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By John L. Burns

The object of this chapter is to present data concerning the effect of the introduction of relatively slight amounts of carbon and nitrogen into supersaturated solution in iron. The study is confined to the alpha temperature range of both the Fe-C and Fe-N systems. The age-hardening characteristics of these two systems are considered. These data are compared to those of other age-hardening alloy systems and a "classification" is essayed. A.—Relation of Lattice Parameter and Electrical Conductivity to Changes in Physical Properties Due to Aging of Fe-C Alloys Since Whiteleyl in 1927 showed that some of the iron carbide that is normally present in slowly cooled low carbon-iron alloys disappears on rapid cooling from just below the A, point, interest has been manifested in the possibilities of age-hardening in these alloys. Masing and Koch,~ and at the same time and independently, W. Koster,~ proved these alloys to be age-hardenable. A. A. Bates4 a little later also published an interesting paper on changes in physical properties due to the aging of low-carbon steels. Many other papers have appeared showing changes in physical properties in specific instances due to this same phenomenon.

Jan 1, 1934

By Walter P. Jenkey

[ ] I. THE REDUCING ACTION OF CARBON AND OF HYDROCARBONS. Carbon has long been recognized as one of the most powerful reducing agents in the deposition of ores. Investigations, made by myself, of the zinc- and lead-deposits in Southwest Missouri, in the region centering about Joplin, where the formation of the metallic sulphides has been due to the action of bitumen, carbonaceous shales and bituminous coal, Lace afforded abundant evidence that the solid oxygenated hydrocarbons, particularly, when in fine powder and in suspension in the waters circulating through the ore-bodies, are the most energetic and powerful reducing agents known. Bitumen, liberated by the decomposition of the ore-bearing limestone, is found in the Joplin mines in all degrees of fluidity and hardness, dependent on the amount of oxidation it has undergone. From semi-fluid maltha it grades into partly oxidized mineral-pitch, which, by further oxidation, changes to hard asphalt, finally breaking up, from continued absorption of oxygen, into a fine powder resembling in appearance powdered coal. In this condition oxidized bitumen, from its light gravity, is transported readily in suspension in the underground circulating-waters. Bituminous coal and black carbonaceous clays and shales occur as surface formations, often in intimate association with

Jan 1, 1913

By John Burns

THE object of this chapter is to present data concerning the effect of the introduction of relatively slight amounts of carbon and nitrogen into supersaturated solution in iron. The study is confined to the alpha temperature range of both the Fe-C and Fe-N systems. The age-harden-ing characteristics of these two systems are considered. These data are compared to those of other age-hardening alloy systems and a "classifica-tion" is essayed. A.-RELATION OF LATTICE PARAMETER AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY TO CHANGES IN PHYSICAL PROPERTIES DUE TO AGING OF FE-C ALLOYS Since Whiteley1 in 1927 showed that some of the iron carbide that is normally present in slowly cooled low carbon-iron alloys disappears on rapid cooling from just below the A1 point, interest has been manifested in the possibilities of age-hardening in these alloys. Masing and Koch,2 and at the same time and independently, W. Koster,3 proved these alloys to be age-hardenable. A. A. Bates4 a little later also published an interesting paper on changes in physical properties due to the aging of low-carbon steels. Many other papers have appeared showing changes in physical properties in specific instances due to this same phenomenon.

Jan 1, 1934

Dr. Wadsworth's discussion of leaching is straightforward and certainly points out some of the critical areas in regards to the fundamental aspects of leaching. I will address myself to the more practical aspects of leaching. As a couple of general comments, very fine particles are often dealt with only when necessary. In many processing applications the sands and slimes are separated with the sand portion being treated by common metallurgical techniques and the slime portion being treated essentially by any technology that will recover some of the values. Ore treatment techniques such as leach/precipitate/float (LPF) have been used in the copper industry to take advantage of leachable copper preferentially reporting to the fine fraction. The second advantage, of course, is the improved metallurgy associated with the treatment of the sand fraction. Cases can be made for sand/slime separations in the aluminum and uranium industry where most of the value reports to the slime fraction and the sand fraction is rejected In the agitated leach systems, fine particles are often the most readily attacked and leached. In dump, vat and in-situ leaching, fine particles cause considerable problems. The fines will tend to restrict the solution flow from portions of the leach feed. This either causes a significantly reduced solution flow or, more probably, the solution will channel, by-passing much of the ore. In either case the result is a decreased metal recovery from ore. The fine particles of principal concern are clays of a flat plate-like shape which can very effectively compact, swell and cause a decreased solution flow. Discrete silica grains or sulfide grains due to their shape, even though they may be very fine, will not cause nearly the problems clays and secondary precipitates can cause.

