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By J. W. Paul

[A study of mining methods and underground practices as they influence injury from falls of roof or coal reveals data as to the location in the mine where such injuries occur with the greatest frequency and as to some of the methods and practices which are in use for the prevention of injury. This paper, which presents statistics bearing on the frequency and place of occurrence of accidents and, discusses regulations and practices which have resulted in a low frequency rate from falls of roof and coal in a few representative mines takes its information from mine-accident reports and from the results of studies conducted in a group of 80 mines in the bituminous coal fields of western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. The statistics from this group of mines cover periods of one to four years but average 2 years and 7 months. During this time these mines produced over 110,400,000 tons of coal, equivalent to one-fifth of the annual production of all bituminous mines in the United States. The coal beds of the mines in the group studied are mostly flat, with local pitches of moderate degree. A number of mining plans are in use, each of which follows a general system of multiple entries, cross entries, and rooms. Room and pillar in panels either advancing, retreating, or half advance and half retreat and the block systems are employed. The methods of pillar extraction are by splitting, slabbing, pocket-and-stump, and open end. It is hoped that in presenting some of the details of the methods and practices at particular mines of this group which have commendable records in the prevention of injury some good may accrue to many other bituminous mines which 'nave similar natural conditions.]

Jan 1, 1933

By E. P. Youngman

This paper is one of a series of digests of foreign mining legislation and court decisions that is being prepared in advance of a general report relative to the right of American citizens to explore for minerals and to can and ore rate mines in various foreign countries. This interpretation of the mining laws of the Irish Free State has been prepared from the best available material in Washington and is released subject to amplification and correction, if necessary, by American foreign-service officials. INTRODUCTION This paper is based upon the mines and minerals act, 1931, enacted by the Legislature (Oireachtas) of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann), December 22, 1931, the lull title of which is "An act to establish a board to perform functions in relation to mines and minerals, to authorize the making of lenses of mines and minerals belonging to or vested in Saorstát Eireann, to name provider for facilitating the working of other mines and minerals and, for imposing restrictions on the working of minerals required for the support of buildings and works, to amend the law with respect to mines, and for other purposes incidental to the matters aforesaid.'

Jan 1, 1933

By L. S. Harner

This paper which describes the milling practice at the Golden Cycle mill is one of a series of similar papers being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines. The mill of the Golden Cycle Corporation, formerly known as the Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Co., is located at Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has been operated since 1907. It is now and has been from its inception almost exclusively a custom mill.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. T. Pardee

INTRODUCTION PLACER is a Spanish word, the definitions of which include "an extensive bank of sand or gravel" and "a place where currents of water deposit particles of gold."l The term, probably first used in the western hemisphere by Spanish or Mexican gold miners, is now generally applied to all detrital deposits that yield valuable minerals by washing. In the Western States placer products other than gold, including the silver alloyed with it, are chiefly sapphires, produced in Montana, and platinum alloys recovered in California and Oregon. During the war tungsten ore (scheelite) was obtained from placers in the Atolia district, California, and a number of diamonds have been found in the Sierra Nevada gold belt. Small amounts of stream tin have been produced in the Black Hills of South Dakota and a little monazite sand in the Boise Basin. Idaho. Magnetite, chromite, ilmenite, zircon, and other useful minerals are more or less abundant in the beach placers of the Pacific coast and in the heavy residues of placer mining elsewhere, but the problems of profitably separating and marketing them remain to be solved. Minerals of lead, quicksilver and other metals occur in many of the placers and although not plentiful enough as a rule to be worth recover-ng, their presence has, in several instances, led to the discovery of valuable lodes, notably at Leadville, Colorado. Historical summary.-In New Mesico, Arizona, and Southern California, placer gold was mined by Mexicans and Spanish priests in the first half of the 19th century or earlier. With these exceptions history of placer mining in the Western States begins with Marshall's discovery of gold in northern California in 1848. During the next twenty years placers were found in all of the principal mining districts that are known today. The richer deposits were soon mined out but a relatively large production was maintained from the leaner deposits chiefly by hydraulic

