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JUDGE Samuel E. Schull, in the Court of Quarter Sessions of Monroe County, Pa., handed down a decision on July 2, declaring the Pennsylvania law for the Licensing of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors to be in violation of the Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania and also of the 14th amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The case was that of George E. Stevenson, who was arrested in June, 1922, charged with the practice of the profession of land surveying without first obtaining a state license. Mr. Stevenson had had forty years of practical experience as an engineer and land surveyor, and as set forth in the findings "had attained unusual skill, distinction and reputation in his said profession, and, on said date and for a considerable period thereto-fore and down to the present time, was and is President of the Engineer's Society of Northern Pennsylvania." That part of the decision referring to the unconsti-tutionality of the act is quoted in full as follows: This matter now comes on to be heard on argument as to the constitutionality of the said Act of May 25, 1921, P. I. 1131. The defendant urges that the same is unconstitutional: First: Because it is in violation of Article 3, Section 3, of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, which provides: "No bill, except general appropriations bills, shall be passed containing more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title." Second: That the same is discriminatory and, therefore, in violation of the 14th Amendment of the Federal Constitution. In this case, we: are confronted by the Act of Assembly bearing the title "an act to regulate the practice of profession of Engi-neering and Land Surveying; creating a State Board for Regis-tration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; defining its powers and duties, imposing certain duties upon the Common-wealth and Political subdivisions thereof, in connection with public work and providing penalties." We meet in the title of this act, a recognition of the fact that it is the legislative intent to deal with two professions: First: Engineering. Second: Land Surveying.

Jan 8, 1923

By W. J. Sharwood

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) CUPELLATION is well known to be one of the most effective methods of separating silver and gold from base metals and other impurities, as well as one of the most accurate means for their estimation. In the latter application it consists in absorbing in some porous medium the fused lead. oxide formed by the oxidation of the lead "bath," which carries with it the oxides of other base metals present. It has long been recognized that small amounts of both silver and gold were removed and absorbed together with the base metals, as well as being to some slight extent volatilized, and in work of the highest accuracy a correction is made for the "cupellation loss." Thus. in the assay of bullion this is done by means of "proofs" of like composition, which are manipulated throughout in precisely the same manner as the assay pieces, and are assumed to lose or gain like amounts. In the case of certain very rich ores and commercial products the loss is adjusted by assaying the cupel itself and recovering the precious metal absorbed, but this doubles the labor and does not remedy the loss by volatilization. Arbitrary tables have been drawn up by various authorities with the object of enabling a correction to be applied without the use of a check. These have been of very limited practical use owing to the fact that a number of factors affect the losses sustained. For a fixed amount of precious metal the loss varies with the amount of lead used, with the nature and amount of the impurities, with the porosity of the cupel, with the air supply, and above all with the temperature at which cupellation is carried on. Pure silver loses relatively much more than gold, but the loss in either is diminished by au addition of the other metal. The concentration of precious metal in the litharge increases as the concentration in the lead increases, but little work has been published connecting the two. If all other conditions remain the same the actual total loss increases, but the percentage loss diminishes, with an increase in the weight of precious metal treated.

Jan 8, 1915

By W. E. Wickerham

THE Magnetic Storm Monitor is an instrument that continuously records variations in the earth's total magnetic field at a fixed location. It is intended for use in conjunction with airborne magnetometer surveys. There are stormy periods when changes in the earth's magnetic field are so violent that data obtained with airborne equipment would be of little value. The Monitor provides this information so that flights may be cancelled or terminated, thus eliminating useless flying. Moreover, when some unpredictable change in the earth's field occurs during an airborne survey, the Monitor record, showing a similar event, may serve to salvage the data. The utility of a base instrument is determined largely by its physical dimensions, power requirements, stability, and reliability. This instrument is small enough to be transported in any powered vehicle. It will operate from either a 110 v, 60 cycle power line or from an inverter powered by an automobile battery. The development of an electronic feedback circuit that measures the magnetic field strength and a fabricated buckout magnet having essentially zero temperature has contributed to instrument stability and reliability. A tripod supporting the magnetometer head, a chassis housing all electronic components, and an Esterline Angus Recorder comprise the equipment, shown in Fig. 1. The vibrator-type inverter shown is used when a 110 v, 60 cycle power line is inaccessible. Approxi- mately 60 w are required to operate the instrument and the circuit is insensitive to reasonable power line voltage changes or transients. The head unit contains a fluxgate-type magnetometer element and a special magnet mounted on a ceramic structure. Since this magnet is used to buck out most of the earth's field, adjustments are provided for properly positioning the magnet with respect to the element. This assembly is mounted in such a way that the element can be oriented into the total field. Fluxgate Element: The heart of the Storm Monitor is a fluxgate-type magnetometer element. The ability of this unit to detect changes in magnetic fields has been covered at length in the literature.1, 2 For this discussion it will suffice to say that the Gulf

