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By Theron Wasson

The oil and gas fields of Michigan that have been under development since 1925 are in an area that extends across the middle of the lower peninsula from northeast to southwest, a distance of about 200 miles, and with a width of about 80 miles. In 19 years 70 fields have been discovered. Most of these are relatively small when compared with other oil-producing areas. This is borne out by the fact that since the first wells were drilled these fields have produced a total of only 204,000,000 bbl. However, Michigan is still maintaining its production, for during the past five years the annual production has remained fairly constant at approximately 20,000,000 bbl. Production for 1943, as reported by the Bureau of Mines, was 20,682,000 barrels. Roughly, one third oi Michigan's production in 1943 came from the Reed City field, which was discovered in 1941. During the year, 237 oil wells were completed in Michigan in 1943. The decrease of 56 from the 1942 total is probably due to the continuance of Government regulations requiring a 40-acre spacing pattern over most of the state. Fig. I shows the principal oil and gas fields of Michigan, and the columnar section, Fig. 2, shows the principal producing horizons in relation to the section drilled. The data of Table I and Table 2 have been carefully checked with previous reports to eliminate errors. Six new producing areas were discovered during 1943 and five areas discovered in 1942 were developed during the year. Both the new discoveries and the 1942 discoveries that were developed appear to be small and relatively unimportant. Goodwell Field.—The best discovery of the year is the Goodwell field, T. 14 N., R. 11 W., Goodwell township, Newaygo County. This small structure was located by core testing done by The Pure Oil Co. in 1942 and early 1943. The first producing well, C. R. Harris No. I, was completed on July 5, 1943, ill the Traverse limestone at a total depth of 2742 ft., with ail estimated potential of 1100 bbl. per day. By the end of the year, 18 wells had been completed in this field and approximately 281,000 bbl. of oil produced. The field operated under proration of 262 bbl. per day per well from Oct. I to Dec. I; 150 bbl. per day per well after that date. Woodville Field.—The small Woodville pool, T. 15 N., R. 11 W., 3 miles north of the Goodwell field, was discovered by core testing by the Ohio Oil Co. The discovery well was completed on May 5, 1943, flowing 650 bbl. of fluid, including 18 per cent salt water the first 18 hr., from the Traverse limestone at a depth of 2810 to 2815 ft. Seven wells had been completed by the end of the year and 67,000 bbl. of oil had been produced. Development is now practically at a standstill because further drilling does not aDDear economically iustified.

Jan 1, 1944

By H. H. Podgurski, J. C. M. Li, Y. T. Chou, F. N. Davis, R. A. Oriani

When an Fe-2 pct A1 alloy is nitrogemted at 500ºC with a gus tnixture (NH3-H2) in which the nitrogen activity has been kept Lou] enough to avoid the formation of iron nitride, a two-phase alloy is generuled which consists of AlN particles and a ferrite phase cotaining a heavy network of dislocations. The amount of nitrogen contained in such an alloy, when equilibrated with the nitrogenating atmosphere, far exceeds both that needed to satisfy the normal solution requirements of a Fe and that needed to convert all of the aluninuwi to AlN. This excess nitrogen is accounted for as being trapped on dislocations, adsorbed at the ferrite -AlN interface, and as an en-Iuznced lattice solubility in strained ferrite. This excessive uptake of nitrogen had previously been attribuled by other investigators to the formation of a nonstoichiornetric aluminum nitride. Isotope exchange experiments revealed various amomts of exchargeable N14 present in the originally nitrided samples that could not be removed by reduction with HS at 500ºC. This exchangeable nitrogen has been identified us that bound to the AlN -ferrite interface. Estimates of inter facial areas in alloys containing -3 pct by weight of A1N are as high as 10 sq m per g of alloy. ThE first1 of this series of papers described the experiments forming the basis for the elucidation of the mechanism of the formation of aluminum nitride particles within an Fe-A1 alloy. It was found that not only are dislocations necessary for the nucleation of the AlN particles but also the nitriding reaction in turn produces a dense network of dislocations in the ferrite matrix. It was also observed that nitrogen in excess of that needed for the formation of stoichiometric AIN is taken up by the alloy without the formation of an iron nitride. The present paper is an analysis of the excess nitrogen sorbed by the nitrided Fe-A1 alloy which considers the structure generated by the formation of the aluminum nitride particles. Because of the high density of dislocations, this system has proved to be quite useful in studying nitrogen-dislocation interactions. Wriedt and Darken2 have already reported such studies in a cold-worked ferritic steel. EXPERIMENTAL Nitrogen Sorption. The specimens of this alloy were cold worked (50 pct reduction) to 0.011 in. thickness and chemically cleaned in a 2:1 concentrated phosphoric acid-50 pct hydrogen peroxide solution before nitrogenation. The flowing nitrogenating atmosphere (11 pct NH3-89 pct H2) was established before the ni- trogenating temperature was reached. The same gravimetric and gas-flow equipment described in an earlier paper1 was also used in this investigation. Changes in nitrogen concentration were followed gravimetrically when establishing the isotherms. In the isotope exchange experiments, concentration changes were followed volumetrically. In some instances chemical analyses (Kjeldahl method) were used to check for material balances in both the gravimetric and volumetric procedures. Our objective was to obtain reversible nitrogen sorption isotherms for alloys equilibrated with NH3-H2 gas mixtures over a large range of nitrogen activity* and temperature. The *Defined as equal to PN H /P3/2 ,where P corresponds to partial pressure in atmospheres. Actually the nitrogen activity, aN, in the alloy equals K PNH3 /p3/2H2, where K is the equilibrium constant for the reaction NH3 = N + 3/2H2. upper limit for nitrogen activity was below that which would produce iron nitride; for reasons which will become apparent later, most of the sorption studies were made in the temperature range between 400" and 500'C. The alloy sample studied most extensively in this investigation was given a series of successive reductions (100 pct H2) and nitrogenating treatments at 500°C to attain a stabilized structure. Presumably some dislocations were lost during these treatments. Throughout most of the sorption studies, temperature was held at ± 1°C and the gas-phase composition was held to k0.2 pet NH3. Based upon the results of numerous diffusion experiments with this alloy* the 'Results to be published in a third paper of this series. times chosen for equilibration were considered more than adequate, Nitrogen Isotope Exchange. The first exchange experiments were carried out by circulating a measured quantity of H2 and NH3* (with a predetermined isotopic *The NH3 was synthesized over a synthetic ammonia iron catalyst using H2, and N2, enriched with N15. AS the NH3 was formed it was removed continuously from the gas phase by circulating the mixture through a refrigerated (78ºK) trap. When most of the nitrogen had been converted to NH3, it was distilled from the trap into a glass storage vessel. composition, N15/N14) over a nitrided specimen at 450°C in a closed glass system. Attempts to reach the exchange limit isothermally, i.e., an isotopic ratio (N15/N14) in the gas phase identical with the extractable nitrogen in the nitrided alloy, were futile. The exchange rate between the gas phase and the alloy was too slow, involving many days. To circumvent the slow exchange with the gas phase, measured amounts of N15 and N14 were introduced into the alloy by nitrogenating with an NH3-H2, mixture at 500°C containing an N15/N14 ratio of 7.76; the charged specimens were then sealed by allowing an oxide film to form over them in air, and in this final condition the specimens were subjected to 500°C in vacuum for various times during which isotope exchange was allowed to proceed within the specimen. It was estab-

