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By Byron W. Cheever

In my paper on the estimation of manganese, etc., presented at the Halifax meeting, in September, 1885 (Transactions, xiv., 372), I said that the colorimetric process "can never be made to give reliable results." This statement was based on the results of many trials made by my assistant, Mr. E. D. Campbell, and myself, following in our work the printed and oral directions of others, and such modifications as suggested themselves from time to time. The accuracy of the statement having been questioned, I have, since then, endeavored to find some method of conducting the operation which would give accurate results; I have also tried the methods used by five different chemists; and I am not able to bring the process within the limits of an exact method. While it can fairly be ranked with the colorimetric carbon-process, and can be used for checking the operations of a steel plant, yet it requires more care to obtain uniform results, and is liable to greater variations from slight causes than the carbon-process, and, in my judgment, is not a safe method to employ when exact results are sought.

Jan 1, 1887

By C. A. Stetefeldt

In my paper on "The Consumption of Fuel in the Taylor Gas-Producer Plants at the Aspen and Marsac Mills" (Trans., xxiii., 134), I mentioned that in the plant which I had designed for the Ontario mill, the gas-tubes were to be covered with thin, corrugated sheet-iron, over which a coating of asbestos-magnesia would be spread in order to effect a good insulation and keep the gas as hot as possible. At the Ontario mill, two Stetefeldt furnaces and two revolving driers are fired with gas. One furnace is connected with a Taylor producer of 5 feet diameter, and the other furnace and the two driers are heated by the gas from a Taylor producer of 7 feet diameter. In the latter case the gas-tubes are necessarily somewhat long, and the cleaning of them takes time. In order to prevent overheating of the tubes during that operation, it has been found advantageous not to provide them with an insulating covering. If a tube becomes red-hot at any place by the burning of soot, this is at once observed, and the tube is closed until it cools down. The tubes con-

Jan 1, 1895

By R. H. Ernst, H. R. Ogden, D. J. Maykuth

AT present, no theories exist which allow prediction of the effect of alloying additions on the thermoelectric properties of metals. Nevertheless, Battelle and others1 have observed that, at high temperatures, the peak thermal electromotive-force output (relative to a platinum standard) occurs with metals in Group VI of the Periodic Chart. The authors suspected that this peak was associated with the fact that maximum electronic bond stability is achieved with these metals which have six bonding electrons per atom. On the basis of current electron-concentration theory for transition metals and alloys:' it was surmised that the addition of valency electrons to metals of Groups IV and V (accomplished by the addition of metals from Groups VI, VII, or VIII) should progressively increase the thermoelectric-power output of the resulting alloys until an alloy composition is reached at which the number of valency electrons per atom is six. A further increase in the ratio of valency electrons per atom should then decrease the thermoelectric power. In contrast, the addition of bonding electrons to Group VI, VII, or VIII metals should decrease their thermoelectric power since the electron per atom

Jan 1, 1965

CHARLES E. GUILLAUME,* .Sèvres, France written discussion?).-Referring top. 2052, experiments made at the end of the year 1884showed a remarkable agreement between the indications of various verre dur thermometers of which all the corrections had been determined with the greatest possible precision. The maximum deviations not attributable to the comparisons themselves were then about 0.002 to 0.003 degree. Much later, greater differences began to show. They were caused by the fact that the glassmaker-had modified the composition by adding to it a small quantity of lead. Efforts are now being made in France to obtain a regular, supply of glass made according to the old formula. The determination of the boiling point of sulfur made by Chappuis,1 444.5°, accords very well with the value noted on p. 2054. The International Committee of Weights and Measures and the General Conference have already considered the future abandonment of the hydrogen scale in favor of the thermodynamic scale. The hydro-gen scale appears to be, in their estimation, a transitory one, happily so closely approaching the final scale that no correction should be necessary for all measurements of temperature made during the last 30 years.

Jan 12, 1919

By W. M. Morris

THE volumetric behavior of isobutane at temperatures below its critical temperature has been studied by several investigators. Seibert and Burrell1 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 lb. 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 (A.I.M.E. Tech. Pub. 1127).

