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By Albert H. Fay, William B. Plank

In practically all rock-excavation problem there is need for a careful study of the rock structure, its fault, cleavage or bedding planes, and even the texture of the rock itself. These studies should form the bases upon which an excavation method is selected and they should be carefully considered in predicting the amount and extent of the excavation. The need for such studies was forcibly illustrated in the problems involved in a cut made in 1929, along and underneath a 200-ft. high rock projection for a State highway near the City of Easton, Pennsylvania. The rock mass was badly faulted and also contained a number of cleavage planes at approximately right angles to the fault planes. Much of this structure was visible and could have been studied and analyzed before the work was begun. The State had rigid specifications as to finished grade and slope of cut, which apparently were made without reference to the geologic structure. The contractor complied with the specifications, under the close inspection of the State engineers. A tunnel blast was placed in the base of the cliff, with the result that 65 per cent more rock was broken than was intended by the specifications. About four years after the blast, the writers of this paper studied the circumstances surrounding the operation, to determine the cause of this excess excavation. Scope of Work The section of the roadway involved was about 200 ft. long and on a 6' curve. It was necessary to relocate points on the curve, from which all faults and cleavage planes were located and measured by the use of transit and clinometer. A plan (Fig. 1) showing the blasting tunnel, the roadway, and traces of the faults and cleavage planes on the level of the roadway, was prepared; also 13 cross-sections at varying intervals, showing the original face of the hill and the face after the blast. The original and final profiles of the rock face, taken from the plans of the State engineers, are shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. C. Bednar

In all, 127 producing oil wells, 8 producing gas wells and 212 dry holes were drilled during 1936 in the Central Texas area; 76 wells in Bexar County, 62 in Caldwell County, 44 in Guadalupe County, 22 in Williamson County, 20 in Navarro County and 20 in Frio County. Less than 20 were drilled in each of the other counties and none at all in Ellis, Hill, Bosque, Coryell, Lampasas, Burnet, Llano, Kennedy, Mason, Real, Kinney and Uvalde Counties. The Pearsall-Austin chalk field in Frio County and the Zoboroski field in Guadalupe County were the only new discoveries and there were no important extensions to old fields. In this report Corsicana, Mildred (Elm Ridge), Angus-Edens-Hodge, Burke, and Rice-Oil Ridge, all shallow Navarro County stripper fields, are grouped together under the name of Corsicana. This grouping follows that of the Railroad Commission of Texas, thus facilitating the gathering of production data. A map showing the location of the oil and gas fields in the Central Texas Area was published in Volume 114 of the A.I.M.E. TranBactions, page 380. New Fields Pearsall-Austin Chalk.—The Amerada Petroleum Corporation completed 13 Austin chalk wells during 1936 on the large Amerada-Rycade block in Frio County. Other companies drilled two dry holes to the Austin chalk in this vicinity. Not enough wells were drilled to give control of the structure but it appears to be a nose plunging in a west-southwest direction. A second deep test is being drilled in the Pearsall area and at this writing has cemented off a show of oil and gas in the Edwards limestone. The Humble Oil and Refining Co. is building a 6-in. pipe line from Lytle, Tex., to serve the Pearsall field. Zoboroski.—Actual discovery of the Zoboroski field was made by W. J. Walton et al. in 1931. The discovery well, Anton Zoboroski No. 1, was a small producer making but from 3 to 5 bbl. per day, which was used locally for fuel oil. The discovery of the Darst Creek Extension in

