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THE SECRETARY The year 1917 has been a notable one in Institute affairs. The usual activities, including meetings, publications, local section interests, library service, and so-forth, have been continued on at least the same scale as previously, and in addition the resources of the Institute have been placed without stint at the service of the Nation, not only for the active prosecution of the military side of the war, but even more especially in the industrial operations which form the very basis of modern warfare. The officers and directors of the Institute have labored both officially and individually, while the Institute as a body, through committees of, prominent members, and through many individual members, has given freely. Finally, Institute funds have been appropriated to an amount exceeding $5000 to accomplish the cooperation with Government bureaus, and provide committee expenses necessary for performing the services that have been given. The President of the Institute had a very large personal share in many of these activities, which will be described in the following pages, as well as in the President's own report. Many of the Institute's members are giving their whole time for. $1 a year, or less, and especial mention should be made of Herbert C. Hoover, Food Administrator, W. L. Honnold, Head of the Commission for Relief in Belgium, Mark L. Requa, Petroleum Administrator, Edgar Rickard and Charles W. Merrill of the Food Administration, S. A. Taylor of the Fuel Administration, W. L. Saunders, B. B. Thayer and Joseph W. Richards who .are giving a. large share of their time to the Naval Consulting Board, W. Y. Westervelt, W.0. Hotchkiss and Harvey S. Mud of the War Minerals Committee, David W. Brunton of the War Committee of Technical Societies, and hundreds of others whose names are mentioned in the Honor Roll of Members. It has also been a notable year in cooperation with sister-societies. The most important event under this head was the accession of the American Society of Civil Engineers into the fraternity of Founder Societies.

Jan 2, 1918

(There are 82 Local Sections in the United States, 10 Foreign) ADIRONDACK Established June 18, 1952 Official year begins in January Meets next to last Saturday monthly April through October Local Section Dues AIME Mbrs $2 Affiliate Mbrs $3 Severn P Brown, Chairman George E Erdman, Vice-Chairman Patrick F Farrell, Secretary-Treasurer Republic Steel Corp Mineville, N Y

Jan 1, 1960

Beyond the industrial suburbs of Melbourne to the southeast are brown coal deposits just under the fertile soil of the Latrobe Valley. These deposits rank as one of the wonders of the world. The manner in which this resource is put to use is one of the great engineering accomplishments of our time and also a prime example of Australian elan. The brown coal, with over 60% water content, occurs in beds from 200 to 400 ft thick, under 50 ft of cover. Fifty thousand tons of coal per day move in a nearly continuous stream from mining face to boilers. The power plants supply two thirds of the State of Victoria's requirements, about 800 megawatts. Surge capacity between mine and power plant is sufficient for 12 hr steaming time! Victorian brown coals have been known since the middle of the 19th century. However, it took a strike of bituminous coal miners in 1915 to bring brown coal permanently into the picture as a fuel for power generation. In Australia, power generation is a State function. The great development of brown coals has been under the State Electricity Commission of Victoria.

Jan 10, 1964

By Roswell Johnson

THE prevailing system of wells on a rectangular basis, as shown in Fig. 1-A, has developed because of the exigencies of offsetting at boundary lines. When, however, a very large tract is, being drilled, it is often possible to abandon this inferior method for the superior arrangement C- PROPER STAGGERING FIG. 1.-THREE SYSTEMS OF SPACING WELLS. known as "staggering," which is illustrated in Fig. 1, B and C. The advantages of the triangular over the rectangular method are evident from Fig. 2, computed on the basis of one well to 10 acres (4 ha.). With the triangular system, no land is more than 409.4 ft. (124.8 m.) from a

