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By G. R. Elliott

Foreword The office of the Supervisory Mining Engineer, a branch of the l. Federal Government, is financially interested in no oil company and has no stock to sell. This office, however, is deeply interested in the proper and efficient development of Canada's natural resources. The people of Canada are interested in the petroleum development in Turner Valley for two principal reasons: As represented by the Department of the Interior, they are the largest owners of petroleum and natural-gas rights in the field; As a nation, they are vitally interested in the development of petroleum and natural gas as a national asset, and therefore, also, in all productive property, no matter who directly controls the leases. As has been stated by Mr. Charles C. Ross, Supervisory Mining Engineer, "The Department, being responsible for the administration of these public resources, necessarily requires regulations to protect them from abuse by lessees. Our portion of this responsibility is to record a complete history of all drilling operations and to see that proper drilling methods are adopted to prevent damage and wanton waste of the valuable natural resources under discussion." Not only does our position necessitate an impartial and a judicial viewpoint, but, being day by day in touch with all operations in the western provinces, we are uniquely situated to comprehend both individual and general problems.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. J. Schneider

In view of the growing commercial interest In the higher boiling fractions of low-temperature tar, a study of the literature has been undertaken to obtain as many data as possible regarding the properties of possible pure constituents. The following substances have been studied: THREE-ORTHO-XYLENOL (1, 2-DIMETHYL-3-HYDROXYBENZENE) Detection By the isolation of the silver salt of 1, 2-dimethyl-3-phenoxyacetic acid.

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1930

[ADAMS, JOHN P. 0. Box 560-No. 6, Rock Springs, Wyo. ADDISON, HERBERT Big Horn Collieries Co., Colo. Bldg., Denver, Colo. ALEXANDER, JOHN 825 South Gaylord St., Denver, Colo. ALLAN, DAVID Gorham, Colo. ALLEY, GERALD 1340 Steele St., Denver, Colo. AMBLER. J. B c-o Ambler & Riter. Kearns Blde.. Salt Lake Citv. Utah ANDERSON, A. E. Midland Savings Bldg., Denver, Colo. ANDERSON, ARTHUR E...Colo. Utilities Corp., 730 Equitable Bldg., Denver, Colo. ANDERSON. FRANK Crosb Wyo. APPERSON, A. B Tramway Bldg., Denver, Colo. ARNOLD, G. O .Oak Creek, Colo.]

Jan 1, 1930

By R. D. Leitch

[The accepted theory of acid formation in coal mines with the subsequent appearance of the acid in coal-mine drainage, is oxidation of iron pyrite and subsequent solution and hydrolysis of the iron sulphate formed. It has also been found that 5 gobbed sections and worked-out areas, where there is usually an abundance of iron pyrite-bearing, materials in contact with air, are the sections that make the most important contribution to the quantity of acid drainage. It would thus seem obvious that if oxygen can be kept out of contact with tae acid-forming materials in tie- sections mentioned the amount of acid in coal-mine drainage could be reduced markedly and corrosion problems with mine pumping equipment and general stream pollution mitigated thereby. Although the efficiency of the suggested remedy as been borne out by laboratory experiments6, it has appeared desirable to substantiate the laboratory work by field observations in so far as pertinent data are available. It has been difficult to learn of mines or sections of mines about to be sealed, whereby an actual comparison of the drainage before and after sealing can be made. In view of that difficulty it has been necessary to devote attention to a comparison of the character of the water from areas already sealed with that from open but otherwise comparable sections of the sane mine. Previous cork has shown that the acidity of drainage in different parts of the same mine may vary, but if it can be shown also that the water from sealed areas is with but fen exceptions less acid than the otherwise similar open sections of tae same mine, the laboratory finding will be supported in a practical gray. This report presents some of the evidence that has been obtained.]