Jan 1, 1979

Statistics compiled by the United States Geological Survey show that the iron ore mined in the United States in 1917 reached a total of 75,288,851 gross tons, exceeding the former record output of 1916 by 121,179 tons. The shipments from the mines in 1917 were 75, 573,181 gross tons, valued at $238,260,333, a decrease in quantity of 2,297,372 tons, or 2.95 per cent., and an increase in value of $56,358,056, or 30.98 per cent., over the shipments in 1916. The average value per ton at the mines for all grades of ore in 1917 was $3.15 as against $2.34 in 1916. Stocks of iron ore at mines, mainly in Minnesota and Michigan, amounted at the close of 1917 to 10,628,908 gross tons, compared with 10,876,352 gross tons in 1916. The quantity of pig iron, exclusive of ferro-alloys, sold or used in 1917, according to reports of producers to the United States Geological Survey, amounted to 38,612,546 gross tons, valued at $1,053,785,975; compared with 39,126,324 gross tons, valued at $663,478,118 in 1916, a decrease of 1.32 per cent. in quantity and an increase of 59 per cent. in value. The average price per ton at furnaces in 1917, as reported to the Survey, was $27.29, compared with $16.96 in 1916, an increase of 61 per cent. The production of pig iron, including ferro-alloys, was 38,647,397 gross tons in 1917, compared with 39,434,797 gross tons in 1916, a decrease of 4.5 per cent., according to figures published by the American Iron and Steel Institute, March 18, 1918.

Jan 12, 1918

By Charles L. Hosler

My function here today is not to illuminate any particular subject but simply to welcome you to Penn State and to the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our college is, of course, dedicated to the same thing to which most of you have dedicated your lives--the exploration of the earth, the extraction of materials from it, and the production of useful things from those materials. We have about 2,000 students engaged in studying in preparation for service in these activities at the present time. Like other colleges of our type, we've undergone a great expansion just at a time when university budgets are contracting. This creates an interesting situation as to how we can best use our resources. This, of course, is the thing a lot of you are going to be talking about here--how we can best use the world's resources. As you well know, the expectations of the people of the world are rising, and, with the numbers of people increasing and with finite resources, there never was a time in history when it was more important that we become "quantitative" in our discovery, estimation, extraction, and utilization of those resources. I think it is admirable and very timely that you are gathered together to discuss your various approaches to this particu¬lar problem of quantifying and making most efficient use of the resources of the world. Yours is sort of a hidden profession, not just because you actually go underground, but because the public in general is not aware of where the materials they use come from. If you are successful in your professions the public will continue to be unaware. Only if you fail will your essential function become patently obvious. I wish you success both in your professional pursuits and in this particular meeting.

Jan 1, 1977

By W. J. Sharwood

Discussion of the paper of W. J. SHARWOOD, presented at the San Francisco meeting, September, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 104, August, 1915, pp. 1671 to 1675. FREDERIC P. DEWEY, Washington, D. C. (communication to the Secretary*).-Even if the data given should be considered sufficient to support properly the empirical rule as stated, this rule would be of extremely limited application in miscellaneous assaying. Tile fixed conditions must include equality of gold and silver where mixed beads are concerned, owing to the wide variation in the specific gravity of gold and silver. Also, the fixed conditions must include the presence of the sane amounts of other base metals besides lead. Such an agreement is .often lacking even in the beads from two fusions of the salve ore. In practical work it is sufficiently general to be called universal that cupellation beads are not pure precious metal. An apparent loss in cupellation is an algebraic sum and in many cupellations the gains exceed the losses, especially with large beads where tile gains lie so completely in the judgment of the cupeller. For several years I have been engaged in an investigation into the conditions affecting the accuracy of gold-bullion assaying, and have just completed an examination of cupels which included the assaying of 10,000 used cupels. The grand result of the cupel work is an emphatic warning against drawing rigid conclusions regarding cupellation. It is so easy to say "If all other conditions remain the Same," but it is extremely difficult, and in practical work impossible, to maintain equal conditions. Cupel absorptions, which constitute such a large proportion of cupellation losses, and in many cases the only loss, may vary considerably in different parts of the same row of cupels, even in carefully regulated work.

