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E. O?C. Acker Truman H. Aldrich John H. Allen W. Lawrence Austin W. S. Ayres David Baker Andrew A Blair Walter M. Brodie H.H. Burden Charles Butters

Jan 1, 1936

By R. A. Harrington, H. R. Nelson

The: structure of anodic films formed on aluminum and other metals under varied conditions is not well known despite the wide use of such films both as protective coatings and as the dielectric medium in electrolytic condensers. The present work was undertaken as a survey of the possibilities of electron diffraction in the investigation of anodic films, especially in comparing the properties of anodic films formed under different sets of conditions and subjected to various subsequent treatments. In addition, an effort has been made to compare surface films formed on aluminum by anodic treatment with surface films formed by heating, immersion in chemicals, etc. The elcctron diffraction method in many cases has been successfully applied to the study of thin surface films. Its principal advantage is that it can be used without removing the films from the base material upon which they have been formed. The low penetrating power of electrons, in the "reflection" diffraction method which has been used in this work, prevents the appearance of diffraction patterns from substances at depths greater than about 100 Angstrom units (lop6 cm.). Different investigations of the structure of anodic films have showll widely varying results, depending on the methods used in preparing the films. Apparently under some conditions these films are crystalline and under other conditions they are amorphous, and it has been difficult to say which type of structure will be found in any particular case. Schmid and Wassermann's1 X-ray diffraction patterns of eloxal‡ films show two broad, diffuse bands, which these investigators attribute to finely divided cubic y-Al2O3.§ Burgers, Claassen, and Zernicke³ obtained sharp X-ray

Jan 1, 1940

By R. A. Harrington, H. R. Nelson

The: structure of anodic films formed on aluminum and other metals under varied conditions is not well known despite the wide use of such films both as protective coatings and as the dielectric medium in electrolytic condensers. The present work was undertaken as a survey of the possibilities of electron diffraction in the investigation of anodic films, especially in comparing the properties of anodic films formed under different sets of conditions and subjected to various subsequent treatments. In addition, an effort has been made to compare surface films formed on aluminum by anodic treatment with surface films formed by heating, immersion in chemicals, etc. The elcctron diffraction method in many cases has been successfully applied to the study of thin surface films. Its principal advantage is that it can be used without removing the films from the base material upon which they have been formed. The low penetrating power of electrons, in the "reflection" diffraction method which has been used in this work, prevents the appearance of diffraction patterns from substances at depths greater than about 100 Angstrom units (lop6 cm.). Different investigations of the structure of anodic films have showll widely varying results, depending on the methods used in preparing the films. Apparently under some conditions these films are crystalline and under other conditions they are amorphous, and it has been difficult to say which type of structure will be found in any particular case. Schmid and Wassermann's1 X-ray diffraction patterns of eloxal‡ films show two broad, diffuse bands, which these investigators attribute to finely divided cubic y-Al2O3.§ Burgers, Claassen, and Zernicke³ obtained sharp X-ray

Jan 1, 1940

By Robert Laurich

Chuquicamata pit was opened in 1915 with steam shovels and steam locomotives brought down from the Panama Canal excavation project. With expansions in the early years, more steam locomo¬tives were brought into the mine. IMPROVED LOCOMOTIVES During the period 1927 to 1937, electric locomo¬tives were purchased and main line and bench tracks were electrified. Third rail was installed up to the working areas. At first, the locomotives were equipped with batteries for service at the shovels, but charge life was too short and they were con¬verted to use the third rail and a reel with 3000 ft of trailing cable for service in the loading area.

