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By R. H. Thurston

Jan 1, 1879

By Eckley B. Coxe

I wish to call the attention of the Institute to a peculiar variety of anthracite which occurs in the Buck Mountain vein at our collieries at Drifton, and in the same and other veins in different localities in the anthracite coal-fields. It is known among the workmen as iron-gray or cast-iron. It has a dull, greasy appearance, as if a piece of ordinary anthracite had been rubbed with a dirty and greasy rag and allowed to dry. It was formerly considered a very impure coal containing a high percentage of ash, and was picked out of the coal and thrown away. But the following analysis of it and of its ash, made by Mr. J. Blodget Britton, of Philadelphia, shows that such is not the case, the percentage of ash not being much higher than that of the ordinary anthracites as they are prepared for market. ANALYSIS OF COAL. Water,.........4.36 Fixed carbon, by difference,.. 84.90 Volatile combustible matter,. . 3 48 Ash,..........7.26 100.00 The carbon proved to some extent to be of the nature of graphite, and slowly combustible. ANALYSIS OF ASH. Silica,.........25.66 Sulphur,........ .17 Alumina,........27.03 Phosphoric acid,.......21 Ferric oxide,.......42.83 Alkali, undetermined matter and Lime,.........1.56 loss,.........60 Magnesia,........1.83 Manganous oxide,......11 100.00 We recently collected a quantity of the substance and made a fire with it, in an ordinary stove, which was kept up several days. We found that it burned with intense heat, and apparently as freely as our other coal does. Mr. Britton is probably right in his view, that the difference in appearance is not due to impurities in the coal, but to the fact that the carbon is in a more or less graphitic form, as many of the standard coals are no purer. I bring this before the Institute as I know that a large quantity of this valuable fuel is thrown away every year, on account of its supposed impurities.

Jan 1, 1879

By Ellis Clark

The greater portion of the brown ore in the vicinity of Easton, along the north slope of the Lehigh Mountain or Durham range of hills, is obtained from mines instead of from open cuts or quarries, as is the case in the ore-beds in the western part of Northampton County, in Lehigh County, and in Berks County. The reasons for this method of procedure are various, and the principal causes of the shaft and regular mine system of working being adopted instead of the open air cuts, are: First, the large amount of stripping that would be necessary, as the richer and more valuable portions of the ore do not appear to be found as near the surface as those in other portions of the Kittatinny valley; second, the occurrence of the ore in regular beds, interstratified with the clay, and, to a less extent, in pockets or erratic deposits, as is the case in the mines of Lehigh County; and third, on account of many of the mines being situated at the immediate base of the Lehigh Mountain, where the surface water would be in such large quantities as to be with difficulty handled, and where the subsequent caving in of the sides of the open cut would be almost certain to expose the gneiss rock, which is water-bearing, the large quantities of water coming from which would probably drown out the ore-bed. Shafts, and a regular system of gangways and mining are therefore required by the configuration of the surface, the depth of the deposits and their geological structure. The ordinary size of the shafts is about four feet square, but where an extensive plant of pumping machinery is required the size may be increased to eight feet by six, with two compartments for the hoisting and pump-shaft respectively. A man-way, consisting of ladders with rests at intervals of twenty or thirty feet, is comprised in the pump-shaft, the wire rope being used for purposes of ascent and descent only in exceptional cases, on account of accidents which

Jan 1, 1879

By Henry S. Drinker

The Butler Mine property is situated in the vicinity of Pittston, in the Wyoming coal-field of Pennsylvania. The coal has been ' worked out from the fourteen-foot or Baltimore vein for a number of years on part of the tract, the old chambers remaining open as when originally abandoned. This vein outcrops on the Butler prop erty, and is nowhere more than sixty feet below the surface of the ground on the line of the cut-off to be described. Above the four teen-foot vein and about, say midway, between it and the surface of the ground, there is another small vein or rider of coal, about twelve inches in thickness. The rock between the two veins is a carbon aceous slate, about twenty-five feet in thickness. Above the smaller vein is a bed of sandstone, varying in thickness, but generally not less than from eight to ten feet. This sandstone is also carbonaceous, but the proportion of carbon is much less than in the slate below. Both rocks have been analyzed, and before the next Institute meet ing, the writer hopes to be able to furnish the exact proportions. The sandstone is overlaid with debris up to the surface of the ground. Some time during the spring of 1876, it was found that the coal left in the worked-out mine had been set on fire, and that the fire was gradually spreading. Inquiry developed the fact that the fire had originally been started by a woman, who had taken up her abode in an old tunnel leading into the workings. Owing to some delay in the early attempts made to extinguish the fire, it finally gained such headway that no ordinary means were found to be effectual. Finally, Mr. C. F. Conrad, civil and mining engineer, of Pittston, Penna., was called in as consulting engineer. He advised the making of a thorough cut through such portion of the old workings as had not been reached by the fire. It was found by survey that this cut could be limited to a length of about one thousand two hundred feet, as the vein faulted on both sides, and that the greatest depth of the cut would be about sixty feet. Subsequently it was decided to tunnel part of the way, thus saving the deepest portion of the cut. In 1856-7, there occurred a fire in the same mine. Two stone walls in V-shape running from the apex of the V towards the out crop, were built to cot the fire 06 and these walls were carried as far as the vein had at that time been worked. After the walls were finished