Jan 12, 1915

By Harry Seltz, J. C. DeHaven

InteRmetallic compounds are formed in many binary metal systems. Some compounds are stable to their melting points, and others decompose at lower transition temperatures. Even those of the first class are dissociated in the liquid state, as indicated by the continuous form of their solubility curves at their melting points1. While the lattice structures of some of these compounds have been determined, their thermodynamic properties have not been investigated. In this paper is described the determination of the free energy and heat of formation of the compound CdSb, which is of the first class mentioned above, melting congruently at 455' C. This compound shows a rhombic structure, and the lengths of the edges of the elementary cell containing four molecules are: a = 6.52, b = 8.60, c = 4.16 A.' There are three possible methods of determining the free energy of formation of a compound of this type. The first method, applying the third law of thermodynamics, requires the measurement of its heat capacity preferably to liquid hydrogen temperatures, and a calorimetric determination of its heat of formation. The second method involves the study of the equilibrium of the compound in some gas reaction, such as: CdSb + CO² = CdO + CO + Sb From the known free energies of formation of CdO, CO² and CO the free energy of formation of CdSb could be calculated. The third method measures the electromotive force of a galvanic cell in which the cell reaction is the reversible formation of the compound from the elements. The first method is generally applicable, but requires elaborate experimental equipment. The second method can not be used for compounds melting at low temperatures, owing to the difficulty in establishing equilibrium. The electromotive force method, therefore, seemed to offer

Jan 1, 1935

By J. C. DeHaven, Harry Seltz

InteRmetallic compounds are formed in many binary metal systems. Some compounds are stable to their melting points, and others decompose at lower transition temperatures. Even those of the first class are dissociated in the liquid state, as indicated by the continuous form of their solubility curves at their melting points1. While the lattice structures of some of these compounds have been determined, their thermodynamic properties have not been investigated. In this paper is described the determination of the free energy and heat of formation of the compound CdSb, which is of the first class mentioned above, melting congruently at 455' C. This compound shows a rhombic structure, and the lengths of the edges of the elementary cell containing four molecules are: a = 6.52, b = 8.60, c = 4.16 A.' There are three possible methods of determining the free energy of formation of a compound of this type. The first method, applying the third law of thermodynamics, requires the measurement of its heat capacity preferably to liquid hydrogen temperatures, and a calorimetric determination of its heat of formation. The second method involves the study of the equilibrium of the compound in some gas reaction, such as: CdSb + CO² = CdO + CO + Sb From the known free energies of formation of CdO, CO² and CO the free energy of formation of CdSb could be calculated. The third method measures the electromotive force of a galvanic cell in which the cell reaction is the reversible formation of the compound from the elements. The first method is generally applicable, but requires elaborate experimental equipment. The second method can not be used for compounds melting at low temperatures, owing to the difficulty in establishing equilibrium. The electromotive force method, therefore, seemed to offer

