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By R. W. Raymond

Recent literary labors have led me to the compilation of the following tables and estimates, which may possess interest for my colleagues in the Institute, and which are here submitted without comment.

By T. B. Counselman, T. B.

Continuous countercurrent decantation calculations have always been a headache to the cyanide man (and the chemical engineer) because of the simultaneous equations involved. These are tedious to solve, and there is considerable opportunity for mathematical error. This paper presents a shortcut method for making these calculations, which has been in successful use for twenty years by the author, and which is particularly valuable in selecting the best of several possible flowsheets, or evaluating the effect of various assumptions.

Jan 1, 1950

George Smith, Sydney, N. S. Wales (communication to the Secretary): The very interesting paper by Mr. Emmons on " The Secondary Enrichment of Ore-Deposits " has just come under my notice; and its reference to my own paper* on " The OreDeposits of the Australian Broken Hill Consols Mine "† is therefore only noted some two and a half years after its publi-

Jan 1, 1903

By Gilbert Soler

THIS year's Chairman of the Iron and Steel Division is a noted member of a small and select group of practical scientists now working in this country and in Canada to improve the production and properties and to reduce the cost of super-quality carbon and alloy steels; he is one of those all-important leavening agents-a man with his feet always on the ground but capable of putting his head into the clouds on occasion-that are so necessary in applying science sensibly to the practical problems of steel production. He is equally at home in a discussion of the free energy of deoxidizing reactions or the entropy of the formation of stable sulphides, and in a consideration of the relative advantages of the basic-electric and the open-hearth furnace for the production of rimming steels in the Detroit area. Gilbert Soler was born of American parents in Havana, Cuba, just forty years ago. He graduated as a ceramic engineer from Ohio State University in 1930 and received a Master of Science degree a year later. In 1940 he received the degree of metallurgical engineer from the same institution.

Jan 1, 1948

By B. C. Riblet

THE president of a large smelting and refining company once telegraphed me that they had acquired extensive mining interests in northern Peru and requested me to inspect their properties as it would be necessary to install a system of aerial tramways between their mines and treatment plant. The concentrator was about 50 mi. from the coast, reached by a fairly good motor road. From the concentrator an aerial tramway would he required, about 6 mi. long, to their first property, a gold and silver mine. The lower terminal of the tramway was at an elevation of 4000 ft. and the mine at an elevation of 9500 ft.

Jan 1, 1937

By L. C. Brown, A. J. Stewart

Phase transformations have been studied in Ag-Zn alloys quenched from the high-temperature bcc 0 phase and lying in the composition range 37.4 to 50.0 at. pct Zn. On quenching, the alloy with the lowest zinc content transformed to massive a (fcc); all other alloys formed the ordered (3' phase. On deformation, a martensitic reaction took place forming a close-packed structure. At Lou' zinc contents transformation to this structure was complete. However, above 43 at. pct Zn a p.rogressively increasing amount of ß' was retained following deformation. The close-packed structure was fcc at lower zinc contents (under 47 at. pct Zn) and either hcp or a mixture of fcc and hcp at high zinc concentrations. The structures produced by cold working were unstable and on aging transformed to the ß' phase or the complex hexagonal to phase. For low zinc contents (under 43 at. pct) the fcc st-ructure transformed directly to the equilibrium To phase. With higher zinc contents, some 13' was retained following defownation, and on aging the amount of this phase relative to the close-packed structure increased. On further aging both structures transformed cornpletely to PO. Metallographic examination indicated that the nature of the deformation product depended very markedly on the mode of deformation. Tensile deformation gave a microstructure characteristic of thermal martensite. KING and Massalski1 have shown that an alloy of Ag-50 at. pct Zn quenched from the high-temperature bcc ß phase undergoes a low-temperature ordering reaction forming ß' which can be retained to room temperature. On deformation an hcp phase is produced, although this is unstable and the structure reverts completely to ß' on aging. In the present paper, the work of King and Massalski is extended to cover a wide composition range in the p phase, observations being made of the structure of the quenched 13 and of the effects of deformation and aging. The relevant portion of the Ag-Zn phase diagram is shown in Fig. 1. King and Massalski have shown that close to stoichiometry the ß' phase is the equilibrium structure at low temperatures. The approximate composition range of this phase, taken from a recent paper by Pops and Massalski,3 is shown on the phase diagram. The locations of atom sites are very similar in the ß' and to structures, and the 4, structure can be derived from the 0' structure by a small movement of atoms mainly in the direction of the cube diagonal.4'5 However, the probability of filling any particular atom site by a silver or a zinc atom is markedly different in the two structures. The structure can be considered partly ordered but the arrangement of the ordered atoms is completely different from that in the p' structure and transformation from ß' to requires a large fraction of the atoms to change position. It has been shown that the ß' transformation is thermally activated involving normal nucleation and growth processes.5,8 Massalski and Barrett7 have shown that in the Cu-Zn binary the (3 phase can be retained in the ordered state to room temperature over a wide composition range. On deformation a new close-packed phase is produced, the structure varying from fcc to a mixture of fcc + hcp to hcp alone with increasing zinc concentration. It appears that an ordering reaction is necessary to retain the bcc phase to room temperature. In CU-Ga,8 the bcc phase cannot be retained to low temperatures as it transforms by a massive reaction above the ordering temperature of the ß phase. The structure of the massive phase is very similar to that in Cu-Zn, varying from fcc to fcc + hcp to hcp with increasing zinc concentration. Similar structures have also been observed in CU-A1,9 Ag-Cd,10,11 and Ag-Al.12 EXPERIMENTAL The alloys were prepared by melting fine silver (99.99 pct purity) and electrolytic zinc (99.999 pct

