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By R. G. Hall

An article on the subject of electrolytic zinc no longer needs to be preceded by an apology. The production of zinc by electrolysis is past the laboratory stage and has become an economic factor of considerable importance in the total production of zinc in the United States. The various methods of procedure to be followed fa the greatest economy of manufacture are fairly well known, consequently a detailed description of any method is no longer necessary or desirable. In this paper I shall endeavor to lay down some of the governing conditions in this industry, the relation of methods to ore deposits, freight rates, and sources of power supply. Power Points Assuming for a moment that, for the present at least, the electrolytic production of zinc will be confined to Those localities having developed water power, a glance at these powers so developed in the United States, with their relation to known zinc orebodies of economic size, will not be without interest. Northwest In the Northwest we have water powers, developed and undeveloped, . in Washington and Montana. These must, of course, bear a close relation to the rapidly growing zinc production of the Coeur d'Alenes and of the Butte districts. In general, the power of the territory in question is relatively low-priced, at least as compared with the cost of developing power from coal, and the near neighborhood of large bodies of more or less complex zinc ores makes these water powers of more than usual interest. The same remarks may be applied equally to the developed water powers of the Canadian side of the line in the Northwest, where we have again commercially available complex ore deposits such as are being exploited today at and near Trail. California One of the large complex ore deposits of the far West is to be found in Shasta County in the immediate neighborhood of the territory of the

Jan 1, 1918

Jan 1, 1918

By William E. Newman

When Hugh Lee Pattinson discovered, in 1829, that the crystals formed during the slow cooling of molten lead were poorer, and the remaining liquid richer in silver, than the original lead, an important step was made in the metallurgy of this metal. Being the first process applicable to the desilverization of low-grade lead bullion, it soon found its way into all European countries having such a product to treat, thereby effecting the saving of many ounces of silver annually which previously had been thrown away. The old hand process was expensive, as viewed from the standpoint of more modern methods; the labor was great and the tonnage was small, but on the other hand the results were fairly satisfactory. This process flourished for some time after the introduction of the cheaper Parkes process in 1852 and it is still in use in a few European smelteries. Only one notable improvement was made on the original process, that of Luce and Rozan at Marseilles, France. It consisted in the application of steam for stirring and the tapping of one-third of the liquid lead, through perforated plates covering the tap holes flush with the bottom of the kettle, thus leaving two-thirds in the form of crystals in the original kettle. This modification considerably lowered the operating costs as it permitted of much larger kettles, an increased tonnage and eliminated much of the slow, hard labor of the hand process. The Luce and Rozan process has persisted in its original form to the present day. Stephen Tredinnick, English born, spent most of his years around the Luce and Rozan plants at Marseilles and elsewhere in Europe, coming later to Eureka, Nev., in 1878, to operate the Luce and Rozan plant at that point. Mr. Tredinnick was a competent Luce and Rozan operator and being devoted to the process he firmly believed that with modifications the costs could be so lowered as eventually to supplant the Parkes process. Out of many schemes he decided that this could be accomplished by placing the Luce and Rozan kettles upon hydraulic rams so that each

Jan 1, 1918

Jan 1, 1918

By Carl H. Beal

DURING the latter part of 1915 and the first half of 1916, the writer held the position of geologist in connection with the conservation work instituted by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, on oil and gas land belonging to the Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma. The duty of the geologist was to correlate formations containing oil, gas, and water, and to determine the relations of these substances in the different formations so that the conservation agents might carry on their work most intelligently. On account of the rapid development of the Cushing field, which lies in the western part of the Creek Nation, much work was done there by the inspection force. In the course of the geologic studies a large amount of information was collected, which, on analysis, has disclosed some interesting facts worthy of publication. The report, of which the following remarks are an abstract, has been prepared and submitted to the U. S. Geological Survey for publication. This report is now (June, 1917) in the press and will doubtless be issued in a few weeks. Methods Used In addition to the structure maps showing the folding of the Pawhuska limestone, which crops out in several places in the Cushing field, separate structure maps of the three most important productive sands—the Lay-ton (Fig. 2)) Wheeler, and Bartlesville—have been prepared. These structure maps were prepared by obtaining the logs of nearly all the wells

