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By Thomas S. Carnahan

UNION MINIERE D HAUT-KATAIGA operates a group of mines and metallurgical works in the Katanga province of the Belgian Congo. It is especially prominent as a copper producer, but its output of accessory metals, such as cobalt, radium, silver, tin and gold have been considerable. The Belgian Congo covers 920,000 sq. mi. of central Africa, with a native population of about 8,500,000. In addition, Belgium controls by mandate the districts of Ruanda-Urundi (formerly a part of German East Africa) with an area of some 20,000 sq. mi. and a population of about 3,500,000 natives. Most of the native population of the Belgian Congo is found on the wide fertile plains of the great rivers, living under primitive conditions in a tropical climate, where it has survived throughout the centuries in spite of tropical diseases and intertribal wars. In more recent times, especially during the last two centuries, 'the natives have been subjected to frequent raids by the slave traders, which made their existence even more precarious, and if continued much longer would probably have resulted in their complete extermination.

Jan 1, 1932

By Eben E. Olcott

The Mine.—For some years attention has been drawn to the copper deposits of the Appalachian range of mountains, and especially to those in that portion crossing the corners of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Certain it is that in many places in this locality available deposits of copper await the miner, and one after another are being opened and worked. The parts of these three States alluded to are but sparsely settled, and communications are insufficient to meet the demand for transportation. Railroads are wanted, as the existing wagon roads are unfitted for heavy hauling; these circumstances increase very much the difficulties in the way of mining enterprises. Notwithstanding this, the success of some of the mines of this section is an established fact, and Ducktown has for some years held a high rank among the copper-producing localities of the United States. of all these deposits, however, none is more interesting or more deserving of attention than the one now under consideration. The works of the Ore Knob Copper Company have been energetically pushed forward, since the reopening of the mine, in the spring of 1873, by Mr. J. E. Clayt,on, the superintendent and one of the chief owners of the property, and if one thing more than another can insure success it is the combination in this gentleman of rare business capabilities with the deepest personal interest in the prosperity of the undertaking. The copper vein at Ore Knob* is a clearly defined fissure traversing the gneissic rocks of Pre-silurian age in a direction 61' east of north.

By E. P. Pfleider, W. D. Lacabanne

Rotary percussive drilling, vibro-drilling, vibro-rotation drilling, rotary pulsating drilling-all names that mean the same thing-are gradually appearing in mining literature. What is rotary percussive drilling? It is a combined system superimposing a rapid percussive impact on a continuous rotary action in an attempt to utilize the most desirable features of both methods. At present single and multiple carriage-mounted rotary percussion units are being used in the European coal mining regions. One well engineered unit is the Hausherr "Albo" rotary percussive drill, utilizing two alternately operating percussion pistons, and another is the multiple-unit, jumbo-mounted Salzgitter machine. Niisse & Grafer also manufacture rotary percussion drills.

Sep 1, 1955

With only one certain exception coal was never used by the Indians, before white men came to America, for any purpose except as an ornament or for paint. Within the past few years it has been discovered that the Hopi Indians in Navajo County, Arizona, used lignite for burning pottery, about 1000 A. D., as dated by tree rings. They were able to obtain a clear color in their ware that could not be obtained with brushwood fires. The coal was mined by hammers from outcrop openings, some of which can still be seen, and the tools used have been found in them.1 (See also p. 376.) Small figurines made of splint or cannel coal have been found at various localities in western New York, in Ohio and possibly other places, evidently made for ornaments. There is no reason to think they are of any greater age, if as old, as that mentioned above. Some crushed coal was used by the Indians as a black pigment in painting themselves, but apparently the eastern Indians never used coal for any other purposes. Some think that several tribes of Indians in the Northwest, along the Missouri, used coal as fuel, the basis being a statement attributed to Radisson about 1660. In the Jesuit Relations of 1659-1660 it was stated that Radisson anti Groseilliers had just returned from a visit to Lake Superior and beyond. "In the country of the Poualak, which means 'warriors' they say `as wood is scanty in supply and small in size in their country, nature has taught them to make fire with coal from the earth (charbon de terre) and to cover their cabins with skins.'"2 This statement was only hearsay with the good fathers, and the reputation for veracity of the two explorers is not of the best, and it is extremely probable that instead of coal they used turf, dry grass or buffalo chips. In fact in Radisson's Voyages' he does not mention coal at all in his account of the third voyage, when he was supposed to have seen it used. His accounts of his travels are badly mixed, and he and his companions were much better travellers than narrators. None of the early travellers up the Missouri River saw any evidence even then that the Indians were familiar with the use of coal. In the writer's opinion it is unlikely that coal was used as stated by the Jesuits.

