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By Frank Clemes Smith

The study of the so-called refractory gold-ores of the Potsdam sandstone, ores which are probably of wider occurrence and of much greater economic importance in the Black Hills than is generally supposed, has led the writer to formulate in the present paper some of the results obtained in the course of a special examination of these particular ores, conducted at the State School of Mines at Rapid City, So. Dak. Various circumstances have interrupted the work, and it will easily be seen that relatively little has yet been accomplished; but it is hoped that this little may be of sufficient interest to justify a later supplement. Tellurium, discovered by Muller von Reichenstein in 1781, is generally classed as a very rare metal; it is further mentioned by one of our late writers as " of comparatively little importance," and as obtained from its ores by a " complicated process.'' Concerning its rarity, we have some trustworthy evidence below. Its commercial importance, particularly in connection with electrical appliances, has been passed upon by Mr. Edison ; * and it is certain that, in some metallurgical processes for the treatment of gold- and silver-ores, it may be saved as a byproduct at a relatively reasonable expense. The importance of tellurium as a mineralizing agent is emphasized by the remarks of one of our leading metallurgists,jwho, in his own practice and by a wide series of experiments, has found its occurrence to be much more general than has been supposed. Recently the same writer has discussed the occurrence of tellurides and oxidized tellurium compounds in the gold-ores of Cripple Creek, Colo., and in those of the Black

Jan 1, 1897

By W. S. Gresley

The traces of fossils herein described were discovered in or upon piles or heaps of iron-ores upon the docks at Erie, Pa. The author has worked among these ore-piles since 1890, when his attention was first directed to what looked like organic remains upon certain specimens collected. All the specimens described and figured herein were found by him, and, as no ironore is used at Erie, and no other iron-ores, save those of the Lake Superior region, find their way to the stock-piles at this place, there can be no question but that the specimens in question are genuine ore transported from that region over the great lakes, and cannot have been brought in from other ironore regions. The author has reason to think that no fossil remains have been reported hitherto as occurring in the iron-ores of the Lake Superior region, and he believes that these specimens, however imperfect, rank among the oldest forms of which man has any knowledge. The illustrations are engraved from photographs of drawings. The specimens themselves have not been photographed, because their condition would have prevented bringing out, by that process of reproduction, all the markings as clearly as is necessary, and would have rendered the specimens otherwise less distinct by reason of the blotchy character of their colors, the presence of cracks, or of marks more or less in contact with those of the organisms. In drawing these remains, therefore, I left out everything upon the specimens of ore that did not seem to belong in any way or contribute to their value as illustrations of the fossils. According to information obtained from the dock superintendent at Erie, Pa., the majority of these specimens came from the Chapin mine, Iron Mountain, Menominee range, Mich. As to the rest of them, I stupidly failed

Jan 1, 1897

By Edgar G. Tuttle

The accompanying figures show a jig arranged for separating the middle product or middlings obtained in the concentration of certain ores, minerals, coal, etc. In the preparation for sizing, prior to jigging, of ore-bearing minerals, coal, etc., with their impurities, it is generally desirable to avoid reducing them to unnecessarily small sizes. Where the impurities adhere to the mineral particles or are disseminated through its mass, it is generally necessary to crush to such a fineness as will unlock the minerals from the gangue. If a considerable proportion of the material consists of mixtures of the minerals and gangue, each in large size, and a lesser proportion consists of a mixture of the two, in smaller sizes of various dimensions, it is not always desirable to reduce the whole to such size as would be required to liberate completely the pieces of ore and gangue in the finest mixtures. In such a case it is preferable to reduce all the material to such an