Jan 1, 1956

By Robert W. Fullerton, Barry G. McMillan, Donald T. King, Henning E. Soderberg

INTRODUCTION Dust control in coal preparation and related transport is a multi- faceted problem which must be anticipated whenever dry, fine coal is subject to rough handling which can disperse it in the air. This problem can be minimized by careful planning and proper design, by eliminating procedures which maximize dust production, and by utilizing the most appropriate dust-collection "hardware" for a given situation. Proper maintenance after dust-collection systems are installed is also very important, and will not only enable the selected equipment to perform properly, but will also reduce component wear, recover valuable product with the highest efficiency, provide cleaner and safer working conditions, and allow local clean-air standards to be met. This chapter is designed to provide basic information about dust control in relation to material processing and handling during coal preparation. Areas discussed should provide the reader with insight into basic dust-collection theory, particle behavior, equipment types, ductwork and hood considerations, general maintenance and design planning, and the economics of dust collection. Because of the wide range of areas covered and the various specialized problems inherent in each, the text is organized to be a practical reference, and not a complete, unabridged treatise of ventilation and dust-control design. Nevertheless, the information presented should be of value in both understanding and reducing problems of dust control in coal preparation.

Jan 1, 1979

By Frederick Laist

(Butte Meeting, August; 1913.) WHILE remodeling No. 1 section of the concentrator at the Washoe Reduction Works of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. during the summer of 1912, for the purpose of ascertaining what additional metal recoveries could be made by improvements in concentration practice which had been developed by the staff of the Boston & Montana Reduction Department, at Great Falls, it was deemed advisable to carry on some experiments on the -treatment of the regular mill tailings by roasting and leaching, to see whether the losses of metal values might not be still further decreased. In the course of these experiments about 5,000 tons of tailings were roasted, and of the resulting calcine about 200 tons were leached. The results were so satisfactory that it was, decided to continue the work on a larger scale, particularly as regards the leaching end of the process, and construction work on an 80-ton roasting and leaching plant was accordingly commenced during the latter part of February, 1913, and is being pushed as rapidly as possible. 80-Ton Leaching Plant. This plant will consist of one 20-ft. roasting furnace of the MacDougall type, specially adapted to the work of roasting for leaching; two leaching tanks, 32 ft. in diameter by 12 ft. deep, together with the necessary solution tanks, air lifts, precipitating launders, etc. It has been decided to precipitate the copper from solution on scrap iron, so as not to hamper the roasting and leaching departments by any weakness that might develop in the precipitating department. It is, however, the intention to experiment with a number of different methods of precipitation; for example, by electrolysis and by hydrogen sulphide.

Jan 7, 1913

By R. Taggart, J. W. Barton, G. R. Purdy, J. G. Parr

The constitution and mechanical properties of heat-treated alloys containing up to 10 pct* Ni in Ti have been investigated. The effects of quenching and of various isothermal treatments ale described, and C-curves are presented. The production of the precipitated and the martensitic hexagonal phases on quenching is discussed. MARGOLIN, Ence, and Nielsenl have determined the titanium-nickel phase diagram. A study of the transformations in gas-quenched and tempered powder specimens was made by Polonis and Parr.' Some isothermal transformation work was carried out by Margolin and ~unshah, who determined transformation curves for 4 and 6 wt pct alloys, while Robinson et al.investigated the formation of the w phase in a quenched and tempered alloy, Margolin and Bunshah showed that while a martensitic transformation could be obtained on quench- ing thin sections of a 4 wt pct alloy, a 6 wt pct alloy precipitated a nonmartensitic phase. The present investigation was undertaken to obtain more information on the transformations in quenched, quenched and tempered, and isothermally transformed lump specimens of alloys containing up to 10 pct Ni. Isothermal transformation curves have been determined for 7 and 10 pct alloys and cooling curves have been obtained for quenched alloys containing up to 7 pct Ni. The mechanical properties of 2, 5, and 10 pct alloys were studied, with the object of relating properties to microstructures. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Alloys containing up to 10 pct Ni were prepared from sponge titanium and spectrographic standard nickel by levitation-melting and chill-casting in a split copper mold. The 5 and 10 pet alloys were prepared from sponge Ti having an as-melted hardness of 115 Vpn. The other alloys were made from a sec-

