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By T. F. Witherbee

In a paper read at the Lake Superior meeting, August, 1580, an account was given of the successful use of Rendrock. and Monaky powder upon a .scaffold- and salamander in the furnace. On April 5th, 1881,' the same trouble called for like treatment, which, though not so immediately successful, was on the whole more instructive than the first trial, and points, I trust, to a reasonably sure remedy for all such difficulties. Up to December 4th, 1880, foundry and mill iron were made from Old Bed and Sew Bed magnetite, and Kearney red hematite, when a return was made to Bessemer iron, from an inferior quality of New Bed ore as compared with that used during first blast. January lath, 1881, New Bed, Chateangay, and East-shaft, a newly-opened Bessemer deposit of Messrs. Witherbee, Sherman $ Co., were first used, and continued up to February 13th, on a fuel charge of 80 per cent. anthracite and 20 per cent. coke, the product on the three ores being about 10 tons more per day than on New Bed alone. From this time until March 11th all coal was used, and New Bed, Chateaugay, and East-shaft ores, up to February 224 and from that date Chateaugay and New Bed, the product falling off 9,8, tons per day as a result of not using coke. It is fair, however, to state that the furnace was not in good condition during this period, being over-burdened, and the New Bed ore was, temporarily, uncommonly poor, for reasons of no particular interest here. It required to properly flux it at least 140 per cent. of limestone; and 101 per ent. was actually used. March 11th, all Chateaugay ore aid 80

Jan 1, 1882

By T. F. Witherbee

IN a paper read at the Lake Superior meeting, August, 1880, an account was given of the successful use of Rendrock and Monaky powder upon a scaffoldn and salamander in the furnace. On April 5th, 1881, the same trouble called for like treatment, which, though not so immediately. successful, was on the whole more instructive than the first trial, and points, I trust, to a reasonably sure remedy for all such difficulties. Up to December 4th, 1880, foundry and mill iron were made from Old Bed and New Bed magnetite, and Kearneyy red hematite, when a return was made to Bessemer iron, from an inferior quality of New Bed ore as compared with that used during first blast. January 18th, 1881, New Bed, Chateangay, and East-shaft, a newly-opened Bessemer deposit of Messrs. Witherbee, Sherman & Co., were first used, and continued up to February 13th, on a fuel charge of 80 per cent. anthracite and 20 per cent. coke, the product on the three ores being about 10 tons more per day than on New Bed alone. From this time until March 11th all coal was used, and New Bed, Chateangay, and East-shaft ores, up to February 22d, and from that date Chateangay and New Bed, the product falling off 9 6/10 tons per day as a result of not using coke. It is fair, however, to state that the furnace was not in good condition during' this period, being over-burdened, and the New Bed ore was, temporarily, uncommonly poor, for reasons of no particular interest here.. It required to properly flux it at least 140 per cent. of limestone; and 101 per cent was actually used. March 11th, all Chateangay ore and 80

Jan 1, 1882

By O. G. Lellep

IN every country economic circumstances prescribe the method used to produce a commodity at lowest cost. In Pennsylvania a man's wages for working 4 hr buys a ton of coal wholesale; in Germany a laborer must work 40 hr, or ten times as long. In western Europe, therefore, conservation of fuel is of primary importance, and recent practices of burning lime and cement differ from those employed in the United States. This paper presents data collected during a trip through western Europe in 1953. Considered uneconomical, shaft kilns for burning cement disappeared in the United States two generations ago. But because required capital investment is low and operation greatly improved, shaft kilns are still used to some extent in Europe, where fuel costs are high, and are even included in designs for plants under construction. During the last 50 years shaft kilns have been maintained at the same physical size, while their output has been increased at least four times.

Jan 7, 1954

By George Langford

THE McIntyre mine is in the Pearl Lake section of the Porcupine gold area. The rocks are Keewatin lavas intruded by quartz porphyries and albitite dikes of Algoman age. Gold-bearing quartz veins are found in the Keewatin rocks near the porphyry stocks. The whole area has been highly compressed by forces acting along a N. 20°W. line. These forces folded the Keewatin rocks before the intrusion of the Algoman rocks, and later schisted both the Keewatin and Algoman rocks. Vein fractures were developed after the folding but before the development of the schist by the compres-sive forces being locally broken up into couples. These couples were set up by the differential resistance to deformation of porphyries and basalts, and also by the competency of the dacites and incompetency of the tuffs and fragmental rocks. During the important period of vein formation, two zones were developed-an inner productive zone in which the quartz veins are ankerite-bearing and an outer barren zone in which the quartz veins are calcite-bearing. The vein solutions originated in the same magma that supplied the albitite dikes.

