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By Van Dyne Howbert, Fred E. Gray

The Presidio mine of The American Metal Co. of Texas is situated 45 miles south of Marfa, Texas, a town on the Southern Pacific R. R., and lies approximately 20 miles north of the Mexican border. Communication with the railroad is maintained over a state highway. All supplies for mine and mill are hauled in by truck from Marfa and precipitates and concentrates are freighted to the railroad by the same means and shipped to Selby and El Paso, respectively. The mill is at the town of Shafter, 1 mile from the mine and at approximately 350 ft. lower elevation. The ore is conveyed to it by an aerial tramway which requires practically no power on account of the difference in elevation. The mill is a countercurrent decantation cyanide and gravity concentrating plant of 200 tons daily capacity. Coarse and fine crushing are done at the mill. Two neal-by shallow wells in the bed of Cibolo Creek furnish an abundance of water. Power is generated for the mill and town by a Diesel engine plant. Ore Treated The ore is oxidized and siliceous. The greater part contains approximately 16 oz. of silver per ton, but mixed with this are many particles of ore of much higher grade, assaying in many instances 100 oz. or more. In the 16-oz. material there is an almost constant amount of silver which is difficult to recover by cyanidation. The high-grade material contains a much greater proportion of silver which is easily amenable to cyanide treatment. Thus, as the grade of ore becomes higher, the percentage of recovery of silver increases rapidly, under equal milling conditions. The silver minerals contained in the ore are principally argentite and cerargyrite, the former predominating The lead minerals, all of which are argentiferous, are chiefly cerussite and galena, with occasionally a little anglesite. The gold is free; most of the ore contains merely a trace

Jan 1, 1935

By Frederic P. Dewey

At the Seventh International Congress of Applied Chemistry I presented a paper,' The Assay and Valuation of Gold-Bullion, in which are briefly mentioned a few illustrations of different methods of sampling gold-bullion, particularly cyanide-bars. Since then I have carried on an extensive investigation upon the sampling of gold-bullion in relation to its effects upon the assay-results, in connection with the statement of accounts between the smaller assay-offices of the United States which purchase gold-bullion and the mints where the purchases are re-deposited. Under the name of gold-bullion are included metals of widely different composition. We may have practically pure metal, 999.75 fine or even more in gold; alloys of .gold and silver with only trifling amounts of base metal; alloys of gold and copper with trifling amounts of other metals; ternary alloys of gold, silver, and copper, or gold, silver, and lead; and most complex alloys of from five to eight or more constituents of ordinary occurrence, besides some of the rarer metals occasi'onally. In any one or all of these classes we may have one or more of the metalloids, which may add to our difficulties. Of course, with metal 999.75 fine in gold there is only slight opportunity for different samples to differ in fineness, but on such fine metal we expect the assays to agree very closely, and the sampling must be done with the utmost care. When possible, dip- or granulation-samples of the molten metal should be taken; but when it is necessary to sample bars, the chief point to guard against is surface-dirt.

Jan 1, 1913

By Frederic Dewey

BONE-ASH cupels have been used from time immemorial to absorb litharge, and accompanying oxides; in assaying. Doubtless, also, from the earliest days cupels have been most unjustly blamed for much poor assaying. It has long been known that the precious metals go with the litharge into the cupel. This occasions a loss of precious metals and reduces the results of the assay. There have been many investigations of cupels and the most diverse views have been expressed, the extremes being the statements of Lodge 1 that every cupel has some effect upon the loss in assaying telluride ores and of the Campredons2 that coarse and fine and hard and soft cupels all give the same loss of silver when cupelling the same weights. The truth lies between these statements and much nearer the latter. In a vast majority of cases the influence of the cupel is not dominant and is outweighed by other conditions, particularly the temperature of the cupelling bead. At the Spokane meeting of the Institute I presented a paper on the Assay and Valuation of Gold Bullion,3 which recorded the results of many hundreds of assays made in the Mint service under everyday commercial conditions, which of necessity differ from scientific conditions. In following this matter up, for the purpose of increasing the accuracy of our commercial methods of bullion assays, the question of the absorption of gold by the cupel was found to be a most important one and was taken up for investigation. In a lesser degree, the silver absorption is important and interesting, but at present it appears to be far more complicated and, while many figures showing silver absorption may be found through this paper, much further investigation is required to put the subject upon a satisfactory basis.