Jan 1, 1969

By L. J. W. JONES, B. H. Bennetts

THE removal and disposition of large quantities of slag from blast-furnaces is a question of great importance in the design of works, and various methods have been devised, from time to time, in order to take the best advantage of local conditions. In blast-furnaces treating copper-ores or lead-ores, it is necessary to use a fore-hearth, or matte-settler, in order to collect, if possible, every particle of valuable matte which, otherwise, would be carried away with the out-flowing slag. In all of these cases, the slag overflowing from the fore-hearth is caught in pots and then conveyed to the dump. If the slag is of no value and the necessary water-supply, grade and dumping-space be available, the disposal of the slag by granulation is by far the cheapest and best method. It involves a minimum of labor, both at the furnace and at the dump; and it permits a continuous outflow of slag from the furnace- or settling-pot, thereby avoiding frequent tapping and plugging. When the conditions of water-supply, grade and dump-area will not permit slag-granulation, there are three other methods in common use. Large steel or cast-iron pots, or ladles, supported by trunnions on heavy cars which are moved by steam-, air-, or electric locomotives; some type of mechanical conveyor; and small pots or buggies moved by hand. The pots on the slag-cars are generally circular or oval in shape, and each one contains from 15 to 40 or more en. ft. of molten material. The mechanism for tipping them is more or less elaborate; and, as a general rule, the slag is dumped alongside, and quite close to, the track. They are more or less costly to construct and to keep in repair, and, in order to use them to best advantage, it is necessary to have a good elevation of track above the dumping-ground; furthermore, the rails must be of heavy weight, and well-supported on heavy ties. Other disadvantages of the slag-pots are-1, that the slag cannot be removed continuously

Mar 1, 1905

By G. D. Van Ardsdale, A. W. Hudson

Heap leaching, as practiced at Rio Tinto, Spain, while one of the oldest, and probably one of the cheapest, methods of extracting copper from its ores, has not had, until recently, other than experimental application in this country. This has been due partly to a mistaken idea that the Rio Tinto ores possess some obscure and mysterious quality that renders them alone suitable to the process, partly to the fact that tests properly made meant the expenditure of large sums of money and several years time, and partly to the fact that favorable commercial and other conditions are not often found. This paper gives some views on the chemistry and mechanism of the method, an account of the preliminary experiments, and the final plans adopted for a large-scale installation of the method by the Phelps Dodge Corpn. for treating low-grade ore from Sacramento Hill, Bisbee. If results comparable with those obtained from the test heap are to be had from the large plant, this plant will operate on the lowest-grade sulfide ore now being treated commercially in the country. The method has several advantages: The installation cost is low. Interest charges must, of course, be made both on the cost of the ore delivered to the plant and for the plant itself, but as these are low, there is considerable advantage in the ability to regulate output by more or less complete shutdowns in accordance with market and other conditions. The amount of labor needed is small, and the cement copper produced may be considered nearer a finished product than the sulfide concentrates from a mill, and certainly means less installation cost per ton to put into final form by present methods. At Bisbee, conditions were favorable for a trial of the method for, in the preparation of the Sacramento Hill orebody for steam shoveling,' a large amount of material below concentrating grade had to be moved to

