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By James Gayley

The paper presented to the Institute in 1910, by H. O. Hof-man, on Recent Progress in Blast Roasting,' has called the attention of the iron industry to the adaptability of these processes to the reclamation of by-products such as flue-dust and blue billy, and the better preparation of concentrates and fine ores for use in blast-furnaces. The waste of valuable iron-ore through the production of flue-dust has increased at an enormous rate, and much of it has in

Jan 1, 1912

By R. V. Norris

The anthracite coal trade, with a shipment averaging about 70,000,000 tons per year, differs essentially from other coal business, iii the fact that the larger sizes, comprising about 65 per cent. of the total, are used almost exclusively for domestic purposes, principally during the winter months; and that for proper combustion close-sizing is imperative, so that eight sizes are made; broken, egg, stove, and nut, known as prepared sizes, and pea, buckwheat, rice, and barley, known as steam sizes. These sizes are made in the regular course of preparation, and but little variation in the natural percentage of each is practicable. Thus it is necessary either to work the collieries intermittently, or to dispose of all the varying sizes in their fixed proportions. Unfortunately, the market does not at all times absorb the coal in proper proportions, and rather than interfere with the regular operation of the mines it has been found economical to provide storage for the excess. While the cellars of' the consumers are the great storage-plants of the country, this capacity is not under the control of the trade, except so far as reduced prices during the spring and summer months may tempt the use of this reserve. The same remark applies but with less force to the retail yards, which, though usually small, store in the aggregate a large amount of anthracite. While every effort is made to utilize to the utmost the individual storage-capacity of the country, there still remains the necessity for taking care of the irregularities of the market by the construction of storage-plants under the direct control of the producers. Such plants are usually the property of the railroads, and are situated at points most convenient from a traffic stand-point.

Jan 1, 1912

By John Birkinbine

Modern advances in practically all lines of industrial develo1)ment have occurred in such rapid succession, and have been accepted so readily as accomplished facts, that a retrospect surprises us, by showing how comparatively few of the acknowledged factors of improved conditions may be considered as old. While these advances have not been confined to any country, they have been more pronounced in some than in others, and nowhere more so than in the United States, the population of which, having multiplied nearly three-fold between 1870 and 1910, demanded a proportionately greater increase in materials, supplies, and manufactured products. It therefore appears desirable to discuss mainly conditions in the United States, as concrete evidence of industrial progress throughout the world. Looking backward for but three generations, me mar trace the introduction and developmerit of canal- and steamboat-narigation ; railroad-transportation; artificial illumination beyond that f'urnished by candles and animal-oils; quick communication by mail, and subsequently by telegraph or telephone; the manufacture of iron, beyond forms of small dimensions; the production and utilization of steel in large quantities; the economic use of mineral fuel, oil and gas, etc. The practical coincidence of the fortieth anniversary and the 100th technical meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, offers temptation to recall and compare the conditions of milling and metallurgy in or about the years 1871 .and 1911. A complete résumé would cover phenomenal changes in mining-methods and equipment by which the output of individual exploitations has grown from scores to hundreds and even thousands of units in equal time-intervals. Extension of operations in depth and area, demanding machinery of great power and efficiency, high percentage of extraction, utilization of what

Jan 1, 1912

By Albert Sauveur

The instrument about to be described meets so perfectly the special needs of the metal microscopist that there eeeme to be little doubt but its merits must be readily appreciated by those who have had any experience in the microscopical examination of metals. The Microscope-Stand.—The microscope-stand proper, Fig. 1, consists of a microscope-tube, provided with both coarse and fine adjustments of the best construction, and with a draw-tube, rigidly mounted on a bar supported at both ends on substantial and firm cast-iron legs. The height between the table and the under side of the supporting bar is 5 in. and the distance between the supporting legs 12 inches. This arrangement affords free space below the objective for the examination of large epecimens of metals, such as full rail-sections, without detracting in the least from the value of the

