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By R. E. Somers

Discussion of the paper of R. E. SOMERS, presented at the San Francisco meeting, September, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 101, May, 1915, pp. 957 to 996. A. C. LAWSON, Berkeley, Cal.-One point to which Mr. Graton (in summarizing the paper for us) called attention is that the author had not explained why some copper was fixed in the zone of oxidation. I recollect very well puzzling over that question at Ely, Nev., some years ago. Mr. Sales, in his paper on Butte,1 suggests the explanation. It is clue according to him to the paucity of pyrite in the primary ore. Where there is abundant pyrite sufficient sulphuric acid is formed by oxidation to take all the copper into solution and carry it to lower levels; but where the pyrite is scant so that insufficient sulphuric acid is formed, some of the copper is carbonated and so fixed in the gossan. The hypothesis, or some modification of it, as for example the combination of the sulphuric acid with lime, would appear to explain satisfactorily the fixation of the copper in the gossan as carbonate. I have, however, had no occasion in recent years to study the phenomenon. L. C. GRATON, Cambridge, Mass.-As I remember, the rocks in which the chrysocolla occurs in the Burro Mountains are both silicified and kaolinized. It seems probable that in surroundings deficient in carbon dioxide, complete oxidation of chalcocite may yield chrysocolla up to a maximum of half the copper in the chalcocite; while in rocks, like garnet contact zones and certain easily decomposable porphyries, surface decomposition appears often to yield silica in the necessary form to convert the copper of primary sulphides into chrysocolla immediately and directly upon oxidation.

Jan 12, 1915

A MINING institute open to all men interested in any branch of the mining industry will be held at the Col-lege of Mines, University of Washington, Seattle, during the week beginning March 5. Prospectors, miners, mine owners, persons interested in metallurgy, investors in min-ing enterprises, and the public generally are invited to at-tend. This institute will take the place of the Winter Min-ing Session which originated at Seattle in 1897 and con-tinued for twenty-eight years. The complete new equip-ment of the Mines Laboratory will be used to give demon-strations of new machines and processes of mining, ore dressing, and metallurgy. This year the ceramic industry, including cement and branches of clay working of special Importance in the Northwest, will be included in the insti-tute. All instruction will be given by specialists. Prominent technical men and managers will give lectures on their special subjects. Among the speakers engaged are G. T. Jackson, formerly superintendent of the Alaska-Gas-tineau and the Chichagof mines, who will speak on the mining of large bodies of low-grade ore; R. F. McElvenny, superintendent of the Tacoma Smelter, on the nature of contracts that a smelter can offer to mines and prospects; M. D. Leehey, mining lawyer, on some popular errors re-garding the mining law; H. H. Townsend, on the explora-tion and purchase of prospects by operating companies; J. L. McAllen, on quartz mining in the Willow Creek dis-trict, Alaska; F. Powell, on gold dredging. In the evenings, lectures illustrated by stereopticon views and moving pic-tures will be given. The week will close with an excursion o mines and plants.

Jan 3, 1928

Doctor David Yang has presented an important new flotation development in the area of fine particle flotation technology; at the same time Dr. Yang presents an explanation for the effectiveness of this improved new fine flotation system in terms of an optimum dispersion state. The same statement is made for the case of carrier flotation (ultraflotation), in the removal of anatase from kaolinite by addition of calcite (selective flocculation of the anatase - calcite system and dispersion of kaolinite). Dr. Yang's data and statements raise some important questions, and I will adress myself to the more fundamental aspects of this new flotation system. The addition of sodium silicate, well known as a good depressant-dispersant agent for siliceous gangue minerals, is proved to be greatly enhanced by the incorporation of polyvalent metal salts into sodium silicate prior to flotation, producing in this manner a condition, as described by Dr. Yang, of optimum dispersion, which in the case of fine-grained oxidized taconite can be described as selective flocculation (coagulation) of hematite and almost complete dispersion of siliceous gangue components. Dr. Yang recognizes that the main mechanism, while not completely understood at this time, seems to operate by modifying the surface characteristics of the gangue slime particles so as to prevent collector from bonding there to, and making the particles strongly hydrophilic so they will become fully dispersed and consequently will not float during froth flotation. At the same time it appears that the conditioning reagent also modified the surface characteristics of the floated minerals (hematite and spodumene in this case) so that they will aggregate and tend to more readily adsorb the collector, resulting in an improved flotation kinetics and selectivity.