Jan 1, 1961

By Francis M. Rich

BEFORE the world-wide depression, the primary purpose of most blast-furnace operators was to produce a maximum tonnage of pig iron per day for each furnace in blast. Some attention was paid to the conservation of labor and raw materials, but the idea was well established that low-cost pig iron was attainable only when each furnace was producing a high tonnage. After the depression had set in, the picture changed considerably. Each blast-furnace operator was forced to run his plant in a manner that best fitted the economical set-up of his company. A great deal of thought was expended on the different methods of operation, always with the idea of making each product in a way that would best serve his company financially. Because of this abnormal condition, the blast-furnace man was compelled to indulge in various practices of which many had been believed to be next to impossible up to that time. The ultimate purpose of these innovations was either one or a combination of the following: 1. To produce only enough pig iron for immediate consumption at a minimum cost. 2. To produce gas for boiler or mill use to supplant some higher priced fuel. 3: To consume the coke produced at the coke plant, which was often viewed as a byproduct. 4. To protect the cash position of the company. These conditions were met by diverse methods, some of which were: 1. Slow or decreased wind. In some instances the blast blown was held as low as 25 per cent of the normal volume. 2. Intermittent operation, in which the furnaces were shut down or "fanned" at frequent intervals.

Jan 1, 1935

By Allen D. Garrison

The chemistry of clays and shales has been assuming increasing importance in the petroleum industry, and two factors have greatly influenced this trend. The first has been the growing evidence that the marine shales are source beds, and that the petroleum compounds have migrated to the sand reservoirs overlying or underlying these shales: the second has been the demand for drilling fluids better adapted to penetrate these marine shales without difficulty and expense. Origin and General Composition of Clays and Shales Clays, shales and surface soils are all closely related materials. They are mixtures of finely divided compounds formed during the weathering of the solid crust of the earth. Their nature is essentially colloidal; that is, their behavior is determined by the state of division of the materials and the surface reactions of the smallest grains. Many of their chemical changes affect only the exposed areas and do not involve the interior of the grains of matter. The extent of these reactions is more nearly proportional to the area of the substances than to their mass, therefore it is possible for a small amount of a material in an extremely fine state of division to completely dominate the character of the mixture. More than 83 per cent of the crust of the earth is composed of three elements—oxygen, silicon and aluminum. Consequently, the corrosion products of the crust are predominantly aluminosilicates, or compounds of aluminum, silicon and oxygen. If we add the compounds of six elements—iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and hydrogen—more than 98 per cent of the crust has been accounted for. These six elements, together with the first three, also appear in soils, clays and shales. But direct chemical analysis is of little value in describing the nature of such materials. Many chemical individuals may be present in variable amounts, and the extreme subdivision of any one of the individuals may contribute qualities that dominate the mixture.

Jan 1, 1939

By Allen D. Garrison

The chemistry of clays and shales has been assuming increasing importance in the petroleum industry, and two factors have greatly influenced this trend. The first has been the growing evidence that the marine shales are source beds, and that the petroleum compounds have migrated to the sand reservoirs overlying or underlying these shales: the second has been the demand for drilling fluids better adapted to penetrate these marine shales without difficulty and expense. Origin and General Composition of Clays and Shales Clays, shales and surface soils are all closely related materials. They are mixtures of finely divided compounds formed during the weathering of the solid crust of the earth. Their nature is essentially colloidal; that is, their behavior is determined by the state of division of the materials and the surface reactions of the smallest grains. Many of their chemical changes affect only the exposed areas and do not involve the interior of the grains of matter. The extent of these reactions is more nearly proportional to the area of the substances than to their mass, therefore it is possible for a small amount of a material in an extremely fine state of division to completely dominate the character of the mixture. More than 83 per cent of the crust of the earth is composed of three elements—oxygen, silicon and aluminum. Consequently, the corrosion products of the crust are predominantly aluminosilicates, or compounds of aluminum, silicon and oxygen. If we add the compounds of six elements—iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and hydrogen—more than 98 per cent of the crust has been accounted for. These six elements, together with the first three, also appear in soils, clays and shales. But direct chemical analysis is of little value in describing the nature of such materials. Many chemical individuals may be present in variable amounts, and the extreme subdivision of any one of the individuals may contribute qualities that dominate the mixture.