Jan 1, 1937

By J. O. Nomland

Bahrein 'Island.—In 1936 the Bahrein Petroleum Co. continued drilling additional wells to further increase production. In all, 39 flowing wells have now been finished and five others are drilling. A second well has been deepened for prospecting the deeper horizons but has not been successfully completed as a commercial producer. In addition, a well has recently been drilled near the eastern limit of the producing area for edge-water observation. The present system places wells 3000 ft. apart in a rhombic grid, or about one well to 179 acres. The total production for the year was 4,644,635 barrels. It is expected that refinery capacity of 20,000 bbl. per day will have been completed by July, 1937. A new permanent and enlarged camp with office buildings is being built. A new hospital has been constructed and two additional medical men have been added to the staff. Saudi Arabia.—In eastern Saudi Arabia, the California Arabian Standard Oil Co. has continued with the program of prospect drilling started in 1935. After the gas encountered in Dammam well No. 1 had been successfully shut off, it was completed as a small flowing well of 51" gravity oil. Dammam No. 2, which had been started in 1935, tested 3840 bbl. of approximately 50" gravity oil from a depth of 2175 ft. Dammam No. 5, before being deepened for prospecting lower productive horizons, encountered a gas zone producing 30 million feet. Five other wells on the Dammam dome are in various stages of drilling or completion. Most of these have been located principally to outline the productive area and the various producing horizons of the structure. An extensive program of geological work is being continued. In June, 1936, a well was started on the El 'Alat structure about 25 miles northwest of the Dammam development. Although various tar showings have been reported, the well has not yet, at 2518 ft., reached the depth at which it has been thought that productive horizons might be encountered. A prospect well is being drilled by the Kuwait Oil Co. (jointly owned by Gulf and Anglo-Iranian Oil Companies) in the Sheikdom of Kuwait. The well is near Bahra, a few miles north of Kuwait Bay and about 240 miles northwest of El 'Alat. To date no favorable results at depth of about 6000 ft. have been reported.

Jan 1, 1937

The Industrial Minerals Division met jointly with the Materials and Equipment Division of the American Ceramic Society at State College, Pa, Sept 24-26 Headquarters were at the Nittany Lion Inn Thurs- day afternoon was devoted to a tour of inspection of the Bell Mine, American Lime and Stone Co , Bellefonte, Pa The party returned to State College for dinner and in the evening the Division's executive committee held a brief session There were four technical sessions Friday morning, Mining, afternoon, Beneficiation, Saturday morning, Industrial Minerals and Beneficiation There was an informal banquet at the Nittany Lion Inn Friday night with 93 present Edward Steidle was toastmaster Brief talks were made by President F C Flint and Secretary Ross Purdy, of the American Ceramic Society, Oliver Bowles, Chairman, Industrial Minerals Division, Adrian Morse, assistant to the president, Pennsylvania State College, and George Otis Smith, past president A I R'I E

Jan 1, 1937

By Alfred Boyles

"Heredity"1 in cast iron has been a subject of much discussion. Numerous experimenters have found that the properties of gray iron may vary greatly without corresponding variations in composition or thermal treatment. The main structural difference in such cases is in the size and distribution of the graphite flakes and the explanations given usually attribute this difference to some chemical element not shown by ordinary analysis or to some physical factor, such as inclusions in the melt. It cannot be said that any of these theories is completely satisfactory. Much remains to be learned about cast iron and for this reason a study of the material was undertaken as a part of the program of fundamental research at Battelle Memorial Institute. A review of the literature indicated that very little systematic work had been done on the mechanism of freezing in cast iron. The experiments described below are largely concerned with that problem. Normal and "Dendritic" Cast Iron As examples of variation in type of structure, photomicrographs of two test bars of cast iron are shown (Figs. 1 and 2) and the composition and properties are given in Table 1. Both are common, unalloyed gray iron. Test bar No. 13 has normal graphite flakes while No. 49 has very fine, lacy graphite arranged in a dendritic pattern, the matrix in both being pearlite. These two types of cast iron are well known to foundry-men and need no detailed description.

Jan 1, 1937

The income of the Institute is derived mainly from dues, advertising in MINING AND METALLURGY and sale of publications. These sources are fortunately supplemented by the interest from invested funds now amounting to over $500,000, a considerable portion con- stituting endowments for especial purpose?s. Aside from the medal funds the principal endowments are the James Douglas Fund for support of the Library, the Rocky Mountain Fund and the Seeley W. Mudd Memorial Fund. The income from the two last named is available for the support of research and a variety of other purposes. It is allocated by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of standing committees in each case. An active effort is being made to increase the endowments of the Institute, it being felt that unusual opportunities exist for research and public and professional service through the organization.

