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By W. R. Ingalls

During the last two years, and especially during the last six months, a number of important articles upon the new methods for the desulphurization of galena have been published in the technical periodicals, particularly in the Engineering and Mining Journal and in Metallurgie. I proposed for these methods the type-name of " lime-roasting " of galena as a convenient metallurgical classification,'and this term has found some acceptance. The articles referred to have shown the great practical importance of these new processes, and the general recognition of their metallurgical and commercial value which has already been accorded to them. It is my present purpose to review broadly the changes developed by them in the metallurgy of lead, in which connection it is necessary to refer briefly to the previous state of the art.

Jan 1, 1907

By J. S. Johnson, W. C. McCulloch

ALL phases of plant operation must be synchronized so that the number of interruptions in the flow of material may be reduced to a minimum. In the majority of plants operating under a labor agreement, time lost during the operating shift cannot be made up with overtime. With the work week restricted to 35 hr., the ratio of productive time to total time justifies extra effort in keeping the plant operating at capacity during the productive shift. This does not apply when central plants with adequate storage are operated by multiple shifts. In such installations the problems become similar to those of any factory or mill where added units parallel circuits, or excess capacity serve to maintain the average production during intervals of maintenance shutdown. These plants, by special agreement, may run continuously, barring mechanical interruptions. The control of plant operation is in those procedures that are practiced to obtain from the run-of-mine product a high recovery of clean coal products to meet adopted trade standards and consumer specifications at the lowest possible cost. Correlation of all factors for continuous operation requires more than mechanical perfection in the plant. The run-of-mine coal must be delivered to the preparation plant without delays and the clean coal and refuse products taken away. Power supply and water requirements must be adequate. Signal systems must be established for emergency stops and to facilitate resumption of coal flow. ORGANIZATION Probably the most important item for successful operation of a preparation plant is a capable organization interconnected with the mine organization. A typical organization chart for companies operating in the Pennsylvania anthracite region is shown in Fig. 1. The breaker foreman is in direct contact with the plant preparation operation and reports to the outside foreman, who, in turn, reports to

Jan 1, 1943

By W. D. Klopp, R. I. Jaffee, H. R. Ogden, D. J. Maykuth

The purification of commercial-purity tantalum powder by vacuum sintering in the temperature range 2600° to 2860°C has been investigated. Mixtures of tantalum oxide and tantalum carbide were sintered at 1800° and 2200°C. Tantalum bars containing 1 pct additions of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. were sintered in the range 1800° to 2600°C. Anulyses were conducted on the sititeyed mixtures to determine the extent of removal of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon at each sintering condition. The mechanism for remova1 of each impurity, and the conditions necessary for preparing ductile tantalum by vacuum sintering are discussed. INTEREST in the refractory metals has been stimulated in recent years by the need for structural materials capable of operating at temperatures of 1100°C and higher. These metals include columbium (niobium) (mp 2468°C), molybdenum (mp 2620°C), tantalum (mp 2996°C), rhenium (mp 3160°C), and tung- sten (mp 3415°C). In addition to its high melting point, tantalum possesses the advantages of forming a solid, nonvolatile oxide at temperatures of interest and of being ductile and easy to fabricate. The classic method of consolidating tantalum from powder refined from the ores is by vacuum sintering at temperatures on the order of 2600°C. This sintering treatment both densifies the compacted powder bars and purifies the metal by causing impurities to boil out. The present work was undertaken to provide more quantative data on the relationship between sintering conditions and purity and to determine the mechanisms of impurity removal.