Jan 1, 1933

By Oliver Bowles

Limestone is the most widely used of all racks and is essential to a great many industries, including tae building trades, highway construction, metallurgy, agriculture, end many chemical and manufacturing enterprises. It occurs in some form in every State and is produced in thousands of quarries. Production in 1930 exceeded 134,000,000 tons. It has more numerous and more diversified uses than any other rock. This paper is designed to furnish general information on the various branches of limestone quarrying and their economic importance. Brief reference is made to dimension stone, and a more complete discussion follows of the uses, requisite qualities, quarry methods, grid processes of preparation of crushed and broken limestone. Footnote references serve to guide the reader to more detailed information.

Jan 1, 1933

By M. A. Roche

The property of the Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Company, Limited is located at Flin Flon lake, 85 miles northwest of The Pas, Manitoba, on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan boundary. The area is at latitude North 54°, and is approximately 1,000 feet above sea level. The ore-body occurs in amygdaloidal greenstones, which are to be referred to the earliest basic volcanic flows in the district. It was discovered in an outcrop on a point of land jutting into Flin Flon lake, and subsequent diamond drilling proved that it extends under the lake both to the north and south of the point of discovery. After the taking of soundings from the ice during the winter months, it was estimated that l,000,000 tons of overburden, mainly mud and clay, would have to be removed to expose the underlying ore. Flat diamond-drill holes indicated that the ore-body was separated into more or less independent lenses by horses of unmineralized greenstone, and that in places the overall width, including horses of waste, reached 450 feet. These several] conditions were the main factors influencing the management in their decision to adopt an open-cut method for the mining of the upper portion of the ore-body. Before it was possible to commence stripping operations, it was necessary to dam-off the eastern portion of Flin Flon lake, instal pumps, and de-water the dammed-off area. Dams for this purpose were constructed of mine waste rock and clay filler from nearby hillsides. Material for the bottoms of the dams was taken across Flin Flon lake in hopper-bottom barges. Trestles were then built on the dam bottoms and dams were complete by the time trackage was available. De-watering commenced in April, 1930, and was completed by the latter part of May of the same year. Estimated pump output for the period was roughly four billion gallons. Two Morris 10-inch dredging pumps were used, direct-connected to 250 h.p. electric motors. Individual pump capacity was rated at 3,000 g.p.m. against a 150-foot head. Average head for the operation was 50 feet, which increased the total output considerably. The pumps were mounted on floating barges in cribbings of piling driven at the lowest points in the lake bottom.

Jan 1, 1933

By H. F. Smiley, Fred Sehmann

The production of the North Central Texas area comes entirely from the Pennsylvanian section with the exception of one pool in Cooke County and one in Young County where oil has been, produced from the weathered surfaces of Pre-Pennsylvanian peaks overlapped by oil-bearing strata of Pennsylvanian age. In the southern part of the area the Strawn and Bend groups furnish the production, the Strawn sands being the predominating horizons at depths from 1500 to 3000 feet. In the northern part of the area including North Young, Archer, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Clay counties, the Cisco group has produced consistently for nearly 30 years from sands ranging in depth from 700 to 2500 ft. To our knowledge there are 13 separate producing sands in t,he Cisco group ranging from 200 to 1800 ft. in Wichita County. During the past three years, deeper drilling has opened three new producing horizons. A Canyon sand in Central Archer County has produced from 400 to 800 bbl. per well at a depth of 2200 ft.; and in the same pool, owned jointly by the Deep Oil Development Co. and Lindsay Drilling Co., a Strawn sand was found at 3600 ft. which produced 75 bbl. per day. In Southern Wichita County the Bend group has been found productive. A very oolitic sandy lime series from 3675 to 3942 ft. has produced in three wells drilled to date. During the past year the district has been producing under an extreme proration which accounts for the small production figures for 1932, as well as the few drilling activities at the end of the year. Table 1 presents the available drilling and production data compiled by the North Texas Oil and Gas Association.

