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By Bert Sandell

MUCH has been said and written about the various uses of die-castings, their applications in the various industries and their advantages and disadvantages. Examination of this literature, however, fails to disclose any data concerning the effect of temperature upon any of the physical properties of die-casting alloys. The uses and applications of die castings are so numerous, and of such a varied nature, that far too lengthy a manuscript would be required to list all of them. Brief mention of some specific cases will suffice to illustrate the temperature ranges in which certain die castings function. Automobile hardware, such as hub caps, door handles, radiator caps, etc., can be used as one example. Castings of this type are constantly exposed to varying climatic conditions, temperatures ranging from below zero to upwards of 100° F. Refrigerator parts, such as ice-cube trays, etc., form another example. Approaching the other temperature extreme, we encounter conditions such as are found in kitchens in which oven-heat indicator parts, cooking utensils, waffle grids, etc., embody use of die castings, where temperatures as high as 500° F. are often met with. Because of this variation in service temperatures, it was felt necessary to ascertain the effect of these temperatures upon the physical properties of die-casting alloys. The Charpy impact test was chosen first because of its simplicity, and because of the fact that brittleness is more likely to be objectionable in die castings than hardness or other physical properties.

Jan 1, 1932

Geological and Natural History Survey of Wisconsin, The University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis - E. F Bean, State Geologist. A complete list of publications of this Survey will be sent upon request Only a portion of the Bulletins and Maps fall within the scope of this directory, and most of them are available They are: Bulletin 4, Building and ornamental stones of Wisconsin (1898), $2 50, 6, Preliminary report on the copper-bearing rocks of Douglas County, and parts of Washburn and Bayfield counties (1901), 50 cents, 7, The clays and clay industries of Wisconsin (pt 1) (1901), 50 cents; 14, Report on lead and zinc deposits of Wisconsin (the report is out of print but the 18 maps which accompanied it can still be had) (1906), 20 cents (a series of six maps, supplementary to these (1909), may be had for 6 cents), 15, The clays of Wisconsin and their uses (1906), 50 cents; 16, The geology of north-central Wisconsin (1907), $2, 17, The abandoned shore lines of eastern Wisconsin (1907), 50 cents, 19, Zinc and lead deposits of the Upper Mississippi Valley (1907), 25 cents; 34, The limestone road materials of Wisconsin (1914), 50 cents, 35, Underground and surface water supplies of Wisconsin (1915), $150, 36, The physiography of Wisconsin (new edition now in press) (1916), $125, 41, A study of methods of mine assessments and valuation (1914), 50 cents; 44, Mineral land classification in parts of northwestern Wisconsin (1915), $5, 45, The peat resources of Wisconsin (1915), 50 cents, 46, Mineral

Jan 1, 1933

By Colin MacDonald

The choices of an uranium mill flowsheet are pri- marily determined by economic feasibility with plant location and regulatory bodies playing a lesser but still important role in this determination. The host ore bodies will determine the leach pro- cess to be used for basic uranium extraction. Im- mediately following this decision, the method of leaching has to be determined. These can be: - Atmospheric leaching - Pressure leaching - In-situ leaching - Heap leaching The three previously stated criteria lay important parts in this decision. In the case of atmospheric or pressure leach and once the soluabilized uranium has been liberated from the host gang material, liquid solids separation becomes the major criteria. Three process flowsheets are available; they being: -Countercurrent decantation - Countercurrent or co-current filtration - Resin in pulp Following liquid solids separation, concentration and precipitation become the next variable choice. They being: -Solvent extraction - Fixed bed ion exchange - Fluid bed ion exchange Lastly, washing and drying of the precipitated product to remove impurities can be carried out by either filtration or centrifugation. With the exclusion of milling circuits, grinding circuits, flotation circuits, and calcining processes, we have 240 variations of the flowsheet between leaching and a dry washed precipitate. Of this total, filtration in one form or another and in single or multiple applied forms has application in 144 streams. This paper intends to discuss four (4) facets of the total flowsheet in which filtration is applied, following grinding and prior to calcining. They are: - Leached pulp liquid solid separation - Tailings dewatering - Pregnant solution clarification - Yellow cake washing and dewatering

