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John J. Porter, Cincinnati, Ohio (communication to the Secretary *):—The remarks of Mr. Firmstone concerning the presence of nickel in Oriskany ores, call to my mind some additional evidence on this point. In 1903, while engaged in the determination of zinc in a number of samples of ore from the Oriskany mine of the Alleghany Ore & Iron Co., I was surprised to discover the presence of nickel and cobalt. As far as I was then able to discover, their present;! had up to this time remained unnoticed. The amounts ranged from 0.05 up to 0.10 per cent. of the combined oxides, and while no attempt was made to separate the metals, the presence of both nickel and cobalt was conclusively proven. Since that time I have learned that traces of these metals are of quite general occurrence in Virginia iron-ores, and more especially in the ores of the Potsdam formation from the western slopes of the Blue Ridge. In certain manganese-ores from this formation, I have found as high as 0.50 per cent. of nickel and cobalt oxides. Any one interested in this subject will find further information in a volume l written by Andrew 8. McCreath, and printed in 1884 for distribution by the Norfolk & Western railway. A number of complete and accurate analyses of Virginia iron-and manganese-ores are given, and practically all show nickel and cobalt in appreciable quantity. Still another source of information on the occurrence of nickel in iron-ores in the United States, for which I am indebted to Charles Catlett, is found in the Tenth Census. Several analyses of Oriskany ores are given: all of which show the presence of nickel, with less cobalt, while the single representative from the Potsdam formation shows nickel, with no cobalt.

Jan 1, 1909

George Otis Smith, Washington, D. C. (communication to the Secretary) : The somewhat exceptional features discussed by Dr. Jenncy in his paper on " The Mineral Crest" mere recognized and described by Mr. Tower in our report on the Tintic district. The general absence of surface-outcrops of important ore-bodies, and their occurrence, when present, at relatively low points, are noticeable characteristics of this district, and the statements made by Dr. Jenncy agree in general with our observations. The approximately horizontal upper limit of the Silver Gem ore-body in the Bullion-Beck mine is figured in this report, and mention made also of the horizontal pipes of ore found in several mines." In only one case," however, was any hypothesis

Jan 1, 1903

Edward Halse, Puerto Berrio, Colombia, S. A. (communication to the Secretary): I have read with much pleasure the interesting and valuable paper by Mr. Kunz, and hope that the following brief notes, gathered a few years ago, while a resident in Mexico City, may help to elucidate the subjcct: Turquoise.—This was known to the Aztecs as Xihuitl. Santiago Ramirez states that they found it in the Cerro Xicohtzonc, close to Atzcapatzalco, a suburb of the City of Mexico (compare page 59). Opal.—This was known to the ancient Mexicans, for they named it mezcuitlatt (compare page 63). Jade.—Under this was iucluded a third mineral, prehnite, not mentioned by Mr. Kunz. According to James D. Dana, part of the "jade " of China is prehnite; and Humboldt informs us, in his work on New Spain, that the same species of jade is known in some parts of Mexico as mahagua (majagua ?). The same writer says, in his Views of the Cordilleras, that the Aztec name Tecpatl included flint, hornstone, and green jade; and finally, in his Travels in South America," he discusses the nature of the ancient amazon-stones, and declares them to have been made out of a jade resembling " compact feldspar," one of the constituents of the gabbro verde di Corsica. IIence those stones were probably composed of nephrite. According to Humboldt, the form given to them most frequently is that of the Babylomian cylinder, longitudinally perforated, and loaded with inscriptions and figures. They were also cut by the natives into very thin plates, perforated at the center, suspended by a thread, and worn as amulets. According to the historian Clavijero, the specific name given by the Aztecs to the nephritic stone (jadeite) was Quitzalitztli,

Jan 1, 1902

By W. C. Spence, Burt C. Mariacher

Methods employed to beneficiate ores utilize relatively few fundamental principles to effect size reduction and concentration. In crushing and grinding only impact and compressive forces with a minor amount of shear are employed. In concentration, gravity, magnetic, electrostatic and flotation constitute the major methods of concentration with minor use of sizing, hand picking and adhesion. This industry, as all others, can expect in the near future to see the development of new techniques for improved efficiency, cost reduction, and exploitation of raw materials hitherto considered unmanageable. NATURAL AND INDUCED RADIOACTIVITY At the Canadian Department of Mines in Ottawa in 1946, C. M. Lapointe developed a picker belt system whereby radioactive ores could be concentrated by electromechanical means. This invention ultimately led to development of what is now refer- red to as the Lapointe Picker and which has been used commercially at Port Radium and Port Hope for the upgrading of jig concentrates. Basically, the system consisted of conveying sized uranium ore on a belt under a radioactivity detection device which in turn electronically operated a kicker or plunger that separated the ore from the gangue constituents. Thus, a new principle for mineral concentration, radioactivity, was introduced commercially.

