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By H. E. McKinstry

LIKE nearly everything else, mining geology has been reconverting. Many geologists had been in military and other government service. Many more, with mining companies, had been working primarily toward increasing production from known reserves. All of these are turning now toward their normal peacetime endeavor-the search for new ore; for most mining companies, finding themselves with accumulated deficits in development work, are more than ready to go ahead with their postwar plans made a year or more ago but still stalled at the close of 1945 for lack of man power. These plans include not merely development in the old home camp but also wide exploration for new prospects both domestic and foreign. Most of the large concerns have geologists and engineers in the field in the United States, despite the outlook for higher mining costs here, and at least half a dozen strong American companies are already investigating opportunities abroad, notwithstanding past unhappy experiences in certain Latin-American nations which have welcomed capital but later found means of preventing investors from reaping the reward of their enterprise. A few of these new foreign expeditions are following well-planned programs, but too many, in their haste to get any sort of footing, are proceeding without well-considered policy. with the result that their geologists can do little more than desultory scouting.

Jan 1, 1946

By William P. Prof. Blake

WHEN we consider the efforts made in Europe to promote the physical and moral well-being of the working classes, the question is suggested whether in this country, where, theoretically, every man is peculiarly the arbiter of his own destiny, we may not be too prone to expect every man to take care of himself, and neglect to make those provisions for the welfare of the employed, demanded alike by enlightened economy and humanity. In the older countries, where the disproportion between capital and labor is greater, and the working classes are more dependent, their welfare largely occupies the attention of employers. The subject is involved in the problem of the just relations of capital and labor, and we are rapidly approaching the time, if we have not already reached it, when a generous paternal interest in the welfare of the employed should be more generally manifested. It is a subject which is of special importance to mine-owners and engineers in this country, especially to those located in the coal regions. My own attention has been particularly directed to it by a visit made to the Hassard collieries, a few miles from Liege, Belgium, under the direction of M. Andrimont. This celebrated engineer has established a comfortable home for the miners near the mouth of the shaft of the mine. It has been highly successful and beneficent in its results, and may to a great degree be regarded as a, model for such undertakings. It is known as "Hotel Louise," this being the name of Madame d'Andrimont, who laid the corner-stone of the building April 4th, 1871. The structure is of brick, upon three sides of a square, and

Jan 1, 1875

By William P. Blake

When we consider the efforts made in Europe to promote the physical and moral well-being of the working classes, the question is suggested whether in this country, where, theoretically, every man is peculiarly the arbiter of his own destiny, we may not be too prone to expect every man to take care of himself, and neglect to make those provisions for the welfare of the employed, demanded alike by enlightened economy and humanity. In the older countries, where the disproportion between capital and labor is greater, and the working classes are more dependent, their welfare largely occupies the attention of employers. The subject is involved in the problem of the just relations of capital and labor, and we are rapidly approaching the time, if we have not already reached it, when a generous paternal interest in the welfare of the employed should be more generally manifested. It is a subject which is of special importance to mine-owners and engineers in this country, especially to those located in the coal regions. My own attention has been particularly directed to it by a visit made to the Hassard collieries, a few miles from Liège, Belgium, under the direction of M. Andrimont. This celebrated engineer has established a comfortable home for the miners near the mouth of the shaft of the mine. It has been highly successful and beneficent in its results, and may to a great degree be regarded as a model for such undertakings. It is known as ((Hotel Louise," this being the name of Madame d' Andrimont, who laid the corner-stone of the building April 4th, 1871. The structure is of brick, upon three sides of a square, and

By Nagel, Theodore

USE of oxygen in metallurgical operations was investigated by a committee of unusually able engineers more than ten years ago. A record of their work appeared under the title "The Use of Oxygen or Oxygenated Air in Metallurgical and Allied Processes," Serial 2502, Report of Investigations, U. S. Bureau of Mines. Shortly thereafter the A.I.M.E. published "Use of Oxygenated Air in Metallurgical Operations," based on a symposium at the New York meeting, February 1, 924. Quoting from the Bureau of Mines report In view of the many recent developments in oxygen manufacture, and considering the increasing cost and decreasing quality of our raw materials, the Bureau of Mines has taken the matter of the application of oxygen or oxygenated air to the metallurgical centers for consideration and has appointed an advisory committee to study the problem.