Jan 1, 1980

The following table summarizes the information on the Hurghada field. which is still the major producing field in Egypt. Age of field to end of 1937. years..................... 24 Producing area for gas and oil. acres.................. 1.050 Babbels Total oil production to end of 1937................... 30.188.500 Total oil production during 1936..................... 1.219.406 Total oil production during 1937..................... 1.141.230 Average oil production per acre to end of 1937.......... 28.750 Average oil production per acre-foot to end of 1937.... 2.359 Daily average production (Nov. 1937)................ 3.162 Daily average production per well (Nov. 1937)........ 41.88 MillionB Cu. Ft. Total gas production (Aug. 1925 to end of 1937)....... 4,189 Total gas production during 1936.................... 281 Total gas production during 1937.................... 222.5 Maximum daily average in 1937 (July)............... 0.7 Number of producing wells completed to end of 1937... 97 Number of producing wells completed during 1937..... 3 Number of wells abandoned during 1937.............. 1 Producing wells at end of 1937....................... 78= Total number abandoned wella at end of 1937......... 19 Total number dry wells at end of 1937................ 20 Average depth of bottom of producing horizon, ft...... 1,720 Average depth of top of producing horizon, ft.......... 1,598 Character of oil, approximate average in 1937: gravity at 60" F., 0.900; base, mixed. Character of gas, approximate average during 1937: gallons gasoline per 1,000 cu. ft., 6.9. Producing rock (main): Nubian (?) sandstone. Cretaceous (?); character, sand rock and sandstone. 1 Figures were given in E. tons. A conversion factor of 6.98, based on 0.900 sp. gr., was used to obtain the number of barrels.—Ed. *All pumping.

Jan 1, 1938

By I. E. Puddington

The property of surface tension in liquids is said to have been known to Leonardo de Vinci in about 1500. Approximately'300 years later Thomas Young and others provided the ground rules relating surface tension to the wetting of solids and to the pressure drop across curved surfaces. In retrospect it seems remarkable that more than 100 additonal years were required for substantial technological use to be made of the-information. Thus super critical and freeze drying to avoid shrinkage of finely divided solids have only seen industrial use since the 1930's and doubtless additional possible applications will be equally slow in finding concurrence of conditions to make them attractive economically. The use of a second liquid phase that preferentially wets ,a suspended solid as a flocculant for that solid was pointed out in 1943 (1). Combining this phenomenon with mechanical energy to alter the morphology of the flocs or with surface chemistry to utilize it in the selective flocculation in mixed solids required more than an additional decade. A major stimulant in advancing surface energy based technology 'of suspensions was the report by D. I. Stock in 1952 (2) that mechanical agitation of a dry suspension of barium sulphate in benzene produced dense microspheres of the solid with highly desirable sedimentation characteristics. Investigation of this observation revealed that it resulted from small quantities of water in the system and mechanistically the phenomenon was identical with that reported in 1943.withthe addition of mechanical packing (3). Here then was a base from which to separate more efficiently suspended solids, to make small spheres from powders, to separate selected components from mixtures of finely divided solids or to break emulsions. Each of these possible branches of technology has been slow in developing on other than an experimental scale although considerable

Jan 1, 1979

ON July 2 the Krupp plant in Essen was occupied by the French. The City of Frankfurt, on the edge of the Mayence Bridgehead was surrounded by the French. French infantry and cavalry occupied some more towns in the Ruhr. These moves were apparently in the way of reprisals. The Bank of England on July 5 raised its discount rate from three per cent. to four, per, cent., the lower rate having previously prevailed for almost exactly a year.. The advance appears to have been inspired by the reserve ratio, but especially owing to the fact that the low rate in the London market had led to the out-flow of funds from there to other markets. Philip Snowden brought up again in the British .Parliament his motion in favor of the condemnation of the capitalistic system and the substitution of socialism. The motion was put to vote and was defeated by large majority, only the members of the Labor party voting for it. The Allies and the Turks finally came to an agree-ment at Lausanne, the Turks getting about all for which they asked. It would be tiresome to record the details. The main fact is that the Turks, after having been ejected from Europe in 1918, are now going to return. Russia agreed to the settlement respecting the Straits. The Soviet Government of Russia formulated and adopted, subject to ratification, a constitution for the United States of Russia, which appears to be patterned after the constitution of the United States of America and the unwritten constitution of Great Britain. The important thing about this seems to be that it definitely reunites the constituent parts of the old Empire, the semi-independence of the Ukraine being surrendered.