Jan 7, 1962

Theo. B. ComstocK, Los Angeles, Cal. (communication to the Secretary*):—Mr. Blake's recent paper upon this topic undoubtedly partly explains the rationale of a part of the known facts bearing upon discolorat'ion and encrustation of rocks. His quotation from Humboldt, with reference to certain South American examples, may be questioned in the light of further facts, which do not appear to bear out the great traveler's theory of causation. There is no available evidence that the waters of the tropical rivers referred to by Professor Blake contain dissolved organic matter in the varying proportions required to demonstrate Humboldt's guess, nor do the concomitant facts in any manner bear out the hypothesis that the blackening in one case and its absence in the other may, perhaps, be traced to differences in the chemical reactions of the respective waters. Careful consideration of Professor Blake's illustrations, in connection with numerous personal observations extending over widely-scattered areas, convinces me that elements of

Jan 1, 1905

Edward Keller, Baltimore, Md. (communication to the Secretary): When, at the New Pork meeting, February, 1899, Mr. Douglas gave an abstract of his highly interesting paper on the Copper Queen mine, he invited the members of the Institute, in his usual progressive spirit, to make a full scientific investigation of the region of that mine during the prospective excursion to Bisbee, Arizona. I volunteered to examine some of the metallurgical processes and products of the works, and obtained from Mr. Douglas a valuable series of samples. Upon the issue of his paper, however, I found that he had already a considerable volume of analyses of those products, and that little was left for me to do in that respect, except to duplicate his results, the importance of which work would not have been commensurate to the time and labor involved. I selected, therefore, only some points which he had not made entirely clear, or concerning which I was skeptical. The details of most of my work will appear in a future paper. From Mr. Douglas's figures I have calculated the values for the elimination of impurities in the so-called Leghorn converter, introduced by him at the Copper Queen works, and have found them to be as follows: Percentage of Elimination of Impurities in Pour Blows of a Converter. No of ' Selenium Sulph'r Iron. Zinc. I Nickel. Lead. Antimony Arsenic. and Blow- ! Tellurium .. 1.......... 99.4 99.6 88.0 92.6 94.4 81.6 83.8 40.3 2.......... 99.0 99.6 98.1 92.5 96.8 71.9 76.6 38.1 3.......... 98.8 99.5 93.5 91.4 96.3 63.8 80.6 25.3 4.......... 99.8 99.5 95.8 95.8 97.5 65.3 76.9 36.3 Average 99.2 99.6 93.8 93.1 . 96.2 70.6 ! 79.5 35.0

Jan 1, 1900

John Birkinbine, Philadelphia, Pa.: We have in the Institute two Dudleys—Dr. Charles B. Dudley, who has so thoroughly studied the chemical composition and physical behavior of rail-steel, and Dr. P. H. Dudley, whose investigations and

Jan 1, 1900

By Yeatman, Pope

FOR many years geologists have felt that mining companies should adopt a more liberal policy in the publication of their reports. The increasing usefulness of the geologist to the mining profession in recent years demands that consideration be given to this question. Prior to 1900, the call for geologists of high reputation by mining companies was probably mainly in connection with lawsuits arising from the interpretation of rights or ownership as defined by the "Law of the Apex," and from problems such as finding the continuation of the vein or whether the vein followed was the main one or a branch. Later, outside of legal questions, the most intensive and general use of their services arose from the search for oil. Geologists to determine the position of the formations

Jan 1, 1938

F. E. Bachman, Port Henry, N. T. (communication to the Secretary*):—In discussing Mr. o.o.Laudig's paper, the Action of Blast-Furnace Gases Upon Various Iron-Ores,' I took the ground that Mesabi-ore explosions were entirely mechanical; but more observation and later experience has caused me to

