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By T. D. Yensen, N. A. Ziegler

The elements aluminum,' arsenic,2 silicon,3 tin2 and vanadium,~.~ when used in relatively small amounts as alloying elements, seem to have a beneficial effect on the magnetic properties of iron—i. e., they increase the maximum permeability and decrease the coercive force—whereas there are definite indications that boron,5 carbon,6 nitrogen: oxygen," phosphorus16 sulfur6 and titaninum,~ as well as the metals of and adjacent to the ferromagnetic group, nickel,~ cobalt,1° copper," and manganese,% have a detrimental effect on these properties. The effects of calcium4 and magnesium4 are small, if any, while the effect of chromium12 in small amounts is unknown and in large amounts is generally detrimental. WeveR's Classification13 All chemical elements may be divided into three classes based on their effect on the allotropic transformation points of iron. Class 1 contains the nonmetallic elements (except phosphorus) and these lower the A3 point and raise the A4 point. Class 2 contains the common metals and

Jan 1, 1931

PHILIP D. BLOCK, JR., vice president of Inland Steel Co., visualizes a fine future for the Menominee Range of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He sees a future unclouded by threat from foreign ore imports or the development of low grade ore processing in Minnesota. The statement was made during the opening of Inland's new Cayia mine near Crystal Falls. Inland, according to the vice president, is planning to use an increased amount of the high phosphorous ores found on the Menominee Range. He said that other steel companies will probably do the same, because the steel industry has learned how to use ores of high phosphorous content. He said: "I do not mean to imply that we can use an unlimited amount of high phosphorous ores or that we can burden our blast, furnaces with 100 pct high phosphorous ores, but we have reached the point where we can absorb a much larger percentage of these ores without any detrimental effects. Foreign ores and lowgrade Minnesota ores cost too much to offer real competition, Block said. Transportation costs from the Menominee range to steel producing centers in Chicago and on Lake Erie are less than for any other range in this country. In the meantime, the American operators of the Bomi Hills iron ore mine in Liberia, have reportedly signed a new agreement with the Government. Several months ago, President Tubman of Liberia expressed a definite dissatisfaction with the original contract. Informants state that the agreement only needs the approval of the Export-Import Bank, which loaned Liberian Mining Co. $4 million to develop the iron ore properties. Majority stockholder of the Liberian Mining is Republic steel, with 61.57 pct of the stock. Under the new contract, the Liberian Government will start to share in the profits when the indebtedness is liquidated and the return of invested capital accomplished, or April 1, 1957, whichever is earlier. Under the old agreement the Liberian Government received a 5 cent per ton royalty and an additional sum based on the price of pig iron. The royalty rate reached more than 17 cents per ton this year. After debt liquidation the Liberian Government will receive 25 pct of net profits for the first five years; 35 pct for the next ten years; and 50 pct thereafter. Until the Government starts to share in profits it will receive a royalty of $1.50 per ton in U. S. currency, in addition to royalties provided for in the old agreement.

Jan 1, 1952

By Thos Gibson

THE object of taxation is the raising of a revenue. Unless a tax accomplishes this, it is a failure. The right to take for public purposes a part of the moneys obtained from the carrying on of private enterprises is an attribute possessed only by a lawful government, and may indeed he called the supreme attribute of government. In free, democratic communities this power must of necessity rest upon the consent of the governed. Power implies obligation, hence it is obviously the duty of a government, in framing a system of taxation, to provide one which, while effective in producing a revenue, is also just and impartial. It will be conceded that mines and mining property ought to bear a fair share of the public expenditure. The question is, upon what basis taxation should proceed. Two separate taxing principles are usually contended for: Taxation should be proportionate to the benefits received by the person or property taxed; taxation should be based on ability to pay. A third is sometimes added, taxation should have reference to the extent and value of the natural resources enjoyed. As applied to mining taxation, it is pointed out by those who support the first mentioned basis that, mines being usually situated in rocky and hence sparsely peopled regions, mining companies are frequently obliged to construct roads, railways, telegraph and telephone lines, schools, water and sewerage systems, and many other amenities and conveniences of civilization, the cost of which in regions better suited for agriculture and consequently more thickly populated, has either been defrayed locally, or can be spread over a sufficiently large taxable group of people to materially lighten the financial burden on the mine. The mining com¬pany, it is argued, having made these outlays, should receive credit for, them and be relieved of taxation to a corresponding extent. There may be some force in this contention, but the situation is capable of relief without attempting to place taxation upon so unworkable a basis as the value of benefits received. Who is to be the judge of these benefits, and how are they to be valued? The very existence of a mining company and its ability to carry on business in peace and security, depend on the prevalence of law and order, which is a result of good government. The state provides protection against violence, and courts of law for

