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By W. Irwin Moyer

Two methods for the rapid valuation of oil properties are in common use. The one best known and most widely used is the "per barrel" value, based on the present daily production of the well, without regard to its past performance or the history of the sand or pool from which it produces. The second method is the "time to pay out," or the length of time required for a well to place itself upon the credit side of the ledger, from which time the returns from its production (less the operating expenses) will be clear profit. The time basis for valuation is also commonly used in the appraisal of an undeveloped lease. In most oil fields, it is not thought good business to invest in production that will not pay out in at least 4 to 5 years. Nearly all buyers (except in certain regions of very persistent production like the deep-sand territory of the Appalachian field) expect wells to pay out in considerably less time than this. Like the barrel per day price, the time necessary for a well to pay out has been determined for each field, so that one frequently hears a field or district referred to as having a certain time to pay out. This is considered the norm for that field or district and the buyer and seller base their value, to greater or less extent, on their belief in the accuracy of this time. The writer long ago became convinced of the inaccuracy of the barrel per day method, except when greatly modified for local conditions, such as the age of the wells, their economic limit, operating conditions in the field, the future price of oil, and the persistence of the sand as a producer. When so modified, this method becomes more of an analytic or predicted probable yield valuation. While the appraiser may not go through each step in a valuation based on future returnable revenue, his knowledge of the field and the local conditions surrounding his leases make it possible for him to estimate a fair sales value that, in many cases, will be a close approximation to the truth. This is quite different from the commonly understood barrel per day value, in that the conditions surrounding the sale of one lease or property at a fair market value may

Jan 1, 1922

By A. M. Gaudin

The flotation process has been applied extensively in the mineral and chemical fields. This paper reveals results obtained by an exploration of an application to the biological field. In many ways this study was indeed an exploration since so many factors are different. In the mineral field, the particles, both those floated and those not floated, cover a wide range of sizes and shapes; in the biological field, the particles of one population are primarily of one or two sizes and one or two shapes. This identity in size and in shape gives biological systems the advantage of homogeneity. In the mineral field the particles may be as coarse as a millimeter; in the biological field the size may be a micron, or less. In the mineral field the particles may have a gravity several times that of water so that their apparent gravity is quite substantial. Microorganisms, on the other hand, may have a gravity so near that of the liquor that their settling velocity in the liquor is vanishingly small. These two facts conspire to make bubble-particle encounter in the pulp-body less likely. Finally, microorganisms are living, reproducing, and dying-all of which does not help the experimenter get a balance of materials. The analytical problems, too, are extraordinarily difficult, for the organisms can contain only elements that occur in their environment, although at a different level of concentration. The chemical composition of the surface of microorganisms is readily altered. In spite of these areas of difficulty, microorganisms can be floated to leave practically water-clear tailing, they can be floated from each other and, in fact, the same organism can be fractionated into a float that differs from the sink. SIZES AND SHAPES OF ORGANISMS Most ore pulps are described with reference to the percentage of the pulp that is fine enough to pass a 200-mesh sieve. Thus a copper-ore pulp may be 80% -200 mesh. Since 200 mesh equals 74 µ, a 2000-mesh particle would be 7.4 µ in diameter, and a 20,000-mesh particle would be 0.74 µ. The microorganisms with which this work is concerned are of the order of magnitude of 20,000 mesh. We have worked with Escherichia coli, the colon bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, and Serratia marcescens. In some pioneer work, Dognonl,2 reported the use