Jan 1, 1912

By Henry B. Kaeding

This paper presents the results of experiments in the treatnient of the gold-bearing ores of the Pis Pis district, near the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, C. A. Up to the present time, the methods in use in this section of the country for the extraction of the values from the ores have been of the crudest, and the waste has been criminal in its enormity. The transportation of heavy machinery being difficult and costly, recourse has been had to flimsy and inadequate installations, involving great wastes in operation. In some places $15 ore is considered the lowest workable grade. One mine that came under my observation had a 7-ft. vein of $23 ore when examined for purchase; it has been running for years and is now deeply in debt. The future metallurgy of these ores must depend upon chemical, mechanical, and economical considerations—the last being, of course, a resultant of the two former, discussed in the light of prevailing or realizable commercial and industrial conditions. I. Chemical. The ores consist principally of quartz, carrying galena, pyrite, marcasite, and chalcopyrite, and occasionally magnetite, hematite, pyromorphite, and sphalerite, in which minerals the gold lies. The quartz veins occur between malls of andesite, " porphyry," or dioritic rocks, occasionally limestone and dacite. Often the dacite itself is heavily ribbed and filled with auriferous quartz, and is mined as ore. Owing to the excessive rainfall of the country, the ores above water-level have been oxidized and leached of their sulphides, and have become in that operation highly acid and free from

Jan 1, 1912

By W. L. Saunders

It is now generally admitted by experts that at least so far as rapid progress is concerned the Alpine system of tunnel-driving is superior to any other. This is perhaps natural in view of the record of experience in driving tunnels through the Alps. These great mountain-chains cannot be treated in the ordinary way by shaft-sinking and driving headings, thus multiplying the points of attack. The work must be done from the ends only, hence speed in driving is of the utmost importance ; and, as necessity is the mother of invention, the concentration of effort to make progress has resulted in an organization and in mechanical appliances that have produced results so much in excess of the usual practice, even in America, that a discussion of the subject in detail should be of much value to the engineer and contractor. The first Alpine tunnel mas the Mont Cenis, length 7.5 miles, driven with a progress that averaged about 7.75 ft. per day. Next came the Saint Gothard, 9.5 niiles long, 18 ft. per day; Arlberg, 6.5 miles long, 27.25 ft. per day; Simplon, 12.25 miles long, 36 ft. per day. The figures represent progress when driving from two headings, so that by dividing them in two we get the daily single-heading progress. The latest of the Alpine tunnels is the Loetschberg, now being driven. In this work the world's record has been beaten by a single day's record in one heading of 36 ft. and by an average daily record in one heading of 29.5 feet. The Alpine range forms a natural barrier between a large section of northern and southern Europe. This range extends from the southeast of Prance to the frontier of Hungary, betveen Italy and the plains of sonthern Germany. The contour

Jan 1, 1912

By C. L. Baker

The district of Catoree, San Luis Potosi, ranks among the first half-dozen silver-producing camps of Mexico. Mining has been more or less continuous there for 150 years. The large producing mines, Mapnni, Mazapil, Palomas, Musquiz, Minas Viejas, now for the most part idle or abandoned, are grouped around the head of two valleys: one, which drains to the west, falls 2000 ft. (610 m.) in 41/2 mi. (7.2 km.) between the main Catorce and the western foot of the range and is characterized by steep canon walls; the other, east of the main town of Catoree from which it is separated by a high divide, heads in a number of steep tributaries above the basin in which lies the town of Potrero and flows nearly north for 10 mi. (16 km.) to the northern base of the range; below Potrero, it has for the most part gently sloping valley walls and a broad valley floor. The Sierra Catorce is the highest range of the region, the summits reaching altitudes of over 11,000 ft. With the exception of a few cliffs of the erosion escarpment of the lower limestone and the canon walls below the main town of Catoree, which is the highest town in Mexico, the gently rounded slopes are characteristic of a maturely eroded mountain range composed of folded sedimentary rocks. As is usual in desert regions, the heavy-bedded limestones are the most resistant to crosivc forces. Folded into anticlines, they form the mountain ranges; and the intermontane valleys and basins, originally carved out of less resistant shales, clays, marls and sandstone?, are covered by debris forming a mantle with surface gradually rising upwards toward the hills. In time, the debris buries, in deposits formed from their own ruins, all but the highest summits of the original mountains: some of this region has already nearly reached this stage. Most of the debris is firmly cemented by calcium carbonate (caliche). Solution of the limestone by meteoric waters afforded the supply of lime carbonate, which has been redeposited upon evaporation of the waters as a cement binding the boulders, pebblcs, and finer detritus. According to tradition, the higher portions of the Sierra Catoree were forested with pines and cedars but none remain within the mining district, although cedar is found farther south in the range. The vegeta-