Jan 7, 1923

I. N. KNAPP, Ardmore, Pa. (written discussion*).-The possibility of storing natural gas in the sands f exhausted gas pools might be, in many cases, a, good engineering proposition, but it cannot be considered a practical business proposition tinder the usual competitive leasing and operating conditions that exist in the natural-gas business. Under the usual conditions of diversified land ownership and leasing with all lack of cooperation, various operators drill into the same pool or reservoir and drain out the gas under each other's land. To attempt to use for storage purposes the depleted sands f any one pool having such various competing ownerships would be highly impractical, considered from operating and business standpoints, unless there was cooperation with the interests owning adjacent wells and leases or the purchase f the same. Also, it would be very difficult to find out whether all old or abandoned wells in any pool had been properly, plugged and thus prevent the waste of gas brought from a distance for storage. Another objection to Mr. Panyity's proposition is the probability that no lease made in the past contemplated the use of a gas sand for storage purposes. Very likely, then, the operator would have a lawsuit on his hands for the unlawful use of a lease if he attempted the storage f such gas without first obtaining additional lease rights. In some instances salt water could not be pumped from a gas well in the customary way of pumping oil wells on account of the deposition of salt in the pump valves or in the working barrel or tubing. Very ingenious compressed air jets have been devised and arranged with suitable piping to blow out such salt-water accumulations. In many pools it would be impracticable to drill a water pocket below a gas sand, as suggested, since such deeper drilling would probably. intensify water troubles.

Jan 5, 1919

Jan 1, 1908

By Y. Nakada, E. J. Fasiska, A. S. Keh, L. Zwell

DURING an investigation of solid-solution hardening of nickel by carbon,' we found that there were no reliable data on the dilating effect of dissolved carbon on the unit cell of nickel. Bernier2 reported an increase in lattice parameter of nickel (3.523A) when an unknown amount of carbon was introduced into solid solution (3.536A). Similarly KG, Tsien, and Misek3 found an increase from 3.523 to 3.531A when nickel was carburized. strong4 studied the variation of nickel lattice constant as a function of dissolved carbon. However, in his case carbon was introduced into nickel by solidifying the melt at 65 kbar. Therefore, his carbon concentrations were much above the highest equilibrium solubility limit5 (2.7 at. pct C at 1 atm). Knowledge of the lattice mismatch between solute and solvent is essential in understanding the mechanism of solid-solution hardening. Therefore, we decided to determine the dilation of the nickel lattice by carbon under the more usual conditions of atmospheric pressure. The material used was Inco Electrolytic Nickel of 99.95 pct purity, as specified by the supplier. The impurity contents in wt pct were: Fe, 0.01; Cu, 0.01; Co, 0.03; 0, 0.005; C, Si, S, N, trace. To this base material various amounts of AUC-grade high-purity carbon were added during vacuum induction casting. Ingots, 2 in. in diam, were heated in a muffle furnace at 1000°C for i hr., hot-rolled to 1/2-in. thickness, and quenched into brine. All ingots with carbon concentration greater than 0.98 at. pct were enclosed in a cast iron box during the heating to minimize decar-burization. Small pieces were then either swaged down to 0.028-in.-diam wire or cold-rolled to 0.010-in.-thick sheets. After the final cold reduction in area of 50 pct, the specimens were recrystallized by heating in evacuated capsules at 1100°C for 60 to 80 sec and then quenched into brine. The final grain size was 50 to 100 µ. The carbon contents of the alloys, Table I, were determined by a combustion method

Jan 1, 1969

By A. H. Taitt

The original basis for the search for oil in Great Britain was described last year.t During 1937 the exploratory drilling by the D'Arcy Exploration Company, Ltd. has been continued. Three wells have been completed in the south of England and a fourth is nearing completion. In addition, test wells are now being drilled in Scotland and East Yorkshire. Southern England The test well on the Portsdown structure, which at the end of 1936 was drilling in the Lower Lias at 5792 ft., entered the Triassic at 6540 ft. and was completed in that formation at a depth of 6556 ft., without encountering further indications of petroleum. The Henfield well encountered the Lias at a depth of approximately 4090 ft., and after drilling 800 ft. of an argillaceous development of that formation entered a series of marls, breccias and conglomeratic limestones of the Carboniferous. Drilling was suspended at a depth of 5105 ft., in the latter formation. The consistently impermeable nature of the strata encountered in the Portsdown and Henfield test wells focused attention on the desirability of obtaining shore-line conditions of the Jurassic. With this end in view the Kingsclere anticline, a few miles south of Newbury in Berkshire, was selected for a next test. The Kingsclere well has now reached a depth of 5032 ft. in the Lower Lias and has encountered a full development of the Jurassic. With the exception of the Portland sand, which has a slightly greater porosity, and the Corallian, in which relatively great thicknesses of impervious limestone were met, conditions of sedimentation have been found to be comparable with those of the earlier wells. Small traces of petroleum have been found in cuttings and cores, but formation tests carried out at frequent intervals have yielded no flow of oil. In order to test the Corallian, from which series an outcropping oil sand had been found, a test well was drilled in a near-by anticline at Poxwell in Dorset. The Poxwell well started in the Portland beds and entered the Corallian at 995 ft. The sands at the horizon of the out-

