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By V. Lessels, W. A. Hamilton

White Pine Copper Co. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Copper Range Co. The property of White Pine is about 5 miles south of Lake Superior in Carp Lake Township, Ontonagon County, Mich. The new town of White Pine, adjacent to the company plant, is 18 miles south and west of the town of Ontonagon, and about 55 miles north and east of Ironwood, Mich. A diamond drilling program begun in 1937 to develop the orebody was carried on until 1950. During this period a test shaft, known as the Schacht shaft, was sunk on the orebody and approximately 8000 ft of development drift were driven. In an effort to solve the ore beneficiation problems, considerable metallurgical test work was done on ore extracted through the mine development. This work was conducted in a small pilot plant located in the mill of the Copper Range Co. at Freda, Mich.

May 1, 1956

By George F. Beardsley

The silver-fields of Zeehan and Dundas are located on the "West Coast" of Tasmania, 30 miles from the port of Strahan on the Macquarie Harbor. This harbor is 17 miles long, from 4 to 5 miles wide, and completely landlocked. Its only drawback is a shallow bar with 9 feet of water on it. The hills on the western side of the harbor vary from 200 to 300 feet in height, and are all composed of quartzite or a quartz grit. From 15 to 20 miles back from the eastern shore of the harbor is a conglomerate-capped range of mountains, rising to the height of 4700 feet. The immediate eastern

Jan 1, 1893

By Y. Nakada, U. F. Kocks, B. Chalmers

The stress-strain behavior of the gold single crystals in easy glide was found to be affected by the specimen dimension which is parallel to the projection of the Burgers vector of the primary-slip system. The larger this dimension is, the larger is the slope of easy glide. Previously severa1 investigators attributed the size effects to either the existence of surface films or the grip constraints. However, in this experiment both of these possible causes were not present. It is proposed that the length of slip path (defined as the crystal dimension parallel to the Burgers vector of the primary system) is the controlling factor in the size effect observed in gold. THERE are many possible effects of the specimen dimension on the work-hardening behavior of single crystals: grip effects which prevent end regions of the crystal from deformation or rotation; effects of a surface film, for example a coherent oxide; effects of a subsurface layer of accidental or intentional

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Claus, G. A. Standish

Since March. 1945, the Magnolia Petroleum CO. has drilled 39 wells in Southwest Coastal Louisiana. All wells were drilled within a comparatively small radius, but the area provides a large variety of problems. The deepest well drilled was 13,518 ft, and the total depth averaged 10,977 ft. Throughout this period drilling mud control and types of mud handled were: (I) phosphate, (2) red lime (late conversion), (3) red lime starch (early conversion), (4) red lime starch oil emulsion, (5) precision controlled low alkalinity-low lime content. and (6) gel muds for completion purposes. Improvement has been obtained in effecting some or all of the following: (I) more rapid penetration, (2) reduction in drilling hazards, (3) better evaluation of cores and logs, and (4) better completions. The geological sequence of zones penetrated range from recent sediments at the grass roots through the Frio section. Anticipation of high-pressure zones and incompetent formations entails precision control of drilling mud weights, and the unconsolidated nature of the various zones requires constant attention to the filtrate, viscosity, and gel strength values. In the Chalkley field, particularly, this combination of problems exists, where the formation pressures and overburden weight density values are in very close proximity. Design of casing and drilling mud programs must be modified to fit each well. INTRODUCTION Field and research work on drilling fluids has made constant progress, enabling operators to prospect progressively deeper horizons. Numerous papers have been written on the theoretical aspects of drilling fluid devel- opment, but in the field engineers have found it difficult to evaluate the role of specific mud constitutents when dealing in terms of thousand barrel mud systems. For that reason field data is somewhat lagging in technical report writing. However, applications of new techniques in the field have usually paralleled, and in numerous instances preceded, research work. The information obtained by Magnolia Petroleum Co. in the course of drilling 39 wells within a comparatively small area in Southwest Coastal Louisiana provides an excellent opportunity of reviewing a specific example of drilling mud evolution. A large variety of problems has been coped with, the most important result being that every well was successfully drilled to its projected total depth. The discussion begins with the advent of deep drilling in this area in March, 1945, and is concluded with a resume of recent drilling operations in the Chalkley field. The primary purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution in types of drilling fluids as it occurred and its application in the solution of various drilling problems. All of this information and experience resulted in the successful drilling of the three wells in the Chalkley field, where a combination of the most sound techniques was necessary in carrying drilling operations to the projected total depths. Other operators along with service company engineers have contributed considerably through the interchange of ideas and information to this paper, but the data and conclusions which are contained are based on first-hand observation of Magnolia Petroleum Company's drilling operations. The 39 wells drilled by Magnolia Petroleum Co. average in depth 10,977 ft per well, while the maximum depth penetrated was 13,518 ft. The cost of drilling fluids have varied from $8,700 to $165,000, with the over-all drilling costs ranging from $74,000 to $543,000 per well. This wide variance illustrates the unpredictable nature of each well and the effects on over-all cost when high density muds are required to control

