is well known, many questions affecting the properties and uses of a metal cannot be answered without careful consideration of the state of purity realized in the various operations of preparation, refining, or special treatment that have brought the product to its final state. The occurrellce of an impurity in minute quantity offers no guarantee that its effect will be inconsiderable because dissolved substances often modify the properties of a metal quite out of proportion to their concentration. In such cases the determination of solid solubility must be accepted as a problem of considerable difficulty, requiring the use of especially purified materials and methods not ordinarily used in the metallurgical laboratory. This aspect of the equilibrium between metals and their oxides is especially important and a search for fundamental data reveals little except conflicting opinion even concerning the systems of common occurrence and interest. Rhines and Mathewson1 in 1934 studied the solubility of oxygen in solid copper by annealing to equilibrium in air and gave reasons for the failure of other methods, notably the ordinary procedure of heat-treatment followed by microscopic examination, to yield reliable results. In this paper, a similar study has been made of the solubility of oxygen in cobalt. The simple theory of this method is outlined below. Conditions of Equilibrium between a Metal and Dissolved Oxide at Different Temperatures and Pressures The general conditions of equilibrium in any system are conveniently summarized in a projection of the triple curves of the P, T, X space

Jan 1, 1935

By James R. Cudworth, Joseph C. Mead

The Birmingham district of Alabama has utilized the slag from its blast furnaces consistently since the earliest development of the slag industry. Today there are producers of slag cement who started business in 1900, and who have, under a progressive policy, expanded the number of their products to meet present demands. There are producers of slag aggregates and other crushed slag products who have been successful for periods of over thirty years. There are at the present two companies, Cheney Lime and Cement Co. and the Southern Cement Co., manufacturing puzzolan cement; two companies, Birmingham Slag Co. and Woodstock Slag Co., making slag aggregates and by-products; one company, Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway Co., a subsidiary of the U. S. Steel Corporation, producing ground open-hearth basic slag for soil conditioning. Two companies, the Sloss Sheffield Steel and Iron Co. and the Woodstock Slag Co., make slag concrete in ready-mix plants and one company, the Superock Company, manufactures fine and coarse slag aggregates under a new granulation process. NO Portland cement is made with slag as an ingredient, because dolomite is used so extensively as a blast-furnace flux that the magnesium content of the slag is excessive. Sources of Slag In the Birmingham district there are 22 blast furnaces, of which the majority are in blast. The present production is 165,000 tons of pig iron monthly; the production in 1935 was 1,297,960 gross tons1. There arc also two blast furnaces at Gadsden and one ferroalloy electric furnaee at Anniston. From these two sources is obtained slag to approximately 1.1 tons per ton of pig iron. History of Development of the Industry The history of the local utilization of slag as an industry probably starts with the Birmingharii Slag Cement Co. This company was

Jan 1, 1938

By Joseph C. Mead, James R. Cudworth

The Birmingham district of Alabama has utilized the slag from its blast furnaces consistently since the earliest development of the slag industry. Today there are producers of slag cement who started business in 1900, and who have, under a progressive policy, expanded the number of their products to meet present demands. There are producers of slag aggregates and other crushed slag products who have been successful for periods of over thirty years. There are at the present two companies, Cheney Lime and Cement Co. and the Southern Cement Co., manufacturing puzzolan cement; two companies, Birmingham Slag Co. and Woodstock Slag Co., making slag aggregates and by-products; one company, Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway Co., a subsidiary of the U. S. Steel Corporation, producing ground open-hearth basic slag for soil conditioning. Two companies, the Sloss Sheffield Steel and Iron Co. and the Woodstock Slag Co., make slag concrete in ready-mix plants and one company, the Superock Company, manufactures fine and coarse slag aggregates under a new granulation process. NO Portland cement is made with slag as an ingredient, because dolomite is used so extensively as a blast-furnace flux that the magnesium content of the slag is excessive. Sources of Slag In the Birmingham district there are 22 blast furnaces, of which the majority are in blast. The present production is 165,000 tons of pig iron monthly; the production in 1935 was 1,297,960 gross tons1. There arc also two blast furnaces at Gadsden and one ferroalloy electric furnaee at Anniston. From these two sources is obtained slag to approximately 1.1 tons per ton of pig iron. History of Development of the Industry The history of the local utilization of slag as an industry probably starts with the Birmingharii Slag Cement Co. This company was