Jan 1, 1897

Jan 1, 1897

F. E. BACHMAN, Buffalo, N. Y. (Communication to the Secretary) : The investigation so fully described by Mr. Laudig was undertaken with the idea of determining if it is possible to learn by expesiment, without an actual trial in the furnace, what economical results can be expected from the use of a given ore-mixture. The research was necessarily preliminary, and the results obtained are only to be depended upon so far as they relate to the samples treated. With the exception of the ores obtained from the stock-piles of the Buffalo Furnace Company, and several samples taken at a neighboring furnace, there is no certainty that the ores represented the average shipments of any mine. For this reason the publication of the names of the ores might do producers a great injustice. The names of the ores arc therefore withheld, and their identity is further .veiled by leaving out of the analyses the phosphorus-contents. The investigation was begun with the preconceived idea that the rate of reduction would be found to be dependent upon the accessibility of the particles of the ore to the action of the reducing-gas. In other words, a spongy, brown hematite or a very fine Mesabi would be the easiest reduced. I had formed a scale with No. 21 first, No. 30 second, No. 1 third, Nos. 5, 24, 25 and the remaining Mesabis fourth, etc , which is sufficient to show how much actual results differ from a judgment based on physical characteristics. The ore expected to be most easily reduced proved to be 25th in the list, while the one placed

Jan 1, 1897

Frank Williams, Johnstown, Pa. (Communicatioll to the Secretary): As the manager of the company which manufactured the " American " magnesite and the silica-brick mentioned by Mr. Pennock, I beg to say that he was quite right in placing a mark of interrogation after " American " (page 268). While the users of magnesite in this country are at a disadvantage as to cost by reason of not having any large bodies of sufficiently pure material at hand, the manufacturing concern referred to has secured an advantage as to quality by a mixture of the different foreign magnesites, which vary considerably in their composition and physical structure. The American (?) magilesite tested was a sample of the next

Jan 1, 1897

By T. A. Rickard

The history of this State is that of one generation. Thirtysix years only have elapsed since the birth of that beneficent industry whose footsteps were the first to traverse the wilderness of the prairies and penetrate the solitude of the mountains. So soon is history made. The men who halted on the rolling plain where Denver now stands and gazed westward at the snow-clad ranges in eager questioning of their possibilities of golden wealth, have lived to see a noble city built where once their camp-fires burned, and have participated in the discovery of a magnificent series of productive mines amid the mountains which seemed at that time the Ultima Thule of their pilgrimage. To those who investigate the workings of our complicated mining and metallurgical industries, the story of their evolution from humble beginnings will appear an instructive romance. The record that tells it presents features common to the growth of modern mining regions, but also bears aspects peculiar to

Jan 1, 1897

R. G. BROWN, Bodie, Cal.: Mr. Rickard's paper, with its valuable illustrations, brings into fresh clearness the game of hide-and-seek which the miner must play with his ore-deposit; but, more than this, it goes far towards classifying those perplexing idiosyncrasies which, while unclassified, constitute a labyrinth almost without clue. Probably every engineer can add to the list by the mention of at least one fresh detail from his own experience, and I for one would like to comment on two of Mr. Rickard's divisions. To what he has written about " walls within walls" and " walls without walls," the accompanying Figs. 1 and 2 may be appropriate, the more so as they represent conditions obtaining in a part of the Butte copper-belt more typical of the copper-veins as a whole than the Gagnon, which, in some respects the most interesting mine in the camp, stands almost alone in many particulars. (See nuns., xvi., 62.) Fig. 1 was sketched in January, 1895, in the stopes above the 700-foot level of the Colusa-Parrot mine, east of the Parrot and southwest. of the Anaconda. The stope, the commercial foot-wall of which is shown at A, was 30 feet wide at this section, the pay-ore being massive chalcocite, jumbled with bornite, pyrite, quartz and thoroughly broken-down granite. A and At are inch-thick seams of black talc; B, B' and B" are also talc, possibly 1/8-inch thick. In the plane of the section the "banded quartz " and " quartz and pyrite " were both of too low grade for extraction, but 5 feet back along the stope had been of fair value. The granite with quartz and bornite between Bt and A' was pay-ore, but that to the right of B" was not. In both cases the ferro-magnesian minerals had been removed, leaving, where not obscured by ore, faint, dark patches. Between A'