Jan 1, 1935

By Hermsdorf, Richard P. E.

AMONG the newer lead smelting and refining plants of the country is that of the United States Metals Refining Co., at Carteret, N. J. Not only is the technical practice here modern and efficient, but exceptional care is taken to assure healthful operating conditions for the employees. One large building houses the entire department, which includes, as its chief units, one reverberatory smelting furnace, one blast furnace, two softening furnaces, one utility reverberatory furnace, two Faber du Faur retorts, five 120-ton kettles, three 60-ton antimouial lead kettles, and one 5-ton kettle for experimental purposes. There is a 10-ton overhead crane in the kettle aisle, which is also used for shipping lead. Other auxiliary equipment is referred to in the outline of operations. A general plan of the plant is shown in Fig. 2, and a general view in Fig. 1. Primary smelting operations are conducted in a 30 by 11-ft. reverberatory furnace with bottom, roof, and upper walls of clay brick, magnesite

Jan 1, 1934

By Charles A. Lindberg

Mobile cranes on tires are perhaps the most important accessory in truck-haulage pits. They usually are of 20-ton capacity at short radius and with outriggers but have considerable overload capacity. Standard booms are 30 ft but have 10-ft extensions with which they are usually operated. Cranes have two engines, both originally gasoline, but 150-hp Diesel engines have been found more reliable for the propulsion motor, the 100-hp gasoline motors being retained for hoisting. Pro- visions are made for dropping the ballast counter- weight to reduce axle weights to legal limits for highway travel. The weights are carried on a regular truck or are transported on an extra trailer axle behind the crane. Tractors-Probably equalling the cranes in usefulness are the track-laying tractors which are used to prepare roads and other surfaces, to clean up at the shovel, and for dozing on stripping dumps. A new type of tractor mounted on rubber tires has been tried out on the Mesabi Range for the past year and a half. The advantage of this design is its mobility which makes it capable of taking care of the spill at the shovel and then running to the dump to clean up. Alternating between these two jobs, it relieves heavy tractors that can be used to better advantage on heavier work that does not require so much traveling. This tractor can travel at speeds of 12 to 13 mph and is designed to facilitate repair of the expendable parts. Weaknesses have developed in the internal construction which have seriously marred the performance record of this unit, but when used within its capacity it is quite successful.

Jan 1, 1949

By Zay Jeffries

OF the new production of non-ferrous metals in 1930 gold will rank first in value. We usually think of copper as the most important non-ferrous metal. The copper industry as a whole, that is, adding copper production to copper fabrication, is the largest non-ferrous metal industry. Prior to the world war; however, gold led in value of new metal produced. During the war copper passed gold in value, but gold regained its position during the 1921 depression. For the past several years copper has again passed gold, but in 1930 gold promises again to regain the lead. The gold producer has at times been called a social parasite, largely because we ' cannot eat or drink gold, or because we cannot use it for clothes or for the construction of buildings. Let us briefly examine this accusation.

Jan 1, 1930

By A. M. Gaudin

THE so-called Kick law' is generally accepted to . mean that for each reduction to one-half in particle diameter, in a unit weight, the same amount of work is required. In crushing-efficiency calculations on crushing tests it is customary, when basing the calculation on Kick's law, to assign ordinal numbers to each standard sieve size. These ordinal numbers increase by a constant difference with each successive sieve aperture, because standard sieve apertures are in constant ratio. Minus 200-mesh is generally assumed as equivalent to 37 microns in size. By definition, the ordinal number multiplied by the per cent material of any size is equal to the energy units in the material of that size in a unit weight of sample. The sum of all energy units is the energy units content of a unit weight of sample, whether it be crusher feed or product. The difference between the energy units in the product and that in the feed is the tangible result of the work input per unit weight of feed. From this the amount of work necessary for one energy unit may be calculated. This has been done for a quartz crushing-test made at the Intermountain Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines at Salt Lake City, in which the net work going to crushing was carefully measured. The results of this crushing test are given in Table 1.'

