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By John W. Cabot

In the manufacture by the Bessemer process of soft steel suitable for rolling into fine sheets, tubes and 60 forth, a difficulty is sometimes met with, in the tendency of this kind of metal to rise violently and boil in the moulds while being cast; this results in hollow-topped ingots, and consequently in an undue amount of scrap in the subsequent rolling. It has been noticed that this peculiarity does not pertain to all pig-irons, some grades producing a blown metal which pours quietly, while others, in whatever way the blow may have been conducted, give a metal which rises in the moulds, accompanied by the evolution of large quantities of hydrogen and carbonic oxide gases, and requiring a long time to solidify. This difference in behavior has been some-

Jan 1, 1891

By F. H. McDowell

The electro-magnetic separator of Mr. G. Conkling, Glens Falls, N. Y., described by Mr. Birkinbine* in a paper at the New York meeting of the Institute, in February, 1889, has been in successful operation at the Tilly Foster 'mine for a considerable period, under the disadvantages which seem to be the inevitable attendants of pioneer enterprises in new technical fields. The results of a run of several months, which the Superintendent, Mr. S. P. Tomkins, has taken pains to collate, are here presented by his courteous permission, and that of Mr. E. S. Moffat, the energetic and skilful General Manager of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, to whom our profession is already indebted for examples of bold and ingenious practice in mine-engineering. It is believed that these figures will assist those who are planning similar operations to decide intelligently what they may, and, more important still, what they may not, expect to accomplish. The local difficulties in the way of this experiment at the Tilly Foster mine were many and great. Only about two-thirds of the waste-dump, resulting from the assorting of previous years, is ore; and this varies in content of iron from 20 to 28 per cent. The remainder is rock, some (from horses in the vein) showing particles of adhering mineral, some (from the foot- and hanging-walls) entirely barren. The expense of overhauling the dump and removing this rock is by no means the least of the numerous items which must be charged against the concentration. Associated with the lean ore are hornblende and other minerals, carrying iron in the non-magnetic state, which must necessarily be washed away with the tailings. The waste-dump was originally located without reference to future treatment, and now can only be handled by means of a locomotive,

Jan 1, 1891

By H. A. Wheeler

The great depths attained by some of the older mines, and the milch greater depth at which they will have to he worked in the not distant future, strongly emphasize the imperfect and inadequate character of our present hoisting-practice. The depth of 3000 feet having been exceeded at several places, and 4000 feet almost reached

Jan 1, 1891

By John Birkinbine

Since the presentation of the paper upon " The Concentration of Iron-Ore," which the writer, associated with Mr. Thomas A. Edison, read before the Institute in February, 1889 (Transactions, vol. xvii., 728-744), much time and money have been devoted to applications of various forms of concentrating apparatus, particularly in treating magnetic iron-ores. An indication of the interest which has been developed is shown in the four payers presented at and printed in advance for this meeting." The question, does magnetic concentration pay? is now being discussed by many owners of magnetite deposits, and affirmative answers can be readily obtained from patentees or agents of special machinery, while ultra-conservatism may give a prompt negative reply, based mainly upon the apparent impracticability of handling, crushing, sizing and separating large quantities of ore, and upon the generally

Jan 1, 1891

By T. D. Ledyard

SIR WILLIAM LOGAN, our great geologist, predicted that Canada would become eventually one of the greatest iron-producing countries of the world. Although possessed of numberless deposits of iron-ore, we have not yet done much to verify this prediction. Causes can be found for our backwardness, the principal one being

Jan 1, 1891

By C. M. Ball

The magnetic concentration of iron-ores has been so often and so widely studied and discussed among the members of the Institute that any remarks concerning its general importance, from an economic standpoint, would be superfluous; but it is thought that a description of the Ball and Norton ore-separator, designed for cobbing and separating magnetic iron-ores, indicating its essential differences from other machines and the advantages claimed for it, together with some account of recent results obtained in its application to the concentration of such ores, will prove of interest. This machine is the joint invention of Mr. Sheldon Norton, of Hokendauqua, Pa., and the writer, and has been patented in the United States, Canada, and other countries. Of the accompanying illustrations, Pig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the perfected ore-separator, adapted for separating fine ore, and Fig. 2 the same, adapted for cobbing ore of the size of stove- or chestnut-coal. The two designs are identical in principle, and vary from each other in minor details only. The apparatus consists of a partially-closed chest, having an opening at f, from the feed-hopper, h, through which the ore is delivered to the machine from an ore-pocket or storage-bin provided with means for regulating the flow of ore, so that, when the machine

