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By H. A. Kursell

IN pre-war days, the mining industry of Russia occupied in the industrial life of the Empire a place of ever increasing importance. The peak of produc-tion was reached in 1913 and 1914, the years of greatest prosperity, and a rapid growth of the mineral industry seemed assured, especially as regards base-metal mining. Exceptions were the gold production, for which a gradual decline was anticipated, and the platinum out-put which was expected to remain steady. A greater productivity of labor, corresponding to better working facilities was noticeable, and the economic status of the working classes was constantly improving. The tremendous strain on Russia's economic life caused by the World War did not materially alter the prospects of the mineral industry and the fundamental changes began only with the revolution in the spring of 1917. Their scope and character are illustrated by the figures in Table 1 which compare, for the parts of the Russian Empire under Soviet (R. S. F. S. R.) control, the average mineral production of 1913 and 1914 with that of 1920, 1921 and 1922, as supplied by bolshevik sources.1The latter three years in Russia's history were characterized by the firm establishment in power of the Communist party as a new ruling caste. Silver, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, tungsten, barite, etc., were either produced in negligible quantities, or not at all. However, before the revolution the development of several argentiferous lead-zinc deposits in western Siberia had reached a stage which seemed to assure an appreciable output of the white metals for the near future.

Jan 7, 1923

By T. J. Hudson, P. B. Queneau, J. D. Prater

The process parameters for effective utilization of nitric acid as an oxidant for copper-iron sulfides have been developed. Leaching variables found to be important were acid concentration, temperature, time, atmosphere, pressure, mineral type, particle size, and percent solids. Particular attention was devoted to analysis and control of fumes evolving during the oxidation. Data were recorded on metal extraction, elemental sulfur formation and oxidation, product gas composition and evolution rate, reagent consumption, and residue flotation response. The study was concluded by laboratory testing a flowsheet based on the foregoing observations. Ninety-eight percent of the copper contained in a chalcopyrite-bornite concentrate was recovered, requiring 1.6 lb of nitric acid to be regenerated externally per pound of copper extracted. Iron remained in the leach residue as hydrogen jarosite and was ultimately rejected from the system by froth flotation. Sixty percent of the sulfur contained in the copper concentrate reported in the elemental form; the remainder was oxidized to sulfate and eliminated with the hydrogen jarosite in the flotation tails or by neutralization of the solvent extraction raffinate with lime. Nitrogen was evolved primarily as NO and NOD; up to 3% N2O also was present. Gases containing sulfur were absent except when pyrrhotite was solubilized in the absence of soluble copper. In this case, HAS was evolved.

Jan 1, 1974

By Leo Brewer, Gerd M. Rosenblatt

Thermodynamic calculations predict the species vaporizing from metal-oxide mixtures when reliable free energy functions, enthalpies of formation, and dissociation energies are available for the possible gaseous and condensed oxide components. Calculations of the oxygen to metal ratio in the vapor phase compared with the oxygen to metal ratio in a liquid metal saturated with oxide impurity are presented The possibility of purifying metals contaminated with oxide by vacuum melting or by distillation is discussed. Kinetic considerations affecting rates are neglected. IN recent years extensive information has been obtained on the thermodynamic stability of gaseous oxides of metals due to a variety of new types of measurement. Perhaps the greatest amount of information has come from the application of mass spec-trometry to the study of high-temperature vapors.' In many instances oxides of quite unusual oxidation states are found to be important in the high-temperature vapors. At low temperatures the standard free energy change for a reaction as given by the equation ?F° = ?H° - T?S° is determined primarily by the AH" value. However, at higher temperatures where the value of T in the T?S° term is large, the entropy term becomes equal to or greater than the AH term. At low temperatures only reactions for which AH is negative or only slightly endothermic are of importance. This restricts the main equilibrium species largely to those with completed octets or those with the principle oxidation number of the element. At