Jan 1, 1942

Illinois is rightly known as containing the coal deposit of which the first record in the United States was made. Joliet and Marquette saw "charbon de terre" along the Illinois River in 1673;1 LaSalle saw "mines de charbon" along the same stream in 1679; and Hennepin reported having "found in Several Places Some Pit-Coal" in 1682.2 In 1687 Jontel, in writing of the Illinois River country said, "along the river are coal pits, the coal whereof has been try'd and found very good."3 J. Carver reported the northern parts of the Mississippi River valley, "containing lead, copper, iron, coals, etc." in 17664 evidently referring to the Illinois country. Croghan, in the same year, saw coal along the Wabash River, near the mouth of the Vermilion in Indiana, but not far from Danville. Capt. Philip Pittman in his journey up the Mississippi in 1770 reported that "great pieces of coal are constantly found on the sand-banks, from whence it may be concluded, that there are coal-mines on the upper parts of the Mississipppi."5 This coal could only have come from the Illinois or Big Muddy Rivers. Morse, in 1798, refers to great quantities of coal on the upper branches of "the Father of Waters," and "on the Illinois River is a coal mine, which extends for half a mile along the middle of its banks."6 While, undoubtedly, some coal was used locally in various places, no records have been left of it and the first definite one is that in 1809 William Boon shipped some coal from the Big Muddy River, in Jackson County, to New Orleans, which was the first coal exported from Illinois.1 There has been considerable discussion as to this first shipment, whether it was made in 1809, 1810 or 1812. The records of arrivals of: boats in New Orleans in those early years is specific as to date, name of craft and name of captain, but no mention is made of cargo carried. William Boon arrived

Jan 1, 1942

By Rush Greenslade

THE oil and gas lease is the basic contract of the oil and gas industry; it is the foundation stone upon which the producing industry, particularly, is based. As the industry is precarious and highly speculative, the foundation contract should be of the utmost integrity and certainty. But right there an anomaly exists; the oil and gas lease is the most obscure, most uncertain, doubtful contract in the realm of law today. That is a condition that must be considered when taking oil and gas leases, and when buying, selling, and holding them. It may fairly be asked why should this industry rest upon so insecure a foundation. Why should not the oil industry rest upon the contract that is the basis of all industry, the warranty deed? There are many contributing reasons, but the principal one is business expediency. The Anglo-Saxon idea of ownership of land is that every land owner owns from the center of the earth to the sky all that is above and all that is below-consequently the oil and gas are owned by the person who owns the surface. That idea is not exactly true with reference to oil and gas, for many states have adopted the doctrine that oil and gas are like wild animals; they are fugacious and migratory and belong to the man that traps them. But, except for that doctrine, we believe that oil and gas are owned by the owner of the surface, wherein we differ from the Latin-American countries where the mineral rights are owned by the government. The United States was settled largely by homesteading. The owners of land were, in the main, farmers, who did not have the means or the faith to drill for oil or gas. The operators or speculators did not want to buy the land on the mere possibility of finding oil; hence a compromise resulted by which the land owner gave the speculator or the operator what he called an oil and gas lease, or a right to go upon his land and drill for oil and gas. What is supposed to be the first oil lease placed on record reads as follows: Agreed this 4th day of July, A.D. 1853, with J. D. Angier of Cherrytree township in the county of Venango Pennsylvania that he shall repair up and keep in order the old oil springs on land in said Cherrytree township, or dig and make new springs, and the expense to be deducted out of the proceeds of the oil, and the balance, if any, to be