Jan 1, 1939

By G. A. Koenig, Moritz Stockder

Locality and Geological Occurrence.—The Atpine region of Southwest. Colorado. cort~prieiog the San Juan and Uncon~paghre Mountains, is con~posed of a deeply eroded sheet of acid eruptive rocks, overlying in part gneissic schiets, and in part limestones and sandstones, including portions of the Silurian, Devonian, arid Carboniferous systems. The section is clearly and beautifully exposed along the Uncompghre River from its headwaters to its exit from the mountains. The river's course from the town of Ouray towards the Los Pinos agency is due north, and four miles from Ouray, in this directiou, the Uocampaglire receives from the east the Red Casm Creek. Following up the narrow canon we find the section through white. sandotone in strata dipping to the north and west, and belonging either to the lower or middle Devonian system. Presently the steep cafion-like character of the ravine gives place to more gentle slopes, ad we have entered crysralline rock—porphyry. The contact is well marked, for the sandsbne, to a depth of from six to ten feet, resembles quartzite, i. e., is serui'fusd. Ascending still higher, a small

Jan 1, 1881

By E. Clarence Peterson, Rip V. Thompson

ALTHOUGH the metallurgical treatment for the Ophir Hill tailings was developed more than 20 years ago and in the interim a vast amount of experimental work was done with later-developed flotation reagents, it was found necessary to revert to the original oil reagents and their combinations with specific chemical reagents in order to obtain results of economic value. This is of especial interest because in present ore-treatment investigations later-developed flotation reagents are used almost exclusively and the coal-tar derivatives, except in certain patented reagents, are virtually neglected. These coal-tar oils and derivatives still have a definite field of application, especially in the treatment of some oxidized ores when modified sulphidization is desirable. The Ophir Hill tailings deposit is in Ophir Canyon, Tooele County, Utah, about 55 miles southwest of Salt Lake City and 25 miles south of the Tooele smelter of the International Smelting and Refining Co. A road good for trucks leads directly from the Ophir mill to the smelter. TAILINGS These tailings were produced in the old Ophir Hill gravity concentrator previous to 1921. The original mill ore was a heavy lead-zinc-copper-silver-iron sulphide ore formed by limestone replacement. The gangue is a highly siliceous lime. An assay of the original milling ore would approximate 1.0 per cent Cu, 6 to 8 per cent Pb, 6 to 8 per cent Zn, 8 to 12 oz. Ag, 18 to 25 per cent Fe, 2.0 per cent CaO, 20 to 5o per cent insoluble. The gold content was 0.005 oz. or less. Tailing was impounded in a fairly wide area in a canyon about ½ mile below the mill. A number of dirt embankments were thrown up to form settling ponds and the tailing was allowed to flow through them in series. Coarser sand deposited at the upper end of the ponds and the finer slimes settled gradually as they passed through the successive settling ponds. As soon as the coarser tailings filled a pond, the tailings were by-passed to the next pond and teams and scrapers were used to haul the deposited sand onto the banks to make them higher. The final dump was approximately 2500 ft. long and 250 ft. wide at the bottoms, with banks sloping up at 45°. The coarser sands predominated at the upper ends and sides of the ponds while the proportion of slimes increased steadily at the lower ends. The lower end of the pond contained over 50,000 tons of slime tailings, 90 per cent of which passed through a 200mesh screen. SAMPLING The entire tailings deposit was sampled by drilling vertical holes so placed as to give data concerning size segregation and the contour of the underlying ground as well as to secure an assay sample. Different types of auger and post-hole drills were tried. None was found satisfactory because the stratified layers of

Jan 1, 1940

In 1936 the Institute established the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal, which will be awarded from time to time "for distinguished achievement in improving the technique and practice of finding and producing petroleum." These awards will be sponsored by the Petroleum Division. Captain Lucas was a pioneer in the oil industry, one of the early wildcatters and a leading mining and petroleum engineer. He was famous as the discoverer of Spindletop. He became a member of the Institute in 1895 and in 1913 was the first Chairman of the Petroleum and Gas Committee of the Institute, the forerunner of the present Petroleum Division. He also headed the Committee in 1914, 1917 and 1918. The first medal was presented at the annual dinner in 1937, Feb. 17, to J. Edgar Pew. The personnel of the Committee on award as appointed in February, 1937, is as follows: John R. Suman, Chairman Until Feb., 1938 Until Feb., 1939 Hallan N. Marsh R. OgaRRio Russell 6. McFarland H. H. Power John R. Suman CaRl A. Young Until Feb., 1940 Until Feb., 1941 W. B. Heroy Joseph Jensen C. V. Millikan John M. Lovejoy J. Edgar Pew Carroll H. WEgemanN Members ex-officio R. C. Allen John W. Finch Axtell J. Byles H. B. FUQUA