Jan 1, 1929

By C. P. Lawhon, J. P. Simpson, W. M. Evans

Recent efforts to design drilling fluids for increased drifting rates have confirmed some laboratory results of other investigators, but have also produced additional data that should be considered. These data were obtained under controlled test conditions using a microbit drilling machine. Clays and some polymers have previously been reported to cause reduction in drilling rate. Recent data have shown that under laboratory conditions, suspensions of a single day or polymer have sometimes given faster drilling rates than when water was used. Measurements have been made of clay suspensions and polymer suspensions comparing filtration (I) under API conditions, (2) while drilling with temperature of 150F and differential pressure of 1,000 psi and (3) under dynamic conditions after drilling. Some correlation between instanraneous filtration (white drilling) and drilling rate has been observed. INTRODUCTION Several papers have been presented that related drilling fluids to penetration rate. Generally, it was found that a decrease in the solids concentration resulted in significant increases in the drilling rate. Of course, this change also resulted in a decrease in the viscosity of the drilling fluid.' Conclusions from investigations by this laboratory are in agreement. Data have shown that of the simple mud measurements commonly made at the drilling rig (density, plastic viscosity. yield point, API filtrate and total solids), only the density and total solids have a significant relationship to the drilling rate in Berea sandstone when attempting to correlate a single mud property individually.' More recent drilling rate experiments have been designed to study (1) effects of individual clays and polymers on drilling rates in Berea sandstone and Lueders limestone, (2) the relationship between drilling rate and dynamic filtration as measured after drilling and (3) the relationship between drilling rate and dynamic filtration as measured during drilling. Data show that drilling rates are dependent upon type and concentration of particles, type of formation and filtration of the individual fluids while drilling. Mud pressure: pressure of drilling fluid as measured after leaving the drilling chamber (Fig. 1). This is taken to be approximately the mud pressure just past the bit and at the face of the formation. Terrastatic pressure: pressure representing weight of overburden. Formation pressure: pressure of formation fluid as measured at outlet of drilling chamber (Fig. 1). This is taken to be approximately the pressure of fluid in the interstices of the formation. Differential pressure: difference between the mud pressure and formation pressure. LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND TESTING PROCEDURE The drilling equipment was described in two previous publications."' Main components are a drilling chamber, filter-heater, rotary drive and variable-speed circulating pump. Auxiliary pumps supply pressure boosts for the mud, terrastatic and formation pressures. All equipment is designed for 15,000 psi and 500F. Capacity of the circulating system is approximately 7 gal. The mechanical design was facilitated by moving the rock down onto the bit. Data collected with this design should not differ from that obtained by a normal design where the bit moves into the rock. Drilling fluid is pumped through 50 ft of ID pipe coiled in an oil bath, enters the rotary shaft at a right angle and is pumped through the jets on the bit (Fig. 1). Most of the drilled solids are extracted by a screen mounted in the circulating system on the suction side of the pump. Data reported in this paper were obtained by controlling these parameters: mud pressure, 5,000 psi; formation pressure, 4,000 psi; terrastatic pressure, 5,000 psi; force on bit, 1,000 Ib; formation, Berea sandstone and Lueders limestone; flow rate, 7 gal/rnin; bit, 11/4-in. diameter with two 0.078-in jets; mud temperature. 150F; and rotary speed, 60 rpm. Mud pressure was controlled at 5,000 psi, thus giving a differential pressure of 1,000 psi even though the fluid densities varied. Cores of 3%;-in. diameter and 8 in. long were selected from quarry blocks to provide some control of grain size distribution, permeability and porosity. A 2-in. section was cut off each core and a I -in. diameter plug was taken from this section. Permeability to 5 percent by weight sodium chloride solution was determined and the large cores were