Jan 8, 1924

By C. M. Nickerson

The possibility of deeper production in the Buena Vista Hills was first considered in 1933. At that time, however, the heavy state curtailment program served to deter any operator from drilling test wells, which, if successful, might upset the proration schedules. Because most of the acreage was held by several major operators and the remainder by substantial independents, the adoption of a plan of cooperative development was considered desirable. Such a plan was formulated for the development of any deeper oil and gas horizons that may be found to exist. This plan, which was signed by the Secretaries of the Navy and of the Interior on behalf of the United States on July 9,1936, is now effective for the development of lands within the area shown on Fig. 1. Unlike most unit plans, the present cooperative development plan permits each operator to drill and produce his own wells. For the purpose of this plan the Buena Vista Hills field is divided into two pools. The present production is classed as the " old pool,"' while any future production below a certain marker which roughly coincides with the bottom of the Santa Margarita formation is included in the "pool" to which the provisions particularly apply. Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 2 lies within the area and constitutes the major portion of the Federal leases subject to the plan. There are 39,040 acres and 27 operators within the area. Twenty-six operators controlling 99.5 per cent of the acreage have signed the agreement. Geology oF the Buena Vista Hills The Buena Vista Hills consist of a low range in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, and are roughly parallel to the adjacent Temblor range to the south. The Elk Hills oil field parallels the Buena Vista Hills a few miles to the north. The subsurface structure is a re-entrant anticline upon the major Midway-Sunset monocline. This anticline is divided into two minor

Jan 1, 1937

By O. C. Wheeler

The principal interest in the oil situation in Colombia during the year centered around the enactment of the new petroleum law and the applications for concessions subsequently made by various interests. The year was a comparatively uneventful one from the standpoint of actual operations of drilling and development. There was a falling off both in exploratory work and in the development of producing properties; and as a result of curtailment of production, the output of oil from the country dropped to the lowest level since the completion of the looping of the Andian pipe line to the coast in 1927. Legislation Law No. 371 of 1931, with its Regulatory Decree No. 1270, was enacted during the year and marked Colombia's attempt to encourage more extensive exploration and development of the prospective oil resources of the country. Some of the outstanding provisions of the law are as follows: Tracts may be acquired by a concessionnaire directly and by transfer ranging from 5,000 to 100,000 hectares, except in certain reserved territories east of the summit of the eastern cordilleras where the maximum is increased to 200,000 ha. A security deposit of $1 per hectare, minimum $25,000, is required on government grants, and is returned to the concessionnaire only upon the fulfillment of stipulated terms of the law. Rentals, increasing progressively from 10c per hectare per year the first two years to 50c per hectare the sixth year, are required up to the start of the production period (beginning of development). The concession terminates 30 years after the beginning of the production period and can be extended for 10 years more at the option of the contractor. Wells must be produced at no less than 25 per cent of their maximum capacity. Royalties on oil from national lands vary from 2 to 11 per cent of the gross product, depending on the distance of the concession from the port of loading. Petroleum from private property is subject to a governmental tax varying from 1 to

Jan 1, 1932

By G. A. Vissac

In continental Europe the feldspar jig is used almost exclusively for cleaning the fine sizes of coal; it operates with an artificial bed, made up generally of pieces of feldspar or of any other hard and heavy rock with good cleavages. A primitive form of this machine requiring close supervision was used in this country years ago, but output was small. The modern machines are generally air-pulsated Baum-type jigs, with capacities up to 150 tph, and treat sizes from 3/s in. to 0, usually previously dedusted or deslimed. These jigs are equipped with very accurate and sensitive automatic controls insuring satisfactory operation even at low separating gravity and with feeds irregular in quality and quantity. This paper will deal more particularly with coal cleaning separation, but the technical studies apply equally to all minerals.

Jul 1, 1955

By AIME AIME

A SYMPOSIUM on current. conditions in Mexico, particularly in the oil and mining industries, was a most successful feature of the May meeting of the New York Section of the A.I.M.E. Heath Steele, vice-president of The American Metal Co.. Ltd., with an intimate knowledge of Mexico gave the principal address, and asked that his analysis of the present situation he regarded neither as an endorsement of Mexico's policy nor as the criticism of a disgruntled operator. To explain the .attitude of the great mass of the Mexican people towards recent developments, he first described briefly the political, social, and religious beliefs and customs of tile Mexican Indian. In spite of their contact with foreigners these beliefs and customs have remained unchanged throughout many generations. The old communal spirit and the idea of common ownership of the land still persist especially in the rural districts and villages; the old custom of a council for local self-government is reflected in the present-day labor committee. Mr. Steele discussed in order land oil, and mines.