Jan 8, 1918

By Fred A. Anderson, George B. Wallace, Edward J. Slebir

Auburn Dam will be a thin, double-curvature concrete arch dam about 685 ft high. With a crest length of about 4000 ft, it will be the world's longest single-arch dam. The site is located on the North Fork of the American River about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento, Calif. Construction is scheduled to get under way in 1970. In planning for the design and construction of Auburn Dam (see artist's conception), the foundation material, with its various discontinuities, is being investigated and the structural characteristics of the rock mass evaluated. The investigation and testing programs will aid in defining the pertinent geologic features and their individual and cumulative influence on the foundation. The work includes geologic surface mapping, surface trenching, core drilling, geophysics, tunneling, excavating shafts and raises, performing in-situ tests, and conducting laboratory tests on core and block samples. Competent amphibolite is the predominant material in the foundation, but significant bodies of chloritic, talcose, and metasedimentary rocks, a strongly developed jointing pattern, faults, and shear zones also affect the deformability of the rock mass. A comprehensive rock mechanics program, closely coordinated with geologic investigations as well as the engineering studies, therefore is required The rock mechanics work is a combination of many analytical studies and experimental investigations. The experimental work includes laboratory tests on core samples from holes drilled for geological studies of the entire foundation and in-situ tests performed in selected areas. The laboratory testing program evaluates the general properties of all important rock types and aids in correlating many of the key structural features encountered within the foundation. To derive maximum benefit from the field tests, they are conducted in materials which represent a

Jan 1, 1970

By John W. Cloud

In 1877 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company removed an old bridge from its line at Duncannon, Pa., built intermediate piers and erected shorter spans of the Pratt truss type, which had previously been in use on another portion of the road. The design of this truss would not admit of diagonals larger than 19 inches diameter, and in order to stiffen the bridge somewhat steel rods were introduced for the main diagonals in the first and second panels, 19 inches and 18/8 inches diameter respectively. These rods were threaded without upsetting, and by the ordinary formulae the strains were of the same intensity upon both, viz., 16,000 pounds per square inch with the maximum loading. The other main diagonals in the truss are 19 inches diameter, and of iron. It was specified for the steel rods: Elastic limit,.......46,000 Ibs. Tensile strength,. .. ,. .. 80,000 lbs. Elongation,,.,.,. 20 per cent. The steel was procured without difficulty, and it allowed a factor of safety of 23/4 at elastic limit, while a similar factor of 2½ had for a long time been successfully used for iron. In the course of three years, from time to time, six of these steel rods broke, three of them being 18 inches in diameter, and three 19 inches in diameter. The broken rods were tested, and three of them analyzed at Altoona to ascertain the cause of failure, and what modifications should be made in the steel for such service. Examination showed that all the rods were broken in detail close under the nut. The threads were well cut and properly rounded at the root. testing the rods micrometer screws, reading to .0001" with c bell to signal the contact, were attached to the test pieces, and by this means the modulus of elasticity and elastic limit accurately obtained.

Jan 1, 1881

By G. K. Zaharlev

With a productive output growing at an annual rate of 8%, the Soviet mining industry should emerge as the world's leader in total mineral output during the 1980's. (The Soviet Union's share in the world's total mineral output in 1973 was estimated at 22 to 23%.) According to estimates by Soviet mining experts, the mineral potential of the Soviet Union will sustain the current 8% annual growth rate in the future.

Jan 12, 1974

By Sherwin Kelly

THE need for geophysicists to adopt a uniform mode of expressing the electrical resistivity of geological formations has been stressed by Dr. A. S. Eve.1 The present paper is to emphasize the point he raised, to bring the weight of disinterested authority to bear on the matter, and to urge the adoption henceforth, save in exceptional cases, of a standard expression for resistivity; all in the hope that the needed reform will thus actually be brought about. The general definition of the resistivity of a material is the resistance in ohms between two opposite faces of a unit cube of that, material. No account need be taken here of the cases in which the unit volume is not a cube, and the units of length and cross-section are different, encountered principally when dealing with metallic conductors such as wires. The idea of the resistance of a unit volume of earth or rock has found expres-sion in geophysical literature in a number of forms and with a variety of units. Fortunately, the metric system has been adhered to in most cases, so ordinarily the meter or the centimeter, usually the latter, has been the measure chosen. The resistivity is then the resistance of a cube of the given rock, or soil, one centimeter on, an edge. This is far from always being the same thing, however, as the resistance of a cubic centimeter. A long thin wire could contain a cubic centimeter and have a high resistance, whereas the same volume formed into a flat plate would have an entirely different, and quite low, resistance between faces. Con-sequently, it is not proper to express resistivity in ohms per cubic centi-meter, inch, etc., as has been done occasionally by .some writers. In an effort to emphasize the idea of cubic volume, some geophysicists, the writer among them, have used the phrase, ohms per centimeter cubed. This is a graphic way of picturing the measure, but is not in favor among highly qualified authorities. In this connection, an appeal was made to the U. S. Bureau of Standards for advice, and the Director, George K. Burgess, kindly replied in detail as to the practice adopted by his Bureau: ." . .' such expressions as ohms per centimeter cubed' or any similar expressions are objectionable, because they certainly carry the implica-tion that the resistivity is found by dividing ohms resistance by the volume in cubic centimeters." Actually, of course, resistivity is found

