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By Walter R. Storms, Jerry W. FAUST

This paper, which describes mining methods and costs at the Kearney zinc-lead mine, is one of a series being prepared by the Mining Division of the Bureau of Mines on mining practices, methods, and costs in varicus mining districts of the United States. The Kearney mine, which is owned by the New Mexico Consolidated Mining Co., a subsidiary of the Peru Mining Co. (Illinois Zinc), is situated a few miles southeast of the town of Hanover, in the northwest corner of sec. 27, T. 17 S., R. 12 W., in the Central Mining District, Grant County, N. Mex. (Figs. 1 and 2.) This report presents a brief history of the district, describes the geology, and outlines methods of prospecting and exploration, including eampling and estimation of tonnages and values. Development and mining methods are explained, and transportation, ventilation, drainage, safety measures, and organizatich are described. The wage scale and mining costs comprise the concluding sections of the report.

Jun 1, 1949

By M. G. Downey

The stone resources in certain localities and the kinds of stone available often influence manufacturing companies in their choice of plant location and in possible expansion of their activities. Limestone in particular is an important raw material for many processing industries. In planning highways and public works and placing contracts therefor, the availability of aggregates and road stone is significant. On the other hand, persons who contemplate entering the stone business or opening now quarries need information as to possible competition. To meet the growing need for regional data of this type, the Bureau of Mines has compiled from its records and presents herein the location of stone quarries by States and counties and by kinds of stone. The list covers all stationary and portable commercial quarry operations whose production statistics for 1940 were reported to the Bureau of Mines but does not include undeveloped deposits and noncommercial or Government-operated quarries.

Jan 1, 1941

Track and control the tram maneuvers of continuous mining machines by developing and evaluating a laser sensor system. Background Progressive technology has the potential to greatly improve mine-worker safety, helping to create a safer, better working environment for mine workers by keeping them away from the dangerous face area. To benefit from such technology, the Bureau is investigating remote, computer-assisted operation of mining systems for underground, highwall, and surface mining applications. A cornerstone for computer-assisted operation is an effective guidance system. Since there are no guidance systems on any commercial continuous miners (CM's), the Bureau it-self developed and tested a laser-based sensor system, based on a commercial sensor called Lasernet. The laser-based guidance system employs four laser scanning sensors at fixed locations in a mine entryway to report the angular coordinates of two cylindrical retro-reflective targets mounted on a CM. Using triangulation, a real-time microcomputer system processes the sensor data and updates the xy position and heading (h) of the CM five times per second. Using a simple control algorithm and communications interface to the CM control computer, the system also controls rotational and translational tram maneuvers.

Jan 1, 1992

By L. B. Berger

Studies showing the effect of mixing hot exhaust gases with tie intake air of a four-stroke-cycle Diesel engine are described. The results indicate a marked increase in carbon monoxide in tip exhaust gases, a decrease in oxides of nitrogen, and no significant effect on aldehydes. The increase in carbon monoxide was greater at higher fuel-air ratios and was caused partly by the increase in fuel-air ratio end partly by the decrease in oxygen concentration resulting when exhaust has was added. The application of these results to the use of Diesel engines underground is considered.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. J. Dailey

This paper is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining practices, methods, and costs in the various mining districts of the United States. The property of the Silver King Coalition Mines Co. is situated in the western past of the Park City mining district, Utah, about 1 ½ miles southwest of the town of Park City, The elevation at the collar of the main shaft is 8,137 feet above sea-level.

Jan 1, 1930

? A roof bolter reaches for a lever while guiding the drill with his other hand. Since he's watching the drill and many of the controls look and feel alike, he hits the wrong control and crushes his hand. ? Six hours into the night shift, an ore truck driver dozes off. The truck plows over the berm and down into the pit. ? Fleeing a afire, a face crew sees smoke in the intake entry. Assuming the fire is ahead, they cross over to another entry, but soon encounter even worse smoke. These very different accidents have at least one factor in common: the human factor. The actions, decisions, thoughts, or perceptions of one or more humans contributed to the accident. These are just a few examples of safety problems researched by the Human Factors Group of the Pittsburgh Research Center, U.S. Department of Energy.

Jan 1, 1998

Develop quieted, hand-held pneumatic percussion drills that can replace standard hand-held drills in many underground mining applications. The Problem Percussion drills are the noisiest machines used in underground mines; noise levels of 115 to 120 dBA are common, requiring the use of hearing protectors and limiting the time a miner is permit-ted to operate the drill during an 8-hour shift. Hand-held pneumatic percussion drills pose a particularly difficult problem because the operator cannot be isolated from the noise source (e.g., an acoustical cab), and alternative technologies for drilling roof bolt holes and blastholes in tight quarters are not readily available.

Jan 1, 1984

By L. B. Berger

Studies showing the effect of mixing hot exhaust gases with the intake air of a four-stroke-cycle Diesel engine are described. The results indicate a marked increase in carbon monoxide in tip exhaust gases, a decrease in oxides of nitrogen, and no significant effect on aldehydes. The increase in carbon monoxide was greater at higher fuel-air ratios and was caused partly by the increase in fuel-air ratio end partly by the decrease in oxygen concentration resulting when exhaust has was added. The application of these results to the use of Diesel engines underground is considered.