Jan 1, 1923

By A. W. Hudson, G. D. Van Ardsdale

Heap leaching, as practiced at Rio Tinto, Spain, while one of the oldest, and probably one of the cheapest, methods of extracting copper from its ores, has not had, until recently, other than experimental application in this country. This has been due partly to a mistaken idea that the Rio Tinto ores possess some obscure and mysterious quality that renders them alone suitable to the process, partly to the fact that tests properly made meant the expenditure of large sums of money and several years time, and partly to the fact that favorable commercial and other conditions are not often found. This paper gives some views on the chemistry and mechanism of the method, an account of the preliminary experiments, and the final plans adopted for a large-scale installation of the method by the Phelps Dodge Corpn. for treating low-grade ore from Sacramento Hill, Bisbee. If results comparable with those obtained from the test heap are to be had from the large plant, this plant will operate on the lowest-grade sulfide ore now being treated commercially in the country. The method has several advantages: The installation cost is low. Interest charges must, of course, be made both on the cost of the ore delivered to the plant and for the plant itself, but as these are low, there is considerable advantage in the ability to regulate output by more or less complete shutdowns in accordance with market and other conditions. The amount of labor needed is small, and the cement copper produced may be considered nearer a finished product than the sulfide concentrates from a mill, and certainly means less installation cost per ton to put into final form by present methods. At Bisbee, conditions were favorable for a trial of the method for, in the preparation of the Sacramento Hill orebody for steam shoveling,' a large amount of material below concentrating grade had to be moved to

Jan 1, 1923

By G. H. Alvey, A. W. Foster

The measure of value of an oil property is approximated by the length of time it takes to "pay out;" viz., the time required for it to return the original investment. This time varies in different fields. In the Appalachian and Mid-Continent fields, a good investment pays out in about four years; in California, it requires a slightly longer time; and in the Gulf field about two years. The two principal methods for establishing these values are based on acreage, as in California, and on production, as in the Appalachian field. The method of establishing values based on production1 was worked out in the Appalachian fields and approximates the value remarkably well in some fields; but it is a rule of thumb and should be used intelligently. Briefly, the method is as follows: An arbitrary number of dollars (called the barrel-day price) multiplied by the number of barrels of settled daily production of the property gives the value. In its crudest application, the barrel-day price is determined by the "$10 to $0.01" rule, which means that the barrel-day price is one thousand times the prevailing price of oil. For instance, with oil at $3.50 per bbl. the barrel-day price would be $3500 per bbl. This rule, however, is not strictly applied, for the barrel price is varied according to whether or not the wells "hold up." But when a barrel price for a district has been fixed it is quite general to raise or lower the price with the fluctuation in the price of oil; here the"$10 to $0.0l"ruleisused extensively. However, the prospective purchaser takes into account tangible equipment upon the property, the extent to which the drilling program has been carried out, whether or not the wells are "shot" or natural, depth of wells, spacing of wells, paraffin trouble, etc. The basis of this method is settled production. As soon as production is considered settled, a flat barrel-day price is generally applied to all properties, no matter what their age. If it were possible to show that this flat rate was erroneous and that the value of the property depended on the point on the decline curve at which the wells happened to be (in other words, their age), and also on the operating costs, the future price