Jan 1, 1955

By S. K. Sarkar, B. Dr. Singh

INTRODUCTION India like USA has traditionally relied on bord and pillars as dominant underground method. Coal has generally been mined at shallow depth from relatively thick and horizontally bedded coal seams. These' factors contributed towards large scale adoption of bard and pillar. After nationalisation of coal industry in two stages in 1971 and 1973, large scale mechanisation and modernisation programmes were undertaken. Longwall mining was identified as one of the major that area for increasing underground coal production. The idea to introduce longwall mining was mooted to increase productivity and to promote conservation and safety. The nationalised coal industry has already worked about twenty longwall faces with different types of support. The tempo of introducing longwall is catching up and a number of longwall programmes with, Self advancing supports of different types and Capacity are in active stage of implementation. The country has not yet started producing mechanised Supports and therefore supports and machineries are being imported from U.K. and other countries of the continent. The of the major problem faced in the longwall projects is to choose suitable type and capacity of supports. The suppliers and manufacturers of these supports are not competent enough to choose and offer the right type and capacity of supports as their knowledge and information about Indian strata conditions are extremely limited. The Central Wining Research Station (Q.!RS), has undertaken a research programme for evaluating the rock mechanical conditions obtaining in the proposed longwall locales and has worked out a method for selection of proper type and capacity of supports on the basis of projected strata behaviour at the proposed locale. STRATA CCNTROL FAILURES Indian coal industry had made some attempts to introduce longwall caving in the early fifties after a working group set up by the Government of India had recommended its adoption to increase productivity and to modernise mines. Approximately 20 longwall faces were tried in the major Indian coalfields of Jharia, Ranigunj and Karanpurr between 1951 and 1968. The supports used consisted of 20T hydraulic props or 35140~ friction props. A number of these faces had suffered total strata control failures and a large number of support elements were lost. The Central Mining Research Station initiated a research programme to analyse these failures in the general background of behaviour of Indian coal measure strata at longwall faces. All the available data regarding the cases of failures were collected and physico-mechanical properties of overlying roof rocks were determined in the laboratory. Simultaneously, observations were continued to establish the behviour pattern of Indian coal measure strata at longwall faces. These studies were helpful in analysing the occurrences of collapse. BEHAVIOUR OF INDIAN COAL MEASURE STRATA The coal measure strata encountered in the principal Indian coalfields of Jharia, Ranigunj and Karanpura are in general strong in nature however, the immediate roof (mostly up to 1.5 to 2 m) in most of the cases is weak and false bedded shale. MI idea about the strength properties of immediate and overlying roofs may be obtained from the following table.

Jan 1, 1982

By C. H. Jr. Herty

THE removal of sulfur from steel has been studied by many investigators, but the quantitative relationships between the factors involved have not been determined. This is undoubtedly due to the number of variables encountered in practice, an attempt to study any one reaction or relation being affected by other reactions the relative importance of which cannot be estimated. The factors that affect the extent of removal of sulfur in the basic open-hearth process are generally considered to be: 1. Basicity of the slag: (a) Iron oxides in the slag; (b) carbon in the metal, or carbide in the slag; (c) temperature. These factors affect the reactions: FeS + CaO = CaS + FeO FeS + CaO + C = CaS + CO + Fe. 2. Amount of sulfur in the gas. 3. Amount of manganese in the metal. The factors which affect the rate of removal of sulfur include, in addition to these 4. Fluidity of the slag: (a) Normal changes in fluidity with temperature; (b) changes in fluidity because of the addition of special reagents such as fluorspar. 5. Agitation of the bath.

