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By John C. Machisak

The National Safety Competition is sponsored and conducted annually by the Bureau of Mines, U. S. Department of the Interior, to stimulate greater interest in safety in the mineral-extractive industries and to encourage the development of more effective accident-prevention programs. Since its beginning in 1925, thirty-four safety contests have been conducted. This publication reports results of the 11 annual contests for the period 1948-1958, inclusive. Mineral operations awarded the "Sentinels of Safety" trophy for the best safety record in their competitive group as well as those ranking second, third, fourth, and fifth are listed along with a summary of their achievements in preventing disabling injuries. In addition, this publication contains statistical information reflecting the disabling work-injury experience of all other mines and quarries enrolled in the annual contests. The injury statistics of these operations are arranged in the six groups of the competition and through 1955 are the only data on injury-severity at noncoal mineral operations published by the Bureau of Hines. Recognition of the National Safety Competition in promoting safety has increased steadily during its 34 years. The number of plants participating in these annual competitions increased from 210 in 1925, its first year, to a record of 675 in 1958. The expanding scope of the National Safety Competition indicates that more mines and quarries in the United States are enrolling 90 all available means to promote safety on the job will be used. Safety contests like this are generally recognized, in the field of safety promotion, as an effective way to arouse and hold the interest of employees and officials in accident-prevention programs. They tend to forge individual precautionary acts into group action centered on a common objective, such as winning the ?Sentinels of Safety? trophy.

Jan 1, 1960

By John R. McWilliams

The technological and economic pattern of the U. S. mining industry has undergone a rapid and continuing change since World War II. To provide realistic up-to-date cost data and to disseminate knowledge of technical developments, the Federal Bureau of Mines, with the cooperation of individual mining companies, is presenting a series of mining methods and costs reports similar to those it issued before 1939. Shaft sinking has always played an important part in mine development and [ration] and is an appropriate subject for this series of reports. Shafts [are] especially important in areas such as the Coeur d'Alene district of Idaho, where every major mine is served by one or more shafts and shaft sinking is in progress at one mine or and her almost continuously.

Jan 1, 1960

Although alternating-current (a.-c.) power systems and equipment have been used in coal mining for many years, most mines in the United States are powered mainly by direct current (d.-c.). There are several logical reasons for this, but the use of d.-c, equipment is, in most instances, a direct outgrowth of the original practice of using such power for haulage systems. For traction equipment such as the electric trolley locomotive the d.-c. motor has ideal operating characteristics, and thus it has been widely used for haulage locomotive service. The first efforts at electrification of coal mines started with the haulage system and from there branched out to include the many types of electrically powered mining machinery used in the industry today.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. H. Soulé

This information circular is one of a series published by the Federal Bureau of Mines describing methods and costs at various mining operations. The Schwartzwalder uranium mine, situated about 20 miles west of Denver, Colo., is an important source of uranium ore in the Front Range. Production was begun in 1953, and nearly 36,500 tons of ore had been shipped by September 1, 1958. The mine is operated by Denver-Golden Oil & Uranium Co., Denver, Colo. Much interest has been shown in the property since uranium mineralization tit was found by Fred Schwartzwalder in 1949. The Atomic Energy Commission, Federal Geological Survey, Office of Minerals Exploration (formerly Defense Minerals Exploration Administration), and Federal Bureau of Mines have done work in the area, and various private concerns have shown interest in the property.

Jan 1, 1960

By George T. Krempasky

This report is one of a series of Bureau of Mines Information Circulars dealing with mining methods and costs throughout the United States. It describes drifting, crosscutting, and raising operations at several mines in the Coeur d'Alene mining district, Shoshone County, Idaho. Ore bodies in the Coeur d'Alene district are generally in steeply dipping tabular ore zones, are irregular in shape, erratic in occurrence, and have been extensively mined along the strike and down dip. Because of the extended attitude of the deposits a great deal of development work is required. Drifting, crosscutting, and raising methods are described in this report. Shaft sinking is the subject of another report in the same series.

Jan 1, 1960

By James P. McGee

Preliminary calculations show an economic advantage in using nuclear energy to supply the endothermic heat required for gasifying coal. It should be noted that the various assumptions used in preparing these calculations must undergo further evaluation through additional engineering design and research. The proposed system for gasification is the indirect process cycle with helium heated in a nuclear reactor and passed through an exchanger-type gasifier for the reaction of coal and steam to form CO (carbon monoxide) and H2 (hydrogen gas).