Jan 1, 1939

By Harry Roeser

Short cuts for determining the constants of oil decline curves, with the method of least squares as a starting point, are presented and applications made to practical examples. The nature of the raw data does not justify rigid adherence to the orthodox theory but does lend justification to convenient methods of approximation within reasonable limits. If the conventional form y = kxn were changed to y = k(x + c)', methods of determining the curves would be simplified and greater uniformity in calculated results would probably follow. As A result of the publication, several years ago, of some articles on determining the constants of empirical formulas, the determining the constant's of types of curves used for estimating the production decline of oil wells was brought to the writer for study. Methods requiring a minimum of time and labor and a maximum of rigor were sought, as it appeared that the nature of the data from which such curves are computed and the relative uncertainty of occurrence of the events predicted from them did not justify close adherence to the theory on which the solution of such problems is ordinarily based. The technical deficiencies of the solutions presented in this paper, from the standpoint of the method of least squares, are readily apparent to those familiar with that method, but their presentation in detail here is irrelevant to the subject matter. However, it is the author's conviction, after a rather exhaustive study of the problem, that the value of the solutions lose little by the approximate application of the conventional theory. It must be understood by those who use these formulas that the solutions herein given, and the formulas based on them, are merely facilities to aid the valuation engineer in forecasting future events. It is assumed, also, that before application is made of them, prescient judgment based on the circumstances in each case, shows that the forecast has some probability of realization. On this basis only will these formulas be found useful.

Jan 6, 1924

ONE of the fundamental reasons for the extreme rapidity with which the Porphyries developed after the trail had been blazed at Bingham was the amenability of the deposits to prospecting and proving of the ore either by churn-drilling or by diamond-drilling. At Ray churn-drill data formed the principal basis for early calculations of ore reserves; and in 1913, Inspiration floated its first bond issue for $6,000,000 on the strength of the estimate of 45,000,000 tons of sulphide ore assaying just over 3 per cent copper. The money was obtained in spite of the fact that no one ever had actually laid eyes on more than a minute fraction of that ore. The customary method of developing a copper deposit before the Porphyry era had been to sink shafts or drive adits and then to follow and expose the veins or lodes with horizontal and vertical underground workings-drifts, crosscuts, raises, and winzes. The excavated material sometimes was sampled in bulk; but always the walls of the openings would be channeled at intervals to obtain small samples representative of the ore left in place. This process was known as "blocking out" ore. It was costly and it required a great deal of time to prove the existence of immense tonnages. The early development at Utah was done in this way; likewise, at Miami. This fact helps to explain why only 3,000,000 tons of ore was reported as being developed when J. Parke Channing wrote the report on which the original Miami financing was based in March, 1908. Fortunately, his 3,000,000 tons averaged 3'per cent copper. At Ray, Seeley W. Mudd estimated 3,000,000 tons of ore in June, 1908, developed principally by underground working; but by the end of 1909, Henry Krumb was able to report 50,000,000 tons as the fruit of a little more than a year of churn-drilling.

Jan 1, 1933

By William P. Blake

The occurrence and distribution of phosphorus is one of the most important questions with which the steel-maker has to do. Large sums are invested in processes for the removal of this element from ores before they come to the blast-furnace, and much greater sums in freeing the pig-iron from it. Mechanical engineers are becoming more and more critical of the amount of total phosphorus left in structural steel, the tendency being to require that it be reduced to the lowest possible figure. The old maximum of 0.1 per cent. is now considered much too high for first-class structural steel, and demands for 0.03 to 0.01 per cent. are by no means unheard of. The first to speak, in a scientific way, of the harmful effect of phosphorus on iron and steel appears to have been Meyer, who, in 1781, made mention of what we now term "cold-shortness," ascribing it to the presence of this metalloid, but not suggesting any remedy. It is, however, doubtful if a clear idea of this subject was possessed by the scientific world until after the invention of the pneumatic or Bessemer process, in 1855-56. One of the chief obstacles in the way of this renowned metallurgist,—one, indeed, the removal of which was the sine qua non of success,—was the phosphorus in the iron blown. The effect of the phosphorus does not seem to have been apprehended until many and costly experiments had been made, and then the required minimum percentage of it in the iron was secured only by the use of low-phosphorus ores. It was not until '1879-80 that practical success was reached, by the Thomas process, in the actual removal of the phosphorus from the iron. We now know something of the effect of the total amount of phosphorus on iron and steel, but very little as to the effect of the condition of the phosphorus. The state of combination in which