Jan 1, 1897

L. D. GODSHALL, Everett, Washington: This very interesting paper cannot fail to command the attention of every one who has ever had experience in the amalgamation of gold-ores. I wish to call attention to three very important facts brought out very prominently by the paper, namely: 1. The extent of accumulation of amalgam on copper plates in the form of scale, not removable in the ordinary manner; 2. The change in the relative quantity of the two metals in the amalgam as we. recede from the battery-discharge; 3. The difference in fineness of the bullion obtained from the above-mentioned scale as compared with the bullion from the daily clean-ups. From Mr. Bayliss's figures we find that during the life of the plate in question 14,942 tons of ore were crushed, yielding amalgam of the value of $5.03 per ton, or a total value of $75,158.26. The amalgam accumulating on the plate during this time as scale, we find to have had a value of $8340.54, or $0.558 per ton of ore treated, representing 11.09 per cent. of the total amount of amalgam saved in the ordinary clean-up; or, taking the amalgam saved by daily clean-up plus the amalgam-scale as representing the total saved on this plate, or 100 per cent., we find that the daily clean-up saved 90.01 per cent., while the scale represented 9.99 per cent. The above figures do not include some additional amalgam still adhering to the plate after scale had been removed. We are told that this was not an exceptional case at the Drum Lummon, but that other plates have even yielded a third more than the one in question. The interesting query now comes up, whether this experience at the Drum Lummon is exceptional or universal at all mills; and another question arises, as to how long such an accumulation might continue,

Jan 1, 1897

Henry Louis, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England (communication to the Secretary): I think very highly of the novel and ingenious device of Prof. Richards for analyzing the movement of the various elements of the jig; it is a method that certainly seems to promise valuable results, if we could only make certain that these various indicator-appliances have no effect upon the action of the jig. I would like, however, to suggest that in future experiments the connection between the plunger indicator-rod and the pencil should be made by means of parallel motions, so as better to reproduce the rectilinear motion of the piston. I should expect, if this were done, that the " curve " of the plunger in the Harz jig, at any rate, would be represented either by straight lines or else by quite regular curves, according to the method by which the plunger is set in motion; the apparent combinatioil of straight line and curve seems difficult to explain. With respect to the water-curve, I am afraid I am completely at fault, but no doubt Prof. Richards can explain my difficulty. In Fig. 2, the areas of the screen-side and the plunger-side of the jig are equal. If the piston be a fair fit and the bottom of

Jan 1, 1897

Edward K. Landis, Philadelphia, Pa.: In studying Mr. Thackray's paper it seemed that a critical comparison of the results from different methods therein reported would he of interest. For this purpose Table I. was constructed by grouping all determinations made by the same method, and the probable errors were calculated. In this table all chemists titrating with permanganate (A1, E, F, G and 0 of Mr. Thackray's paper) are classed under "Emmerton;" those titrating with nitric acid (C, J, S and Y) under " Handy; " those re Probable error of result: a, ±0.0008996; b, ±0.000694; c, ±0.00107; d, ±0.00115; e, ±0.000674; f, ±0.000473; g, ±0.003675; h, ±20.0007959; i,0.000.5098; k, ±0.0008303. Probable error of single determination: a, ±0.001989; b, ±0.001547; c, ±0.00214; d, ±0.0023;e, ±0.00116;f, ±0.000818;g, ±0.0019;h, ±0.00224; i, 40.00143; k, ±0.00234. The formula for calculating the probable error is 0.6745, where N (N— 1)' S is the sum of the squares of the differences from the mean and N is the number of determinations.

Jan 1, 1897

Henry Louis, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England (communica, tion to the Secretary): I have been much interested in Mr. Schmitz's description of the copper-ore bed in the Permian formation of Texas. He compares it with the Mansfeld Kupferschiefer; but it seems to me to present closer analogies with a small deposit on the same side of the Atlantic, in Nova Scotia, which I examined in 1877. I quote entirely from my fieldnotes, made then, and from specimens still in my possession. These copper-deposits are known in several places; but I examined them at the village of New Annan, on the banks of the French river. This district has been determined by Sir J. W. Dawson as being of Permian age, and this determination seems to have been confirmed as recently as 1891 by the operations of the Canadian Geological Survey. The following is the section, very imperfectly exposed in a few shallow levels, described in ascending order: Red sandstone, moderately fissile and markedly false-bedded. Lower nodule-bed, 1 inch to 6 inches thick, of fissile mica, ceous sandstone, containing obscure plant-remains converted into anthracite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite and iron pyrites. Very coarse grit or, in places, red sandstone; thickness and character variable. Upper nodule-bed, 6 inches to 2 feet thick exceptionally, generally about 10 inches. Soft, gray, friable shaly sandstone, with nodules of copper-ore. Red sandstone. All these strata lie flat, in places quite horizontal, in places dipping towards the river at 5° to 10°.