Jan 1, 1891

By James Douglas

The development of the copper-resources of this country has kept close pace with the unfolding of its geographical area to commerce. In colonial days, when our English ancestors occupied only the Atlantic seaboard, insignificant quantities of copper were mined in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and the ore was shipped for treatment to England. The first steam pumping-equipment

Jan 1, 1891

By F. P. Dewey

The first systematic attempt of the National Museum to gather material representing the economic geology and metallurgy of the country was made in connection with the Centennial Exhibition. The department may be considered as having originated then, althongh it was not formally inaugurated until December, 1882. Previous to the Centennial, all the illustrations of economic geology had been included in the mineral collection, and the illustrations of metallurgy were so very few that they had also been included with the minerals. When the museum began its collections for the Centennial, the subject of the mineral resources of tile United States was placed in the hands of Professor Wm. P. Blake, who was eminently fitted to undertake the work by his experience at various international exhibitions and his extensive acquaintance with the mining industry of the country. Professor Blake prepared a broad and exhaustive plan for this purpose, and the very large collection shown at Philadelphia was well calculated to set forth the vast mineral wealth of the country. The history of the department proper may conveniently be divided into three periods : first, the formative period, during which the Centennial material was mainly administered upon, ending Jnly 1, 1884, with the beginning of the preparation for the New Orleans Exposition; second, the New Orleans Exposition period, from July 1, 1884, to June 30, 1887, during which the collections for the New Orleans Exposition were made, exhibited at New Orleans, returned to Washington, and installed permanently in the museum; third, the southwest-court period, from July 1, 1887, to October 1, 1889, during which the collections were arranged in the southwest court of the museum.

Jan 1, 1891

By William P. Shinn

MR. GAYLEY'S admirable paper on the " Development of American Blast-Furnaces" has set forth very fully the history of the development of the Edgar Thomson furnaces since the construction of Furnaces A and B ; but it throws no light on the genesis of these furnaces. That earlier history it is the purpose of the present paper to record. Mr. Gayley truly says: "A new era in the manufacture of pigiron began in 1880 with the putting in blast of the Edgar Thomson furnaces." That era had its beginning with the construction of

Jan 1, 1891

By A. Thies, A. Mezcer

The Haile mine is situated in Lancaster county, South Carolina, twenty miles south of Lancaster. The topography of the country is characterized by low hills rising generally less than two hundred feet above the many small creeks which traverse the surface. The road from Kershaw, the nearest railroad station, 3 1/2 miles from the mines, leads through woods with sandy soil and cottonfields. In many places it lies on the bare rock and shows that the adjacent covering of soil and earth is usually not more than one foot thick, and often less. This covering is to a great extent sand. Close by a bridge, about one mile from the mine, large round boulders of diabase may be observed. The country-rock seems to be exclusively talcose slate, with a general strike varying from N. 45' E. to N. 70' E. These variations may be seen in the immediate neighborhood of the mines, the large open cuts of which present exposures favorable to such ob-

Jan 1, 1891

By Eckley B. Coxe

The subject of this paper will be treated as briefly as possible under the following heads : I. The latest designs of some of the machinery used at these collieries in the preparation of coal. 11. The means employed for elevating, conveying and transporting the coal and slate in and about the breaker. 111. The means employed for raising the coal from the mines to the top of the breaker. IV. The iron breaker as a structure. V. The preparation of the coal as effected in the iron breaker. A key to the plates and the letters and numbers designating different parts, will be found at the end of the paper. I. Preparing Coal. Anthracite coal as it comes from the mines is not marketable. The "run of mine" cannot, as in the case of bituminous coal, be sold. Anthracite, being very compact and practically free from volatile combustible matter, burns only at the surface, and it is, therefore, deemed important to have the lumps as nearly of a uniform size as possible, so that between them a large amount of surface will remain exposed to the action of the air without checking the draught too much, or allowing enough air to pass to cool the coal below the ignition-point, In other words, if the pieces of coal of the size of a chestnut and smaller are mixed with lumps of the size of an egg they fill the air-passages and prevent a free draught. It has long been recognized, therefore, that one of the most important points in preparation is to have a uniform sizing, and also to make as large a number of different sizes as can be produced without too