Jan 1, 1935

By James Barr

The process of manufacturing ferrophosphorus lies not alone in smelting a mixture of phosphates, silica, iron ore, with coke as fuel, but upon smelting this mixture with coke and air as chemical agents as well as heat producers and in conjunction with extraordinary procedures and manipulations making the process continuous and profitable. For best results there must be cool top, limited fusion zone, hot bottom, good mechanical condition of stock and perfect distribution of gases; also minimum air supply, high heats and excess of coke or carbon. FERROPHOSPHORUS, an alloy of phosphorus and iron or perhaps a physical mixture of definite compounds of iron and phosphorus, has become of increasing importance as the use of the basic open hearth has extended. Commercial ferrophosphorus is a porous, brittle metal of crystalline structure and often with a bluish metallic luster. A typical analysis is as follows: PER CENT. Phosphorus 18.0 to 22.0 Iron 80.0 76.0 Oxygen 0.2 Sulfur : 0.3 Silicon 0.1 Carbon : 0.1 Manganese 0.2 This alloy was first made in an electric furnace, as it was thought that the high heat of the electric arc together with the reductive effect of carbon was necessary. About 1898, J. J. Gray, Jr., was producing a high-phosphorus pig iron in his furnace at Rockdale, Tenn., by using high-phosphorus, local iron ores. As these high-phosphorus ores were difficult to obtain, he conceived the idea of increasing the phosphorus content of the pig iron by the addition of phosphate rock to the furnace burden. When the phosphorus content of the pig was kept low and only small amounts of phosphate rock were added to the burden, no particular troubles were encountered, but when he increased the amount of phosphate rock to produce an 18 per cent. alloy, his furnace troubles rapidly multiplied.

Jan 10, 1924

By H. E. Lee, P. C. Feddersen

Blast-fuRnace operation at the Bunker Hill smelter deviates somewhat from common practice. Under existing conditions it is economical to operate the furnaces at "forced" capacity. The furnace feed consists chiefly of sinter and averages close to 50 per cent lead. Experience in smelting such material favors a low charge column attended by smaller proportions of coke and a low blast pressure. Under such conditions the gain in furnace tonnage greatly overbalances the somewhat higher slag losses and increased percentage of material fumed Furnace Charge The ingredients for the blast-furnace feed are stored in a group of 24 charge bins (3600 cu. ft. capacity). Each bin has two discharge chutes. Beneath each chute is a steel weighing hopper, suspended from a Fairbanks scale. The several hoppers are kept filled with the exact amount of material required to complete a furnace charge. The weighed material is discharged into a standard-gauge, bottom-dump charge car containing two compartments, each of which holds a complete charge (approximately 1½ tons). It is hauled to the blast furnace by a 44011 electric trolley locomotive. The proportionate parts of the various constituents of a representative blast-furnace charge are shown in Table 1. Table 1.—Representative Blast-furnace Charge at Bunker Hill Smelter Material Pounds Sinter.................................................. 2500 Limerock............................................... 0- 50 Coke................................................. 250-300 Scrap iron.............................................. 0-25 Settler skulls.......................................... 75 Undried zinc-plant residue................................ 0-200 Siliceous ore............................................ 25 Baghouse dust.......................................... 0-50 By-product slag......................................... 100 A variable stock tonnage of zinc-plant residue and return by-products results in fluctuations in the percentages of these materials in the blastfurnace feed. Accompanying such variations are corresponding increases or decreases in the amounts of coke, limerock and scrap iron necessary to obtain good furnace operation and adequate reduction.

Jan 1, 1937

By C. E. Arnold

A BRIEF description of this installation was included in a recent paper by H. Kenyon Burch.1 The purpose of the present paper is to amplify Mr. Burch's description, as it is felt by the writer that the subject merits more than passing attention. In making a comparison between the common method of hoisting men in mine shafts, and elevator practice in high buildings, the former shows to great disadvantage both as regards safety measures and smoothness of operation. It is surprising that in view of the inducements offered, the step of applying the building equipment direct to the mine shaft has not been taken before, as in many respects the conditions of service are similar, and the objects to be attained are identical. Even without doing this, it is certain that safety to life and limb in the usual method of hoisting men underground can be greatly enhanced by the application to the mine hoist, of some of the features of the building elevator. In the case under consideration, the elevator cage runs in a vertical, concrete-lined shaft compartment 5 ft. 11 in. by 5 ft. 6 in. (1.8 by 1.68:m.) in section and 585 ft. (178 m.) deep, while the counterweight runs in the pipe and ladder compartment of a twin shaft 102 ft. (31 m.) distant. The section of the division of this compartment occupied by the counterweight measures 2 ft. 4 ¼ , in. by 3 ft. 10 ½ in. (0.72 by 1.18 m.), and the counterweight is made in the form of a small cage which. suffices to carry two men for the purpose of making inspections or repairs in the pipe and ladder way.