By Harrison Souder

UNDER the stimulus of steadily in- creasing 'demands of the steel industry at home, and with the supply of available ores from abroad appreciably diminished owing to vigorous rearmament campaigns in Europe, production of Eastern magnetite ores reached an all- time peak in 1937. Although the figures given in the accompanying table are partly estimated (actual figures were available for eleven months only), it appears that 1937 production was nearly 47 per cent higher than that of 1936.

Jan 1, 1938

By W. J. Millard

VAGUE rumors and stories have been heard, from time to time, about the diamond and gold deposits of southern Venezuela. It is perhaps appropriate, at this time of revived interest in gold mining, to publish a few facts in regard to this country, which has been undergoing exploration since the fifteenth century. Gold and diamonds are found principally in the State of Bolivar which lies in southeastern Venezuela and is bounded by British Guiana on the east and Brazil on the south (see Fig. 1). The famous Mt. Roraima is situated at a point where these three countries meet in a common point (see Fig. 2). Some gold is also found in the southern part of the territory of Amacuro. Good oil prospects exist in the northern part of this same territory. Diamonds are found on the Caroni river from Rio Paragua to the village of Guri. Another small district is on the headwaters of the Cuyuni river. Quartz veins containing gold are chiefly exploited in

Jan 1, 1931

By Myers, J. F.

The purpose of the mill tests reported herein, was to determine the relative power efficiency of fast and slow rod mill speeds on the ores of the Tennessee Copper Co. The tests were carried out at the lsabella Mill of the Tennessee Copper Co. under normal operating conditions. Every effort was made to keep the ore supply and other conditions constant, but it will be noted that some slight variation did occur. The open circuit 6 by 9 rod mill, and ore, used in these tests have been previously described.' Four motor drive pinions were available and the tests were performed in the following manner: each pinion was used to drive the mill for a period of one week. Constant sampling prevailed during the test run, and a composite sample for each speed test was made. Realizing that some slight liner wear took place during the four-week test-run, and that some slight variation of the ore may have taken place, a second and then a third series of four-week test- runs were made with the four different pinions. The screen analysis of each of the thee-week run samples at the various speeds were composited and the results are shown in Table 1. The authors feel that the 12 weeks of operation consumed during these test-runs would represent fairly the effect of each mill speed. The data of line 37 show that within the error of sampling and plant operation, the tons of minus 65-mesh material generated per horsepower hour was the same at all four speeds.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. G. Green, R. L. Dowdell

LEAD POISONING as a result of eating lead pellets deposited in marsh areas is a cause of high mortality among ducks, geese, and other waterfowl ingested lead shot become trapped in the gizzard with gravel and are slowly ground away by the grit. Absorption of lead as it passes through the intestine in a finely divided state produces severe lead poisoning which is usually fatal. Ducks and geese with lead poisoning develop first a typical green diarrhea. Later, paralysis of the wing muscles prevents flight. As the poisoning continues with further grinding of the shot trapped in the gizzard, increasing paralysis reduces the bird to helpless-

Jan 1, 1937

By Herbert Haas

1. INTRODUCTION COPPER matte is now converted into blister copper at a cost of only $5 per ton of copper, or, based on a 40 per cent. matte, $2 per ton of matte, which is the record of at least one large smelting Works; and it seems hardly likely that a further reduction, large enough to warrant, a change in existing practice, could be made in bessemerizing costs. But the new type of converter here described and the new practice proposed are intended, not so much for the treatment of mattes, as for the extension of, the process to the direct reduction in the copper-converter of pyrite ores