Jan 4, 1919

By John B. Myers

VERMICULITE is a name used to describe micaceous material that exfoliates when heated. It is hydrated magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate. The chemical composition, color, physical appearance, and degree of exfoliation vary. COMPOSITION, PROPERTIES, AND ORIGIN Vermiculite has the characteristic micaceous structure of basal cleavage and readily splits into thin laminae, which are soft, pliable, and inelastic. The monoclinic crystal faces are often marked by triangular lines at 60° and 120°. Hardness is 1.5; specific gravity, 2.2-2.7; luster pearly to greasy; colors, amber, bronze, reddish brown, dark green, and black. Feel is soapy, particularly when wet. When heated it exfoliates by expanding at right angles to the cleavage into long wormlike pieces (the name vermiculite is from the Latin veamiculari, to breed worms). This important characteristic of expansion is believed to be a mechanical separation of the layers when the contained water is converted into steam. Warping of the unit layers may also contribute to the expansion. The increase in bulk volume of commercially prepared material is 8 to 12 times but individual flakes may increase in size more than this. Pure vermiculite is a distinct mineral and has the structural formula (OH), (Mg,Fe)3 (Si,Al,Fe)4 010.4H20. It rarely occurs in this pure form, but generally as a mixed mineral of varying structure. One explanation is that the mixed material is composed of unit layers of inter-stratified pure vermiculite and biotite. The essential difference between the two is that unit cell structure of vermiculite contains a layer of water molecules whereas the biotite cell contains potassium instead of the water. The water content of the mixed vermiculite is less than that of pure vermiculite but more than that of biotite. Pure biotite does not expand when heated. If the proportion of biotite layers in a vermiculite is too high it will adversely affect the degree of exfoliation. Within a given deposit, the great mass of material may approach a definite com-position with local areas of greater biotite content. It is not uncommon to find also small pockets of pure biotite but these are generally segre-

Jan 1, 1949

By V. P. Yashin

Modern trends in the use of autogenous grinding of minerals have been investigated by Mekhanobr Institute. The conclusions drawn are based on experimental and theoretical investigations by the author and his coworkers. A method is suggested for determining the efficiency of converting from ball milling to autogenous grinding. A qualitative interpretation is given for comminution theory using both methods. This interpretation is used as a basis for considering both the principal trends in increasing use of primary autogenous grinding and the results of such in industrial application. Data are given from testing some ores from USSR deposits for the effect of the ore Preparation step on subsequent metallurgical treatment. Autogenous grinding is shown to be widely used in various USSR industries.