Jan 1, 1891

By Clemens Jones

The peculiar property of the lode-stone has been known for many centuries. It was very early observed that, by contact with it, iron is magnetized; and it is needless to dwell here upon the history allied to this discovery, now constituting the wonderful science of magnetism. Deposits of magnetic ore are distributed all over the world. The ore is sometimes very rich and comparatively free from gangue, sometimes sparsely disseminated in the native rock. These bodies of lean ore often cover large areas. Modern ingenuity has utilized the principle of the magrtet, originally derived from the ore itself, and really belonging to the time of Plato and Theophrastus, to separate the magnetic ore-particles from the rock which has previously been crushed. This process recovers the ore in the state of a concentrate very rich in iron and, in some cases, desirable for Bessemer purposes. The magnetic separator is no longer a novelty. It was only at the last meeting of the Institute in New York, that Messrs. Birkinbine and Edison (Trans., xvii., 728) and Mr. Robert Cook (Ib., 599) described some of' the principal designs of apparatus in use. E. S. Dana classifies the natural magnetic minerals in the following order: magnetite, pyrrhotite, franklinite, almandite and minerals " containing considerable FeO." Of these, ferroso-ferric oxide, or magnetite, is the type. The proportionate amount of ferrous oxide essential to magnetize the compound, is not established. Ferrous oxide appears to be the only magnetic oxide of iron. Tissandier (Compt. Rend., lxxiv., 531) produced ferrous oxide in the anhydrous state, by the action of carbon dioxide on pure iron at a red heat, according to the equation : Fe + CO2 = FeO + CO. This is black, crystalline and magnetic. Heated to redness in the air, it is converted into Fe3O4. Sidot (Compt. Rend., lxvii., 175) has also produced an oxide exhibiting magnetic polarity, by heating ferric oxide to a temperature

Jan 1, 1891

By Conrad E. Hesse

To increase the durability of paint exposed to the weather, it is necessary to protect the oil with a substance that is itself unaffected by the elements. The so-called " metallic " paints, containing ochre,

Jan 1, 1891

By H. H. Campbell

The following pages discuss some problems connected with the manufacture of steel by the open-hearth process. The methods employed necessarily enter into the domain of what is called theory; but the results are eminently practical. The determination of the various losses of thermal power and the investigation into the chemical reactions in the bath, are important to every manufacturer. It will be understood that definite figures concerning one furnace and one system, will not apply to all other furnaces and systems; but it is hoped that methods are developed, which are capable of general application and which will shorten the labors of others. The gas-calculations contain nothing entirely novel; but certain methods appeared to be very convenient and they are here elaborated in order that others may have a model to follow. The determination of the loss of iron by weighing the slag and finding the percentage of iron therein, is probably unusual. If so, the fact is to be regretted, since this is the only way that an accurate result can be obtained. The common method of estimating the loss in open-hearth work, is to subtract the weight of metallic products from that of the materials charged. Nothing could be more unsatisfactory, inaccurate and meaningless. Pig-iron, steel, wrought-iron and ore are charged into the furnace; complicated chemical reactions occur; the sand of the pig-iron, the slag from the wrought-iron, the gangue of the ore, all rise to the top ; the silicon, manganese and carbon burn and leave the metal; some of the iron oxidizes and goes into the slag; some of the ore is reduced and gives up metallic iron ; the recarbonizer is added, the mission of which is to waste itself; in the pouring of the steel, pit-scrap is made in the ladles, around the moulds and under the spout; the errors in weighing the products join hands to make accuracy impossible; and then the " loss" is determined by diffrence !