Jan 1, 1905

By Charles Albert Ashburner

The coal-fields of the United States have been variously classified as to their geographical positions. In 1887 I proposed slight changes to the classification generally used, for more convenient description of our coal-fields in my report on the statistical history of coal in the States during 1886 for the United States Geological Survey. This new classification seems to meet all practical requirements and has been generally adopted. The coal-areas are grouped in two divisions—the anthracite division and the bituminous division. The anthracite division, in a commercial sense, may be said to include the anthracite districts of Pennsylvania alone, although small amounts of anthracite are mined in Colorado and have been

Jan 1, 1890

By Garth M. Crosby

Hugh E. McKinstry (Professor of Geology, Laboratory of Mining Geology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.) Pre-Cambrian age for the Coeur d'Alene mineralization, as indicated by isotope studies and recently discussed by Silverman, Long, and Kulp' would explain some features of the mineralogy of the district that have long been a puzzle. In the Silver Belt, especially in the Sunshine mine, lead-zinc min erali zation passes downward into tetrahedrite ore. Although commercially speaking this is a rich silver zone, the silver is, quantitatively, a mere impurity amounting to a small fraction of 1 pct. In effect the zonal change is from lead-zinc down into copper mineralization—-the usual zonal change that occurs in many districts. In the Burke-Mullan portion of the district, on the other hand, lead-zinc ore does not pass downward into copper mineralization of the Sunshine type. Instead, pyrrhotite appears in depth while the tenor in lead and zinc declines. The change occurs at increasingly greater depth away from the Gem stocks, deepening irregularly by some 3000 ft within two to four miles. As noted by Crosby, biotite, grunerite, and garnet appear in the deep zone. The marked difference between this apparent zonal change and the more nomal change to a copper zone is quite explainable if already existing pre-Cambrian veins have been locally metamorphosed by a Tertiary intrusive. The chief obstacle to this explanation is the evidence that mineralization cuts Laramide intrusives, but evidence on this point is conflicting as indicated by Crosby's observations and summary. This is not the first instance of a problem in determining the time-relationship of mineralization to a spatially associated intrusive. At the Noranda mine veins of chalcopyrite extend into a diabase dike which apparently cuts the ore, although Price2 concludes that the ore is later. However, at the Normetal mine diabase of a similar dike is thought3 to intrude the orebody but is cut by stringers of chalcopyrite. In the Sullivan Mine, B. C.,4 galena follows a fracture in a larnprophyre dike which, itself, cuts the main orebody. In the Sudbury district dikes of olivine diabase are clearly younger than the nickel ore, yet where they cut the Creighton orebody they contain stringers of chalcopyrite. In the laboratory, Hawley5 has developed veinlets of sulfide (chalcopyrite) it] silicate gangue by heating specimens of ore in a stream of H2S at 410 °C. From this and other evidernce. it seems clear that sulfides can be transferred from one site to another — at least through short distances — at temperatures well below their melting points. It would seem then that even if sulfide Mineralization in the Gem stocks can be shown unequ ivocably to be later than the intrusive the possibility of "remobiliza tion" need not be more than local. Thus the zonal relationships are quite in accord with a pre-Cambrian age for original deposition of the lead, zinc, copper, silver, and uranium in the Coeur d'Alene district. REFERENCES 1. A. Silverman, A. Long, and J. L. Kulp: Discussion of: The Gem Stocks and Adjacent Orebodies, Coeur d'Alene District, Idaho. Mining Engineering, May 1960, pp. 470-471; AME Trans., 1960, vol. 217, p. 117. 2. Peter Price: Geol. & O. D. at the Home Mine, Noranda, Quebec. Can. Inst. M & M Bull 263, 1934, p. 108; also,Trans. CIMM 1939, pp. 108-140. 3. w. L. Brown Nometal Mine in structural Geology of Canadian Ore Deposits, Montreal, 1948, p. 690. 4. C. O. Swanson and H. C. Gunning: Geology of the Sullivan Mine. Can. Inst. Mining & Met. Trans. vol. 48, 1945, p. 653. 5. J. E. Hawley: Heat Effects on Sulphides and Possible Applications. Univ. Toronto Studies, Geol. Ser. No. 46, 1941, p. 34.

