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By L. C. Morganroth

Discussion of the paper of L. C. MORGANROTH, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 110, February, 1916, pp. 475 to 481. DAVID B. REGER, Morgantown, W. Va.-I notice in the third paragraph of the first page of the paper, that in mentioning the clays of the Pottsville series, the author says: "The bed of clay found in the latter formation is unique in that flint clay is practically restricted to it. (A variety of flint clay is occasionally found in these upper deposits but this is in such small amounts as to be negligible."). If the author wishes to confine himself to the fire clays of Pennsylvania, as the title seems to indicate, I have nothing to say, but if he wishes to include a discussion on fire clays of the adjoining States which the. subsequent paragraphs of his paper seem to indicate, then I wish to call attention to the fact that there are large and extensive deposits of fire clay in the Allegheny series, immediately overlying the Pottsville in the northern counties of West Virginia. These fire clays have been studied carefully, and described in several reports of the West Virginia Geological Survey, first in the report on Ohio, Brooke, and Hancock Counties, in the northern part of the State; described later ,in the report on Monongalia, Marion, and Taylor Counties, and in the report on Preston County, which followed. In these latter counties (Monongalia, Marion, Taylor, and Preston) there are some beds of fine fire clay, varying in thickness from 6 to 10 or 12 ft., with a content of only 2 or 3 per cent. of fluxing ingredients, and these are of the typical Savage Mountain appearance and also have the typical Savage Mountain fracture. They have been prospected, but not mined a great deal. Several of them have been tested in blast furnaces and furnaces for other purposes, in glass-manufacturing plants, also for firebrick, arid have been found to be very good. They are simply awaiting development, and I merely want to call attention to the fact that there are plenty of them in the Allegheny series still above the Pottsville in West Virginia. There are two or three valuable seams which I have seen in person and have had analyzed in our laboratory.

Jan 5, 1916

By W. L. Maxson

GRINDING is one of the major problems in present-day milling practice, and in many cases, it represents one of the main items of expense. It becomes necessary from time to time, to compare grinding practice in one plant with that in another plant, and in making such comparisons, it would be very desirable were there available accepted standards of grinding resistance for the materials involved. Such a set of grinding constants would also be of considerable value in planning new grind-ing installations. There have been some tests published, notably those of Lennox,1 which have been generally cited as a basis for such comparisons. Most of the tests made have been based upon open-circuit grinding, in which a weighed sample of the ore was crushed to pass a certain mesh, and was .then ground under certain conditions, either wet or dry. Grinding was continued until a certain desired fineness was attained, and the compari-sons based on the grinding time, or the samples were all ground for a certain specified length of time and comparison based upon the screen analysis of the products. Such methods have been acceptable where the ore was to be ground in open circuit. However, in modern milling practice, many grinding problems involve closed circuits wherein the oversize returns to the mill and a large circulating, load builds up. A method of testing that does not take the circulating load into consideration might yield results quite different from those to he expected in practice, because the minerals in the ore that offer maximum resistance to grinding will accumulate in the circulating load up to an equilibrium value. Thus the nature of the ore charge in the mill at any instant may differ greatly from that of the new feed, with a consequent error in the rate of grinding determined by such a method.

Jan 1, 1933

By A. A. Mathews

During the past year (1967-68), there have been many instances of either partial or complete failure of a tunnel-support system. It looks like the art is in a pretty sad state, but as long as we permit the field of tunnel design to remain basically an art, that's about what we can expect. The application of scientific principles to tunnel design involves much more than assigning values to a series of factors in an equation. I am reminded of the case where the engineer calculated that steel ribs with struts were required to support a horseshoe-shaped tunnel in firm ground. The contractor had driven several hundred feet without installing the struts when the engineer visited the job. When he was informed that the struts had been left out, he fled the tunnel in alarm. As one authority has so aptly put it, "There is far too much calculating and too little observing." Initially, one might think of a tunnel support as a structural member, such as a strut or arch which is installed in order to support some definite load. Similarly, a tunnel lining might be considered as a treatment of the interior surface of the tunnel in order to produce desired aesthetic, hydraulic, or architectural results, or to serve a protective function. Actually, many linings, such as a concrete lining, serve a dual purpose and support a load as well as satisfy other requirements. Not too many years ago a tunnel, during the driving or excavating stage, was considered to be either supported or unsupported. In recent years, however, several techniques have been developed, which by helping the tunnel to support itself, permit the elimination of separate structural support. Since these techniques in many cases actually become a substitute for the conventional types of supports and linings, a state-of-the-art review would hardly be complete without including them for consideration. Thus, for the purpose of this discussion, we shall define tunnel supports as any system or technique which effectively maintains the integrity of the tunnel opening. In their chapters, both Jacobs (No. 6) and Lippold (No. 7) pointed out how support systems have advanced from timber supports to steel supports