Jan 1, 1970

ARTHUR CROWFOOT, Morenci, Ariz. (communication to the Secretary*).-In order to set at rest any doubts in regard to the reasons for selecting the Callow pneumatic flotation process for use in the concentrators of the Arizona Copper Co., Ltd., at Clifton and Morenci, I am presenting the following facts gained from the results of test work carried out on the Callow and Cole-Bergman types of flotation machines at Morenci. Prior to the comparative test of merit between the Callow and Cole-Bergman machines, many months' time and a large amount of money had been expended in the development and testing of the Cole-Bergman machine, and it was necessary to decide quickly what make of machine was best to install. The Callow pneumatic flotation process was recommended for installation in our concentrators for the following reasons: The results indicated: 1. That the Callow system made the highest extraction of copper values from the feed treated. 2. That the Callow system was simpler to operate and could he operated it a lower cost. 3. That the Callow system operated with a lower air pressure. (The question of the actual power consumption of the two types of machines was not definitely settled at this time.) During the official test period the Callow flotation apparatus showed an additional recovery of from 1 to 1.5 lb. of copper per ton more than the Cole-Bergman machine, this difference being maintained by further treatment of the tailing from both machines. The simplicity of the operation of the Callow flotation system is one of its notable features, two operators per shift being able to handle 90 standard cells and blower equipment.

Jan 7, 1917

In 1910, he was with the Hidalgo Guadalupe, Pachuca, Mexico, and in 1911 was engineer with the Gualcola Mines Co., at Tuquerres, Colombia. In 1913, he returned to the Sout.hwest, and was employed for that yea.r by the Inspiration Cons. Copper Co. at Miami, and in the middle of the following year he became engineer with the Detroit Copper Co., at Morenci. In the autumn of 1914, Mr. Reece, stirred by his English blood, resolved to return to England to take part in the war. At this time he wrote "I think it will be better for me to resign my membership. If I come through all right, I will apply for re-election." The Institute, however, instead of accepting Mr. Reece's resignation, voted him an indefinite leave of absence, and this precedent soon crystallized into the regular procedure, now in force, of remitting the dues of members in active service. On Dec. 17, 1914, he wrote from Montreal that he fully expected to go over shortly in the second contingent from Canada, with Borden's Armored Brigade, operating with armored motor cars. As he said "this will be active enough service to satisfy any enthusiast, as they are used generally for reconnaissance duty." Soren Ringlund Soren Ringlund died suddenly on July 24, 1918, at Fort Logan, Colo., where he was engaged in service with the Medical Department of the U. S. Army. Mr. Ringlund was born in Denmark in 1875. He came to the United States in 1902, and became a citizen in 1908. He graduated as