Jan 12, 1917

By H. S. Fleming

My original intention was to give a full account of Southern furnaces, ores and cokes; but, owing to the difficulty of getting reliable information, I confine this paper to a general description of the ores used in, and immediately around, Chattanooga. Mr. L. S. Colyar, Manager of the Rising Fawn furnace, wrote me in answer to an inquiry as to what ores they were using, " Below I give you analyses of the mixture of ore we have been using for the past seven or eight years. We haven't a complete analysis of any ores, but I will give them to you as I have them. Attalla Soft Rising Fawn Hard Rising Fawn Red Ore. Red Ore. Soft Ore. Iron,.... 50.60 38.48 46.82 Silica,. .. 11.69 7.32 22.69 Phosphorus,. .. 1.06 .319 .350 This is a fair average of all the ores we get in this section." The following analyses of Birmingham soft ore were received from the Morris Mining Co., of that place. No. 1. NO. 2. No. 3. No. 4. Iron.....51.60 54.88 51.04 51.20 Silica,. .. 19.32 10.60 17.32 17.08 Alumina,....19 .88 1.18 Phosphorus,. ..129 .287 .116 .464 Mine No. 1, second vein, shows: iron, 46.40; alumina, 4.92; phosphorus,.212; silica, 19.60. Mine No. 1, by analyses obtained from the Mary Pratt Furnace CO., shows: Iron. Silica. Fine red ore,.49.00 18.38 Lump red ore,...54.42 17.10 Bottom vein,.50.00 21.38 Bottom vein,.41.24 13.52 A lot of this ore delivered in Chattanooga gave : iron, 53.32; alumina, 2.10; phosphorus,.529; silica, 18.03.

Jan 1, 1887

By Halbert Powers Gillette

FROM the known laws of physical chemistry I believe it can be shown that progressive mass movement of water solutions in channels has seldom been the means of ore-concentration in veins. It is my purpose in this paper to show that the force known as “osmosis” has been the principal factor in ore-formation. Convection-currents have doubtless supplemented osmosis, and the two working together have been the agencies that have gathered the scattered particles of rare minerals into the larger masses which are called ore. Osmosis is commonly thought of as a vague, feeble force that causes slow diffusion of dissolving matter through the solvent. That it is a measurable force, often of great intensity, few know, except those who are familiar with the laws of modern physical chemistry. Therefore, I may be pardoned for going briefly into the elementary mathematics of osmotic pressure and of convection-currents. The velocity of water moving through any channel is given by the Chézy formula: (1) v = c [/rs], in which r is the hydraulic mean radius; s, the slope of the channel in which gravity is the sole propulsive force; and c, the coefficient of roughness of the sides of the channel. From this formula it is evident that the smaller the channel, the smaller the velocity of water under a constant head. In rock-crevices, therefore, where the head is constant, water moves much more slowly than in large fissures, and in moving through sand or porous rock it is to an even greater degree retarded. Hence, if a mass of water-saturated sand be heated, the finer the sand-grains, the more slowly will the temperature rise at parts remote from the source of heat. Conversely, cooling is retarded the smaller the interstices or channels through which the convection-currents move. The importance of this

Jan 1, 1913

By HOWARD I. YOUNG

F. W. SPERR, Houghton, Mich.-Why does 10 to 20 per cent. of the ore formation have to he lost? It is not clear to me why it should not all be taken out, from the conditions as I saw them underground this afternoon. H. I. YOUNG.-The grade of our ore is so low that we cannot stand the expense of timbering to support the roof, which, in a sheet-ground mine, would be from 25 to 50 per cent. of our total mining cost at present. After the orebody is mined out, we can often recover 10 to 20 per cent. of the material that is left. F. W. SPERR.-I think it should be a very simple mining engineering problem to mine all of that mineral without the use of a stick of timber. Similar work has been done in the mines of Grand Rapids Plaster Co. The usual operation in deposits of this kind is to open up and excavate as far as the roof will stand; when it caves, start in and dig somewhere else. But in the case I referred to they learned that by working the ground more systematically and leaving in a sufficient amount of pillar, they could later draw those pillars and get them all, and avoid uncon¬trolled breakages which would be likely to occur if they tried to hold up the overburden permanently. From the point of view of safety and also from the financial point of view, I contend that it is better to keep the caving under control and make it do what you want it to do, rather than to take out what you can conveniently for the time being and after a while be compelled to let the overburden do what it pleases.