Jan 1, 1970

William B. Phillips, Birmingham, Ala.: The questions raised by Messrs. Wilkens and Nitze are in the highest degree interesting to owners of low-grade iron-ores, aizd no less so to blast-furnace managers. If it can be shown that ores heretofore considered worthless can be brought within the limit of economic use, many large and readily accessible deposits may come into market on the one hand, while on the other the possible increase in the output of the furnace per ton of ore used will prove of advantage to the iron-maker. It cannot, of course, be claimed that this process has been employed on a working-scale with respect to iron-ores, and in so far as concerns results on a large scale no one is any wiser than his fellow. Granting that the results obtained in an experimental way (and certainly the experiments were conducted with a great deal of care) can be attained in practice, we would still be facing the question, what it would cost to get them. In the absence of any specific data, we have to fall back on general principles, helped along, as far as possible, by indications afforded by the experiments. I must confess that as regards the Clinton ores, which I have studied to some extent, I am not sanguine of making a ton of 53 to 54 per cent. concentrates from less than 1.75 tons of 40 per cent. raw ore. It may be possible to get the iron in the heads to 56 to 57 per cent., but the lesser richness of the middlings will probably reduce this to 53 to 54 per cent. in the salable stuff. As the authors remark, it is not worth while to discuss the concentration of the better grades of " soft" Clinton ore; for the price at which they are now delivered at the furnaces, and the comparatively limited amount now remaining, render their concentration unadvisable. If it is to succeed in the Birmingham district, the process must be applied to the low-grade soft and hard ores now con-

Jan 1, 1897

By Dewitt T. Ring

Reliable and detailed data covering the enormous number of wells drilled and the long historical production of the state, many of which were never recorded until recent years, render it impossible to gather statistical material suitable for the Institute's standardized form. The total production of crude oil in Ohio for the year was 3,654,503 bbl., which is less than the total production in the United States for the peak day of August 1937. For a period of eight years, from 1895 to 1902 inclusive, Ohio produced more oil than any other state. During the year, 1271 tests were drilled in the state, or 114 more than in 1936. Of these, 317 were oil wells, with an initial production of 7088 bbl., an average of 22.3 bbl. per well; 503 were gas wells, with an initial open flow of approximately 222,441 M cu. ft., or 443 M cu. ft. per gas well drilled; 451 were dry holes, that is, 35 per cent of the total completions. A number of factors account for the steady decline of oil production in Ohio. In the state, at the close of thc year, there were fewer than 28,122 producing oil wells. In 1936, there were 30,150 operated oil wells with an average yearly production per well of 126 bbl. The production for 1937 averaged 130 bbl. per well. During the year, 2028 oil wells were abandoned. In other words, old wells are being abandoned more than six times faster than new ones are being drilled. Since the inception of the oil and gas industry in Ohio, between 150,000 and 160,000 wells have been drilled in the state; new potential territory, offering desirable locations for either oil or gas, is becoming increasingly more difficult to find; the dry-hole percentage will continue to increase. Prices Another factor directly affecting the crude situation during the year was the matter of price and proration of Pennsylvania grade oil. The posted price for Pennsylvania grade in Ohio on June 7 was $2.37 per barrel; at the close of the year, it was $1.70 per barrel, or a reduction of 28 per cent in price. In addition to this price cut, a 50 per cent pro-