Jan 1, 1962

By C. E. Webber

THE economical recovery of the valuable constituents from the effluent of gas-con-densate wells has developed into a problem of balancing the cost of recovery against the cost of compressing the residual gas back into the formation. A possible method of extracting the gasoline and distillate from the natural gas is by oil absorption at high pressures. In order to design and evaluate an absorption plant, fundamental data on the composition of the coexisting hydro-carbon vapor and liquid phases at various temperatures and pressures are essential. A review of the literature indicated that the necessary data for the design of such plants are lacking. The nearest approach to desired published data is that of Katz and Hackmuth,5 who experimentally deter-mined the composition of the coexisting vapor and liquid phases in a natural gas-crude oil system at pressures up to 3000 lb. per sq. in. and at temperatures from 40° to 200°F. This paper presents the results of the experimental determination of the equilib-rium distribution of the hydrocarbons methane through hexane between natural gas and a typical absorber oil. The ranges of temperature and pressure chosen were from 33° to 180°F. and from 100 to 5000 lb. per sq. inch.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. J. Lanza

IN view of the immense amount of attention that silicosis has received in this country in the past few years, it is timely to review the status of the silicosis problem at present. Who gets silicosis? The individual exposed to the inhalation of free silica dust. The effects upon the individual depend upon the amount of silica inhaled or, in other words, the severity of exposure, rather than upon any special variation or susceptibility among those exposed. A considerable amount of study has been given to determine what may be the role of predisposing causes in the development of silicosis. To men-tion one instance, at the Picher Clinic careful records were kept of all previous illnesses of the men examined as well as abnormalities present at the time of examination. Examinations of over 27,000 miners were made during the years the clinic was conducted under governmental auspices-a very fair sized sample. The general conclusions from all this work were that the incidence of silicosis is not appreciably influenced by racial, structural, or other inherent qualities; it is influenced by acquired defects-particularly as these affect the lungs. That is to say, the average run of human beings respond similarly to similar exposures to silica dust and those whose lungs are already impaired by tuberculosis or other pulmonary disease acquire silicosis more readily than those with healthy lungs. It may well be, and there is some clinical evidence in support, that negroes acquire silicosis more readily than do whites, but the infection factor has not been so carefully studied among negroes exposed to silica as it has among whites. We know that tubercle infection is more prev-alent among negroes than among whites. There may be other factors concerned in the development of silicosis in negroes as compared to whites, but there is not available information upon which to base posi-tive statements.

Jan 1, 1937

By Henry Kreisinger

IN evaluating coals as steaming fuel on the basis of chemical and physical properties of the coals, the only properties that can be used are those for which the methods of determination are well established and standardized, and those that affect all methods of burning the coals in the same way. The discussion is written from the standpoint of the coal consumer. The production of steam is the largest field for the use of coal. It includes stations for generating electric power, central heating plants, industrial power plants where steam is used for power generation, factory processes and heating. The field also includes steam locomotives. Small house-heating boilers are not included in this field because such small boilers generally burn specially prepared domestic fuel. The plants using the steam coal are equipped to burn the coal when fired by one of the three general methods: namely, hand, stoker, and pulverized coal. The hand firing is now restricted to small plants and to locomotives. Central stations and larger industrial plants use either stoker or pulverized-coal firing. Some locomotives also use stokers. Pulverized-coal firing has been tried in locomotives but so far its adapta-tion to this use has been handicapped by practical difficulties. The coals used for steaming purposes are generally of the bituminous and semibituminous classes, with volatile matter ranging from 15 to 35 per cent. Coals belonging to these classes are produced in many parts of the United States and form by far the largest part of the total coal production of the country. The value of any coal as fuel for steaming purposes depends on the following factors

Jan 1, 1935

By Arch. B. Johnston, Carle R. Hayward

The effect of copper on steel has been studied by numerous investigators. Before modern testing methods had been developed, blacksmiths noted red shortness in iron, the cause for which was ascribed to the presence of copper. Numerous papers have been published on the corrosion of steels containing various amounts of copper, and a few writers have discussed the effect of copper on the mechanical properties of steel. The purpose of the investigation described in the following paper was to obtain additional data on the mechanical properties of medium-carbon steel containing small quantities of copper. Among those who have published results of mechanical tests on copper steels are Ball,' who states that copper increases the tensile strength and hardness but lowers the elongation. Stead2 states that copper steels closely resemble nickel steels containing equivalent percentages of nickel, as regards tensile strength, resistance to shock, corrosion and hardness. Wigham3 found that copper in small amounts had no injurious effect on steel. Breui14 found that with 1 per cent. carbon, copper lessened the brittleness of steel and in low-carbon steel it increased the tensile strength and lowered the ductility slightly. H. H. Campbell5 states that copper up to 0.25 per cent. slightly raises the elastic limit, elongation and reduction of area.