Jan 11, 1959

By T. J. Whalen and Michael

The grain shape of the carbide in nickel-bowled ad cobalt-bonded titanium carbides was studied by microgiaphic examination, and the influcence of sintering atmosphere, sintering substl-after, ami the amount of metal binder on the grain shape was determined. If was found that the Carbide grain cross sections in the nickel and cobalt cermets ranged from round to angular, depending on the sintering conditions. The spheroidization of the carbides in both cobalt-bonded and nickel-bonded titanium carbides may be attribicted to oxygen. In the course of studies on titanium-carbide base cermets, various investigators have reported on the shape of the carbide grains, and it was noticed that grain shapes were obtained which were either spheroids, or polygons with rounded or square edges. It was also noted that the shapes of the carbide grains changed with time or composition. skolnickl showed that the titanium-carbide grains. after infiltration in vacuum with nickel tended to spheroi- dize with time. The titanium-carbide skeleton was located on a beryllia plate during infiltration. Gur-land,' who studied the microstructure of titanium carbide-cobalt compacts, showed that the carbide grains are round after 1 hr at 1450oC in a hydrogen atmosphere and angular after 7 hr at the same temperature. Goetzel3 has found that the carbide grains in compacts with a high binder content. 40 to 60 pet. tend to be spheroidized. whereas Blumenthal and silverman4 pointed out that the higher binder contents could yield either round or rectangular grains with rounded edges. depending on the nature of the binder. It is the purpose of this paper to present experi-

Jan 1, 1961

By R. M. Brick

EDUCATIONAL benefits for veterans of World War II have largely removed one of the two former barriers to a college education for everyone, namely financial means and intellectual capacity. This latter limita¬tion has not kept privately endowed institutions from increasing 50 to 100 percent in size of student body, even after applying moderately rigid entrance standards. Growth of some land-grant universities, which cannot well exercise such restrictive judgements, has been even greater. After a weary board of admissions, subject to student, alumni, faculty, and even political pressures, has admitted double the former number of freshmen, the university's worries really begin: to find laboratory, classroom, and instructional facilities. If this were a one- or two-year problem, the answer would be simple: double up, hold night classes, particularly of laboratories, rent space, and have instructors work 24 class or contact hours a week instead of twelve (it takes usually two to three hours of outside work by the instructor for one hour in class). However, most engineering school faculty men are worn out now from four to five years of "accelerated" (frequently downward!) programs and they couldn't continue teaching in a way satisfactory to their own consciences on

Jan 1, 1947

By T. E. Leontis

Several publications1-7 during the past few years have demonstrated the markedly greater effect of cerium, as compared to all other alloying elements, in enhancing the strength and creep resistance of magnesium at elevated temperature either with or without the presence of other elements. In the work reported in Ref. 1-6, the cerium was added in the form of Mischmetal, which contains all the rare earth elements in essentially the same proportions as they occur in monazite sand, the principal ore of these metals. Mellor and Ridley7 have presented the creep characteristics at 200°C of magnesium alloys prepared both with pure cerium and with Mischmetal. Up to the present time, however, no comprehensive study of the effect of the various component elements of Mischmetal on the properties of sand-cast magnesium has been made. This hiatus in magnesium technology undoubtedly is associated with the difficulty in obtaining the rare earth metals separately. This investigation provides such a survey, the object of which was to determine which of the elements present in Mischmetal contributes the greatest effect in developing high strength and high resistance to creep at elevated temperatures. Toward this end the compositional variation of these properties has been determined as a function of temperature in the following alloy systems: 1. Magnesium-Mischmetal 2. Magnesium-cerium-free Misch- metal 3. Magnesium-didymiuin 4. Magnesium-praseodymium- lanthanum 5. Magnesium-cerium 6. Magnesium-lanthanum This designation, based on the names of the metals as furnished by the producer, is used throughout the paper in order to avoid the complicated system of listing all the elements present in the more complex alloys. The composition of the metals and the alloys is discussed in detail below. Preparation of Alloys ALLOYING INGREDIENTS The chemical composition of each of the six alloying ingredients used to prepare the alloys reported in this paper is given in Table 1. In each case, the percent total rare earths, percent cerium, percent neodymium, percent praseodymium, and percent thorium were determined in addition to the listed impurities. The percent lanthanum was determined by difference from the total rare earth content and consequently includes the other elements (samarium, terbium, yttrium, etc.) present in Mischmetal. These additional elements, however, seldom amount to more than 1 to 2 pet of the total rare earth content of Mischmetal. The iron content of the Mischmetal is considerably lower than that of the other metals. This grade of Mischmetal is now readily available. The metals are listed in the order of decreasing complexity. Elimination of the cerium from Mischmetal results in what the trade calls "Cerium-free Mischmetal." Carrying the separation a step further by eliminating the lantha-