Jan 1, 1979

By Ashbel Welch

Gentlemen of the American Institude of Mining Engineers.—As you well know an application is about to be made to Congress, by the American Society of Civil Engineers, for the appointment of a cornmission composed of persons skilled in the production and use of iron, steel, and other structural materials, whose duty it shall be to test the strength, elasticity, and other quatities of such materials ; not simply the substances used as such, but the members of large structures composed of such materials, of the forms and sizes in which they are actually used. As I understand, the papers that will be read here to- night will have for their object to show the necessity for such tests, and therefore the necessity for the commission asked for. As the representative of the Society of Civil Engineers, I have to thank you, gentlemen of the Mining Engineers, for the great zeal with which yon have taken up this subject, and seconded the efforts of the Civil Engineers; or, perhaps I ought rather to say, initiated the efforts to get a suitable commission appointed to obtain most vitally important information which it is admitted on all hands we do not now posses. In drawing up the memorial to Congress, in connection with some of the ablest and best informed of our Society, and in all the discossions on the subject, I have been struck with the emphasis with which the confession is made, that so little is known of the strength of the larger-sized members constantly used in building structures of the magnitude which the present requirements of the country now demand. I presume the remarks made to-night will bring this out very prominently. This is no disgrace, for with the means here-

Jan 1, 1882

By William R. Rumbold

When I was in South Africa during the latter part of 1904, there were three known tin-fields, which may be called the Cape Town, the Bushveld, and the Swaziland fields. The Cape Town Tin-Field. This district is situated near Kuils river, 20 miles west of Cape Town, and 5 miles from Kuils River station on the Cape Town & Stellenbosch railway. The deposits are in granite, intrusive in the Malmesbury beds, which are supposed to be of Silurian or Cambrian age. The granite, resisting denudation better than the surrounding shales, has formed low-lying hills, the highest of which, the Bottlelary Berg, is 1,510 ft. above sea-level. The rock consists of quartz, orthoclase feldspar, and biotite mica; tourmaline is also present. The feldspar occurs in large crystals. The rock is generally decomposed on the surface, and the decomposition sometimes extends as deep as 100 ft. This formation—granite intrusive in Silurian shales— extends for many miles to the northeast, but so far as I know the Kuils River deposits are the only ones now known to occur in it, though probably further prospecting will reveal other deposits. This particular discovery was accidental; alluvial tin being found in the course of boring for oil. The Kuils River Deposit. This deposit comprises both lode and alluvial tin. The lode strikes N-S., and dips about 30' E. into the hill. It is 5 ft. wide, and composed of dense white quartz, in which pinkish-gray cassiterite is distributed in large crystals. The vein also contains considerable quantities of wolframite. Fig. 1 is a rough plan of the relative positions of the lode and the alluvial deposit, the latter, as shown, following the course of a stream, while the lode crops out on the hillside ,

Jan 1, 1909

By AIME AIME

THE time of the Section delegates was economized this year by providing the section reports in mimeo- graphed form, together with the reports of the officers and committees of the Institute, for their consideration on arrival. The meeting was called for Thursday forenoon and despite a certain amount of oratory managed to get through before all the luncheon was gone. In all, nine section delegates and one from the Iron and Steel Division attended and took part. One delegate, who had come many miles, got lost in the complication of the program and failed to attend. Six appointed dele- gates failed to attend and two sections neglected to make appointments.

Jan 1, 1929

THE BULOLO gold-dredging operations were described at some length by Frank W. Griffin at the Oct. 11 meeting of the San Francisco Section. This enterprise is on the island of New Guinea, about 1800 miles north of Sydney, Australia. The area in which the present placers exist originally was German territory but later the location was taken over by Australians. Gold was discovered in 1923 by prospectors who required 8 to 9 days to pack into the country over severe mountain trails. In 1926 a rich discovery was made on Edie Creek and in 1927 the deposit on the Bulolo River was discovered.

Jan 1, 1932

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 AIME AIME

TO attempt to say anything adequate about Eugene McAuliffe as a human being, engineer, or executive in this brief space is ridiculous, for one could extol his virtues at length in all three catagories. Too, one might dwell on his good humor, and also his modesty, for lie did not wish even these few words to be said, "having no illusions regarding either ability or achievement, not even blessed with good looks." Mr. McAuliffe was born in England just seventy years ago. Twenty years later he started at the bottom with the Northern Pacific, gradually being promoted to locomotive fireman, engineer, and so

Jan 1, 1936

Annual Meeting, February 17 to 19, 1914.-The following Committees have been appointed to have charge of the arrangements for the Annual Meeting in New York City: . General Committee: Louis D. Huntoon, Chairman; Arthur S. Dwight, Vice-Chairman; W. deL. Benedict, George F. Kunz, Thomas T. Read, E. Maltby Shipp. Reception Committee for Each Day: Chairmen to be announced later. Banquet Committee : Theodore Dwight, Chairman. Luncheon Committee: E. Maltby Shipp, Chairman. Ladies' Committee: Mrs. Arthur S. Dwight. Badge Committee : George F. Kunz, Chairman; E. Maltby Shipp, Vice-Chairman. Program Committee: Thomas T. Read, Chairman. Bureau of Registration and Information: Burr A. Robinson, Chairman.

Jan 1, 1914

ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this Beading will lie published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Member,, technical graduate, aged 38, 14 years' experience in engineering, exploration, and management of copper, pyrite, and large iron mines, safety work, professor of mining in large university. Married. Open for position after June 10. No. 205. Member, graduate engineer, aged 44, with over 20 years' experience in connection with large coal and coke operations in different parts of the country, desires position as general superintendent of large coal company, or will take an interest with the management in a smaller company. No. 206.