Jan 1, 1918

Discussion of the paper of H. H. STOEK, presented at the St. Louis meeting, October, 1917, and printed in Bulletin 129, September, 1917, pp. 1385 to 1419. J. B. WARRINER, Lansford, Pa. (written discussion*).-The figures on costs given at the end of this paper. are of particular interest and it is unfortunate that they necessarily cover such limited periods, as figures giving the costs over a period of at least a year would be of much greater value; for instance, it seems hardly probable that the performances credited to the various shovels for the months for which the costs are given would represent the average of the performances of these machines over a longer period. It would seem to me that the maximum of 4000 cu. yd. (3058 cu. m.) per clay given for the 225 B shovel is much greater than could be maintained for an entire year's operation. On the other hand, the 1500-yd. figure for the 150 B shovel would seem a low average for this type of shovel. In connection with the drag-line excavators, it will be interesting to know that the Lehigh Coal, and Navigation Co. is about to install one of these machines on a clay stripping at their Nesquehoning colliery to excavate an average depth of. overburden of 65 ft. (19 m.), which, due to local conditions, will require that part of the excavated material be handled a second time and a lesser quantity a third time. The results of this operation will undoubtedly be watched with great interest.

Jan 1, 1918

E. L. BLOSSOM, New. York, N. Y.-That this paper deals with a real problem is illustrated by a statement made to the speaker a few months ago by the manager of a silver-lead property: "Our ore contains 60 per cent. silica on which the smelters are penalizing us heavily, and they are not able to take all our stuff even then. We have simply got to find some method other than smelting for getting the silver and lead out of our ores. We have had experts down here and have investigated flotation, leaching and volatilization, of which processes the latter is by far the most promising. We are continuing investigation." I was somewhat concerned in certain chloride volatilization experiments which we carried on in Denver in 1903, working on a carload of ore from Butte. Now being connected with the Cottrell process, by which method the fumes will undoubtedly he recovered if they solve the volatilization problem, I have looked into the matter again, and believe it can be developed into a commercial process. On a laboratory scale, working With silver-lead ores, experimenters have obtained a volatilization of over 90 per cent. of the total values in 30 to 60 min, on quantities of 1 to 5 lb., using a roasting dish and a muffle. That looks very good, and would be entirely commercial. On attempting to duplicate these results in a reverberatory furnace, they found that it is more likely to take 8 hr. firing to yield 75 per cent. extraction, which is not commercial at all, as it requires too much time, labor, and fuel, and the whole process is too slow. Of course it can be done, because we have done it in the laboratory.

Jan 1, 1918

A special war committee of the Engineering Council has been appointed to assist other committees of the United Engineering Societies having to do with the development of the arts and sciences related to warfare. One of the principal functions of this additional committee is to pass upon the probable value of new inventions. The new committee has established headquarters' in the rooms of the Naval Consulting Board in New York City, and has received the franking privilege of the Post Office Department.