Jan 1, 1938

By Harold L. Bare, Frank R. Barnako

Coal mining historically has been a. hazardous occupation but, in recent years, tremendous progress has been made in reducing accidental coal mine deaths and injuries. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the basic principles of accident prevention as they are related to coal mining. Accident prevention fundamentals are no different for coal mining than for any other type of work. The fundamentals apply to all industries. Construction workers may be struck by falling tools and materials, and miners may be struck by falling slate and coal. Sailors may be trapped by shipboard fires, and miners may be trapped by mine fires. Railroad brakemen may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers, and miners may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers. Many other examples could be cited, but the point is that accidents that happen in coal mines are basically similar to accidents that happen in other industries. Thus, the basic principles for preventing accidents apply in coal mining as they do in any other type of work. COAL MINE ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is the main source for accident experience data in coal mines. Coal mine operators are required, by law, to forward to MSHA monthly the number of fatal and disabling injuries, man-hours worked, and tons of coal mined. This information is compiled and published quarterly, with annual summaries, by MSHA. Trends in the number of fatalities and fatal injury rates are shown in Fig. 1. Major coal mine disasters, with number of miners killed, and dates of coal mine safety legislation are shown in Table 1. The fatal and disabling injury frequency rates for the coal industry are shown in Fig. 2.

Jan 1, 1981

By H. W. Camp

Although the situation in the oil industry during the past year has not been conducive to large expenditures for development and research, there is little indication that such expenditures have been curtailed. While few outstanding achievements have been reported, considerable progress has been made in the development of new product,s and the adaptation of petroleum derivatives to new uses. The most important question facing the refiner today is the antiknock quality of his gasoline. This year has seen the widespread adoption of the term "octane number" as a measure for anti-knock values, and in the latter months of the year the public has been made acutely aware of this condition through competitive advertising. Gasoline is no longer priced on volatility and gravity alone, but on octane number as well; and premiums are being paid for material of relatively high octane rating. The situation has grown more and more competitive and has forced refiners continually to raise the octane rating of their regular and competitive grades, and at this writing the same situation exists for premium grades which have possessed relatively high anti-knock properties for some time. Straight-run gasoline produced from paraffin-base or semiparaffin-base crudes has an inherently low anti-knock value, and in order to convert this material to a higher quality it has been found necessary to crack an increasing percentage of the crude oil charge. By completely cracking the heavier portions of the crude and blending back with the straight-run gasoline, it has been possible to produce an average of 63 to 65 octane number gasoline on average Mid-Continent crude. This operation carried to the fullest extent does not suffice, however, and the recent and rapid development of the so-called '(reforming unit," has resulted. The straight-run gasoline fraction is cut into two parts: a light, low boiling point gasoline; and a heavy gasoline or naphtha. The latter containing the low anti-knock portions of the gasoline, is sent through a re-forming unit and subjected either to high temperature or pressure, or both, which materially increases its octane number. On average Mid-Continent the blend of low boiling point straight-run,

Jan 1, 1932

By N. W. Ratliff, P. J. Closmann

Production of oil by expansion from a cylindrical reservoir composed of two concentric regions of different properties has been determined as a function of time for a reservoir producing at constant terminal pressure. The parameters involved are permeability, porosity, compressibility and oil viscosity. Results agree with those of a generally accepted method for uniform reservoirs when all parameters are taken as uniform. Cumulative production at any given time is reduced below that of the uniform reservoir when a region of considerably lower permeability adjoins the well; cumulative production increases when a high-permeability region adjoins the well. Curves are presented illustrating quantitative effects of these variations. INTRODUCTION Most petroleum reservoirs can be exploited by release of pressure and consequent expansion of underground fluid. During part of the production history of certain reservoirs by this mechanism, fluid compressibility can be considered small and constant. Cumulative fluid produced by this means as a function of time was calculated for a uniform reservoir by van Everdingen and Hurst.l For certain cases where a production well has been damaged or where an acid treatment has been used, a zone of properties different from those of the reservoir may be created around the production well. In such a case, expansion of the reservoir fluid takes place in a system composed of two concentric cylindrica1 regions of different reservoir properties. Such composite systems were studied in connection with heat flow by Jaeger2 who presented a solution for temperature distribution in a radial system with an infinitely large outer radius. Similar heat flow problems have been studied by other authors Oil production from composite reservoirs was studied for constant production rate by Hurst,4 Loucks and Guerrero,5 and Carter.6 THEORY This work considers constant terminal pressure. Cumulative flow is calculated for a composite bounded system in which no flow takes place across the outer boundary (Fig. 1). Since the flow is considered to be purely radial, the problem involves only one space dimension and time. It is convenient to define the following dimen-sionless pressure drops (Fig. 1).