Jan 1, 1938

By T. Wasson

Midland and Isabella counties have been the centers of activities for the year 1932. The major part of the 6,967,000 bbl. produced during the year was obtained from the old Mt. Pleasant field and the Eastern Extension field. The total production to the end of 1932 for Michigan, from all fields since discovery, is 20,679,600 bbl. Production in the Eastern Extension field was obtained from Dundee limestone of Devonian age, at a depth of about 3600 ft. As a result of the year's activity in this area, the limits of the Eastern Extension have been defined. No new fields have been discovered. A number of prospective areas have been drilled and condemned by dry holes. Probably the most outstanding development of the year was the discovery of oil on the Yost farm, in sec. 35 of Greendale Township, Midland County, by the Pure Oil Co., in the early part of December. Production is from the Dundee limestone similar to that in the Eastern Extension but is 4 miles south of that area. The first well has averaged about 500 bbl. per day since completion. It is near the center of a solid block held by the Pure Oil Co., so that rapid development due to competitive drilling is not expected. During the early part of the year the Midland-Isabella area was under proration, but on May 17 proration restrictions were discontinued and remained so until the end of the year. While the Eastern Extension saw the principal activity, some work was done in other fields of Midland and Isabella counties, but very little new production was added. The Vernon field on the north showed a slight increase in production over 1931. The Leaton field decreased. The well in Porter Township, Midland County, is still kept in the production ranks but very little drilling was done in that area. The old Saginaw field, Saginaw County, still remains the only spot in the state where commercial production is obtained from the Berea sand. It showed a slight decline over 1931 with no new producers for the year. The Muskegon field on the west side of the state showed a considerable decline over 1931, but owing to the rejuvenation of some wells by the use of acid this drop was not as great as might have been expected. Only two new producers were drilled in that area.

Jan 1, 1933

By H. J. Struth

Economic law was accorded considerably more recognition by the oil industry last year than perhaps ever before. While proration was undoubtedly given added impetus in 1931, and the list of proponents of unit operation was noticeably lengthened, predominant evidence plainly shows that the functioning of economic laws dominated collective efforts to reduce the excessive above-ground supply of petroleum. Crude oil production was reduced more than 48,000,000 bbl. last year; imports from other parts of the world were substantially lower; stocks of crude were drawn upon to the extent of nearly 48,000,000 bbl.; domestic gasoline demand increased 2 per cent—and yet, prices of petroleum and its products were at the lowest levels in many years. To say that the ills of the oil industry during 1931 were due to the general depression that was felt in all other lines is tantamount to attaching an air of uncertainty to a group of commodities that have been proved to be an ever increasing necessity, even in times of depression. TO say that the potential productivity of proven oil-producing areas has been responsible for the unsatisfactory state of affairs last year, and now, is to admit failure to carry out the principles designed to control production in accordance with the limits prescribed by demand. In fact, there is no reason why a large proven potential supply of oil should not be considered a valuable asset to the industry; an assurance against future needs; a stabilizing influence in building up confidence in the ability of the industry to supply this and future generations with fuel and lubricant requirements at reasonable prices. At any rate, an assured future supply of oil should be interpreted to the public to mean that the oil industry is a legitimate, progressive industry, and not a group of prospectors madly searching for "liquid gold." There has been a great deal of romance connected with the history of the oil business—so much that the public has come to associate the word "oil" with untold riches. However, the financial statements of 1931 will furnish conclusive proof to the contrary. Too much oil, too many refineries, too many filling stations, too much capital invested; these and other "too muches" and "too manys" have perhaps been given more publicity than necessary. We seldom hear these

Jan 1, 1932

By Alex Frosch, Lynn G. Howell

In a previous article1 we have described a technique for measuring the relative intensities of gamma rays from the radioactive elements occurring naturally in geological formations along the walls of a borehole. The apparatus consisted of two Geiger-Müller tubes mounted inside a pressure-tight chamber. Each counter tube was coupled separately to an amplifier and a frequency meter at the surface by means of a multiconductor cable upon which the chamber was suspended. The output currents of the two frequency meters were recorded on a photographic paper as the chamber was moved in the hole. These traces showed remarkable correlation with the geologic formations, as evidenced by comparison with commercial electrical logs.2 Owing to the penetrating power of the gamma rays, logs may be taken in both open and cased boreholes. The apparatus has recently been changed somewhat. One of the counter tubes has been removed and a stage of amplification has been added inside the chamber. This arrangement seems to give a more favorable signal-to-noise ratio and satisfactory logs can be now made in cased holes and also in open holes as previously. Briefly described, the chamber moving in the hole is made of 3½-in. drill pipe and is about 10 ft. long. There is an additional extension about 2 ft. long at the top, inside which cable connections are made. The Geiger-Müller tube is mounted inside the bottom end of the chamber. Above this is the vacuum-tube amplifier with its batteries and transformer. In the top part of the chamber, small 45-volt batteries are mounted, which in part supply the high voltage for the counter tube. Additional voltage is supplied from the surface through the multiconductor cable upon which the chamber is suspended. Also, the output of the transformer in the single-stage amplifier is coupled to another single-stage amplifier at the surface through this cable. The surface amplifier is coupled to the Thyratron-controlled frequency meter, the tank circuit of which consists of a one megohm resistor across which is a bank of condensers varying in

