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By W. S. Dyer

Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the fire-clay and silica-sand deposits of the Mattagami and Missinaibi rivers and ? to the lignite occurring in them. The fireclay especially deserves this attention; it is of first-class quality; it appears to be widespread; it is the only fire-clay in central Canada, and part of it lies not more than 20 miles west of Coral rapids, to which point steel will be laid this coming spring by the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway. Undoubtedly, these clays will rapidly find a place in industry. The fire-clays and the better grades of silica-sand are Mesozoic in age and have been referred to the Lower Cretaceous or Upper Jurassic. Glacial clays and sands and Palaeozoic shales also occur in the same region, but are of little economic value, and will not be dealt with in this paper. Dr. Robert Bell was perhaps the first to discover the clays, since in the Report of Progress of the Geological Survey of Canada for 1877 and 1878 he reported beds of lignite on Coal brook, a tributary of the Missinaibi river, underlain by sticky clay and overlain by glacial drift. In 1880 E. B. Borron (1) discovered an extensive deposit of white sand and clay on the east bank of the Missinaibi river, five miles below Coal brook, and in 1890 (2) he examined the deposit found by Dr. Bell on Coal brook. He recognized that the underlying clays were quite distinct from the glacial clays of the region, and suggested that they might be used for fire-brick if metallurgical operations were undertaken in the region. Somewhat later, J. M: Bell described a deposit of fire-clay and silica-sand on the Wabiskagami river, another tributary of the Missinaibi.

Jan 1, 1928

By O. E. Kiessling

Viewed from the standpoint of an economist, the task which faces the petroleum producing industry is one of intelligent adjustment so that technology can perform the job of efficient exploitation, while at the same time the interests of producers and consumers remain adequately protected. The crux in the task of making this adjustment lies in the difficulty of arranging the instrumentalities of production to accord with the physical characteristics of oil. For example, oil is exploited under a competitive economic system based on private ownership and contract, with the hope that profits will attract capital and enterprise, and with competition supposedly acting as the regulative factor. Whether such a scheme of industrial organization works is partially dependent upon the ability of the producer to withold or produce his commodity as he sees fit, in accordance with market demand. But in the oil industry, the enterpriser does not have complete control over the expansion and contraction of production, for, because of the decisions of the courts that ownership in oil depends upon its possession, desire for immediate output becomes the controlling force in production. Consequently, the theoretical commands and restraints of free enterprise are not operative because there is no security of property, and the result is loss due to the following economic maladjustments: (1) Production not completely responsive to price control. (2) Production at excessive cost. (3) Loss of oil, a highly exhaustible natural resource. If economic maladjustments are to be eliminated, there should be a change in the organization of production so as to provide efficient exploitation of the oil and at the same time to insure individual property interests. The latter is necessary if economic considerations are to become primary factors in regulating production. To attain these ends, the entire pool should be developed as one big engineering project and some scheme

Jan 1, 1928

By R. L. Templin

THE increasing use of aluminum and its alloys in commercial fields has demanded a better understanding of their machining properties. This fact is exemplified by problems that have arisen in the automotive and airplane industries, but many in other fields might be cited. As pure aluminum and its alloys in their various commercial conditions show appreciable differences in their machining properties, it is not surprising that quite divergent solutions have been offered for the machining problems encountered. However, if the fundamental requirements of the most suitable cutting tools for these metals are understood, these machining problems lend themselves more readily to satisfactory solutions. Since the machining of free cutting brass and mild steel is understood by most persons accustomed to working these metals, it may serve our purpose better to first make a general comparison of the tools more commonly used in machining these metals with the tools most suitable for machining aluminum, then proceed to a more specific discussion of the individual tools. COMPARISON OF CUTTING TOOLS Cutting tools commonly used for machining free cutting brass usually have little, if any, top and side rake; they are ground on a medium to coarse abrasive wheel and used without any cutting compound or with a cutting compound that has a paraffin base. Those ordinarily used for steel have some top and side rake, are usually ground on a medium to fine abrasive wheel, and are often used with soluble-oil cutting compounds. The proper tools for aluminum and its alloys should have appreciably more side and top rake than the tools for cutting steel; should have very keen edges obtained by grinding with fine or very fine abrasive wheels supplemented in many cases by hand stoning with an oil-stone; and should be used with suitable cutting compounds whenever possible. In many cases, tools suitable for machining aluminum and its alloys are not appreciably different from tools commonly used for cutting hardwoods. The front clearance of a tool most suitable for machining aluminum and its alloys should be about 6°, the top rake from 30° to 50°, making the total angle of the cutting edge of the tool from 35° to 55°. A side