Jan 1, 1962

By T. A. Rickard

We rejoice that the world-war is ended. We are proud of the part played by the English-speaking peoples-all doing equal honor to the traditions they share in common. One of the compensations for the calamity of the past four years is the fact that the Briton and the American, striving together in the cause of human liberty, have learned to understand and to respect each other. The mother country entered the fight resolutely at the beginning, while yet unready to meet the carefully prepared onslaught of the enemy; then the sons from the overseas dominions rallied to the old battle-cry eagerly and effectively; and last, but not least, the stepsons came from across the Atlantic, speaking the same speech, playing the same game, and fighting in the same clean way. It was a great foregathering of those that use the language of Shakespeare and idealize the principles of liberty for which the friends and associates of Shakespeare stood sponsor three centuries ago. At a time like this it is pleasant to dwell upon the fact that the liberal Englishmen who organized the Virginia company were the pioneers of self-government on the American continent. The Virginia Assembly, convoked in 1619, was the first example of a domestic parliament to regulate internal affairs on this side of the Atlantic.2 The Governor of Virginia, Sir Edwin Sandys, had been a pupil of Richard Hooker at Oxford and from that political teacher he and his friends had imbibed the idea of combining civil liberty with constitutional order. To this group of large-minded Englishmen, the American colonists owed their liberal charters and their successive triumphs over the royal prerogative. Let it be noted that the American colonists had to deal with James II and George III, the two smallest minds in the list of British kings. Another historical note more pleasant to record, is the connection between the two principal groups of American settlers. In 1608 when the Pilgrim fathers, William Brewster and John Robinson, led their Separatist congregation to Holland and there prepared the expedition to America, they were assisted by Sandys and the Virginia Council, who were willing to share their privileges with them. When the Pilgrims set sail in 1620 they had the promise, obtained by Sandys from King James, that they should have freedom of worship,

Jan 4, 1919

By E. E. Brownson

THIS paper will be confined to the treatment of methods as applied in the laboratory of the Boston and Montana Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Great Falls, Mont. As the electrolytic plant of this company operates at a current density of approximately 35 to 40 amperes per square foot when running up to capacity, the arsenic and antimony content of the anodes delivered to the, plant is of considerable importance as bearing on the purity of the refined cathodes turned out. Owing to the rather high relative percentage of antimony, it has always been the custom to determine antimony as well as arsenic in all forms of copper. Thus, anodes have been analyzed in which the antimony was about equal to the arsenic although the average shows about 2 parts of arsenic to 1 of antimony. In the refined copper the relative proportions of the two impurities vary considerably, but probably in the average are about equal. In this latter case, the percentage of the two is so small that ordinarily no attempt is made to separate them, the report of analysis showing percentage of As and Sb combined. Although rapid and exceedingly accurate determinations of arsenic may be made by means of various distillation schemes, the determination of antimony, either by itself or together with arsenic, has always been more or less cumbersome and has required a considerable amount of time. By the methods, details of which follow, the determination of arsenic and antimony, either separated as in the case of anodes or together in case of refined copper, is accomplished in 24 hr. from the time the sample is received by the chemist.

Jan 8, 1913

By John M. Hird

A section of unstable overburden that has hampered an all-dragline mining operations at Texasgulf's phosphate mine in eastern North Carolina, is being successfully removed by hydraulic dredging. Blocks are dredged, drained, and developed ahead of two large draglines that strip the remaining overburden and mine the 12-m section of ore. Dredging assistance has increased ore production, increased ore recoveries to a maximum, reduced unit costs, and has made it possible to reclaim mined-over land that would be left underwater mined by all dragline methods.

Jan 1, 1981

By Henry M. Howe, W. P. Barba

When this country went into the war, but two concerns, The Bethlehem Steel Co. and The Midvale Steel and Ordnance Co., knew how to make steel fit for great cannons and at these concerns there were relatively few men who knew the whole art. Fortunately, certain of these men put their knowledge at the service of the Government, and proceeded to instruct the metallurgists at the arsenals and at various steel works. Doctor Howe, then chairman of the Engineering Division of the National Research Council, suggested that this work might be facilitated, and the number of effective gun-steel makers thereby increased, if a detailed description of the best practice could be written, giving the reasons for the various steps, and issued with the endorsement of a committee composed of those who were evidently the most competent authorities. It was thought that something would be gained by clarification of the subject, and something by the eminent authority of the members of the committee. To that end, the Engineering Division appointed a committee, consisting of the gentlemen whose names follow, to mention on1y those who retained their connection with it. At this time there were serious difficulties in the manufacture, for the Government. of aircraft and high-speed engine crankshafts, of certain ordnance forgings, and of shells for both the Army and Navy. This Committee was asked to study and report upon these, with a view to betterment of practice. There were indications that the source of some of the difficulties went back to the melting of the steel and the production of the ingot. Hence, the committee first studied steel melting and ingot production, in order to guide the wartime manufacturers to an even larger percentage of useful production from the steel initially melted. Committee on Steel Ingots W. P. Barba, chairman, Ordnance Dept., U. S. A. (formerly Vice Pres. & Gen. Mgr., Midvale Steel Co., Philadelphia). George K. Burgess, Chief of Division of Metallurgy, U. S. Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. Henry M. Howe, Then Chairman Engineering Division, National Research Council.