Jan 1, 1920

By NORMAN D. FitzGkrald

IN 1942 the outstanding characteristic of the petroleum industry was the multiplicity of war-induced distortions in virtually every segment of the business. So devastating was the success of the Nazi submarine campaign along the shores of the western Atlantic and on transoceanic routes that within six months after our entry into the war petroleum rationing was necessary in the East Coast area. The conquest of the Netherlands Indies by the Japanese three months after the opening of the war in the Pacific cut off our normal sources of rubber, and in our first year of war nationwide rationing of gasoline had to be invoked to conserve rubber-borne transportation facilities. Meanwhile the oil industry faced the imperative necessity for rapid expansion in the output of aviation gasoline and later accepted the vast responsibility for developing a new industry. synthetic rubber manufacture. Probably no other essentially peacetime industry has been forced to make so many complicated adjustments, yet its response to its wartime obligations has been nothing short of dramatic.

Jan 1, 1943

By Warren W. Jamar, Philip D. Pearson

IN recent years, there have been many changes in mining operations in the Lake Superior district. To follow these trends on the Menominee Range of Michigan, information has been assembled from all of the iron informatior]mining operations in the area. There are 15 operating underground mines in the Iron River-Crystal Falls area of the Menominee Range. Within the past two years, two idle properties were reopened pasttwoyears,and are now producing, and a third and fourth are being reopened. Also, there are two siliceous openpits operated by independent companies outside this immediate area. Six companies operate the underground mines, employing some 1850 employees. Table I shows pertinent facts about these properties. During 1949, the largest mine in Iron County shipped 571,287 tons, and one of the newer mines shipped 39,378 tons, with a range total to 3,535,-373 tons. Since the Menominee Range was opened in the 1870's, the mines in Iron County have shipped 85,890,922 tons. From an operator's viewpoint rather than a geologist's, the ore is' classified as semi-hard, composed of hematite and limonite. It is not as soft as the ores of the Marquette Range nor is it as hard as the hard ores of the Marquette and Vermillion Ranges. The ore bodies have slate hanging walls and slate footwalls. In most cases the hanging walls and footwalls are soft and high in sulphur. The sulphur comes from pyrite, and these slates will ignite when piled more than 6 to 8 ft high. Ore is mined on this range by: 1—Sub-level stop-ing; 2—Shrinkage stoping; 3—Sub-level caving; 4— Block caving; 5—Top slicing. The predominance of these methods is in the order named. Underground drilling is important in the mining cycle. Some changes made and trends toward future changes fall into four categories: Drill bits, drill steel, drill machines, and compressed air pressures. Several types of bits have been tried and are in use. They include the detachable tungsten carbide, insert bit; the intraset steel bit, which is a conventional steel rod with tungsten carbide insert; the one-use bit; and the multiple-use bit. For many years, detachable multiple-use bits have been standard. In tests conducted recently to im- prove drilling efficiency, this bit was used as the basis for comparison. Under existing conditions, a multiple-use bit can be resharpened about three times before it is discarded. A thorough test of 2-in. tungsten carbide threaded bits was conducted under various ground conditions. 1—The drilled footage ranged from 48 to 600 ft per bit; averaging 357 ft per bit. Under these same conditions, a multiple-use bit ranged from 8 to 80 ft per bit. 2—The bit cost was greater for the insert bit in each case. 3—The average drilling speed for the insert bit was 12 in. in 62 sec and for the multiple-use bit was 12 in. in 64 sec. In a second test, 2V4 -in. tungsten carbide bits with the large 1 3/16-in. thread were used in moderately soft ground on a 152-lb drifting drill on a long feed jumbo. 1—The drilled footage ranged from 450 to 5000 ft per bit, averaging 1810 ft per bit. Under these same conditions, a multiple-use bit averaged 64 ft per bit. 2—The bit cost was reduced by the use of the insert bit. 3—No increase in drilling speed was recorded. 4—Minimum footage obtained was caused by thread failure. To improve the thread life, thread size on the rod was increased and the bit was attached to the rod with a pipe wrench. After this, bits failed in equal proportions because of cracked skirts, broken inserts, and gage loss. Tungsten carbide bits are now used in the operation where this second test was conducted because labor costs were lowered as a result of reducing the number of bits being changed by the miners. At the same operation and under the same conditions as the second test, 1Y4-in. insert bits with standard 1-in. threads were used. These bits did not drill much more than 300 ft before thread failure and were then welded to the rods and used until total failure. Sometimes this footage was considerable, sometimes it was not. Chisel-type 2%-in. insert bits were