Jan 1, 1937

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN: Herewith are submitted the report of the Treasurer for the year 1936 and the reports for the same year of the following committees: Admis¬sions, Membership, Papers and Publications, Library, Student Relations, and MINING AND METALLURGY. To these reports you are referred for details of the year's activities. Finances.-Income for the year was $173,091 including an appropria¬tion of $2500 from the Rocky Mountain Fund earmarked to defray expense for official visits to western Sections and student societies. This compares with $141,754 in 1935 and exceeds by more than $50,000 the income of 1933 wherein the low point during the depression was reached. The major items of increase were: $6,700 from current dues; $10,600 in initiation fees and dues of newly enrolled members; $10,800 from the monthly magazine MINING AND METALLURGY. Sundry small declines were offset by minor increases. Expenditures for the year totaled $176,007 compared with $148,361 in 1935. Major increases were $5,700 for MINING AND METALLURGY; $4,000 for TRANSACTIONS and TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS; $1,500 for meetings; $1,300 for Local Section appropriations; $6,500 for Technical Division expense; $5,000 for Increase of Membership expense; and $2,500 for visits to Local Sections and educational institutions. Comment on several of these items will appear under subsequent heads. Net deficit for the year was $2,915, this sum being made up from the accumulated surplus. It is interesting to observe that the net excess of income over outgo for the five-year period 1932-1936, inclusive, is $760. Membership and Dues.-During the year there was a net gain in membership, including Members, Associates, Junior Members and Junior Foreign Affiliates of 755 (from 7116 to 7871). In addition there was a gain of 616 in Student Associates (from 1004 to 1620). Taking account of small losses totaling 5 in the other grades, the net increase was 1366 bringing the total to 9607, the highest figure reached in the history of the Institute except at the end of 1921 when the total was 9850. In part the gain is accounted for by the smaller number lost by suspension

Jan 1, 1937

Aamot, Olav Crone, Chem. Engr., Norsk Elektrokemisk, Kongensgt. 18, Oslo, Norway. '29 Abbott, Clarence E., V.P., Charge of Raw Materials, Tennessee Coal, Iron & R. R. Co., 1242 Brown-Marx Bldg., Birmingham, Ala. '04 Abel, Raymond L., Prof., Dept. of Pet. Refin., Univ. of Pittsburgh ..Pittsburgh, Pa. '28 Abel, Walter D., Cons. Engr 364 S. Cloverdale Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. '32 Abele, Louis T R.F.D. 1, Adamsville, Ohio. '31 Abell, Leo M., Ore Dressing Investigator, School of Mines Adelaide, S. Australia. '31 Abenius, Hakan V., Mine Supt., Bolidens Gruvaktiebolag Boliden, Sweden. '37 Aborn, Robert H., Asst. Met., Research Lab., U. S. Steel Corp., Lincoln Highway, Kearny, N. J. '19 Abraham, W. E. V., East India United Service Club, 16 St. James' Sq., London, S.W. 1,, England. '28

Jan 1, 1937

By Oscar A. Glaeser

The purpose of this paper is to present specific applications of the fundamental principles of mine ventilation and the means that are at our disposal to accomplish the task of maintaining a healthful atmosphere in small mines and prospect openings. Need for Ventilation The range between the maximum oxygen content of normal air and the minimum safe content is extremely narrow, approximately 5 per cent. Furthermore, normal air must not be contaminated with irrespirable gases beyond definite limits, and mineral dusts are equally dangerous, although health impairment is slower. Tables 1 and 2 present the more common respiratory hazards encountered in mines. Adequate ventilation is the most effective means available to reduce or eliminate these hazards. Mechanical ventilation has reached varying stages of perfection in coal mines and in many large metal mines. The small mines and prospects rarely have a definite plan of ventilation. As a consequence underground workers are frequently exposed to health and accident hazards. The annual reports of fatalities in mines in the Western States record yearly many deaths due to asphyxiation and deaths caused by men falling down shafts and raises after being overcome by gas. At times mining operations are slowed up because there is no means of driving out the gas after blasting. For that reason only one shift is worked, or men wait from one to several hours for the "smoke" to clear out. Methane gas in varying quantities is widely distributed throughout California. It has been encountered in explosive concentrations in the coast range. It has been found on the Mother Lode and in quicksilver mines near the coast. Methane explosions have not been uncommon in underground operations and in tunneling jobs. These conditions and records indicate that there is room for improvement in mine-air conditions.