Jan 1, 1922

By W. P. Barba, Henry M. Howe

When this country went into the war, but two concerns, The Bethlehem Steel Co. and The Midvale Steel and Ordnance Co., knew how to make steel fit for great cannons and at these concerns there were relatively few men who knew the whole art. Fortunately, certain of these men put their knowledge at the service of the Government, and proceeded to instruct the metallurgists at the arsenals and at various steel works. Doctor Howe, then chairman of the Engineering Division of the National Research Council, suggested that this work might be facilitated, and the number of effective gun-steel makers thereby increased, if a detailed description of the best practice could be written, giving the reasons for the various steps, and issued with the endorsement of a committee composed of those who were evidently the most competent authorities. It was thought that something would be gained by clarification of the subject, and something by the eminent authority of the members of the committee. To that end, the Engineering Division appointed a committee, consisting of the gentlemen whose names follow, to mention on1y those who retained their connection with it. At this time there were serious difficulties in the manufacture, for the Government. of aircraft and high-speed engine crankshafts, of certain ordnance forgings, and of shells for both the Army and Navy. This Committee was asked to study and report upon these, with a view to betterment of practice. There were indications that the source of some of the difficulties went back to the melting of the steel and the production of the ingot. Hence, the committee first studied steel melting and ingot production, in order to guide the wartime manufacturers to an even larger percentage of useful production from the steel initially melted. Committee on Steel Ingots W. P. Barba, chairman, Ordnance Dept., U. S. A. (formerly Vice Pres. & Gen. Mgr., Midvale Steel Co., Philadelphia). George K. Burgess, Chief of Division of Metallurgy, U. S. Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. Henry M. Howe, Then Chairman Engineering Division, National Research Council.

Jan 1, 1922

By J. Ellzey Hayden

THE Cliffs Shaft mine of the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co., located in the city of Ishpeming, Mich., is the largest producer of hard hematite ore on the Marquette iron range. The two shafts, A and B, lying 820 ft. (250 m.) apart on the east-west trend of the ore formation, were sunk in the early eighties, and, except for four years, have been steady producers of iron ore. Their location, on a hill overlooking the general offices of the company on the one side and the city of Ishpeming on the other, has made the shaft houses landmarks. In the spring of 1919, as the old wooden shaft houses had become shaky and out of line, and would soon be unsafe, it was necessary to replace them with the least possible delay. Three plans of construction were, therefore, considered: To replace the old shaft houses by somewhat similar structures made of wood; to use steel and radically change the design; or to build reinforced-concrete shaft houses outside of the wooden structures, completely enclosing them. The first plan was disapproved, because it is anticipated that the mine will have a long life and the proximity of other buildings makes the danger from fire rather great. Delay in receiving material, and the necessity for closing the shafts during erection, were other factors in the situation. The second plan was disapproved on account of the high cost of steel, slow delivery, and interference with hoisting during the period of erection. The presence near one of the shafts of a large bed of hard gravel suitable for concrete made, the cost of the third plan considerably less than the second, and little, if any, delay in hoisting was expected. Our expectations in this regard' were fully realized. Furthermore, the work could be done by unskilled labor, which was plentiful, and the erection could be quickly started. When the proposition was submitted to Mr. W. G. Mather, president of the company, he recommended that, on account of the prominence of the buildings due to their location, an effort should be made to combine in the design as far as practicable something of architectural beauty. Following his recommendation, the original plans were submitted to the

Jan 8, 1920

By Lyman H. Hart

Some of the significant facts that will affect the supply and demand for metals during the next few decades are given in this presentation. This is important because the only hope for intelligent guidance of the national destiny depends upon presenting a consistent and accurate picture of basic problems. The metals problems now fomenting are only slightly less important than those precipitating the energy crisis. Admittedly, it is difficult to generate serious thinking on this subject when the world is enjoying easy access to all metals at modest prices. This is possible because of the current world capacity to overproduce, and United States credit standing, at least up to now, has permitted buying freely on world markets. Although both these vital conditions are subject to change, there is little doubt that if the U.S. financial house is kept in order, we can muddle along for a while on a generally expanding, metalbased economy. But should our credit standing be permitted to collapse, or should there be a tightening of world supplies of metals, the nation would immediately find itself in trouble. Unfortunately, clear signals indicate that both of these conditions are threatening.