Jan 1, 1961

By F. G. Miller, E. B. Wilson

In 1972, coal mine productivity was in steady decline and labor and maintenance costs were spiralling upward. Yet, despite this sad state of affairs, nowhere in the US at that time was there a comprehensive and coordinated coal research and development plan in the offing. The Bureau of Mines had not yet been charged with such a responsibility, and industry was content to rely on machinery manufacturers for innovations. It was during this period that Bethlehem Steel Corp. determined that a new approach to coal mining research was needed for the industry as well as for the company itself. After studying Bethlehem's own mining practices, the state-of-the-art of mining research elsewhere, and development work by manufacturers, a comprehensive research package was presented to company management in late 1972. The ideas and experience of many operating and management personnel in the company contributed to the formulation of the final plan as approved.

Jan 10, 1976

It is probably safe to say that, as the economic well-being of the mining industry goes, so goes the fortunes of mineral explorationists. And in 1977 the industry was not well at all. The year-long depression of the copper industry, marked by layoffs, temporary shutdowns, and mine closures, provided an appropriate background for the collapse of the nickel market, passage of a surface mining law that will affect the hard-rock industry in ways that are yet unclear, and the threat of operating under a new set of rules brought on by reform of the Mining Law of 1872.

Jan 5, 1978

W. S. GRESLEY, Erie, Pa. (communication to the Secretary): A six-entry method of opening coal-mines is, or was a short time ago, practiced in the Connellsville coal-region; but Dr. Chance's method has a novel aspect; for while in the Connellsville region the main pillars are formed outside of two pairs

Jan 1, 1901

By F. O. Garrabrant

Power is furnished to the Climax Molybdenum Co. by the Public Service Co. of Colorado over two 100,000-volt lines to a bank of three 3333-kva. transformers 100/13.8 kv. These transformers are so designed that with the addition of forced cooling their capacity may be increased 331/3 Per cent at 12,000-ft. altitude. Under present conditions, these transformers are operated at 140 per cent of their rating with forced air cooling. On the secondary side of this bank there is a 15-kv., 1200-amp. Westinghouse oil circuit breaker provided with automatic reclosing relays allowing three successive short circuits before lockout. From this breaker 13.8-kv. power is transmitted to a central switching station (Fig. I) where all circuits radiate to the different operations of the property. Each circuit is protected by a 23-kv., 600-amp. oil circuit breaker with by-pass and isolating disconnecting switches.

Jan 1, 1947

Flag Day Celebrations Develop Practical Patriotism Among the hundreds of industries which celebrated Flag Day on June 14, were a number of mines, and a report- from the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Co. tells how the programs were carried out at Mammoth and Chrome. In the first place, Flag Day was not observed by knocking off work, but by short exercises, after which work was resumed with re-doubled energy. In this crisis, that method of showing devotion to the flag and country might be termed "practical patriotism." In other words, it could be expressed as "Hats off to the flag and sleeves up for it." Harry Hunt, first-aid man at the Mammoth mine, reports that the flag raising was marked by the spirit of high enthusiasm, which included every man, woman and child belonging to the camp. "The miners in their working clothes, still wearing their carbide lamps on their caps, with faces covered with dirt, just as they came from the mine, and the ladies and children with their bits of bright color, made a picture worthy of the brush of a master painter. The program rendered was that arranged by the National Bureau of Education." First came a bugle call, "To the Colors," given by Assistant Superintendent C. W. Plumb. Then Foreman Carpenter W. R. (Bill) Young, raised the stars and stripes to the peak, and as the banner unfurled to the breeze, all heads were bared, and the salute was given by the workers, whose toil at home is strengthening our army in France. Then the miners joined in the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner," and repeated the "Pledge of Allegiance," and the "American's Creed." Shift-boss W. J. Phinazee then addressed his fellow workers, telling them how the flag stands for their protection and that of their loved ones, and how it should be loved and respected, not only by the native born, but by all who live here under its protection. Those of alien birth, who have come here because of the greater opportunities offered in America, owe a special honor to the stars and stripes, and the point was made that these men from other lands should not love their old home less, but their adopted country more. The majority of those present were foreigners, and their hearty applause showed that they appreciated the point made by their shift-boss, who, because of his position, was able to address them as man to man.

Jan 10, 1918

By Charles F. King

THE only investigations on record of the reactions occurring during the Bessemer blow are of charges containing a large percentage of manganese, with the exception of two partial analyses by Snelus and Barker of the. English method, where a low percentage of manganese was used. They do not give the analysis of the spiegel, nor do they report any graphitic carbon after the first stage of the process. Both report only traces of manganese after the first stage until the addition of spiegel. The slags corresponding to the samples of metal were not analyzed.