Jan 1, 1928

By E. L. Martheleur

The use of electricity in coal mines dates almost from the time when it was realized chat it could be used to produce mechanical power. The first motor put in service underground was installed to drive a small pump nearly 40 years ago, and since then the use of electricity in mines has reached an extent undreamed of at that time. We now find its universal adoption in all the mining countries of the world. Great progress has been made in the development of mining electrical apparatus in the last decade, and excellent and adequate material is now available for the use of electricity underground. Although mining accidents, due to the use of electricity, are not frequent, the miner is justified in demanding chat all electrical apparatus for installation below ground be constructed with a greater degree of safety than that used on the surface. That this view is shared by the authorities of the different mining countries is evidenced by governmental regulations relative to the use, erection, and maintenance of electrical apparatus below ground. Those with which we are specially concerned are the regulations for the installation and use of electricity in the coal mines of Nova Scotia. The potential dangers of electricity in coal mines are: Shock or burns by contact from live parts. Shock or burns by contact with parts which, although normally dead, have become accidentally alive. Fire. Explosion of gas or coal-dust Explosion of apparatus.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. S. Godard

The mining developments in western Quebec have shown the ores of this district to be more complex in character than was at first expected. When the initial discoveries were made it was thought that the ores would be similar in character to those of Kirkland Lake and Porcupine areas. Developments have since shown that although the ores along the southern margin of the belt are somewhat similar, those within the belt, constituting by far the greater proportion, are vastly different, being complex mixtures of base-metal sulphides carrying values in the precious metals. These mixtures of base-metal sulphides of copper, zinc, and iron, present several problems to the metallurgist, especially in their concentration into marketable products. For the purpose .of this paper the following classification may be made of the ores of the district. Group I. - Milling Ores: (a) Ores in which~ arsenopyrite is the predominating sulphide. In this class of ore the gold occurs in fractures in the quartz and is associated to a lesser extent with the arsenopyrite and pyrite. Examples of this class of ore are the Granada, south of Pelletier lake, and the O'Brien and the Thompson in Cadillac township. (b) Ores in which iron pyrite is the predominating sulphide and gold is the valuable constituent. This may also be classed as a concentrating ore-Group III.

Jan 1, 1928

Heavy liquids have come into use in ore-dressing investigations, as they make possible the separation of an ore into its specific-gravity components. A paper containing a general dissertation on heavy liquids has been written by John D. Sullivan,4 and the practical application of heavy liquids is explained by Box and Crabtree5. Some heavy liquids become discolored after continued use, and the lack of transparency impairs their value. Since they are fairly expensive, reclaiming is desirable. This paper briefly discusses the preparation and care of some of the more common heavy liquids.

Jan 1, 1928

By F. Ebbutt

The copper-bearing waters now treated successfully at Britannia for the recovery of their copper content are almost entirely derived from what is known as the Fairview mine; this was the first extensive copper producer of the Britannia ore-bodies, and consisted of a number of almost parallel veins, carrying good copper values, the ore consisting of chalcopyrite and pyrite in a quartz gangue. These veins occur in what is known as the ?Britannia shear zone' (Schofield, S. J., G.S.C. Sum. Rept., 1918, Pt. B), developed for roughly five miles in a roof-pendant in the well-known Coast Range batholith. This .pendant is made up of Palxozoic rocks known as the 'Britannia Formation' (LeRoy, O.E., Portion of Main Coast of B.C. and Adjacent Islands; G.S.C. Memoir No. 996, 1908). These consist of dark carbonaceous slates, quartzites; and tuffs or basic flows, and within them are large quartz porphyry siJls. These Britannia rocks are sheared and altered, the resultant rock being a fissile quartz-sericite or quartz-chlorite schist. The mineralization invariably occurs in this chlorite schist, which in the more productive areas has mottles or blobs of chlorite developed. A narrow, though persistent, band of grey slate forms the footwall of the productive portions of the shear zone.