Jan 1, 1950

By M. E. de Morton

Low frequency-internal friction measurements on annealed chromium have shown a marked increase in damping below - 40°C which is strongly strain amplitude dependent. An interpretation of these results is given in terms of the motion of antiferromagnetic domains assumed to exist below - 40°C. A time effect on internal friction was measured after slight overstraining. After heavy deformation a pemzanent, five-fold increase in internal friction was observed at -45°C and the character of the internal friction us temperature curve markedly changed. Full recovery of damping was not attained until after heating to 800°C. A qualitative interpretation of some of these effects is given. THE aim of this preliminary investigation was to study the internal-friction characteristics of chromium containing comparatively small quantities of interstitial solutes in the fully annealed and heavily worked condition. Marked anomalies in a number of physical properties of chromium at temperatures near 40°C have been observed1 and an investigation by neutron diffraction' has shown that chromium at room teyperature is weakly antiferromagnetic with a Nee1 temperature at approximately 200oC. No irregularities in the degree of antiferromagnetic ordering have been observed at -40°C, the transition temperature, and a complete explanation of this transition in chromium is still awaited. Recently weiss3 has suggested that an ordering effect of nitrogen in the face-centered interstices of the bcc lattice of chromium could be responsible for the superlattice detected below 200 °C in the neutron diffraction experiments. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL AND METHOD Specimens 10 by 0.030 in. diam were prepared from ingots of arc-melted electro-deposited chro-

Jan 1, 1961

By E. H. Griswold, C. E. Beecher

DURING 1931 the petroleum industry has faced the most hazardous periods of its existence, caused by large potentials, overproduction, and demoralized markets. Two state governors actually resorted to the use of the militia in an effort to restore a semi-stabilized condition within the industry, to prevent waste of the states' natural resources, and to restore prices to a level that would yield the states a reasonable tax revenue. These conditions have made it necessary to put into effect most. stringent economies and have produced a spirit of cooperation between companies to an extent that never before existed. The necessity for unified action on such matters as proration and the advantages to be gained by unit operation are being realized by the oil industry as a whole. Fewer wells have been drilled and wildcat operations almost eliminated: development and operation costs have been greatly reduced and more attention is being paid to efficient recovery methods. The net work of oil pipe- lines has grown rapidly especially in the area of East Texas. The construction and operation of natural gas and gasoline pipelines into areas far distant from the source of supply has been one of the outstanding accomplishments. Refining efficiency has continued to increase and the public is being supplied with a better grade of gasoline at a lower price. The unreasonable tax which state politicians have succeeded in placing on gasoline has encouraged tax evasion and unfair competition by un- scrupulous dealers and has misled the public as to the true price of gasoline.

Jan 1, 1932

Executive Committee. Louis D. HUNTOON, Chairman. ARTHUR S. DWIGHT, Vice- Chairman. E. MALTBY SHIPP, Treasurer. GEORGE F. KUNZ, HOMAS T. READ, Secretary. Woolworth Building, New York, N. Y. Meeting, May 2,1913. The Annual Meeting of the New York Section was held at the Engineering Societies Building, Friday evening. May 1913, at 8 p.m. Dr: Kunz presided. The Annual Report of the Secretary-Treasurer was read and accepted. Mr. Colvocoresses offered the following amendments to the By-Laws: ARTICLE II: First paragraph amended to read as follows: "The officers of this Section shall be. a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer." In the second paragraph the word "four " to be changed to " five." ARTICLE V : The following paragraph to be inserted: ' The funds of this Section shall be received by the Treasurer, and shall be paid out only by check signed by the Treasurer, and in case of his absence or inability, the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, or the Secretary may act for the Treasurer." On motion duly seconded the amendments were adopted as read. The Nominating Committee, appointed by the Chairman, recommended the following men for officers : Chairman., Louis D. Huntoon ; Vice-Chair-man, Arthur S. Dwight; Secretary, Thomas T. Read, and Treasurer, E. Maltby Shipp. There being no other nominations, Mr. Rand moved that the Secretary be authorized to cast the vote for the members in favor of the men nominated. Motion carried. In reply to the circulars mailed regarding the summer outing the Secretary reported that 89 members approved and 9 did not approve of such an outing. The Chairman introduced Dr. M. Belowsky, of the University of Berlin, who addressed the meeting in German. Following Dr. Belowsky, the speaker of the evening, A. H. Fay; of the Bureau of Mines, discussed Metal Mine. Accidents.