Jan 1, 1897

Jan 1, 1897

By Francis T. Freeland

In the West many precious-metal mines are worked in patches by lessees, under conditions which closely resemble those of what is called " tribute-work" in Cornwall.* The company has its own foreman or inspector, and usually employs the engineman, blacksmith, pumpman, and perhaps other general workmen. As an inducement to work on a new piece of ground, where no ore is in sight, the company may advance a " footage"

Jan 1, 1896

By William Glenn

In their account of chromium, Roscoe and Schorlemmer (Treatise on Chemistry, London, 1879) state that "In 1762 Lehmann, in a letter to Buffon, de nova minerœ plumbi specie crystalline rubra, described a new mineral from Siberia, now termed crocoisite." In 1786 Lehmann analyzed it (Nicholson's Jour., Dee., 1798) and found that it contained chiefly lead, and that the " mineralizers " were arsenic and sulphur. It was next examined in 1189 by Macquart and Vauquelin, who stated that it contained an intimate mixture of iron, alumina, and lead peroxide. The account of their work was published over the name of Macquart. Vauquelin (Louis-Nicolas) was a Norman peasant, who had studied in the village school, and at the age of fourteen was a laboratory-boy in a pharmacy at Rouen. Later, he found his way to Paris, and in 1789 was assistant to Fourcroy, a pharmacist and a teacher of note. It was here that he met Macquart, with whom he did the work on Siberian red lead, and at this time his friend Cheradame taught him his Latin.

Jan 1, 1896

By Carl Henrich

The Ducktown copper-mines are located in the southeast corner of Tennessee. The name Ducktown was originally given to a district occupying the southeast corner of Polk county, which in turn occupies the southeast corner of the State. Fig. 1 is a map of the vicinity of Ducktown, taken from the topographical surveys of the United States Geological Survey. The Ducktown district is bounded on the east by Cherokee county, North Carolina (the boundary-line between the two States running here a little east of north along the western slope of Pack mountain), and on the west by the eastern foot-hills of Little Frog mountain. On the north, Stansbury mountain, really a chain of low mountains or hills, forms the dividing-line between Ducktown and Turtletown districts. On the south, the Ducktown district extends beyond the Ocoee river to the Georgia State line.. This line, in going west, gradually recedes southwards from that river into the foot-hills of Big Frog mountain, the highest mountain of the neighborhood, which rises about 4300 feet above sea-level, while the surface of the Ocoee river, where it leaves the Ducktown district, is less than 1500 feet above sea-level. It will be seen from this description, and from a study of the map, that the Ducktown district occupies the northern part of a kind of basin, bounded on the east by Pack mountain and on the west by Little and Big Frog mountains. Between these mountains the Ocoee river, draining the basin, cuts its way to the Hiwassee and the Tennessee rivers in a narrow gorge, through the crystalline slates and schists, which from their excellent exposure in this Ocoee gorge have received the local

Jan 1, 1896

By George E. Thackray

In December, 1894, the Cambria Iron Company made a number of heats of Bessemer steel to be used in structures by one of its customers, subject to inspection and tests by a firm of consulting engineers, one of the requirements being that the material should riot exceed .08 per cent. of phosphorus. In other respects the requirements were such that they could only be met by material of good quality; but the general spe cification is not introduced here, as it is not the purpose of this paper to deal with anything except certain difficulties encoun tered in determining the phosphorus-content of the material in a manner satisfactory to both seller and buyer. Preliminary determinations of phosphorus were made in sample-ingots from each of the heats from which material was rolled for the order in question, and these preliminary chemical tests, made in the laboratory of the Cambria Iron Company, showed that, with very few exceptions, every heat was within the prescribed limit of phosphorus. After the material had been rolled, sample-drilling8 of finished material were taken from the various heats in the regular manner in use at the works, these samples being thoroughly mixed and divided into two parts, one of which was analyzed at the works' laboratory and the other sent to the inspecting engineer. Several hundred determinations were made from this mate rial without reaching an agreement between the work of the inspector's chemist and that of the works' chemist; but as it is not the object of this memorandum to treat of this part of the subject at length, it is considered sufficient to present herewith only a few of these first determinations. The analyses given in Table I. are those of the original series made on the heats which were afterwards resampled for final determination by an arbitrator; and they are selected for this reason, as the entire " comparison is thus rendered more complete.