Jan 1, 1932

By P. L. Allsman

A method of analyzing blasting action indicates that major cost savings are possible by revising practice and bringing the classical blasting formulas up to date; difficult problems such as taconite and throw-breakup can be attacked by engineering Denonation pressure — the peak pressure developed by the explosive reaction; "shatter blasting." Average detonation pressure — the average pressure over the time the reaction continues; "heave blasting." Radial presswe — the stress in a radially expanding sphere about the detonation. Corresponds to the diminishing peak pressure. Lateral stress - the stress in a circumferential direction, induced by outward movement of the rock away from the detonation. Limiting stress or Slim— the rock property at which failure will occur in the case at hand; may be tensile or compressive strength, or combinations. Recent developments in explosives technology, following the advent of nuclear explosions, have led to a rather complete understanding of their action. A survey was made for the purpose of uncovering any knowledge which might be applicable in the mining and quarrying industries, the principal users of explosives. Although no revolutionary techniques have become apparent, much basic data pertaining to blasting — fortunately not classified — have been developed by recent research, from which a good general understanding of the process can be derived. It is hoped this explanation of the scientific principles governing explosive action, together with a proposed analysis of blasting practice, will further the development of mining engineering. NATURE OF THE REACTION: The phenomenon of explosion, termed detonation, is in reality a rather complex chemical reaction, and as such is completely explainable by physical and chemical laws. Detonation is characterized by high temperature and pressure, extreme rapidity — often being complete within one microsecond — and most importantly by formation of a shock pulse which accompanies the reaction zone. As with any chemical reaction, there is a critical value of temperature and pressure below which detonation can not occur; this is termed the "critical point". Whereas an explosive substance will decompose slowly at ordinary temperature, with the formation of gases which readily dissipate; at elevated temperature the reaction is considerably speeded. If pressure is suddenly applied at some point in an explosive medium, adiabatic compression results, and the temperature is locally raised. When the temperature becomes high enough the decomposition will be so rapid that the gaseous products do not have time to dissipate, but contribute to a further build-up of pressure. This, in turn, furthers adiabatic temperature rise over a widening area, and with any heat generated by an exothermic reaction, causes a rapid increase in temperature. Both temperature and pressure are spontaneously built up in this manner until the critical point is reached, resulting in detonation. The values of pressure and temperature necessary to create detonation are established by the unusual nature of the process. If temperature alone is raised above the critical point, without sufficient increase in pressure, deflagration or "low-order detonation" occurs. In the true, or "high-order detonation", the shock pulse resulting from the violent decomposition becomes an integral part of the reaction, and itself aids in increasing the detonation

Jan 1, 1961

By authority of the Secretary of War, and in response to frequent requests, the following suggested list of reading is issued by the War Department for the information of civilian engineers desiring to inform themselves on military subjects: These references have been selected, first, with a view to giving to engineers unfamiliar with the art of war a general survey of that sub-