Jan 1, 1938

By Arthur F. Colombo, Donald W. Frommer

With the opening of the Tilden mine near Ishpeming, MI, a new era in iron ore beneficiation was begun. A description of a U. S. Bureau of Mines investigation is summarized to illustrate the selective flocculation-deslime-flotation process developed by the Bureau and used at the Tilden concentrator, which is also briefly described. The operating parameters for the selective flocculation-cationic flotation of an oxidized taconite from the Mesabi range are discussed. A water reclamation system using lime and a cationic flocculant was applied to reclaim the effluents from a 900-pound-per-hour flotation pilot plant. About 80 percent of water requirements were recovered, and the calcium content of the reclaimed water was found to be more important than clarity in influencing the selective flocculation and flotation processes. Although reclaimed waters with about 10 ppm calcium registered turbidities of approximately 5,000 ppm SiO2 equivalents, the concentrates produced using these waters contained 64 percent Fe and 55.0 percent SiO2 and had accompanying iron recoveries of 75 percent. Lower grade concentrates resulted from using reclaimed water with higher calcium contents and lower turbidities.

Jan 1, 1976

By Jerry G. Rose, Robert C. Howell

This paper addresses a process by which both the disposal and utilization of preparation plant coal refuse can be simultaneously accomplished with an attendant benefit of significantly increasing the percentage of extractable coal. A laboratory study is described in which coal refuse was successfully utilized as an aggregate in low cost concrete (coal-crete) mixes under simulated mine environments. Coal-crete specimens with compressive strengths of 14 000 kPa (2000 psi) were consistently produced. A construction sequence and mining plans are offered for placing the low-cost coal-crete pillars in accessible areas in room and-pillar mines so that a substantial portion of the remaining coal pillars could be extracted. The method could be applicable in areas where mining procedures do not permit pillar extraction became of possible surface subsidence, roof problems, or other conditions. Possible structural difficulties with the coal- crete pillar support system are discussed. Using a discounted cash flow analysis, the economic feasibility of mining with the coal-crete pillar system is investigated. The cost of the system is compared to the cost of a mining system which would have less coal recovery. The analysis indicates that although at higher coal selling prices the coal-crete mining system may yield an acceptable rate of return, the alternative of leaving the coal pillars is more attractive at the present time.

Jan 3, 1979

By F. E. Gregory

MINING methods and customs in many districts of England are to this day strangely bound about by the records and traditions of the past. In some mining fields this is more apparent than in others, yet it is everywhere in evidence, for Cornwall with her mines under the sea, Wales with her famous quartzites, and Derbyshire with her remarkable cavern deposits, are all tinctured with quaint customs that have come out of the almost forgotten past. Here, modernism has never replaced tradition, and many of the laws are woven of the woof and warp of ancient custom. Indeed, these things exist because they have come to be part and parcel of the civil laws. And these laws are observed with meticulous care and accorded all the reverence due their venerable age. All activities pertaining to the mining of metals are hedged around by curious and ofttimes clumsy laws, each minute and trivial detail being covered by the civil code, and each petty law enforced by an ofttimes pompous official.

Jan 1, 1933

Joseph LeConte, Berkeley, Gal.: I have read with some care and with extreme interest the work of Dr. Don, and have 110 hesitancy in expressing my high estimate of its value. We have here an example of laborious work undertaken in the true scientific spirit and by right methods. Loose statements and rash conjectures are here brought to the test of chemical analyses. By such work only may we hope to reach reliable conclusions and finally to solve the complex problems presented by the occurrence of ore-deposits. Such work as this is not only scientific but Is in the highest degree practical; for while a crude and imperfect science, by interfering with the results of approved empirical methods, may be positively hurtful, a more perfect science must eventually become the only sure guide to practice. Such a more perfeet science can only be reached by such work as Dr. Don's. I am sure every member of the Institute will unite with me in the hope that Dr. Don will continue his work, and that his example will incite others to similar work. S. F. Emmons, Washington, D. C.: I desire to bear my humble testimony to the great value of Dr. Don's paper to the science of ore-deposits, the thoroughness and accuracy of his work, and the immense amount of care-taking and tedious labor which it represents. The only regret with regard to it is that it could not have been published in full. No more important paper in its line has ever appeared in the Transactions. Indeed,