Jan 1, 1937

The mining of coal, phosphate, oil, gas, and sodium on the public lands of the United States has, during a long period of years, been prevented by the failure of Congress to legislate, notwithstanding the fact that each successive Congress has vainly attempted to enact a law. Disagreements among members of Congress, many of which have related to non-essential matters, have prevented the passage of a bill, the failure at the last session having been due to a fillibuster in the Senate against the conference report led by Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin. Seven bills covering this subject have been introduced into the present Congress, four of which are identical in nearly all essential respects and follow either precisely or closely the conference agreement of the last Congress. These bills are too long to permit of review in this column. In general they provide for the leasing of lands or privileges to mine or to recover the various minerals above mentioned under terms and conditions as to the amount of land that may be leased by any one applicant, the diligence with which the work must be prosecuted, the return or royalty demanded, and the term of the lease and extensions thereof.

Jan 8, 1919

The work that has formerly been done by the Waste-reclamation Section of the War Industries Board has been tranferred to the Department of Commerce and will be continued as the "Waste-reclamation Service" of this Department. The plan contemplates the establishment of a national waste-reclamation system-comprehensively organized, effective and systematic, and animated by a sympathetic understanding of the purposes and principles of the Service. It is the expectation of the Service that the work will be taken over by the several municipalities or other local governments and made permanent through the creation of a department or bureau for the salvage of waste materials. The local Waste-reclamation Council should be composed of representatives of cooperating national organizations, selected by the mayor; or chief executive officer of the city, town, or village. It will be the duty of the Council to inaugurate an educational campaign to conserve materials so as to make less waste, together with a reclamation movement that shall reclaim the residue of waste in the community, thus conserving the resources of the country both in man power and in materials. The most important materials to reclaim at the present time are: paper, steel, copper, wool, iron, brass, cotton, zinc, aluminum, rubber, babbitt metal, tin-foil, lead, tin and leather.

Jan 8, 1919

By G. A. Burrell

A gasoline recovery plant at a refinery is usually considered such a profitable investment, and performs so well apparently, even under conditions of low efficiency, that frequently but little attention is given it to make it perform at top efficiency. Further, there are so many other units in a refinery that demand most of the available attention that the recovery plant is left to shift for itself. "It seems to be doing pretty well so why bother with it," is sometimes the attitude toward it. On the other hand, there is no reason why it should not be placed on the same high plane of efficiency as that of many natural gasoline plants. The two problems, gasoline recovery from natural gas and gasoline recovery from refinery gases, have much in common. At some refineries the gasoline recovery plant produces too much gasoline, because too low a pressure is carried on the gathering lines and the condenser boxes are robbed of gasoline that they can and should take care of, and as a consequence the refiner fools himself into believing that his recovery plant is an extraordinarily fine unit, when on the contrary it may be working at low efficiency insofar as doing its rightful job is concerned.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. G. Paterson, J. A. Meech

Abstract-Activated carbon is a strong adsorbent for amyl xanthate, capable of removing from solution up to a quarter of its own weight in xanthate. In selective flotation systems where depression is unstable, separation efficiency increases with activated carbon additions. The improvements observed are brought about by two mechanisms. First, by removing stripped and residual collector ions from solution, competition between depressant and xanthate is reduced and depression is stabilized. In addition, the texture of the froth phase at high pine oil concentrations is modified by activated carbon such that better drainage between the air bubbles takes place, alleviating the mechanical entrapment of depressed mineral particles. In treating a bulk copper/lead concentrate produced from GECO ore, selectively between galena and chalcopyrite is increased when activated carbon is used. Although the rate of flotation of galena is marginally lowered by activated carbon, a small extension in the duration of flotation allows the lead recovery to increase by 19% at the same recovery of copper. An addition rate of 0.75 kg/ton (1.5 lb/st) of bulk concentrate is suggested as optimum from this testwork. However, the actual level wed in the mill is dependent upon the residual concentrations of collector and frother in the bulk concentrate Pulp.