Jan 1, 1938

IN welcoming the attending members of the Ameri-can Zinc Institute's Ninth Annual Meeting to St. Louis on April 18, the president of the Chamber of Commerce stressed the notable progress that had been made during nine years, marked by many price de-pressions and internal dissensions, while controversies between miners and smeltermen threatened to wreck the organization, prices dropped, and consumption grew languid for want of organized publicity and research. The reports and recommendations of Percy B. Butler, chairman of the Adjustment Committee, and F. C. Wallower, chairman of the Galvanizing Committee, might well be adopted as the institute's objectives. In reply to the speeches of welcome to St. Louis, Arthur Thacher reminded the delegates that the cor-ner stone of progress in the mineral industries was laid by the formation of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1871, and the dedication of that organization to the exchange of ideas and methods of the winning of metals and non-metals from their crude state. The activities of the American Zinc Institute constitute, he said, a valuable phase of that work. Mr. Thacher forecast the treat-ment of 1 per cent zinc ore. After the reading of the report of the board of directors, in which Scott Turner and Louis Boschern were named as honorary members of the institute, a survey of world zinc conditions by A. J. M. Sharpe of London was presented. He held pres-ent conditions in China responsible for much of the present depression in zinc. World stocks on, April 1, 1927, were estimated as 52,900 metric tons. Adolph Boldt's paper on "Solidarity in Industry" was followed by a survey of the Tri-State district by Otto Ruhl, who emphasized the importance to the dis-trict of the organization of the Tri-State section of the A.I.M.E., which already has 135 members and asso¬ciates. He also mentioned .that flotation in the Tri¬State field is adding 1500 tons of concentrate to the weekly production. "Mining Economics" was the subject of Julian D. Conover, secretary of the Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association. He gave a detailed report on the costs of mining and milling in the district.

Jan 5, 1927

By Roscoe C. Clark

In October 1945. R. F. Farris. in an AIME paper entitled Method For Drtermining Minimum Waiting OIL Cenzent Time, presented a method for caiculating the minimum WOC* time required in oil well cementing operations. Briefly. this method consisted of shutting in a well. after the cement had been placed and noting the time required fur the wellhead pressure to reach a. maximum. This time was then multiplied by a factor of 1.5 to determine when the cement had reached sufficient strength to support the weight of the casing. As a result of this work, a number of areas have reduced their WOC time ~Wuirements with the subsequent saving of considerable rig time. The tests conducted by Farris were, for the most part, conducted under cementing temperatures in excess of 70°F. This was done because in the overwhelming majority of cases. cementing temperatures are in excess of 70°F (only in tile northern part of the country. primarily in the Rocky Mountain ares. in cementing surface casing are temperatures below 70° F. encountered, and such temperatures occur only during the winter months). The Stano-lind Research Laboratory since that time has performed a number of tests both in the laboratory and in the field to evaluate this WOC factor when cemeriting temperatures are lower than 70°F. The results of these tests indicated the need for greater WOC time in areas affeaed by abnormally low cementing temperatures. These tests indi.cated that a woc factor of 2 (Time from start to mix cement to maximum wellhead pressure x 2 = Time to drill plug) will allow sufficient time for the cement to develop adequate strength. A field test under abnormally low cementing temperatures (surface temyerature 35°F., mud discharge temperature <70°F. and cementing depth 500 ft.) in the Rangely Field, "* using the WOC factor of 2, indicated the time to drill the plug as 45 hours. Well conditions preventing getting back into the well until a 48-hour WOC time had elapsed. At this time, the plug drilled firm to hard indicating that the cement had reached its final set. It is contemplated that during next winter additional field tests will be performed to further check the results of the laboratory and field tests conducted to date,