Jan 1, 1960

By Sidney Katell

Continuing the series of cost bibliographies which was initiated with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949, the present report covers the period from January 1959 through December 1959. The abstracted articles, concerned with all facets of cost engineering in the field of petroleum and chemical plants and related facilities, were obtained from the following sources: 1. Bureau of Mines Information Circulars. 2. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations. 3. Chemical Engineering. 4. Chemical Engineering Progress. 5. Chemical Week. 6. Coal Age. 7. Coal Utilization. 8. Cost Engineering. 9. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 10. Nucleonics. 11. Oil and Gas Journal. 12. Petroleum Engineering. 13. Petroleum Refiner. 14. World Oil. On Oct. 16, 1959 a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Mines and the American Association of Cost Engineers became effective. This agreement provides for the publication of the annual bibliography under the sponsorship of both groups with the work load involved in the preparation divided equally between the two. As a result, the present report partially reflects the efforts of the members of the Association.

Jan 1, 1960

By C. M. Keenan

During the 7-1/2 years (January 1945-June 1952), immediately preceding enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act, 26 major disasters3/ in the coal mines of the United States caused the deaths of 491 persons. In the next 7-1/2 years under the act (July 1952-December 1959), only 12 major disasters occurred. The total killed was 148. This improvement is commendable. However, the continuing frequency of minor fires and gas and/or dust ignitions in the Nation's coal mines, many of which could have been of major consequence, are cause for serious concern to the coal-mining industry and those affiliated agencies engaged in promoting safety in the industry. The data presented in this report have been prepared to make available to the coal-mining industry and related groups an overall perspective of the disaster potential from mine fires and gas and/or dust ignitions in coal mines after 7-1/2 years under the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act. This act, effective July 16, 1952, which amended the original Federal coal-mine investigative act of May 1941, provides under Title II certain enforcible mine-safety provisions designed to prevent major disasters caused by explosions, fires, inundations, and man-trip and man-hoist accidents in coal mines that employ 15 or more individuals underground.

Jan 1, 1960

By W. E. Robinson

Oil-shale kerogen was processed into oil and oil products before the first oil well was completed by Drake in 1859. However, because of economic and other advantages, natural petroleum has been the principal source of liquid fuels and lubricants since 1859 and is a convenient root of many [organic] chemicals in common use today. In recent years the difference has narrowed between the cost of producing liquid fuels from well petroleum and other sources. This narrowing of cost difference has resulted both from the increased cost of finding new sources of petroleum in the United States and the experimental demonstration of lowered costs for synthetic liquid fuels by the Federal Bureau of Mines and by industry. Available petroleum resources of this country are being reduced and eventually may be inadequate to meet the demand. Alternate means of assuring an adequate supply of liquid fuels for this country include the development of processes for utilizing other carbonaceous materials such as oil shale and coal.

Jan 1, 1960

By Kenneth H. Johnston

For the past several years, Bureau of Mines petroleum engineers have arranged tours of selected waterflooding projects for the spring meetings of the Kansas-Oklahoma Waterflood Association. These tours are conducted to demonstrate unique operating methods and new field equipment and to provide additional opportunities for exchanging information. Each of these tours has been supplemented by a published report describing in detail the projects visited. This report has been prepared for distribution during the 1960 spring tour of four waterflooding projects in Greenwood County, Kans. (fig. 1). Three of the projects produce oil from the Bartlesville sand, and one produces from the Cattleman sand. The Bartlesville-sand floods have been in operation from 4 to 12 years and have produced about 3,910,000 barrels of waterflood oil from the injection of approximately 64,715,000 barrels of water, a cumulative water-injected to oil-produced ratio of 17 to 1. The Cattleman- sand flood, which has been operating for 3-1/2 years, has produced about 842,000 barrels of waterflood oil from the injection of approximately 9,305,000 barrels of water, a cumulative water-injected to oil-produced ratio of 11 to 1.

Jan 1, 1960

This report is the 23d in a series summarizing research and technologic work by the Federal Bureau of Mines on coal and related investigations; it is the fifth report to be issued on a calendar-year basis.2/ Publications by Bureau personnel in 1958 are cited;3/ in addition work in progress during the year is briefly described. To conserve our reserves of coal the Bureau of Mines conducts a program concerned with the development of fundamental information on coal characteristics and behavior, and the improvement of technology related to its production and utilization. The ability to anticipate and meet future demands for coal depends on a number of factors: (1) Knowledge of reserves from a stand- point of both quantity and quality; (2) the development of improved mining methods, health and safety measures, and preparation techniques that will insure its most efficient exploitation; and (3) knowledge of the controlling factors in efficient use of coal in combustion, carbonization, gasification, direct and indirect hydrogenation, and other new processes. The Bureau is concerned with each of these areas.4/,5/