Jan 1, 1930

By D. C. McKechnie

To the examining engineer, the ever-recurring problem involving the valuation of ore in a prospect presents at different times highly divergent aspects- some entirely physical or mathematical, others essentially personal. The majority of the problems discussed in this paper are obvious to the engineer, and need little elaboration. By the prospector and the general public, however, a number of these questions are often and completely over-looked, or else approached in such a way as to produce final results which are, to say the least, misleading and at times decidedly erroneous. While the purpose of this paper is to deal with prospects or potential mines, many of the problems considered apply equally well to mines with developed ore reserves. As the usual showings on a prospect consist chiefly of a few open-cuts and a limited amount of underground development work, an estimation of the actual ore reserves is a question of minor import, and seldom enters appreciably into an estimation of the probable value of the particular property. The physical valuation of a prospect mainly involves the consideration of such subjects as the general geological features exposed, the strength and type of mineralization, the width and persistence of any associated veins, shear zones, fractures or contact zones, together with the possible grade, size, and continuity of any ore-bodies that may there occur.

Jan 1, 1930

By G. S. Rice

The recommendations of the Bureau of Mines on rock-dusting practices are embodied, except in a few details, in the Recommended American Practice for Rock-Dusting Coal Mines to Prevent Coal-Dust Explosions,5 approved by the. American Engineering Standards Committee,6 December 30, 1925 It is specified that the dust to be used is of a size that all will pass through a sieve having 20 meshes per linear inch and that 50 per cent or more will pass through a sieve having 200 meshes per linear inch.

Jan 1, 1930

MR. W. E. WAINWRIGHT occupied the chair, and in introducing the lecturer said, on account of the absence of the vice-president, it fell to his lot to introduce the lecturer. Mr. Tennberg, he said, was visiting Australia, and those present might wonder who he was.He understood that the lecturer w~s a reputable practising geophysicist, associated with a reputable company! It was rather desirable perhaps to say that the Institute had made some inquiries with regard to his status. Geophysics was a comparatively newscience, and had suffered several hard knocks in Australia and elsewhere. Most of those knocks had been the result of undue optimism of a number of people who did not understand what they were talking about. It had been claimed that geophysics was a...

Jan 1, 1930

By B. R. MacKay

Introduction During the past six seasons the writer has been engaged in semi-detailed investigations on the coal areas lying along the front of the Rocky mountains between the Brazeau river and the Smoky River Coal Reserve (see Map, Figure 1). The purpose of this paper is to present some observations pertaining to the stratigraphy and structure of the district, touching especially upon the lithological units into which the Lower Cretaceous sediments have been divided, the thicknesses of the formations at different localities, the number, thicknesses and horizons of the principal coal seams, and the structural conditions which exist in the various fields.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. M. Santmyers

Thorium and cerium are two of the group of elements known as "rare earth metals," and are obtained from the mineral monazite. Previous to the employment of thorium and cerium in incandescent gas mantles these elements were nothing more than laboratory curiosities, as the rest of the rare-earth metals are to-day. The most important salts of these rare earths are the nitrates. In the manufacture of gas mantles, thorium nitrate is the principal ingredient and forms prom 92 to 99 per cent of the impregnating material; the other 1 or 2 per cent is largely cerium nitrate and is quite as necessary, for without it there would be little luminosity to the mantle when in use. When the mantle is "burned off," the nitrates are changed to oxides. The monazite used as a source of thoria contains from 6 to 9 per cent of thorium oxide (Th02) and 24 to 32 per cent of cerium oxide (Ce203). As only the thoria and a very small hart of the ceria from the monazite could be used in gas-mantle manufacture, for a time the residues consisting mostly of ceria with somewhat smaller quantities of other rare earths found no commercial application. Later, however, they came to be utilized in several ways, the most important being: (1) the manufacture of cored flaming arc carbons, a great, irmprovement over the plain arc carbons used in electric lighting; (2) cerium metal used in the manufacture of pyrophoric or sparking alloys or "flints" for automatic pocket lighters and miners' lamps; and (3) the production of special kinds of optical and art glass.