Jan 1, 1940

By Ernest Gayford

THIS is a nontechnical paper on flotation, subdivided under three general headings: (1) Definition of flotation; (2) what flotation is now doing in Utah; and (3) what is the future of flotation? . DEFINITION T. A. Rickard defines flotation1 as "the act or state of floating," from the French flottaison, water-line and fitter, to float. The dictionary defines flotation as "the science of floating bodies." The flotation process is a method of concentrating ores by frothing. Weinig and Palmer 2 define flotation as follows: What is the flotation process? Briefly, it consists in the agitation of finely divided ore in water containing bubbles of air or gas, a small amount of oil and, usually, other reagents, soluble and insoluble; under these conditions the small parti- cles of native metals, sulfides, arsenides, antimonides, selenides and tellurides show a tendency to attach themselves to the 6lms of the bubbles, and are thus carried to the surface of the water. The oxidized gangue minerals, such as quartz, feldspar, limestone, hematite, etc., show much less affinity for the bubbles, are easily wetted by the water, and either remain in suspension in the water, or sink to the bottom of the vessel. If the bubbles are sufficiently stable they can be removed, carrying their load of sulfide-mineral particles with them. Thus there can be effected a separation of the two classes of minerals from each other, assuming that the grinding has been sufficient to unlock all of the particles of different composition. The separation does not depend upon differences in specific gravity of the various minerals; in fact, the sulfides are usually heavier than the oxides, and some of the heaviest sulfide minerals are the easiest to float. A particle of mineral may be so large, however, that its weight will counteract its affinity for the film of the bubble. In most cases the ore must be fine enough to pass a screen having at least 48 meshes to the linear inch. Taggart defines flotation as follows : Flotation is a method of wet concentration of ores in which separation of mineral from gangue is effected by causing the mineral to float at or above the surface of a body of liquid pulp while the gangue becomes or remains submerged. The method

Jan 1, 1928

By R. W. Raymond

(Reprinted With some additions and changes from the Engineering and Mining Journal)] THE death of Prof. Samuel Benedict Christy on the 30th of November,. at the age of 61 years, cuts short a brilliant and influential professional career. He was born in San Francisco, Aug. 8, 1853, and was graduated as Bachelor of Philosophy at the University of California in 1874. For the five years that followed, he studied mining and metallurgy as a post-graduate in the same institution, serving also as instructor in analytical chemistry, and becoming in 1879 instructor in mining and metallurgy¬a position which he held until 1885. During this period he became known also by his contributions to technical literature, the earliest of which, perhaps, was his report on the Monte Diablo coals (in 1875); but the first which drew my attention to him was an exceedingly able discussion (in 1879) of the genesis of the quicksilver deposits of California, in which he followed with much acuteness and originality the lead of Professor Becker, who had been teaching at the University of California. The notion of the thermo-aqueous formation of such deposits was then new; and the laborers in a field now familiar to every student deserve the credit due to pioneers. For some years the subject of quicksilver seems to have occupied much of Christy's attention. In 1877, he described the mines and works at Almaden, Spain; in 1884, the Imperial quicksilver works at Idria, Austria; in 1889, the New Almaden mines of California. But his great work was the creation of the school, of mining and metallurgy at the University of California, which may be said to have begun with his occupancy of a full professorship of these branches. It is not necessary here to recount the early difficulties and perils of the University, and its long struggle for academic independence of political control or interference. The battle is over, and the institution is now upheld by the intelligent loyalty of the citizens of California, without regard to party. But while the issue was uncertain, the development of special schools of applied science was scarcely practicable. Doctor Becker and William Ashburner had given up the school of mines as a hopeless task when Christy, younger and less experienced, took it up. As he wrote me in February, 1901-