Jan 1, 1980

By Robert O. Davis, Phillip A. Abbott

The response of geologic materials subject to nuclear weapon effects is of considerable interest in the design of buried protective construction. Recently, more consideration has been given to placing such structures in rock rather than in soil. Although rock has the obvious advantages of high strength and low deformability, discontinuities such as joints and fault planes severely complicate any response analysis. Nevertheless, some knowledge of the effects of these discontinuities must be developed, even if that knowledge remains largely qualitative in nature. In this paper, we present a constitutive description of cracked rock subject to uniaxial shock loading. The constitutive equations are based on certain average response characteristics of a particular cracked rock model. Rather than attempt to represent each material discontinuity individually, we have incorporated the discontinuity effects into constitutive relationships for a continuous medium. The resulting equations are suitable for use in hydrodynamic computer codes presently used for ground motion calculations. APPROACH The continuum description which will be presented below is based on a detailed analysis of a particular cracked rock model. This model can be visualized as a sequence of plates (representing the intact rock) separated by gaps (representing the discontinuities). This so-called "plate-gap" model was first used by Thouvenin (1) in an effort to explain the behavior of porous materials at high

Jan 1, 1971

By P. W. Bridgman

It is a commonplace that experimental physics in the last few decades has discovered manifold complexities in the atomic and subatomic levels, where it was thought for hundreds of years that no structure existed, as is witnessed by the derivation of the word "atom" itself. The field of exploration opened by the discovery of the electrical structure of the atom was so fundamental, rich and stimulating, that it has been almost exclusively cultivated by physicists since they obtained their first intimations as to the nature of the basic facts. Only within the last few years has it begun to dawn on us that we have overshot an enormous domain in which are situated many phenomena of fundamental importance for all the practical uses to which we put matter in our daily lives; the domain, that is, of most of the phenomena of interest to the biologist and the metallurgist. Furthermore, we are beginning to find that this intermediate domain is not entirely simple, but that it contains unsuspected complexities, some of them derived from the complexities of structure on the atomic and subatomic levels, and some of them emergent as matter collects itself into large aggregates, which often offer the key to the explanation of hitherto baffling large-scale properties of matter. Today I want to describe and consider some of these newly discovered complexities in the behavior of matter in bulk. The application to metallurgical problems is not always direct, but I hope to be able to suggest that such general notions as to structure as those here discussed must have important reactions on our attitude toward the problems of metallurgy. Three different sorts of phenomena of this kind to which I shall direct your attention are (1) the so-called structure sensitive phenomena, (2) complexities of such a nature that they are masked by the presence of extraordinarily small amounts of impurities, and (3) complexities depending on internal molecular rearrangements which can be understood only from the point of view of the quantum theory.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. T. Weller

In Part I, a study of pressure build-up curves calculated for conditions under which both oil and gas flow led to the conclusion that the presence of a dispersed free gas phase in an oil reservoir must be taken into consideration to estimate accurately average reservoir pressure and permeability from build-up curves. Familiar methods based on the assumption of no free gas can be extended to the two-phase case by using total compressibility and mobility in place of single-fluid compressibility and mobility. These methods give correct values for average pressure and permeability when gas saturation is small. Errors become larger as the gas saturation increases. However, for the use to which the results will be put, the methods are satisfactory for reservoir engineering purposes. An improved method of calculating the performance of depletion-type reservoirs is presented in Part 2. Because the mathematical relationships describing simultaneous flow of oil and gas are quite involved. simplifying assumptions are made to provide means of obtaining approximate solutions of reasonable accuracy. One such approximate method now in use is the constant-GOR solution. It involves the assumption that at any instant, the ratio of total gas flow rate (both free and disolved) to oil flow rate is the same at all points in the reservoir. The approach is not applicable unless the free gar saturation in the reservoir is everywhere greater than the critical gas saturation. This paper presents a modification which, by avoiding the constant-GOR assumption, makes the method applicable to all reservoir conditions, and so far appears to be more accurate than the constant-GOR solution and to he comparable in required compuctation time. PART I— BUILD-UP CURVE ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION Pressure build-up characteristics of shut-in wells have been used for many years by engineers to evaluate average reservoir pressure, effective permeability thickness of the pay section, effectiveness of well completion (skin effect) and reservoir size. A number of methods of analysis have appeared from time to time."" Without exception, these methods are based on the assumption that the reservoir contains but one fluid of constant small compressibility and constant mobility. It has been suggesteda" hat these single-fluid methods may be applied to data from reservoirs containing both oil and gas by substitution of some effective total properties of the multiphase system in place of the corresponding single-phase properties. The present investigation was undertaken primarily to evaluate this approach. METHOD A number of theoretical build-up curves were calculated for conditions of two-phase flow, under the assumption of certain reservoir and fluid properties, and were analyzed by single-fluid methods with appropriate total compressibility and total mobility values for the corresponding single-fluid properties. Results of the analyses were compared with the assumed conditions. The theoretical build-up curves were completed by procedures similar to those of West, Garvin and Sheldon." Since these calculations require a considerable amount of computer time, an attempt was made to derive an approximate calculation method. The attempt was unsuccessful for calculating build-up curves, but the effort did result in a new approximate method of calculating the performance of solution gas drive reservoirs, which appears to be an improvement over the constant-GOR method" used previously (see Part 2). The West, Garvin and Sheldon calculations involved the following assumptions: (1) the reservoir is circular and completely bounded, with a completely penetrating well at its center; (2) the porous medium is uniform and iso-tropic, with a constant water saturation at all points; (3) gravity effects can be neglected; (4) compressibility of rock and water can be neglected; (5) the composition and equilibrium are constant for oil and gas; (6) the same pressure exists in both the oil phase and the gas phase; and (7) no afterproduction occurs, i.e., the well is shut in at the sand face for build-up. These assumptions make it possible to describe two-phase flow of oil and gas by the partial differential equations:

Jan 1, 1967

By M. N. Nabighian, J. R. Odekirk, D. M. Hausen

Preliminary investigations based on the concept of cross-power indicate that quantitative volume percentages of minerals, including quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, fluorite, and chalcopyrite can be obtained by X-ray diffraction analysis. Pulverized samples are scanned from 4° to 65°, 2e, using a Norelco diffractometer, with the output recorded on a punched tape at 40 intervals per degree, 29. Errors from crystal orientation are minimized by (1) gridded surface packing, (2) sample spinning, and (3) quantitative measurement of all major diffraction peaks. Computer programming enables rapid quantitative evaluation of X-ray diffraction data. Results to date indicate that most minerals analyses can be performed within an accuracy of ±2%. Metallurgical applications include analysis of various flotation concentrates and tailings.

Jan 1, 1973

By Chung Wang

CHINA now leads the world in antimony production, having contributed during recent years something over 60 per cent. of the world's production. The history of the antimony industry of China dates back to 1897 when the Tai Shing Co. was formed, under contract with the Hunan. Bureau of Mines, for the smelting of the ore to crude; and in 1908 the Wall Chang Mining & Smelting Co. was formed for the smelting and refining of the ore and crude to regulus. The writer was then asked to take charge of the erection and control of this first plant for regulus production in China and has, since then, been more or less connected with the antimony industry in this country. This paper contains the results of many years' experience in connection with the Wah Chang Mining & Smelting Co., Changsha; the Pao Tai Mining & Smelting Co., Wuchow; the Loong Kee Smelting Works and the To-Cheng Smelting Works, Hankow; as well as information gathered from various other small smelters, scattered in different parts of the Provinces of Hunan, Hupeh, Kwangsi, and Kwangtung. An idea of the growing importance of regulus production in this country can be gleaned from the fact that, within a period of about 8 years, the export of regulus from Hunan alone jumped from 3 tons in 1908 to about 6000 tons in 1915; that a production of about 23,000 tons of regulus per year could easily be effected from all the smelters, as tabulated below, most of which were erected a year or two ago under the stimulus of the war booms, if the price at Hankow were to stay somewhere about $900 (Mexican) per ton, half of what it was at its height, thus enabling the utilization of ores from the hinterlands of the provinces; and even under the present ruling of prices and the closing of the less-favored smelters, the production of regulus should not be less than 12,000 tons per year.