Jan 1, 1918

By B. H. Sage, W. N. Lacey, W. M. Morris

The volumetric behavior of isobutane at temperatures below its critical temperature has been studied by several investigators. Seibert and Burrelll measured the vapor pressure of isobutane from the ice point to the critical temperature. Dana and co-workers2 determined among other thermodynamic quantities the density of the saturated liquid and the saturated gas and the vapor pressure from approximately 0 to 130 F. Sage and Lacey3 studied a number of the thermodynamic properties of this hydrocarbon from 70" to 250" F. The specific volume in the gas and liquid region was determined at pressures up to 3000 Ib. per sq. in.? throughout this temperature interval. In addition, the vapor pressures were measured at 30" intervals. These data taken together serve to establish the thermodynamic behavior of isobutane at temperatures between 0" and 250" F. with reasonable accuracy. However, apparently there are no data available at the higher temperatures. For this reason an investigation of the volumetric behavior of isobutane at temperatures between 100" and 460" F. was carried out with apparatus that has been described in another paper (p. 136, this volume). Materials The isobutane used in this investigation was obtained from the Philgas Division of the Phillips Petroleum Co. That company's special analysis upon this sample indicated it to contain less than 0.03 mol per cent of impurities. In order to avoid traces of noncondensable gases, this hydrocarbon material was subjected to two successive fractionations at a high reflux ratio in a column approximately 4 ft. long and % in. in diameter, which was packed with small glass rings. The middle portion of distillate from the first fractionation was used in the second fraction-ation and a portion of the overhead from this second distillation process was repeatedly condensed at liquid-air temperatures at a pressure only slightly above the sublimation pressure of isobutane at this temperature.

Jan 1, 1940

By O. P. Hood

.NONE of the methods now in use for the transportation of materials underground is entirely free from more or less serious objection. The great flexibility, ease, of control and economy of operation of electric tramming are accompanied by the serious menace of a trolley-wire distributing system. As the gasoline locomotive has even greater flexibility of application and requires no similar dangerous distributing system, it might be considered a safety device which would make possible the elimination of the dangerous trolley system were it not possessed of other objectionable qualities peculiar to itself. It is found that the exhaust gases from the engine may be injurious to the health of those breathing the air in which the locomotive has been operating. While electric shock may kill the individual who makes contact with uninsulated parts, the gasoline engine may be detrimental to the health of all those who have to work within the atmosphere corrupted by exhaust gases. The degree of pollution meas-ures the magnitude of the menace. This may be negligible at times, but with careless operation it becomes serious. The exhaust gases from an engine are composed of, nitrogen, a little free oxygen, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, the last two being considered dangerous. The presence of carbon dioxide as a product of combustion of the gasoline was recognized as an objection from the beginning of the use of these machines, but attention was called to the fact that the amount produced was relatively small as compared to that from other sources of this gas, and it was not likely to be made in dangerous quantities. The effect of carbon dioxide, except in relatively large percentages, is confined to the effect it may have in reducing the oxygen content of the air that is breathed.