Jan 1, 1961

By Fred T. Greene

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) MOST of. the recent discussion of the mineral land law published in the Transactions is in the abstract-an exception being Mr. Goodale's paper, The Apex Law in the Drumlummon Controversy,1 which illustrates in concrete instances many of the practical disadvantages of what Dr. Raymond has. called "The Law of the Apex." The present paper, it is hoped, may serve a similar purpose, emphasizing the necessity for a change in our mining laws, and bringing home to mining engineers some of the defects and dangers of our present code. There are many storm centers of "apex litigation" in the Rocky Mountains; and not the least of them is the Wardner camp, where such litigation has been almost continuous since 1892, and the end is not yet. In their decisions, the courts have accepted the claims of the litigants that the " Wardner vein" is a broad zone varying from 250 to 500 ft. in width at the surface. This is the simplest theory which could have been advanced, and probably decreased, rather than augmented, the number of contests; in fact, every one of the claim owners seemed to feel that the greatest advantage would accrue to him if this theory were adhered to. The dominant structural feature of the Wardner vein is a persistent fault, striking N. 40° W., clipping about 40° to the southwest and called the "Wardner foot wall." Fig. 1 is a composite of two adjacent cross-sections of the vein and is a fair representation of the relative size and shape of the orebodies and their relation to the "Wardner foot wall." The country rock is a comparatively thin-bedded sericitic quartzite which has an average strike of N. 80° W. and clips at high angles to the north and south.

Jan 5, 1915

By J. P. Witherow

The Clapp and Griffiths steel-process may be considered a pneumatic system, similar to the Bessemer, with the difference that the converter is fixed or non-tilting, and that the blast is introduced around the lower section of the converter instead of through its bottom. Mr. Griffiths was engineer-in-chief of the Gilchrist & Thomas basic dephosphorizing process during all the time those gentlemen were experimenting and working up their system, as Mr. G. communicated to me. After separating from these gentlemen, he began developing the present Clapp and Griffiths type of converter. Dr. Clapp, of Nantyglow, Monmouthshire, was a prominent physician in a large iron district. Previous to his association with Mr. Griffiths, he took out some patents on a process of his own for the manufacture of steel, which patents stood in Mr. Griffiths' way; hence the consolidation. Early in the summer of 1883, my attention was called to the experiments of Messrs. Clapp & Griffiths in Great Britain by a friend who had just returned from England. Later in that summer I went to Newport, on the border of Wales, where I met Messrs. Clapp and Griffiths and their friends. After visiting two small converters of their type which were in operation at different works, and spending a few days in the iron-districts of Wales, I went to London, where I met my friend Henry W. Oliver, Jr., who had already heard of the new steel-process. We decided to revisit Wales and examine more fully the process, more especially that Mr. Oliver might have the opportunity of coming practically in contact with the men and die process himself, so that his judgment might not be influenced by my sanguine feelings. On

Jan 1, 1885

By J. H. Ffolliott

ALL of the prospects that later became mines in the Ducktown district were discovered prior to 1854, and most of them were exploited before the turn of the century. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the exploration and current development of the Boyd mine, discovered in 1853. It is in the heart of the Ducktown Basin, in the extreme southeast corner of Tennessee, and is being developed by the Tennessee Copper Co. GEOLOGY The geology of the district has been fully described in many papers. Probably the most complete description is that of Emmons and Laney.I The rocks of the district are considered to be of Lower Cambrian age and are a part of the Great Smoky formation, consisting mainly of interbedded graywacke and mica schist, in which the ore deposits occur. The ore bodies are included in an area of about 6 sq. miles, 2 miles wide and 3 miles long striking N. 45° E., and may be grouped into three general lode systems. The northeast system, including the East Tennessee, London and Burra Burra ore bodies, and the southeast group, comprising the Polk County, Mary and Calloway deposits, are all characterized by relatively high copper values. The ores of the central system, which includes the Eureka, Boyd, Old Tennessee and Cherokee ore bodies, are low in copper and high in total sulphide content. Boyd mine lies roughly halfway between the Old Tennessee and Eureka ore bodies [ ] and 2500 ft. in the hanging wall of the Burra Burra mine (Fig. 1). Elevation of the surface is about 1725 ft. above sea