Jan 1, 1960

By R. C. Annear

This report describes open, sublevel, and shrinkage stoping at the Greenwood mine, operated by Inland Steel-Co. The iron ore mine is in Marquette County, Mich., about 6 miles southwest of Ishpeming (fig. 1). The Greenwood is one of three active underground hard-ore mines on the Marquette range, the others being the Cliffs-Shaft and the Champion mines. The operation reflects an achievement in exploiting small, difficult-to-mine hard-ore bodies lying beneath a 200-foot overburden of glacial drift, which is partly water bearing. This report can indicate only briefly the efforts of personnel in overcoming adverse conditions in mining more than 2 million tons of ore, 80 percent of which was in lump form, for open-hearth production of steel. Significant data presented include descriptions of the principal mining methods employed, sublevel and shrinkage stoping; percent aged mining costs for the entire year 1957, covering both direct mining costs and general expenses; and performance records in units of labor, power, and supplies.

Jan 1, 1960

By Charles E. Whieldon

The importance of recovering more oil from known petroleum reserves has placed increased emphasis on the application of secondary-recovery methods. It is hoped that these reports will stimulate interest in improved waterflooding techniques, thereby discouraging premature abandonment of oil leases. A previously published report4/ described the highly successful results of waterflooding in the Weir sand in eastern Kentucky. A more recent report5/ evaluated the results of waterflooding in Roane County, W. Va. (See fig. 1.) Two waterflooding projects have been operated in Pleasants County, W. Va. (fig. 2), one by the Dearborn Oil & Gas Corp. in the Cow Run sand near Calcutta, McKim and Washington districts, and the other by George C. Schoonmaker in the Maxton sand at Bens Run, Union district. This report report describes the waterflood operation near Calcutta, W. Va.

Jan 1, 1960

By George C. Branner

This Bureau of Mines report presents information on the origin, collection, movement, and consumption of iron and steel scrap in California and Nevada. As far as practicable, information is presented on a grade basis. The iron and steel scrap industry in California is important from the standpoint of employment, economic essentiality, and dollar value. About 16,000 persons are either directly or indirectly employed on a full- or part- time basis in the collection, preparation, and sale of iron and steel scrap in California; in 1957 about 70 percent of the tonnage of products of California steel mills, valued at $271 million, was derived from scrap; the value of scrap in 1957 ($117 million) is about $10 million greater than the value of portland cement produced in California that year. The iron and steel scrap industry in Nevada is small.

Jan 1, 1960

By James Westfield

A brief résumé follows of activities of the Division of Coal-Mine Inspection that have had a favorable effect on health, safety, and the reduction of injuries at coal mines: 1. The Federal Mine Safety Code fur Bituminous Coal and Lignite Mines of the United States was issued originally by the Director of the Bureau of Mines on July 24, 1946, after consulting with management and labor representatives of the coal-mining industry. The code has been used by Federal coal-mine inspectors while inspecting bituminous-coal and lignite mines as a basis for determining the existence of unhealthful and unsafe conditions and practices in these mines. A revised code was issued by the Secretary of the Interior on October 8, 1953, after further consultations with representatives of management and mine workers and was incorporated by reference in the 1952 and subsequent bituminous -coal wage agreements. The agreement of May 29, 1946, between the Secretary of the Interior, acting as Coal Mines Administrator under authority of Executive Order 9728, and the United Mine Workers of America, covering bituminous-coal and lignite mines in Government possession, charged Federal coal-mine inspectors with the responsibility of making periodic investigations of the mines and reportin; to the Coal Mines Administrator any violations of the Federal Minis Safety Code. Federal coal-mine inspectors also had temporary authority to close mines found to be imminently dangerous, but such authority under Executive Order 9728 was removed on June 30, 1947, when Government control of the mines was terminated.