Jan 5, 1915

WILDER D. BANCROFT,* Washington, D. C. (written discussion?).¬In two-phase systems there are three possibilities and Mr. Alexander has only considered two. We may have the first phase the internal one and the second the external one; we may have the first phase the external one and the second phase the internal one; and we may have both phases continuous. This last case occurs when we have a roll of wire fencing standing in the air; the wire is continuous and so is the air. It is quite probable that this case occurs very often in alloys and it it, therefore, important that it should not be overlooked. With gulch,

Jan 3, 1919

The volumes of Transactions, which are published annually, contain the list of officers, rules, etc., the Proceedings, and the papers revised for final publication. (In this revision, after the preliminary publication, authors are permitted to use the largest liberty; and the changes and additions made in papers are sometimes important. It should be borne in mind by those who study or quote a paper in the preliminary edition, that they may not have in that form the ultimate and deliberate expression of the author's views. It should be added, however, that in the majority of cases there are no important changes.) These volumes are for sale as follows, in paper covers:

Jan 1, 1910

Percussion drilling with tungsten carbide insert button bits ranks among the most significant advances in both underground and surface drilling in medium and hard rock formations. Getting top performance and life from these upfront components is not particularly difficult if one pays attention to the basics in operation and maintenance. For some reason, a few of the essential operating and maintenance steps for getting the most from these tools seem to have gotten turned around; instead of operating at the near optimum levels, some miners, in following myths or misunderstandings about them, are shortchanging their optimal utilization. Let's examine the two most harmful ones.

Jan 8, 1978

The volumes of Transactions, which are published annually, contain the list of officers, rules, etc., the Proceedings, and the papers revised for final publication. (In this revision, after the preliminary publication, authors are permitted to use the largest liberty; and the changes and additions made in papers are sometimes important. It should be borne in mind by those who study or quote a paper in the preliminary edition, that they may not have in that form the ultimate and deliberate expression of the author's views. It should be added, however, that in the majority of cases there are no important changes.) These volumes are for sale as follows, in paper covers:

Jan 1, 1917

By Harold V. Pearce

The fire which occurred in the fall of 1906, at the works of the Boston & Colorado Smelting Co., Argo, Colo., destroyed entirely the gold- and silver-refinery of the plant, and in view of the development of modern practice in the refining of copper-mattes, etc., the management decided that it would be inadvisable to rebuild that part of the works for the continued use of the process which had been conducted therein for so many years as a metallurgical secret. This decision probably removes altogether from the sphere of practice the '(Pearce" method for the separation of gold. At all events, it removes the busi-

Jan 1, 1909

By Fred Porter

Pollution problems from smelters may be unique in industry since the pollutants cover the wide range of SOx, particulates, carcinogens (arsenic), plus a number of heavy metals, the health implications of which are not clearly understood. In addition to this wide range of pollutants, many of the plants are extremely old; and fugitive emissions may, in fact, be the most significant air pollution problem. The Environmental Protection Agency, both in an in-house and contract effort, has assessed the quantity of pollutants emitted and evaluated the health impact. This paper will review the status of EPA's regulatory efforts in both new and existing smelters in light of these pollutant assessment studies.

Jan 1, 1976

It was customary formerly to publish an index of the Transactions about every fifth volume, but since the Institute began in 1913 to publish three volumes instead of one volume per year, this has been deemed impracticable and unnecessary. No collective index has been published since the one covering Volumes I to XXXV inclusive, excepting a short one covering Volumes XXXVI to XL inclusive. The Board of Directors, therefore, upon the recommendation of the Committee on Papers and Publications, decided to publish this index of Volumes XXXVI to LV inclusive, and thus enable members to have in condensed space the collective indexes of all the volumes of the Transactions.

Jan 1, 1918

RECENTLY seven Boy Scouts were chosen from all the troops in the United States for their all-around ability, excellence in' scouting, and special ability as writers. Two of the members of this selected group were sons of In-stitute members. In the accompanying illustration, Ber-nard Queneau, son of A. L. J. Queneau, of the U. S. Steel. Corp., can be seen at the extreme left, just behind Theo-dore Roosevelt, who is shaking hands with the boy next to. Carl Zapffe (standing in the middle with his hands behind him), the son of Carl Zapffe, manager of the iron ore prop-erties of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Jan 6, 1928

By W. O. Philbrook

ALTHOUGH the actual output of about 89 million tons fell a little short of the hopes and more optimistic predictions of the beginning of 1943, the American iron and steel industry last year produced the record tonnage of its history. It was sufficient to catch up somewhat on the crucial needs for prosecution of the war though an excess of demand over available supply of steel still persists in most categories. It will be necessary during the coming year for the operators to continue to devote all of their efforts and ingenuity to obtaining the utmost tonnage both from existing units and from new facilities still to be brought into production.

Jan 1, 1944