Jan 1, 1938

By Ta M. Li

This article draws freely on the experiences of the engineering and operating staff of P.T. Inco and its parent firm Inco Ltd. In addition, information was derived from papers presented during the recent International Laterite Symposium, held in conjunction with the 1979 AIME Annual Meeting, New Orleans, La., February 19-21. The author wishes to acknowledge all contributors and, in particular, Roy Aitken, president and managing director, P. T. Inco.

Jan 7, 1979

By John G. Bartram

The oil business has been relatively quiet in Wyoming during 1934. Only 34 producing wells were completed, 54 dry holes were drilled, and at the end of the year only 30 wells are listed as drilling. Wyoming still has a large reserve of production shut in, mostly in black oil or asphaltic base fields in the northwestern part of the state. The total oil production increased from 11,171,500 bbl. in 1933 to 12,539,470 in 1934, but light oil production continued to decline, and the increase was made by black oil fields. This is partly due to natural decline of light oil fields, especially Salt Creek, Big Muddy and Lost Soldier, but largely because of increased demands for road oil. The Rocky Mountain states spent much money to build and improve roads and a greater amount of road oil was used. The refining of black oil to manufacture road oil produced gasoline as a byproduct that slightly decreased the demand for light oil. The Oregon Basin and Frannie fields, in the Big Horn Basin, moved into second and third places in the list of producing fields in Wyoming because of their increased black oil production, and Big Muddy and Lost Soldier, light oil fields, dropped back. Wyoming stayed close to its allowed production, which was based on the needs of the refiners and purchasers. This activity in black oil resulted in a few more wells in the fields of the Big Horn Basin, but the greatest amount of drilling was in the shallow Osage field in eastern Wyoming. Osage supplies many little topping plants and at the close of 1934 there was not enough oil available there to supply all of them. In the Lost Soldier field and Salt Creek, one major company was rather active in a campaign to deepen, clean out and repair old wells to increase production, and the figures of that work are not included here. Of the light oil fields, Lance Creek promises to be most active during 1935, since the two wells in the recently discovered Sundance sand pool are producing and more wells will he drilled. With wildcatting almost at a standstill, two new oil fields were discovered in Wyoming in 1934. In Albany County, a 75-bbl. oil well was completed on Quealey dome in the Muddy sand (Upper Cretaceous)

Jan 1, 1935

By John J. Porter

The requirements of the standard specifications under which Portland cement is sold have materially increased within the past 10 years, but practically all companies are now furnishing cement better than these requirements; in some cases exceeding them by nearly 100 per cent. From a sales standpoint, it is desirable to have a product that is uniform to a high degree and free from occasional quality troubles. A failure in quality, even if it affects only a few hundred barrels out of a yearly output of a million or more, is apt to be talked about in the trade and to affect the salability of the entire output. For these reasons, there has recently been great activity along the lines of quality control and improvement; and some of the most interesting problems of the industry are in this field. From the manufacturing standpoint, the quality of cement is chiefly a matter of uniform and proper chemical composition of the raw mix fed to the kilns plus proper burning in the kilns; the fineness to which the cement is ground, the proportions of gypsum, the method of seasoning, and the like are contributory factors. Uniform chemical composition of the raw mix has been one of the most difficult problems to solve. Most plants will use from 1000 to 3000 tons of rock per day and in but few cases is this material as it lies in the quarry even approximately uniform in composition. The problem, then, is to quarry and mix this raw material in such a manner that every handful passing through the kilns will have practically the same analysis as every other handful. To accomplish this purpose there are two methods of preparation: the wet and the dry. In each process, a stone storage is the first requisite of a successful plant. This storage place may handle the stone before or after crushing; its capacity may vary from two to three days' up to several months' supply, but it should be so designed that it can be filled as desired by the chemist and drawn at such points as will give a mixture of the various kinds of stone coming from the quarry and a reasonably uniform material going to the mill. The size of the storage place and the method of handling should be varied according to the nature of the material.

