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Minnesota School of Mines Experiment Station, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn For copies of Bulletins or a list of publications, address The Director Bulletins available are Bulletin 1, Iron mining in Minnesota, by C. E Van Barneveld (1912), $1, 2, Concentration tests on Mesabi ores, by W R Appleby and E Newton (1913), 3, Preliminary concentration tests on Cuyuna ores, by W. R Appleby and E Newton (1915), 4, Bibliography of Minnesota mining and geology, by W. Gregory (1915); 5, Manganiferous iron ores of the Cuyuna district, by E Newton (1918), 7, The future of the Lake Superior district as iron-ore producer, by E W. Davis (1920), 9, Magnetic concentra¬tion of iron ore, by E. W Davis (1921); 10, Ball mill crushing iii closed circuit with screens, by E W Davis (1925); 12, Minnesota manganiferous iron ore in relation to the iron and steel industry, by T L Joseph and S P Kinney (1927). A mining directory of Minnesota, by J J Craig, is published annually.

Jan 1, 1933

By Ralph H. Cleland

Introduction The mines of northern Ontario have entered the class of deep mines. It has often been asked: How deep can operations be carried on? What will the temperature be? This paper is a résumé of a brief survey of rock temperatures made by the Ontario Department of Mines during the year 1932. Present temperatures were recorded and the geothermal gradients that now exist were determined. No alarming situations were found, but many interesting ones have been noted. Northern Ontario mines are fortunately situated as compared with most deep-level mines of the world. The mean yearly temperature, as determined from meteorological records of the Federal Department of Marine, is from 33 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The tables on the next page show the temperature range in and about our mining camps ( l ). As no exact figures were obtainable for Kirkland Lake, the data for Iroquois Falls, which is about 50 miles northwest, were taken as applicable there. The figures for Timmins were checked against those of Cochrane and Iroquois Falls and found to be very similar, so that the Cochrane data may be used for the Porcupine camp. The yearly mean temperature is considered to be 33.5 F.

Jan 1, 1933

By G. R. Fritterer

INVESTIGATORS in the field of temperature measurement have long sought a thermoelectric couple fulfilling the following requirements: 1. It should be useful up to and including high industrial tempera-tures; i. e., 1000° to 1800° C. 2. Its thermoelectric variation with temperature should be linear and be maintained after heating to high temperatures for long periods of time. 3. It should be reproducible; i. e., different couples of the same elements should have similar calibration curves. 4. Its thermoelectric power should be large so as to allow the industrial use of rugged recording instruments. 5. Chemical reactions with, and physical changes within the elements of the couple should not alter its calibration. No thermocouple proposed to date exhibits simultaneously all of these characteristics, whereas the couple about to be described fulfills all requirements to a satisfactory degree.

Jan 1, 1933

By Eric Jette

IN a recent article,1 the authors reported the results of an X-ray investigation on the range of solid solutions that occurs in the iron-oxygen system in the vicinity of the compound FeO, which frequently is called "Wüstite." The object of that investigation was primarily to study the unusual type of solid solution phenomena involved in this range. Briefly summarized the results were: 1. The NaCl type of lattice found by earlier workers was confirmed. 2. The lattice dimensions decrease rapidly with decrease in iron content. 3. No alloy that was a homogeneous single phase was ever found at compositions beyond 76.80 per cent Fe, while the theoretical iron content of FeO is 77.73 per cent Fe. 4. Measurements of the densities and lattice constants led to the conclusion that the form of substitution was complex, an FeO group being replaced by oxygen. Such a substitution, of course, is equivalent to removing an iron atom (or ion). The ideal unit cell of FeO can be con-sidered as containing four groups of FeO and, thus, when this type of substitution takes place, there remain in the unit cell three FeO groups and an oxygen, or a total of seven atoms with a gross formula of Fe304 instead of the original Fe404. 5. This was the only interpretation that would fit the experimental results and at the same time be consistent with (a) the previously deter-mined fact that the FeO lattice is ionic (i. e., consists of Fe++ and 0= ions) and (b) the chemical fact that as the oxygen content of the substance increases, ferrous iron becomes oxidized to ferric iron. The experimental results of this investigation are included in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1933