Jan 1, 1879

By Charles B. Dudley

In the spring of 1877, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company became so dissatisfied with the average life and wear of the steel rails it was then able to procure, that it determined to make an invest,igation into the chemical composition and physical properties of steel rails, with a view, first, to answering the question why one steel rail has to be removed from the track after, perhaps, eight months' service, while another lasts ten years; and, secondly, if this investigation succeeded in throwing light on this important subject, to use this information in securing better rails in the future. The results

Jan 1, 1879

By John Birkinbine

The favor with which the members of the Institute received Mr. Fernow's paper upon the use of charbon roux in the manufacture of iron has encouraged me to present this paper, in the hope of having the discussion upon the manufacture and use of the oldest and undoubtedly the best fuel for producing pig iron continued. Owing to the advances made in employing anthracite coal, bituminous coal, or coke, or mixtures of them, we are apt to forget how much of our present development is due to the pioneers in iron manufacture and the fuel which they employed in the production of pig iron. In Mr. Swank's last compilation of the iron and steel works of the United States, the furnace capacity of the country is given as 5,868,000 tons, of which 1,000,000 tons can be made in the 264 charcoal furnaces. In other words, over one-third of the furnaces now in existence use charcoal for fuel, and produce more than onesixth of the iron made. If to this is added the 130,000 tons of blooms and billets turned out by the 122 forges and bloomaries, the importance of the charcoal industries will be appreciated.

Jan 1, 1879

By P. Barnes

Several statements have been made to the Institute, somewhat detached from each other, as to the cost of some parts of these works, but they have not included any extended description of the buildings or machinery. The general plan of the work connected with the water supply differs, in some important details, from that which has been common either in the Pittsburgh district or elsewhere, and a somewhat extended description may be of interest to the Institute, in connection with a note of the cost of the work. The plan as a whole, and nearly all the important details, were developed by Mr. William P. Shinn, C.E., the general manager of the Company. The immediate and responsible charge of the work was in the hands of Mr. John C. Lewis, C.E., to whom had been committed all the work of this general description, including the laying out of the whole of the foundations, the erection of the buildings, and the grading and laying down of the entire railroad system. The continuous operation of the machinery and other fixtures of these waterworks, for more than three years, has fully demonstrated the correctness and econonly of the plan adopted. No casualties of any moment have befallen the apparatus, and no improvements have been suggested as important except that the gate at the river end of the conduit should have been made more completely water-tight, so that the whole length of the conduit could be pumped out dry without resort to any temporary dam in the conduit itself. In general terms the works of the Edgar Thomson Company are situated on a plateau, about 52 feet above the low-water level of the Monongahela River, and about 2000 feet from its bank. The site of the works is bordered on one side by Turtle Creek, a small stream which drains a considerable area of coal mining territory. This creek is about 100 feet from the group of buildings which have been erected, but it flows into the Monongahela River at a point, about 1200 feet further up than that selected for the entrance to the waterworks conduit. It was ascertained by analysis that the water in the creek contains an important percentage of sulphate of lime, while the water of the river is of unusual purity, in respect of any salts

Jan 1, 1879

By D. Torrey

Considering the two great interests of to-day, in iron upon the one hand and steel upon the other, and recognizing with measurable distinctness the peculiar fitness of each for special services to which they are applied, the proposition to unite the two metals in combination, to bring into simultaneous use the peculiar advantages which each offers, has great attractions. The limited success which has been attained by trying to bring about such combinations of the two metals through the use of fluxes in welding, has led to the general adoption of the opinion that an effective union of the two metals is impracticable, or to the view that if practicable it would have but limited commercial value. Such opinions are, I think, premature and erroneous, and having gained some knowledge of the character and value of the "Wheeler process" for welding iron and steel without the use of fluxes, I submit the following observations and opinions of the matter for your information, with the hope of eliciting such a discussion of the subject as it may require. The principle of the invention is to bring the two metals simultaneously to a welding heat in one pile, and then to manipulate it.