Jan 1, 1925

By Earl Oliver

The term oil property, in this discussion, includes any type of easement or grant under which petroleum might be produced; it ranges from the mere right to drill on undeveloped wildcat acreage up to a fully developed oil property. The values of an oil property, as thus defined, vary widely according to the use for which it is intended, whether it is from the viewpoint of the speculator, the fraudulent stock promoter, the refiner and pipe-line owner, or the oil producer. The market value of a property is usually a combination of some two or more of these influences, and occasionally a combination of all of them, but we prefer to treat each viewpoint as distinct from the others, allowing the reader to make his own combination in such proportions as his inclination and property seem to require. This paper will treat the subject from the viewpoint of the oil producer. However, the other influences have such bearing on the cost of property to the producer and on the price he might obtain by its sale as to warrant brief discussion of them. Speculation, particularly lease speculation, is a parasitic growth on the oil industry, healthy enough, but of no economic value. The class of property usually dealt in for this purpose is the undeveloped lease. Its speculative value may have some relation to its probable productive value, but most frequently this value is the product of temporary excitement due to local development. The lease speculator, seeking out the trend of development or securing early information regarding a proposed test or a new discovery, immediately secures leases whose market value will be increased when the existence of such development becomes more widely known. His profits are purely unearned increment. Not proposing to spend money in exploration, he can afford to compete in purchase with the operator, who, in addition to bonus paid, must spend large sums in testing out his own acreage and that of the nearby speculator as well. It has a tendency to compel unduly high bonuses. The so-called "checker-board1' system of leasing wildcat acreage by the larger companies is on the same principle of attempting to secure the

Jan 1, 1921

Southern California Academy of Sciences, Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Calif Howard R Hill, Secretary. The Academy has published one book which should have mention: Southern California geology and Los Angeles earthquakes, by R T. Hill (1928) Price, $5.

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles MacDowell

Up to 1909 the American public had little knowledge of, or interest in, potash. Some remembered that it had to do with soft soap and sore throat, but further they knew not. In 1909-10, the German-American potash war, and the publicity attending hostilities, brought home to America the knowledge that potash was an important article of commerce; that Germany monopolized its production and distribution, and exercised all the prerogatives attending complete control. The present war, with its transportation embargo, has again directed attention to Germany's strength as a potash producer and her present unfortunate situation as a distributor. As a consequence, the search for potash takes on new life and it again becomes a subject of general interest. My first knowledge of potash came from a study of the German potash exhibit at the World's Fair in 1893. This investigation led to the recommendation that Armour & Co. engage in the manufacture of commercial fertilizers and the fertilizer branch was organized early in 1894. From then to now "potash" has been a live subject. Two and eight-tenths per cent. of the earth's crust consists of potassium oxide. It is an important constituent of feldspar, granite, and other igneous rocks. Potash is valuable commercially in a water-soluble form. In igneous rocks it is locked in so tight that it is of little value and no utilization in a commercial way has been made of these insoluble forms. Potash in water-soluble form is found in large deposits in Germany; in smaller deposits in Austria and Spain; and in brines in some of our Western arid basins. The deposits in Germany, Austria, and Spain are concentrations from sea waters containing potash derived from the decomposition of potash-bearing rocks.

Jan 2, 1915

By Charles H. White

Discussion of the paper of A. L. Sweetser, Tress., xxxviii., 236. CHARLES H. WHITE, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. (communication to the Secretary*) :-Those interested in leaching-processes gladly welcome contributions on either laboratory-tests, such as are reported by Mr. Sweetser, or mill-tests made on larger quantities of ore; and especially valuable are such reports, even with negative results, if the methods adopted are the outgrowth of an intimate knowledge of the conditions to be met. It seems very desirable, therefore, that as complete details as possible be given in reporting on such tests, particularly with respect to the character of the ore under examination. The questions of prime importance in the sampling of ore and in the making up of charges for laboratory-tests are those respecting its grade and uniformity. In Mr. Sweetser's paper the first of these questions is answered definitely, but the answer to the second, although apparent on inspection of the results, might be more strongly emphasized with advantage, since it is only on account of the extreme uniformity of the ore that the satisfactory results obtained could have been expected. It seems advisable to call attention to the fact that for average ores, and more particularly for uneven, or 11 spotted ores, the quantities used by Mr. Sweetser are not usually regarded as sufficient to insure satisfactory results. Let us examine the method somewhat in detail. The ore was crushed to pass a 5-mesh screen, and a sample of 45 lb. was taken out for assay and tests. The diameter of the largest grain of this ore, according to Richards,1 was 2.67 mm.-assuming here, as in the following cases, that the wire of the screen was of the largest size used for the purpose, thereby giving any possible advantage in this respect in favor of the method. The table in Richards's book, p. 852, shows that 45 lb. is a sufficient quantity for a fair sample with uniform ores, but not sufficient