Jan 11, 1917

By Francis M. Rich

BEFORE the world-wide depression, the primary purpose of most blast-furnace operators was to produce a maximum tonnage of pig iron per day for each furnace in blast. Some attention was paid to the conservation of labor and raw materials, but the idea was well established that low-cost pig iron was attainable only when each furnace was producing a high tonnage. After the depression had set in, the picture changed considerably. Each blast-furnace operator was forced to run his plant in a manner that best fitted the economical set-up of his company. A great deal of thought was expended on the different methods of operation, always with the idea of making each product in a way that would best serve his company financially. Because of this abnormal condition, the blast-furnace man was compelled to indulge in various practices of which many had been believed to be next to impossible up to that time. The ultimate purpose of these innovations was either one or a combination of the following: 1. To produce only enough pig iron for immediate consumption at a minimum cost. 2. To produce gas for boiler or mill use to supplant some higher priced fuel. 3: To consume the coke produced at the coke plant, which was often viewed as a byproduct. 4. To protect the cash position of the company. These conditions were met by diverse methods, some of which were: 1. Slow or decreased wind. In some instances the blast blown was held as low as 25 per cent of the normal volume. 2. Intermittent operation, in which the furnaces were shut down or "fanned" at frequent intervals.

Jan 1, 1935

By H. S. Geismer

There are three general methods available for obtaining commercial brown iron-ore: hand-screening; washing; and washing and concentrating. Hand-screening has produced a large tonnage of ore in the past, but is rapidly falling into disuse, except as a preliminary step, largely because modern furnace-practice requires all forcigii material to be separated from ores before they are deliv-

Jan 1, 1912

By R. J. Watson

In an earlier paper, Ehrenburg and Watson1 published the develop ment for a potential function by which it is possible to obtain the electric potential at points on the surface of the ground when a current I passes between two electrodes and the subsoil is composed of parallel, homogeneous layers. In view of the continued interest in the resistivity method of electrical prospecting, the author has considered it desirable to publish the results of a number of theoretical studies making use of this potential function, and also the results of a considerable number of tests with models designed to show the soundness of the mathematical theory. It is hoped that these results will prove how erroneous the various empirical rules for depth determination may be. It has always seemed puzzling to the author that one can find, in papers published comparatively recently, statements upholding empirical rules for depth determination, and attributing most of the irregularities of resistivity curves to vertical discontinuities in resistivity in the subsoil. It would indeed be fortunate for the geophysical investigator if such a simple rule held. However, numerous investigators have proved both theoretically and by the success of their field work that such a rule does not hold, even by a "rough approximation" in many cases. On the other hand, as is shown in the development to follow, if the underground conditions are favorable it is possible for such empirical rules to give a satisfactory depth determination. Authors should be more careful about making such sweeping statements about the accuracy of these empirical rules because the relative simplicity of the field work places the method in the hands of any interested experimenter, and he is likely to become completely disgusted with the method after he has made several obviously wrong interpretations by empirical rules. There are simple and rapid methods for finding out whether the ground beneath the electrodes is sufficiently similar to the conditions

Jan 1, 1934

By Milan Matula

One of the main characteristics of the development of rock mechanics in some countries is a close cooperation between experts in rock mechanics and workers in related fields, including soil mechanics and engineering geology. The purpose of this chapter is to outline the contribution that engineering geology can make to rock mechanics and to present a few examples of engineering geology studies that have been used in solving some practical rock mechanics problems. Engineering geology investigations dealing with the influence of geological factors on the physical properties of rock materials and rock masses fall into three main categories : 1) Systematic study and correlation of the physical properties of the main rock types with the petrogenetic evolution that caused the differences in the properties of these various rock types. 2) Study of the heterogeneity and anisotropy of both rock materials and rock masses. 3) Delimitation of rock masses which are approximately uniform in physical properties (quasihomogeneous units). Delimiting of the quasihomogeneous rock masses is the main contribution that the engineering geologist can make to rock mechanics. This delimiting is based on the evaluation of many complex geologic factors, not on test results alone, and therefore is most effectively done by trained engineering geologists. The foregoing types of studies are being used in Czechoslovakia for several purposes, including : 1) the compilation of regional engineering petrologic data-that is, the systematic definition of the main rock types of the country in terms of their representative physical characteristics;