Jan 1, 1940

By Roy H. Grau

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has conducted research to improve the ventilation of large-opening mines whose entries are at least 93m2 (1,000 ft2). The ventilation of large-opening mines is unique compared to other types of mines because (1) it is challenging to keep airflow velocities high enough to effectively remove or dilute airborne contaminants because the entries are so large, (2) large air volumes can be moved through the mines with little static pressure drop, and (3) stoppings that are used to direct ventilation airflows are costly to construct and to maintain. The research results suggest that the ventilation of large-opening mines is improved significantly by incorporating ventilation planning into the mine planning process, using propeller fans to direct airflow, developing new stopping materials and construction methods, and using long pillars to eliminate crosscuts where possible.

Jan 1, 2009

By Forrest T. Moyer

In conjunction -with the statistical survey of the lime industr-.r in 1939, by the Bureau of Hines, producing companies reported the lime-fuel ratios attained in their plants according to type of kiln and kind of fuel. Each ratio, expressed as the number of pounds of lime burned by a unit quantity of fuel, was weighted according to the tonnage of quicklime pro- . duced at the reporting plant and grouped with similar data from other plants, so that an average ratio for each type of fuel and,kiln could be calculated. By this method the variables trat affect ratios of individual plants are more or less equalized, and the computed average lime-fuel ratios provide a fair measure of kiln and fuel efficiencies during 1939.

May 1, 1941

By S. E. Khalafalla

The Bureau of Mines has used colloidal solutions of magnetite in a magnetic field to segregate nonmagnetic materials such as nonferrous scrap metals and to concentrate precious minerals. Conventional magnetic separation relies on the inherent magnetic susceptibility of the material to be separated and may be designated as magnetic separation of the first kind the medium of separation rather than the separated particles are made magnetizable, a new system of gravity separation results. In this new magnetic separation of the second kind, a magnetic fluid rather than air or water acts as the separation medium. The same force that attracts magnetic objects in separations of the first kind also attracts the entire separation medium in separations of the second kind, thereby creating a reactionary force of equal magnitude in the opposite direction. This force, sometimes called the levitation force, can be made to segregate nonmagnetic particles in a flowing stream according to their specific gravity. The technique has been applied to segregate nonferrous metals from automobile and appliance shredders and mixed scraps. The system has also been used to upgrade diamondiferous jig concentrates from certain river gravels in order to facilitate the sorting and recovery of their diamond content.

Jan 1, 1981

By A. D. Garman

This paper presents one of a series of digests of foreign mining legislation and court decisions which is being prepared in advance of a general report relative to the right of American citizens to explore for minerals and to own and operate mines in various foreign countries. This interpretation of the laws of Guatemala has been prepared from the best available information in Washington, but is released subject to correction and amplification, if necessary, by the proper American diplomatic and consular officers to whom it is being referred through the courtesy of the Department of State.

Oct 1, 1929

By A. Bartkowiak

The lower flammability limit of methane at 0 p.s.i.g. and ambient temperatures is 5.6 volume percent in chlorine, 5.2 in oxygen, and 5.0 in air. The corresponding upper limit values are 70, 60.5, and 15 volume percent, respectively, so that the range of flammable mixtures is greater in chlorine than in oxygen or air. The lower flammability limit of ethane at 0 p.s.i.g. and ambient temperatures is 6.1 volume percent in chlorine, 3.0 in oxygen, and 2.9 in air. The corresponding upper limits are 58, 66, and 12.5 volume percent, respectively. In this instance the range of flammable mixtures is greater in oxygen than in chlorine or air. Generally, the limits of flammability for both methane-chlorine mixtures and ethane-chlorine mixtures widen with increases in temperature and pressure.

Jan 1, 1960

By Raymond F. Farrell

A goal of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, is the advancement of minerals technology through the development of improved metals and minerals processing. In support of this goal, the Albany Metallurgy Research Center has developed atomic absorption spectrographic methods for the rapid analysis of A1203, CaO, Fe203, MgO, MnO, and Si02 in steelmaking slags. The application of these methods is discussed using an inexpensive pressure dissolution system. The overall coefficient of variation is 5 pct. The accuracy is the same as the reproducibility.