Jan 1, 1949

By F. J. Longworth

FoR a number of years an intensive study has been made to improve the blast-furnace practice at Copperhill not only as to cost% but to provide a good grade of gas for the acid plants. This study took us back to the fundamentals of successful pyrite smelting; namely, a blast furnace working on a clean sulfide ore, free from fines, and the use of quartz high in silica as a flux. In 1919, the quality of the flux was improved and its effect on the metallurgy was very marked. To improve the practice further, it was necessary to work out some method of treatment for the sulfide fines and the siliceous and refractory ores, other than in the blast furnace. A series of milling tests indicated that these products could be successfully treated by differential flotation, and in 1922 plans were made and a flotation plant built. It was estimated that the flotation plant would deliver to the smelter 40 to 50 tons of concentrates per day; the problem was what to do with these concentrates. It was out of the question to attempt to smelt them in a blast furnace because of the dust losses and because our practice demands a charge free from fines for satisfactory operation. There is no custom smelter in the vicinity to which concentrates may be sold, pending the time when the tonnage will be sufficient to warrant roasters and a reverbatory furnace. Sintering and nodulizing were investigated but neither method fitted into our scheme of metallurgy. A close study of the converter practice was then made to see if some method could not be evolved to smelt this tonnage of concentrates in a converter without preliminary treatment. At that time, the converter installation consisted of two 12-ft. Great Falls converters, which were handling 12 to 14 per cent. matte. The heat balance of the converters working with 12 to 14 per cent. matte was more than sufficient to smelt the contemplated tonnage of concentrates but the mechanical difficulties of feeding fines into the Great Falls converter made the use of this type of converter impractical. While there was no opportunity to experiment with the Pierce-Smith converter, equipped with a Garr gun, theoretically it seemed practical

Jan 1, 1925

By Roscoe C. Clark

In October 1945. R. F. Farris. in an AIME paper entitled Method For Drtermining Minimum Waiting OIL Cenzent Time, presented a method for caiculating the minimum WOC* time required in oil well cementing operations. Briefly. this method consisted of shutting in a well. after the cement had been placed and noting the time required fur the wellhead pressure to reach a. maximum. This time was then multiplied by a factor of 1.5 to determine when the cement had reached sufficient strength to support the weight of the casing. As a result of this work, a number of areas have reduced their WOC time ~Wuirements with the subsequent saving of considerable rig time. The tests conducted by Farris were, for the most part, conducted under cementing temperatures in excess of 70°F. This was done because in the overwhelming majority of cases. cementing temperatures are in excess of 70°F (only in tile northern part of the country. primarily in the Rocky Mountain ares. in cementing surface casing are temperatures below 70° F. encountered, and such temperatures occur only during the winter months). The Stano-lind Research Laboratory since that time has performed a number of tests both in the laboratory and in the field to evaluate this WOC factor when cemeriting temperatures are lower than 70°F. The results of these tests indicated the need for greater WOC time in areas affeaed by abnormally low cementing temperatures. These tests indi.cated that a woc factor of 2 (Time from start to mix cement to maximum wellhead pressure x 2 = Time to drill plug) will allow sufficient time for the cement to develop adequate strength. A field test under abnormally low cementing temperatures (surface temyerature 35°F., mud discharge temperature <70°F. and cementing depth 500 ft.) in the Rangely Field, "* using the WOC factor of 2, indicated the time to drill the plug as 45 hours. Well conditions preventing getting back into the well until a 48-hour WOC time had elapsed. At this time, the plug drilled firm to hard indicating that the cement had reached its final set. It is contemplated that during next winter additional field tests will be performed to further check the results of the laboratory and field tests conducted to date,