Jan 1, 1881

By A. Henry

THE manufacture of wheels of metal for locomotives and cars constitutes an important branch of the iron industry, and one closely related, moreover, to many of the conditions of railway practice, such as speed, safety of passengers, and economy of working. It has been, also, since the introduction of iron roads, a subject of constant study on the part both of engineers of construction and iron manufacturers. The car-wheels at first used in Europe had spokes of wrought iron and a hub of cast iron. Subsequently endeavors were made to make the wheels entirely of wrought iron, by forging successively the different parts which constituted the hub, spokes, and rim. By this treatment the expansion of the heated portions at the last forgings gave rise to interior ruptures in the already cold and finished parts. The metal was thus strained before use, and the wheels broke frequently in service. It was in consequence of these failures, doubtless, that the engineers of this country were led to employ exclusively wheels of cast iron. The railway companies are nevertheless greatly interested in the reduction of the weight of rolling stock, while preserving abundant strength, and by the employment of wrought-iron wheels one may attain this double end if the defects of manufacture which we have just mentioned are avoided. This may be accomplished by making the wheels in such a manner that the different parts are welded at the same time, whereby the interior strains which so frequently give rise to ruptures in wheels successively forged are avoided. This result has been attained by what is known in France as the Arbel process, of which I will give you a short description if you will kindly give me a few minutes' attention. The process may be briefly summed up as follows : A pile of puddled bars of the general form of the wheel to be made is prepared,

Jan 1, 1877

By Lewis M. Haupt

Discussion of the paper of Mr. Granger, presented at the New Haven meeting, February, 1909, and published in Bulletin No. 25, January, 1909, pp. 1 to 37. LEWIS M. HAUPT, Philadelphia, Pa. (communication to the 'Secretary*) :-This subject is of great interest to me, and I am noting progress and conditions as a test of my own judgment in advocating what I believed to be the nearer, cheaper and better route at Nicaraugua. I have as yet learned nothing to change my views, or modify the convictions which led me to retire from the Commission; but that is not the issue to-day. Our government is committed to the Panama route, and is bound to " make good." There are many points presented by Mr. Granger which seem to me worthy of very serious consideration. But when all is said there remains the risk of seismic convulsions, to which either form of canal is subject; and I fail to see that the risk would be reduced by making the cut deeper, with greater surcharge of lateral pressure upon the side walls. A severe earthquake in the rainy season would doubtless close either type of canal. One of the arguments in favor of the Panama route most insisted on, was that Nature had provided good natural harbors at its termini. Recalling this, it has interested me to note that the cost of creating the necessary harbors is estimated at $27,000,000. Mr. Granger refers to this, and quotes the Board's report to the effect that, on the Atlantic side, it will require 5 miles of jetties to " make an excellent harbor out of a wretched one." The vulnerable part of Mr. Granger's paper seems to me to lie in the admission that the plant required is still in the embryonic stage, and that at least one machine should be built and tested " to demonstrate that the theoretical strains and forces work out in practice exactly as expected." This, how-

Jul 1, 1909

By R. W. Raymond

(Chattanooga Meeting, October, 1908.) THE immense commercial value of the Gayley dry-blast process has been established beyond controversy. The testimony of practical blast-furnace managers, on both sides of the Atlantic, agrees that it reduces the cost of pig-iron about $1 per ton; but from the same testimony it appears that this direct economy does not by any means cover its commercial advantages-in fact, that under conditions frequently encountered in practice, it presents other benefits of even greater immediate financial importance. To this point I shall recur in a later part of the present paper. The history of the reception given to this invention, especially on the other side of the Atlantic, has repeated an experience familiar to American engineers. First, the reports of our practice were rejected as theoretically impossible, according to generally accepted notions and formulas; then the figures were reluctantly accepted ; and finally the attempt has been made to explain how they could have been obtained. As to the Gayley dry blast, we Americans have been for several years in the last stage of the discussion, and the rest of the professional world is rapidly coming to it. Meanwhile, the remark has been repeatedly made that, whatever Mr. Gayley's process may turn out to be worth, it was not an invention on his part, but simply the energetic and persevering execution of a procedure already proposed by others. This question I wish to discuss first in the present paper. I. WHAT DID MR. GAYLEY INVENT Realizing that this is not the place for detailed argument on an issue of patent law, I shall not undertake to quote and criticise the publications prior to Mr. Gayley's first patents. It may be admitted, without such critical analysis, that the possi-

Jan 1, 1909