Jan 3, 1925

By J. C. Mertz, C. H. Mathewson

Accurate knowledge of the solid solubilities of the elements that dissolve in the important base metals is needed for guidance in the preparation and heat-treatment of the alloys derived from these components. While there is still difference of opinion concerning the merits of the X-ray and microscopic methods of determining such solubilities, it is certainly true that the recent extensive use of X-ray diffraction to review the existing constitutional data has revealed many glaring inaccuracies and has brought about a much improved knowledge of phase-boundary locations, which will inevitably come to include all of the important alloy systems. When the work is done with all necessary precautions it appears that in the majority of cases where the solubilities extend beyond a few tenths of a per cent the X-ray back-reflection technique is capable of furnishing the best of information in this field. For the most prolonged and thorough studies it is obviously advisable to combine the results of several methods, in particular, to obtain an agreement between X-ray and microscopic data. This paper reviews the work previously done on the solubilities of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth in copper and, in consideration of the uncertainties thus made apparent, presents new X-ray data obtained with the first three members of this group. Copper-phosphorus System Heyn and Baurl found that in slowly cooled alloys phosphorus forms a solid solution with copper up to about 0.175 per cent. Huntington

Jan 1, 1937

By R. P. Rothwell

Instruction by correspondence is certainly one of the most important and useful of modern educational methods. The paper on the " Scranton International Schools," by Prof. Stoek (Buffalo meeting, October, 1898),* gives an elaborate description of a single private enterprise in this direction, ignoring all others, and cannot be said to present a fair or impartial view of

Jan 1, 1900

By S. F. Shaw

IN 1913, the Tiro General mine, at Charcas, S.L.P., Mexico, which had been making from 125 to 150 gal. of water per min., was allowed to become flooded, after all the pumps had been removed, and in 1918 the problem of unwatering it came up for solution. There are two vertical shafts, the Tiro General, 1390 ft., and the San Fernando, 1225 ft. in depth, with five connecting levels between them. The San Fernando shaft had been partly retimbered, while the Tiro General had been newly timbered from the collar to, 1090 ft. in depth. It had been possible to place guides in only one compartment of the Tiro General, from the collar to the seventh or 850-ft. level, to which it was necessary to lower the water before station pumps could be installed. Soundings indicated that compartments in the Tiro General were open to 1082 and 428 ft., and in the San Fernando shaft to 471, 488, and 586 ft. The water had risen to a point 140 ft. below the collar of the Tiro General shaft. PUMPING EQUIPMENT The steam plant at the Tiro General shaft includes one 300-hp., one 150-hp. and one 100-hp. Erie City water-tube boiler, and two 160-hp. Heine water-tube boilers. All but one of these boilers were supposed to be in good shape, but it was soon discovered that six years of idleness in a climate that is foggy for several months of the year had left them in poor condition. The compressed-air plant comprises one Nordberg cross-compound compressor with piston displacement of approximately 2500 cu. ft. of free air compressed to 96 lb. per sq. in.; and another Nordberg cross-compound with piston displacement of 1235 cu. ft. of free air, to the same pressure.

Jan 2, 1920

By R. C. Corson

Modern microprocessor systems make it possible to use several variables to anticipate changes in the process and to react with responses before upsets can be magnified by the process or by control action. Through tighter control, "insurance" can be eliminated from process set points without affecting product quality. In actual operation with a traveling grate furnace this control philosophy has produced savings of up to 20% in fuel consumption and 8% in fan power usage while producing a more consistent quality product.

Jan 1, 1984

By AIME AIME

MECHANIZATION of operations and the development of much more refined preparation practices have been conspicuous achievements in coal-mine engineering in the last two decades. To both, Paul Weir was an outstanding contributor during his seventeen years' service with the Bell & Zoller Coal & Mining Co. and its aliates, the Centralia Coal Co. and the Crescent Mining Co. From 1920 to the end of 1936, when he resigned to go into consulting work in Chicago, he was successively chief engineer, general superintendent, and vice-president of Bell & Zoller. He changed its Zeigler mines from hand to mechanical loading, and planned and built a central mechanical cleaning plant.