Jan 1, 1918

By Donald L. Everhart

Beginning in 1906, data has been compiled on the distribution of uranium in phosphate de- posits. Particular emphasis has been placed on uranium in phosphate by a number of geologists and geochemists in the US Geological Survey in research sponsored by the US Atomic Energy Commission (now Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) during the 30-year period from 1951 to 1981. A comprehensive study of uraniferous phosphate resources the United States and the Free World was completed, under the auspices of DOE, in 1979. Apatite is the main carrier of uranium in phosphate. Uranium generally replaces calcium in the mineral lattice. In marine phosphorite throughout the world, the uranium content is characteristically in the range of 0.005 to 0.02% by weight. Phosphorite takes in uranium by structural substitution in apatite or other mineral phases, by absorption, or by the formation of independent mineral phases. Apatite derived from the interaction of ground water, guano and limestone is typically relatively low in uranium content-in the 0.001 to 0.005% range. In primary accessory apatite of igneous rocks, as well as magmatic and metasomatic apatite segregations of alkalic rocks and carbonatite, uranium content is generally between 0.001 and 0.01%. In all these phosphate deposit types, secondary enrichment of uranium through

Jan 1, 1983

By David B. Reger

The value of carbon ratios in determining the boundaries of possible oil deposits appears to have passed the hypothetical stage. The theory that the ratio of fixed carbon in pure coals is an invariable index of incipient metamorphism in both surface and underground rocks and that it may be applied in defining the limits of petroleum, advanced by David White,' has been received with keen interest by many petroleum geologists. Detailed isocarb maps have been prepared of the Pennsylvanian area of North Texas and Eastern Oklahoma by M. L. Fuller.² A similar map of the coal-bearing area of West Virginia is given here. An isocarb3 is a line showing an equal fixed-carbon percentage, pure coal basis; the term has been proposed by David White to supersede a less expressive nomenclature. The term carbon ratio is applied to the pereentage of carbon in pure coal after water and ash have been eliminated. As a comparatively small number of analyses have been made on this basis, it is usually necessary to compute the ratio by dividing the fixed carbon of the proximate analysis by the sum of the fixed carbon and volatile matter of the same analysis. Many thousands of proximate analyses have been made by the West Virginia Geological Survey, covering nearly every county in which coal is found. Numerous others have been made by the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Bureau of Mines, but as uniformity of results is best secured by adhering to one set of analyses, the tests of the West Virginia Survey have been cxclusively used.

Jan 1, 1921

By Gen-Hua Shi, William Boyle, Richard E. Goodman

This keynote paper calls attention to two critically important issues relating to selecting supports for excavations in hard rock. The first is the proportion of the ultimate sliding volume that needs to be stabilized by the support system. Some excavations can be imagined to liberate very large rock volumes, whose weight can not be assigned to supports without severe economic penalty. Using the keyblock principle, it is argued that only the most critically oriented and finite blocks right on the periphery of the opening have to be supported; if these are retained by the support system, or by self resistance due to friction on the sliding faces, then the blocks behind will remain in place. As all concepts, this one has bounds and limits. Since the keyblock analysis for rock engineering is very new, these limits are not yet understood ... The second issue is the degree to which possibly stabilizing forces associated with the in-situ stress field ought to be accepted as support for potential keyblocks. It is shown that the initial stress can be effective in stabilizing rock wedges whose faces are nearly perpendicular to the excavation surface. It is too early to decide this issue but important to consider it.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. A. Holmes

SHUTTING-IN the Rangely gas well was an interesting problem because of the high rock pressure and the volume of gas developed, as well as the difficulties encountered. After nearly a week's open flow, the rock pressure was 1275 lb., which corresponds with a 2950 ft. hydrostatic head. The volume of gas was between 45,000,000 and 50,000,000 cu. ft. per day. The Rangeley oil field, which now has a daily production of 100 bbl. of shale oil from shallow depth, lies approximately 100 miles north and 30 miles west of Grand Junction, Colo.; not far from the Utah line. The, well we are considering was drilled on the apex of a large clearly defined. Structure1 in the SE.1/4 sec. 30, T. 2 S., R. 102 W., and entered the gas sand at 2954 ft. on March 2, 1925. The condition of the well at the time the gas was encountered was as follows: 20 ft. of 20-in. conductor cemented with ten sacks at 40 ft. The 15 1/2-in. casing was pulled when the 12 1/2-in. was cemented. 1166 ft. of 12 1/2-in. casing, cemented with fifteen sacks. 2531 ft. of 10-in, casing, cemented with ten sacks; neither the 12 1/2-in. nor the 10-in, casing shut off water but they were cemented for protection. 2938 ft. of 8 1/4-in. 36-lb. casing, hanging on a spider in the collar with a forged-steel, high-pressure bradenhead between it and the 10-in. casing. An 8 1/4-in. drilling, or master, gate and a control head were in place on the 8 1/4-in. casing, and all was in readiness for the bringing in of the well.