Jan 4, 1918

By F. W. McQuiston

Idarado Mining Company's mill and surface plant are at the portal of the Treasury tunnel at elevation 10,625 ft, 12 miles south of Ouray, Colo. In 1943 and 1944 this tunnel was extended in a westerly direction to tap the Black Bear vein, and, together with the recently completed 1100-ft inclined Treasury raise, provides access to the Black Bear mine. In 1945 a 250-ton mill was placed in operation to process development ores containing much needed copper, lead and zinc for war requirements, and to serve as a pilot testing unit for larger scale milling operations. In the years 1902 to 1927 some 329,000 tons of ore were produced from mine workings on the Black Bear vein that extended downward from elevation I2,325 ft at the Black Bear tunnel portal to elevation 11,618 ft, the lowest level of the mine. The ores were taken to the Cascade and Smuggler-Union mills near Telluride over two aerial tramways. Gold bullion, a copper-lead concentrate, and a zinc concentrate were produced. Ores The Black Bear is a compound fissure vein that has undergone several stages of mineralization. The first important stage is represented by complex ores of copper. lead and zinc in a quartz gangue. Precious metal content in this stage is low. The galenn is argentiferous and varying amounts of tetrahedrite, freibergite and bornite tend to increase the normal copper content represented in chalcopyrite. The zinc occurs as a true sphalerite with little or no iron. Later re-openings of the fissure took place more or less co-extensively with the successive introduction of (I) abundant quartz gangue containing minor amounts of chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite; (2) free gold in a fluoritic quartz gangue; and (3) barren, low-grade quartz with minor amounts of pyrite as the only important sulphide. The sulphides show practically no oxidation and little mineralogic inter-growth. Because of the common overlapping of these successive stages of mineralization within a given mining area, considerable dilution of the base-metal content takes place, thus lowering the average mill-head grade. Plant Practice Metallurgical testing was started shortly after the Black Bear vein was encountered on Treasury tunnel level in 1944. Laboratory tests showed good flotability of the minerals in the ore and indicated an economic separation could be made of the copper, lead and zinc minerals into their respective concentrates. The success of the separation is close reagent control to maintain a balance between promotion and depression of the sulphides. To maintain this balance reagent consumption for the three metal separation is considerably higher than in ordinary lead-zinc flotation.

Jan 1, 1949

By Gilbert Soler

Producers of alloy steels recognize the importance of chemical composition in relation to the hot-working properties and the typical surface defects found in their product. Each analysis of steel has its own peculiar characteristics. Under conditions of standard mill practice each analysis is susceptible to certain types of defects. Mill practice must be varied to obtain the best combination of surface and internal quality in the product. Chemical composition influences the cast structure and crystallization characteristics of the ingot. It also determines the rate of heating and cooling, the plastic hot-working range, and the phase structure of the steel at various temperatures. as well as the tendency toward scale formation and decarburization. This paper endeavors to emphasize the manner in which chemical composition affects the various properties of steel, and to indicate the relative importance of these factors in relation to the hot-working properties and surface characteristics of killed steel. The influence of chemical composition may be outlined as follows: I. Effect on the cast structure of steel, including: A. State of deoxidation, and type of inclusions. B. Gas content of steel. C. Freezing point and melting point of steel. D. Crystallization characteristics and segregation. 11. Effect on the hot-working properties and surface characteristics of steel, including: A. Plastic hot-working range. B. Phase structures at hot-working temperatures. C. Rate of heating. D. Cooling characteristics. E. Scale formation. F. Surface decarburization. EFferect of Chemical Composition on Cast Structure of Steel State of Deoxidation and Type of Inclu-sions.—The state of deoxidation is limited by the final chemical analysis desired in the finished product, and is controlled primarily by carbon, manganese, silicon, and aluminum, and to a lesser degree by chromium, titanium, vanadium, or other deoxidizing elements. The degree of deoxidation affects the density of the cast structure and broadly classifies the steel as killed, semikilled, or rimming. This in turn manifests itself in surface characteristics. The manner and extent of deoxidation also controls the amount, type, and distribution of nonmetallic inclusions formed. The equilibrium of manganese, silicon and aluminum with the slags and pouring refractories with which the metal comes in contact is important, especially in regard to inclusions of fire-clay origin. Some surface Seams and hot-working difficulties can be traced to nonmetallic inclusions.