Jan 1, 1939

By D. O. Ehrenburg

DURING the earlier period of electrical prospecting, the search for orebodies was by far the most important application of this method of geophysical prospecting. In the past few years, however, increasing attention has been paid to the possibilities of this method in the investigation of subsurface structures. Not only have fault zones been located, but attempts have been made to determine the depth to certain strata and thus contouring on some bed which proves to be a good "electrical marker." Many workers have published the results of field tests showing how their particular interpretations have agreed with the actual field conditions, but very few have stated their method of interpretation. Weaver, Hummel and Stefanesco and Schlumberger1 have given a more theoretical discussion of the resistivity methods. Hummel and Stefanesco and Schlumberger have published mathematical solutions for the flow of electricity in a medium involving four layers. In this paper the authors present a solution for the flow of electricity in a medium of any number of horizontal strata. By means of this solution, curves showing the relationship between the apparent resistivity and the electrode spacing can be computed for ideal cases.

Jan 1, 1931

By M. E. Wadsworth

The region about the south shore of Lake Superior is to geologists one of the most interesting districts of the United States, embracing as it does, in a limited area, old crystalline rocks, together with forms that are almost in their original condition of a beach sand and mud. In this region was first established the base of the geological column, the Azoic (" without life") System of Foster and Whitney, or the Archæan (" the beginning ") of Dana. Overlying this system are found the sandstones and limestones of the Paleozoic (" ancient life "), and their associated lava-flows (Algonkian ?). These systems possess a strong economic interest, owing to the stores of iron in the Azoic and of copper in the Paleozoic or Eozoic of this district, which forms one of the most important mining regions in America. The geology of this section is so difficult and complicated that, in its general discussion, perhaps no proposition can be stated concerning any portion of it to which exceptions cannot be taken. Indeed, out of the general discussion of different points comes in time the truth, and various geologists, even now, are working over this region in the endeavor to arrive at some consensus, or at least to determine upon what points they can agree, and upon what points difference of opinion will have to exist between them at present, until further evidence can be obtained. The writer will endeavor to give in a brief form that which appears to him at present to be the most correct statement of the geological structure of the region, admitting that from time to time, as more complete evidence shall be obtained, he expects to change his views in the future, as he has done in the past, if that evidence shall cause him to believe that he has been mistaken.

Jan 1, 1898

By F. R. Conley, D. A. Shock

Solution Mining or In Situ Mining has received increasing attention in the past few years because the method offers many attractive possibilities in improving the environmental impact of mining as well as making feasible the extraction of deeper, low value mineral reserves. This paper will present a brief discussion of the state-of- the-art in total solution, slurry removal and leach mining. As a specific example of utilizing the method, the uranium deposits of South Texas are a type of deposit which have been considered as being amenable to in situ leach mining. The parameters required to ascertain the amenability of such a deposit for in situ leaching will be presented. The hydrological factors which influence the production of the soluble uranium solutions and their displacement will be discussed. Mathematical models for various well configurations have been made and graphic representation will be presented to illustrate various production methods and the resultant hydrological consequences.