Jan 1, 1979

By Clyde E. Williams

The Northwest experiment station of the Federal Bureau of Mines , at Seattle , Wash . , was established in December , 1916 , and is one of 13 mining experiment stations maintained by Act of Congress , under the direction of the bureau , in the various sections of the country . Under the terms of the organic Act (March 3 , 1915 ) , the province and duty of these experiment stations is to cake investigations and disseminate information with a view to decreasing waste and improving the efficiency in the production , treatment , and utilization of mineral substances . The investigations carried on at the Northwest experiment station attempt to cover the needs of the mineral industry of the States of the Pacific Northwest and of the coastal regions of Alaska . The most in ortant needs of this district are for work on coal washing , electrometallurgy , and ceramics . The electrometallurgical investigations are not necessarily limited to the Problems of the Northwest , but may be of general application . Problems other than those specified above are referred to other stations of the Bureau that specialize on the particular type of investigation required . The Northwest station closely cooperates with the State of Washington through the University of Washington and with the State of Oregon through the Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology . The University of Washington at Seattle has donated the use of an entire building , which houses the station's administrative offices and chemical laboratory , and parts of two other buildings which are usea in conducting the experimental avestigations . Twenty-five thousand dollars is expended annually by the Federal Government , while the State of Washington each biennium appropriates $ 20,000 , and the State of Oregon from time to time appropriates various amounts for the conduct of work along cooperative lines . Also , the station cooperates with private organizations tht have problems similar to those in which the station is interested . For example , the Washington Electrochemical Co. is cooperating in the electrometallurgical research, and furnishes part of the supplies and technical assistance required .

Mar 1, 1922

By L. C. IlsLey

[The last previous Bureau of Mines publication relative to details of permissible methane detectors (Bulletin 331, published in 1930) describes detectors of four different types, namely flame, combustion, catalytic, and a combination Wheatstone-bridge axed catalytic type in which catalytic action at the surface of a platinum filament when in methane causes a change in the temperature and resistance of the filament, thus unbalancing the bridge circuit and giving a reading proportional to the methane concentration. Three detectors of the latter type have been approved since 1933. A brief description of each follows: U. C. C. Detector Approved No. 902, covering the U. C. C. indicating detector, as described in Bulletin 331, was entered January 27, 1330, to cover important chances in design that permit checking; the calibration of the detector at any time, whether in gas or fresh air. Essential features of the detector are shown in figure 1.]

Jan 1, 1937

By Walter R. Storms

This paper , which describes the mining methods and costs at the Atwood copper mine in the Lordsburg ( Virginia ) Mining District of Hidalgo County , N. Mex . , is one of a series being prepared by the Mining Division of the Bureau of Mines on mining practices , methods , and costs in various mining districts of the United States . The mine and surface plant are situated in the west half of sec . 7 , T. 23 S. , R. 18 W. , about 3 miles by road southwest of the center of Lordsburg , near the old abandoned townsite of Valedon ( see fig . 1 ) . The main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad passes through Lordsburg , as does the paved eastwest U. S. Highway 70-80 . A spur line of the Southern Pacific ends near the mine . A good graded road connects the mine with Lordsburg . The following pages present a brief history of the district , describe the geology , and outline methods of prospecting and exploration, including sampling and estimations of tonnages and values . Development, and mining methods are explained , and transportation , ventilation , drainage ,. safety measures , and organization are described . The wage scale and costs of development and mining comprise the corrcluding sections of this circular .

May 1, 1949

By E. P. Youngman

The law of June 5, 1911, suplements and amends the Laws of April 21, 1810 (the basic law) and May 2, 1837. The Royal Decree of September 15, 1919, coordinates the provisions of the Law of June 5, 1911, with those of the Laws of April 21, 1810, of May 2, 1837, and of July 8, 1865, that have remained in force, as well as with certain articles of the Law of September 1, 1913, which revisad the system of taxation. The revised code has been brought together in one volume.3 All citations in this abstract refer to the coordinating Royal Decree of September 15, 1919, unless it is otherwise specifically indicated.

May 1, 1930

By J. C. Hartley

The most important single operation in mining is the ventilation of underground areas in a manner conducive to the health and safety of employees. Adequate volumes of pure air must be supplied at the working faces, along the haulageways, and wherever men work, so as to dilute and carry away the methane liberated from the coal and adjoining strata, noxious gases evolved by the use of explosives, and the carbon dioxide exhaled by men and formed by oxidation of carbonaceous material, as well as any other gases, and also dusts which may be found in mine workings. A sufficient quantity of air must also sweep abandoned or worked-out areas of the mine to prevent the accumulation of gases, where sealing methods are not utilized to isolate old workings. Air, in a quantity adequate to meet the needs of the particular mine to which it is applied, is necessary, and supplying it can be made very expensive through failure to observe good practices in its direction and apportionment." Leaky stoppings, doors, and overcasts rob the working faces of air and add to the ventilating cost by burdening the fans with fugitive air,

Jan 1, 1944

By Fred N. Kissell

The new MSHA diesel rules have stone mine operators looking hard at pos¬sible upgrades to their ventilation systems. There are existing methods to reduce diesel engine emissions (MSHA, 2001)(Head, 2001b),but many operators will decide that a ventilation upgrade is necessary is well. NIOSH hay several stone mine ventilation projects underway, but in the meantime a good information resource is the work done by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in the 70's and 80's on ventilation for oil shale mines. The Bureau conducted this research because oil shale mines were projected to be gassy and would, therefore, require a lot of ventilation air. The focus of this oil shale work was on the use of jet tans for lace area ventilation, and on stoppings that would he low Lost and leak-tight. The work also considered changes in mine design to reduce the number and size of stoppings. The findings are still applica¬ble to stone mines.

Jan 1, 2002