Jan 1, 1937

The following list contains the names of members of whose deaths notices have been printed in MINING AND METALLURGY during the year ending April 1, 1937. Biographical sketches published in MINING AND METALLURGY are indicated in the last two columns. YEAR OF ELECTION - NAME - DATE OF DEATH - ISSUE CONTAINING BIOGRAPHY - PAGE I892 ALLDERDICE, TAYLOR May 20, I934 1919 ALTMEYER, MAURICE E June 9, I936 1917 ANDERSON, JAMES P Jan. I4, I937 I936 ANDERSON, O RAN M Jan. 12,1937 I908 AUSTIN, E. A I935 1914 BACON, MAURICE W Jan. 4, I936 Apr. I936 22I 1914 BARTHOLOMEW, WILLIAM F Oct. 7, I936 Dec. I936 602 I930 BERRY, HAROLD R July 1, I936 1915 Betts, Robert M Jan. 9, I937 HON

Jan 1, 1937

Following the usual custom, three meetings are planned for the year. The Mid-Continent meeting will be held at Oklahoma City, Okla., Oct. 7 and 8, and the California meeting is planned for Los Angeles, probably also early in October. A program along the usual lines is under way for the annual New York meeting. Discussion and planning of the year's activity started in March. An effort is under way to secure papers dealing with some overlapping phases of engineering, petroleum geology, geophysics, law, economics, refining, etc. The main reason for attempting a program along these lines is the belief that unusually interesting technical papers can be obtained. The degree of specialization in the technical and related fields has permitted but few individuals to develop a sufficiently comprehensive viewpoint. Also, at times the developments in a particular field are capable of giving great stimulus toward much needed solutions of difficult problems in others fields of activity. With the coming of the period of restriction of production to market demand, many changes have occurred in policy and technique of petroleum production. Some changes have been advances, others have been of retrograde nature. It seems doubtful whether the adjustment to the condition of excess producing capacity has been complete or sound in some major respects. Many changes are in progress and others need to be initiated. The industry has excessive producing capacity so far as immediate market demand is concerned, but reserves for several years hence are generally believed insufficient. Exploration and discovery should go forward but development should proceed with caution and under control. Property rights should be clarified and protected for the new condition— without excessive cost for drilling wells that serve no purpose except that of giving some protection to property rights at the cost of an increased price to the consumer. Under the more steady condition of assured supply for the immediate future, as compared to the hand-to-mouth condition of wide-open production, a greatly advanced technique of development and production is possible and is being developed. Great progress has been made, but much remains to be done. Along some important lines progress can be effected only by better understanding between the engineer and the geologist, the lawyer, the politician, the geophysicist, etc. There is need

Jan 1, 1937

By J. M. Hassler

NOWHERE can there be found a more misleading statement than the old one that "Iron can be manufactured cheaper in the South." During the past decade ironmakers and users of iron have heard varied and sundry stories of the wonderful resources of the Birmingham district, including abundant ore and coal fields, cheap labor, a wonderful climate and similar industrial Utopian statements. Birmingham represents the major portion of the iron business in the South, acid as Birmingham fares so goes the iron business of the South. The intent of this paper is to shed some light on the actual conditions surrounding ironmaking in the South, especially in the Birmingham, or North Alabama, district. By a presentation of facts it is desired to point out that the "cheap iron" of the industrial South is a thing of the past, primarily because of increased labor cost and because labor is radically different in performance to what it was years ago. Also, because most of the raw materials needed in ironmaking that would be classed better than inferior are gone.