Jan 1, 1974

By J. E. Worthington, W. H. Spence, I. T. Kiff

Gold was discovered at the Haile mine in Lancaster County, South Carolina, in 1827 or 1828, and since that time the mine has been worked intermittently by both open-pit and underground methods until its forced closure in 1942 by World War II. Production figures are incomplete, especially for the early years, but the total gold produced is estimated to have been greater than 200,000 oz. Thus, the Haile mine has been the most productive gold mine in the eastern United States. The upper, residually enriched ores were relatively rich, but the bulk of the production has come from the mining of lower grade ores. General Geology The Haile mine is located in late Precambrian or early Paleozoic rocks of the Carolina slate belt at the edge of the Atlantic Coastal Plain [(Fig. 1)]. The metamorphic grade is lower greenschist facies and the rocks have been folded into a sequence of northeast-trending isoclinal folds. The gold is associated with siliceous, pyritic, and kaolinized felsic pyroclastic and tuffaceous rocks in an interbedded volcanic and volcanoclastic sequence of felsic to mafic tuffaceous rocks and argillaceous sediments [(Fig. 2)]. The ore bodies occur in two northeast trending zones approximately 500 m apart; each zone is 30-70 m wide and 600 m or more in length, with possible extensions to the east beneath the Coastal Plain sediments. Mineralogy. Gold in the Haile mine is always associated with siliceous and/or pyritic ores. The gold occurs in at least three states: As native gold as originally deposited; as residual gold derived from the breakdown of pyrite; and as gold included in pyrite. Major associated minerals in addition to quartz and pyrite are kaolinite, sericite, and iron oxides. Minor molybdenite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, copper sulfides, sphalerite, rutile, and topaz are also present. Petrology. The gold-bearing ore zones vary from highly siliceous rocks to pyritic massive sulfide lenses. This variation is most easily seen today along strike from the Haile pit to the Red Hill pit. Ore grade material still exposed in the wall of the Haile pit consists of a highly siliceous and very thinly bedded rock containing minor pyrite. Along strike, the character of the mineralization changes to pyritic massive sulfide lenses occurring interbedded with siliceous horizons at the Red Hill pit. The siliceous rocks vary from the thinly-bedded material as just described from the Haile pit to silicified fragmental-appearing rocks to totally recrystallized cherty rocks lacking any recognizable primary features. Scattered, apparently at random, throughout the very thinly-bedded and very fine-grained ore face of the Haile pit are seemingly anomalous silica-rich clasts or concretions up to 5 cm in diameter which will be discussed later in this paper. Alteration. One of the most striking features of the Haile deposit is the alteration mineral assemblage which is intimately associated with the siliceous and pyritic ores. This altered material has been intersected in drill core at depths greatly exceeding the modern weathering profile and is, therefore, of hydrothermal origin rather than from supergene processes. This "sericite," actually a fine-grained mixture of sericite, kaolinite, and quartz, can be shown to stratigraphically underlie the gold- quartz-pyrite zone, and is well exposed in the open pit just southeast of the Haile and Bumalo pits. Relict textures indicate that this highly altered material was originally a felsic ash flow. Other similar alteration zones have been found in outcrop and drill core underlying the remaining ore bodies. Thus each of the mineralized zones consists of two parts: A siliceous and/or pyritic gold-bearing ore zone which is stratigraphically underlain by a zone of high alumina minerals, in this case sericite and kaolinite along with variable amounts of quartz. A green chrome mica, presumably fuchsite, is present in trace amounts in the high alumina zone. Genesis An adequate model to explain the origin and distribution of the gold deposits in the Carolina slate belt is presently lacking. Worthington and Kiff1 suggested a volcanogenic origin for certain gold deposits in the North Carolina slate belt from the waning exhalations of felsic volcanic piles. They also pointed out that such an origin has similarities to many epithermal precious metal deposits located in more recent volcanic piles in the western United States. A further key to the understanding of the genesis of the gold mineralization at the Haile mine is the close association of the mineralization in siliceous and sulfidic horizons to the genetically related and stratigraphically underlying high alumina alteration. Such high-alumina alteration is common around felsic volcanic centers in the Carolina slate belt and the mineralogy as seen today consists of some combination of kaolinite, sericite, pyrophyllite, kyanite, andalusite or sillimanite depending on the local prevailing grade of metamorphism. Accompanying the high-alumina alteration are large quantities of pyrite and iron-oxide minerals as well as characteristic minor accessory minerals often including base metal sulfides, fluorine-bearing minerals (topaz, fluorite, apatite), titanium-bearing minerals (ilmenite, rutile),

Jan 1, 1981

By Morris Cohen

WITHIN the past two years, a number of publications have called attention to the double peaks, or stages, that appear in the hardness and strength curves of certain aging alloys. The author has shown the existence of double hardness peaks during the aging of a high-purity silver-copper alloy;' and on the basis of electrical resistance, microscopic, dilation and lattice-parameter measurements, he concluded that the initial hardness peak occurs prior to precipitation while the secondary hardening is due to precipitation. It was suggested that the general mechanism of age-hardening involves two consecutive processes, the first consisting of nucleus or knot' formation, and the second consisting of actual precipitation and particle growth. It was further held that the two stages are interdependent, but because of nonuniform precipitation they may overlap each other to an extent that increases as the aging temperature is raised. At high aging temperatures, the effect of the first stage cannot be detected because of the rapid occurrence of precipitation. . The general theory of age-hardening recently presented by Dr. M. L. V. Gayler3 is in close agreement with the picture outlined above. With reference to work done on duralumin, copper-beryllium and copper-silver alloys, Dr. Gayler also concluded that age-hardening takes place in two consecutive steps: first, diffusion (in which the solute atoms migrate to certain crystallographic planes), and then precipitation. However, W. L. Fink and D. W. Smith4 have shown that the double aging peaks that appear in the strength curves of high-purity aluminum-copper alloys may be explained without recourse to pre-precipitation phenomena. By means of very careful metallographic technique, Fink and Smith demonstrated that during aging the precipitation takes place at an accelerated rate along the grain boundaries and slip planes as a result of the plastic deformation caused by the drastic quench from the solution heat-treatment temperature. † The general precipitation occurs at a