Jan 1, 1941

By Gilbert Soler

Producers of alloy steels recognize the importance of chemical composition in relation to the hot-working properties and the typical surface defects found in their product. Each analysis of steel has its own peculiar characteristics. Under conditions of standard mill practice each analysis is susceptible to certain types of defects. Mill practice must be varied to obtain the best combination of surface and internal quality in the product. Chemical composition influences the cast structure and crystallization characteristics of the ingot. It also determines the rate of heating and cooling, the plastic hot-working range, and the phase structure of the steel at various temperatures. as well as the tendency toward scale formation and decarburization. This paper endeavors to emphasize the manner in which chemical composition affects the various properties of steel, and to indicate the relative importance of these factors in relation to the hot-working properties and surface characteristics of killed steel. The influence of chemical composition may be outlined as follows: I. Effect on the cast structure of steel, including: A. State of deoxidation, and type of inclusions. B. Gas content of steel. C. Freezing point and melting point of steel. D. Crystallization characteristics and segregation. 11. Effect on the hot-working properties and surface characteristics of steel, including: A. Plastic hot-working range. B. Phase structures at hot-working temperatures. C. Rate of heating. D. Cooling characteristics. E. Scale formation. F. Surface decarburization. EFferect of Chemical Composition on Cast Structure of Steel State of Deoxidation and Type of Inclu-sions.—The state of deoxidation is limited by the final chemical analysis desired in the finished product, and is controlled primarily by carbon, manganese, silicon, and aluminum, and to a lesser degree by chromium, titanium, vanadium, or other deoxidizing elements. The degree of deoxidation affects the density of the cast structure and broadly classifies the steel as killed, semikilled, or rimming. This in turn manifests itself in surface characteristics. The manner and extent of deoxidation also controls the amount, type, and distribution of nonmetallic inclusions formed. The equilibrium of manganese, silicon and aluminum with the slags and pouring refractories with which the metal comes in contact is important, especially in regard to inclusions of fire-clay origin. Some surface Seams and hot-working difficulties can be traced to nonmetallic inclusions.

Jan 1, 1941

By A. L. Engel

STRICTLY speaking, ore-dressing does not commence until after the ore is in the mill bins, but where complex ores are treated and their minerals separated to make the best commercial concentrate with the lowest economical tailing, ore-dressing problems begin and often center in the mine itself. This does not refer to the grade of the ore, but rather to the frequent condition in which metallurgical results radically different from customary are obtained because of changes in the character of the ore treated. Different varieties of ore can usually be identified as coming from well-defined depths or zones in the mine, or from known sections of the orebody. Varying degrees of alteration of the ore, inclusions of harmful gangue material, or variations in the quantities of component metallic minerals are often causes of temporarily bad metallurgical results in otherwise successfully operated plants, especially those employing differential flotation to. recover several valuable minerals contained in the ore.

Jan 1, 1931

By Alexander Anderson

TABLES showing the drift and inclination of wells surveyed in the years 1924 to 28' and in the year 1929' have already been published. Each of these tables included a little over 1,000,000 ft. of rotary hole. In the year 1930 the table -shown-in . Fig. 1, comprising, the results of surveys .of 1,030,344 ft. of hole and representing 11,642 individual survey readings, was compiled. For that purpose we selected 'I only wells that had been drilled in California during that year. The footage of Fig. 1 differs from the two earlier tables in that the wells were all drilled in the year 1930. In the earlier tables, the footage shown was surveyed in the years designated, but some of the wells were drilled in earlier years.