Jan 1, 1928

Gentlemen.-The Institute was founded 54 years ago "with the object of promoting the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals and the welfare of those employed in these industries by means of meetings for social intercourse and the reading and discussion of professional papers, and to circulate by means of publications among its members and associates the information thus obtained," At least once a year it is well to take stock of our assets, review our performance and determine how well we are now carrying out the purposes of our Founders. There can be no question as to the work the Institute has done and is doing in promoting the arts and sciences in the fields of mining and metallurgy. One needs only to contrast the methods, the labor and the costs of a half century ago with those now to visualize how far we have gone in the development of accurate technology and sound economics in mineral and metal production. The great mines, mills and smelters of the present, handling individually thousands of tons per day, would' have been impossible except for the accumulation of knowledge, the development of theory, and the improvement in practice that has characterized the period since the foundation of the Institute. The United States has prospered in the last half century greatly, and this has been due not merely to the possession of great natural resources, but to these resources being reduced to possession and put to work. The absence of customs barriers and the freedom of trade across the whole width of this great continent has been an important factor in the growth of our wealth. Unrestricted interchange of goods has permitted each citizen to draw on the resources of the whole country. However, these are but subsidiary causes of prosperity. The free interchange of scientific and technical data, by making the whole body of facts and theory available to each worker, has made this quick and unrivaled development possible. In promoting this free trade in knowledge the Institute may claim a large place without fear of denial. The .72 volumes of TRANSACTIONS, the special volumes, the bulletins and the other publications that have been issued, include a store of knowledge of the arts and sciences related to the production and use of metals and minerals not duplicated elsewhere. The large list of foreign members-1746 in number-few of whom ever have opportunity to attend meetings and all of whom derive their main benefits from membership through the pub-

Jan 1, 1928

By A. O. Dufresne

Introductory At the Annual Meeting of the Institute, held two years ago, I had the privilege of presenting a paper on Recent Mineral Discoveries in Western Quebec. In it were pointed out the areas favourable for prospecting in that section of Quebec adjoining the mining camps of northern Ontario; the discoveries that ?had been made were recorded; and some of the developments up to that date were reviewed. Since then, two full years have elapsed, during which a considerable amount of serious work has been performed with such results that western Quebec has today six properties about ready to mine commercial ores of gold, copper, and zinc. These results have been brought about after large sums of money had been invested to bring the district to a producing stage. A smelter has been built, and is already producing copper; two railways have extended their lines into Rouyn; and the Provincial Government has shown faith in the future of the district and has spent large sums of money in the building of highways and for other public works. The purpose of the present paper is to review the developments of the last two years, and the work that has been performed in various spheres of activity in that section on western Quebec covering the county of Abitibi and the northern part of the county of Temiscamingue.

Jan 1, 1928

By Frank Rieber

THE study of earthquakes long ago developed the fact that by studying the travel times of the various groups of waves from the same earthquake, as received on seismographs at varying distances, major discontinuities in the earth's crust could be reasonably well defined. Using this original discovery, and adapting the mathematical methods originally devised in seismology for determining the depth below the surface at which such discontinuities occur, other investigators were able to develop a new branch of seismology which promises to be extremely useful in extending the boundaries of our information on local conditions below the earth's surface. As an outstanding example of the applications of this work, we have the so-called "seismograph" exploration of the Gulf Coastal region, which has resulted in the discovery of a large number of salt domes, from many of which oil fields may be developed. The original seismological investigations, from which different major discontinuities in the earth's crust were deduced, as well as these later successful experiments in locating salt-dome structures, involve relatively simple problems. In each case we are dealing with surface materials in which elastic waves will be propagated with a fairly definite velocity. Under this material we have something quite different, in which the elastic waves will be propagated with a much higher velocity. The transition from one medium to the other is likewise relatively abrupt. For example, in the Gulf Coastal region the sedimentary formations have a velocity of 6000 or 7000 ft. per sec., while the velocity of elastic waves in the cap rock of a salt dome may exceed 15,000 ft. per sec. Under such conditions, delineation of the formation is a relatively simple matter, and, furthermore, there is very little opportunity for ambiguous results.