Jan 4, 1973

By Roswell H. Johnson

What becomes of the water which must have filled the oil and gas sands at the time of deposition, has long puzzled students of oil and gas and has found expression in Munn's well-known article on the hydraulic theory. Both Munn and Clapp have pointed out that in the Appalachian field the deeper sands carry increasingly less proportionate amounts of water. It seems to me probable that the principal source of oil and gas has been in the shales in proximity to the sands which now contain these products. The sand spits which mark off the lagoons from the sea comply particularly with the requirements of a limited sand imbedded in shales rich in organic matter. Cunningham Craig has objected to this view that the rich organic muds of lagoons are found only at the surface. That such muds do extend to considerable depth 1 am assured by Prof. Douglas W. Johnson, who has made an extensive study of the Atlantic Coast marshes. As any particular sand body becomes weighted by a heavier and heavier overburden, the result of increasing deposition, a part of the very large percentage of water in the uncompacted sand and mud is forced out. The water percentage of freshly settled mud is vastly higher than that of the resultant shales, or even of a very porous sand. If beds of less compressible material meet or underlie the shales in question, there will frequently be a lateral motion along such beds to some point where the upward movement will be resumed. We find in our laboratory work here that oil, gas, and water have extremely slight capacity for gravitational sorting while in a state of rest, but when moving the gravitational sorting is readily accomplished. As the oil, gas, and water pass a body of larger pores, the gas, owing to its lack of capillary attraction, is retained in the large pores. This has been predicted by Washburne, Blatehley and others on the ground that the water has a higher capillarity and grips the finer pores in such a way that there will be a greater proportion of oil and gas in the large

Jan 1, 1915

By Peter G. Chamberlain

Many mining engineers considering in place leaching for the first time are uncertain as to how to evaluate ore bodies for potential leachability. Evidence presented in this report emphasizes the critical role of permeability in such evaluations. Whether an engineer is considering leaching "tight" formations typified by the porphyry copper deposits of the southwest or the permeable uraniferous sandstones of Texas and Wyoming, permeability measurements are the keystone of any testing program. Permeability tests range from cheap and easy to highly expensive and sophisticated operations. Constant head, variable head, and pumping tests all have application in evaluating ore bodies for in-place leaching. Costs of these tests will not unduly deflate the pocketbooks of most mining companies. The basic procedures for selecting and running these field tests--including preparing suitable wells--are reviewed for the benefit of newcomers to in-place leaching.

Jan 1, 1979

By Albert Hill Fay

In giving a sketch of the geology and mining of the tin-deposits of Cape Prince of Wales, a short description of the geographic and climatic conditions may be of special interest on account of this being a part of the world of which very little is known, even by the reading public. As shown in Fig. 1, the location of the Cape is lat. N 65° 35' and long. W. 168o. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic ocean ; on the west by Bering strait and on the south by Bering sea. It is the Westernmost point of the mainland of North America, and to the west, across the strait, one can see East Cape, Siberia, which consists of a rugged, steep coast of granite cliffs. The climatic conditions arc of interest because of the part they have had in the surface geology, and also because they affect mining from an economic standpoint. In connection with the climate and geography, it does not seem out of place here to quote a few lines from the prologue of The Wandering Jew, written by Eugene Sue, under the caption " The Land's End of Two Worlds." "The Arctic Ocean encircles with a belt of eternal ice, the desert confines of Siberia and North America—the uttermost limits of the Old and New World, separated by the narrow channel known as Bering's Straits. " To the north, this desert is bounded by a ragged const, bristling with huge black rocks. At the base of this Titanic mass lies enchained the petrified ocean (Bering sea) whose spell-bound waves appear fixed as vast ranges of ice mountains, their blue peaks fading away in the far-off frost-smoke, or snow-vapor. " Between the twin peak* of East Cape, the termination of Siberia, the sullen sea is Been to drive tall icebergs across a stream of dead green. There lies Bering's Strait. Opposite, and towering over the channel, rise the granite masses of Cape Prince of Wales, the headland of North America. "These lonely latitudes do not belong to the habitable world."