Jan 4, 1915

Consolidated Gold Fields Limited published annually an excellent reference, GOLD 1978, GOLD 1979, giving the Supply and Demand for Gold, Recent Developments and Prospects, Soviet Gold Production, etc. This outstanding reference is authored by Christopher Glynn, Investment Department, London, Great Britain. The 1978 Report marked the tenth anniversary of Gold Field's review of world gold market developments; and from it and the 1979 report, the following information was derived. The recovery of gold is widespread in the Soviet Union. Originally, gold was mined principally in the Urals, but in the last few years several major deposits have been discovered in the southwestern areas of the Soviet Union. One of the most dramatic discoveries has been the Muruntau deposit in Western Uzbekestan. This deposit, discovered in 1958, is reported to be the largest and among the lowest cost producers in the Soviet Union. It is located in Armenia, approximately 750 km (465 miles) northeast of the Iran-Afghanistan border, lying in the center of the Kyzylkurn (Red Sands) desert at the foot of Muruntau Mountain. Free gold occurs in both fine and coarse size in quartz veins up to 20 m (66 ft) thick associated with a small percentage of sulfides, mainly arsenopyrite. The ore zone constitutes a large gold-enriched stock work of about 4 sq krn (1.5 sq miles). The development of Muruntau was a major undertaking with open -pit development and construction of the mill and refinery complex started early in 1967, and the first gold bar poured in mid-1969. At the end of the first construction stage in 1970, the mill building was an imposing structure about 38 m (125 ft) high and 330 (1,080 ft) in length housing, probably, 11 parallel milling circuits. The first construction stage also included six 50 m (165 ft) diameter thickeners and 30 Pachuca tanks. The original mill complex was tripled in size after large additional gold reserves were discovered at a depth of 600 m (1,970 ft); and the deposit is now being exploited by both open- pit and underground workings. Ore is ground in semi-autogenous mills with the free gold being recovered into a high-grade concentrate on shaking tables. Table tailings are purnped to duplex spiral classifiers in closed circuit with the grinding mills. Classifier overflow is then thickened before being transferred to the Pachuca building where cyanidation takes place. An ion exchange resin is then added in a countercurrent

Jan 1, 1981

By T. F. Petty

Oil and gas production in North Central Texas has been found in sands and limestones in the Cisco, Canyon, Strawn and Bend series of Pennsylvanian age and in lime of pre-Pennsylvanian age. Production ranges in depth below the surface from 150 to 4500 ft.; a few wells have been drilled to depths in excess of 5500 ft. and penetrated rocks of pre-Cambrian age. In Table 1, the average depth of the pools is shown. No mention, however, is made in this table of approximately 30,000 bbl. of oil produced in Callahan County from a pre-Pennsylvanian pay, presumably the Ellenberger, and an excess of 1,000,000 bbl. of oil produced from limestone, which has been identified as Silurian in the south part of Young County. This well is being produced at the present time. In Table 1 a great many pools of minor importance are listed, which are merely productive spots, and throughout the various producing counties there are numerous similar spots, which might be listed as pools. Their production, however, is listed in the county totals. In Table 2, the totals of the oil wells, gas wells, and dry holes drilled before Jan. 1,1935, include only wells on which records are available to the writer. In Brown, Callahan and Shackelford counties 2924 very shallow wells (150 to 600 ft. deep) have been drilled, on which the record is not available. Possibly there are other wells that were drilled before the district was adequately scouted. No classification as to the depths of this total of 30,644 wells is available at present. Initially, nearly all the oil wells of North Central Texas produced gas, and several areas producing dry gas have been partly developed. A number of casinghead gasoline plants strip the gasoline from the gas produced with the oil, and the manufacture of carbon black is an important industry in Stephens County. Dry and residue gas are marketed through systems serving the various towns of the district, San Angelo to the southwest and the cities of Forth Worth and Dallas to the east. Considerable gas is used in repressuring several pools, the most important of which are the Stover of Brown County and the Cook of Shackelford County. During the past year, 32 gas wells were completed, adding a