Jan 1, 1931

By Lo-Ching Chang, J. Chipman

C. B. POST*—Just what are you showing that has not been shown by fixing the attention on molecular species and choosing the molecular species to give you a perfect solution? J. CHIPMAN (authors' reply)—In general a fairly satisfactory thermody-uamic treatment of slag-metal equilibria can be worked out on the basis of assumed molecular species in the slag. This has been the method used by Shenck and more recently by White. Winkler and I also used it in studying dephosphoriza-tion. Darken and Gurry found that it did not fit satisfactorily in the case of their data on iron oxides. The ionic formulas used here conform to the data much better and probably correspond somewhat more closely with the actual structure of the slags. C. B. POST—It does seem to be similar to you? J. CHIPMAN—It is alternative, and may lead to a more complete understanding. C. B. POST—Have you had a chance to talk to glass technologists on this? Have they been using this type of set-up for glass solutions? J. CHIPMAN—Yes, and the ionic formulas have given them a little better understanding of what liquid glass is like. C. B. POST—Nelson Taylor always said we were going- about slag reactions from the wrong viewpoint when using molecular species. Evidently the glass technologists use ionic species exclusively when dealing with liquid glass reactions. J. CHIPMAN—I agree that it seems more rational and more accurate to use ionic rather than molecular formulas. We should be cautious, however, and not suppose that we really understand the structure of a slag just because we are able to fit its reactions by ionic equations.

Jan 1, 1950

By Enid C. Plante

INTRODUCTION To extend our knowledge of the flotation behavior of sulphide minerals, the response of the following minerals to ethyl xanthate as collector was studied by captive bubble and cylinder flotation tests: antimonite (Sb2S3), arsenopyrite (FeAsS), covellite (CuS), marcasite (FeS2), orpiment (As2S3), pyrrhotite (FeS) and tetrahedrite (4CU2S, Sb2S3). Lollingite (FeAs2) was also examined to determine if its behavior could be correlated with that of pyrite or marcasite (FeS2). EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Mineral for Flotation and Contact Tests Mineral was prepared in the manner already described' and its behavior both freshly ground and "oxidized" was studied. Tests in which the mineral was allowed to oxidize for various periods showed that a uniform response to xanthate was reached in two days or less. Oxidation Products The soluble oxidation products from most of the above minerals were measured and their effect on the flotation of the mineral studied. The mineral samples were wet ground to minus-52 mesh and deslimed, and 20 g of this material placed in 200 ml of distilled water of a measured pH value, and C02 free air bubbled through each suspension at a constant rate (about 1 bubble/sec) for 5 days. It has been shown1 that the size of the mineral is unimportant in the rate of formation of oxidation products and that probably the supply of oxygen to the mineral is the rate-determining step. At the end of 5 days the pH value of the supernatant liquid was measured again, the mineral filtered off and the soluble products determined. Methods for estimation of sulphur acids, ferrous and ferric iron and copper have already been described.1 No satisfactory method was found for antimony. Arsenic was estimated as the arsenate.2 FLOTATION OF "UNOXIDIZED" MINERALS WITH ETHYL XANTHATE AS COLLECTOR Fig I to 3, 4, 6, show the effect of alkali and cyanide as depressants for the minerals with 25 mg potassium ethyl xanthate per liter as collector at 35°C. Wark and Cox3 have shown that with ethyl xanthate as collector, galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite show a greater tolerance to cyanide and hydroxyl ions at room temperature than at 35°C. Covellite (Fig I), marcasite (Fig 2) and pyrrhotite (Fig 3) behave similarly. The independence of the curves for pyrrhotite at 35°C with respect to cyanide