Jan 1, 1898

By Andres M. Liebenthal, Jan M. Mutmansky

This paper is concerned with the layout of a conveyor and beneficiation plant system involving several mines and a single point of delivery. The objective of the procedure is to locate the conveyor lines and beneficiation plants in an optimal manner considering the economics of scale inherent in both the transportation and beneficiation processes. Upon completion of the mining plan, the layout of the conveyor network is achieved through the principle of Steiner minimal trees. The optimal number and location of beneficiation plants for this layout are then determined using a sequential economic analysis based upon the flow of material from the individual sources to the ultimate destination. The practical aspects of the method and the advantages and disadvantages of its use are discussed to link the model to a practical problem.

Jan 1, 1976

By T. M. Williams

DURING the year just ended we have had three great fires in the mines in the Wilkes-Barre district. One at the Empire Colliery, one at the Prospect shaft, and the other at the Baltimore old mine. It is proposed in this paper to give a brief history of the fire at the Empire Colliery, and the methods employed in extinguishing it. The fire was first discovered breaking out in the air-stack, alongside what is known as the " Kidder Plane," about one o'clock on the morning of December 31st, 1873. Subsequently it was ascertained that the fire originated in the return airway somewhere near the steam boiler, located inside the mine, near the head of No. 5 slope. The coal from this slope was hoisted to the shaft gangway, at a point nearly four thousand feet distant from the foot of the shaft. As there were from four to five hundred mine cars hoisted per day from this slope the steam boilers were located at this place. The mines being of considerable extent required a large volume of pure air for ventilation, and no fan having been erected at this slope at the time, the heat from the boiler was made use of to assist ventilation, by conveying the return air from No. 5 slope into the large airway made from these boilers to the surface through the old "Kidder slope" to the stack where the fire was first discovered. The length of this slope or airway was about one thousand feet, with a sectional area of about sixty feet. The quantity of air passing through it must have been over sixty thousand cubic feet per minute

Jan 1, 1875

By AIME AIME

DESPITE the fact that its membership is spread over every continent of the globe, the Petroleum Division was able to report a very substantial attendance at its meetings. Careful planning on the part of its chairman, J. B. Urnpleby, and his associates resulted in the presentation of a program that was of timely interest -and led to discussions that will unquestionably prove to be of major value to the petroleum engineer and to the oil industry in general. Scheduling of meetings so as to avoid all conflicts made it possible to obtain a higher average attendance at the several sessions* than in previous years, and gave everyone a chance to hear all of the papers that he was interested in. The chairmen of the various meetings are to be congratulated especially for their skill in handling them so that at .no time was there the least indication of lagging interest.