Jan 1, 1879

By AIME AIME

ADDRESSING the Ohio Section at a recent meeting in Columbus, Ohio, R. C. Allen, executive vice-president for Oglebay, Norton & Co., Cleveland, spoke on "The Iron-Ore Industry of the Lake Superior Region in Prosperity and Depression." The speaker considered this region in connection with the problem of national security. This is the age of minerals; progress depends on them; and next to agriculture, the mineral industry is of prime importance. The United States has no shortage of minerals rather an over-supply; but many mines have been and are being exhausted. The shifting of the sources of supplies of minerals so important as copper, petroleum, and iron to other countries would create internal strains and affect international relations. There will be no early decline of ore mining in the Lake Superior region unless it is forced by unwise public policies. Iron ore is industrial strength and self-sufficiency. A study of economic geography is important for statesmen and mining men, because the minerals essential for peace and war are haphazardly or irregularly distributed throughout the world. Of these minerals, 75 per cent are owned by 10 per cent of the population, mainly peoples of Anglo-Saxon origin.

Jan 1, 1934

Lake Superior Iron Ore Association, 3100 East 45th St , Cleveland, Ohio W L Tinker, Secretary This Association does not issue scientific technical bulletins, strictly speaking, but statements, etc , are published containing information of interest to mining engineers and geologists To show the type of information published, mention may be made of material issued in 1931: 1 Directory of mine operators and statistical data. 2 A bulletin, Distribution of Lake Superior iron ores, also Eastern and foreign ore 3 A booklet, Analyses of Lake Superior iron ores, season 1931 These publications, or information on others may be had by addressing the above

Jan 1, 1933

IN accordance with a programme arranged by a committee of the Institute, consisting of Mr. William P. Shinn, of St. Louis, chairman, and Mr. Joseph D. Weeks, of Pittsburgh, secretary, the member's of the Institute, with their ladies and invited guests, assembled in Chicago on Sunday morning, August 22d. A special train, provided by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway,. left Chicago on Monday morning at 7.50 o'clock, and conveyed the party to Marquette, arriving at 9 o'clock P.M. Here the steamer Northern Queen, which had been chartered by the committee for the accommodation of the Institute, was in waiting, and the members and ladies at once took up their quarters on the boat. EXCURSIONS IN THE MARQUETTE IRON REGION. Local Committee. EXECUTIVE. -J. C. Morse, chairman; C. Y. Osburn, secretary ; D. F. Wadsworth, treasurer; C. H. Hall, H. Merry. RECEPTION.-S. P. Ely, J. P. Pendill, E. Breitung, W. F. Swift, A. P. Swineford, J. C. Fowle, C. G. Griffey. TRANSPORTATION.-Samuel Schoch, D. Morgan, D. H.. Merritt, J. Pickands. FINANCE.-Peter White, A. W. Maitland, W D. Rees, E. R. Hall. EXCURSIONS.-W. E. Dickinson, H. A. Burt, A.. Kidder, C. E. Wright. REFRESHMENTS.-J. Q. Adams, H. H. Stafford, Joseph Kirkpatrick, D. H. Bacon. On Tuesday the iron mines in the vicinity of Negaunee and Ishpeming were visited, transportation being provided by special trains on the Marquette, Houghton and Ontonagon Railroad. In the morning the McComber, South Jackson, and Jackson mines were inspected, and in the afternoon the Cleveland, New York, Lake Superior, and Barnum mines. Dinner was provided at Negaunee, and gracefully served by, the ladies of the town. In the evening the first session of the Institute was held in the saloon of the steamer. The President, William P. Shinn, of St. Louis, congratulated the Institute on the happy consummation of the wishes of its members to have a meeting on Lake Superior. After tedious and baffling negotiations arrangements had been com-

Jan 1, 1881

Jan 1, 1881

Jan 1, 1922

Jan 1, 1898

Jan 1, 1905

The Lake Superior Mining Institute, Ishpeming, Mich. A. J. Yungbluth, Secretary. An Annual Volume of Proceedings, carrying papers presented during the year, has been published since 1S83, with the exception of the years 1S97, 1899, 1907, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1924 and 1927. No meetings were held during those years and conse-