Jan 1, 1921

By Kenneth M. Bravinder, Jonathan E. Koogle, Dean H. Sheldon

THE solution of subsurface geological problems requires an analysis of vertical and horizontal dimensional relationships. For many, the ability to visualize structures in three dimensions is not easily acquired, and for areas where the structural conditions are complicated by faulting the need arises for illustrative models. This has led to the many forms of peg models, in which the usual course of construction includes a peg for the well bore, and the suspension of strings from peg to peg to illustrate the formation correlation between wells, thus developing the usual folds and flexures. Such models proved unsatisfactory for the analysis of fault problems. Consideration was then given to the use of transparent materials. A model of the Dominguez oil field was constructed in 1935, which consisted of a series of glass panels from well to well on which the formations were shown in color. This model, though serving its purpose at the time, proved to be impractical from the standpoints of cost, breakage hazard, and extreme difficulty in maintenance. The cost of materials was estimated to be approximately $300, and the construction required the services of one man for a period of from 10 to 12 months. Maintenance after actual construction was an additional expense. Consideration was then given to the use of celluloid, and after some experimental work it was found that the advantages in its use were: (I) a short construction time, (2) ease of handling the material, (3) sections are easily reworked, (4) low cost. CONSTRUCTION It would be of little value to recount here the difficulties encountered in the building of the first celluloid model. The conclusions drawn, however, suggest the following procedure for those who contemplate the construction of such a model: I. Determination of the Scale.-Accurate geological interpretation requires the use of the same scale horizontally and vertically. It should be emphasized that the limited size of the celluloid sheets (20 by 48 in. maximum dimensions), the area to be studied, the maximum depths to be plotted, and area of possible future development are the controlling factors in adopting a scale to be used. 2. Construction of the Base.-A satisfactory base may be constructed by using two pieces of three-ply wood separated by strips of i by 2-in. material. This type of construction prevents warping of the base. The size of the base is determined by the dimensions of the area to be studied plus 5 in. on all sides. A map of the same scale as that adopted for the model, indicating the lines of section to be used, should be fastened to the base. 3. Construction of the Frame (Fig. I).-In the construction of the frame the use of 1/2-in. o.d. pipe welded in a box shape is suggested, with two horizontal rods on each of the four sides, top and bottom. The top rod should be at least I in. higher than the

Jan 1, 1941

By LEWIS F. THOMAS

MINING geologists and mining engineer, rarely give due thought to the geography of mining deposits. They realize, it is true that what may be ore in one place would be only worthless rock in another because f the in accessibility of a smelter r a market; and they may consider the lack of a supply of labor, or water, or power to carry on operations. But they do not think (of these things in terms of geography. Geography may be defined as the science of relationships between earth and man, so geographers are vitally interested in the how and why of mining as it is carried on at different place, having entirely different environment-. Such environments are geographic complexes or composites of natural and cultural elements, which are listed and briefly discussed in the following paragraphs.

Jan 1, 1941

By M. D. Cooper

UNDERGRADUATES in mining engineering may be prepared for work by giving them sound instruction in the courses generally considered essential to the profession. The industry is not deeply concerned about the details of those courses. The average man in the coal industry does not wish to insist upon a rigid program. Therefore, he differs little from those in the teaching profession-who evidently are not unanimous in their opinions, or all college catalogs would be alike. For the good of the profession, it is just as well that there should be differences in regard to details. It appears that students graduating in mining engineering from the accredited institutions receive similar instruction.

Jan 1, 1950

By Willard Ide Pierce

CONSIDERING the extent of the gold-fields of Nova Scotia, which occupy an area of 6000 to 7000 square miles, a few words as to the cost of extracting and reducing the ores may prove of interest. The veins are for the most part narrow, 4 to 12 inches being the usual width, while a 2-foot vein is considered a large one; but they offer many advantages, inasmuch as the ore is easily treated, wages are low, and machinery and supplies can be transported by water to within from 1 to 15 miles of the different mining districts. The Salmon River vein is a notable exception to the above rule as to width. It ranges from 4 to 20 feet in width. The Hall-Anderson of Fifteen-Mile Stream (where there are several veins) is another, which has proved to be from 3 to 4 feet in width. The ownership of all mining claims is retained by the Crown, but persons wishing to work them can lease as many unoccupied areas as they please for twenty-one years, with option of renewal, on the payment of two dollars for each area, and a royalty of 2 per cent. on all gold extracted. Each area consists of 150 Get along the lode and 250 feet across, upon which a certain amount of work must be done, which by recent law is reduced from one hundred to forty days' work for each area every year. Any person erecting in a district the first mill, having at least 8 stamps, and being at least 10 miles from any other mill, is entitled to a lease of 10 areas, free from advance-payment and from royalty, for twenty-one years. A record must be kept, and filed every quarter at the office of the Commissioner of Mines, of the total number of days' work done on the areas, and a monthly statement of the number of tons crushed, and the actual yield of gold. Gold-mining in Nova Scotia may be said to have commenced with the finding of a nugget of gold in a brook at Tangier in 1858. The following table, taken from the official report," gives the total yield