Jan 1, 1933

By T. M. Broderick

INVESTIGATIONS into the possibilities of economically mining and concentrating low-grade iron ores of the Lake Superior region are attract-ing increasing attention. Among the organizations that are carrying on the work are the United States Bureau of Mines, the State of Minne-sota (which spends about $80,000 annually on problems of the 'iron and ferroalloy ores of Minnesota), and the State of Michigan (which spends about $10,000 annually of its iron-ore research). Several of the mining companies are also financing research. Of the states in the Lake Superior district, Minnesota has done most in iron-ore concentration. In 1930, thirty-seven concentrating plants were in operation on the Mesabi Range, beneficiating about one-third of the total ore shipped. About one-half of these plants reduced silica; the others reduced moisture or improved the structure of the ore.1 Research into the possibilities of magnetic concentration of the Eastern Mesabi magnetite ores indicates that vast tonnages of that ore may be utilized at a profit in the not distant future. Magnetic concentration has also been tried at Sellwood, Ontario, on the Moose Mountain deposit, and at the Berkshire mine in Wisconsin on the magnetic ores of the Western Gogebic Range. There have been few attempts to concentrate Michigan iron ores. In order to determine the possibilities of such concentration, iron-ore research has been carried on at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology for the past few years. After a general survey of the iron ores of the state, a program of more detailed experimentation was out-lined, starting with work on the Ironwood formation of the Gogebic Range. The results of this research led to the belief that gravity methods will produce fairly satisfactory concentrates from the parts of the iron formation that are made up of comparatively thick alternating beds of rather high-grade ore and lean chert.

Jan 1, 1933

Jan 1, 1933

Oklahoma Geological Survey, Faculty Exchange, Norman, Okla The Oklahoma Geological Survey was closed for lack of funds July 1, 1931. However, a list of publications "will be sent and requests for publications will be filled in so far as possible Address the above.

Jan 1, 1933

The American Mining Congress, 841 Munsey bldg., Washington, D. C. J. F. Callbreath, Secretary. The American Mining Congress is a trade association rather than a technical society and as such does not issue scientific papers. Aside from the articles appearing in the monthly Mining Congress Journal, and the Proceedings of the Annual Meetings, only two works have been issued. They are: The standard handbook on mining methods, practice and equipment. $3.

Jan 1, 1933

The Johns Hopkins Press, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md The Johns Hopkins Press has issued a number of books as The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Geology Five of the studies are paleontological in character; five are on geology: No. 1, The geology of the Corocoro copper district of Bolivia, by J. T Singewald, Jr and E W. Berry, $1 50, 2, The geology and paleontology of the Huancavehca mercury district, by E W Berry and J T Singewald, Jr $1 50, 6, Contributions to the geology and paleontology of South America, by E W. Berry and F M Swartz, 3175, 7, The geology of the Island of Trinidad, B W I, by G A Waring, with notes on the paleontology by G. D Harris, $1 75, 8, Fifty years' progress in geology, 1876-1926 Papers presented at the Geological Conference during the 50th Anniversary of the Johns Hopkins University, $1 50 An additional publication on geology is. Notes on the minerals occurring in the neighborhood of Baltimore, by G H Williams, 25 cents. In the list of Doctors' Dissertations available from the University are found all theses on geology and mineralogy, about 90 in number, from 1886 on Authors of many of these have since made great names for themselves in the fields of geology and mineralogy. Most of the theses have been published as papers by other agencies and, as such, will be found under other headings in this directory

Jan 1, 1933

By Oscar Marzke

STUDIES on the precipitation of a face-centered from a body-centered structure-a common occurrence in alloy systems-are essential to the development of a theory for the formation of segregate structures. The separation of the alpha phase from the beta of the copper-zinc system is an example of this type of precipitation. EARLIER STUDIES ON THE SUBJECT R. F. Mehl and 0. T. Marzke1 in 1931 presented a paper giving the results of some investigations carried out by them on the segregate structures produced when the alpha and gamma phases of the copper-zinc system and the alpha phase of the copper-aluminum system precipi-tate from the beta phases of these systems. They showed that the alpha phase precipitates as needles close to the [111] directions of the beta phase. In the discussion of that paper some doubt was expressed about the nature of the segregate. More investigations were undertaken to determine the character of the precipitate in the copper-zinc system and also the orientation relationship between the matrix and precipitate. The present paper gives the results of these investigations. Since the publication of the earlier paper, several other papers on this subject have been published in this country and abroad. Haneman and Schroder2 reported that the alpha phase precipitates as needles along the [111] directions of the beta phase and that these needles align themselves to form plates on the {111} planes of the matrix. Mathewson and Smith3 pointed out that the {111} plane does not contain the [111] direction and that it would be quite impossible, therefore, for needles in the [111] direction to form plates on the {111} plane. They suggested