Jan 6, 1913

By H. C. Fowler, G. B. Shea

MODERN industry's incessant demands for increased operating efficiency and lower costs require that hazards attending all occupations be reduced to a minimum. Reduction of the inevitable losses that result from accidents and injury to the worker is one of the important economic problems confronting industry today and is the basis for the widespread safety movement. Dr. Charles E. Munroe, chief explosive chemist of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, is father of the statement, "The existence of a nuisance is evidence of an economic waste." This pointed expression of the internationally recognized scholar and explosives engineer has a direct relation to the prevention of accidents. Every injury and death in industry is a waste in human endeavor and a lessening of productive gain. Dr. Munroe has aptly paraphrased his previous summation with reference to wastes as follows: "A lost-time accident is evidence of an economic waste." That the economic waste entailed by occupational accidents is chargeable to industry is well substantiated by the fact that all but four states (Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida and Arkansas) now have workingmen's liability and compensation laws.

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles H. Addison, Robert W. Shields, James W. Sweeney

GIPSY: Is user oriented. Is flexible in applications. Is an ITERATIVE question answering system. Has an adaptable retrieval mechanism. Has both a batch and a teleprocessing version. Allows the user to "browse" through his information. Has ability to answer "ad hoc" queries. Is a currently working and proven system.

Jan 1, 1969

Jan 1, 1886

YEAR OF ELECTION 1913. FRANK DAWSON ADAMS Montreal, Canada. 1935. GUILLAUME DANIEL DELPRAT Melbourne, Vic., Aust. 1920. HENRY STURGIS DRINKER Merion Station, Pa. 1933. KARL EILERS New York, N. Y. 1922. FEDERICO GIOLITTI Trino,Italy. 1906. SIR ROBERT A. HADFIELD London, England. 1921. FRANK WILLIAM HARBORD London, England. 1917. HERBERT HOOVER New York, N. Y. 1931. WALDEMAR LINDGREN Cambridge, Mass. 1921. C. MCDERMID London, England. 1913. EZEQUIEL ORDOAEZ Mexico City, Mexico. 1935. ROBERT PEELE New York, N. Y. 1937. GEORGE S. RICE Washington, D. C. 1911. ROBERT H. RICHARDS Cambridge, Mass. 1934. T. A. RICKARD..... Victoria, B.C., Canada. 1933. ALBERT SAIVEUR CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. J. Tait, A. E. Craig, E. P. McCurdy

C. M. Marquard—The problem of the automatic control of a grinding-classification circuit is not nearly as simple as has been indicated and it cannot be universally solved through the application of this device. The sound emanating from a ball mill such as the metallic clink of the balls against the liners can at times be misleading. The fact that the sound level due to the balls hitting the liners may be at a minimum does not necessarily mean that the mill is properly loaded. I have in mind an ore we treat that has a soft talcy gangue. The soft fluffy nature of this material makes the sound from the ball mill a most misleading parameter that is worthless as a means for controlling the amount of ore fed to the mill. In every milling plant there are transportation lags due to the time it takes the ore to travel from the mill bins to the ball mill. In many plants there may be several different transportation lags due to varying distances of bins from ball mill. These transportation lags can most seriously affect the operation of a controller. It has been found that under many circumstances the transportation lags can be so bad as to cause the controller to hunt seriously. Hunting can and in many cases does become so serious as to render automatic control impossible because of the surges it causes. While it is possible to compensate for this type of lag, this apparatus does not lend itself readily to accomplish the required compensation. Further, if there are groups of bins at various distances from the ball mill, compensation for one may not be sufficient or may be too great for another. Each milling plant presents a separate problem. The apparatus as presently described does not appear sufficiently flexible to accomplish this. It should be noted that the load on the classifier rakes is determined by measuring the current input to the rake drive motor. Variations in line voltage will