Jan 11, 1978

Pursuant to notice duly given in accordance with law and the constitution, a special business meeting of the members of the Institute was held at the office of the Institute on June 27, 1919, at 8.30 P.M., 1573 members were present in person or by proxy. On resolution duly made and seconded, the change of name to American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, Incorporated, was authorized and the officers of the corporation were instructed to take the necessary steps to accomplish this result. The votes were 1565 in favor of the resolution and 7 against. It was then moved and seconded that the certificate of incorporation be amended to define the purposes for which the corporation was formed as follows: "To promote the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals, and the welfare of those employed in the industries by all lawful means, " etc., etc.-the remainder of the article reading the same. The purpose of this change was to allow the Institute to take any legal means it desires to accomplish the objects mentioned above instead of restricting it within narrow limits. The vote was 1573 in favor of the resolution and none against.

Jan 8, 1919

By F. Valton

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) IN the number of the Engineering and Mining Journal for April 7th, 1877, Mr. W. P. Ward, of Cartersville, Georgia, explains in a very interesting manner, the results he obtained in the manufacture of ferromanganese in the blast furnace. These results may be summed tip as follows : Production in the blast furnace of an alloy containing 67.2 per cent. manganese and 3 per cent. of carbon at most, with a utilization of the manganese amounting to 58 per cent. With the exception of the indicated proportion of carbon, which should be almost doubled to express the true state of facts, we would have had no observations to make on Mr. Ward's paper had he taken into account the results obtained in the same line in other centres of production. Before 1870, spiegel with 8 or 10 per cent. manganese only was known among blast-furnace products. In a journey to Sweden, in 1871, I ascertained that the Schysshyttan works manufactured regularly a spiegel with 18 per cent. manganese. Later, at the Vienna Exhibition, in 1873, the Sava and Jauerburg works, in Carniola, presented to the jury a ferromanganese, obtained in the blast fur-

Jan 1, 1878

By W. L. Freyberger

In a study of the kinetics of flotation of coal, employing a single-cell continuous flotation system, Jowett and Safvi1 pointed out that it was experimentally impossible to float all of the coal which could be floated in a batch tests. On the other hand, deBruyn and Modi, in a discussion of their paper, suggested that under certain conditions the recovery of floatable material from a similar one-cell continuous system would have been 100%.2 Both of these pairs of authors make the assumption that a state of perfect mixing exist in the flotation cell. This assumption, usually made by investigators studying flotation kinetics in a continuous system, has been confirmed experimentally on several occasions. The work is summarized by Arbiter and Harris.3 It is the purpose of this note to demonstrate that, for conditions of perfect mixing, one of two conditions exist: 1) the recovery of floatable material is 100%, and the flotation is infinitely fast, or 2) the recovery of floatable material must be less than 100%. This theorem can be proved simply in the following manner: 1) If recovery, R, of the floatable material is 100%, the concentration in the tailing must be zero. This follows from the definition of recovery as

Jan 1, 1964

A dinner was given to Ambrose Swasey by the United Engineering Society, at the Engineers' Club, on November 14. Those present -included -twenty-one presidents and past presidents of the Founder Societies. Charles F. Rand, President of United Engineering Society, presided. President Robert S. Woodward, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and Dr. Robert W. Hunt, of Chicago, made addresses to which Mr. Swasey responded. Dr. Michael I. Pupin, Chairman of Engineering Foundation, made the closing address. The evening was marked by the high character of the addresses, inspiration for grave duties lying before the engineering profession, and by the spirit of good fellowship. Among the seventy-two persons present were the following members of the Institute: E. E. Bartlett, William N. Best, J. Parke, Channing, C. R. Corning, F. C. Cottrell, J. V. Davies, J. V. N. Dorr, H. S. Drinker, Karl Eilers, H. M. Howe, A. C. Humphreys, Robert W. Hunt, Wm.. B. Jackson, D. S. Jacobus, J. H. Janeway, J. E. Johnson, Jr., John Johnston, George F. Kunz, Edwin Ludlow, Philip N. Moore, Fred'k. H. Newell; Wm. H. Nichols, H. Hobart Porter, Charles F. Rand, R. M. Raymond, .Jesse M. Smith, E. Gybbon Spilsbury, Bradley Stoughton, . Joseph Struthers, Benj. B. Thayer, Wm. H. Wiley, S. T. Wellman.