Jan 1, 1937

The Hurghada field is still the major producing field in Egypt. There was almost no activity in the Abu Durba field during 1936 and no new evidence is available. The following table summarizes the information on the Hurghada field for the year 1936. Hurghada Field Age of field to end of 1936, years.................... 23 Producing area for gas and oil, acres................. 1,050 Barbels Total oil production to end of 1936.................. 29,046,572 Total oil production during 1935.................... 1,212,182 Total oil production during 1936.................... 1,218,708 Daily average during November, 1936............... 3,249 MillionB CU. Ft. Total gas production (Aug. 1925 to end of 1936)...... 3,966 Total gas production during 1935................... 278 Total gas production during 1936................... 280 Maximum daily in 1936............................ 0.9 Number of producing wells completed to end of 1936... 94 Number of producing wells completed during 1936. ... 3 Number of wells abandoned during 1936............. 3 Producing wells at end of 1936...................... 768 Average depth of bottom of producing wells, ft....... 1,720 Average depth of top of producing horizon, ft......... 1,598 Character of oil, approx. average during 1936: Gravity at 60' F., 0.900; base mixed. Character of gas, approx. average during 1936: gallons gasoline per 1,000 CU. ft., 6.2. Producing rock (main): Nubian sands, Cretaceous; character, sand rock and sandy shales. 1 The figures given by the author were in tons. A conversion factor of 6.98. based on 0.900 sp. gr., was used to obtain the number of barrels.—Ed. 2 All pumping.

Jan 1, 1937

By John Chipman

IN the manufacture of rimming steel-which constitutes the bulk of the world's production of mild steel-the factors that determine the quality of the product are very closely associated with the pouring and solidification of the steel in the ingot mold. The behavior of the metal in the mold is, on the one hand, the resultant of the complex processes through which the liquid metal has passed, and, on the other, it is an indication of the probable behavior of the ingot during subsequent rolling and finishing operations. A detailed study of the mechanism of solidifica-tion of rimming ingots ought to yield information that will be useful iii controlling the structure of the ingot and the quality of the ultimate product. The first step in such a study is to determine the rate at which the solid shell of the ingot forms from the liquid metal in the mold. A knowledge of the rate of solidification will make it possible to correlate observations of rimming action and gas evolution with studies of the structure, porosity, and segregation within the ingot. Thus, if the metal in the mold is observed to fall, let us say one minute after pouring, the portion of the structure associated with this fall will lie located in the part of the ingot that is solidifying at that particular moment. The knowledge that the ingot solidifies to a depth of ¾ in. in the first minute enables us to locate in the ingot the structural features corresponding to the observed fall. Conversely, the blowhole condition associated with a rising or growing ingot will be found in the part of the ingot that is solidifying at the time the phenomenon occurs. The time required for the complete solidification of an ingot has long been a matter of speculation. It is of considerable practical importance in connection with charging and heating in the soaking pits. Too rapid handling of the ingot through heating and rolling processes has been thought to be associated-with excessive pipe and other internal defects, so that a further object of this investigation was to attempt to estimate the time required for complete solidification, or the minimum practical time within which the subsequent operations can be performed with the minimum hazard.