Jan 1, 1928

By Chase E. Sutton

The porosity of a sand is usually the measure of its capacity for holding fluid, although porosity is sometimes selective; that is, a small percentage of the actual pore space (voids), particularly in fine-grained sandstones, may be isolated by the cementing material which prevents the entrance of fluids under normal conditions. Obviously, however, porosity determinations are essential to an engineering study of underground conditions of an oil field, and a simple and reliable method of obtaining a reasonably accurate figure for average porosity is desirable. This report describes a method suggested by Ruasell,3 which was used by the writer in the preparation of a report on the Texhoma-Gose pool, Archer County, Tex.4 The conditions in this pool were particularly favorable for obtaining an average porosity figure, in that some 30 to 35 core samples of the pay sand were available for analysis.

Jan 1, 1928

By F. A. McLean

The past decade has witnessed a rapid increase in the number and variety of uses found for internal combustion engines in mining operations. Gasoline engines are now widely used for operating core drills, pumps, compressors, small hoists, switching locomotives, tractors, boats, and other equipment. The heavy-oil engine is employed for operating compressors, generators, shovels, ore-milling machinery, and- in the iron, copper, and coal districts- in connection with that' latest newcomer in modern railroading, the oil-electric locomotive. Each of these applications could well form a subject for a lengthy treatise in itself. This paper, however, will be confined to a discussion of some of the features of internal combustion engines as applied to mine compressing plants and mill drive. Perhaps at no time in the history of mining in Canada has the search for new mines been more vigorously carried on, more old properties rejuvenated, or more remote districts exploited than during the past three years. The mine operator of today has a far wider range of equipment and facilities at his disposal than had the pioneers of Rossland, Cobalt, or Porcupine. Each year now witnesses the hinterland driven farther and farther back as improved forms of transportation, machinery, and methods make possible the exploration of properties once considered too inaccessible to warrant serious attention. Howey, Sherritt-Gordon, Callinan-Flin Flon, Jackson-Manion, Picard Gold Mines, and a number of properties in British Columbia, afford excellent examples of work carried out on an extensive scale miles from a railway, or in comparatively inaccessible mountain regions.

Jan 1, 1928

By Ernest R. Darby

WHEN bronze is melted in open-flame furnaces a considerable amount of slag is formed during the melting operation. This slag maybe incidental to the melting practice or it may be formed intentionally by slag-forming constituents added to the furnace charge to provide a covering for the melted metal. When this slag is removed from the furnace, it contains, in addition to the free metal carried with it by the skimming operation, a considerable amount of metal as oxide either combined or mechanically mixed with it. By the usual crushing and washing methods this metallic oxide generally goes to the tailings pile, so diluted by other foundry waste that its recovery is economically impossible. If this furnace slag is not mixed with other foundry waste, practically all of the metal oxide as well as the free metal may be recovered by some form of smelting operation. The first side of the problem to be considered is the amount of slag produced. It may not be true that the majority of foundries have no record of the amount of slag made, but it is certainly true that a very great many either have no record or pay little attention to it. Usually the collection of furnace slag for one normal week's run will be sufficient to determine the advisability of its being handled in a different manner from the crushing and concentrating generally employed. If a large representative sample of the accumulation is crushed and concentrated and the recovery compared with the results of a careful assay, it will be found that a large percentage of the total metal content was lost in the washing process. The percentage of loss will be greater than the metallic oxide content, as some free metal in extremely fine particles always is carried away in grains of slag. From such a comparison, it may be determined whether or not the slag should be melted, sold or treated as before. An example of an actual test of this kind is given below. In a foundry melting 50,000 to 80,000 lb. of bronze per day, a week's accumulation of furnace slag and ladle skimmings amounted to 16,500 lb.-over three times as much as the foundry superintendent estimated before the accumulation was made. Two tons of this material was taken as representative of the lot. This was ground through a thoroughly cleaned ball-mill and concentrated over a Wilfley table. The

Jan 1, 1928

THE nature of the ore deposit of the Broken Hill line of lode is such that it can be broadly divided into two the calcitic and siliceous ore bodies. The principal minerals occurring in these ores are: Galena, sphalerite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, calcite, rhodonite, garnets, feldspar, fluospar, quartz.Whilst these minerals persist in both classes of ore, the following typical analyses of Broken Hill South Limited ore bodies will give some indication of the disposition with regard to each:

Jan 1, 1928

By H. C. Cooke

Geological examination of the underground workings of the Horne and Aldermac mines during the summer of 1927 has brought out the following facts: (1) That the ores tend to replace bodies of breccia or tuff rather than massive lava or dyke material; (2) That the faulting and folding at the Horne has had a pronounced effect in localizing the ore-bodies; (3) That there is a tendency in cert?-in cases for ore-bodies to be localized beneath gently dipping dykes, which acted as impervious roofs; (4) That there is a great difference in age between the chalcopyrite part of the ore-bodies and the pyrite-pyrrhotite portion. A statement of the development to date at the Aldermac mine is also included in the paper. ALDERMAC MINE The Aldermac property is made up of eight claims in the western half of Boischatel township, Quebec, including 747 acres in all. The mine itself is approximately three miles, 25 chains from the west boundary, and four miles, 55 chains from the north boundary, of the township.

Jan 1, 1928

By B. M. Bird

ONE of the problems studied by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the University of Washington has been the re-treatment of table middlings. Hydraulic classification has given the best results. Instead of using the classifier to prepare the feed to the tables, as has been the practise for many years in ore dressing, it is used to separate part of a middling product that cannot be re-treated successfully on the table. Middlings are desirable in a table plant because the separation according to specific gravity is incomplete; that is, in the products of the table there is always an overlapping of free particles of coal and refuse that can be distinguished with heavy liquids such as are used in the float-and-sink test. The causes of this overlapping may be divided into two groups, those outside the table separation itself and those inherent in the table separation. The first of these groups includes, among other causes, the following: (1) poor adjustments of the table, (2) overloading or underloading the table, (3) irregularities in the quantity and quality of the feed, (4) irregularities in the power and water supply, and (5) a vertical danc-ing motion of the table deck due to weak foundations. These causes of overlapping are largely unnecessary in a properly designed and constructed plant; but whenever they are present they materially affect the character of the middling product, and hence the problem of re-treatment. The other group includes three additional causes: (6) small differences in specific gravity between coal and impurities, (7) a size-specific-gravity relationship of the coal and refuse particles in the table feed such that the sizing action of the table opposes the separation according to the specific gravity, and (8) shapes of particles that prevent a separation. The sixth, small differences in specific gravity, may be a very important reason for an incomplete separation. The change in specific gravity from coal to shale is always gradual and the designation of one part as coal and another part as refuse is arbitrary. If some specific gravity, such as 1.45, is chosen as the dividing point between washed coal and refuse,

Jan 1, 1928

By David F. Smith

[The U. S. Bureau of Mines at its Pittsburgh Experiment Station is frequently called upon to determine by laboratory tests the explosibility of suspensions in air of various dusts encountered in mines and elsewhere. Not all dusts which are combustible or contain combustible material will form explosive mixtures with air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. They may not be highly combustible enough. They may contain a considerable amount of inert or non-combustible material or, the dust particles may not, be fine enough to form explosive mixtures. A knowledge off the chemical composition of a dust together with a determination of the size of the particles often gives valuable indications. But in many cases actual explosibility tests are necessary. Such a case is evidently that of powdered soap, whose explosibility hazard the Bureau was recently called upon to determine, Although an explosion which occurred in a soap plant as early as 1890 was attributed4 to powdered soap, it is apparent, due to the great number of inquiries received by the Bureau, that the hazard presented by powdered soap has not been at all generally appreciated. To the writers' knowledge, no extensive investigation of the explosibility of powdered soaps has been made. It is only recently that pure powdered soap has been manufactured on a large scale. The familiar "soap powder" in the past was usually a mixture of soap with a relatively large quantity of sodium carbonate. Often it contained large amounts of moisture and abrasive material. Even a highly combustible dust when mixed with large quantities of inert dust will not form explosive mixtures with air. Pure powdered soap, however, presents a different aspect. Pure soap is formed by combination of alkali (incombustible material) with fatty acid (combustible material). Toilet soap fray also contain a certain amount of glycerin and essential oil winch, being combustible influence the explosibility]