Jan 1, 1952

By W. C. Ellis, E. S. Greiner, M. E. Fine

C. H. Samans and W. R. Ham (Chicago, Ill., and Dix-field, Maine, respectively)-—For several years we have been studying transitions of this basic type in metals, alloys, glasses, etc. Usually, however, they are not so clearly marked as those which the authors have found, and hence are much more difficult to determine accurately. Since our studies indicate that most of them occur virtually unchanged (as far as temperature is concerned) regardless of the form in which the element appears, we believe that they are a characteristic of the atom. Specifically, we believe that there is an additional rotational degree of freedom possessed by the nucleus which has not been considered heretofore. This nuclear rotation is made up of several components, each related to the several quantum shells of electrons. In chromium there are four of these shells and hence four separate series of characteristic transition temperatures. The lowest temperature at which any transition occurs, based on the present state of our computations, is 125°K, 4° higher than the authors' value of 121°K. A convergence of this series, we believe, shows up at the higher temperature of 2085 °K, surprisingly close to the transformation temperature of 2103°K recently announced by N. J. Grant of M.I.T. for a body-centered to face-centered transformation in chromium. Likewise, our computations indicate a temperature of 311°K for the second transition temperature, reported by the authors as 310 °K. A convergence of this series, we believe, shows up at a higher temperature as the melting point at 2163°K. Although our work on these series must, in a sense, still be regarded as empirical, since we do not understand fully as yet just what the series mean, it is based on a reasonably firm picture. The individual constants, from which the various series are computed for each element, comes directly from the X-ray K absorption limit. Furthermore, the same basic method has accounted for transformation and melting temperatures in about 50 of the chemical elements, which is all we have tried thus far. In many cases the only known transformation is the melting point, but in others the occurrence of transformations or other transitions, equally as well marked as those of the authors, has been pointed out by others. These observations have assisted us greatly. Consequently we were very pleased to see the authors' excellent work in finding these two transitions in chromium. With these confirming data, our picture of this element is clarified considerably, so we expect that at least some of our work can be published in the near future. R. C. Ruder (E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Cu., Wilmington, Del.)—The authors' interpretation of these transitions in terms of 3d to 4s electronic structure transitions is most interesting. It would be interesting to have additional experimental evidence of such transitions from the temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient in the neighborhood of the property changes discussed in this paper. Simple theory15 suggests the Hall coefficient as a measure of the free electron (or s electron) concentration per unit volume. It has been shown that for paramagnetic'" and ferromagnetic1? metals the simple theory is in fact too simple. However, the existence of a discontinuity in the Hall coefficient would provide information which should aid both in our understanding of these transitions and the significance of the Hall coefficient in these metals. It was rather surprising that no significant paramagnetic effects were observed. In this connection the recent work of McGuire and Kriessman18 is cited. They measured the magnetic susceptibility of chromium from 20" to 1460 °C. They also observed no large change in the susceptibility although there might be a change in slope in the vicinity of the 40 °C transition. The existence of these 3d to 4s electronic transitions has been discussed in connection with the paramagnetic susceptibility behavior of nickel and nickel alloys.'"-" Assuming a correspondence principle between classical and quantum mechanical paramagnetic theory and using classical theory to calculate the effective Bohr magneton number from the Curie constant for substances obeying the Curie-Weiss law," it is found that the effective magneton number is a function of temperature. The process of calculation involves the inverse of the differential of the 1/x4 vs. temperature curve so that good and numerous data are necessary to obtain significant results. The data of Fallot23 show a discontinuous increase of about 12 pct in the effective magneton number between 850" and 900 oC, followed by a continuous increase up to the melting point. The data of Sucksmith and Pearce24 show a possible 8 pct increase. The older data of Terry25 and Weiss and Foex26 show a continuous increase. It is possible that small amounts of impurity atoms change these electronic transitions significantly. Fallot's23 data on a nickel alloy with 4.5 atomic pct Fe indicate that the discontinuity occurs around 1300 °C. Systematic investigation of the transition metals for transitions of this nature should provide information which would be very valuable for our understanding of these metals. The absence of antiferromagnetic structures in chromium has been shown by Shull27 using neutron diffraction techniques. M. E. Fine, E. S. Greiner, and W. C. Ellis (authors' reply)—The remarks by Drs. Samans and Ham are certainly very interesting, in particular those pertaining to the close agreement between the theoretically calculated values for transition temperatures in chromium and the experimental values reported by a number of investigators. This is a remarkable achievement and we shall look forward to a more detailed presentation of the method followed in their calculations. We do not believe that the transition in pure chromium near 40 °C remains temperature invariant with alloying, as was reported by Samans and Ham for a number of the substances that they studied. We have not done any work with alloys but base our belief on the results of earlier studies in which less pure chromium was included and considerably lower transition temperatures were observed. The transition tempera-

Jan 1, 1952

By E. J. ENGEL

The New York talc deposits of commercial importance are in St. Lawrence and Lewis counties, in the northwest Adirondack Mountains (Fig 1). All of the deposits are of pre-Cambrian age and occur within highly deformed and recrystallized marble of the Grenville series. The deposits in St. Lawrence County, near Gouverneur, are the largest and most productive of their type known in the Western Hemisphere. In 1948 the seven mines which are in operation will produce about 130,000 tons of ground talc. All talc production in Lewis County is from one mine. There the annual production ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 tons. These so called talcs of New York State include earth materials of differ- ent chemical and mineral compositions. In general the mineral talc is sub- ordinate in amount to other minerals in both the Gouverneur and Natural Bridge deposits.