Jan 1, 1937

By O. P. Chisholm

Dross emerges from the blast furnace either with the lead through a lead well or by tapping from a forehearth or settler, but until a dozen years or so ago few dross reverberatories were used in western lead smelters because it was the usual procedure to circulate the dross from the drossing lead kettles back to the blast furnace. It was quite customary for lead smelters to produce matte in their blast furnaces, as this was the form in which copper could be collected, concentrated if necessary, and shipped to the copper smelters for further treatment. The main prerequisites for good matte formation arc., of course, a more or less definite amount of copper on the charge and sufficient sulphur. Such troublesome impurities as arsenic and antimony were ignored, in so far as possible, although they contaminated the bullion and thereby increased refinery costs. At the same time stocks of blastfurnace speiss containing gold, silver, lead and copper in addition to iron, arsenic and antimony, were being accumulated for want of a market to absorb them. As the dross was being fed back to the furnaces as rapidly as it was being produced, arsenic and antimony tended to build up until the arsenic could effect a combination with copper and iron and an alliance with lead, and the antimony a combination with copper and an alliancc with lead. Sulphur, being the most active agent in taking up the copper, left little of that element for the arsenic and antimony, so that on the whole a somewhat unsatisfactory metallurgy resulted. During this same period, certain lead plants were beginning to encounter trouble with zinc due to the replacement of crude ores of lot zinc content by concentrates containing high percentages of lead and zinc in sulphide form, the blast-furnace slags resulting from the smelting of such concentrates being characterized by a decidedly increased zinc content. It was soon realized that zinc plus sulphur was "poison" to a lead blast furnace and steps were taken to reduce the sulphur content,. At this stage some plants found that any substantial matte fall was out.

Jan 1, 1937

The Petroleum Division met at Fort Worth, Texas, Oct 8-9 $ The headquarters were at the Blackstone Hotel, the attendance was 175 Sixteen papers were presented, 12 of them by the authors The technical program was built up around four major topics. Drilling, Production, Engineering Education and Metallurgy There were four sessions, two each day More than 100 were present at the luncheon on Friday noon, which was addressed in turn by President Lovejoy, George Otis Smith

Jan 1, 1937

International Trade in Metals. By J W FURIES AND E W PEHRSON (Man &Met, Oct 474 to 477 900 words) Five world charts are presented in this article showing the production, consumption and principal trade relations of bauxite, aluminum, iron ore, pig iron and the platinum group metals in 1932 They are part of an original study conducted by the U S Bureau of Mines covering 15 of the principal metals and metallic ores Text accompanying the charts indicates the broad features of the respective industries in 1932 and the major changes that have occurred since 1932

Jan 1, 1937

Jan 1, 1937

NORTH AMERICA ALASKA Anchorage.-Strandberg, H. Tuck, R. Coal Creek.-Moore, E. G. Spencer, W. W. College.-Hance, J. H. Henricksen, R. Henton, H. M. Comet.-Albertson, F. E. Cordova.-O'Neill, W. A. Douglas.-Cahill, W. E. Fairbanks.-Crawford, J. D. Earling, R., B. Fowler. D. A.

Jan 1, 1937

By H. M. Roche

MAGNETITE is the important iron ore of New Jersey although bog ore, limonite and red hematite were mined in sizable quantity early in the state's min-ing history. The deposits of mag-netite are found in the Highland area in the northern part of the state. These ores outcrop a broad belt 20 miles wide, extending in a northeasterly direction from Phil-lipsburg, on the Delaware River, to Greenwood Lake, at the southern boundary of the state of New York, a distance of 60 miles. The area in which the magnetite is found (see map, Fig. 1) contains 1200 square miles and the center of the area is at Dover, 40 miles west of New York City. In the general area are found 18 parallel ranges or lines of ore deposits. These ranges may be re-garded as mineralized zones in which occur orebodies that are rich enough in magnetite to war-rant mining. Usually a number of the orebodies lie one above the other in the same plane, all dipping and pitching in the same direction. Within the ranges, there may be several parallel orebodies of work-able size. The average strike of the orebodies is N.41° 30' E., with an average dip of 55° southeast and an average pitch of 15 ° to the northeast. Orebodies suitable for mining range from 6 to 100 ft. wide, as measured from foot wall to hanging wall. Their heights, as measured on the dip and normal to the long axis of the orebody, vary from 200 to 3,000 ft. The length along the pitch has never been determined by mining, al-though several of the orebodies have been worked to lengths of 10,000 ft. The grade of the ore as mined today varies from 30 to 60 per cent iron, and the gangue min-erals are chiefly silica, alumina, magnesia, lime and phosphorus.

Jan 1, 1937