Jan 1, 1942

By George W. Doffing

Numerous contradictory statements have been made in the past regarding the importance of the seasonal influence of demand for motor fuel on prices of oil securities. It has often been said that the time to buy oil securities is in the spring, or just prior to the heavy consuming season for gasoline. The fallacy of this argument is brought out in the following paragraphs. Seasonality of Oil-security Prices The indexes used in this paper as indicators of prices of oil securities and general industrials are those compiled by Standard Statistics Co. The oil producing and refining stock index includes 14 representative petroleum companies, while the all-industrials index is made up of 347 issues. All figures are stated as relatives, with 1926 = 100. The primary basis of the index, and one that gives a good weighting of the relative importance of the company within the industry, is the total market value of the stock issue outstanding; i.e., the market price times the number of shares outstanding. Adjustments are made for the addition or elimination of issues from the group index, for stock dividends, split-ups, stock rights, et cetera. At the present time the oil producing and refining index includes the following companies: Atlantic Refining Co., Consolidated Oil Corporation, Continental Oil Co., Gulf Oil Corporation, Humble Oil & Refining Co., Ohio Oil Co., Royal Dutch Co., Shell Union Oil Corporation, Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Standard Oil Company of California, Standard Oil Co. (Indiana), Standard Oil Co. (New Jersey), Texas Corporation, Union Oil Company of California. In calculating the seasonal for oil-security prices several periods have been selected as indicat,ive of major changes in the industry, as follows: 1. 1918 through 1936. This gives an over-all picture of the industry during the motor-vehicle, motor-fuel era. 2. 1927 through 1936. This period includes the control stages, both voluntary and coercive. 3. 1927 to September, 1933. This is the pre-code period of control.

Jan 1, 1937

By David A. Summers, Clark R. Barker, Marian Mazurkiewicz

In May 1975 the U.S. Bureau of Mines contracted with the University of Missouri-Rolla, Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center to develop a Hydrominer modification to a longwall shearer unit, wherein the rotating pick-laced drums and connecting gear drives are replaced by a water jet cutting ahead. The concept of the water jet cutting head is based on using the high localized energy of the water jets to isolate a slice of coal by cutting a slot under, at the back of, and at the top of the web. The plow blade of the head then advances into the cut and wedges the coal cantilever over onto the conveyor [(Fig. 1)]. There were several potential advantages foreseen for the system; perhaps the most significant were the elimination of coal dust from the working area and the ability, with a variation in nozzle geometry, to cut webs of greater depth with a small increase in haulage horsepower. The University initially designed the head, based on experiments carried out in the laboratory, under an earlier Bureau of Mines contract. The experiments showed that it was more advantageous to work at a pressure of 68.9 mPa (10,000 psi) with an estimated flow rate of 3.15 X 10 - 8 m3/s (50 gpm) than go to the higher pressures and lower flow rates which have been advocated elsewhere.

Jan 1, 1979

By Robert H. Richards

OF the several professions-the chemist, the civil engineer, the mining engineer, the mechanical engineer-the courses of instruction, as arranged at the scientific schools, differ considerably as to the amount of practical information which the student is able to gain. The analytical chemist has facility for a very thorough review of the processes which he will be called upon to perform. The student in civil engineering by his field practice learns the use of his tools and the art of taking field-notes. The mechanical engineering student is in the vicinity of machine-shops, which he can visit, and at which he can work. The student in mining engineering has no such advantages. The mines are at a distance, and the railroad fare to get to them is oftentimes an insuperable difficulty. The aim of these laboratories is essentially to give to the student in mining and metallurgy a chance to study on a small scale the practical parts of his profession. We cannot, in a small laboratory, build a mine to timber, to work, and to survey; we cannot make artificial quicksands and other impediments to mining. In short, we cannot study exploration; but we can study the mechanical preparation and the subsequent smelting of ores. Before presenting the plan of these laboratories it may be interesting to indicate the progress of the idea from its beginning. During the summer of 1870 President Runkle visited the mines of Colorado, and while there, conceived the idea of making an expedition with the mining students to some of the Western mining regions. He talked over the scheme with many railroad and mining men, and everywhere received encouragement. In the summer of 1871 the Institute party visited the mines of Colorado, and spent six weeks in taking notes of them. President Runkle here conceived the idea of building up a mining and metallurgical laboratory ; and by the aid of Booth & Co. of San Francisco, a stamp-mill was obtained, with the Washoe silver-working apparatus. During the year