Jan 1, 1949

By Arthur F. Taggart

PROGRESS in a technical art is of several kinds. It springs .from many diverse sources. It comprises invention, mechanical improvement, operating advance, analytical study, education. Invention is, by definition, a relatively great, essentially individual step, taken quickly. Operating advance is the slow, cumulated march of practice; in contrast, it moves at the pace of the tortoise, but over, the years its effects rival and, in some cases, surpass those of invention. Mechanical improvement- is a usual concomitant of the reduction of invention. to operating practice; thereafter it is a primary tool of operating advance. Analytical study is the process of mental digestion of the fruits of invention and practice. Its purpose is to render these into a form assimilable by the art as a whole, and by the perennial crop of would be practitioners. Education, disseminating the results of such study, consolidates and maintains the positions gained. Thus, slowly at first, but continuously accelerating, the tide of progress grows- to flood. Such growth, in mathematical parlance, is expressible in the general form y = mxn, where x is time, n is some positive number greater than one, m is another positive number, and y is the state of the action at instant x. When n is 2, the readers will recognize the graph of the equation as one branch of the familiar square parabola, whose property it is to become parallel to the y-axis; i.e., to move at an infinite rate, in that never-never

Jan 1, 1947

The following is a list of members who died in 1928. It is compiled from reports to the Secretary's office. Biographical sketches published in Mining and Metallurgy are indicated in the last two columns. Issue Containing Year or Date or Biography Election Name Death 1928 Page 1914 Adams. David T.................... July 22 October 471 1905 Aguilera. Pedro................... May 3 October 469 1902 Althouse, H. W.................... NOV. 3 December 559 1920 Averill: C. C...................... July 9 October 471 1915 Baldwin, C. Kemble............... Aug. 9 October 471 1926 Barquist, Walter C............... NOV. 14 June 298 Barron,* Clarence Walker......... Oct. 2 November 511 1917 Beasley, Fred E.................... Aug. 31 October 471 1901 Belden, S. B....................... May 15 July 333 1927 Binney, Edwin, Jr.................. Dec. 29 February 96 1915 Bonsall, James Malcolm............ Feb. 12 June 284 1917 Boyle, John....................... July 12 December 561 1913 BradEn, Eugene B............. Jan. 29 March 157 1889 Bulkley, Frank.................... Mar. 25 May 240 1896 Callaghan, J. T., Jr............... Apr. 1 1892 Chalmers, George.................. Feb. 4 April 197 1898 Clark, Josiah H.................. May 7 July 333 1887 Copeland, F. K............. Nov. 10 December 561 1915 Cunningham, B. L11............... Dec. 6 August 294 1888 Dana, R. T........................ Aug. 20 December 559 1907 Dennis, Clifford G............... Dec. 28 March 1 1920 DeVenny, Thomas................ Feb. 13 April 197 1882 d'Invillier-, Edward V........... Jan. 4 March 157 1884 Duncan, M. M..................... Dec. 17 February 96 1924 Dyrssen, WaldemaR ............... Aug. 4 October 471 1906 Edmondson. H. W................ Dec. 21 February 1884 Emmerton, F. A.................. Oct. 9 June 298 1911 Eu, S. H............................ July 20 February 1917 Farrand, Ira W.................... Sept. 6 October 469 1900 Fell, E. Nelson...........•......... Mar. 25 May 231 1918 Fenton, Clarence M.............. October Junet 298 1908 Ferraris, Erminio................. Sept. 22 June 298 1914 Galloway. A. D. R............... December April 215 1924 Grant, A. W., Jr................... .4pr. 5 June 285 1917 Grant, Clifford G............... Jan. 26 January? 37 1918 Grant, Frank E.............. Jan. 14 September 417 1921 Gunderoth, C. J.................. Feb. 15 1897 Harms, Ernest..................... Aug. 12 November 512 1891 Hartrick, J. S..................... Feb. 9 June 285 1925 Hochschild, Berthold.............. Jan. 24 April 197 1917 Hutton, L. W...................... NOV. 3 January 37 1894 Jenning", S. J...................... NOV. 17 December 560 1925 Jones, J. Ravenscroft............... Jan. 29 March 157 1880 Jones, J. T......................... May 4 June 284

Jan 1, 1929

By J. P. Kerr, W. H. Cordell

Conditions in the oil and gas industry in Indiana were about the same in 1935 as in 1934. This is especially true of the old Trenton area and the Harrison County area where production was steady and almost no exploration and development took place. The past year has seen an increase in drilling activity and a decrease in oil and gas output in southwestern Indiana. In the state, 224 wells were completed in 1935, of which 48 were oil wells, 61 gas wells, and 115 dry holes. A few of these were old gas wells deepened to oil horizons. Twenty-six wells started during 1935 were not completed by Dec. 31. Approximately one-half the wells drilled were within proven areas. A relatively large number of wildcats, especially in Daviess, Pike and Gibson Counties, were in search of new gas supplies to supplant the diminishing resources in those counties. The decreased production of gas was due largely to the fact that existing supplies declined more rapidly than new fields could be brought on. The Alford field, in Pike County, which produced the bulk of the supply in 1934, was called on to do likewise in 1935, but was unable to respond sufficiently to keep up the yearly production for southwestern Indiana. During the last half of the year, the Oaktown field, Knox County, was connected with one of the principal pipe lines of the state, which helped to keep gas production above an unusual low. The decline in oil production was due almost entirely to proration during the first eight months of the year. The proration affected Daviess, Pike, Gibson, Sullivan and Vigo counties, which produce about three-fourths of the total for the state. After proration was lifted, the wells never quite reached the conditions existing before proration. The average daily production per well in Indiana is less than two barrels. The outstanding development in Indiana in 1935 was the drilling in the Oaktown field immediately before and after the laying of the 6-in. pipe line to the field. Almost without exception the wells came in with an open flow of two to four million cubic feet. At the end of the year, 26 wells were connected to the pipe line. Development of this field will