Jan 1, 1891

By Arthur F. Wendt

Introduction.—In the year 1885, the writer signed a contract to take charge of the reopening and developing of the celebrated old mines of " El Cerro Rico de Potosi." Two years earlier, an Eng- . lish firm of engineers had made a very glowing report on the property. In the summer of 1885, telegrams arrived from the parties in charge of operations at the mountain, claiming the finding of one of the old veins, with an average richness of over 200 ounces to the ton. In the fall of 1886, the author first personally visited Potosi, but found neither the English report nor the telegram borne out by the facts. After an expenditure of over half a million of dollars and more than three years of continuons hard work, the writer succeeded in unwatering and developing one of the principal old veins of the mountain. This vein, called "Cotamitos," now yields ores of about 75 ounces to the ton, and the old historic mountains of Potosi may be said to have again fairly entered the list of silver-producers. The experience of the author, during his residence in Bolivia, and data obtained from Sr. Don F. Avelino Aramayo, form the basis of this description. POTOSI. Etymology of the Name.—The Quichuá (pronounced Keechna) Indians, known to North American students as the " Incas," although the word "inca" merely signifies ''king," or "chief," of the Quichuás, called the mountain "Sumac-orcko," or the beautiful mountain." Eighty-three years before the discovery of the mountain by the Spaniards, the inca, or king, Huaina Ccapac, travelling from Cantumarca to Calque-Porco, saw the mountain of Potosf and, admiring its grandeur and beauty, said that within its bowels there was, no doubt, much silver. He ordered his vassal* to work the mines. They, having carried their mining implements to the mountain, ascended it and were on the point of commencing work, when they heard a voice of thunder, which said: " Do not take

Jan 1, 1891

By Erskine Ramsay

The following description of the Alabama coal-,fields is taken (with slight omissions) from the report " On the Warrior CoalField, by Henry McCalley, A.M., C. and M. E., Assistant State Geologist:" The coal lands of Alabama are of the great coal basin of the Ohio, or of the great Appalachian coal-field, and are estimated at 8660 square miles. They formed one connected field prior to the great Appalachian revolution, when there was pushed up through them long, narrow, anticlinal ridges which have been denuded into the present well-known anticlinal valleys, and thus this great field has been divided up into three more or less distinct parts. These parts were named by Prof. Tuomey, in 1849, the Warrior, the Cahaba and the Coosa coal-fields, respectively, from the names of the rivers which drain them. They are of very unequal size, the Warrior, with an area of 7810 square miles, being nearly ten times as large as the other two combined, and about two-thirds as large as the coal-area of Great Britain. This Warrior field is the most northwestern of the three coal-fields of Alabama, and comprises all of the coal-measnres in Alabama, northwest of the Alabama Great Southern railroad, or all of those drained by the Warrior and Tennessee rivers. The greater part of this field, almost all of it away from the present railroad lines, has never received more than a surface-examination. Still, we have in the Warrior coal-field one of the richest coal-basins of this or any other country. As a whole, the Warrior coal-field is a broad, shallow, tray-shaped depression, sloping towards the southwest, and with its southwest end covered by a newer formation and its southeast side, especially, complicated by folds and fractures. As is the case with all of our Coal Measures. it is composed of a series of sandstones. conglomerates, shales, slates and coal-seams, with some little limestone at several horizontal positions, but contains no thick bed of this last rock like the Measures of Pennsylvania and other States. The thickest conglomerates are near the bottom and top of the series, and hence these coals might be said to belong mainly to the