Jan 1, 1933

By Courtenay DeKalb

The accompanying illustrations, Figs. 1 to 6, from plans drawn by Mr. T. L. Knapp, a student in the Missouri School of Mines, show a type of furnace designed by the writer, which possesses some peculiarities intended to meet the necessities of laboratory-instruction in that institution. The object aimed at was the construction of a simple, inexpensive furnace, suitable for the distillation of zinc from its ores, and using only a single retort. This limitation imposed the chief difficulty, owing to the necessity of obtaining a high degree of heat concentra ted upon the retort. This is accomplished by the peculiar curve of the arch, which consists of arcs of seven distinct ellipses, one focus of each of which lies within the area occupied by the retort. Thus the reflected heat would necessarily be thrown mainly where most needed, namely, on the retort. Conservation of heat is provided for by a return-flue through the hollow arch, and by a sand bottom under the fire-brick hearth. Four openings lead back from the laboratory, or heating-chamber in this instance, to the arch-flue; and three openings lead from the arch-flue to a large horizontal flue, from which a down-take conducts the gases to the stack. The fire box, it dl be observed, is deep, thus producing much CO during the combustion of the coal. The further combustion of this CO may be accomplished by the admission of air through the hollow fire-bridge, thus producing a higher flametemperature surrounding the retort. Provision is also made for removing the retort and the portion of the wall supporting it and the condenser, leaving a high arch, into which a door-frame may be inserted; the space above being temporarily bricked in. By this alteration, which may be quickly and easily made, the furnace may be converted into a reverberatory, suitable for treating small charges such as

Jan 1, 1898

By P. Barnes

The object of this paper is to make a brief comparison of the outlines of several forms of ports for steel-melting turnaces, in reference chiefly to the proper mixture; of the gas and air, and to the direction in which the flame is thrown down into the interior of the furnace. In the illustrations on the accompanying plate, Fig. 1 shows a form of port designed by M, Pernot, of St Chamond, France. This is used with the dome roof preferred by him fur the revolving bottom that bears his name. From No. 1 has been derived No. 2. This is shown on the plans of Mr. A. L. Holley, and from them three large furnaces have been built and put into operation by the Springfield Iron Company. Fig. 3 shows an outline proposed by Messrs. Richmond & Potts for the Pernot furnace. In this the ports are brought in under an arched roof of nearly the ordinary form, instead of over the top of the roof, as with the dome of M Pernot, Fig. 4 shows a furnace as built by Krupp of Essen, Prussia, for fluid refining, or " washing "-—to use the briefer French term. in this the gas and air come into contact in broad sheets one above the other, Fig. 5 shows the form used by Messrs. Richmond & Potts

Jan 1, 1881

By James P. Kimball

Jan 1, 1881

By Sydney H. Loram

TEIS paper, which is merely an arrangement of data collected during several hurried journeys, is offered to serve as a record, until such time as a better substitute be compiled. My observations were confined, as far as possible, over the entire distance, to the actual river valley; because near the Central Cordillera the country is so mountainous as to be im; passable in any direction but that of the dominant valleys. The river is not navigable anywhere, and for the first part of its course is a mountain torrent that runs down the bottom of narrow, almost vertical-sided valleys, through which the only road requires repeated fording, and often following up the bed of the stream ; but the rock-walls, standing clean and free from debris on either side, present the different formations with remarkable distinctness. A topographical map and a cross-seetion of the Rio Huasco is given in Fig. 1. The Rio Huasco practically rises from Laguna Grande, a lake about 17 km. from the Argentine boundary, and 3,135 m. above se-level, which is fed by direct snow-water, and by a few streams varying from a considerable volume, when supplied by the melting snow, in late spring, to little or nothing during the rest of the year. It is a somewhat pear-shaped body of water, about 1.5 miles in length and half a mile in average width, with a reported maximum depth of 45 meters. It was formed by the choking up of a narrow continuation of the same valley with blocks of an agglomerate mentioned later. The present level is some 5 m. below high-water mark (to which point, according to local accounts, it has not been filled for 35 years). In the intervening margin is a calcareous deposit about 4 m. thick, formed by the rapid evaporation of the water in the exceedingly dry air, and aided by the capillary action of an aquatic plant, growing in thick masses around the edge of the lake. These masses, dying and banking up, form

Jan 1, 1905