Jan 1, 1885

Jan 1, 1912

By Charles Colcock Jones

In the winter of 1902, while occupying the position of mining and examining engineer for the Mountain Copper Co., Ltd., of Keswick, Cal., I had .occasion to discuss with the General Manager, among other things, the question of the enormous waste of sulphur in smelting cupriferous pyrite ore, and to cast about for means to utilize this waste or to render the fumes innocuous to vegetation. The decreasing rate of production of California farms, the consequent need of fertilizers, and the opportunity thus offered to utilize large quantities of sulphuric acid in the manufacture of superphosphates naturally brought the subject to the practical and commercial side of phosphates. I was informed that the company had made efforts to find phosphates in the West, without success. I advised as a start placing inquiries for phosphate deposits on the Pacific coast in the current mining journals. This was done, with the result that in January, 1903, from an advertisement in the Mining and Scientific Press we got track of a deposit in Rich county, Utah, through T. J. Wilson, of the Southern Pacific railroad in San Francisco. As soon as snow in the mountains would permit, in May, 1903, I undertook an examination of the property, with the result of recognizing the importance of the find, in spite of its lack of facilities for transportation at a commercial figure. On June 15, 1903, I concluded my report by saying, "This may be one of the world's deposits of phosphates." On Nov. 17, 1903, I concluded my report for the season in the following words : " I have now no hesitation in saying that I believe the Carboniferous formation so largely developed in the Wasatch mountains of Utah and the mountains of the Great Basin will prove to be one of the greatest storehouses of phosphoric acid in the world." Early History. In the summer of 1897 R. A. Pidcock, a mail carrier of Ogden, Utah, while on a prospecting trip camped on " 12 mile," a branch of

Jan 1, 1914

By Barton, Donald C.

THE elastic, earthwaves produced naturally by earthquakes -have been used for a long time as evidence from' which to draw conclusions in regard to the constitution of the interior and crust of the earth. The elastic earthwaves produced artificially by occasional explosions and recorded by seismological .observatories were used to draw conclusions regarding the-geology of the intervening area. Intentionally produced elastic earthwaves in the past five years have come to be used extensively in the investigation of very local geologic structure. The seismic method of working geologic structure, which makes use of artificially controlled explosions and the resulting earthwaves, has developed almost `clairvoyant power in handling certain geologic situations, and in the discovery of salt domes in the Gulf Coastal: Plain region of Texas and Louisiana has 'scored the, most brilliant success.

Sep 1, 1928

By AIME AIME

DESPITE the meetings and discussions on over- production the situation still continues to grow worse instead of better. The demand for oil has dropped to 2,700,000 bbl. per day. On the other hand domestic production has risen to 2,700,000 bbl. with prospects of further increases, and if imports and natural gas-gasoline be added to this the current supply is about 3,100,000 bbl. per day. Though during the summer and early fall the demand may exceed this figure for a few months the prospects are that 'the average demand during 1929 will be at least 200,000 bbl. per day less than the present current supply, meaning additions to stocks over the year of about 75,000,000 bbl.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. F. Netzeband

Jan 1, 1927

By J. P. Dunlop

The fact is not.ablc though probably little known that thc Unitcd Statcls is the only nation obtaining and distributing through its Govcrn-ment burcaus any data pertaining to waste metals and drosses. Some foreign goverrlnlents do issuc reports relating to rnine or smelter production of prirrlar~ metals, but none gives in scope and detail t'he information published now by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and formerly by the U. S. Geological Survey; and this is despite the fact that the funds annually allotted for those purposes are insignificant in comparison with allotments for the preparation of data relating to other industries of like importance. The earliest data on the production of metals from secondary sources in the United States were contained in a press bulletin issued by the U. S. Geological Survey on Jan. 4, 1909. The information published was that for thc year 1907 obtained ant1 compiled by C. E. Siebenthal, who was one of the first to visualize the growing importance of the scrap-letal indust,ry. Thc Nationd Conscrvation Commission had emphasized its opinion that the known domestic supply of certain kinds of the morc important irietals was being rapidly marketed and that while there was no immediate cause for concern it was best to conserve such resources. Not only had there been a lanlentable lack of any data regarding the quantity of scrap inetals available or used but also gross carelessness and indifference in the segregation, collection, and effective use of scrap material. Siebenthal realized that even approximately correct statistics of recoveries from the more important base-metal scrap and drosses wcrc nearly as essential t,o both producers and consumers as the stat'istics of the output of primary metals. There were not then nor are there now sufficient funds for complete collection of data, nor was it considered the province of the Geological Survey t'o do more than determine approximately the recovery of secondary metals for use in supplementing those given for the primary metals. Undoubtedly the first bulletins issued did not give the full output, for it takes time to establish contacts for an inquiry covering so