Jan 1, 1949

By Geo. H. Ashley

THE year 1923 saw a decline in the production of crude oil and a strong advance in the production of natural gas. The production of petroleum in Pennsylvania has been remarkably uniform for many years, but with a slight average decline. Until 1918, production was maintained above 7,500,000 bbl. Four of the six years from 1918 to 1923, inclusive, saw a yield of between 7,400,000 and 7,500,000 bbl.; 1923 gave only 7,253,000 bbl. The production of natural gas in Pennsylvania has been variable, reaching a maximum of 138,000,000,000 cu. ft. in 1906 and nearly reaching that figure again in 1907 and 1917. In 1921 production dropped to 86,000,000,000 cu. ft., and it seemed that a rapid decline had set in. Prices were raised by most of the gas companies, and -these raises sustained by the Public Service Commission. Possibly as a result of this and the better prices realized, drilling in the gas fields has been active. The year 1923 has not been prolific in large oil wells. The largest single well was drilled by the Manufacturers Light & Heat Co. on the William Auld farm near Prosperity, Morris township, Washington County. This well started at 225 bbl, but quickly dropped to 60 bbl. A 100-bbl. well was struck in September in Springhill township, Greene County. Three wells in the Tidioute pool started at 50 bbl. or better, and a well near the 28th Ward, Pittsburgh, came in at 60 bbl. One well in Washington County started at 50 bbl., but all of the other wells started at less than 20 bbl. The Tidioute pool, which was the sensation of 1922, had by Jan. 1, 1923, dropped in daily total production to 1430 bbl., by Feb. 1 to 1040 bbl., and by May 1 to 700 bbl. At that time, most of the wells were still flowing naturally, though, as the gas pressure was rapidly decreasing, it was not anticipated that such a flow would long continue. As the wells in this pool started at from 500 to. 800 bbl.. a day, it is evident how rapidly they fell off. In August, 1922, the average production per well per day was 44 bbl. ; in February, 1923, 4 bbl.

Jan 3, 1924

By R. A. Pallanch

SODIUM sulfite as a zinc retarding agent in the selective flotation of complex lead-zinc sulfide ores was discovered by the writer in the summer of 1919 in the testing laboratory of the U. S. Smelting, Refining & Mining Co.&apos;s gravity concentrator at Midvale, Utah. It proved to be the first reagent to give consistently good results in the laboratory on the company&apos;s Bingham ore. In December, 1919, C. A. Lemke, concentrator superintendent, recommended that a flotation unit be added to the existing gravity mill to handle the mill slimes, using sodium sulfite as the zinc depressant. Owing to the poor lead and zinc markets and the unfavorable royalty schedules offered by the Minerals Separation Co., the project fell through at this time. In 1921, a number of laboratory tests were made at Midvale on other ores, among them ore from the Sunnyside mine at Eureka, Colo. Both sodium and calcium sulfites were used with success on this ore. Early in 1923, further tests were made at Eureka, shortly after the Sunnyside company had resumed operations after a two-year shutdown. As a consequence sodium sulfite was given a trial in the mill. The results showed sufficient improvement over previous work as to warrant continuous use of this reagent in the lead circuit. Except for a week or so in 1926 and for several weeks in April, 1927, when sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate were given trial runs in this mill, sodium sulfite has been used ever since. Sodium sulfite was chosen rather than the calcium sulfite because of its greater solubility, making it possible to introduce the reagent as a solution. This solution is introduced into the Marcy ball mills along with the original feed of ore. The consumption of sodium sulfite in the Sunnyside mill varies from ¼ to ½ lb. per ton of ore, the smaller amount probably being nearer the average. In February, 1924, laboratory work at Midvale demonstrated conclusively that good results could be obtained on the company&apos;s Bingham ore and on most of the custom ores tested by using sodium sulfite as the zinc depressant, xanthate as the lead enhancer in the lead circuit, followed by copper sulfate and additional xanthate to float the zinc. Sodium sulfide was used to float the iron pyrite after the lead and