By Sydney H. Ball

It is a peculiar anomaly that while the world uses the term "rich as a gold mine" as the superlative figure of speech descriptive of wealth, the shares of gold mines are not as popular investments in America as certain of them should be. One of the most able of Manhattan's bankers is a director in an investment trust with a portfolio the value of which has gone the way of other such portfolios. Luckily a couple of years ago a few hundred shares of Homestake were purchased, and since then the trust has not only received therefrom satisfactory dividends but has benefitted from a large appreciation in their value. At each directors' meeting, however, the banker in question, Cato-like, suggests the sale of these shares, gold shares being, in his opinion, too speculative to be included in the portfolio of any trust. A short time ago the financial pages of one of our great metropolitan papers featured an article listing the corporations still paying dividends at the 1929 rate. Gold-mining shares were, the article stated, excluded, although in reality every gold mine on the New York Stock Exchange paid higher dividends in 1932 than in 1929. This 'Alice in Wonderland' treatment of the gold-mining shares is admittedly a bit confusing to those of us who believe that the shares of certain gold-mining companies have a rightful place in any well diversified portfolio. It should, however, here be recorded that whereas, fifty years ago, in America, gold-mining shares were considered by the public as instruments of nefarious gambling, now shares of the better gold mines are sought by astute investors. In England for well over a generation their value as sound investments has been widely recognized.

Jan 1, 1933

By Ernest Burchard

FLUORSPAR is found in most of the states from the Rocky Mountains westward, and commercial production of the mineral has been reported from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington. The map in Fig. 1 indicates the general distribution of many of these deposits but it is by no means complete. In the summer of 1926 the writer examined certain deposits of fluor-spar in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington; in November, 1927, revisited the Jamestown, Colo., district, and in earlier years examined deposits in Colorado and New Mexico. Based on notes of his own and. on descriptions and other data by H. A. Aurand, H. W. Davis, R. B. Ladoo, V. C. Heikes, W. D. Johnston, Jr., and by producers of fluorspar, he prepared the following brief descriptions of deposits and estimates of reserves of fluorspar, originally for the use of the subcommittee on fluorspar of the Joint Committee on Foreign and Domestic Mining Policy and on Industrial Preparedness respectively of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. Descriptions of many fluorspar deposits in various western states and districts have been published. It is not feasible to summarize this literature here, but the appended bibliography will indicate to the interested reader what papers are available.

Jan 1, 1933

Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey, P O Box 1106, New Haven, Conn W. E Britton, Superintendent. A complete list of Bulletins available will be sent upon request. Address all inquiries for publications to: George S Godard, State Librarian, Hartford, Conn Fifty-one Bulletins have been issued, 15 of which are of particular interest, dealing with the geology of the state, and are available as follows; 4, The clays and clay industries of Connecticut, by G. F Loughlin (1905), 35 cents; 8, Bibliography of Connecticut geology, by H E Gregory (1907), 20 cents, 13, The lithology of Connecticut, by J Barrell and G. F Loughlin (1910), 45 cents, 18, Triassic fishes of Connecticut, by C. R Eastman (1911), 30 cents, 23, Central Connecticut in the geologic past, by J. Barrell (1915), 20 cents, 24, Triassic life of the Connecticut Valley, by R Lull (1915), 70 cents, 29, The Quaternary geology of the New Haven region, Connecticut, by F. Ward (1920), 60 cents, 30, Drainage modifications, and glaciation in the Danbury region, Connecticut, by Ruth S. Harvey (1920), 55 cents, 33, Geology of the Stonington region, Connecticut, by L H. Martin (1925), 60 cents, 40, The geology of the Shepaug Aqueduct Tunnel, Litchfield County, Connecticut, by W M. Agar (1927), 50 cents; 41, Guide to the geology of Middletown, Connecticut, and Vicinity, by W. N Rice and W. G Foye (1927), $1, 44, Report on the water resources of Connecticut, by R. H Suttee (1928), $1, 46, The physical history of the Connecticut shoreline, by H S Sharp (1929), 75 cents; 47, The glacial geology of Connecticut, by R F. Flint (1929), $2, 51, Minerals of Connecticut, by J F Schairer (1932), 75 cents Bulletin 51 explains the physical and chemical properties of minerals, their classification, and describes more than 100 common minerals found in Connecticut. A bibliography is included The Survey gratuitously distributes all its Bulletins to state residents, scientific institutions, etc. Prices quoted are to private citizens of other states