Jan 1, 1951

By E. P. McCurdy, W. J. Tait, A. E. Craig

C. M. Marquard—The problem of the automatic control of a grinding-classification circuit is not nearly as simple as has been indicated and it cannot be universally solved through the application of this device. The sound emanating from a ball mill such as the metallic clink of the balls against the liners can at times be misleading. The fact that the sound level due to the balls hitting the liners may be at a minimum does not necessarily mean that the mill is properly loaded. I have in mind an ore we treat that has a soft talcy gangue. The soft fluffy nature of this material makes the sound from the ball mill a most misleading parameter that is worthless as a means for controlling the amount of ore fed to the mill. In every milling plant there are transportation lags due to the time it takes the ore to travel from the mill bins to the ball mill. In many plants there may be several different transportation lags due to varying distances of bins from ball mill. These transportation lags can most seriously affect the operation of a controller. It has been found that under many circumstances the transportation lags can be so bad as to cause the controller to hunt seriously. Hunting can and in many cases does become so serious as to render automatic control impossible because of the surges it causes. While it is possible to compensate for this type of lag, this apparatus does not lend itself readily to accomplish the required compensation. Further, if there are groups of bins at various distances from the ball mill, compensation for one may not be sufficient or may be too great for another. Each milling plant presents a separate problem. The apparatus as presently described does not appear sufficiently flexible to accomplish this. It should be noted that the load on the classifier rakes is determined by measuring the current input to the rake drive motor. Variations in line voltage will

Jan 1, 1951

THE Nominating Committee appointed at the Division meeting in October and consisting of Frank A. Herald, A. W. Peake, C. R. McCollom, Joseph Jensen, H. W. Camp, C. P. Watson, F. Julius Fohs, George Otis Smith, J. B. Umpleby, J. M. Lovejoy and A. W. Ambrose, have presented the following ticket for the year 1929: Chairman, Joseph B. Umpleby; associate chairman, A. C. Rubel; secretary-treasurer, R. Van A. Mills; vice-chairman for Economics, Warren A.. Sinshein~er; vice-chairman for Engineering Education, H. C. George; vice-chairman for Engineering Research, Harry H. Hill; vice-chairman for Production, C. P. Watson;vice-chairman for Refinery Engineering, A. D. David. For Production Engineering Charles V. Millikan. is named vicechairman, with ,Charles E. Beecher, Glenn D. Robertson and W. W. Scott as associate vice-chairmen. The Executive Committee named is to consist of Joseph B. Umpleby, chairman with A. W. Ambrose, Charles E. Beecher, A. D. David, Glenn D. Robertson, H. C. George, Harry H. Hill, John M. Lovejoy, Charles V. Millikan, R. Van A. Mills, Earl Oliver, A. W. Peake, A. C. Rubel, W. W. Scott, Warren A. Sinsheimer and .C. P. Watson, members. Ballots will be mailed to members of the Division.

Jan 1, 1928

THE problem of picking the best students for an engineering college can no longer, be considered as simply one of determining the amount of general ability, but rather of finding special aptitudes for scientific work, according to Carl C. Brigham~ a Princeton University professor, who has been conducting researches on methods of selecting engineering undergraduates at Cooper Union, an evening school in New York City. When we first began this investigation seven years ago," says Dr. Brigham, "we thought the whole job would be done a soon as we had found a good method of measuring general intelligence. Today we feel that we are still about five years away from a solution, but on somewhat firmer footing than when we were looking for general ability.