Jan 1, 1891

By H. M. Chance

By courtesy of the officials of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad, I am permitted to publish the results of an examination made in 1887 and 1888 of' the country west of the Black Hills, and lying between the Black Hills and the foot-hills of the Big Horn Mountains in the northeastern part of Wyoming. With the exception of the country constituting the foot-hills, or the encircling ridge or rim of the Black Hills proper, all of this area is occupied by rocks of Cretaceous age. In the central part of the Black Hills are found the tin-bearing granites, the mica-schists, and gold-bearing slates, already so well known. Surrounding this central area of older rocks (which should be considered as the "Hills" proper) are the attenuated representatives of the Palzeozoic, dipping gently away from the Hills in every direction, overlaid by the gypsum-bearing Mesozoic, which here forms a bold high ridge or rim, completely encircling the Black Hills, and known as the inner ridge. Overlying, and apparently conformable to this, we find the Dakota sandstone, which likewise forms a prominent ridge or rim, known as the first or outer ridge. This is the formation which contains the coal now worked at the mines near Newcastle. It is also the formation in which the best oil-wells have been obtained in the "Stoakdale," or "Beaver," and the " Belle Fourche " oil-districts. Overlying it are the Colorado shales, forming the great plains drained by Beaver creek and the south fork of the Cheyenne river, and extending west to the Belle Fourche, near Donkey creek, where the overlying Fox Hill formation (thin) and the Laramie group, the great lignite-formation, are first seen. The Laramie group occupies the surface from the Belle Fourche at Donkey creek west to the foothills of the Big Horn mountains at Buffalo, an air-line distance of some seventy or eighty miles.

Jan 1, 1891

By A. Thies, Wm. B. Phillips

1. Introductory Remarks.—The Haile Gold Mine is in Lancaster county, South Carolina, 3 1/2 miles east of Kershaw station on the Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railway. It was first opened about, the year 1832, and since that time has passed through various fortunes. Many different operations have been practiced here for extracting the gold : panning, grinding in Chilian mills or arrastras, stamping, the Designolle process, dry-crushing, and finally the Thies process of barrel-chlorination, which has now been in successful use for 2 1/2 years, and by which 36,000 tons of ore have been treated profitably. The Thies process is in brief the treatment of dead-roasted auriferous concentrates (pyrite, sometimes also chalcopyrite, as at the Phœnix mine, Cabarrus Co., N. C.) with nascent chlorine, without ' artificial pressure or exhaust, in lead-lined iron cylinders; the throw-

Jan 1, 1891

By Edwin R. Walker

The old adage, " Necessity is the mother of invention," is fully borne out in the case of the device described in this paper. About four years ago the firm of the writer received instructions from Sir John Hawkshaw, C. E., and I. Wolf Barry, Esq., C. E., to construct and erect three large Guibal fans for ventilating a portion of the Metropolitan and District Underground Railway, of London. On account of the cost of coal and the very limited space for boilers, it was arranged that the fans should be driven by gas-engines. Those who have had experience with Guibal fans will be aware that as each blade or vane passes the lower edge of the shutter a pulsatory action takes place. When the fans above mentioned were set to work, the pulsation or vibration of the immense volumes of air discharged was so great that it caused a corresponding vibration of the window-sashes, doors, etc., of the surrounding buildings; and this was so unpleasant that the shopkeepers and others near obtained an injunction against the railroad company, compelling it to stop one of the fans. The work was by this time out of our hands, and we only casually heard what had taken place, learning also that, in addition to this injunction, another was threatened in the case of the second fan, and that the railroad company had thus far escaped the enforcement of this threat by agreeing to run the second fan at a few short stated intervals only during each day. In considering the case, it occurred to us to incline the lower edge of the shutter, instead of making it parallel with the axis of the fan,. by which means we thought that the waves of air might be broken

Jan 1, 1891

New York State Museum, Albany, N. Y. D H. Newland, State Geologist. A complete list of publications or the latest lists of available publications will be sent upon application. A series of Bulletins on The Mining and Quarry Industry of New York are available as follows: Bulletin 51 (1910), 15 cents; 161 (1911), 20 cents; 166 (1912), 20 cents, 174 (1913), 20 cents; 190 (1915), 15 cents; 277 (1925-26), 50 cents; 295 (1927-1929), 40 cents. Another series discusses the Geology of the State by Quad¬rangles, available as follows: Bulletin 153, Broadalbin Quad (1911), 25 cents; 154, Sche¬nectady Quad. (1911), 20 cents, 170, North Creek Quad . (1914)

Jan 1, 1933