Jan 1, 1893

By Dorsey Hager

DORSEY HAGER, Tulsa, Okla.-I have been asked why the Dexter region is dry. I would like to know myself. I drilled two dry wells on that same anticline which has production to, the east and west and south and north. That same anticline has seven domes that have been drilled and only three have proven productive out of the seven. In other words, you have one well-defined anticline with seven domes along its length, all mappable, all checked carefully, and only three of those seven have produced. Now why the others did not produce, I do not know. L. L. HUTCHISON, Tulsa, Okla.-There is no appreciable difference in the character or structure of the sands? DORSEY HAGER.-NO, I have never .been able to see any appreciable difference in the sands where we got production and Where we did not get it. I will say that the deepest wells we drilled, in the vicinity of Dexter, had no sands at the point where they got the production farther north. I. N. -KNAPP, Ardmore, Pa.-I first went to the Kansas-Oklahoma field in 1895 and occasionally thereafter until 1899, when I began drilling; for oil. I started close to wells that were producing gas and which, when drilling, lead made good oil showings in a sand above the gas. I thought these showings were good enough evidence of an oil pool for me without looking for any anticline and I made a paying development in what' I was afterward told by geologists was probably a synclinal trough. If I remember correctly Dr. Orton's report on the lola gas pool (about 1898) he distinctly said that he found no evidence of anticlinal structure and concluded from the records of a large number of wells that there, was a terraced structure of the productive gas sands, of which there were no surface indications.

Jan 4, 1917

By H. W. Kerr, B. Soutiere

THE possibility of using unidirectionally solidified eutectic alloys as high-strength composite materials has been investigated by several workers. Unidirectionally solidified lamellar and fibrous eutectics have been shown to have good short-time structural stability at temperatures close to the eutectic melting temperature.'-4 Several investigations of both short-time high temperature tensile properties and creep properties of eutectic alloys have been carried out,3-" with promising results. Little work has been reported, however, on the thermal stability of eutectic alloys which have been unidirectionally solidified and subsequently deformed in compression. Since processes such as rolling and grinding introduce compressive stresses, and since the properties depend on the spacing and perfection of the composite structure10,11 this aspect is of definite importance if unidirectionally solidified eutectic alloys are to be considered for commercial use. A Cd-Zn alloy made from 99.999 pct starting materials was cast into a graphite boat and zone levelled12 to obtain a completely lamellar structure at one end of the bar. Sections from this region of the bar were removed, recast into 6.5 mm I.D. Pyrex tubing, and solidified unidirectionally upwards at a rate of 2.8 cm per hr. Specimens were cut from the solidified rods, heated in air at 200°C (0.88 of the eutectic melting temperature) for various lengths of time, and examined metal-lographically. Compression specimens were also cut from the solidified rod carefully machined to a length of & in., and deformed with the compressive axis parallel to the original growth axis to produce a total longitudinal strain of 12 pct. Some of these specimens were examined metallographically; others were heated in air at 200°C for various lengths of time and then examined. Metallographic examination of the deformed specimens showed the two types of deformation previously described; slip lines13 (smoothly bent lamellae) and kinks13,14 (sharply bent lamellae). Very close to the specimen ends there were a large number of deformation bands, but at a distance of about -re- in. the deformation was very localized, as shown in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1970