Jan 1, 1926

By R. K. Adams

The availability of digital computers costing less than $15, 000 makes them economically attractive as versatile research and experiment tools. Several such installations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have shown that improvements in research productivity and experimental control accuracy can result from the proper application of a small digital computer. However, careful attention must be paid to several potentially expensive problems in 1) interfacing the experiment to the computer and 2) programming the computer. Two specific applications of very small computers to metallurgical testing and research are described. One is a system for data acquisition and precise temperature control associated with a thermocouple testing program, and the other is a system for pulse calorimetry determination of the specific heat of metals over wide temperature ranges and in the neighborhood of metallurgical transformations. The data acquisition system which uses a PDP-8/S computer monitors signals from up to 264 low-level thermocouple signals at two scanning speeds: 10 readings per second for long-term drift data, and 500 readings per second for transient data. The pulse calorimetry system which uses a PDP-8 computer accepts up to 6 signals of 0- to 10-v range and because of a larger analysis program, uses a bulk memory (magnetic disc) in addition to core memory.

Jan 1, 1969

By Vincent Carlsson

A comprehensive investigation has been undertaken to clarify how pellets are affected by alkali circulating in the blast furnace. The investigation has been performed with acid and basic pellets in a special furnace. Experiments were carried out to ascertain the influence of potassium on swelling and reducibility when added at different stages of reduction. After that, the significance of the quantity of potassium added in the hematite stage was studied. A parallel experiment with sodium as the alkali component was also con- ducted. Besides these vaporization experiments the effect of alkali on softening and reduction characteristics at high temperatures was investigated. The results showed that alkali always increases swelling, especially when added in the hematite stage. The addition of alkali increases reducibility of acid pellets during reduction from wustite to 70 % reduction. The softening temperature is significantly lowered by the addition of alkali and is, in any case, lower for acid pellets than for basic pellets. The microscopic studies showed that alkali ferrites can be formed irrespective of the influence of alkali on the slag phase.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. H. Bowden

The shaft-plant here described was put in operation in September, 1895, and the No. 6 slope-motor was started in May, 1896. The plant comprises : One Norwalk three-stage compressor l21/2, 91/2 and 5 in. diameters of air- and 20 in. diameter of steam-cylinder, all 24 in. stroke; capacity at 100 revolutions, 296 cu. ft. of free air per minute, compressed to 600 Ibs. per sq. in. A main pipe, 5 in. diameter, 4380 ft. long, with five charging-stations in No. 6 Shaft, and a branch of 3 in. pipe, 3100 ft. long, with three charging stations, in No. 6 Slope. These pipes on each line charge a Porter compressed-air motor, with 7 by 14 in. cylinders, and four 24 in. drivers, weighing about eight tons, with a tank-capacity of 130 cu. ft. of air at 550 lbs. pressure in the main tank, reduced to 160 lbs. in the 8-in. auxiliary tank of 4.2 cu. ft. capacity, supplying the cylinders. The No. 6 shaft run averages 4000 ft. each way on grades of $ to 23/4 per cent., and averaging close to one per cent. in favor of the loaded cars. The No. 6 slope run averages 2100 ft. with nearly the same grades. The mine-cars weigh 2800 Ibs. empty, and about 9800 lbs. loaded, and are hauled in trips of 12 to 20, averaging about 15 cars. The shaft-motor now hauls about 355, and the slope-motor 320 cars per day of 10 hours, replacing in the shaft 17 mules, and