Jan 1, 1919

By Chu-Phay Yap

This is the first of a series of theoretical papers on the iron-carbon system. A simple critical analysis of the ordinary constitution diagram of the iron-carbon system yields valuable information regarding the nature of the equilibria in the liquid and solid states. It is shown, for example, that the solute in the melt is Fe3C, but in solid Fe (austenite) the solute is carbon. The thermodynamic laws of the depression in the freezing point of solid solutions have been developed and discussed. Using the usual method of plotting the logarithm value of the concentration of the solvent (in this case, the ratio of concentrations of the solvent in the liquid and solid phases) against 1/T, curves are obtained. A rigorous thermodynamic analysis of these curves has been shown to yield considerable information regarding the internal equilibria of the system, with which the phase rule does not deal altogether. In this way, it is shown again that the solute in the melt is Fe3C, but in the solid rFe the solute is carbon. Various heats of reaction (fusion and transition) and other thermal data have been derived: and discussed with a view to correlating the conflicting experimental data obtained by different investigators of the system.

Jan 1, 1931

ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons.) Member, aged 25, recent graduate, with some experience in laboratory of steel plant, desires position as metallurgist or assistant in copper, aluminum, or steel works. No. 118. Member, aged 52, technical graduate, with 20 years' experience as engineer with coal-mining companies, desires position as engineer or superintendent of coal mine. No. 119. Member, aged 39, technical graduate, with extended experience in surveying, assaying, milling, and copper smelting, desires position along cyaniding, concentration, or copper-smelting lines. No. 120. Member, aged, 38, technical graduate, with several years' experience in research work, in mine operation and as professor of mining engineering, is desirous of engagement in planning concentration and metallurgy of odd and difficult ores. No. 121. Member, aged 32, graduate M. I. T. in mining and metallurgy, at present and for last five years superintendent of Western lead smeltery, will consider engagement with solid company, if opening promises advancement. Specialty, smelting of lead ores, high in lead and zinc content. Ten years' experience in the operation, design, and erection of a large lead plant. Now desirous of bettering position.. No. 122.

Jan 8, 1914

By J. R. Finlay

THE other day, I fell into conversation with two gentlemen who desired to improve the condition of the people; so that the talk was semi-political. They seemed to agree that I was inclined to be "con-servative," "reactionary," perhaps an "evolutionist," looking upon "reform" with suspicion. Finally I rejoined somewhat in this manner: "You attach to me phrases that I have heard all my life but which convey no meaning to me. It is quite true that I do not make a fetish of terms like reform, liberty, democracy and so forth; neither do I worship the idea that `things are good enough as they are,' `leave well enough. alone' and so forth. There is more satisfaction in building something up than in tearing something down, or in just maintaining something that is already built. Progress is a popular word; but what is progress? In my opinion it is comprised, so far as public welfare is concerned, of two elements: Improvements in production of goods and knowledge; improvements in keeping order." This substitute for politics, economics, reform, pro-gress, conservatism, radicalism, democracy, socialism, monarchism and all the phrases of public welfare may seem over-simple; perhaps it is, but at least it defines something. It seems to me to be at least worth attention.

Jan 4, 1922

By Alfred F. Brainerd

HAVING had considerable practical experience in the management of colored mining labor in the South, I have thought a few observations upon its peculiarities might interest those not personally familiar with it. In mining, as in all other departments throughout the South, this class of labor is largely in excess of any other; and its characteristics need to be known and duly taken into consideration by those who may be charged with the conduct of southern enterprises. The colored laborers are fervently religious, intensely superstitious, improvident, and usually good natured and happy,—in a word, they are like children. That strong religious emotions do not involve necessarily a moral sense highly developed in the direction of ethics, is shown in the propensity of the colored population for chickenstealing, and in the brutal fights and other outbreaks of which they are not infrequeutly guilty, upon any slight provocation. It is only fair to say, however, that many individuals among them are in the highest degree steady and trustworthy. To one accustomed to seeing white miners at work in the middle, northern or western States, the colored miners seem somewhat slow and lazy. But their efficiency is greater than it appears to be. The almost tropical sun of midsummer beats upon their unprotected heads

Jan 1, 1886