Jan 1, 1928

By Rudolph G. Wuerker

MUCH descriptive matter has appeared on the subject of suspension roof supports, or roof bolting, as it is more commonly called. The widespread introduction of roof bolting into coal mines and metal mines is truly phenomenal. Mine operators were quick to recognize the advantages of supporting wide openings without hindrance to machine maneuverability and ventilation. Although suspension roof support has long been installed at St. Joseph Lead Co. mines in southeast Missouri,'" its application to coal mining presented new problems, such as proper anchorage and bearing for the bolts, bolt diameter, and spacing of bolts. After continuous testing and experimenting at the mines, standard roof-bolting materials were determined.'!' The study reported in this paper is not concerned with such details as bolt diameter, which may be considered already solved in practice. In the tests discussed here, small models patterned on actual bolts were found to function in the same way and as satisfactorily as their prototypes. The aim of these tests was rather to investigate the influence of roof-bolting systems on the stress distribution around mine openings and to study the fracture patterns obtained in actual testing. Little was found about this in the literature, as testing of suspension roof methods and quantitative measurements are only now coming to the fore. Several suggestions and actual measurements have been made to evaluate critically the functioning of roof bolting systems, single roof bolts, and parts thereof. Outstanding among them is Bucky's outline of structural model tests.'" Since none of the suggested testing equipment was available, however, for the experiments discussed below, a different approach was chosen. The response of a mine roof under stress has often been compared to that of a beam. The slow coming down and bending through of beam or plate-like banks of shale, sandstone, or top coal is a familiar occurrence, extensively cited in the literature." It was felt that testing of roof-bolt systems installed in a concrete beam which was loaded in bending would be a fair approximation of the behavior of a mine roof underground. Another school of thought considers the roof behavior over an underground opening in connection with the stress distribution all around a circular or rectangular opening. This is more accurate, and leads to the concept of a dome-shaped zone of material destroyed under tensile stress. This is likewise a common sight in unsupported roadways where the continuous fall of roof results in what has been called the natural outline of roof fracture. This theory could not be tested and is treated separately in Appendix B. It is important to note that according to both assumptions the immediate roof fails in tension; the use of a beam in these tests, therefore, should give information valid for either of the two theories. With the testing equipment at hand it was possible to load concrete beams 6xlx0.5 ft under two-point loading, giving an equal bending moment over the center part in which the model bolts were installed. A comparison was made of the ultimate loads needed to break plain beams and beams in which roof bolts were installed. Arrangements were made with: 1—plain beams; 2—bolts with plate washers, some with holes drilled at 90" angles and others with holes drilled at 45" angles; 3—bolts with channel irons underneath; 4—bolts in holes filled afterward with cement; and 5—bolts anchored in a stronger stratum. The foregoing arrangement is made in order of increasing strength, as assumed from the theory of reinforced concrete. Likewise, laminated beams with wooden model bolts and with combinations of the foregoing set-ups were tested. All in all, 21 experiments were made out of the much greater number of combinations possible. There were, too, some trial tests. Enough observations from this limited number were made to interpret the behavior of mine roof, supported by various types of suspension bolts, at fracture. In present-day concepts, which have been proved by mathematical derivations and stress analyses, any opening driven underground will change the distribution and magnitude of the stresses existing around it. It does not matter whether the stresses become visible, as in rocks whose strength is less than the forces acting upon them, or whether they are invisible, as in the gangways lacking evidence of rock pressure. In this latter case the rocks can withstand changes in stress-distribution. To consider the mine roof as a beam, there are, with transversal loading, tensile stresses in the lower fiber and compressive stresses in the upper layers above the neutral axis of the beam. Beams of brittle material such as rock and concrete fail exactly as shown in Fig. 1. Nearly all model beams showed the same fracture pattern as that of a tension crack. The influence of support, by roof bolting or conventional