Jan 1, 1896

By William R. Webster

In view of the great interest now taken in the tests of castiron and details of foundry practice, with the number of investigators at work, and recent improvements in the methods of research, it would seem that the time is ripe to attempt the solution of some of the many problems with which iron founders have to contend. Recent papers and discussions on these subjects* have opened up s large field for investigation, and have emphasized the importance of many considerations generally overlooked. With the view of promoting a comprehensive and systematic discussion, I have attempted to tabulate, in conveilient form, some of the most important points for investigation, on the general plan suggested, with such good results, by our former President, H. M. Howe, for the discussion on the Physics of Steel, at the Virginia Beach meeting, last year. This table can, no doubt, be modified or enlarged to advantage, and put in shape to serve as a guide or reminder to all who are interested in this line of work. Suggested Lines for Discussion and Investigation. I.—Correspondence between chemical composition and melting point, fluidity, shrinkage, fracture, chill, micro-structure, and other physical properties. II.—Influence of: I. Cupola mixture, use of steel and other scrap, oxidized or clean material, 2. Manner of melting, flux, etc., 3. Casting temperature, A. Fracture. 4. Manner of handling melted metal and B. Micro-structure. method of casting, C. Physical properties. 5. Size and form of casting, D. Shrinkage. 6. Kind of mould, green sand (under dif- on 1 E. Chill. ferent conditions of ramming, amount F. Residual stress. of moisture, and skin-dried), dry sand, G. Condition and quan loam, and chills, tity of carbon and 7. Rate and mode of cooling castings, other elements. 8. Manner and temperature of heating for annealing, 9. Additions of nickel or aluminum,

Jan 1, 1896

By T. A. Rickard

Our Transactions contain two notable papers descriptive of the stamp-milling practice of the Black Hills and of Grass Valley, namely, the elaborate and complete treatise of Prof. H. 0. Hofman, on " Gold-Milling in the Black Hills,"" and the paper describing the North Star mill, by E. R. Abadie, its superintendent. Having visited and examined the stampmills of both localities, I venture to offer here such comment as more recent information or a different point of view has suggested.†

Jan 1, 1896

By J. J. Ormsbee

Attempts at coal-washing have been made in the southern states during the last twenty years; but it is only within the last four or five years that the practice has become at all general. It might perhaps be claimed as one of the blessings derived from our departed " booms;" for, during their sway, the supply of coal of all qualities, good and bad, could not equal the demand; but, with the subsidence of the inflated demand, came imperative calls for fuels of better quality; and washers, previously regarded as luxuries, became necessities. Among those now in use in this section are representatives of the following types or classes: the trough washer; the jig washer; the percussive table; and those washers in which a constant upward current of water effects the separation. Without having full statistics, it is safe to say that there are in successful operation in the South more washers of the last class than of any of the others. The purpose of these notes is to present data with regard to the constructiOn, operation, and results of one of these current-washers, based mainly on the plant at No. 2 Slope, Pratt Mines, Alabama. The coal is mined from the well-known Pratt seam, having here an average thickness of 3 feet 6 inches. It has distinct cleavage-planes, and breaks in cuboidal lumps; is bright black in color, firm in structure, and air-slacks only after considerable exposure. It burns freely, leaving a gray or buff-colored ash. The lump- and nut-coals are used for domestic and steampurposes (chiefly, however, for locomotive firing), and the slack for making coke. The specific gravity is 1.272. Analyses of Pratt Coal. I. 11. 111. IV. Min. Resources Authority. Phillips. McCalley. of U. s.,1892. Lupton. Fixed carbon,. . 67.90 61.600 64.30 63.82 Volatile material,.. 29.80 31.480 32.08 31.85 Moisture,.,...... 1.508 1.07 1.02 Ash,.... 2.30 5.416 2.08 3.31 Sulphur,. .. 0.83 0.918 0.47 0.70

Jan 1, 1896