Jan 10, 1914

By T. P. Floridis

It was deemed desirable to obtain an understanding of the vacuum desulfurization process. McKechnie1 has reported that the sulfur content of nickel- and cobalt-base alloys is reduced in vacuo. Keverian and Taylor2 have observed that vacuum melting causes desulfurization of iron-carbon-silicon alloys. Garnyk and samarin3 have desulfurized transformer steel by vacuum treatment. Experiments were conducted in order to investigate the desulfurization of liquid iron under reduced pressures, and to establish the effect of some alloying elements, and various crucible materials. A vacuum-induction furnace of 50-lb capacity was used. The charge was Armco iron. Silicon was added as 90 pct ferrosilicon, carbon as electrode graphite, and aluminum as high-purity aluminum metal. Magnesia and silica crucibles were used, their inside diameters were 5 1/2 and 5 3/8 in., respectively. The temperature was measured with an optical pyrometer and it was held at 1600 1 15°C. Samples were withdrawn with quartz tubes of 6 mm ID, without disturbing the furnace atmosphere. Pressures were measured with an alphatron gage. The experimental results are shown in Fig. 1. They indicate that: 1) Sulfur can be removed from liquid iron alloys by vacuum treatment; 2) The desulfurization is enhanced by the presence of silicon, carbon, and aluminum, all these elements increase the activity of sulfur dissolved in liquid iron;4 3) The pronounced effect of silicon indicates that probably a volatile silicon sulfide is formed, Alcock and Richardson5 have observed a similar phenomenon; 4) The same rate of desulfurization was obtained when the metal was contained in either magnesia or silica crucibles. Dr. J. Keverian has contributed many discussions and recommendations. M. S. Sutliff has helped in conducting the heats. The permission of General Electric Co. for this publication is gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1960

By W. E. Mitchell

ELECTROLYTIC, production of cadmium at the Great Falls plant started in the first part of the year 1925. Prior to that time, an experi¬mental unit had been in operation for a few months during the year . 1922. At present the plant is the largest producer of cadmium, not only in the United States but in the world. Electrolytic cadmium is characterized by its very low content of impurities. The main impurities, which are lead, copper, zinc, and iron, do not aggregate more than 0.05 per cent., leaving a cadmium content better than 99.95 per cent. The consumption of cadmium has increased rapidly since the war, with the growing use in the plating industry. Cadmium plating has come into prominence because of its connection with the automobile and radio industries. As a protective coating, a deposit of, cadmium is superior to zinc. Cadmium is also used extensively in alloys. Important among these is the alloy with copper used in telephone and trolley wire. In proportion of 0.5 to 1.2 per cent., cadmium adds materially to the strength and wearing qualities. Practically all commercial zinc concentrates contain a small amount of cadmium. In the electrolytic zinc process, the cadmium that is dissolved in the regular leaching operation is removed from solution with metallic zinc, generally added in the form of zinc dust. This precipitate also contains the copper taken into solution and the excess of zinc dust, which is required in order to insure a complete removal of all impurities. The precipitate is treated by a separate process to recover the copper, cadmium and excess zinc. In order to make the metals more soluble and to render insoluble such impurities as iron, arsenic and antimony, the precipitate is roasted. The roasting is carried out in gas-fired McDougall furnaces, with a roasting temperature of about 700° C.

Jan 1, 1930

By Ernest Robinson

SINCE the early nineties, there has been a persistent belief in some minds that petroleum in commercial quantities exists in Montana. It is, however, only comparatively recently that commercial produc-tion has been secured. . The earliest deep boring in the plains region of Montana was made in what is now Blaine County, in 1890, by the town of Chinook in an effort to secure artesian water. The well reached a depth of 956 ft. without developing an adequate supply of fresh water, but the drillers reported shows of oil and gas. In 1892, the Quartermaster's Depart-ment of the U. S. Army drilled a hole at Fort Assini-boine, northwest of the Bearpaw Mountains, in essentially flat-lying sediments to secure water for the military establishment. This well reached a depth of 1500 ft. and shows of oil and gas were reported. In 1903 and 1904, two wells were drilled within what is now the Glacier National Park in an effort to develop oil production. Shows of oil and gas were encountered at several horizons but no commercial production was brought in. The extraordinary geological conditions in the area where these wells were drilled should be mentioned. The thrusts from the southwest which, in other places along the Rocky Mountain front, resulted in folding, here developed the great Lewis overthrust fault. It is in fact largely to this fault that the magnificent scenery of the Glacier Park is due. A great thickness of Algonkian strata belonging to the Belt series was thrust northeastward over the upper Cretaceous sediments. The derricks under which the wells referred to were drilled were in moun-tains composed of very old rocks but the holes were drilled through Cretaceous sediments.

Jan 7, 1923