Jan 1, 1908

By A. C. Fieldner, W. A. Selvig

Ash in coal has always becri regarded as an undesirable substance, as the heat content of a coal dccreases in direct proportion to its ash contcnt. It represents so much inert materid that has to be transported, handled when the coal is burned, and finally disposed of. W. R. Roberts, in an address bcfore the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, on Sept. 29, 1925, said that on an annual output of five hundred rnillion tons of coal, a reduction of 3 per cent. of ash means fifteen million tons of refusc and a decrcase of $30,000,000 in freight charges. Ash also often prevents effieient utilization of the coal through the formation of clinker causcd by the mcltirig of the ash constituents when subjected to heat. The mineral constituents of coal may be of such nature as to make the coal unsuited for speeifie uses as for instance, high-sulfur coal for making metallurgical coke. While the usual proximate analysis of coal gives the amount of ash, it gives no information as to the nature and coniposition of the ash nor of the minera1 constituents from which the ash is produced. For the efficient washing of coal to remove ash-forining constituents it is desirable to know the composition and distribution of the ash-fonning constituents. Obviously such information is also desirable for the most efficient utilization of coal. Nature and Composition of Coal Ash Coal ash may be defined as the inorganic residue remailning after cornplete ignitior of coal. It is dcrived from the mineral constituents of thc coal. The ash-forming constituents may be roughly classified as inherent impurities and extraneous impurities. The former are mixed intimately with the coal substance, and arc derived either from the original coal-forming material or from external sources such as sedimentation and preeipitation while the vegetal coal-forming plant remains accumulated. The latter are present in the coal bed as partings, bands or nodules of pyrite! slate, shale, calcit,e, bone, etc. These are formed either during the laying down of the coal bed, or subsequently. Flag-

Jan 1, 1927

By W. B. Phillips

The earliest mention of the sulphur deposits in what is now Culberson County, Texas, seems to be contained in " Explorations and Surveys for a Railroad Route from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, United States War Department, 1853-54." Captain John Pope (he was not commissioned Captain until 1856) had charge of one of the divisions of the Survey. In his report on the geology of the route, William P. Blake noted the analysis of a greenish earthy powder from the bed of Delaware Creek, at the springs, which contained 18.28 per cent. of free sulphur. The report states: "From the chemical examination of the waters of the spring, by Dr. Booth, it appears that chloride of sodium is the principal solid ingredient, but considerable quantities of sulphide of sodium are present. ***** The waters from the springs examined by Dr. Booth were alkaline, but it is possible that some of the springs are acid; and in this case the precipitation of sulphur would ensue on the mixture of the acid waters with those charged with alkaline sulphurets and the origin of the deposits of sulphur would be thus explained." This is the first reference to the existence of sulphur in that region, the first mention of the character of the water found there and the first suggestion as to the origin of the deposits. The possibility of the existence of acid waters was confirmed by E. M. Skeats, nearly 50 years later.' In this publication, Skeats says that the water from the sulphur deposits in Section 11, Block 114, Township 6, contains 79.08 grains of free sillphuric acid per gallon. This locality is about 13 miles (21 km.) south . of Delaware Creek and about 35 miles (56 km.) east of the Delaware Springs. The next published reference to the existence of sulphur in Trans-Pecos. Texas is in the Pirst Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, page 226, where W. H. von Streeruwitz mentions that sulphur is found in that region, but gives no further information. In the