Jan 1, 1960

By John C. Machisak

THE INJURY data and experience at quarries and related plants of the United States are presented in this publication under the following general sections (A) General injury experience: Tables 1-3: Current data on number of injuries, injury-frequency rates, location, accident agency, degree of injury, and related employment data. (B) Injury experience at different kinds of quarries: Tables 4-5: Current data on number of injuries, injury-frequency rates, location, accident agency, degree of injury, and related employment, data. (C) Injury experience by States: Tables 6-20: Current data on the number of injuries, injury-frequency rates, accident agency, degree of injury, and related employment data. (D) Selected injury data: Tables 21-30: Current data on various selected factors of operating conditions at different kinds of quarries, including employment size-groups, length of shifts, comparative severity of injuries, and injury data and related employment experience at dimension-stone and nondimension-stone quarries and at underground quarries. (E) Historical injury experience: Table 31: Injury and employment data on the quarrying industry for 1911 through 1957. Statistical data on injuries and related employment in the quarrying industries have been collected annually from the operating companies since 1911. Reporting to the Bureau of Mines is voluntary; there is no Federal law compelling operators of quarries and related plants to supply such data. Data presented herein may not be complete for the entire industry. They are however, believed to be representative of the hazards common to all quarry and related workers. Moreover, the figures are comparable as between States-a significant fact in view of the lack of uniformity among the States with regard to the classes of injuries covered by State reports and other factors that tend to make it impracticable or impossible when using State records to

Jan 1, 1960

By John C. Machisak

INJURY DATA and experience at coal mines in the United States for 1956 and 1956 are presented in this publication with a minimum of interpretation and comment because of the numerous tables required to afford detailed comparisons between the 2 years. Corresponding table., for 1955 and 1956 follow in consecutive order under the following general sections: (A) General injury experience: Tables I to II: contain current data on number of fatal and nonfatal injuries, frequency and severity rates, and average severity. (B) Selected injury data: Tables 12 to 77: Contain current data on causes of injuries, distribution of injuries by part of body injured, clays of disability, extent of hand and machine loading, experience by employment and production groups, and various other operating factors and physical conditions related to the occurrence of injuries at the Nation's coal mines. (C) Injury experience, by States: Tables 78 to 87: Contain data on injuries, injury rates, employment, cause of injuries, aid severity rates by States. (D) Major disasters: Table 88: Contains data on major disasters, 1947 -56. A major disaster is defined as a single accident in which, or as the result of which, five or more persons are killed instantly or died at any time thereafter. (E) Historical coal-mine-fatality experience: Tables 89 to 93: Contain data on fatalities and their causes at bituminous-coal and anthracite mines from the earliest records through 1956.

Jan 1, 1960

By John C. Machisak

THIS INFORMATION CIRCULAR contains 1956 and 1957 injury experience and employment data for metal mines in the United States and Alaska. Unlike previous publications, this report covers only metal mining and contains statistical data on injuries and employment pertinent to metal mines and mills reporting voluntarily to the Bureau of Mines on an annual basis. Injury and employment data for the nonmetal industries, which from 1911 through 1955 were published in the same series as the metal industries, for the first time will be published separately as an information circular entitled "Injury Experience in the Nonmetal Industries, 1956 and 1957." The Bureau of Mines is authorized to make requests for injury and employment data, and the information submitted by operators of metal mines and mills is a step forward in promoting safety in the metal-mining industry. Every effort has been made to make this coverage as complete as possible.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. J. Shields

This study by the Federal Bureau of Mines concerns different methods of face haulage used with various types of continuous-mining machines, mobile-loading machines, and track-mounted equipment under varying roof and bottom conditions and in coalbeds of varying thicknesses. This report is the ninth in a series on mechanical mining in bituminous coal mines. Reference to the reports previously published is made in appendix III, p. 106. Use of modern mining equipment in bituminous coal mines has resulted in increased productivity at the face. This especially is true where continuous-mining machines are used, and the supervision is good. Previous methods and equipment for moving coal from the face became inadequate and had to be improved to restore balance to the mining systems. Sometimes new equipment was needed to improve the face haulage, and in some instances, a new combination of existing equipment was used. Detailed studies of face haulage methods were made at 13 mines in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois to compare their effectiveness and to describe fully the conditions under which each method was used.

Jan 1, 1960

By Hal H. Engel

This publication was written in response to numerous requests for information about the Federal Bureau of Mines' "Demonstrated Lecture on Flame Propagation and Permissible and Explosion-Proof Electrical Equipment." The requests came principally from: (1) Persons wanting to know more about the demonstration before requesting it for groups they represented; (2) persons wishing advance information to help publicize a meeting where the demonstration was to be given; and (3) members of audiences desiring something to help them remember the salient points, facts, and figures presented during the lecture and demonstration. The purpose of the demonstration that accompanies the lecture is to show: (1) Variations in flame speed and pressure at various percentages of flammable gas within the flammable range; (2) effect of flame speed on the "pressure piling" within the area confining the mixture; and (3) the application of flame speed and pressure piling to the combustion of surrounding gas and to the design and maintenance of electrical equipment used in hazardous locations.

Jan 1, 1960