Jan 1, 1947

COLUMBIA SECTION Holds four sessions during year. Annual meeting in September or October. S. S. FOWLER, Chairman, J. C. HAAS, Vice-Chairman, LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, 720 Peyton Bldg., Spokane, Wash. W. H. LINNEY, J. F. MCCARTHY. A special meeting of the officers of the Columbia Section was held in Spokane, Wash., Jan. 10, 1918, for the purpose of organizing and nominating members to the principal committees of the Section. Present: J. C. Haas, Vice-chairman; W. H. Linney, Past Chairman; and L. K. Armstrong, Secretary. J. F. McCarthy, Wallace, Idaho, was appointed fifth member of the Executive Committee. The following were appointed to the Membership Committee: R. M. Betts; for Oregon; W. J. Hall, for Idaho; J. M. Porter, for Washington. A member for British Columbia will be appointed later. The following were appointed to the Committee on Papers: Prof. F. A. Thomson, Moscow, Idaho; Prof. L. 0. Howard, Pullman, Wash.; H. S. Lee, Rye Valley, Ore. A fourth member, representing British Columbia, is to be appointed later. The following members were appointed representatives on the Executive Committee of the Spokane Engineering and Technical Association: J. C. Haas, W. H. Linney, F. A. Ross, L. K. Armstrong. The Treasurer reported a deficit, resulting from the participation of the Section at the Northwest Mining Convention in 1916. It was recommended that the Institute be petitioned to make good this deficit, in addition to the usual annual allowance. The members of the committee who were present expressed their desire to be of greater service in the present war, and discussed at some length the possible means of carrying out their desires. It was later decided to reopen the subject at a subsequent meeting of the Section, or to present it to the Executive Committee of the Spokane Engineering and Technical Association for discussion and cooperative action. L. K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary.

Jan 3, 1918

By Louis S. Cates

At the annual meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers in February, 1923, the Chairman of the Committee on Ground Movement and Subsidence appointed a sub-committee to work out a form of questionnaire and to collect data on subsidence and ground movement resulting from underground metal and coal-mining operations, and on ground movement and safe slopes in connection with open-cut metal-mining operations. The author was requested to take charge of the collection of data and the preparation of a questionnaire in connection with the Committee's studies of open-cut metal-mining operations. This paper is a summary of the work carried on and information received therefrom up to February, 1924. The first approach to the problem of safe slopes is to gather all information that pertains to finished slopes; in other words, the steepest economic angle from the horizontal that will stand in order to uncover the ores to be mined and be safe while the extraction of the ore at the base of these slopes is in progress. Whether or not this angle is 35" or 45" depends on many factors. The number of benches maintained to take care of falling rock and their height and width are direct functions of this overall slope. The slope is here taken to mean the angle from the top edge of the pit through the edges of the respective lower benches to the bottom of the pit. If we accept this definition of the slope, it might save some confusion as there would be a difference if one took the line from the top edge of excavation to the toe of the bottom slope. This latter slope would not be constant, but would vary with the number of benches. The depth of the various ore faces will vary, of course, depending on the deposit; Table 1 shows this to range from 50 ft. to 1100 ft. The geology is an important factor, as are the climatic conditions under which one is operating. A saturated condition in some rock structure causes rock flows; in the Panama Canal excavation, slides have run on a ratio of as low as one on ten, which is a 10 per cent. grade, or a slope of less than 6' with the horizontal. Slopes as steep as 60' have been noted in the Utah Copper operations, so that a wide divergence will possibly be met. The work of securing data that will be of value to the operator or estimating engineer will be difficult and will mean little unless a detailed

Jan 1, 1927

By H. P. Greenwald

IN the year just passed the Coal Division's Committee on Rock-Dusting reviewed the status of this safety measure in American coal mines and prepared a paper thereon which will be presented at the February meeting of the Institute. This paper supplements one appearing in Vol. 139 of the "Transactions," page 87 (1940). Because that paper will be issued soon, only a summary is given herein.

Jan 1, 1944