Jan 1, 1933

Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas. E H Sellards, Director. A price list of publications will be sent upon request. The following is a selected list of Bulletins available, taking first those describing the geology and mineral resources of a particular area in Texas, as noted: Bulletin 1750, Camp Bowie and vicinity (1917), 50 cents, 1816, Runnels County (1918), 40 cents, 1818, Dallas County (1918), 50 cents; 1850, Coke County (1920), 50 cents, 1860, Medina County (1920), 50 cents, 1869, East Texas (1919), $1; 1931, Tarrant County (1920), 50 cents; 1932, Bexar County (1920), 50 cents, 2229, Johnson County (1922), 40 cents, 2330, Potter County (1924), 50 cents, 2333, Colorado County (1924), 50 cents; 2340, McLennan County (1924), 40 cents; 2544, Denton County, $1, 2607, San Angelo formation and Foard County, 50 cents, 2710, Cooke County, 75 cents; 2738, Ft Stockton Quadrangle, 75 cents, 2807, Tom Greene County, 50 cents, 3038, Geology of the Glass Mountains, pt 1, $2 50, 3027, Stonewall County, 50 cents, 3016, Bell County, $1, Mineral resources of Williamson County, 25 cents; Mineral resources of Travis County, 25 cents, Mineral resources of Uvalde, Zavala and Maverick counties, 50 cents, 3125, Grayson County, 50 cents Bulletin 3232, The geology of Texas, vol 1, Stratigraphy, including a bibliography, is in press Other Bulletins of particular interest: Bulletin 3101, Contributions to geology (1931), $1, 3138, Underground waters and subsurface temperatures in the Woodbine Sand of northeast Texas, $1, 2801, Contributions to geology (1928), $1, 2901, Contributions to geology (1929), $1; 3001, Contributions to geology (1930), $1; 1725, Texas granites (1917), 50 cents, 1849, On the underground position of the Ellenburger formation in north-central Texas (1920), 25 cents; 2234, Report on Texas alkali lakes (1923), 40 cents; 2239, The producing horizon in the Rios well in Caldwell County (1922), 25 cents; 2346, Report on oil and gas possibilities of the University Block 46 in Culberson County (1924) 10 cents; 2539, The Lytton Springs oil field, 50 cents, 363, The deep boring at Spur, 75 cents, 2703, Microscopic

Jan 1, 1933

By Frederic Laist

IN the spring of 1931 an experiment was made at Anaconda with a small reverberatory furnace, with which was combined a roasting shaft. The arrangement is shown in the accompanying drawing (Fig. 1) and requires but little explanation. The general idea was to roast .flotation concentrates, mixed with the proper fluxing materials, by dropping them down a heated shaft, from which the calcines would enter the smelting zone of the reverberatory furnace through an opening in the roof. The hearth of the reverberatory was 3 ft. wide by 21 ft. long. The roasting shaft was 3 ft. square inside and had an effective height of about 20 ft. . The reverberatory furnace was arranged so that it could be charged either directly through the roof with regular hot calcines, in the usual manner, or by means of the shaft, at the top of which were a feed-ing arrangement by which cold flotation concentrates, suitably fluxed, could be fed continuously and a pipe through which cold air was blown in. Means were provided for distributing the feed over the cross-section of the roasting shaft. At first a mechanical arrangement was used but later it was found that a simple cone served the purpose equally well and gave less operating trouble. On account of the small size of the equipment, it was realized that absolute capacity and fuel consumption figures would mean but little. It was not to be expected that ratios comparable to those obtained in large furnaces could be gotten, and the only way in which any idea could be obtained as to the possibilities of the combination furnace was to run it in parallel with the reverberatory furnace charged in the usual manner and operating without the shaft. The results of such parallel runs are given in Table 1. The amount of oil burned in the reverberatory was purposely maintained at substantially the same rate during both runs in order that the benefits resulting from the shaft might be gaged.