Jan 1, 1933

By Sidney A. Swensrud

The writer has been interested for some time in trying to appraise our industry's prospects for gasoline consumption over the next half dozen years or so. Anyone who has even approached the problem knows the intimate relationship to it of the number of automobiles in use— by automobiles I mean both passenger cars and trucks. Probably at least 90 per cent of our gasoline is used in automotive vehicles. Some recent estimates secured from the Department of Commerce show the following breakdown: Per Cent Passenger cars............................................ 60.0 Trucks................................................... 27.4 Busses................................................... 2.9 Taxicabs................................................. 2.2 Subtotal............................................... 92.5 Aviation, motor boats and railroads......................... 0.5 Agricultural: farm tractors, etc.............................. 3.3 Balance (manufacturing, government use, construction, etc.)... 3.7 100.0 Up to the beginning of the depression there was, of course, a constant annual increase in the number of automobiles in use, for each year the industry added to the total inventory or ''population" more new units than were being scrapped, as may be seen in Fig. 1. Few of us in the oil industry needed to give much attention to the detailed figures, although the automobile industry seemed to interest itself in all sorts of calculations of replacement demand vs. new car demand, the average life of the car, the number scrapped, and the like. Probably many people in the oil industry, as well as outside it, were surprised at the way in which automobile registrations and gasoline consumption held up during the early years of the depression. Nor were they greatly perturbed when, as in the last two years, both registrations and consumption began to fall somewhat. That was natural enough; it

Jan 1, 1933

By H. E. Nold

THE raw materials of the ceramic industry are mostly clays. This raw material is ground, water is added and the mixture pugged into a moist, plastic, rather stiff mass. From this mass the desired units of manufacture are made (bricks, hollow building tile, sewer .pipe, etc.). These units are dried; then placed in kilns and heated until the desired degree of vitrification is obtained.1 For firing ceramic ware, two distinct types of kilns are used; namely, periodic and continuous tunnel. PERIODIC KILNS Periodic kilns are those ordinarily seen in a brick plant. They are either round or rectangular. The raw, dried, formed ware is piled or set in the kilns to depths frequently exceeding 10 ft. The kiln is heated until the ware is matured, then gradually cooled sufficiently to allow men to remove the ware; then the cycle is repeated. The time duration of the cycle may be more than two weeks.

Jan 1, 1933

By D. L. Pitt

This paper, describing the milling methods at the concentrator of the Premier Gold Mining Co., Ltd., Premier, B. C., Canada, is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on milling methods and costs in the various mining districts throughout the United States and Canada. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance and suggestions given during the preparation of this paper by the engineering staff and accounting department of the Premier Gold Mining Co., Ltd., all of whom have assisted materially in gathering the data used.

Jan 1, 1933

A list of publications of the United States Bureau of Mines, complete from its establishment to the end of June, 1931, may be had upon request. In addition a monthly leaflet of new publications is issued and is sent to those on the mailing list of the Bureau. Publications are separated into three main divisions: 1. Sales Publications.-Those for which a charge is made. Any orders or remittances in payment for sales publications should be sent directly to the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., and not to the Bureau of Mines. Sales publications are classified into (1) Bulletins, (2) Technical Papers, (3) Economic Papers, (4) statistical reports of the mineral resources of the United States, (5) Monographs, (6) Handbooks, and (7) Schedules. Bulletins and Technical Papers present the results of scientific and technical investigations. Economic Papers are analytical studies of production statistics, sources, resources, .distribution, and industrial flow of mineral commodities. The Annual Report, entitled "Mineral Resources of the United States," includes chapters, published separately, on the production and consumption of metals and of nonmetallic minerals. Monographs give detailed results of extensive cooperative investigations of special