Jan 1, 1901

By W. P. Lass

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1015) THE gold precipitate from the zinc-dust presses in the cyanide plant of the Alaska-Treadwell Gold Mining Co.; Treadwell, Alaska, is treated, in the refinery adjoining, by the Tavener or lead-smelting method. About. 3 or 4 tons of this precipitate are produced monthly having a gold assay value of $40,000 to $60,000 per ton. It was formerly the practice to treat the by-products from this process, consisting of 2 tons of slag, 300 lb. of matte, 500 lb. of refinery refuse, flue dust, etc., in a 24-in. water-jacketed blast furnace. This' practice was discontinued in the summer of 1914 by reason of the difficulty of keeping the lead-well open when treating a high-grade lead product; of preventing the loss of gold in the flue dust; and of avoiding injury to the general health of the refinery operators; a plain single-phase electric furnace was substituted for the blast furnace. The furnace was constructed from an old steel acid drum by cutting off the top and introducing a cable, made from strands of bare copper wire, through the bottom and spreading the strands out fan-shaped on the inside of the drum. Powdered graphite, obtained by grinding up old crucibles, mixed with 10 per cent. cement, was tamped wet into the bottom of the drum, around and completely covering the copper wires. The graphite was carried up to the bottom of the furnace, or lead-well, and acted as the lower electrode. The sides were built up of ordinary firebrick forming a melting chamber 14 in. in diameter by 20 in. high.

Jan 7, 1915

By J. M. Gaines, C. H. Herty

It is a matter of frequent record in the literature that manganese will desulfurize molten iron under proper conditions. Particularly has much been written with regard to this action in the mixer, and numerous reports have been published describing experiments in which advantage was taken of this phenomenon in order to obtain a purer iron for the open hearth. The question of sulfur elimination in the ladle has, however, received comparatively little attention. The reaction by which sulfur is removed is considered to be: FeS + Mn = MnS + Fe. The manganese sulfide, being but sparingly soluble in the iron, and of a lower density, will rise from the body of the metal and collect as a slag on the surface. It is therefore an action taking place solely in the metal, and independent of interaction between slag and metal. As will be shown later the presence of slag on the metal tends to offset the effect of manganese elimination. It is this fact which distinguishes desulfuriza-tion in the ladle from desulfurization in the mixer, for it has been shown1 that the amount of sulfur eliminated in the mixer is closely tied up with the composition of the slag. Experimental Procedure In order to ascertain the extent of and the factors controlling this elimination in the ladle, several casts were sampled carefully at the blast furnace and again when the ladles were being emptied, either at the mixer, open hearth, or foundry. If the sulfur content varied from ladle to ladle at the blast furnace the average sulfur content of each ladle was obtained by integrating the curve "sulfur vs. time " for the cast under

Jan 1, 1927

By W. V. Kotlensky, H. E. Martens

In an earlier communication, Ref. 1, the authors presented the tensile properties and the changes in crystal structure and microstructure for pyrolytic graphite tested at 2750°C. It was suggested that changes in the structure may have an effect on the tensile properties of this material. Accordingly, tensile tests were run on a series of specimens, from one block of pyrolytic graphite, some of which were hot-worked by being strained at 2750°C, others of which were tested in the as-deposited condition. According to the manufacturer, General Electric Co., the polycrystalline material was deposited at 2100°C on a substrate of synthetic graphite by decomposition of a dilute natural gas mixture. The as-deposited material had a density of approximately 2.19 g per cc, and as shown in Fig. 1 had a structure of medium size growth cones which were regenera-tively nucleated. All specimens had a gage section 0.75 in. long by 0.06 in. wide by 0.1 in. thick with the thickness direction perpendicular to the basal planes. The testing method and equipment used have been previously described, Ref. 2 and 3. For both the hot-working and the testing the load was applied parallel to the basal planes; a cross-head speed of 1.5 x l04 in, per sec was used. All heating was done in an atmosphere of bottled helium.