Jan 1, 1935

By Thomas T. Read

Readjustment of the industrial world to a peace basis after more than 4 years of war will involve many fundamental and far-reaching changes that cannot as yet be clearly foreseen or definitely provided for. Such problems may be subdivided, in the vocabulary of war, into those involving material and those centering about personnel. Of the two, the latter group is the more difficult and obscure, as the factors involved are less clearly understood and the methods to be followed are not yet tested and standardized. When it is said that the market is weak, stocks large, and demand light, every business man understands clearly what is meant and what course he should adopt to adjust himself, so far as possible, to such conditions. But when it is said that the rapid spread of Bolshevism in Europe is a danger to industrial organization in this country, it is difficult to have any assured sense that all that the statement may mean is clearly understood or that the means to be followed to meet such a situation are definitely known. Since Bolshevism is primarily a mental phenomenon and since the rupture it brings about in industrial organization should be prevented, if possible, it is my purpose to restrict this discussion of the activities of the Committee on Industrial Organization to some of its mental aspects, as the chairmen of the sub-committees, from their special knowledge of their own fields, can best set forth recent progress in the lines with which they are especially concerned. The first requisites of success in industrial organization, as in the biological organism of which it is the social counterpart, are unity of purpose and coordinated activity. Typical good and bad examples of this' are the relative parts that the United States and Russia have played in the great war. These two factors are primarily mental, and it is not difficult to view the mental aspects of all problems of industrial organization as the most important ones. Unless we can attain unity of purpose and coordinated activity in industry, the provision of comfortable homes at reasonable rent, the assurance of steady work at good wages, the elimination of industrial accidents, and provision against want in old age or in case of disability will have brought us no nearer to our real goal.

Jan 1, 1919

By Willard S. Morse

The purpose of this paper is to record the results obtained in the use of the Russell process at Aspen, Colo., covering a period of fourteen months, from November, 1891, to December, 1892, during which time over 30,000 tons of ore, purchased outright, on sample and assay, were treated. No explanation of results will be attempted, nor will the chemistry of the process be discussed. The plant was designed by C. A. Stetefeldt, of San Francisco, and built by the owners by day-labor. The entire plant is run by water-power, supplied by a flume 3600 feet long, and a pipe-line 2200 feet long, with a head of 170 feet. A Pelton water-wheel, 8 feet in diameter, is used, from which power is transmitted by wire-rope to the main counter-shaft in the mill, a distance of about 250 feet. From the mill to the samplingworks, about 150 feet, power is also transmitted by a wirerope. A Pelton water-wheel, 3 feet in diameter, supplies power to the dynamo for lighting the plant. The works are located adjoining the Santa Fe railroad tracks, and all ore and supplies are unloaded directly from the cars to the works. The sampling-works are provided with crushers and rolls, the latter being used only on samples, and not on the entire ore. The Cornish hand-quartering method is used in sampling ore for purchase. After crushing and sampling, the ore goes to the bedding-floor, where it is made up into mixtures suitable for the mill. The drying-plant consists of four Stetefeldt double shelfdryers, six shelves high, and is provided with dust-chambers and a stack 65 feet high for draft. These dryers are fired with gas

Jan 1, 1896

By S. B. Flagg

Advancement in the art of burning fuels for steam generation has been so marked and so rapid in the last 10 or 15 years that one may well hesitate to classify as unsuitable for stationary steam boiler firing any material having a fuel value. This statement should not be interpreted to mean that any existing boiler plant can successfully utilize any fuel with which it might be supplied. It does mean, however, that almost without exception it is possible to design and construct stationary boiler plants so that they can be operated with whatever coal is the economic supply therefor. In considering the subject of the use classification of coals, it must be recognized, first, that the suitability or unsuitability of a coal for certain uses or conditions may be largely a matter of opinion and, second, that as advancement in the art of burning fuels continues, fuels that may have been considered unsuitable may later be regarded as entirely suitable. This is well illustrated in the creation of a market for slack bituminous coal and for the finer sizes of anthracite that resulted from the development of mechanical stokers adapted thereto. Coke breeze is another fuel of which large tonnages were formerly wasted, that has now been found suitable for use in properly designed furnaces. Again, results that would have been thought quite impossible a generation ago are being obtained in steam boiler plants today with lignites of high moisture content and with coals of excessive ash content. It must, however, be admitted that oftentimes an existing boiler plant can be successfully operated with only a limited number of the coals that are available as possible supplies. We may briefly consider some of the more important factors that may affect the suitability of coals for such a plant. Insufficient or barely sufficient draft to meet peak steam demands is often a limiting factor, and the permissible frequency of fire-cleaning periods is another. In some cases, the action of the molten coal ash on refractory furnace linings prohibits or makes inadvisable the use of certain coals. Again, clinker conditions in the fuel bed or slag conditions on the boiler-heating surface may be much worse with some coals than with