Jan 1, 1970

By Harold H. Haman

In view of Twentieth Century advances in mineral dressing technology, most modern metallurgists would be inclined to class jigging as an early, somewhat primitive, representation of their art. The practice of metallic sulfide concentration by jigging is becoming rare. This is so, in part, because the type of ore amenable to the process is becoming rare. It is appropriate, however, that this symposium recognize that a significant contribution of domestic zinc remains dependent upon coarse preconcentration by jigging, and that the state of the art be described even though the theory and applications are already well delineated in technical literature. One of the few areas still using jigging as a major concentrating process is The Upper Mississippi Valley. AREA HISTORY AND JIGGING The Upper Mississippi Valley (UMV) has produced one billion dollars worth of zinc and lead at current prices. The district includes the southwest part of Wisconsin, the northwest corner of Illinois and an adjoining narrow strip of Iowa. Within a total area of 4,000 square miles, important sub-districts cover about 400 square miles. As is widely known, early mining in this district involved shallow lead---crevice deposits of galena that were very selectively mined, hand sorted and cleaned, and then smelted at or near the site. The district has produced almost a million short tons of metallic lead, a very large part of this during the fifty- year period following 1830. Zinc mining began at the end of the civil war, but at a very low rate until about 1905.

Jan 1, 1970

By O. A. E. Jackson

Pebble milling has been practiced in the reduction works of South Africa gold mines for well over 50 years. Originally flint pebbles were imported from Denmark to grind stamp-mill amalgamation- process tailing, which contained a good deal of extractable gold, but local operators soon found that large pieces of ore could be used for the same purpose. The ore is a hard, tough conglomerate in which quartz pebbles are cemented together by a matrix of redeposited silica interspersed with pyrite crystals. The gold, rarely visible, occurs as fine particles mostly segregated at the interface of the pebble and matrix, although a small fraction occurs within the pyrite crystals. There is seldom any gold in the pebbles themselves.

Jan 11, 1959

By Tell Ertl

THE term oil shale is defined. Foreign oil-shale developments are outlined briefly, The richest and most extensive oil-shale deposits in the United States lie in Western Colorado. The Bureau of Mines is opening two adjacent areas for underground mining in Western Colorado. From the first area the oil shale is mined selectively as required by the retorting plant. The second area is being developed as a unit of a full scale oil-shale mine to ascertain the most practical methods of mining oil shale and to determine costs. In both of these mining areas, research will be carried on to develop new and improved practices for mining oil shale.

Jan 1, 1947

By H. Van F. Furman

As the cyanide-method for the extraction of gold from ores is extensively used in the United States and elsewhere, and appears destined to prove a factor of increasing importance in the metallurgy of gold, a description of the latest laboratorymethods may prove of interest. The history of the development of the process in the United States has been analogous to that of all new processes. Many failures are to be recorded and a few successes. It is the opinion of the writer that, had the following simple tests been better understood, many of the failures would not have occurred, and we should probably have a larger number of successful plants in operation. While the process is not simple, but requires a high degree of chemical and engineering skill, the determination of the adaptability of an ore to the method is generally not difficult. While the laboratory-results will not always coincide with the actual results obtained in the mill, they will serve as a guide and control on the working of the mill, and mill generally suffice to determine if the ore can be

Jan 1, 1897

By Samuel D. Warriner

The dealings between concentrated capital invested in the conduct of our various industries and the combinations of labor known as "trade union organizations," have produced not only in the United States, but abroad, many novel methods of negotiation between employers and wage-workers. The size and strength of these organizations have destroyed the personal elements formerly governing the dealings between employer and employee, and have produced various forms of trade-agreements now in more or less successful operation. The difficulty, however, has been to secure consent of both parties to an equitable agreement. For this purpose there have been devised various forms of arbitration, either compulsory under the shadow of governmental legislation, or voluntary by mutual agreement. But these have not been altogether successful from a technical stand-point, for the reason that a compromise has generally been necessary, and in an effort to reach an agreement, terms have been made which have been neither fair nor satisfactory to either of the contending parties. The Anthracite Board of Conciliation represents one of the few thoroughly successful courts for the settlement of trade-disputes, if not the only one which has yet been evolved. The prestige of this board rests upon its successful treatment of the labor-troubles of the anthracite region for a period of more than eight years, and upon the fact that it has been able

Jan 1, 1912

By E. Berl

THIS may be a most unnecessary paper-from what does crude oil come and how was it formed? Many people, inside and outside of the petroleum industry, believe that we have actually enough oil, and that we can easily produce very important products from this extremely valuable raw material. The writer believes, however, that the answer to this question concerning the parent material and the formation of oil is of broader interest, because it may be that from the answer to these problems it would be possible to get answers to other important indus-trial questions. Therefore, a study in this line seems to be justified, and the writer will submit some of the results which he has collected during more than ten years with many very capable collaborators, to whom his thanks may be expressed on this occasion.