Jan 1, 1916

By Pramod C. Thakur

Introduction Methane is contained under pressure within the fractures and adsorbed on the surface of the coal seams and adjacent strata. It is released into the mine atmosphere during mining of the seam creating explosive gas-air mixtures. Large volumes of air, sometimes as high as 20 tons of air for each ton of coal mined, are circulated constantly to dilute and carry away methane from coal mines. Removal of methane from solid coal, wherever high methane emissions occur, has been discussed by Spindler and Poundstone (1960) and Thakur and Davis (1977). Methane control in longwall gobs is much more complicated. As longwall mining progresses, the overburden continually subsides, and the immediate roof caves behind the roof supports. Even the underlying strata heave and open up communication channels feeding gas to the longwall gobs. The pressure of gas in the underlying and overlying strata is usually higher than the ambient air pressure in the mine. Thus the mine workings become natural pressure sinks, into which gas flows from the entire disturbed zone. Winter (1975) defines this zone as the "gas emission space". Depending on the number of gas-bearing zones in the gas emission space and their gas contents, the total methane emission from longwall gobs could vary from a few to more than one hundred cubic meters of gas per ton of mined coal. Hence the ventilation of longwall faces demands a large quantity of air. This ventilation need is further enhanced by high air losses specially on caving faces (with no stowing of the gobs). The old system of longwall ventilation, the 'U' pattern, where all the air was brought down one gate road and exited through the other gate road, loses large quantities of air through gobs giving a high methane concentration at the return end of the face. The 'Y' ventilation pattern where intake air is brought down both head and tail gate roads relieves the situation to some extent but, on most longwalls, some kind of methane control is still needed. With the onset of longwall mining in Europe several decades ago, the initial work on methane control on longwall has naturally been done there. The basic principle of methane control has always been, and still remains, some means of "bypassing methane from the gas emission space without letting it mix with the mine air". In most cases the bypassing mechanism is either a strategically located borehole or a roadway. A successful methane control program depends on the following basic premises: a. Determination of the geometry of the gas emission space and location of gas bearing horizons therein. b. Estimation of the rate of methane influx into the longwall gob. c. A scheme to bypass the gas in the most economic and efficient manner and thus prevent it from entering the mine atmosphere. In successful methane drainage programs a high proportion, usually between 50 and 70 percent, of the total gas emissions in a working district is removed before it can enter the mine airways. Advantages of methane drainage can be summarized as: 1. Generally reduced methane levels in the mine leading to increased safety and productivity. 2. Reduced air requirements and corresponding savings in ventilation horsepower. 3. Faster rate of advance for development headings and economy in the size of headings. 4. Possible use of mine gas as an additional source of fuel. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review the geometry of gas emission space and methane influx therein and discuss more successful European and U.S. longwall gob gas control techniques.

Jan 1, 1981

By John C. Robison

INTRODUCTION Sensitivity analysis is a means of gauging the impact of individual risks on a financing. Key risks can occur in three time periods: - Feasibility, engineering and construction phase; - Start up phase (usually through completion); - Operating phase (post completion). If a company has agreed to cover these risks prior to completion, then less attention will be paid to the sensitivity of the project in the first two time periods. Since the operating phase of the project generates cash for both operations and debt service and generally does not begin until two to six years after the loan is signed, it is wise to look at scenarios other than the projected "base-case" scenario in order to determine the project's capability to operate successfully under a broad range of probable future events. Lenders are compensated at a fixed spread over their borrowing base and generally are not compensated if the project is successful beyond expectation. They are also subject to the loss of principal plus funding costs if the project performs below expectation. Because of this, lenders establish sensitivities around the parameters of conservative projections developed in the project feasibility studies and the cash flows resulting from these projections. The initial cash flow projections should demonstrate the project's ability to meet cash costs, debt service requirements (principal and interest), and still have sufficient cushion to cover contingencies such as strikes, price fluctuations, force majeur situations, etc. (See Schreiber, Chapter 10). The selection of the level of sensitivity analysis to be performed is the result of both objective criteria, including probabilistic analysis applied to the technical parameters, and, of equal importance, subjective criteria applied by the analysts, especially with regard to the economic and financial parameters impacting the project cash flows. RISK SENSITIVITY Assumptions used in the cash flow projections should be realistic. Risks identified by the lenders should be identified and cash flows prepared to assess whether these project risks are acceptable. Typical project risks include the following (see also Chapter 9): - Sufficient reserves - quantity and quality - Product price - Production level - Operating costs - Availability of energy and supplies - Transportation and infrastructure requirements and costs - Interest rate - Completion risks - Tax level - Political risks - Cost over-run risks - Operator experience - Management - Technological risks - Environmental permits and risks - Foreign exchange risks - Insurance coverage - Equity of sponsors - Inflation rate - Capital expenditure during project life In order to see the effect on the cash flow projections, each risk should be analyzed for its impact on the cash flow generating capacity of the project. Sensitivities can be examined to see if the resultant cash flow projection will meet the lenders minimum credit standards. 1.Reserve Sensitivity In general, lenders will not assume the reserve risk. However, it should also be noted that lenders receive loan proposals in which reserves range anywhere from proven to possible. Sensitivities are not generally run for various reserve levels and reserve estimates are either considered acceptable or not acceptable by the lenders.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. K. Work