By Jesse Betterton

IN the Parkes process of lead refining, after desilverization has been completed by means of zinc additions, there will remain in the lead from 0.5 to 0.6 per cent zinc. At this stage in the refining practically all impurities are reduced to refined lead specifications except zinc and antimony. All excess of copper and nearly all the arsenic goes out with the silver. Silver remaining should not exceed 0.1 oz. per ton. It thus remains only to remove zinc and antimony to produce refined lead. The older practice was to complete refining by means of oxidation processes in reverberatory furnaces. Essentially this consisted of heating the lead to 1200° to 1300° F. and allowing it to come in contact with a considerable excess of air passing through the furnace, or accom-plish the same result by blowing the lead with steam by means of pipes introduced for that purpose, at the same time allowing air to enter the furnace. Usually some procedure involving alternate oxidation and reduction with fine coal or coke was employed in order to reduce the weight of dross or skim finally removed from the furnace. This practice had many elements of weakness in that the main flow of lead, after the preceding expensive operations had been performed, and the whole refining process nearly completed, was subjected to an operation at a comparatively high temperature, which involved much lead loss if the furnaces were not on bags, and the production of 3 to 5 per cent of the weight of the lead as dross or skim, which had to be resmelted and the lead either refined or produced as antimonial lead. In addition, the operating expense of the process was a considerable item. The, process of dezincing with chlorine was developed as a substitute for the foregoing described oxidation process, and finally resulted in such advantages as nearly equal operating costs, a practical elimination of the lead loss, and the direct production of a very valuable byproduct, zinc chloride, that may be sold as such or retreated for its zinc and chlorine contents, both of which can be reused in the refining processes.

Jan 1, 1933

By C. K. Leith

AT the outset I would like to make it clear that I do not enter this discussion in a controversial spirit, but in an attempt to contribute something helpful to an understanding of a difficult problem. I have too high regard for the sterling quality of the work of the men who have studied this subject in detail to offer anything in the way of essential contradiction to their statements of fact. Difference of opinion arises from differing valuation of the possible alternative hypothesis which these facts suggest. Some degree of recrystallization in limestone contact zones has been recognized by many investigators. Earlier investigators, for the most part, assigned an important, if not the most important, role to recrystallization in development of these zones. With the growing recognition, of introduction of ores and gangue materials into the contact zone from igneous rocks through the medium of primary magmatic solutions, there has been a tendency to ascribe to this process most, if not all, of the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the contact zone. This has involved a correspondingly diminished emphasis on recrystallization of substances already there as a factor in the process, and in some cases even the complete elimination of this hypothesis. From detailed study of a few contacts, casual observation of others, and a general familiarity with the literature, some of us have been led in recent years to raise the question whether the pendulum has not swung too far away from recrystallization toward direct introduction from igneous sources, and to argue for more recognition of the part played by recrystallization.1 The inevitable sequence has been that those of us who have taken this view have been charged, at least by inference, with emphasizing recrys-tallization to, the total exclusion of the alternative process. Scientists, like other men, like to classify and pigeon-hole views under simple and definite designations, leaving out qualifications which would tend to make the classification more difficult to state. This has made the problem seem more definite and simple, but has tended to obscure the fact that the disagreement is primarily not one relating to essential facts, but one of

Jan 6, 1914

By Edwin A. Sperry

The use of steam-stamps in the crushing of ore for the purpose of amalgamation has been very limited, and little has been written on the subject. As the writer has been operating a mill of this kind during the past year, it is possible that he may be able to present a few points in regard to mill-practice in this line which will be of interest. The mill herein referred to contains two Tremain steamstamps, a more detailed description of which will be given below. A bond and lease had been taken on a property on Cross mountain, Gunnison county, Colo., and the parties operating wished to prospect it thoroughly and did not wish to ship out the ore, owing to high freight-rates. They looked around to find some mill that would answer the purpose and not be too expensive. The steam-stamp in question was finally decided on, and the writer was employed to erect and operate it. The economy of construction was demonstrated at the outset. The stamps were dropping within ten days from the time that the machinery was unloaded on the ground. A large portion of this period was consumed in waiting for supplies and fittings which should have been on the ground at the Hame time with the machinery. Ore.—The ore to be treated was a mixture of white, porous quartz, with the decomposed and undecomposed oxides of iron and manganese in varying proportions, from the pure white quartz to solid pieces of the oxides. It appeared to be the product of replacement in a soft dolomite at or near the line of contact with a dike of porphyry. On careful examination with the aid of a microscope it was found that the gold was in the form of an extremely thin film over the surfaces of the quartz, making only a bronzy-yellow coating, quite readily distinguished from the film of iron oxide, which was also present. Mill.—The mill was constructed on the usual plan, with the ore-bin above and against the hill, which was cut into for the