Jan 1, 1873

By Charles Catlett

My attention having been called several years ago to the possibility of increasing the yield of coke per ton of coal, as obtained in certain bee-hive ovens, I called the attention of the Institute to the matter at the New York meeting in 1899. I have had occasion since to witness the indifference with which this matter is ordinarily considered, and, on the other hand, the marked improvement which comes from even a most perfunctory effort in that direction; and I am almost tempted to say that nothing in connection with the coking of coal is at present so important. There are other factors, which are fundamental and necessary; but they have been considered already ; while the question of yield is, as a rule, absolutely ignored, or some figure is taken as the result of a special burning of one or two ovens, and the assumption is made that the whole battery is yielding at that rate. The uncertainty of this assumption I may illustrate by saying that, in my own observation, the burning of a single oven in a battery frequently gives, by actual weight, as much as 69 or 70 per cent. of merchantable coke, while the battery as a whole was yielding only an average of 63 per cent. Only from careful records, checked at least once a month, of the weight of the coal going to the ovens and the weight of coke produced, can any correct idea of the actual yield be gained, or methods be modified so as to produce good results; yet, as a rule, the crudest estimates are usually the only available data. In many cases there are reasons for this loose practice. The coal is mined by measurement; the payment for drawing the ovens is in proportion to the amount of cod which goes to them; and, not uncommonly, the royalty is so much a ton of coke, not of coal. The mine-manager is tempted to increase the volume of coal mined which is paid for as a ton, and to do the same thing in charging the ovens. Nor does he

Jan 1, 1903

By Frank Firmstone

In the summer of 1842 my father, William Firmstone, was engaged by Charles Jackson, Jr., of Boston, to examine the conditions in the Lehigh valley as a site for blast-furnaces using anthracite for fuel. In consequence of his report, he was further engaged by Mr. Jackson to build a furnace for him and his partners on the Lehigh canal, 2 miles above the mouth of the river at Easton. Work was begun in the fall of 1842, and the first furnace blown-in in 1844. The history of the works, therefore, from 1844 to 1887, when my own connection with them ceased, covers only four years less than the whole period of the rise, culmination, and commencement of the decline in the smelting of iron with anthracite in America, the beginning of which, in a commercial sense, may be put in 1839.' Although this paper, as the title indicates, is concerned almost exclusively with the furnaces at Glendon, still what was done there was more or less influenced by current opinion in the district, and even reflects, to some extent, the changes in opinion and practice with mineral fuel the world over. No. 1 Furnace was built of red brick, on four piers, had three tuyeres and fore-hearth and tymp, as was universal with furnaces using mineral fuel until the introduction of Lurmann's cinder-tuyere. The dimensions and profile are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The first hearth (Fig. 1) was of sandstone; all after were of fire-brick (Fig. 2). The profile was no doubt derived directly from Gibbons's furnace,2 for it appears from W. Firmstone's note-books that in October, 1840, he visited " Gibbons' new furnaces building at Corbyn Hall," and I have an old drawing,

Jan 1, 1910

By J. W. Powell

A Federal statute, enacted several years since, provides for the preparation of a geologic map of the United States. There are three requisites for a geologic map. The first is a suitable base- or surface-map upon which the rock-formations may be platted by means of conventions ; the second is a classification of the rocks and formations, and the third is a system of conventions by which the rocks and formations may be represented on the map. When the work of the Federal bureau created to prepare the geologic map was commenced, a topographic survey of the country was undertaken for the purpose of making maps suitable for the use of geologists in the field and for the representation of the geology; and this work has ever since been continued. The surveys have now extended over about one-fifth of the national domain, and are mapped on a series of atlas-sheets, each constituting a section of the great map of the United States. About 700 of these atlas-sheets are completed. They are in extended use among engineers, miners, prospectors, map-publishers and educators, and are thus widely known; moreover, these base-maps have been exhibited, described and discussed at meetings of the Institute, and thus do not require detailed consideration. Classification of Bocks and Formations. Modern classification is designed to express natural relation. In the beginning of observational science, or natural science, objects were discriminated and grouped by differences and resemblances; but at first the differences and resemblances recognized in the classification were external, even superficia1,'and often confined to single features. Later, groups of features and characteristics, both external and internal, were recognized as the basis of classification ; and of recent years, throughout the entire domain of biology, and to a considerable extent in the kindred sciences, classification is based not