THE Bessemer process is one of the most interesting methods of making steel. At one time it was by far the most important. In recent years, however, it has steadily lost ground to the open-hearth process. The forces working against this method of steelmaking are partly economic and partly metallurgical.' In this paper, dealing as it does with the control of the process, the metallurgical factors alone will be considered, although it is obvious that economic factors must play a part in determining the ultimate status of the Bessemer process. This discussion has been limited in another respect-it deals primarily with the acid Bessemer process in bottom-blown converters, although much of the information is applicable to basic and side-blown converters. The fact that open-hearth steel has superseded Bessemer steel to a large extent has tended to create an impression that Bessemer steel is inferior. As a matter of fact, Bessemer steel is actually superior to open-hearth for many applications.2 There are, however, definite metallurgical limitations to the use of Bessemer steel, resulting largely from two factors: (I) the physical properties conferred by nitrogen and phosphorus, and (2) the variability from blow to blow. These, of course, are not entirely independent, since some of the variability covered in the second item is undoubtedly due to nitrogen. But the variability is also caused by other factors. One of these is the relatively small size of the Bessemer heats. Because of this, a given shipment of Bessemer steel is more likely than a shipment of open-hearth steel to contain the product of several heats, each with its own distinctive and slightly different characteristics. Added to this is the fact that the refining of Bessemer steel proceeds so rapidly that the timing of the end point is limited to a matter of seconds, whereas the finishing period in the open hearth extends over a period of one or two hours and the timing of the end point may vary by several minutes without seriously affecting the product. There is no doubt that this has contributed to the variability of Bessemer steel and has led to the use of open-hearth steel in many optional applications. That Bessemer steel may vary is not necessarily objectionable, and it may even prove an advantage, providing a precise control is available to secure the desired qualities for any specific application. With this in mind, a comprehensive research program was undertaken, one phase of which was directed toward securing more accurate control of the blow. The results have been encouraging, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe a method in which modern scientific instruments, based on photocells, are currently being employed to assist the blower. THE CONTROL PROBLEM In this day of scientific control of technical processes, where the operating

Jan 1, 1941

By G. J. Cardwell

The rock and mineral analyst will be called upon to determine both the major and minor constituents in materials as varied as rocks, soil, sediments, concentrates and various liquids. These analyses will have interactions requiring extraction, matrix modification, and background correction. Analytical methodologies include classical gravimetric methods, such as fire assay, emission spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption, inductively coupled plasma, and neutron activation. With these capabilities the analyst can be called on to determine three-fourths of the elements in the periodic table. How can the earth scientist pick the method best suited for his particular sample?