Jan 1, 1933

By Jesse Betterton

IN the Parkes process of lead refining, after desilverization has been completed by means of zinc additions, there will remain in the lead from 0.5 to 0.6 per cent zinc. At this stage in the refining practically all impurities are reduced to refined lead specifications except zinc and antimony. All excess of copper and nearly all the arsenic goes out with the silver. Silver remaining should not exceed 0.1 oz. per ton. It thus remains only to remove zinc and antimony to produce refined lead. The older practice was to complete refining by means of oxidation processes in reverberatory furnaces. Essentially this consisted of heating the lead to 1200° to 1300° F. and allowing it to come in contact with a considerable excess of air passing through the furnace, or accom-plish the same result by blowing the lead with steam by means of pipes introduced for that purpose, at the same time allowing air to enter the furnace. Usually some procedure involving alternate oxidation and reduction with fine coal or coke was employed in order to reduce the weight of dross or skim finally removed from the furnace. This practice had many elements of weakness in that the main flow of lead, after the preceding expensive operations had been performed, and the whole refining process nearly completed, was subjected to an operation at a comparatively high temperature, which involved much lead loss if the furnaces were not on bags, and the production of 3 to 5 per cent of the weight of the lead as dross or skim, which had to be resmelted and the lead either refined or produced as antimonial lead. In addition, the operating expense of the process was a considerable item. The, process of dezincing with chlorine was developed as a substitute for the foregoing described oxidation process, and finally resulted in such advantages as nearly equal operating costs, a practical elimination of the lead loss, and the direct production of a very valuable byproduct, zinc chloride, that may be sold as such or retreated for its zinc and chlorine contents, both of which can be reused in the refining processes.

Jan 1, 1933

Metal Statistics, Published by the American Metal Market, 111 John St , New York, N. Y. While it is not policy to list in this directory commercial publishers of literature on mining and geology, it is felt that reference to a few standard works of wide distribution and general use should be included; particularly when those works are statistical or of a specific informatory nature Metal Statistics is a book issued annually by these publishers. It contains a general assortment of statistical information concerning the ferrous and the nonferrous metals-price quotations of the metals, tables of production, and so on It is a widely used reference The 25th Annual Edition was issued in March, 1932. The price is $2

Jan 1, 1933

By M. Van Siclen

THE outstanding fact in connection with dust disease in the United States at present is the growing recognition of its seriousness by state officials and by the more progressive operators of mining, metallurgical and allied industrial plants. The same may perhaps be said of labor in some of its better organized centers, but the average independent non-union workman continues, as of yore, to suffer the toll of disability and even of death from dust inhalation without realization of the source of his ill-being. Progress in the betterment of the handling of sufferers from dust disease and of the conditions creating dust hazards in mining and allied industries is pursuing a course similar to that of the now widespread campaign against accidents, in which the risk is more obvious, more severe, and was naturally recognized sooner. The coming on of dust disease is generally relatively slow and its immediate effects not infre-quently masked by or attributed to other diseases. Marked exceptions to this general rule have occurred in districts where the dust is particularly pernicious, such as the Rand and Joplin; yet such exceptions, unhappy in themselves, opened the eyes of medical men, and of those in other localities charged with the responsibility for the welfare of industry, to the much more widespread if less spectacular hazard existing from the inhalation of dust in all rock-excavating operations and all industrial operations creating inorganic dust, whether it be crushing and grinding, sand-blast-ing, granite-cutting, or what not. Advancement to date in the United States in prevention and treat-ment has been slow, yet the record shows that quantitative methods for determining the degree of hazard and means for decreasing it were being developed as far back as 25 years ago; and that more rapid progress may be looked for from now on. In 1908, in this country, F. L Hoffman?(1) discussed the mortality from consumption in dusty trades, especially brass foundries; and in 1913 E. R. Hayhurst(2) described the effects of inhalation

Jan 1, 1933