Jan 1, 1893

By William F. Brace, Howard R. Pratt, Wayne S. Brown

In many engineering structures, the mechanical properties of large volumes of rock must be considered. Typically, such properties are assumed to be the same as those of small laboratory samples, although it is clear that the laboratory samples do not contain the joints, faults, and other natural planes of weakness of the rock mass. A cheap, convenient testing procedure is needed with which the engineer can more accurately assess the strength and elastic properties of natural jointed rock. As a first step in this direction, a test has been developed capable of determining mechanical properties of large samples in their natural undisturbed state. In the present paper, some preliminary experiments on relatively unjointed material are described. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the deformation modulus of rock masses with varying degrees of success. Rocha (1), Grimm (2), and Alexander (3) have placed flat jacks in a slot in the rock and measured the pressure required to deform the slot. Bonnechere (4) has grouted large flat jacks in granite masses and performed similar experiments using a variety of strain measuring techniques. The U. S. Bureau of Mines has conducted radial jacking tests in which a uniform radial stress is applied to the inside of a tunnel of circular cross section and radial deformation is measured by extensometers located at various depths in the tunnel fall. Plate jack tests (Rocha (5), Shannon and Wilson (6)), pressure chamber tests, and cable jacking tests (Zienkiewicz and Stagg (7)) have all been used to determine in-situ deformation modulus. Several bore hole techniques have also been used to measure rock deformation. These include bore hole jacks (Goodman (8)), bore hole dilatometers using expandable membranes (Menard (9)) and bore hole penetrometers. Most of the above tests except the radial jacking test have an unknown stress distribution and require considerable approximation to calculate a deformation modulus. These approximations include the use of elastic theory for solutions of rigid plates, thick-walled cylinders, etc., and determination of values for Poissons

Jan 1, 1971

By A. E. Harnsberger

IT is obvious that details such as the physical and chemical properties and methods of heat-treating of the materials mentioned must be omitted in a paper on the subject of materials used in oil-refinery pumps1. Only sufficient identification is given to enable the reader to find additional information from already published data. Also, the subject covers many operating conditions, but only the most important services can be discussed here. To the oil refiner, the pumping equipment is of vital interest. Practically every refinery operation, from the charging of crude oil to a distillation unit to the shipping of refined products, involves some form of pumping machinery. Intermediate refining stages involve a great variety of pumping machinery to carry out successfully the aims of the refinery technologist. Temperatures at which oils are handled vary from -50° F. to 900° F. Pressure may vary from subatmospheric to 2000 lb. per sq. inch. The selection of the proper materials involves a careful consideration of the conditions under which the particular pump must operate. The four, most important considerations are temperature, pressure, corrosion, and abrasion or wear. Consideration of temperature may be divided into three parts: (1) extremely low temperatures of the order of -50° F.; (2) temperatures at atmospheric or slightly above; .(3) temperatures from 200° to 900° F. Pressures fall into two groups: (1) pressures reached by ordinary trade pumps of the order of. 200 lb. per sq. in., (2) extreme pressure conditions involving pressures as high as 2000 lb. Noncorrosive and corrosive oils can be treated differently. Under the latter falls corrosion in the presence of water, which will occur up to 250° F. The second type of corrosion occurs in high-temperature pumping equipment, with temperatures from 450° to 900° F., largely caused by sulfur compounds. There are also other corrosive conditions met with