Jan 1, 1984

By H. W. Schreiber, H. R. Babitzke, R. E. Rodriquez, Patterson J. A., C. D. Masters, J. J. Schanz, R. B. McCammon, E. A. Noble, P. M. Krishna

A five-year effort by the ASTM subcommittee E10.14 on uranium resource evaluation has culminated in the approval of E901-82, Classification System for Uranium Resources (ASTM Standard E901-82, April 1983). The standard classification was prepared with participation of representatives from the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Interior's Geological Survey and Bureau Mines, utilities, and consultants. The classification a resource is based on level of knowledge and the economic producibility of the resource at a given time. Alphanumeric identifiers are used rather than words to avoid confusion with existing terms, definitions, and classifications. An example demonstrates the dynamic nature of the process of classification and attests to the necessity of addressing both the aggregate needs of broad-scale resource planning and the specific needs of individual property evaluation. Problems that remain infixing the classification a given uranium resource include uncertainty in estimating the quantity of undiscovered resources and resolving differences that may exist in deciding when the drill-hole spacing is adequate to determine the tonnage and grade of discovered resources.

Jan 1, 1985

By A. U. Seybolt

A FEW copper-zinc-base alloys meet die-casting requirements reason- ably well, although improvements are desired. Aluminum bronzes, high-tinbronzes and some copper-nickel-zinc alloys can be die-cast, accordingto Herb,1 but seldom are because of such factors as higher melting ranges and greater cost than certain of the brasses. Fox2 has summarized the copper-base die-casting alloys that were in commercial use in 1937 and has given the effects of different alloying constituents. Table 1 gives some of the properties of these alloys as reported by Fox. TABLE 1. Commercial Die-casting Brasses a Constituent Yellow Brass Low-silicon High-siliconb Brass Brass Nickel Silver Composition, Per Cent Cu 57-59 63-65 80 -81.5 42.0 Zn 40-42 33-35 13.5-16.0 41.0 Sn 0.5-1.5 Si 0.75-1.25 3.75-4.25 Pb 1.0 Ni 16.0 Properties Tensile, lb. per sq. in.. 55,000-60,000 65,000-70,000 85,000-95,000 85,000-95,000 Yield, lb. per sq. in.d.. 30,000-35,000 35,000-40,000 65,000-70,000 65,000-72,000 Elong., per cent in 2 in . 15-20 20-30 8-12 10-20 Brinell hardness 120-130 120-130 160-180 160 Specific gravity 8.47 8.50 8.15 8.45 Properties reported by Fox.2 b Trade name of Brastil, Doehler Die Casting Co., similar to Webert Alloy, 3,4 American Brass Co., and Tombasil Alloy,5 Ajax Metal Co. c Trade name Tinicosil, Titan Metal Manufacturing Co. Melting point (liquidus) of the yellow brass is given by Herb' as 1650° F., of the high-silicon Brastil (with 4.5 to 5 per cent Si) as 1600° F., and of the nickel silver as 1675° F. d Criterion not stated.

Jan 1, 1939

By Ernest A. Hersam

Accurate ore-sizing with screens is drawing attention to certain details that now, more than ever before, require attention. There are many tests that must be preceded by careful sizing. The assayer often could profit by a more careful selection of screens. In milling, more attention is given the slimes produced. Cement-manufacturers are pulverizing and screening finer than they formerly did, and others are reducing materials to fine sizes at high cost, with screens used to govern the fineness of the pulverized product. Fine screens are expensive, easily injured by misuse, are carried in stock sparingly by most dealers, and are handled often by those who know little about them except their designated number. More attention, on the whole, needs be given the actual size of the mesh-openings, and less emphasis placed upon any custom or conventionality in numbering. An effort to classify wire screens, in this respect, leads at once into computations, where one is confronted with details of sizes and standards, of different wires, different gauges, and different customs. There is always uncertainty about the exact working-size of a screen until one gives the matter special attention, and devotes more time to it than its simplicity seems to demand. To know only the number is not sufficient for all uses. Often, in sets, superfluous sizes are used; and sizes are omitted that are of critical importance. In wire screens, the use of different standard sizes of wire makes important differences in dimensions that must be taken into account. The dealer usually grades screens by the number of openings per linear dimensions, regardless of the size of the openings or of the wire. Certain 100-mesh screens in use are found, by measurement, to be actually coarser than others of 90-mesh, a result which is due, of course, to the use of larger