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles M. Cooley

In these troubled times free enterprise is maintaining vital molybdenum output, while expanding plant, and bringing in new low grade ore reserves, at Climax, the world's largest known molybdenum deposit. Climax Molybdenum Co. is putting $25 million into additional surface plant facilities and other millions into underground development. The expansion program to be operating by 1954 includes a new mining level, crushing plant, 4000-ft conveyor, milling units, by-products plant, and housing for 198 families. Completion of this program and low grade plant will add 10,000 tons per day to present capacity and several million tons to ore reserves.

Jan 1, 1953

By C. Schlumberger

LAST year the authors presented a paper that discussed the various electrical measurements they perform in drill holes, which they name "electrical coring."' The object of the present paper is to give a brief account of the points of scientific interest that have been elucidated by further field work and laboratory research, as well as the economic, results that have been attained recently. The practical examples given in this paper are drawn, for the most part, from the field work performed in Russian oil fields during the years 1931 and 1932. This is due to the fact that, thanks to the comprehensive cooperation of the Russian geologists and scientists, the authors are allowed to make public a large amount of recent information. In other countries in which the authors are engaged in similar work, the competi¬tion between private companies makes it imperative, for a considerable lapse of time, to avoid publication of the results obtained. The following points will be discussed successively, under sepa-rate headings: 1. Electrochemical phenomena in drill holes. 2. Stratigraphic correlations and tectonic studies. 3. Relations between the productivity of oil horizons and their electrical resistivity. 4. Location of coal seams. 5. Summary and conclusions.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. A. Wissler, B. E. Field

COBALT is a silvery white metal with a slight bluish cast. It strongly resembles nickel in its appearance and properties, notably its resistance to corrosion, although its alloys with other metals differ decidedly in their properties from those of nickel. The name "cobalt" was derived from the German Kobold, meaning goblin, and this came to be applied to the cobalt minerals which, although they resembled ores, did not readily yield metal when smelted by the primitive processes available in the Middle Ages. Cobalt minerals were used as pigments by potters and glass- workers before the Christian era. Cobalt blue glass was found in the tombs of the Egyptians and in the ruins of Troy, and many colors used by the ancient Greeks and Romans contained cobalt. The ancients were entirely unaware that the colors they used were caused by cobalt and the metal itself was not isolated until about the middle of the eighteenth century, by Brandt, although the preparation of cobalt compounds had been carried on in a small way ever since the opening of the silver-cobalt deposits at Schneeberg, Germany, in 1470. By the middle of the nineteenth century, several firms in England were engaged in the refining of cobalt products and the consumption of cobalt oxide in the British ceramic industry in the year 1866 had reached 67,000 lb. COBALT METAL AS A NEW RAW MATERIAL IN ALLOY TECHNOLOGY Nickel and cobalt are usually found together and, although the relative amounts of the two have varied greatly in different ores, those

Jan 1, 1953

By Frank Tolonen

IRON-ORE beneficiation is becoming of vital importance to the Lake Superior region, since only a few decades will be needed to exhaust the direct shipping ores even if generous allowances are made for discoveries of new orebodies. If the region is to continue as the chief source of ore to the steel industry of the United States, it must concentrate or otherwise beneficiate the enormous tonnages of available iron formations. A beginning along this line has already been made. About one-fifth of the total shipment, even now, is the product of some sort of concentrating process, while another fifth is improved in physical structure by crushing, screening, drying, sintering, or some other similar method. The amount of material amenable to these processes is limited, however; and, in order to be able to utilize the billions of tons of iron formations that cannot be so beneficiated, an intensive study of their nature and concentration possi-bilities is necessary. As long as high-grade ores are available in ample quantities, ore dressing is economically impossible, but as soon, as the supply nears exhaustion it becomes necessary. At first the products of ore dressing must meet as nearly as possible the same specifications as the rich ores in order to be adapted to the reduction processes already established. The future requirements as to quality will depend on the one hand upon the ability of the ore dresser to eliminate undesired constituents and charac-teristics in the material, and on the other upon the adaptation of the reduction processes to the product that can be economically supplied. A better understanding of the blast furnace and other reduction reactions, and improvements in the preparation of raw materials, should enable the Michigan districts to continue to supply ore for a long time to come. The study and testing of the iron formations necessary to bring a utilization of the low-grade ores, though requiring time and effort on the part of all concerned, should not be postponed, especially since the economic situation forces the use of the highest grade ore in preference to the leaner material.