Jan 1, 1922

By Edel Moldenke

Burma has long been known for its ruby, tungsten, and tin deposits, and, lately, for having the largest lead-zinc mine in the world, the Bawd-win mine of the Burma Corpn. All the coal used, however, is imported from Calcutta; this is a bituminous coal of about 11,000 B.t.u., 24 per cent. ash, and costs about $8 per ton. Bituminous coal has not, thus far, been found, but many lignite deposits are known. The most promising lignite deposits are in the Namma field, Fig. 1, situated in the Northern Shan States of Upper Burma, about 30 mi. south of Lashio, the terminus of the Burma Railway, 750 mi. north of Rangoon. The

Jan 1, 1922

By H. D. Kynor

By the term mechanical mining is meant that operation, or series of operations, that replace the hand methods of mining. The first undercutting machine to operate in anthracite was placed in the Butler mine of the Hillside Coal and Iron Co., Dec. 23, 1910, by the Sullivan Machinery Co. The first Jackhamer used in the anthracite field was installed at the Wadesville colliery of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Co. in Oct., 1912, by the Ingersoll-Rand Co. The first longwall conveyor was installed at the Dodge mines of the Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western Coal Co. in March, 1912. The first mechanical scraper equipment was installed in the Seneca mines of the Lehigh Valley Coal Co. in January, 1914. The amount of anthracite mechanically mined since the first mining machine was installed in 1910" is as follows: Penna. Coal Co. D. L. & W.. ScRanton Temple Hudson YeaR and Hill- Tons Coal Co., Coal Co., Coal Co., Total, side Coal Tons Tons Tons Tons and Iron. Tons 1920................ 372,737b 367,000d 322,892 74,127 371,878 1,508,634 1919................ 950,786 no record 306,616 81,575 319,356 1,658,333 1918................ 917,778 744,966 24,880 44,756 288,781 2,021,161 1917................ 757,940 838,800 5,050 57,279 164,180 1,823,249 1916................ 286,780 860,663 13,960 114,173 101,475 1,377,051 1915................ 428,819 592,169 8,253 1,029,241 1914................ 219,188 153,896 373,084 1913................ 171,505 1912................ 124,267 124,267 1911................ 40,319 40,319 1910................ 1,184 1,184 a A slightly greater production was obtained than here indicated, as the tonnage from individual operations is not shown. b Decrease due to strike conditions in 1920. c Does not include tonnage of D., L., & W. d D., L., & W. decrease in 1920 due to having fewer mining machines in operation. There are about 150 undercutters in use in the anthracite region, 80 mechanical loaders, and 10 longwall conveyors.

Jan 1, 1922

By Douglas Bunting

In the anthracite fields of Pennsylvania, mine fires occur with more or less regularity and their existence is an ever-present hazard in coal mining. In all probability 90 per cent. of the mine fires can be ascribed directly or indirectly to the ordinary miner's open lamp. Other causes may be smoking, electrical installations, gas explosions, gas feeders, and the communication of fire to the outcrops from ash dumps, culm banks, timber and brush fires. Fires in pump rooms, engine rooms, and barns have been largely eliminated as a result of the Act of Assembly, approved June 15, 1911, which provides that all inside buildings, including engine rooms, pump rooms, barns, etc., shall be constructed of incombustible materials. Smoking of pipes, cigars, and cigarettes should be prohibited in the mines and too much care cannot be exercised in preventing fires by enforcing all rules designed for that purpose. Mine fires that involve underground fighting are invariably dangerous, and all fires, irrespective of the method pursued in extinguishing them, involve property loss and expense. Each fire generally presents a more or less original problem, dependent on the particular conditions. Generally mine fires may be divided into two classes: Those occurring in inaccessible workings and those occurring in accessible workings. The methods pursued in extinguishing or controlling mine fires are as follows: (I) direct attack, (2) smothering by sealing, (3) flushing with silt or other solids, (4) flooding with water, (5) cutting off, (6) surrounding with incombustible materials, (7) digging out by stripping from the surface. Most fires arc extinguished in their incipiency by direct attack and failure to extinguish by this method is due to late discovery, lack of water, and facilities for fighting, or improper procedure in the initial attack. Should the method first pursued be unsuccessful, careful consideration should be given in determining next the method to be adopted; then the work should be carried on as rapidly as possible and under the supervision of the most competent persons. Materials and supplies should be furnished without delay and in sufficient quantities for the work to be accomplished.