Jan 1, 1933

By Waldemar Lindgren

THE purpose of this paper is to present certain facts relating to Cordilleran differentiation and metallization. Theoretical discussions concerning the exact modus operandi of differentiation, the causes that led up to it, and the original distribution of the magmas have been omitted because the author feels that his knowledge is deficient. These subjects have been adequately treated in the admirable works of Iddings, Daly, Harker, Tyrrell, Shand, and Wolff. The facts here set forth seem to indicate that differentiation and metallization form one continuous process during the eastward movement of the magmas, culminating in the alkaline province of the eastern border of the Cordilleran Ranges.

Jan 1, 1933

By Bayard Morrow

THE copper-bearing ores concentrated at the Anaconda plant of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. are principally a mixture of copper and iron sulfides associated in a gangue consisting of quartz, lightly altered granite and feldspars, with sphalerite and galena and more rarely barite and hubnerite as accessory minerals. The predominant sulfide is pyrite. The copper minerals present are: chalcocite, bornite (Erubescite), enargite, chalcopyrite, covellite, tetrahedrite and some tennantite. Normal concentrator practice removes a slime prior to ball-mill grinding. The deslimed ore is ground to approximately 10 per cent plus 65 mesh for flotation. Two selective flotation circuits are used, one for deslimed ore and one for slime. The metallurgical results obtained are shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1933

By Haakon Styri

In discussion of Dr. Fitterer's paper on electrolytic separation of slag inclusions, some results from experiments on electrolyzing high-carbon steels at the SKF Research Laboratory were given. l We had been working for a number of years on chemical methods of separating the inclusions but could not find any solvent that would dissolve the steel without attacking some of the inclusions, particularly the sulfides in which we were mostly interested at the time, nor any that would dissolve all sulfide or silica in filings as fine as 300 mesh without attacking the iron. Electrolytic methods had also been tried without any real progress until we learned from the Bureau of Mines about the use of the collodion membrane around the anode. Our early difficulties were to some extent different from those of the Bureau of Mines, perhaps because of experimenting on steels of higher carbon content, but most of our difficulties were of the same nature as those of the Bureau. Formation of large quantities of basic hydroxides was traced to the use of impure and oxidized ferrous sulfate. To protect from oxidation from the atmosphere during electrolysis, after purer chemicals were obtained, a thin layer, 54 in. or less, of molten paraffin was poured over the surface of the cathode liquid, where it solidified. It was found desirable also to hold the cathode chamber slightly acid by initial addition of 0.1 per cent acid (sulfuric or hydrochloric) to prevent precipitation of the hydroxide. This acidity would decrease gradually and the cathode chamber would become neutral before the end of the electrolyzing. The increase in acidity in the anode chamber during our early experiments had appeared to cause attack of the precipitated sulfides in the residue, which originally was analyzed by volumetric method for sulfur, and for this reason a 10 per cent sodium citrate solution was substituted for the sulfate in the anode chamber. With the use of the more reliable Eschka method for sulfur determination (as in coke), there was however no serious attack on the sulfides in the anode chamber with a variety of different liquids, as shown in Tables 2 and 4. The Eschka method gives a higher sulfur value than