Jan 7, 1908

In Mr. Weed's interesting paper, frequent reference is made to the Cananea copper-deposits, which are said to have been so vigorously exploited that they produced 14,000,000 Ib. of copper in 1901. The ore-bodies which yielded this large quantity of metal are described as a product of contact-metamorphism, and in Mr. Weed's genetic classification of such deposits, they receive a place under the sub-heading, "Deposits impregnating and replacing beds of contact-zone."* They are considered by Mr. Weed to represent a special type under this head, and are further classified as: " l. Chalcopyrite deposits: (a) Pyrrhotite ores; (6) Magnetite ores, Cananea type." In condensing much information into a comparatively small space, the presentation of a subject may be so abbreviated as to detract from its clearness. The situation at La Cananea, considering its importance from an economic as well as scientific standpoint, may he worthy of more detailed description. As Mr. Weed rightly remarks, " structural differences are so important, and have SO marked a bearing, not alone on the theory of their genesis, hut also on the working of the deposits and a determination of their value as mines, that they merit a full discussion."† It is my present purpose: (1) to show that it is doubtful whether the copper of La Cananea is mined, except to a limited

Jan 1, 1903

By Ernest A. Hersam

Accurate ore-sizing with screens is drawing attention to certain details that now, more than ever before, require attention. There are many tests that must be preceded by careful sizing. The assayer often could profit by a more careful selection of screens. In milling, more attention is given the slimes produced. Cement-manufacturers are pulverizing and screening finer than they formerly did, and others are reducing materials to fine sizes at high cost, with screens used to govern the fineness of the pulverized product. Fine screens are expensive, easily injured by misuse, are carried in stock sparingly by most dealers, and are handled often by those who know little about them except their designated number. More attention, on the whole, needs be given the actual size of the mesh-openings, and less emphasis placed upon any custom or conventionality in numbering. An effort to classify wire screens, in this respect, leads at once into computations, where one is confronted with details of sizes and standards, of different wires, different gauges, and different customs. There is always uncertainty about the exact working-size of a screen until one gives the matter special attention, and devotes more time to it than its simplicity seems to demand. To know only the number is not sufficient for all uses. Often, in sets, superfluous sizes are used; and sizes are omitted that are of critical importance. In wire screens, the use of different standard sizes of wire makes important differences in dimensions that must be taken into account. The dealer usually grades screens by the number of openings per linear dimensions, regardless of the size of the openings or of the wire. Certain 100-mesh screens in use are found, by measurement, to be actually coarser than others of 90-mesh, a result which is due, of course, to the use of larger

Jan 1, 1907

By J. M. Clark

For some years past, those interested in the development of the increasingly important mining industry of Canada, havc urged the adoptioi~ by the Dominion Parliament of a federal mining-law, which would have the force and stability of statutory enactment. At present, placer-mining in the Yukon Territory is governed by the Yukon Placer Mining Act. All other mining under federal jurisdiction is governed by Orders in Council and Ministerial Iiegulations. In the earlier stages of development, it is perhaps a matter of neces~ity that these important matters should be so dealt with; but it is now felt that the time has come when mining-rights in the extensive regions under federal control should be put on a permanent basis, and that any changes required from timc to time should be made only after full and open discu~sioii in Parliament. A short sketch will suffice to indicate how vast and varied the interests affected really are. When the Dominion of Canada mas constituted by the Inlperial Statute known as the British North America Act of 1867 (which into force by proclamation on July 1 of that year), it comprised only the present Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nora Scotia, and New Brunswick; but provision was made for the inclusion of Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Rupert's Land, and the North West Territories. Subsequently Rupert's Land and the North West Territories were acquired, the Crown Colonies of British Columbia and

Jan 1, 1912