Jan 1, 1936

By J. P. Kerr, W. H. Cordell

Conditions in the oil and gas industry in Indiana were about the same in 1935 as in 1934. This is especially true of the old Trenton area and the Harrison County area where production was steady and almost no exploration and development took place. The past year has seen an increase in drilling activity and a decrease in oil and gas output in southwestern Indiana. In the state, 224 wells were completed in 1935, of which 48 were oil wells, 61 gas wells, and 115 dry holes. A few of these were old gas wells deepened to oil horizons. Twenty-six wells started during 1935 were not completed by Dec. 31. Approximately one-half the wells drilled were within proven areas. A relatively large number of wildcats, especially in Daviess, Pike and Gibson Counties, were in search of new gas supplies to supplant the diminishing resources in those counties. The decreased production of gas was due largely to the fact that existing supplies declined more rapidly than new fields could be brought on. The Alford field, in Pike County, which produced the bulk of the supply in 1934, was called on to do likewise in 1935, but was unable to respond sufficiently to keep up the yearly production for southwestern Indiana. During the last half of the year, the Oaktown field, Knox County, was connected with one of the principal pipe lines of the state, which helped to keep gas production above an unusual low. The decline in oil production was due almost entirely to proration during the first eight months of the year. The proration affected Daviess, Pike, Gibson, Sullivan and Vigo counties, which produce about three-fourths of the total for the state. After proration was lifted, the wells never quite reached the conditions existing before proration. The average daily production per well in Indiana is less than two barrels. The outstanding development in Indiana in 1935 was the drilling in the Oaktown field immediately before and after the laying of the 6-in. pipe line to the field. Almost without exception the wells came in with an open flow of two to four million cubic feet. At the end of the year, 26 wells were connected to the pipe line. Development of this field will

Jan 1, 1936

By R. E. Tate, L. J. Herman

We have had occasion to produce wire of Np-237 in small diameters for use in some chemical experiments. Since the mechanical metallurgy of neptunium has not been investigated extensively, it seems desirable to report our successful extrusion technique. Because of the neptunium activity and its attendant health hazard the experimental work was done in glove boxes and related equipment also used for Pu-239. At room temperature a phase neptunium' is a hard (Dph -355) orthorhombic metal of high density (p = 20.45 g per cu cm). a neptunium transforms2 to tetragonal ß neptunium at about 280°C and this in turn transforms to bcc y neptunium at about 577°C. The y phase melts at about 637°C. A temperature of 340° to 345°C was selected for the extrusion, this temperature being a compromise be- tween a possible advantage of working with the presumably more plastic cubic y phase above 577°C and the risk of having the neptunium react with the alloy steel die to form the low-melting Fe-Np eutectic. A 0.75-in.-long, 0.26-in.-diameter ingot of good-purity* Np-237 was extruded by the direct *C = 230 ppm, Pu = 200 ppm, thirty-five metallic elements below limit of detection by spectrographic methods. process through flat-face orifices to form several sizes of wire ranging from 0.010 to 0.030 in. in diameter. Molybdenum disulfide was used as the die lubricant. The extrusion was done in a vacuum of about 10-4 torr to reduce reaction of the neptunium with atmospheric gases. British workers3 at Harwell have extruded neptunium under similar conditions. The force required to extrude 0.010-in.-diameter wire at the rate of 4 in. per min was 6000 lb, as measured with an electrical load cell. Wire 0.020 in. in diameter was extruded with a force of 4700 lb at a rate of 2 in. per min, and wire 0.030 in. in diameter was extruded with a force of 4000 lb at a rate of 1.3 in. per min. An extrusion constant, c, can be computed from the measured forces, P, for the equation4 P = c log-A/a where A/a is the extrusion ratio or the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the container and the