Jan 1, 1922

By James F. Kemp

In earlier gears, the custom prevailed of regarding the anthracite basins as cases of folding with slight development of faulting. Folding is so pronounced and, in the eastern and western Middle Fields, at times so violent, that the inference was a natural one and led to the widespread impression that practically all the disturbances of the seams could be explained in this way. The cross-sections and maps prepared forty or more years ago for the Second Geological Survey of P ennsylvania, by Mr. Ashburner under Prof. J. P. Lesley, exhibit little else than folds.' So far as I can discover faults fail in the charts, except in one small case in the Henry colliery near Plainsville on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre. Some years ago, while spending a day or two in Wilkes-Barr, under the guidance of R. V. Norris, I looked over some recent and accurate cross-sections of a numbcr of the large collieries and was deeply impressed with the peculiar behavior of some of the seams and the intervening shales. Thus, a seam might present a small, more or less overturned fold, rising 30 to 50 ft. (9 to 15m.) above its general course, and yet the movement would be taken up in the overlying shales, so as hardly to be noticeable in the seams next above or below. These and similar anomalies, especially when shown with the accuracy of engineer's surveys, possess great scientific and practical interest, bearing as they do, not alone on coal mining, but on theoretical geology and the actual behavior of strata under great compressive stresses. In preparation for the semicentennial meeting of the Institute, an effort was therefore made to secure some of the most interesting sections for presentation to the members. The collection of illustrations here shown is mainly due to Douglas Bunting of the local committee, to whom and to the contributing companies acknowledgments are due. The illustrations are taken from all four of the main basins, but are chiefly from the portions nearest Wilkes-Barre. The first are in the

Jan 1, 1922

By J. L. Bruce

' For a number of years, from an economic standpoint, the ventilation of the Colorado mine of the Davis-Daly Copper Co. has been a difficult problem. The development through the main hoisting shaft was pursued for a number of years and to a depth of about 2500 ft.(762 m.)before large bodies of good commercial ore were opened. This lack of early success in exploration restricted expenditures for ventilation, with the result that the present orebodies were developed at a depth of 2500 ft., and in country rock of relatively high temperature, without adequate means of supplying the development faces and the stopes with cool or fresh air of low humidity and suitable velocity. During the progress of development, two or three connections were made at higher levels with the workings of adjoining operations, but these were of a makeshift and unsatisfactory character and afforded no means for carrying downcast air from the surface, in anything approaching a direct course, to the working faces. During the latter part of 1917, arrangements were made with the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., whereby, during the year 1918 and the early part of the year 1919, a crosscut was driven eastwards on the 2500-ft. level of the Colorado shaft and connection was made by means of an up-raise of approximately 200 ft. to a crosscut driven westwards from the 2800-ft. level of the Belmont mine, this crosscut at the top of the raise being driven at Davis-Daly expense by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. This connection, in conjunction with a No. 11 Sirocco fan installed near the Colorado shaft, provided the Colorado mine with a maximum of approximately 30,000 cu. ft. per min. of relatively fresh air, most of which came in a fairly direct route from the downcast Belmont shaft through the No. 11 fan to the 2500-ft. level stopes. After passing through these stopes and the stopes of overlying levels, it passed through the main crosscuts on higher levels back to the Colorado shaft, which provided the upcast for this current of air. The improvement noted on the completion of this work was marked, and, for a time, fairly satisfactory. Further extension of the mine workings, however, and

Jan 1, 1922

By D. H. Newland

Certain observations from the field and laboratory suggest the need for recasting some of our ideas about gypsum as a rock-forming mineral and in relation to supplies for industrial use. Until about 25 years ago, the use of gypsum was confined almost entirely to agriculture. During the past quarter century, though, its usefulness has been greatly developed, particularly in the building trades, which now absorb most of the gypsum produced. In 1919, according to the U. S. Geological Survey, the output of crude gypsum was 2,240,163 tons, a gain of 912 per cent. in 25 years. About one-half of this production was mined in New York, Ohio, and Michigan, where the proved supplies can hardly be regarded as over-large when viewed in relation to the rapid expansion of industrial requirements. The occurrence of gypsum in the United States is treated by R. W. Stone and others.' The deposits of Canada are described by L. H. Cole. Several states, including Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Michigan,and New York, have made special surveys of their gypsum deposits, but the reports, as a rule, refer to conditions as they existed from 15 to 20 years ago. Association of Gypsum and Anhydrite The two calcium sulfate compounds, gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) and anhydrite (CaS04), are the more stable forms of a series which includes at least two other members, so-called half-hydrate (CaSO4.1/2H20) and soluble anhydrite (CaS04). Each of the latter readily takes up water to recrystallize as gypsum and consequently is incapable of existence under ordinary geological conditions; also each can be prepared from gypsum by the application of heat within certain temperatures, the process on which is based the manufacture of commercial plasters. If the temperature limitations are not observed, the result of the calcination process will be insoluble anhydrite which, compared with the soluble form, takes up water very slowly so as to be of no practical use, although actually it is soluble and in time is convertible into gypsum like the other forms.