Jan 1, 1930

By Carrol M. Beeson

Reasons are given for using a Boyle's-law porosimeter in conducting core analysis for either routine or research purposes. Among other things, it is pointed out that such a porosimeter permits the measurement of all basic properties on the same sample, thereby eliminating the sources of error inherent in the use of adjacent samples. References are made to investigations of gas adsorption on various porous materials, to show that the use of helium in Boyle's-law porosimeters reduces to negligible proportions the error due to the adsorption or desorption of the operating gas. Two Boyle's-law instruments are described. which permit accurate and rapid measurements of porosity. Schematic sketches and explanation:; are included, along with derivations of equations required in performing precise determinations. Summaries of data obtained during calibration are tabulated and analyses of the data are resented as indications of the precision and accuracy of each device. Comparisons are also shown for measurements made with each of the instruments on the same test pieces and cores. INTRODUCTION An accurate porosimeter, operating on the principle of Boyle's law. is of considerable value in the analysis of cores for either routine or research purposes. This is due primarily to the fact that the measurement of porosity with such an instrument leaves the sample free of contamination by any liquid. When used in conjunction with an extraction apparatus' for determining oil and water saturations, a Boyle's-law porosimeter permits the measurement of all basic properties on the same sample. This eliminates the sources of error inherent in the use of adjacent samples, or the necessity of determining porosity after all other properties have been obtained. Large errors may result from combining measurements made on adjacent samples in order to obtain a single property. This type of error is definitely involved when oil and water are measured with one sample, and the pore vo1ume is measured with an adjacent one. Furthermore, the source of error would be present to some extent, even if the analyst could choose the samples so they were truly adjacent from a geological standpoint. The use of adjacent samples in routine core analysis also necessarily decreases the probability of correlating core properties. For example, the chance of correlating the "irreducible" interstitial-water saturation with permeability, is bound to be greatly reduced by measuring these properties on "adjacent" samples. For research purposes, amplification is scarcely required concerning the greater flexibility of a method for measuring porosity which leaves the core free of contamination by any liquid. Even under those circumstances which require that the core be saturated with a liquid, a previous measurement of porosity with a gas is useful in determining the degree of saturation that has been attained in the process. Furthermore, for comparable accuracy, porosity usually may be determined more rapidly with a gas than with a liquid. This advantage of the Boyle's-law instrument is most outstanding when the determination time is compared with that required in obtaining porosity by evacuation of the core followed by saturation with a liquid of known density. Several porosimeters which operate on the principle of Boyle's law have been described2,3,4,5,6,7 in the literature. No comparison will be attempted between those instruments and the ones described herein. Before helium gas became readily available, Boyle's-law porosimeters were subject to an appreciable error due to the adsorption of the operating gas on the surface of the core solids. There is considerable direct and indirect evidence in the literature to support the contention that the adsorption of helium on porous solids is negligible at room temperature. In discussing the use of Boyle's-law porosimeters, Washburn and Bunting2 stated that "for most ceramic bodies dry air is a satisfactory gas, but hydrogen will be required in some instances. Helium could, of course, be employed for all types of porous materials at room temperatures or above." Howard and Hulett8 obtained evidence that the adsorption of helium was negligible at room temperatures, even on activated carbon ; for the density measured with this gas was unaffected by changes in pressure or by changes in temperature from 25 °C to 75 °C. For oil-well cores, Taliaferro, Johnson, and Dewees" obtained lower porosities with helium than with air, but apparently did not study helium adsorption. From the work of these investigators, it follows that the use of helium in Boyle's-law porosimeters reduces the error due to gas adsorption to negligible proportions. This makes it possible to construct instruments which permit the determination of porosity with (1) a high degree of accuracy, (2) with great rapidity, and (3) without contamination. THE KOBE POROSIMETER The fundamental design of the Kobe Porosimeter was developed by Kobe, Inc., which firm built about 12 of the instruments during 1936 and 1937. Since that time, seven or eight more have been constructed with their permission, making a total of about 20 that have been put into operation.

Jan 1, 1950

By ED. E. Furman, R. H. Atkinson

HITHERTO the practical creep testing of precious metals has received little or no attention. The only previous creep tests of precious metals have been made with wires under conditions such as to yield much more rapid rates of creep than in engineering tests.', ' Up to the present time the value of creep bars of adequate size, in the absence of real need for engineering data, has deterred investigators. However, the increasing use of platinum at high temperatures has demonstrated the need for reliable creep data for the guidance of engineers, especially those engaged in designing certain specialized chemical plant equipment. In order to supply this need, creep tests were conducted at 1382°F (750°C) on 0.290 in. diam specimens of platinum, 90 pct Pt, 10 pct Rh and palladium. The platinum was high purity, nominally 99.95 pct Pt. The 90 pct Pt, 10 pct Rh was of the same high quality as is used for making gauzes for the catalytic oxidation of ammonia. The palladium was also of high purity; two batches of palladium bars were tested, one deoxidized with calcium boride and the other with aluminum. Spectrographic examination of the palladium confirmed its good quality; the only significant impurities apart from the residual deoxidizers were traces of silicon and lead. Procedure The creep bars, which were furnished by Baker and Co. to our specification, were 6 ¾ in. in overall length with a 4½ in. (4 in. gage length) reduced section 0.290 in. in diam and had the ends threaded (?-NC16). It may be of interest that the bars were valued at up to $600 each. The specimens were supplied in a 50 pct cold-worked condition to facilitate attachment of the creep extensometer, which was of the push rod type. Because of the softness of the platinum and palladium, the extensometer rings were secured to the test section by means of circular knife edges instead of the usual pointed set screws. The extensometer rods extended through the bottom of the furnace and readings were taken with a 0.0001 in. "Last Word" dial gage fastened to the rods for the duration of the test. The bars were directly loaded by hanging weights from the lower specimen grip. All tests were conducted at 1382°F ± 2°F, and an effort was made to maintain the temperature gradient over the test section within 2°F. The ends of the furnace tube were packed with asbestos wool, which allowed a very slow circulation of air through the tube. Annealing was accomplished in the creep furnace before the load was applied. The platinum and palladium specimens were annealed at the test tem- perature for about 17 and 24 hr respectively; in the case of the rhodioplatinum it was found expedient to anneal for 1 hr at 1922°F (1050°C). Pilot samples cut from the same stock as the bars were used to check annealing procedures. Pertinent measurements of grain size and hardness were recorded. Results and Discussion The creep data obtained are given in Table I and the creep curves are plotted in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Two platinum specimens, tested under a stress of 250 psi, had almost identical creep rates at 2000 hr, namely 0.000008 and 0.000009 pct per hr. A third platinum specimen, stressed at 400 psi, had a creep rate at 2000 hr of 0.000026 pct per hr; the reason for a rather sharp decrease in creep rate during the period from 1200 to 1600 hr is unknown. As it was thought that 90 pct Pt, 10 pct Rh would have a lower creep rate than platinum, the first sample was tested at 400 psi; however, the creep rate was approximately 50 pct greater. Microex-amination revealed that differences in grain size might be responsible for the unexpected result, as annealing at 1382°F developed an average grain diameter of 0.0021 in. in the rhodioplatinum specimen compared with 0.004 in. in the platinum bar. Annealing the alloy for 1 hr at 1922°F (1050°C) increased the average grain diameter to 0.0032 in. and materially improved the creep resistance, making it much better than platinum. A second specimen annealed at 1922°F (1050°C) and tested under a stress of 550 psi had a creep rate of 0.000022 pct per hr at 2000 hr, which was still substantially lower than that shown by the specimen annealed at 1382°F (750°C) and stressed at only 400 psi. In contrast to the creep behavior of the platinum and rhodioplatinum specimens, the palladium bars, whether deoxidized with calcium boride or aluminum, were characterized by high first stages of creep. However, after about 1200 hr of test, the creep