Jan 1, 1962

By S. P. Burke

OUTBURSTS in coal mines have contributed greatly to the hazard of mining operations in localities in which they occur. They have been responsible for many casualties and fatalities and much property damage. An excellent review and symposium on the subject appeared recently1. From a study of the papers included in this symposium, and other litera-ture on this subject2, the following conclusions or statements seem justified: 1. Outbursts are more likely to occur in deep mines; that is, where the coal seam being mined has considerable overburden. 2. Outbursts usually occur when hard, dense, nonfractured coal is being mined. It is believed that in most cases a fault or a pocket of friable or soft or pulverized coal existed some distance behind the dense coal at the time of the outburst. 3. The outburst involves a rending or pushing of the solid material of the coal face, the roof, or the floor outwards and often is accompanied by the discharge of large quantities of very fine coal. 4. Drill holes or borings into the coal ahead of the workings have failed to yield information either from evidence of increased gas pressure or increased gas flow that makes possible the prediction of outbursts. 5. Mines in which outbursts occur are usually considered "nongassy," or only very slightly "gassy"; yet large volumes of gas may be produced at the time of the outburst. Despite the varied conditions and varied locations in which outbursts have occurred, the foregoing general statements appear to be applicable in whole or in part to all the recorded cases. These observations there-fore should be significant and any explanation of the mechanism of the phenomena should be consistent with them. The following suggestion seems to be in accord with this requirement, and is offered in the hope that it may assist in the further elucidation of this phenomenon.

Jan 1, 1935

By John A. Mathews

During the prosecution of the aircraft-production program in 1917 and 1918, the writer visited many plants engaged in the manufacture of motors, planes and parts, in carrying out his duties as chairman of the Committee on Aircraft-engine Forgings. On several occasions, when the question of expansion was discussed, it was noted that there was confusion in the use of the terms: the true coefficient of expansion, a physical constant, and distortion in hardening. One engineer, referring to a steel shown in the accompanying table, stated that he could not consider it for crankshafts because of its excessive coefficient of expansion, while another steel, also Iisted in the table, was said to be especially good because it had no coefficient of expansion, since it came out of the oil bath perfectly straight. Many years ago one of our employees designed a new oil furnace; when asked what became of the products of combustion, he replied: "There ain't any, we burn them all up." While the coefficient of expansion is not without its effect in volume changes in hardened steel, it is not a determining factor in the matter of distortion and going out of shape. Irregular heating, uneven furnace bottoms, and carelessness in withdrawing the part from the furnace, as well as the manner in which the part enters the quenching bath are of greater moment. Generally speaking, also, steels of relatively low hardening temperature will distort less than those requiring higher hardening heats. The coefficient of expansion must be considered in engineering design most frequently when different metals or alloys are used in the same construction. For example, the difference of expansion between a steel crankshaft and an aluminum crank case might be of real importance and a steel with no coefficient of expansion would be much less desirable than one with the normal coefficient. About 15 years ago, the writer made many determinations of the coefficient of expansion at low temperature ranges, usually between 20' and 100" C. Among the materials tested were: Pure forged electrolytic iron, 11.73 parts per million for l° C.; cast aluminum (99.93 per cent. AI.),

Jan 1, 1922

By W.G. Woolnough

There has been no noteworthy increase in production during 1935; but, on the other hand, there have been ample manifestations of a considerable increase in interest and activity in connection with petroleum prospecting. The Lakes Entrance field, in the State of Victoria, on the coast some 120 miles east of Melbourne, remains the only actual producer; and this production, consisting of lubricating stock devoid of light fractions, is very small in amount. Arrangements have been completed under which a series of "scout bores" for structure testing in the region of Lakes Entrance will be sunk by the Government of the State of Victoria, assisted by a subsidy from the Federal Government. Prospecting In the State of New South Wales, brilliant geological research in very difficult country, carried out by geologists of Oil Search Ltd., has revealed several previously unsuspected domal structures in the Sydney-Newcastle coal basin. These have been mapped in detail, and a test well is being sunk at Kulnura, 10 miles west of Wyong and 40 miles north of Sydney. At the date of writing this well has reached a depth of 1250 ft., 10-in. casing having been set at 1248 feet. Superficial formations consist of the Hawkesbury sandstone and Narrabeen beds of the Hawkes-bury system (fresh-water Triassic). It is anticipated that the upper coal measures of the Kamilaroi (Permo-Carboniferous) will be entered almost immediately. The objectives of the drilling are the upper and lower marine beds of the Kamilaroi system, which are regarded as promising as potential source—and reservoir—beds for oil. At Mulgoa, 30 miles west of Sydney, a bore is being sunk by the same company, Oil Search Ltd., to test for natural gas on a well defined structure located by the company's geologists. Noteworthy flows of gas have been encountered, but nothing approaching a commercial supply has been struck. It is considered probable that the gas has been derived

Jan 1, 1936