Jan 1, 1918

By H. C. George

The Wisconsin Zinc District, or the Upper Mississippi Lead and Zinc District as it is often called, lies in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin, in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Counties, and it includes adjoining parts of Illinois and Iowa. The district is about 70 miles long, north and south, and about 40 miles wide, east and west. It lies wholly within what is geologically known as the non-glaciated area of the Upper Mississippi Valley. HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT The district was first opened up as a lead producer in 1822. From this time until 1860, about 205,000 tons of cog lead (galena) and washed lead (galena) was produced from shallow crevices and openings. From 1860 to 1900, about 74,500 tons was produced, and since that time, from 5000 to 7000 tons has been produced annually. Since 1900, most of the lead concentrate produced has been as a byproduct of the zinc mines. The first zinc ores were mined about 1862. These were the carbonate ores, locally known as "drybone." Very little zinc blende was mined in the district, previous to 1875. The zinc blende ores mined from 1875 to 1900 were mostly of the high-grade, hand-cobbed, sheet-ore class, which usually contained from 45 to 60 per cent. metallic zinc Such mines as the "Sallie Waters," "Quinlin," 'Lead Mine," "Benton Blende," and "Ida Blende," located near Benton, Wis., were mines which produced ores of this type, during this period. The mines located at Highland, the "Coker Mine" located at Livingston, Wis., and the "Opencut Mine" located at Shullsburg, Wis., were mines that were heavy zinc carbonate producers, previous to 1900. The production of zinc ores in the district from 1862 to 1890 was about 283,500 tons, mostly zinc carbonate, with a probable average metallic zinc content of 30 per cent. From 1890 to 1903, the production

Jan 1, 1918

By R. T. Mishler

I wish to express my keen appreciation of the article on the above subject by Coe and C1evenger.l It has been doubly interesting to me, for the reason that the experience recorded and the principles evolved practically parallel the results of similar investigations made by myself and others at The Lucky Tiger Mine, El Tigre, Sonora, Mex. An outline of the work at El Tigre may aid in confirming the principles expressed by Coe and Clevenger. El Tigre has the unenviable distinction of possessing a slime with a much lower settling rate than any recorded in the article discussed. Under most favorable conditions the settling rate is about one-third that reported for the Liberty Bell mill, and one-tenth that reported for the Nipissing, Golden Cycle, and Presidio mills. This slow settling characteristic of Tigre ore has necessitated careful investigation of settling phenomena throughout the various evolutions of the plant. Previous Settling Investigation at Tigre During construction work at the mill, the metallurgical engineer in charge, D. L. H. Forbes, ran a series of experiments on settling. His tests proved that deep settling tanks were not ordinarily necessary. The use of tanks 2 or 3 ft. in depth was suggested.2 Later experiments demonstrated that the following principles of settling applied to Tigre pulp.3 1. In settling dilute pulp, settling rates are independent of pulp depth. 2. In settling thick pulp, settling rates are approximately proportional to pulp depth.4

Jan 1, 1918

By A. L. Field, P. H. Royster

The first report on the slag viscosity work of the Bureau of Mines was made by one of the authors1 in 1916. It was concerned chiefly with the method of measurement. A paper2 on this phase of the work was presented to the Institute in February, 1917, and a similar paper3 was communicated to the Faraday Society. PuRpose and Scope of the Slag Viscosity Tables Following the development of a suitable method, the next step in the investigation was the measurement of slag viscosity over a wide range of temperature and composition, and the arrangement of this experimental data in the form of tables for the use of the blast-furnace operator. It is believed that this information, if used intelligently, should help the operator to reduce losses in production caused by off-grade pig iron, to improve fuel economy, to promote operating efficiency, and to extend present-day practice to meet the increasing need of smelting lean and complex ores. In the experimental part of the work it was carly, observed that the temperature-viscosity relations of a slag were determined, for practical purposes, by the relative proportions of the three major constituents, lime (CaO), alumina (Al2O3), and silica (SiO2), provided the percentage