Jan 1, 1952

By J. T. Williams

The equilibria in the V-Zr alloy system were investigated by solidus temperature determinations, thermal analysis, dilatometry, electrical resistance measurements, microscopic examination, and X-ray diffraction analysis. There is a eutectic reaction at 1230°C between a compound, V2Zr, and a solid solution containing 10 pct V in ß zirconium. V2Zr decomposes at 1300°C into liquid and a solid solution containing about 10 pct Zr in vanadium. The eutectic composition is probably about 30 pct V. A eutectoid reaction between V2 Zr and a zirconium takes place at 777°C at a very high rate. The eutectoid composition is 5 wt pct V. The limit of solubility of zirconium in vanadium was estimated to be 5 pct at 600°C. No attempt was made to determine the liquidus for the system. THE recent availability of large quantities of high purity zirconium has stimulated the study of zirconium binary systems. The equilibrium diagram for the V-Zr system has received little attention, however. Wallbauml appears to have made the first report concerning the equilibria in these alloys. He reported the existence of a compound, V2Zr, having the MgZn2 ((214) type of structure with a, = 5.277 kX and c° = 8.647 kX. Anderson, Hayes, Roberson, and Kroll2 made a survey of some potentially useful zirconium binary alloys and found that zirconium probably dissolves a small amount of vanadium. They reported the probable existence of a compound between the two elements and suggested that the zirconium-rich solid solution undergoes a eutectic reaction with this compound. Pfeil," in a critical review of the existing information, estimated that the solubility of vanadium in zirconium is less than 4.7 pct and probably less than 1.8 pct. Rostoker and Yamamoto' proposed a partial diagram for the V-Zr system in a survey paper on vanadium binary alloys. Their diagram indicates the compound, V,Zr, a eutectic reaction at 1360°C, a peritectic reaction at 1740°C, and a limit of solubility of zirconium in vanadium of about 3 pct. They obtained no information on the equilibria in the zirconium-rich alloys. In view of the potential utility of the V-Zr alloys and the incomplete knowledge concerning the equilibria in the system, an attempt was made to establish the constitutional diagram. Preparation of the Alloys Raw Materials: The vanadium for making up these alloys came from the Electro Metallurgical Corp. Zirconium came from two sources. In the beginning of the investigation, sponge zirconium from the Bureau of Mines was used in making some of the alloys. Later, iodide metal made at the Westinghouse Atomic Power Development Laboratories became available. This material was used in the preparation of all the dilatometric and resistance specimens and about two-thirds of the solidus temperature specimens. A typical manufacturer's analysis of the vanadium is shown in Table I. No other analysis of the vanadium was made. The metal contained a dispersed second phase and did not have a sharp melting point. Typical results of spectrographic analysis of the Westinghouse zirconium are shown in Table 11. These data indicate a very high purity. The Bureau of Mines sponge metal was probably less pure but had good ductility. Melting: All of the alloys used in the investigation were made by melting pieces of vanadium and zirconium together in a dc electric arc furnace similar to those of Geach and Summers-Smith, craighead, Simmons, and Eastwood," and others. Melting was done in an atmosphere of helium scavenged of residual air by the preliminary melting of a separate charge of zirconium. Each ingot was turned over and melted at least three more times before removal from the furnace to aid in the attainment of homogeneity. Alloys prepared for use in the investigation are listed with the results of solidus determinations in Table III with the exception of the following compositions upon which no solidus determinations were made: 0.29, 0.54, 4.57, and 5.55 pct V. Analysis: The weight of each ingot made from iodide zirconium was within 0.1 g of the total weight of the initial charge, about 90 g. Since each component of each charge was weighed to the nearest 20 mg for amounts less than 10 g and to the nearest 0.1 g otherwise, the gross composition of an ingot could be calculated accurately. Chemical analysis for the vanadium content of several alloys agreed