Jan 1, 1907

The term "timbered stope" is here meant to denote stopes in which timbering is the predominant feature of the mining method. Stopes with stull sets, as in the Hecla mine, are types of timbered stopes; these types are probably the best-known. Timbering stopes by means of square sets is not as common as formerly, as the system is not often necessary, yet there are good examples and large tonnages are being mined by the method. The square set may be utilized in ordinary overhand stopes if the orebody is suitable. At some mines, square sets have been abandoned in favor of top-slicing; and at others, the square set has superseded horizontal cut and backfilling. A drift, either in the wall or orebody, is necessary before opening the sill floor. In wide deposits, there may be a grillage of drifts and crosscuts, and at least one raise to the level above is needed in each stope for ventilation and handling timbers and filling. The square sets are filled with waste rock from the hanging wall, sorted from the ore, from development work, or from the level above. As a rule, little timber is recovered. The examples include the Butte district, Mother Lode of California, Bunker Hill & Sullivan, Hecla, and Morning mines.

Jan 1, 1925

By George Smith

IN discussing present-day business and industrial troubles we easily drop into the habit of clinical diagnosis. Talk of this kind, with its emphasis on suspicious symptoms and abnormal tendencies, makes us all morbid. As an English essayist has put it, we may thus induce a melancholy, temper that simply in-vites the ministrations of social and political quacks. It is far better-because nearer the truth-for us to recognize that our condition is in no sense diseased, that our body politic, social and economic, is suffering merely from growing pains; that America is not de-cadent-indeed, that any lapses from staid normality are traceable to the, excesses of youth. Our chief .trouble, then, is only that our industrial state is still young; it may be that we have been growing too fast. The growth in the industrial development of our country from pioneer days to the present time has been marvelous. Too many of us, however, take all this as a matter of course-we credit this record of American progress to our American genius alone. Too often we overlook the fundamental relationship between resources and progress-that man is aided and even guided by Nature. The fact is, social advance, indus-trial progress, national prosperity all have their ma-terial basis in natural resources. In furnishing the needed mineral raw materials to the great manufac-turing industries of the United States there has been no halt, but rather a general acceleration. No other phase of American activity can show-equal advance. As the decades have passed, the winning of mineral wealth has progressed from the role of a stimulus for western exploration to that of the foundation for nation-wide business. In 1890 the Sherman law was passed; since then the population of the United States has about doubled. Since then, too, thevalue of the annual product of the mines of this country has increased better than eight-fold-from 650 millions to 51/ billions of dollars. Since then the four largest branches of the mineral industry, which supply the iron and copper, the bituminous coal and petroleum-the bone and sinew and the energy of all other American industries-have increased their annual output nearly ten-fold as to value and six-fold as to quantity. Such a growth in the volume of mineral output must be taken as a true measure of the ex-ceptional service rendered by the mines of the United States. Not only is this a much larger country than it was 38 years ago, but its growing mineral industry has met demands that have been out of all proportion to the growth of the population.

Jan 8, 1928

Our merchant marine is rapidly outgrowing our consular service, according to Edward N. Hurley, Chairman of the United States Shipping Board, who urges that steps be taken immediately to provide facilities abroad for handling the millions of tons of shipping which will be afloat under the American flag in peaceful trade when the war is over. When peace is restored and our present tonnage is scattered over world trade routes, the consular service will be inadequate to handle our ships: Besides, it will have to work against the handicaps of obsolete shipping regulations and, in many cases, lack of experience. There are nearly 100 pages in the United States consular regulations dealing with shipping platters. . Many of these regulations are based on old treaties and many of them are obsolete. There are also differences between treaties with various countries. Our consuls often lack authority to handle matters involving the interests of our sailors and shipowners. Before we can operate a modern merchant marine we must revise, standardize, and simplify this whole mass of regulations and bring them up to the efficiency of other nations' practice.

Jan 12, 1918