Jan 1, 1918

By R. E. Hobart

The development of the Hauto power plant and the claims made by various engineers that electricity was more economical than steam for power purposes in and about the mines, led the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., in 1911, to conduct a test to ascertain the consumption of power used by a large steam hoisting engine. The question being one on which no reliable information could be found, and the opinion of various engineers differing to such an extent, it was decided that a test under actual operating conditions was necessary. This was arranged for at one of the collieries. The engine selected was 2 30 by 60-in. (76.2 by 152.4-cm.) piston-valve engine of modern type, and comparatively new. The boiler plant from which the hoist received its power was about 600 ft. (182 m.) from the engine, the latter being fed by a 10-in. (25.4-cm.) steam line insulated with magnesia pipe covering. Two batteries of the boiler plant, aggregating 1200 hp., were cut off and fed into a separate steam line leading direct to the hoist engine. Steam auxiliaries, consisting of feed-water pump and blowers, were fed by the boilers in test, and their consumption charged against the hoist. A barrel weighing device was installed, as it was felt that this would be the most accurate way of determining the consumption of water. The fuel, No. 3 buckwheat, was carefully weighed, and every precaution was taken to make the test accurate in every particular. The test was run for 1 week, or a total of 168 hr. A record was kept of the number of trips hoisted or lowered, and continuous indicator cards were taken. One particular set of cards was taken with the hoist operating balanced, and also with the hoist operating with no counterweight other than the empty cage, the coal in the car being weighed. The speed of the hoist was taken by means of a graphic recording instrument which registered the number of revolutions every 5 sec. From this record, speed-time curves were plotted.

Jan 1, 1918

Jan 1, 1918

[VOL. XXXVI. Page. Line. 155 29 For "Joachimstahl," read "Joachimsthal." 215 Foot-note 2. For " May, 1892," read " May, 1902." 216 21 For " ack-screw," read " jack-screw." VOL. XXXVII. 31 3 For "quantity of tons," read "quantity of slimes." 35 10 Expunge "recorded in Table VII." 37 24 Expunge "to." 38 33 For "page 89," read "page 9." 44 40 For "page 86," read "page 6." 47 In table, third line under heading "Excavators and Conveyors," expunge "per 40 ft. of."]

Jan 1, 1918

By W. G. Matteson

I. Introduction...................................................... 436 (a) Extent of the Gulf Coastal Plain. (b) History of Important Gulf Coast Oil Pools. 1. Corsicans, Tex. 2. Spindletop, Tex. 3. Sour Lake, Tex. 4. Jennings, La. 5. Saratoga, Tex. 6. Batson, Tex. 7. Humble, Tex. 8. Caddo, La. 9. Vinton, La. 10. Naborton, La. 11. Red River, La. 12. Edgerly, La. 13. Goose Creek, Tex. 14. Damon Mound, Tex. 15. New Iberia, La. (c) Favorable Features of the Gulf Coast Pools. 11. General Topography and Physiography of the Gulf Coastal Plain.....440 111. General Stratigraphy of the Gulf Coastal Plain West of the 90th Meridian......................................................441 IV. Structural Types and their Characteristics.........................446 (a) hnticlinal Structure. (b) Structure of Salt Domes. 1. Domes of the Coast Prairie. 2. Domes of the Wold Region. 3. Recapitulation of Dome Structural Characteristics. V. Methods of Surveying and Prospecting............................. 454 VI. The Development of Salt Domes................- .................458 VII. Origin of Salt Domes...............4.............................461 (a) The Volcanic-plug Theory of Hager. (b) The Contemporaneous Sedimentation Theory of Norton. (c) The Theory of Upward Pressure Exerted by the Force of Growing Crystals, as Developed by Harris. VIII. Source of the Oil in the Gulf Coastal Pools.........................465 IX. Petrolific Value of the Salt Domes of the Wold Region..............467 X. Future Outlook.................................................. 467