Jan 1, 1930

By J. M. Morris

THE point to be made most clear in this paper is the economic value of flotation in the Benguet mill flow sheet. It is rather a statement of effect with no attempt at a technical explanation of the cause. Certain well-known, easily understood reagents, mechanisms and principles have been adapted to the conditions at Benguet, and have proved to be more successful than was demonstrated in the laboratory. The mechanical and metallurgical development of this particular operation was arrived at by trial and error, with fortunately very little error. Changes were slow, of necessity, which in the end proved a blessing in that time was afforded for observation and analysis of the disturbing factors; and as a result each change was a definite step towards higher efficiency. Many of these steps were unpredictable from labora-tory work because of the varied and differing characteristics of ores met with in daily operation of the mill, which were practically impossible to reproduce on a laboratory scale. The Benguet mill receives daily ores that differ as much as if they were delivered from three different properties. There is first the surface and upper-level zone, which produces an oxidized secondary ore contain-ing considerable iron oxide, manganese oxide and some organic matter. Formerly, most of this ore consisted of very soft fill with some hard rock mixed in. It also contained an unusual amount of iron and aluminum sulfate, which formed hydrates upon entering the alkaline cyanide solu-tion and caused excessive frothing. When flotation was introduced in the Benguet mill the general char-acteristics of this upper-level ore had changed considerably, in that it was practically all newly mined, fairly hard ore. It still contained many of the same disturbing elements, but was somewhat simpler to treat than formerly. The small proportion of fines is still troublesome in flotation, and plant practice probably does not show more than 80 per cent extraction on this small portion of the ore. No definite figure on this is available, as this particular ore is delivered at irregular intervals

Jan 1, 1936

By Morgan Walker, C. D. Watson, Reid W. Bond, D. L. Trax

Common practice in the Mid-Continent until recently was to prolong the natural flow of oil wells as long as possible by agitation, and then swab for a short period until the well was put on the pump. Comparatively recently the gas-lift has superseded the swabbing and agitating period and in some cases encroached on the natural flowing life, particularly where it was evident that the potential oil capacity of the well was greater than the gas supply, or lifting medium. The majority of wells are finished with either 6¼, 65/8 or 8¼-in. casing and connected to a separator through a flow line which is usually 65/8 in. The flow line is generally designed to eliminate sharp turns and has reduced the gas-oil ratio and therefore increased the efficiency in a good many instances. Until recently all wells were allowed to flow without restriction against the possible trap pressure until it was deemed advisable to put them on gas-lift. This resulted in a fairly efficient flow during the early life of the well if the well was rather large but was usually inefficient in small wells and in the later flowing life of large wells, on account of the large area in the casing and therefore excessive slippage. Recently, considerable effort has been made to increase the efficiency of small flowing wells by running tubing to eliminate as much slippage as possible. With large wells there is a considerable trend toward back-pressuring, or beaning to find out whether it is possible to reduce the gas-oil ratios and increase the flowing life. The greater number of fields that have been back-pressured have been produced in that manner through necessity, either to restrict production for proration purposes or, in fields producing by hydraulic pressure, to reduce water encroaching. The recent Cromwell sand development in Little River is an example where both back-pressuring by means of high-pressure traps and beans and flowing through tubing were used to conserve gas, reduce the high gas-oil ratio and prolong the flowing life. It