Jan 1, 1933

The Colorado Society of Engineers, Cooper bldg , Denver, Colo C M Lightburn, Secretary. The official organ of the Colorado Society of Engineers is the Engineers' Bulletin, issued monthly. This magazine contains articles on a wide variety of subjects, as do most technical magazines. Several years ago the engineering societies of Colorado turned over to the Public Library of Denver their technical libraries and the Public Library now has a Technical Department serving engineers This library has been enlarged and is supported by the state as well as the engineering organizations of Colorado A bimonthly New Books List is sent out from the Technical Department to all engineers on the mailing list. Books will be lent for the cost of transportation The Technical Department endeavors to keep a file of all state and some foreign publications on mining, geology and engineering Effort will be made to borrow from other sources, any publications which are not on file. The Technical Department does research, compiles bibliographies and answers reference questions. Photostatic copies will be made, at a price, of any publications which can not be loaned Address The Public Library, The City and County of Denver, Technical Department, Denver, Colo Malcolm Glenn Wyer, Librarian.

Jan 1, 1933

By Ralph Sherman

IN these days of intense competition for the domestic fuel market much is heard of the low efficiencies with which solid fuels, and most particularly bituminous coal, are burned in domestic heating equipment. In contrast to the every-day operating efficiencies of 85 and 90 per cent in large, central, electric-generating stations, efficiencies of 50 per cent and lower are cited for the hand-fired home furnace. Just as the miles per gallon of gasoline is only one of the factors that determine the cost of operation of an automobile, so the thermal efficiency is only one factor in the cost of domestic or other heating. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the total costs of domestic heating by various fuels and types of equipment, to determine the relative importance of efficiency and other factors, and to discuss what this signifies relative to the future of the use of fuels in the home.

Jan 1, 1933

By D. Harrington

Ventilation of underground workings consists in establishment of such control of air currents that the underground workers may work in safety, with maximum comfort and efficiency, and without impairment of health; and requires that the mine openings may be made subject to such control of air flow as to remove from these workings at ordinary times harmful gases and dusts, and that, at time of emergency, such as fire or explosion, there may be maintained as much or as little air flow as may be desired covering portions of the mine or the mine in its entirety. Control of air flow is the keystone of any ventilating structure, and this very essential feature is obtainable only by the installation of mechanically-operated fans, together with other;. ventilating devices such as doors, over-casts, regulators, etc. Every mine, large or small, coal or metal, should from the outset be equipped with a fan. While much has been written about natural ventilation and many claims made that in specific mines there is sufficient natural air flow, there are few if any mines, coal or metal, where natural ventilation supplies anything like adequately safe or healthful conditions for underground workers even at ordinary times; and at a time of mine fire or explosion, mines depending upon natural ventilation are practically helpless, and certainly are decidedly dangerous to those unfortunates forced to be in them. While ventilation has practically always been deemed an integral part of coal mining, metal mines have rarely paid much, if any, attention to air circulation until forced to do so by occurrence of some untoward condition or accident. Yet metal mines actually have as great need of efficient circulation of air as have coal mines. The coal mine must remove the dangerous explosive gas, methane, also fumes from explosives and, in occasional places, other gases such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen.

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles Will Wright

This paper has been written to aid the owner of a small gold mine or prospect in preparing a report on his property for the purpose of interesting capital. If an owner can afford to do so, he should employ a mining engineer of recognized standing and experience to examine and report on his property, but many owners of small -mines and particularly of prospects cannot make the expenditure required for this. Further, many of them do not know how to prepare a description which will cover those features of a deposit on which a potential investor promises his opinion as to its worth. If such an owner is convinced that he possesses an orebody of sufficient grade and size to warrant the required expenditure for a thorough investigation and wishes to present his property to prospective investors, then the following suggestions concerning the proper way to sample his deposit, estimate the tonnage of developed and probable ore, and prepare a report may be of assistance.

Jan 1, 1933

By William O. Vanderburg

This paper describing the practice at the Wolf Pongee concentrator at Federland, Colo., is one of a series on similar subjects being published by the United States Bureau of Mines. The author acknowledges the assistance of Loach, manager of the Wolf Tongue Mining Co., and of W. G. Roseborough, superintendent of the golf Tongue mill, in the preparation of this paper.