Jan 1, 1956

By William J. Douglas, Jack T. Urie, Randall D. Metz

Production and financial planning for a new underground mine requires the coordination of equipment and coal reserves in a manner which assures that resources are utilized efficiently in achieving the target mine production. It is necessary to establish the productions which are attainable at the section level during different mining operations (advance, retreat, development) and under different mining conditions (roof, seam height, resource quality). It is also necessary to identify the interactions between production plans and ventilation equipment So that operations can be carried out without disruptions caused by inadequate ventilation. A set of computer models has been applied in planning a number of new coal, oil shale, and phosphate mines. A critical path production model, CPMINE, was used to determine face production levels for different cut sequences and seam heights, taking into account machine performance characteristics and operational availabilities under these varying conditions. The results formed a production data base for use in the mine sequencing model, MPLAN. This model processes each of the segments of a user-defined mine sequence network (strategy tree) taking into account the equipment available for mining operations and the previously determined production scheme devised by the mining engineer. Mine ventilation was analyzed with an expanded version of the Penn State MVS Ventilation model to determine fan and ventilation shaft requirements for supporting alternative production strategies. The MCOM mine cost analysis model has been applied to evaluate the economic performance of mining alternatives. The results of these studies were used to make decisions relating to equipment selection and acquisition schedules for both room-and-pillar and longwall mining systems. The approach and procedures which were used during these studies are described.

Jan 1, 1983

By Guy Bjorge

IN recent years the Homestake mine has been served by three shafts, the B. &. M., the B. & M. No; 2 and the Ellison, supplemented by an inside shaft, the Milliken, extending from the 2000-ft. level to the 3200-ft. level. In 1932, when a new operating shaft was under consideration, the bottom of the mine was at the 3200-ft. level. The B: & M. and the B. & M. No. 2 shafts were down to the 1550-ft. level and the Ellison was being deepened from the 2600 to the 3200-ft. level. All ore was hoisted at the B. & M. and-Ellison shafts. Levels below the 2600 level, which were under development only, were served by the Milliken shaft. Below the 1550-ft. level, the mine was served only by the Ellison shaft from the surface. Within a few years, when ore reserves above the 1550-ft. level would be depleted, operation would be limited to the Ellison shaft and the auxiliary underground shaft. The Ellison shaft alone was not adequate for hoisting the entire output from the deeper levels and also handling all men and supplies. Further-more, assurance of safety and uninterrupted operation required- two fully equipped shafts to the deeper levels. Therefore a new operating shaft was authorized in November, 1932, and was named for A. J. M. Ross, the mine superintendent.