Jan 1, 1930

By Homer Staley

THE casting alloy 88 copper, 10 tin, 2 zinc, commonly known in England as Admiralty metal and in this country as Government bronze, gun metal, or Naval Department composition G, has, at its best, many valuable properties. However, its physical properties are known to vary widely with slight changes in method of manufacture of the castings, such as slight variations in composition, variation in pouring temperature, kind of mold used, method of pouring and gating of molds, size and shape of castings, amount and kind of heat treatment., and so forth.1 The microstructure of castings made from this alloy is influenced by slight variations of composition, rate of cooling, and kind and length of heat treatment. This is best understood by reference to the equilibrium diagram. The part of the diagram in which we are interested and the effect of the thermal equilibrium relations on the physical properties of the alloy 88 copper, 10 tin, 2 zinc, have been discussed by Hoyt, Camp-bell, Primrose, and Rawdon.2 In Fig. 1 is given the equilibrium diagram of the copper-tin alloys. Briefly stated, the relations of composition and temperature changes are as follows. Compositions between A and a consist of but one constituent-the a bronze, which is a, solid solution of copper and tin, rich in copper. On cooling from the molten state these compositions gradually crystallize, at temperatures above 790°, into a mass of interwoven tree-like crystals or dendrites. The cores of the dendrites are rich in copper and the percentage of tin gradually increases as the surfaces are approached. As cooling progresses, after all the metal has crystallized, no further changes occur, in the crystals other than diffusion within the crys-

Jan 9, 1919

By J. N. Houser

THE industrial relations between the Tennessee Copper Co. and its employees have developed a number of interesting things and have been most, profitable to the employees and to the company. It is noteworthy that considerable has been done without a formal organization of any kind built up through the efforts of the company. From time to time there have been discussions regarding the advisability of a formal organization and the decision has always been in favor of the present method. In the year 1919, the company was dealing with its employees through union committees and, after an understanding was reached, satisfactory results began to be obtained, but as time went on the committees did not function and it came to a question of how to reach the men. For the past two years, about once a month, but at no stated time, there has been a meeting with a committee of employees consisting of 40 or 50 men out of 700. This committee is secured by notify-ing the locals. In addition, the Service Department notifies a number of men not represented in the union, so as to have a large representative committee. The meetings are on company time and the men are rotated, so that in time every employee attends , at least one meeting. All department heads and a number of foremen also are present. The operating plans and policy of the company are set out at the meetings and the market outlook for products is discussed. Explana-tions are also given of anything that has come up since the last meeting which affects the employees, and an effort is made to inform them of what will probably happen in the next month or two. Once a week there is a meeting of department heads with the manager, for discussion of all operations as a whole and such depart-mental details as seem advisable. When the depression started, it was necessary to curtail operations and the reasons were carefully explained; before the men were laid off, the employees as a whole were advised of the coming layoffs through these meetings. They were also advised generally who would be retained and given an opportunity to express their agreement or their. disapproval. In fact, an effort was and is being made to keep the employees advised in advance of matters affecting them and to give them full opportunity to express themselves.

Jan 12, 1922

By Earl C. Henry

Magnetic iron ore was mined in Essex County, N. Y., during the American Revolution; Benedict Arnold is said to have mined ore near Port Henry to secure iron for chains and spikes for the Lake Champlain fleet. Details regarding the operations prior to 1804 are not easily obtained but work on a commercial scale appears to have been started about 1838. The Witherbee, Sherman & Co. was established in 1849. The property of the district is held in fee almost entirely by the mining companies. The Mineville iron-ore district, as well as the entire Adirondack region, belongs to the pre-Cambrian complex. The readily identified rocks consist of gabbro, anorthosite, syenite, and granite, and are classed as igneous, eruptive, and intrusive. In addition, there is a great variety of gneisses, rocks with a variable mineral composition but all more or less distinctly foliated. The Grenville series are the oldest rocks in the district; this series consists of graphitic white limestones, graphitic sandstones, and quartzites and gneisses with or without graphite. The orebodies occur in the gneissic rocks and are comformable to the structure of the rocks. The typical occurrence of the ore in this district is in lenticular bodies with a parallel pitch to the southwest; this structure is best exemplified in the New Bed mine. The Harmony and Old Bed orebodies are faulted by two sets of diabase dikes, one set having a southwest strike and the other set an east-west strike. The ores occurring in the acid gneissic rocks are non-titaniferous. The ores occurring in the gabbros and anorthosites are high in titanium; these deposits are irregular, have no structural relation with one another, and are unquestionably of igneous origin. The origin of the gneissic rocks and the ores therein contained is not settled; both the sedimentary theory of ore concentration and the igneous theory of magmatic segregation have been advanced. The iron mineral in all the orebodies is crystalline magnetite; some very perfect and large specimens have been obtained. The gangue is

Jan 1, 1925