Jan 1, 1933

By Robert Warner

WHEN a new mine is opened, and often when an operating mine must adapt itself to physical or economic changes, a mining system must be selected in complete detail. In the past the plan chosen was usually the product of the local staff alone, however limited the training and experi-ence of that staff might be, which often resulted in the introduction of methods that were familiar to the staff, but not so well suited to the con-ditions as others unknown to the local men. A new management, noting the difficulties with the existing layout, might make modifications or complete changes, so that many mines in their history have seen a whole series of mining systems, each somewhat laboriously grafted on to its predecessor. This should not be interpreted as a condemnation of the older staffs for sticking to the tried systems, such as open square-sets in the early days at the Homestake, because they knew it would work after a fashion, nor does the statement apply to the technically trained, and usually broadly experienced staffs of most present-day properties. The older miners did not have the variety of tools and methods, nor the present freedom of transfer of information as to what the other man is doing, and so did the best they could under the circumstances. Finally, the higher grade of the ores made the choice less vital. The ever-increasing need to mine low-grade orebodies, with a fixed or even lower price for the metal produced, has caused an increasing need for low-cost mining. In most new mines this has simplified the problem of selection by eliminating from consideration all of the high-cost systems, but it has also complicated the choice by the necessity for refinement in detail and a close adjustment of the plan selected to all the conditions at the property. In these low-cost problems any textbook division of mining systems as applied to "beds, veins or masses" avails little as a guide. It should be realized at the outset that to' be successful under modern competitive conditions a system of mining must be worked out with elaborate detail, with careful time scheduling and control of the various elemental operations, and that after it is introduced it must be run with a large amount of technical direction.

Jan 1, 1933

By K. B. Nowels

The attainment of efficient flooding to a large extent depends upon a knowledge of fluid movement through porous media and the pressures used in controlling this movement. Little has been understood con-cerning the fundamental principles involved in the forced drive of water-flooding and an attempt will be made to present some data which may be of interest. Considerable data and technical information pertaining to natural and artificial water-flooding have been presented in the past by Torrey, Umpleby, Fettke, Panyity and others. Their papers have thoroughly covered the description of past and present-day methods of oil recovery by flooding in the Bradford field, especially an article by Torreyl in the Petroleum Engineering Handbook. A bibliography of papers devoted to watcr-flooding, published in Mr. Torrey's article, is appended to this paper. No attempt has been made, therefore, to describe the installations and procedure necessary in flooding, thus permitting the writer to deal exclusively with the mechanics of water movement in flooding operations and its relationship to well spacing. Artificial water-flooding will probably always be the most successful in oil fields described by Herold as being under "capillary control"" and will probably be useless in fields naturally under hydraulic or volumetric control. The natural water drive in an oil field under either of these two controls may give efficient recoveries, as a result of the regulated encroachment of edge water. Such a "natural flood" resulting from the influence of edge water must not be confused with the term as used in this paper, however. Any reference to "natural flood" will here refer to the old method of flooding formerly used in the Bradford field. This was discovered largely by accident and utilized the hydrostatic pressure created by a column of water standing in a watered-out oil well in forcing the oil to an adjacent producing well. The same principles are involved in either natural or artificial flooding, and the latter method simply

Jan 1, 1933

By G. W. Jones

In a previous report results were given and a method outlined whereby from a knowledge of the composition of the natural gas and of the inflammability limits of the individual constituents composing the natural gas, the limits of inflammability of natural gas and air mixtures could be closely calculated. This method is based on the application of Le Chatelier's law as modified by Coward, Carpenter and Payman, to apply to a mixture of any number of combustible gases. This law must not be used indiscriminately, because many exceptions have been found. For example, when ethylene, acetylene, hydrogen sulphide, or chlorinated hydrocarbons are present the law may not hold. For a discussion of the rally exceptions which have been found, reference should be made to a report by Coward and Jones. Before this method can be used the inflammable limits of the individual constituents must be known. Also, the composition of the complex combustible mixture, and representative mixtures besides, must be tested both experimentally and by calculation to prove whether Le Chatelier's law may be applied.

Jan 1, 1933