Jan 1, 1930

By O. W. Ellis

In view of the extensive use of the brasses and bronzes in engineering practice it is indeed surprising that so little scientific work has been done on the oxides in these alloys. Recognition of the ill effects of these compounds is universally accorded, both in foundry procedure and in such specifications as cover the melting of these useful mixtures. In the latter, limits, for example, are placed on the proportions of scrap metal In the charge, and clauses governing the use of fluxes are included, the addition of fluxes to the charge being made with the object of avoiding oxidation during the process of melting and of subducing and separating non-metal-lic matter from the melt.1 In the manufacture of brass it occasionally, though rarely, occurs that the virgin metals, copper and zinc, alone arc used. In the event of virgin metals being employed, that of the higher melting point is always melted first. If it is melted under suitable conditions, little or no oxidation will occur. Whether oxidation has occurred or not, however, can best be determined by microscopic examination of a sample taken from the melt. Avoidance of Oxidation in Furnace Practice When melting virgin copper in crucible practice, the avoidance of oxidation is not difficult, nor is it hard to forestall trouble in the electric furnace. In gas-fired furnaces of the barrel type, however, the avoidance of oxidation is almost impossible, no matter what the condition of the flame, the flux employed, or the amount of charcoal included in the charge. Copper melted in furnaces of this type is almost invariably so highly oxidized as to requirc very considerable additions of such deoxi-dizers as, for example, silicon copper to render it free from cuprous oxide. As a result,, the castings produced are decidedly inferior, on account of the. large amount of silica which is engendered in the metal as a result of the reaction, Cu2O + Si = SiO2 + 2Cu. The deoxidation of such oxidized copper could, of course, be effected by means of zinc with, however, even more disastrous results.

Jan 1, 1930

By Chauncey L. Berrien

The United Verde Copper Company's mine is at Jerome, Ariz. The orebodies arc of the schist replacement type, the main sulfide mass being a large lens-shaped body approximately 7 acres in cross-sectional area. In general, the mineralization is found along the iron schist contact, with the orebodies extending about 1000 ft. along this contact and varying from a few feet to 250 ft. in width. Three types of ore are mined; schist porphyry and the so-called "heavy" or "massive sulfide" ore. Approximately 50 per cent. of the total tonnage mined at present is of the latter class. A representative analysis of this ore indicates 42 to 46 per cent. sulfur. Because of the high sulfur content, blasting in this ore is an extremely hazardous operation. not only does it endanger the lives of men who may be in the mine at blasting time but it also becomes a potential fire menace when timber is in close proximity to shots being fired in these massive sulfides. The origin of the fires of 38 years ago, embers of which are glowing to this day, may perhaps be attributed to dust explosions due to blasting in the massive sulfides of those early square-set stopes. Dust Explosions Dust explosions in coal mines are a common source of mine disasters. That such explosions may be of common occurrence in metal mines is not generally known, but it is known that metal-mine dust will explode and such explosions have been investigated by the U. S. Bureau of Mines at the Pittsburgh Experiment Station. Samples of "heavy sulfide" ore from the United Verde mine were used in the tests. After studying the results of the tests it was concluded1 that: 1. Dust explosions were initiated in sulfide ore dust in the gallery with a charge of as low as 75 g. of 60 per cent. gelatin dynamite. 2. The exploding dust generated considerable pressure.

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1930

By W. E. Hubbard

The Panhandle area of northwest Texas embraces the northern portion of the Permian Basin of Texas as well as a considerable portion of the western part of the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma. For the purpose of this report it will include in addition to the 20 counties of the Panhandle proper the two tiers of counties lying to the south, a total area of about 32,000 square miles. Crossing the Texas Panhandle diagonally from northwest to southeast is the Amarillo Arch, related to which is all of the production discovered to date. Oil Production Up to Jan. 1, 1930, the Panhandle has produced about 125,000,000 bbl. of oil. The peak yearly production occurred in 1927, during which period 49,000,000 bbl. were produced. In 1928 the production fell to 25,000,000 bbl., but in 1929, on account of important discoveries in Gray County, the total increased to 31,000,000 bbl. To date Hutchinson County has produced 64 per cent. of the total. Table 1 shows the total yearly production by counties. The present production of the Panhandle is 100,500 bbl. from 1745 wells or an average of 57.6 bbl. per well compared to a production on Jan. 1, 1929, of 59,748 bbl. from 1468 wells or an average of 40.7 bbl. per well. The peak production of the year occurred during the week