Jan 6, 1914

By Richard Miller

The investigations of large-grained specimens carried out by Polanyi and Schmid,1 Sykes,2 Goucher,3 Yamaguchi,4 Gough, Cox, and Sopwith,5 Carpenter and Elam,6 Aston,7 and others have shown qualitatively that grain boundaries restrain the deformation of adjacent crystals. But whether or not the influence of the grain boundary is confined to the glide planes intersected by the boundary has not been demonstrated in any of these investigations, nor has there been carried out any quanti-tative analysis, of the influence of a boundary on the deformation of a crystal. Indeed, the specimens employed in the previous work con-

Jan 1, 1934

By Alan E. Gallie

SHERRITT Gordon Co. was formed in 1927 to exploit a copper zinc orebody located in the bush 90 miles north of The Pas, Manitoba. The mine went into production in 1931, operated for a year and a half, and closed because of the low price of copper. Reopened in 1937, it operated continuously until mined out in 1951, producing 8.5 million tons of ore. From 1937 on Sherritt Gordon conducted an energetic prospecting program throughout northern Manitoba, giving particular attention to the belt of favorable greenstone rocks north of the Churchill River. From 1937 to 1941 a number of gold showings were located but nothing of economic value was found.

Jan 3, 1957

West Virginia University, Engineering Experiment Station, Morgantown, W Va C E Lawall, Director. For copies of Bulletins or other information address the Director Two classes of the Bulletins published by the Engineering Experiment Station are of particular interest in this directory- Research Bulletins, and Extension Bulletins, or bulletins published for use in extension work They are. Research Bulletin 1, The conservation of natural gas in West Virginia (1918), 2, Acceleration stresses in hoisting ropes (1927), 3, Classification of gas wells for operation (1927), 4, Mining methods in West Virginia (1929), 5, The whiteware industry of West Virginia, Extension Bulletin 1, Electricity in mines, series

Jan 1, 1933

By Jonathan G. Price

Silver-copper-lead deposits In Precambrian, Permian, and Cretaceous red-bed sequences near Van Horn, Texas, have the following features In common: (1) mineralization controlled by steeply dipping fractures in sandstones, (2) lack of ore in overlying and interbedded limestones, (3) absence of igneous intrusions, (4) sulflide ores without typical hydrothermal gangue minerals, and (5) associated arsenic, molybdenum, zinc, and cadmium but not gold. Ore was probably deposited along fractures by reaction between low-temperature, oxidizing, metal-rich ground waters and sulfide-bearing waters or rocks. Detailed mapping and studies of fracture patterns indicate that mineralization occurred during Basin and Range extensional deformation, thereby postdating major Trans-Pecos igneous activity.

Jan 1, 1984

By G. M. Ritcey

The concentration of metals in the solution, the .value of the metal being recovered, together with the flow through- put, may singly or in combination conbribute to the decision on the possible use of solvent extraction. Also, as noted earlier, the upstream and downstream aspects of the overall process have to be considered. The economic considerations may be divided into: 1. Capital investments 2. Operating costs Capital Cost The capital costs can be influenced by the following: 1. number of stages; 2. kinetics; 3. coalescence; 4. entrainment; 5. flow rates and ratios; 6. building requirements; 7. ancillary equipment; 8. environment constraints or requirements; 9. engineering design.

Jan 1, 1978

US 4,185,193-Method of assaying the vicinity of a borehole for uranium ore or thorium ore. A pulsed neutron source IS operated to irradiate the earth formations with fast neutrons. A detector responds to the delayed fission neutrons emitted by the ore as a measure of ore concentration and to the delayed neutrons from oxygen-17 as a measure of the neutron output of the source. The measurement of ore concentration is corrected In accordance with the measured changes in the neutron output of the source. R L. Caldwell, assigned to Mobil Oil Corp. Jan. 22, 1980 4 pp (250-269). Filed: 5-18-78 (906,907).

Jan 1, 1982