Jan 1, 1933

CONTENTS PAGE SOUTHWARD, GLENN B.-Coal Mining by the V System. Discussed by Glenn B. Southward, Howard N. Eavenson, Edward B. Raiguel, Thomas de Venny, J.. J. Rutledge, Graham Bright 1 ARMS, RAY W.-Dry Cleaning of Coal. Discussed by Ray W. Arms, S. A. Taylor, Howard N. Eavenson, W. R. Crane, F. F. Jorgenson, G. R. Delamater. 6 EAVENSON, HOWARD N.-Data About Labor Employed in Various Bituminous Coal Mines. Discussed by Howard N. Eavenson, George H. Ashley, E. A. Holbrook, S. A. Taylor, R. V. Norris 14 Coal Mining by the V System Discussion of the paper of GLENN B. SOUTHWARD presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1924, and issued as Paper No. 1300-C, with MINING AND METALLURGY, February, 1924. MEMBER.-How do you pay your men for loading? GLENN B. SOUTHWARD.-Everything is on time basis. MEMBER.-How many men do you have loading across one of the diagonal faces? GLENN B. SOUTHWARD.-From four to five, depending on the length of the face. Our loaders are so arranged that each will give about twenty-five tons per loader a day. MEMBER.-How much timber do you use? GLENN B. SOUTHWARD.-A little more than will be used in room-and-pillar work, but not a great deal more. We have not attempted to recover much of our timber. MEMBER.-IS the mine union or non-union? GLENN B. SOUTHWARD.-Non-union. HOWARD N. EAVENSON, Pittsburgh, Pa.-I went .through that mine some weeks ago, and think that the author has been very conservative in his statements about the amount of loadings, etc. EDWARD B. RAIGUEL, Huntington, W. Va. (written discussion).¬Page 7 shows 60 men employed in day and night shifts, inside the mine, producing 750 tons per day. Let us reduce these figures to a man-hour basis, for comparison with Mr. Eavenson's figures on West Virginia mines, as follows:

Jan 6, 1924

W. R. CRANE, State College, Pa.-The use of mine models for instructional purposes, both in the classroom and for more general work, as in the engineer's office, is of so much importance that I was pleased to FIG. 1.-MODEL OF A TIMBERED STOPE. see Professor Stock's paper which supplements a fairly voluminous literature on the subject. I have been interested in model making for instructional purposes for nearly 20 years and have tried my hand at practically every phase of the work, and have also employed practically every kind of material that

Jan 1, 1918

By Thomas A. Edison, John Birkinbine

The Transactions already contain many valuable papers on the subject of ore-concentration, but with reference more to the treatment of other ores than those of iron. In this country much money, labor and thought have been devoted to the enrichment of iron-ores by roasting to drive off sulphur and carbonic acid, eliminate water, or make the ore more friable, and by washing and screening to remove the clay and sand from earthy ores. In concentrating magnetites and hematites more has been done than is generally believed; but, unfortunately, the results up to the present time have not been encouraging. On the contrary, so many attempts have proved unsatisfactory that any system of concentration is now unjustly looked upon with doubt, and the problem presented to individual mines must therefore be approached with caution. For many years the magnetites of the Adirondack region of New York State have been roasted, reduced to proper size by means of gang-stamps, and jigged on screens in water. Latterly plunger-jigs and rotary-jigs have been introduced, and in some places crushers and rolls have taken the place of stamps. In one instance in that region a plant for reducing the ore by crushers and rolls and separating it by magnetism was put up to treat a titaniferous ore; but, the titanium occurring as ilmenite, the result was unsatisfactory, and the plant is now being reconstructed at another mine, where apatite and silica are to be separated from the magnetite. A large concentrating works was erected at Negaunee, Michigan, in the Marquette region, Lake Superior, to enrich the leaner specular ores. This consisted of crushers, Cornish rolls and rotary-jigs. The results ohtained weye not satisfactory, and it has been abandoned. Another plan to treat the lean magnetites from a large dump-pile at Republic, Michigan, by means of pulverizers and water-jigs also

Jan 1, 1889