Jan 1, 1918

By P. H. Griffin

The manufacture of iron in the Province of Quebec forms one of the most interesting subjects in the development of this great industry in America. It began soon after the first steps taken in the New England colonies, where iron was first practically made in America. In both cases the ores smelted were bog-ores. In Qaebec the first work was done in and about, the town of Three Rivers, and many interesting facts in connection with the development of this industry may be found in the paper read at the Halifax meeting, September, 1885, by Mr. James Herbert Bartlett, of Montreal,* which traces the industry from its inception, about 1730, down to 1883, at which time the St. Maurice forge is declared to be the oldest active furnace on the American continent. A few years later the Canada Iron Furnace Company, Ltd., became interested in the enterprise, the extent of which has been greatly enlarged beyond all former limits. In fact, the manufacture of this particular class of iron has never been attempted on the scale now practiced by this company. This work has been carried on for the purpose of supplying a grade of iron hitherto procurable only at heavy cost for Canadian consumption from the United States, and for English consumption from Sweden. The manufacture of iron in the Province of Quebec was based entirely on bog-ores during the period referred to; and as the supply of iron made elsewhere from cheaper ores became more abundant, the local manufacture, handicapped by want of shipping facilities, lack of capital, and other natural causes, was gradually discontinued. It was always admitted that for certain purposes the iron made in the Province possessed special value; but the demand for articles requiring such special virtue was limited, and cheaper grades were gradually substituted for general uses. Some years ago we were led to test, in our car-wheel shops at

Jan 1, 1893

By C. S. Corbett

There is much comment at present in the ranks of the oil industry regarding unit operation of oil fields and the benefit that would accrue if it could be extensively applied. It seems certain that, as an immediate corrective of the present situation, overproduction could be effectively curtailed with all the advantages of proper conservation of petroleum resources and with no important loss to anyone connected with the industry. Unit Operation in Certain Foreign Fields Many an oil operator in America would doubtless like to have exclusive control of one or more oil-bearing structures for development in accordance with the economic position of the industry and especially in accordance with the best production practice known. A few operators now have this privilege, particularly in certain foreign fields, and are following lines of procedure which show that they are aware of the great opportunity that is theirs. We find in an article by Professor Strigeoff,1 and in a paper read by Captain Comins2 before the American Petroleum Institute, the outlines of procedure adopted, respectively, by the Soviet Government for the nationalized Russian oil fields and by the Anglo-Persian Oil Co. for its fields in Persia. Comprehensive plans for the unit operation of other oil fields may have been described publicly but no such descriptions have come to the attention of the writer. New fields are coming more and more into the hands of single operators or of a few who control large activities and who appreciate fully the need for cooperative action and are willing to forego the lure of a large quick profit from high flush production in order to secure the advantage of better stabilization in the industry and a larger though more deferred profit by operating the field as a unit. Much can be done toward efficient development of an oil field controlled by a few operators who are willing to cooperate for that purpose, but the best result can be obtained only by pooling their interests in the field

Jan 1, 1930

By J. Ellzey Hayden, Lucien Eaton

The Cliffs Shaft mine of the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co., located in the city of Ishpeming, Mich., is the largest producer of hard hematite ore on the Marquette iron range. The two shafts, A and B, lying 820 ft. (250 m.) apart on the east-west trend of the ore formation, were sunk in the early eighties, and, except for four years, have been steady producers of iron ore. Their location, on a hill overlooking the general offices of the company on the one side and the city of Ishpeming on the other, has made the shaft houses landmarks. In the spring of 1919, as the old wooden shaft houses had become shaky and out of line, and would soon be unsafe, it was necessary to replace them with the least possible delay. Three plans of construction were, therefore, considered: To replace the old shaft houses by somewhat similar structures made of wood; to use steel and radically change the design; or to build reinforced-conerete shaft houses outside of the wooden structures, completely enclosing them. The first plan was disapproved, because it is anticipated that the mine will have a long life and the proximity of other buildings makes the danger from fire rather great. Delay in receiving material, and the necessity for closing the shafts during erection, were other factors in the situation. The second plan was disapproved on account of the high cost of steel, slow delivery, and interference with hoisting during the period of erection. The presence near one of the shafts of a large bed of hard gravel suitable for concrete made the cost of the third plan considerably less than the second, and little, if any, delay in hoisting was expected. Our expectations in this regard were fully realized. Furthermore, the work could be done by unskilled labor, which was plentiful, and the erection could be quickly started. When the proposition was submitted to W. G. Mather, president of the company, he recommended that, on account of the prominence of the buildings due to their location, an effort should be made to combine in the design as far as practicable something of architectural beauty. Following his recommendation, the original plans were submitted to the