Jan 1, 1935

By S. W. Parr

FRom a study of sulfur with reference to its specific combination in coal, published as University of Illinois Bulletin No. 111, 1919, it is now possible to determine the various forms of this constituent with a good degree of accuracy. This fact suggests two questions: (1) Are the same analytic methods applicable to coke? (2) Is there any correlation between the forms of sulfur as it occurs in coal and the residual sulfur found in the finished coke? The answer to the second question might be helpful in answering a still further question as to what chemical route the sulfur travels during the carbonization process. While the special studies along these several lines are by no means complete, a few preliminary statements are herewith presented. They may, at least, prove suggestive of further possibilities from a continuation of research along these lines. There is no reason, chemically, why the analytic methods devised for coal should not apply to coke and a fair amount of experience in connection with such use affords confirmation of this statement. The procedure in the case of coal may be briefly outlined as follows: Combinations of sulfur as sulfate, or sulfides other than FeS2, are readily dissolved without disturbing either the pyrite sulfur or the sulfur that is in organic combination by means of dilute hydrochloric acid— 1 part of concentrated HC1 to 10 parts of water or approximately 3 per cent. acid. Digestion at 60" C. for 24 hr. insures the complete removal of the sulfur thus combined. In freshly mined coal the amount of such sulfur is very small; weathering processes, however, may very materially increase the amount of sulfate present. Sulfur in the form of iron pyrites, or marcasite, may be quantitatively removed without oxidation of the organic sulfur as follows: A dilute solution of nitric: acid is prepared having 1 part of concentrated HNO3 to 3 parts of water or with an approximate specific gravity of 1.12. The coal sample, ground to 100 mesh, is digested with this solution at room temperature for 3 or 4 days, filtered and evaporated to dryness, taken up with water, and acidified with hydrochloric acid. It is now ready for precipitation with barium chloride in the usual manner. If sulfate is present in the original sample to an appreciable amount, it should be removed by the procedure outlined above. It is not necessary here to give the methods for determining the two

Jan 1, 1920

By Charles R. L. Oder, Howard W. Miller

Approximately 5000 tons of zinc ore a day was mined during 1943 in the Mascot-Jefferson City district in East Tennessee. This ore came from the Kingsport formation, a part of the Knox dolomite, of Ordovician age. The Kings-port is composed of 350 to 400 ft. of limestone and dolomite. Thin cherts, sandy layers and shales are numerous. Frequently, the limestones are altered to crystalline dolomite. The Kingsport is divisible into four main lithologic zones. These divisions are illustrated in an accompanying table, which gives detailed sections of the ore-bearing beds as found in the mines and shows the exact positions of the various ore zones within the formation. Key beds are described and the practical applications of stratigraphy in mapping, prospecting and mining are discussed. Introduction The Mascot-Jefferson City zinc district is in Knox and Jefferson Counties, in the Great Valley of East Tennessee. It extends from Mascot, I3 miles northeast of Knoxville, to Jefferson City, about 30 miles northeast of that city. The American Zinc Company of Tennessee is producing from five mines in the district, in which it has operated for more than 30 years. The only other important producer is the Universal Exploration Co. The approximate daily production of the district in 1943 was 5000 tons of sulphide ore, grading from 2.5 to 6 per cent zinc. Small amounts of oxidized ore are mined intermittently. The Knox dolomite has been described by various geologists,'-' but no detailed descriptions of the rock sections revealed by mining have been published. Rock units are not conspicuously different and careful study is required to distinguish them. Nevertheless, familiarity with the stratigraphy of the mineralized zones is essential to successful exploration and extraction of the ores; therefore the purpose of this paper is to give detailed stratigraphic sections as measured in the mines, to discuss their important features and to show their relationship to the stratigraphy of the district. Generalized Section Table I gives the most characteristic general features of the major stratigraphic units. The formation names given in parenthesis are locally and widely used terms, the correlations of which are not necessarily established. For this reason they are put in quotation marks and are replaced by more restricted terms. The names "Mascot" and "Kingsport" were adopted from local towns. They were chosen jointly by Josiah Bridge, of the Federal Geological Survey, and the senior author for use in their separate unpublished manuscripts describing the Knox dolomite in East Tennessee. Descriptions of the type sections may soon be published. The name "Longview" was first applied by Butts6 in Alabama.