Jan 1, 1965

By G. A. Beiswenger

The application of the law of supply and demand to the sale of crude oil is generally conceded, but the motives underlying the buyer's (refiner's) demands are not always obvious to the seller (producer). In some cases this obscurity has led to the conclusion that the refiner may be unnecessarily particular when he selects one crude and rejects another. This preference, however, is very largely the reflection of the refiner's product demands and the quality of the stocks obtainable from the selected crude. The purpose of this paper is to point out critical characteristies of the major classes of refined products and to show how crudes vary in their suitability for such products. With relatively few exceptions, available processing methods and addition agents make it theoretically possible to produce any type of refined product from any crude source, although it may not be economically sound to do so. The widespread application of thermal cracking for converting higher boiling stocks into gasoline is well known. More recently cracking and refining in the presence of catalysts9 have been developed, as well as various processes for polymerizing lighter hydrocarbons into gasolines having desirable characteristics.6 For several years, selective solvents have been applied commercially to refining inferior quality kerosene, Diesel fuel and lubricating oil distillates.3 Improved methods for refining lubricating oils from crude residual4 formerly suitable only for fuel, are now in use and a number of special solvent processes are available for dewaxing lubricating oils to low pour point.5 These improved refining methods have been developed not only to meet the demand for improved product quality but also to enable the refiner to obtain quality products from crude sources that would not yield such products by the older refining methods. In many cases, the utilization of these modern refining tools necessitates an appreciable expenditure for equipment as well as added manufacturing costs, and their application therefore must be justified economically. Despite the availability of such tools, the added processing costs involved and yields obtainable may render their application entirely impractical. To illustrate this point, inspections of typical cuts from various crudes

Jan 1, 1940

By R. R. Sayers

THE South African Mining and Engineering Journal recently pointed out that no satisfactory solution of the question of compensation for silicosis can be arrived at by placing further liability of an inequitable nature upon the mines. There are at present 35 scheduled mines liable to contribute to the annual levy of $800,000 and provide for the net outstanding liability of $6,400,000. Several of these mines have, as yet, not been able to set aside sufficient funds against their out- standing liability to the Compensation Fund. The gold producers declare that the gold mining industry today is passing its zenith, and that the production of gold will decline, with a consequent lessening of the spending power of the mines, which in about ten years will be reduced to a great extent unless encouragement is given for the opening of new mines. It is during this period of decline that the mines will be required to meet the large burden already created by miners' phthisis. In England the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1925, was extended to industries involving exposure to asbestos dust.

Jan 1, 1931

By AIME AIME

THE program of government drilling, conducted jointly by the U. S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines, has demonstrated the presence in Texas and New Mexico of potash-bearing beds of considerable importance. Information regarding the ex- tent and location of the potash deposits as presented at the non-metallic sessions was of great interest to many engineers. These subjects will be covered in greater detail in later paragraphs. The first session, with about 50 in attendance, convened at 10 a.m. on Feb. 18, with Oliver Bowles, chair- man of the Committee on Non-Metallic Minerals, pre- siding. The first paper was on "Soapstone Mining In Virginia," presented by C. W. Ryan of Lynchburg, Va. The nature and extent of the soapstone deposits of Nelson County were described in some detail. In origin, the soapstone is undoubtedly related to a basic peridotite rock though its mode of formation is some- what uncertain. This main soapstone deposit occurs in three veins, the western, middle, and eastern, the middle vein being of greatest economic importance. Methods of stripping, quarrying and milling the rock were described and the uses of soapstone were enum- erated. In discussing this paper, C. P. Berkey, of Co- lumbia University strongly favored the theory of igneous origin of the soapstone and the need for further detailed geological study. J. L. Gillson of Cambridge, Mass., stated that the Vermont and New York talc deposits were always associated with characteristic minerals, such as, a chlorite of one particular variety, siderite, amphibole, magnetite, and biotite. C. H. Behre of Cincinnati, Ohio, raised the question of parallelism in the soapstone structure and Mr. Ryan stated that such parallelism was in evidence in some parts of the deposits. H. A. Wheeler of St. Louis, Mo., also took 'part in the discussion.

Jan 1, 1929

By Carl Zapffe

THE object of the Bradley process is to free manganese oxide from its associated gangue and separate the contained iron oxide by dissolving the manganese and precipitating it from the solution. 'The fundamental features of the process are : making. both 1 a manganese ore and an iron ore; effecting a separation of manganese .and. iron by means of selective roasting; leaching- the manganese from the roasted ore by using ' ammonium sulfate; precipitating the manganese by using the ammonia gas generated during leaching; fixing the precipitate by oxidizing with air; breaking down and reforming the ammonium sulfate, so that daily very little additional ammonium sulfate beyond that originally charged into the system is required; washing the manganese precipitate and the iron-silica residue and evaporating the liquor to conserve the dissolved salts in the moistures of these two products and 'to reduce the sulfur content,; drying the precipitates; magnetic wet-concentration of the iron-silica residue; sinteriny the manganese-and .the' iron-concentrates.

Jan 1, 1929

By Hon. Tasker Oddie

DURING the closing days of the last Congress a resolution was passed, creating the Senate Com-mission of Gold and Silver Inquiry. The resolu-tion charges the Commission with the responsibility to investigate and report to the Congress on Jan. 1, 1924, upon the following subjects: 1. The causes of the continuing decrease in the production of gold and silver. 2. The causes of the depressed condition of the gold and silver industry in the United States. 3. The production, reduction, refining, transportation, mar-keting, sale, and uses of gold and silver in the United States and elsewhere. 4. The effect of the decreased production of gold and silver upon commerce, industry, exchange, and prices. The personnel of the Commission is as follows: Senators Pittman, Sterling, Goodling, Walsh and Oddie. At a meeting on May 8, H. N. Lawrie, a mining engi-neer and economist, was appointed as Assistant to the Commission. The present situation with respect to the gold and silver mining industries is well illustrated by the follow-ing data: The total world production of gold (in dollars) for 1915 was $468,724,918, and for 1921, $329,915,101; as shown by the reports of the U. S. Mint; and for the year 1922, $306,793,000, which is based oh a prelimi-nary estimate; this indicates a decrease of 34.5 per cent. between 1915 and 1922. The total world production of silver (in fine ounces) for 1915 was 178,850,000 oz.; for 1921, 175,268,234 oz., a decrease of 2 per cent.