Jan 1, 1922

lv. H. Blauvelt, Great Falls, Montana (communication to the Secretary): In his remarks on Mr. Stetefeldt's paper (Trans., xxiii., 587)) Mr. Goetz observes: " Trouble experienced with producers at Great Falls influenced me to try Taylor producers instead of those of Wellman. But recent reports show that the Wellman producers work better, besides coating nearly 50 per cent. less than Taylor producers of equal capacity. Indiana and Illinois coals cannot be used in the Taylor producers by reason of the large size and hardness of the clinkers which they form." I think that Mr. Goetz must have been misinformed regarding the work of this producer in Illinois. One of the large mauafacturing concerns in that State, the Illinois Zinc Company, situated at Peru, which uses a coal mined in the vicinity, tried one Taylor producer, some four years ago, in competition with those of an older type, which it had been using. As a result of this trial, the company has now thirteen Taylor producers, which have been in operation for about three years. A recent report from these works says that the Taylor producers have largely reduced the loss of coal through the grate, and have also improved the quality of the gas, as compared with that produced from the same coal in the producers of the older type. This Illinois coal is, perhaps, the worst in the country for making gas; since, besides containing from 20 to 40 per cent. of ash, it carries a large quantity of pyrites, so that the clinkers are large and extremely hard, and the capacity of the producer is most severely tested.

Jan 1, 1895

By Alexandre Pourcel

The phenomena of liquation in steel or iron ingots of all sizes, but naturally to greatest extent in the heaviest ingots, have been noticed ever since the commencement on a large scale of the Besse mer and open-hearth manufactures; but they have been studied with care during the last few years only. The English and the Ameri cans were the first to publish the results of investigation upon phe nomena of this clam, to which they have given the name of segregation. Historical. Passing by that which has been written concerning the segregation observed in gray pig-iron, of which instances were given by Karsten, we shall confine ourselves here to that which is known of this subject with exclusive reference to ingot steel and iron. Mr. H. M. Howe, of Boston, in his Metallurgy of Steel, the most complete and well-arranged treatise upon steel, gives a resume of observations, with the results of numerous analyses, bearing upon the phenomena of segregation. According to Tchernoff (with whom we discussed this question at length in 1878, in connection with the cast-steel plates of large dimensions designed for the Italian fleet, which we showed him at Terre-Noire), Kalakoutsky called attention in 1866 to the lack of homogeneity in Bessemer ingots, especially when cast in sand. Our own attention had been called to the phenomena of liquation in 1868 by a somewhat surprising fact which appeared in almost every one of a number of steel-rail ingots coming from the works of Messrs. Pierre and Emile Martin at Sireuil, to be rolled at TerreNoire. In the heating or in the first groove of the rolls, a slice of from 6 to 10 centimeters (2.4 to 3.9 inches) separated itself from the head of each ingot. As a general consequence, the section of

Jan 1, 1894

By George S. Rice

The extremely valuable papers and discussions on coal-cluat explosions by Bache,' Eavenson, Shurick, Mannakee,* and Raymond are of unusual interest to me, since it has been my duty to carry on investigations on this and allied subjects for the Technologic Branch of the United States Geological Survey during the past year, and to make a series of coal-dust tests in the explosion-gallery at Pittsburg during a short periocl when its use could be diverted from the pressing work of testing explosives. In several of the discussions mentioned, it has been assumecl that the Technologic Branch of the Survey mas not paying attention to certain phases of the general problem, or to the specific question of temperature and humidity of mine-air in its effect upon the explosibility of coal-dust. This assumption is not correct, since from the time of the establishment of the " Mine-Accident Division," with its subdivisions of explosives, rescue-work, and mine-investigation, the mining engineer.; of the last-named section have made the subject one of chief consideration. Their general duties, including mine-sampling for governmeilt purposes, emergency-calls for rescue-work, and esplosion investigations, have prevented undivided attention, but all of them have been supplied with instruments for such determinations, and special report-forms have been in use and a great many observations made in mining-districts to which the mining engineers have gone. With the idea of obtaining a uniform system of reporting these data, and in the hope that the work may be of service to mining engineers in the field, the collecting blanks in use are shown in Forrns 1 and 2.

Jan 1, 1911