Jan 1, 1928

By H. P. Rue

For the proper control of gasoline treating plants there is need of a quick test for corrosion. In "sweetening" gasoline that is, in treating it to remove evil smelling mercaptans or to convert them to disulphides or sulphides the sodium plumbite ("doctor") method is generally used. This method involves agitation of the gasoline with "doctor solution's (sodium plumbite made by dissolving litharge in a solution of caustic soda) in the presence of free sulphur3. One of the common mistakes in the technique of this process is the addition of too much free sulphur, which will dissolve in the gasoline and cause it to be corrosive. In the operation of a continuous sweetening; or treating plant, a check on the corrosiveness of they product is imperative at all times. The copper-strip test commonly used in specifications take, so long to perform that the plant may fail to function properly for some time before the operator discovers it. The writer has investigated a rapid corrosion test method involving the use of metallic mercury, recently developed by Messrs. G. T. Granger, refinery superintendent, and A. B. Comstock, chief chemist, of the Barnsdall Refineries, Inc., Okmulgee, Okla. They have used this test successfully for several months in controlling the operation of their continuous treaters any have come to the conclusion that it has several advantages over the copper-strip test. Chief among these is the time caved, as the copper-strip test takes at least one-half hour, while the mercury test can be wade in about five minutes. It is very evident that this is an important item in controlling a continuous treater.

Jan 1, 1928

By Frederic Carter

THE gold, silver, copper alloys have been the subject of several fairly complete investigations by Jänecke, Sterner-Rainer1 and others, and indeed it would seem as if almost too much labor had been expended on them when one thinks of the numerous other ternary alloys calling for more light; however, the combinations of the three metals are actually so widely used in jewelry that they merit perhaps the work done on them. There are a few properties of importance and interest not treated by the authors mentioned which the writer investigated some little time ago, and therefore he has ventured to put on record the results of some of his tests made at that time. He has chosen, as being the two series of most importance to the jeweler, only the 14 and 18-kt. golds, so the subject is by no means so inclusive as that previously treated. As stated, this paper is merely a record of tests made in a practical manner on two useful series of alloys, and is not at all a critical study of their properties. 14-KARAT ALLOYS These alloys are important because they are the most generally used in 14-kt. jewelry; by changing the proportions of silver and copper there are obtained all shades of color from the green of the alloy containing gold and silver but no copper, to the red of the alloy containing gold and copper but no silver. Many 14-kt. gold alloys are made with the addition of zinc to the three metals mentioned here; the added metal does not appreciably alter the color of the alloy nor has it, in general, much effect on the working properties; it may, however, prove useful as part of the zinc added may act as a deoxidizer and render the alloy free of gas. It is not a necessary addition because with proper precautions all the 14-kt. gold alloys containing only silver and copper in addition to the gold can be made free of gas and capable of being cold rolled without cracking. The alloys in which approximately equal quantities of silver and-copper

Jan 1, 1928

By Ernest Darby

WHEN bronze is melted in open-flame furnaces a considerable amount of slag is formed during the melting operation. This slag may be incidental to the melting practice or it may be formed intentionally by slag-forming constituents added to the furnace charge to provide a covering for the melted metal. When this slag is removed from the furnace, it contains, in addition to the free metal carried with it by the skimming operation, a considerable amount of metal as oxide either combined or mechanically mixed with it. By the usual crushing and washing methods this metallic oxide generally goes to the tailings pile, so diluted by other foundry waste that its recovery is economically impossible. If this furnace slag is not mixed with other foundry waste, practically all of the metal oxide as well as the free metal may be recovered by some form of smelting operation. The first side of the problem to be considered is the amount of slag produced. It may not be true that the majority of foundries have no record of the amount of slag made, but it is certainly true that a very great many either have no record or pay little attention to it. Usually the collection of furnace slag for one normal week's run will be sufficient to determine the advisability of its being handled in a different manner from the crushing and concentrating generally employed. If a large representative sample of the accumulation is crushed and concentrated and the recovery compared with the results of a careful assay, it will be found that a large percentage of the total metal content was lost in the washing process. The percentage of loss will be greater than the metallic oxide content, as some free metal in extremely fine particles always is carried away in grains of slag: From such a comparison, it may be determined whether or not the slag should be melted, sold or treated as before. An example of an actual test of this kind is given below.

Jan 1, 1928