Jan 1, 1949

By Russell G. Wayland

This paper gives the author's personal idea of the general viewpoint of the world's largest mica consumer, the U. S. Army, toward the supply, uses, and conservation of mica. However, to cover so broad a subject in a brief paper will require the dismissal of many phases with little or no mention. For example, it will be necessary to omit further reference to phlogopite or amber mica, even though amber block and splittings for certain spark plugs and commutator segments present some supply problems. This paper will deal entirely with muscovite, or white mica. Muscovite Mica Muscovite mica is available commercially in four general forms; namely, as block mica, as splittings, as washer punch, and as scrap mica.1 No strategic importance is attached to washer punch and scrap mica, even though scrap has found some use in military construction and in electrical ceramics. The use of washer punch as such has fallen off with the non-manufacture of household electrical appliances. Some qualities of block mica are also of little or no interest, but other qualities of block mica and all splittings are considered of vital importance. Army equipment requires large amounts of muscovite mica splittings in the form of built-up mica commutator segments and coil insulation in motors and generators. Other military items using significant amounts of muscovite splittings are transformers, switchboards, and blasting apparatus. Flexible mica tape, made from bookform or loose-dusted splittings cemented to paper, linen, glass cloth, and other backing, is widely used in coil insulation in heavy electrical equipment and in aircraft generators. All muscovite mica splittings come from India, principally because of the enormous amount of hand labor required in their preparation. In this emergency, the need for them was anticipated and large industry and government stocks were on hand, while shipments have continued to come by sea in spite of wartime hazards. With the possible exception of certain bookform splittings, no trouble is anticipated in supply. Accordingly, the remainder of this paper is devoted to block (or sheet) muscovite mica, including condenser film that is split from block. The Mica Problem Block muscovite mica is commercially classified into the following general qualitie3, beginning with the best quality: 1. Clear and Slightly Stained (C & SS). 2. Fair stained (FS). 3. Good stained (GS). 4. stained (s). 5. Heavy Stained (HS). 6. Black spotted. The ratio of relative commercial abundance in the present new supply of these micas is approximately 1 C & SS to 4 FS to ro GS to 14 S to whatever the

Jan 1, 1948

By Howard W. Miller, Charles R. L. Oder

Approximately 5000 tons of zinc ore a day was mined during 1943 in the Mascot-Jefferson City district in East Tennessee. This ore came from the Kingsport formation, a part of the Knox dolomite, of Ordovician age. The Kings-port is composed of 350 to 400 ft. of limestone and dolomite. Thin cherts, sandy layers and shales are numerous. Frequently, the limestones are altered to crystalline dolomite. The Kingsport is divisible into four main lithologic zones. These divisions are illustrated in an accompanying table, which gives detailed sections of the ore-bearing beds as found in the mines and shows the exact positions of the various ore zones within the formation. Key beds are described and the practical applications of stratigraphy in mapping, prospecting and mining are discussed. Introduction The Mascot-Jefferson City zinc district is in Knox and Jefferson Counties, in the Great Valley of East Tennessee. It extends from Mascot, I3 miles northeast of Knoxville, to Jefferson City, about 30 miles northeast of that city. The American Zinc Company of Tennessee is producing from five mines in the district, in which it has operated for more than 30 years. The only other important producer is the Universal Exploration Co. The approximate daily production of the district in 1943 was 5000 tons of sulphide ore, grading from 2.5 to 6 per cent zinc. Small amounts of oxidized ore are mined intermittently. The Knox dolomite has been described by various geologists,'-' but no detailed descriptions of the rock sections revealed by mining have been published. Rock units are not conspicuously different and careful study is required to distinguish them. Nevertheless, familiarity with the stratigraphy of the mineralized zones is essential to successful exploration and extraction of the ores; therefore the purpose of this paper is to give detailed stratigraphic sections as measured in the mines, to discuss their important features and to show their relationship to the stratigraphy of the district. Generalized Section Table I gives the most characteristic general features of the major stratigraphic units. The formation names given in parenthesis are locally and widely used terms, the correlations of which are not necessarily established. For this reason they are put in quotation marks and are replaced by more restricted terms. The names "Mascot" and "Kingsport" were adopted from local towns. They were chosen jointly by Josiah Bridge, of the Federal Geological Survey, and the senior author for use in their separate unpublished manuscripts describing the Knox dolomite in East Tennessee. Descriptions of the type sections may soon be published. The name "Longview" was first applied by Butts6 in Alabama.