Jan 1, 1918

By Herman Garlichs

The development of the extensive Southeast Missouri deposits greatly preceded that of the Iowa and Wisconsin deposits. It began about 1720 at Mine La Motte and other localities, and has continued uninterruptedly to the present time. It is estimated that this district produced about 184,000 tons of lead in the year 1916, having a value of approximately $25,000,000. This is a new high record. The Southwest Missouri orebodies were hardly known before 1845 and were not extensively developed until 1870. Lead production in Southwest Missouri for 1916 was 38,788 tons. Oklahoma produced 14,399 tons and Kansas 2,345 tons, making a total for Southwest Missouri, and the adjoining districts in Oklahoma and Kansas, of 55,532 tons of lead. The first metallurgists in Missouri were the Indian and the hunter. The early settler learned to procure his bullets either by melting ore in his camp fire or by throwing pieces of galena on an old stump and depending on the usual roasting and reaction method to obtain the metal. A little more refined method was to arrange two flat stones in the form of a, V. Wood and galena were placed in the furnace and ignited.. As heat developed, some of the metal was extracted and molded into bullets. The next step in utilizing the lead ores was the log hearth. All lead in Missouri was smelted in this crude affair before 1820. It was built on sloping ground, and consisted of a hearth of stone, surrounded on the front and two sides by a stone wall. The wall was 7 it. high in front. The top and rear end were left open and in front an arch or opening was made, forming the eye of the furnace. In front of this a pit was dug in the ground, to receive the molten metal. Large logs were rolled in at the back and made to rest upon ledges formed inside, to raise them from the hearth and to give a draft. These logs filled the entire width of the furnace. Small split logs were then set up around the two sides and the front, and the ore was piled on until the furnace was full. Finally, the mass was covered with logs and fuel until the ore was completely surrounded. A gentle heat was started, which was raised very gradually. After 12 hr. the heat was increased and continued for 12 hr. more, 24 hr. being required for each smelting. The furnace treated about 5,000 lb. per 24 hr. and the ore yielded about 50 per cent. of its metallic lead. A considerable quantity of the ore was not desulphurized, and fell between

Jan 1, 1918

THE CHAIRMAN (G. C. STONE, New York, N. Y.).-It is a matter of history that the smelting of zinc ore in, a reverberatory furnace was the first process used in this country for making oxide of zinc, and it was abandoned for three reasons: it was very expensive, the recovery was, very poor, and the color of the oxide was worse. It is probable, however, that the Anaconda company is working in a totally different way. While Mr. Ingalls does not say so, my own suspicion is that they are using coal-dust firing, very much as they do in the copper furnaces, and by that method there is much more chance of getting good recovery.

Jan 1, 1918

By G. C. Stone

The method of making oxide of zinc direct from the ore was invented and developed at the works of The New Jersey Zinc Co. at Newark in the middle of the last century. The process was invented by Burrows, who had not the ability, financial or technical, to work out the details necessary to make it of commercial value. This was done by Col. Wetherill, whose name is commonly attached to this process. The grate bars used are also frequently called Wetherill grates, which is a misnomer because they were in common use for boiler firing at the time, and he never claimed their invention. The invention of the process was due to the efforts of The New Jersey Zinc Co. to find a profitable means of working the ores from Franklin and Sterling Hill, N. J. These are a mixture of franklinite, willemite, and zincite, containing about 20 per cent. of zinc. The first attempts were to make spelter, which were not successful, owing to the low grade of the ore and the fusibility of the residue. Failing in this, the next attempt was to make oxide in large muffles and reverberatory furnaces. This succeeded, although the cost of operation was high, the recovery low, and the quality of the product uncertain. In 1855, the new process was patented and has been in successful operation ever since. Essentially, the process is to spread a mixture of coal and ore on a body of burning coal on a perforated grate, and blow an excess of air through the grate. The zinc is reduced in contact with the coal, volatilized and burned by the excess of air in the upper part of the furnace and in the flues. It is then carried to the bag rooms by the excess air and products of combustion which are foreed through the flues by fans. In its main features, the process is the same today as at the time of its invention, but the details have been so modified that it would hardly be recognized by its originators. OrEs The process is applicable to all the oxidized ores of zinc and to roasted sulphides, provided the gangue is not so fusible as to leave a residue that is impervious to the blast. In many cases the ores contain impurities that make it impossible to produce an oxide of a good enough color to be

Jan 1, 1918

The preparation of the General Index, covering volumes of the TRANSACTIONS from XXXVI to LV, inclusive, which has been in preparation for some time, has been delayed on account of pressure of Government work at our printers. The composition of the Index will probably be, finished by the end of this year, which means that the volume will be ready for distribution about the end of February, 1918.

Jan 1, 1918

Jan 1, 1918