Jan 1, 1938

By Richard Pearce

I am deeply sensible of the honor you have conferred on me in electing me your president for this year. It is difficult to understand why I have merited such distinction at your hands, except that I may possibly have helped, in some small way, in the develop ment of metallurgical practice in the West. I fear, however, that I shall fall far shirt of the expectations you may have in regard to my fitness for such a position. The responsibility of preparing an address for this occasion has caused me considerable thought and anxiety. Unlike my predecessors in office, many of whom have dealt in their presidential addresses with subjects covering a wide field, which they could survey with the confidence born of their own extensive knowledge, I have been confined by my experience, during the last twenty-five years, almost wholly to that portion of metallurgical science which bears especially on the treatment of gold and silver. Yet perhaps some sort of general review of the progress of this branch of metallurgy in the West, besides being the contribution I feel myself best qualified to offer, may prove acceptable to many of the members of the Institute. Some few of the gentlemen present will remember the crude condition of metallurgical practice as it was conducted in Colorado only twenty-five years ago. My own personal experience covers a period of eighteen years; and during this comparatively short time I have seen the most astonishing changes in the conduct of metallurgical works. In all probability the marked progress which this country has exhibited could hardly be reached anywhere else, and this result has been achieved mainly by the activity and enterprise so characteristic of the men of the West. The first little successful attempt at smelting made at Black Hawk, in 1867, by Ex-Senator N. P. Hill, representing the Boston and Colorado Smelting Company, proved a great boon to the miners,

Jan 1, 1890

By R. G. Hall

An article on the subject of electrolytic zinc no longer needs to be preceded by an apology. The production of zinc by electrolysis is past the laboratory stage and has become an economic factor of considerable importance in the total production of zinc in the United States. The various methods of procedure to be followed fa the greatest economy of manufacture are fairly well known, consequently a detailed description of any method is no longer necessary or desirable. In this paper I shall endeavor to lay down some of the governing conditions in this industry, the relation of methods to ore deposits, freight rates, and sources of power supply. Power Points Assuming for a moment that, for the present at least, the electrolytic production of zinc will be confined to Those localities having developed water power, a glance at these powers so developed in the United States, with their relation to known zinc orebodies of economic size, will not be without interest. Northwest In the Northwest we have water powers, developed and undeveloped, . in Washington and Montana. These must, of course, bear a close relation to the rapidly growing zinc production of the Coeur d'Alenes and of the Butte districts. In general, the power of the territory in question is relatively low-priced, at least as compared with the cost of developing power from coal, and the near neighborhood of large bodies of more or less complex zinc ores makes these water powers of more than usual interest. The same remarks may be applied equally to the developed water powers of the Canadian side of the line in the Northwest, where we have again commercially available complex ore deposits such as are being exploited today at and near Trail. California One of the large complex ore deposits of the far West is to be found in Shasta County in the immediate neighborhood of the territory of the

Jan 1, 1918

By Colin C. Harris, Nathaniel Arbiter

Current scale-up procedures are discussed critically, including: constant specific energy criterion; determination of mill size and power for a given ore, throughput and mesh of grind; specification of operating speed and loading. A major dynamic and kinetic factor now recognized is that the ratio of media rotational flow to ore axial flow, and the number of mill revolutions that ore is subjected to during residence, both diminish as mill diameter increases. These factors can lead to capacity limitations when mill diameters reach a critical range, especially regarding coarse sizes. Experience at the Bougainville and Pinto Valley operations is contrasted. Corrective measures suggested are to reduce loading and increase speed towards the Davis best operating speed.

Jan 1, 1982

By AIME

Generally speaking, the mining industry had a good year in 1948 with most mineral products being produced in record quantities for peacetime standards. The big boys-iron and steel, coal, and petroleum-indicated the industry-wide trend by surpassing 1947 production figures. Although exploration and expansion are being pushed aggressively in all branches of the industry, there is a pronounced trend to engineering and research directed at cutting production costs, improving the product, and finding new markets. These improvement campaigns are making headway; in the bituminous coal industry, 5.43 tons per man employed is the new production record; 83 million tons of iron ore were unloaded at lower Lake ports, breaking another peacetime record; magnesium, due to improvement in manufacturing techniques, now competes on the market with aluminum.

Jan 1, 1949