By Howard Smith

OF late considerable experimental and, theoretical interest has been shown in the rates of transformation from a single phase, usually a supercooled solid solution, into one or more phases. Such reactions may involve both diffusion and transformation of the major constituent, as in iron alloys, or it may simply involve diffusion, as in superstructure forma-tion and in age-hardening systems. Most of the work has been confined to ferrous alloys1-9t although two investigations have been made on copper alloys10,11. That such work may be of considerable, practical importance has been demonstrated by Bain12, by the workers at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut fur Eisen-forschung13,14, and by the everyday use of precipitation and age-harden-inn principles15. Experiments in this country have generally followed Davenport and Bain's technique of rapid supercooling followed by isothermal treatment. In Germany16,17 the work has been extended to the study of the influence of accurately controlled and measured rates of cooling. The work on steel indicates that there are two subcritical temperature ranges where reaction starts sooner after quenching and proceeds at a more rapid rate than at other temperatures. At subcritical temperatures above Ar" where reaction is dependent upon atomic migration there is a period of time of which the length depends upon the alloy content and the temperature, before which no reaction has been detected. Daven-port and Bain1 find that different sorts of atoms in solid solution in gamma iron affect the length of this "prereaction" period differently, manganese

Jan 1, 1935

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS Gentlemen: - I herewith present a report of some. of the more important activities of the Institute for the year of 1922. The outstanding feature of the year is the optimism felt by our members despite the continued depression in the mining industry. January 1, 1921, found many of our members out of employment or drifting into other industries to tide them over the depression, but almost universally the feeling has been that this was but a temporary condition and that sooner or later the necessary production of raw materials would enable these members to return to their former activities and renew their participation in Institute affairs. As the year passed conditions improved and, before it ended, many had found employment in their previous occupations. Bearing in mind that this depression has been very real, we have reason to be well satisfied with the work that the Institute has been able to do. The loss of members through inability to pay, dues has been large, and income has been correspondingly reduced, but it proved to be materially in excess of that anticipated early in the year, so that a substantial and unanticipated balance was carried forward toward the activities of 1923. PUBLICATIONS Following the example of other technical societies, and to conserve our resources, no Year Book was published in 1922. The lack of an up-to-date membership list for the use of our members was regrettable, but the saving of $5000 proved to be worth while. During the year, Volumes LXV, LXVI, and LXVII were printed and sent to members. These volumes were composed largely of the papers of 1920 and 1921, publication of which had been delayed partly through lack of funds and partly for the purpose of segregating into volumes those papers dealing with the same general subject. The segregation of papers had been suggested by a number of members who had advised that they were not primarily interested in all subjects

Jan 1, 1925

By George Rice

WHEN miners in the interior coal fields of the United States began the practice of blasting the coal without undercutting, or what is known as "shooting off the solid," many explosions resulted, some of them of great extent and 'violence, and attended with large loss of life. One of the means adopted for preventing this large loss of life, though not preventive of explosions, was to employ shot firers to discharge the shots when all the other employees had gone out of the mine at the end of the day's shift. This system still prevails in most of the Central and Southwestern mines. Following the disaster at Winter Quarters mine, Utah, May 1, 1900, in which 200 lives were lost, a system of firing shots electrically from outside and when the men were out of the mine was adopted at the mines of the Utah Fuel Co.1 This system has also been used in France in certain mines that are subject to instantaneous outbursts of carbonic acid gas. These outbursts generally occurred at shot-firing time, on account of the blasts releasing the gas held in crevices under high pressure. The system was also adopted at a number of other mines in Utah, at the Cokedale mine, Colorado, at the Dawson mines, New Mexico, and in some mines of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. in the Birmingham Ala. district; and more recently in certain mines in Iowa and Kansas. At first there was considerable trouble from misfires, and in a few instances from premature firing, while men were in the mine, through the shot-firing lines becoming crossed with power lines. Fortunately, however, no loss of life resulted from such premature firing within the knowledge of the writers, and latterly this danger has been reduced to a minimum by certain measures of precaution. The proportion of misfires, or failures of individual shots to fire, has also been reduced to a very small

Jan 10, 1914

By James Finlay

(New York Meeting, February, 1913) AT first blush one is tempted to say that iron-mines are like any other mines, and that principles governing mining-property in general will apply to them. But there are certain considerations which seem to repay reflection. Gold and copper are more or less independent of transportation. The proof of this is that those metals are profitably mined and shipped from the remotest corners of the earth. Their value is determined by the cost of production on the ground. This is quite true of gold, not quite so true of copper, not at all true of iron. If New York were a fishing-village and Chicago' a swamp, Calumet & Hecla might still be a bonanza. The main element of its value is the 60 lb. of fine copper per ton which it produced for years. But the Mesabi Range is absolutely dependent upon the industrial activity in the United States. Iron-manufacture in Europe would give it no value whatever. If Chicago and New York had a population of Peruvians or Hindus, the Hull-Rust mine would be as worthless a bit of landscape as any tundra in Alaska. I have discussed these facts more or less casually and dimly in my book on the cost of mining and in my report to the Tax Commissioners of Michigan1 I shall try here to bring them out in more detail. I have already referred to some differences in the problem of mining as between the more precious metals, e.g., gold, and the less precious and more abundant minerals, like iron and coal; but it is interesting to note that the literature of the eco-

Jan 3, 1913