Jan 1, 1928

By Persifor Frazer

I DESIRE to say that, owing to the number of papers which have been more or less crowded at this session of the Institute, and the fact that, as one of the Local Committee, I have the distinguished honor to feel somewhat like one of the hosts, I should not tax the patience of members at this late hour, but would have my paper read by title were it in any way possible to do this. But the task I have set myself this evening is to present to the eyes of the members of the Institute certain objects which have occupied more or less of my time during the last eighteen months or two years. The objects I allude to are some of the igneous rocks of this country, which, until quite recently, have been less understood than any others. It will be well known to some of the members that some of the cooled lavas of a previous age of our planet, when not directly coarsely crystalline and granular, were considered and spoken of as " natural glasses," or perfectly uncrystalline, vitreous, or hyaline masses of matter. Among the first results of the use of the microscope was the dispersion of this fallacy. Sir David Brewster, Mr. H. C. Sorby, and William Nichol (the discoverer of the celebrated calcite prism, which bears his name), had, with greater or less success, examined sections of various rocks and minerals, both by transmitted and reflected light, and also in the form of powder. But, until the genius of Vogelsang undertook the subject, these investigations had no permanent value, nor did they constitute an independent line of mineralogical and geological research. Since the close of his labors, by Vogelgang&apos;s premature and much-lamented death, the subject has been made one of renewed interest by his brother-in-law, Ferdinand Zirkel, as well as by Rosenbusch, Tschermak, and many others abroad, and at home by the commencement of a systematic study of the traps of Connecticut by Messrs. E. D. Dana and G. W. Hawes, of New Haven, and by the splendid set of described sections of the traps of the West which have been furnished by Zirkel to illustrate Clarence King&apos;s report. I had the honor of presenting a large number of thin sections of our traps at the Washington meeting, for the inspection of the mem¬bers, with the aid of a table microscope belonging to the Smithsonian Institution. Here I propose to project these sections upon the

Jan 1, 1877

By D. C. Porterfield

-4s a result of world economic conditions brought about by the European war and the consequent loss of European markets for Venezuelan crude, production in Venezuela decreased from 205,433,000 bbl. in 1939 to 186,134,000 bbl. in 1940, or 9.4 per cent. This decline interrupted a steady annual increase in production from the country, which had been continuous since 1932. The Maracaibo Lake Basin in western Venezuela accounted for 135,738,000 bbl. during 1940, or 73 per cent of the total, as against eastern Venezuela&apos;s production of 50,396,000 bbl., or 27 per cent of the total for the country. Corresponding figures for 1939 were 167,688,000 bbl., or 82 per cent of the total from the Lake Basin, and 37,744,000 bbl., or 18 per cent from the east. These comparisons indicate the increasing importance of the newer developments in eastern Venezuela, but it is unlikely that production from the east will ever exceed that from the west. In all, 429 new wells were completed in Venezuela during 1940 as compared to 438 in 1939. Of the 1940 completions, 411 were in proved areas and 18 were wildcats; 389 (95 per cent) of the exploitation wells drilled were producers, I was a gas well and 21 were dry holes, while 6 (33 per cent) of the wildcats drilled were producers and 12 (67 per cent) were dry; 263 of the exploitation wells and 4 of the wildcats were in the Maracaibo Lake Basin and 148 exploitation wells and 14 wildcats were in the east, mostly in the State of Anzoategui. Exploration of the light-oil areas in the Tia Juana and Lagunillas fields was con- tinued during the year with favorable results. Along the lake shore, drilling was confined principally to fill-in wells in the La Kosa, Tia Juana, Laguni!las and Bachaquero fields, although some important semi-exploratory drilling was done in the Pueblo Viejo area between Lagunillas and Bachaquero fields. The only other developments of particular interest in the west were the successful completion of a step-out well lying to the south of the former southern limit of Mene Grande field, which adds considerable proved acreage to that field; and the failure of two wildcats that were drilled near the Colombian border to determine whether the productive sands of the Petrolea field in the Barco Concession, Colombia, extend into Venezuelan territory. In the east no new fields were discovered during the year, although five wildcats were completed as producers. Three of these, Guario No. I, Jusepin-56 and LM-I (Leona), discovered important extensions to previously proved areas and the remaining two, Cantos-I and SPN-I (Socororo), were subsequently proved to have tapped productive sands of small extent and operations in these areas have been suspended. The greatest activity in the east was concentrated in the Oficina field, where 105 new wells were completed during the year and production was increased from 22,540 bbl. per day during January 1940 to 57,627 bbl. per day during December 1940. Important development work was also done in the Jusepin. San Joaquin and El Koble fields.