Jan 1, 1930

By H. D. Wilde

At the Sugarland and Raccoon Bend fields in the Gulf Coast area, all wells are drilled with rotary tools and the casing is always set in cement that is placed by the circulation method. After the cement is set, the rotary mud that fills the hole is not withdrawn or bailed out; consequently, it is not customary to give the cementing job a direct test either by putting pressure on the hole to see whether the cement will hold or by observing whether an effective water shut-off is secured. About three years ago, this company started the practice of coring the cement left in the bottom of the casing and examining the core thus secured. If the core was hard and strong, the cementing job was judged a success but if the core was incoherent, soft, and crumbly, the job was considered a failure. Of course, there were intermediate types of cores and it was not always a simple matter from this examination to decide whether the job was a success or failure. After about two years, a summary of the core examinations that had been made indicated that of cementing jobs made at depths of 1000 ft. or less, 60 per cent.. were failures; of those between 1000 and 2000 ft., 80 per cent. were failures, and of those between 3000 to 6200 ft., 100 per cent. were failures. This sta,rtling table emphasized the need of the study of the conditions under which the wells were cemented and of adopting means to reduce the percentage of failures. In addition to these core tests, two wells gave direct evidence that the cementing jobs were not always successful. In one, a four-year-old well at Goose Creek, the casing was perforated, and when fluid was circulated some of the old cement wss brought to the surface. Most of it was powdery and the few chunks that were brought up were soft and crumbly. The other was a well at Raccoon Bend which during a blow-out brought a number of chalky, soft and crumbly pieces of cement to the surface. Suggested Explanations of Cementing Failures Efforts were made at once to explain the causes of these cementing failures. As all of the cements used were of a high grade and gave

Jan 1, 1930

By Alex MacEachern

Air is the gaseous substance that envelopes the earth and forms its atmosphere. It is remarkable in the constancy of its composition; for while this is being continually changed as the result of the respiration of men and animals, and by addition of gases arising from organic changes and the products of combustion, it is ever being brought back to normal and the proper balance restored by the processes of plant and vegetable life. Nature sees to it that the air in which we live and breathe is kept purified. This does not apply to the air in a coal mine, where there are no natural forces to change and make use of the different gases formed or evolved, and where mechanical ventilation is the only effective means of keeping the air pure. The atmosphere consists of oxygen and nitrogen, not in the combined state but merely mixed. By volume, the composition is: oxygen, 21 percent, nitrogen, 79 percent, there being included with the latter small quantities of such substances as water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitric acid, ammonia, ozone, argon, neon, and organic gases. Of the two principal gases which form air, oxygen alone supports life. When air is inhaled into the lungs the oxygen is absorbed by the blood, which carries it through the body to nourish and energize it. Exhaled air consists of water vapour and about 4 per cent carbon dioxide, with from 16 1/2 to 17 per cent oxygen and 79 per cent nitrogen; the oxygen alone having been drawn on to any considerable extent.

Jan 1, 1930

By T. F. Baily

During the period of the war, in both this country and Canada, a number of attempts were made to make pig iron from steel scrap in the electric furnace, and a considerable tonnage of white pig iron was produced, the silicon and manganese additions being made with ferroalloys; but it is believed that the experiments conducted. at Canton, Ohio, in

Jan 1, 1930

By H. B. Goodrich

In considering historically oil development in Oklahoma, it must be recognized that basic evolutionary factors interlock and have an effect in common throughout the whole oil industry, regardless of locality or minor problems. Oklahoma, as the third in rank of oil-producing states (Texas being first and California second in production for 1929) has, like the rest, advanced to at least a partial recognition of the words, "Conservation," "Unitization," "Curtailment," "Prora-tion," and especially "Cooperation." Whether through altruism (of which there have been examples) or by exercise of good business common sense, Oklahoma operators realize that the oil business can run itself by cooperative action for the good of all. In this long-continued period of overproduction, Oklahoma has brought the advancing output down to limit of market requirements at least temporarily. Sources of Statistical Data For this paper, figures published by four recognized authorities were consulted. Between themselves these vary only a negligible per cent, in their totals. To be consistent, and on account of earlier availability the estimates published by the Oil and Gas Journal are mainly used herein, supplemented from other public and private sources. General Oil ProdCction in Oklahoma In 1927 Oklahoma's peak of all years was 276,022,024 barrels. In 1928 Oklahoma's total production was 247,500,851 barrels. In 1929 Oklahoma's total production was 252,229,474 barrels. The efforts of proration and curtailment programs on flush and semi-flush districts such as Greater Seminole, Oklahoma City, Logan County and others, with the natural decline of older pools, kept 1929 below 1927, but still the total was greater than in 1928. The total United States production for 1929 is herein taken as estiiated at 1,004,266,723 bbl.† Oklahoma produced 25.1 per cent. Of

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1930