Jan 1, 1949

By Richard H. Willey

EFFICIENT handling of large tonnages in open-pit mining demands, primarily, an abundance of well fragmented rock. To accomplish this, a drilling and blasting department composed of a well-knit, versatile group of workers and supervisors must be established. Some costs will remain relatively on the same level over a period of years, while others can be greatly lowered as will be shown. The Utah Copper Division, Kennecott Copper Corp., Bingham Canyon, Utah, has been ever alert for improvements in operating methods and equipment to gain increased efficiency and lower costs. BINGHAM CANYON MINE The greatest dimension of the mine is 8000 ft northeast-southwest with a width of 5000 ft southeast-northwest. From the lowest level, at an elevation of 6040 ft above sea-level, the mountain rises in 27 benches on the west side to W level (elevation 7800 ft) and 21 benches on the east side to Q level (elevation 7460 ft). At the inception of open-pit mining in 1906, the overcapping of leached porphyry had to be removed to reach a commercial grade of sulphide ore. The overcapping or waste now remaining is quartzite with intercalated limestone beds. The limestones are usually soft in nature except in the south-middle portion of the mine where they have been metamorphized along the contact zone. This area usually gives drilling and blasting operations a great deal of trouble. Here occurs the greatest amount of secondary blasting, as the well-established fracture planes cause the altered beds to break into large boulders. Several massive quartzite "ribs" occur in the overburden, and as a result, the uniform breakage is difficult to obtain. The major quartzite areas have been subjected to complex folding, fracturing and faulting because of the intrusion of the underlying stock. The monzonite porphyry, which carries the commercial values, presents no serious drilling problem because of its softness and extensive minute fracturing throughout the mass. A series of major slips or faults pass through the ore body which, although of considerable advantage to the drilling and blasting department, sometimes works to the disadvantage of the track department. Drilling and blasting of the porphyry apparently becomes easier as depth is attained, but highly siliceous streaks throughout the pit still present difficulties. At no place is the rock of such character as to allow excavation without preparations. On certain higher elevations or levels, old fill material can be dug by the shovels, but only at some risk to equipment because of bank slippage. PAST METHODS At the outset of shovel operations in 1906, drilling was done with the Ingersoll-Rand F-24 piston drill mounted on an un-

Jan 1, 1947

By Russell G. Wayland

This paper gives the author's personal idea of the general viewpoint of the world's largest mica consumer, the U. S. Army, toward the supply, uses, and conservation of mica. However, to cover so broad a subject in a brief paper will require the dismissal of many phases with little or no mention. For example, it will be necessary to omit further reference to phlogopite or amber mica, even though amber block and splittings for certain spark plugs and commutator segments present some supply problems. This paper will deal entirely with muscovite, or white mica. Muscovite Mica Muscovite mica is available commercially in four general forms; namely, as block mica, as splittings, as washer punch, and as scrap mica.1 No strategic importance is attached to washer punch and scrap mica, even though scrap has found some use in military construction and in electrical ceramics. The use of washer punch as such has fallen off with the non-manufacture of household electrical appliances. Some qualities of block mica are also of little or no interest, but other qualities of block mica and all splittings are considered of vital importance. Army equipment requires large amounts of muscovite mica splittings in the form of built-up mica commutator segments and coil insulation in motors and generators. Other military items using significant amounts of muscovite splittings are transformers, switchboards, and blasting apparatus. Flexible mica tape, made from bookform or loose-dusted splittings cemented to paper, linen, glass cloth, and other backing, is widely used in coil insulation in heavy electrical equipment and in aircraft generators. All muscovite mica splittings come from India, principally because of the enormous amount of hand labor required in their preparation. In this emergency, the need for them was anticipated and large industry and government stocks were on hand, while shipments have continued to come by sea in spite of wartime hazards. With the possible exception of certain bookform splittings, no trouble is anticipated in supply. Accordingly, the remainder of this paper is devoted to block (or sheet) muscovite mica, including condenser film that is split from block. The Mica Problem Block muscovite mica is commercially classified into the following general qualitie3, beginning with the best quality: 1. Clear and Slightly Stained (C & SS). 2. Fair stained (FS). 3. Good stained (GS). 4. stained (s). 5. Heavy Stained (HS). 6. Black spotted. The ratio of relative commercial abundance in the present new supply of these micas is approximately 1 C & SS to 4 FS to ro GS to 14 S to whatever the

Jan 1, 1948