Jan 1, 1941

By D. C. Porterfield

-4s a result of world economic conditions brought about by the European war and the consequent loss of European markets for Venezuelan crude, production in Venezuela decreased from 205,433,000 bbl. in 1939 to 186,134,000 bbl. in 1940, or 9.4 per cent. This decline interrupted a steady annual increase in production from the country, which had been continuous since 1932. The Maracaibo Lake Basin in western Venezuela accounted for 135,738,000 bbl. during 1940, or 73 per cent of the total, as against eastern Venezuela&apos;s production of 50,396,000 bbl., or 27 per cent of the total for the country. Corresponding figures for 1939 were 167,688,000 bbl., or 82 per cent of the total from the Lake Basin, and 37,744,000 bbl., or 18 per cent from the east. These comparisons indicate the increasing importance of the newer developments in eastern Venezuela, but it is unlikely that production from the east will ever exceed that from the west. In all, 429 new wells were completed in Venezuela during 1940 as compared to 438 in 1939. Of the 1940 completions, 411 were in proved areas and 18 were wildcats; 389 (95 per cent) of the exploitation wells drilled were producers, I was a gas well and 21 were dry holes, while 6 (33 per cent) of the wildcats drilled were producers and 12 (67 per cent) were dry; 263 of the exploitation wells and 4 of the wildcats were in the Maracaibo Lake Basin and 148 exploitation wells and 14 wildcats were in the east, mostly in the State of Anzoategui. Exploration of the light-oil areas in the Tia Juana and Lagunillas fields was con- tinued during the year with favorable results. Along the lake shore, drilling was confined principally to fill-in wells in the La Kosa, Tia Juana, Laguni!las and Bachaquero fields, although some important semi-exploratory drilling was done in the Pueblo Viejo area between Lagunillas and Bachaquero fields. The only other developments of particular interest in the west were the successful completion of a step-out well lying to the south of the former southern limit of Mene Grande field, which adds considerable proved acreage to that field; and the failure of two wildcats that were drilled near the Colombian border to determine whether the productive sands of the Petrolea field in the Barco Concession, Colombia, extend into Venezuelan territory. In the east no new fields were discovered during the year, although five wildcats were completed as producers. Three of these, Guario No. I, Jusepin-56 and LM-I (Leona), discovered important extensions to previously proved areas and the remaining two, Cantos-I and SPN-I (Socororo), were subsequently proved to have tapped productive sands of small extent and operations in these areas have been suspended. The greatest activity in the east was concentrated in the Oficina field, where 105 new wells were completed during the year and production was increased from 22,540 bbl. per day during January 1940 to 57,627 bbl. per day during December 1940. Important development work was also done in the Jusepin. San Joaquin and El Koble fields.

Jan 1, 1941

The 140th meeting* of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was held in New York, Feb. 16 to 19, 1931. It consisted of the annual business session, twenty-six technical sessions at which 149 papers were presented, two round table discussions, two meetings of the Board of Directors, three meetings of Section Delegates, two formal lectures, four group dinners and 11 group luncheons, luncheon daily for members and guests, 20 committee meetings and conferences, the annual reception and dinner dance, an informal dance, a smoker-dinner, two meetings of the Woman&apos;s Auxiliary and a special program of entertainment for the ladies. Former members of the Rocky Mountain Club and friends lunched together at the Engineers Club on Tuesday. The proceedings of the Iron and Steel Division included four general technical sessions, an Iron Ore Round Table, the Howe Memorial Lecture, the Division luncheon at the Engineers Club Wednesday noon, a session each of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Nondestructive Testing, a luncheon each of the Committee on the Manufacture of Alloy Steel and the Blast-furnace Conference Group, and a dinner of the Committee on Physical Chemistry of Steelmaking. Dr. F. F. Lucas delivered the Howe Lecture, the title of which was "On the Art of Metallography." The Institute of Metals Division held three general sessions, its annual lecture, which was delivered by Dr. Arne Westgren and entitled "X-ray Determination of Alloy Equilibrium Diagrams," and a Division dinner at the Hotel New Yorker Thursday evening, at which Dr. G. W. Thompson was the principal speaker. The Executive Committee assembled at a luncheon on Thursday. A round table on Coal Land Valuations, a general technical session and a Division luncheon were held by the Coal Division. C. E. Bockus, President of the National Coal Association, made an informal talk at the luncheon which was held at the Engineers Club Monday noon. The Petroleum Division held six general sessions, including its annual production symposium. The annual dinner was held at the Engineers Club Thursday evening. A Gold Supply Symposium was the feature of the proceedings of the Committee on Mining Geology. This Committee also held a general session and a luncheon meeting. Sessions were held by other Technical Committees as follows: Mining Methods, 2; Mine Ventilation, 1 (besides which the Committee on Mine Ventilation Code held a meeting); Ground Movement and Subsidence, 1; Milling Methods, 1; Nonferrous Metallurgy, 1; Engineering Education, 1 (also a Committee luncheon); Non-metallic Minerals, 1, and Geophysical Prospecting, 2.

Jan 1, 1931