Jan 1, 1954

By Forrest K. Pence

Bentonite deposits are known to occur in Texas within the Jackson group of formations. This group represents the uppermost Eocene age sediments found in the coastal plain area of Texas. It outcrops across this area of the state in a narrow band of some 4 to 20 miles width. The outcrop pattern roughly parallels the present Gulf of Mexico shore line and is some 100 miles inland from the Texas shore, Fig 1. The principal bentonite deposits are found in the areas where this outcrop pattern cuts across the south-central Texas counties of Karnes, Gonzales, and Fayette. In these deposits, the better quality bentonite is found in the lower or bottom layers of the volcanic ash deposits in which they occur. Some of these better quality benton-ite~ develop very light colors upon firing and therefore justify their being classified as "white firing." The deposits in Karnes and Gonzales Counties apparently occur in commercial quantity, whereas the white firing strata so far uncovered in Fayette County have been too thin to be classified as yet as "commercial." A study of the ceramic properties of the weathered ash in Gonzales and Karnes Counties was reported in 1941.' Commercial development of the deposit in Gonzales County, 7 miles east of Gonzales, Texas. was started earlier by the Max B. Miller Co. for the purpose of marketing the material as a bleaching clay, and this operation has developed to very sizable proportions. In recent years, this company has offered a specially selected grade of the Gonzales material as a suspending agent in glaze slips. The white firing property especially adapts the material to use in white cover coat enamels. The strata in the deposit are practically horizontal and consist from top to bottom of approximately 2 ft of soil overburden, 10 ft of brown bentonite, 2 ft of coarse white bentonite, and 4 ft of waxy white bentonite overlying a he grained sandstone. The & being made in the quarry is approximately one-half mile in length. Only the bottom 4 ft of waxy bentonite is being recovered, the upper layers being stripped and wasted, Fig 2. It may appear somewhat surprising that the very bottom strata appears to have been the one most completely altered. To confirm this, samples from top to bottom of the various strata were studied microscopically by R. F. Shurtz. Professor of Ceramic Engineering, University of Texas. His interpretation is to the effect that the lower part of the seam was deposited at a much earlier date than the top, and that the lower part was chemically altered to a considerable extent before the upper part of the seam was laid down. The conclusion to be derived from these examinations may be stated briefly to he that the alteration in these strata or parts of strata has proceeded independently of the alteration in other parts of the strata during a considerable geological period. The presence of gypsum and iron stain throughout all of the strata indicates that alteration is now proceeding more or less uniformly throughout. It is contended that the alteration of the original ash to montmorillonite is not a result of the presently operating processes. A deposit which occurs approximately 7 miles southeast of Falls City and just south of the village of Casta-howa, has been explored and leased by J. R. Martin, of San Antonio. Mr. Martin has conducted mining and marketing operations in bentonite for a period of many years and asserts that the white firing strata found in this deposit occurs in commercial quantities. His pit, which is shown in Fig 3, exposes 2 ft of soil overburden, approximately 5 ft of white bentonite having coarse texture, and approximately 5 ft of waxy white bentonite which in turn overlies a brown sandy clay. Here, as in the Gonzales deposit, the most completely altered portion is found at the bottom of the seam, as per following report of microscopic examination by Mr. Shurtz. Sample No. 1: This sample was taken from the top stratum which is one foot thick. It is grayish in color and it contains visible fossilized plants. The color is probably the result of fine carbonaceous material in the rock. Under the microscope the sample is seen to consist of glass and feldspar; the amount of glass predominating. Both these substances are slightly altered. No montmorillonite or other clay mineral can be identified definitely; however, the products of the slight alteration mentioned are probably montmorillonite or mineral gel. Sample No. 2: This sample was taken from the stratum second from the top. This stratum is fourteen inches thick. The sample is light gray. It shows numerous veinlets of greenish translucent material ranging from one-eighth inches wide down to the limit of visibility with the unaided eye. It has the smooth, sub-conchoidal fracture characteristic of some bentonites. Microscopically the sample consists mainly of aggregates of clay minerals. The birefringence of the aggregates is lower than would be expected if the

Jan 1, 1950