Jan 1, 1897

By Joseph Perry

MAGNESITE is found in 22 California counties, but many of the deposits are too small or too impure to be of commercial value. Several of sub-stantial size and quality were entirely exhausted by wartime operation. At present, three properties comprise the only known workable deposits in the state. Of these, the Western mine and the Patterson mine have been known and worked for many years, and have been described in con-siderable detail in various publications, therefore need only brief mention here, because of their proximity to the Bald Eagle mine. The latter, recently developed, is unusual in type of ore deposit, plant design and operation, as well as products made, and very little has been written concerning it. WESTERN MINE The Western mine, 32 miles south of Livermore, Calif., was formerly operated by C. S. Maltby. It has been a consistent producer for many years.1 The ore is of amorphous variety, occurring along fracture zones in serpentine. The veins vary greatly in width, the average being perhaps 8 ft., with the maximum indicated in one early stope of 40 ft.; 2 ft. is considered the minimum for economical mining. The strike of the veins is predominantly north and south, with dip to the west varying from 40° to 75°. Walls are well defined and as a rule firm and easily supported, Veins range in length from a few hundred feet to 1000 or more. Their maximum vertical extent is about 350 ft., but many run less. Early mining consisted of open-cut and glory-hole work on the larger outcrops. This was followed underground by a modified shrinkage system, the waste and low-grade horses being removed by hand sorting on the tramming levels and transported to surface dumps. Filled-stope mining is used now, in order to eliminate the handling of waste, which has

Jan 1, 1938

By Clare B. Carlson, C. P. Proctor

THE history of the froth flotation of coal is relatively short. The flotation process was applied to fine-coal cleaning about the time of the end of World War I. Coal flotation finds more widespread use in Europe than in the United States and is used on a commercial scale in nearly all major coal-producing countries in the world. In Fig. 1 the general arrangement of a froth-flotation plant at a British colliery is shown. GENERAL FEATIJIEES OF THE PROCESS Application The flotation process is applicable to the cleaning of the fine sizes, particularly minus 48-mesh coal, although it may be used on sizes as coarse as 1/8 in. Since most cleaning processes usually are not effective on sizes smaller than 48-mesh and certainly not effective on minus 100- mesh, the froth-flotation process offers a solution to the problem of cleaning these sizes. This process consists-of agitating the feed pulp with a small amount of reagents, usually 1.0 to 2 ½ lb. per ton of feed in the presence of water and air; the reagents help to form small bubbles that collect on the particles having a greater affinity for the bubble surface than for the water surface, in this case the fine coal, and the bubbles buoy these particles to the surface to form the frothor concentrate. Slate and shale particles remain wetted and suspended in the water to be drawn off as tailing. The frothers commonly used in coal flotation are cresylic acid, pine oil, and alcohols. More expensive frothers, used in ore flotation, work satisfactorily but do not compare with these cheaper reagents for over-all cost. Collectors- used are low-grade petroleum fractions, such as cheap, partly refined fuel oil, or lubricating oil, sometimes mixed with small amounts of kerosene. Other collectors used are the fatty acids and their

Jan 1, 1943

By Clare B. Carlson, C. P. Proctor

THE history of the froth flotation of coal is relatively short. The flotation process was applied to fine-coal cleaning about the time of the end of World War I. Coal flotation finds more widespread use in Europe than in the United States and is used on a commercial scale in nearly all major coal-producing countries in the world. In Fig. 1 the general arrangement of a froth-flotation plant at a British colliery is shown. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE PROCESS Application The flotation process is applicable to the cleaning of the fine sizes, particularly minus 48-mesh coal, although it may be used on sizes as coarse as % in. Since most cleaning processes usually are not effective on sizes smaller than 48-mesh and certainly not effective on minus 100¬mesh, the froth-flotation process offers a solution to the problem of cleaning these sizes. This process consists of agitating the feed pulp with a small amount of reagents, usually 1.0 to 91/ lb. per ton of feed in the presence of water and air; the reagents help to form small bubbles that collect on the particles having a greater affinity for the bubble surface than for the water surface, in this case the fine coal, and the bubbles buoy these particles to the surface to form the froth or concentrate. Slate and shale particles remain wetted and suspended in the water to be drawn off as tailing. The frothers commonly used in coal flotation are cresylic acid, pine oil, and alcohols. More expensive frothers, used in ore flotation, work satisfactorily but do not compare with these cheaper reagents for over-all cost. Collectors used are low-grade petroleum fractions, such as cheap, partly refined fuel oil, or lubricating oil, sometimes mixed with small amounts of kerosene. Other collectors used are the fatty acids and their

Jan 1, 1943