Jan 6, 1923

By Henry Howe

THE brilliant and very original matter in Professor Jeffries' discussion ? should rank not only as an independent paper, but as a most important one. In particular, the explanation which it gives of the remarkable Sauveur phenomenon, over which so many of us have puzzled long and hard, is so clear, complete, and cogent as to go far toward establishing Professor Jeffries' hypothesis. The very features of Professor Sauveur's photographs which fit this hypothesis so exactly are reproduced in Chappell's photographs of steel coarsened under somewhat different conditions. 1 The ideas developed by these discoveries are so novel that conven- ience of language seems to call for new conventional terms for expressing them. In, what follows here I propose certain terms for this end, for criticism and improvement, and I attempt to generalize from Professor Jeffries' hypotheses. Generally speaking, a given set of grains which undergo no growth in the cold will, when the temperature is raised progressively, start to grow on reaching a certain temperature, and will continue growing at all higher temperatures. The "germinative" temperature is that at which growth begins, quite as the conditions which cause a seed to grow are "germinative." We have then. an inert temperature range below the germinative temperature, and a growth range above it, the germinative temperature being the limit between these two ranges. So, too, a germinant grain is one which is at its germinative temperature, and hence beginning to grow, while inert grains are those below their own germinative temperature, and the term "growing grains" includes those which are germinant and those which are above their germinative temperature. These last could be called "supergerminant" if the distinction should be needed.

Jan 12, 1916

By C. S. Finney, John Mitchell

The introduction of ovens for the production of metallurgical coke is believed to be due to L. L. Norton who operated an iron foundry in the vicinity of Connellsville, Pa. Persuaded by his foreman, an English immigrant named Nickols from Durham, L. L. Norton put up a 12-ft square oven which produced coke in 1833. The coal used was taken from a local mine at Mounts Creek. The oven seems to have been used in conjunction with the customary method of coking in mounds. It was in the Connellsville district also, in 1841, that two carpenters, Provence McCormick and James Campbell, formed a partnership with John Taylor, a stone mason, for the manufacture and sale of oven coke. The task of the mason was to construct the ovens, while the carpenters were to build the arks by which the coke could be taken by water to the market at Cincinnati. The following account of the enterprise was given by McCormick: "James Campbell and myself heard in some way that I do not now recollect that the manufacturing of coke might be made a good business. Mr. John Taylor, a stone mason, who owned the farm on which the Fayette coke works now stand, and who was mining coal in a small way, was spoken to regarding our enterprise, and proposed a partnership-he to build the ovens and make the coke and Mr. Campbell and myself to build a boat and take the coke to Cincinnati, where we heard there was a good demand. This was in 1841. Mr. Taylor built two ovens. I think they were about 10 feet in diameter. My recollection is that the charge was 80 bushels. The ovens were built in the same style as those now used, but had no iron ring at the top to prevent the brick from falling in when filling the oven with coal, nor had we any iron frames at the mouth where the coke was drawn. The top and mouth had to be repaired when they fell in. In the spring of 1842 enough coke had been made to fill two boats 90 feet long-about 800 bushels each-and we took them to Cincinnati down the Youghiogheny, Monongahela, and Ohio, but when we got there we could not sell. Mr. Campbell, who went with the boats, lay at the landing some two or three weeks, retailing out one boatload and part of the other in small lots at about 8 cents a bushel. Miles Greenwood, a foundryman of that city, offered to take the balance if he would take a small patent flour mill at $125.00 hi pay, which Mr. Campbell did. He had it shipped here. We tried it, but it was no good, and we sold it to a man in the mountains for $30.00, and thus ended our coke business." So successful did the coke subsequently prove to be in use that the three partners were asked to deliver more. Evidently they had had enough of the coke business, however, for they refused to have anything more to do with it. Few ovens were built between 1841 and 1855, and it is reported that in the latter year, "there were only 26 coke ovens along the river above Pittsburgh". Successful coke makers of these years included Mordecai Cochran, Richard Brookius, and Colonel A. M. Hill. It was the use of coke in 1859 in the Clinton furnace erected by Graff, Bennett and Co. in a plant on West Carson Street, Pittsburgh, that brought the real beginning of the coke-iron era in America. Here the successful use of Connellsville coke as a blast-furnace fuel was demonstrated beyond all possible doubt, and from the year 1859 the coking industry expanded tremendously. The era of beehive coke ovens During the latter half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth, the major percentage of metallurgical coke produced in the United States came from beehive ovens. It was not until 1893 that the first battery of by-product ovens came

Jan 1, 1961