Jan 1, 1935

By Charles E. Weaver

During the past few years there has been considerable activity in prospecting for oil and gas in several parts of western washington. From time to time seepages of oil or emanations of gas have been reported from various places. Several companies have been organized for the purpose of drilling, but only a part of these have actually begun operations. In certain localities very small seepages of oil occur, but up to the present time no oil or gas in commercial quantities has been obtained. In order to determine the conditions which may be favorable or unfavorable to the occurrence of petroleum it becomes necessary to know the character and extent of the geological formations in which such deposits might occur. In other regions where producing wells have been developed it is possible to know what formations contain the oil and what structural conditions influence its concentration in reservoirs or zones. It is usually possible to determine those strata which contained the materials from which the petroleum may have been derived and also the position and distribution of the more porous sandstone belts into which it may have collected. Detailed stratigraphic surveys may even determine the depth at which a certain known oil-bearing zone may be tapped at any particular place. It is also possible to recognize those formations which are presumably barren of oil, as well as those which are absolutely so. In new regions far distant from any of those which are now producing or have produced in the past, it becomes absolutely impossible to foretell whether oil may exist in commercial quantities or not. Assuming that such deposits do exist, it is extremely difficult to predict at what depth the produciqg zone or zones occur. However, in prospecting in a new and unexplored region, use should be made of such laws as have been found to govern the occurrence of petroleum deposits in other well-developed fields. Such deposits in their world-wide distribution are found almost exclusively associated with sedimentary rocks. Areas composed predominatingly of igneous and metamorphosed rocks are to be rcgarded as extremely unfavorable localities for the occurrence of commercial deposits of oil or gas. Assuming that such oil deposits are

Jan 1, 1916

By Henry Fernald

THE accounting system or bookkeeping methods of any company are principally the concern of that company and of those who are in control of its affairs. Its published financial report is, however, primarily intended for those who are not already fully informed regarding its operations and finances. Whatever may be the advantages of standardization of accounting and bookkeeping methods, it must be admitted that a company has a certain right to handle its accounts and keep its books and records in whatever manner may seem to it best adapted to its affairs, even though such methods may differ materially from those generally adopted by others. In its financial reports it should not, however, either ask or expect that the statements it makes or the terms which it uses will be given in its case a meaning and interpretation different from that which they are ordinarily considered to have inn similar reports and statements of other companies. The particular form and arrangement of such reports is a matter concerning which there may be much difference of opinion. It is of little importance whether current assets come first or last in the Balance Sheet, but it is important that there should not be included under this designation any items which are not properly current assets within the generally accepted meaning of that term. The extent to which stockholders or others interested are to be made acquainted with the full details of a company's business is a question which the proper authorities must in each case decide. It should, however, be recognized that there are certain facts regarding a mining company which must be set forth in a financial statement if it is fully to cover the conditions and affairs of the company. For example, a financial statement which does not include or is not accompanied by a statement of the ore reserves of the company does not fully set forth its financial condition. This is true whether the absence of such a statement of ore reserves is because it is not desired to make public the figures or whether it is because the ore reserves themselves are not definitely known or accurately measured.

Jan 1, 1928

By AIME AIME

THE organization of the Board of Directors was effected Tuesday afternoon in ' executive session. Messrs. Bassett,. Buehler, Cates, Daveler, Eavenson, Eilers, Elliott, Evans, Guess, Lovejoy, Moulton, Rickard, Tally, Turner,, Wraith and Wright being pres¬ent. Messrs. Tally, Bassett, Rickard, Mathews and Cates were chosen to form the Executive Committe with Mr. Tally as Chairman, and Messrs. Krumb, Guess and Moulton for the Finance Committee with Mr. Krumb as chairman. Karl Eilers was reelected as Treasurer and H. Foster Bain as Secretary, after which the Directors adjourned for the usual dinner reported elsewhere. At the open session of the Board, at which in addition Messrs. Allen and McAuliffe were present, the work of organization was continued with appointments to committees as listed herewith. Various actions of the Executive and Finance Committees were confirmed, the budget for 1931 formally approved, the meeting dates for the year adopted, 34 new Members and Associates, 13 Junior Members and 31 Student Associates admitted by election and transfer and 29 resignations accepted.

Jan 1, 1931

By Nicholas M. Short

Many a geologist or driller has wished he could somehow climb into a borehole to see for himself what fractures looked like. Or why recovery was poor. Or how the bit was actually lost. Now it is possible to do the next best thing to climbing into the hole. TV cameras are being used for a close-up look at borehole conditions. Ever since television was invented, geologists and others interested in subsurface conditions have wanted a TV camera that could be used in the narrow confines of a borehole. But development of such a camera was slow, mainly because of the need for compact size. Not until the late 1950's did the technology of electronic miniaturization develop to a point where a camera satisfactory for the purpose could be put together.

Jan 1, 1963