Jan 1, 1922

By Dever C. Ashmead

Anthracite was first mined in the Wyoming Valley and sold as an article of commerce in 1808. As some preparation has always been necessary to make it ready to burn, the preparation of anthracite must date back over a hundred years. Two vital factors have determined to a large extent the degree and the method of anthracite preparation. These are, first, the character of the beds worked and the methods by which they are mined and, second, the equipment used and practices followed in the burning of the coal. It is not the intention here to go deeply into these phases of preparation as a paper of no mean length could be prepared on the history of either. Rather, the intention here is to point out the main considerations and to show the influence they have exerted on the preparation of anthracitc. Mining Methods and Their Relation to Preparation In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the coal beds were virgin with the possible exception of some outcroppings that had been worked, to a slight extent, by the Indians. It is known that the American aborigines had a, knowledge of the use of this fuel, because when the Wyoming Valley was purchased from them, in 1754, they mentioned the fact that, by selling the land, they would lose their coal. Real mining of anthracite began about 1808 when Judge Jesse Fell, of Wilkes-Barre, discovered that the "common stone coal of the valley" could be burned in an open grate. For some years thereafter mining was conducted near the surface. The working p1aces were driven narrow; only the best of the coal was selected and the remainder was left in the ground. Only the lumps could be used, as no market existed for other sizes. As time passed, however, it became necessary either to go farther into the ground or to widen the working places. When these places were widened, falls of roof were apt to occur, making it necessary

Jan 1, 1922

By Donald Markle

Anthracoal is a mixture of small particles of anthracite coal and a matrix of practically pure carbon, formed from the distillation of coal-tar pitch or other suitable bitumen. It is a hard, dense, homogeneous mass, with a silvery luster and in color varies from silvery to grayish black. When pushed from the oven, it develops only partly the fingerlike structure of coke; but, unlike coke, it has a tendency to remain in blocky masses. When struck with a hammer or passed through crushing rolls, it breaks with an irregular fracture, similar to anthracite, but with very little fines. Due to its density, anthracoal is harder, tougher, and stronger than coke. The results of a test made by the blast-furnace department, of the Bethlehem Steel Co., on two barrels of anthracoal are given in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1922

By J. W. Fuller

During the last 20 years, experimenters have sought to utilize pulverized coal in boiler plants, but refractory and slag troubles have usually overbalanced any gains in efficiency that were obtained. These troubles were caused largely by lack of knowledge of the proper methods of coal preparation and lack of a furnace design that would be adaptable to pulverized-coal firing. When this information was obtained the results were so much more satisfactory that within the last 5 years approximately 80,000 boiler hp. have been installed in plants ranging from 1000 to 20,000 boiler hp. rated capacity, which are operating at an average of 174 per cent. of rating. The first commercial installation for burning pulverized coal under boilers was made at the Parsons shops of the M. K. & T. railroad in 1916. Of eight 250-hp. water-tube boilers thus fitted, six were operated continuously for 3 yr., when oil was obtained at such a low price as to warrant its use. Since then, this plant has been operating alternately on pulverized coal and oil, depending on prevailing prices. Recently gas has been discovered within 20 mi. of this plant, so that this fuel may also be used. No change in furnace design was made when changing from pulverized coal to oil or gas firing. One of the principal advantages of this method of firing is its ability to utilize, with maximum efficiency, all kinds of coal, irrespective of quality or physical characteristics. In fact, quite a number of the present pulverized-coal installations were made for the purpose of utilizing coal that could not be marketed or used in any other way. The Pacific Coast Coal Co., at Black Diamond, Wash., formerly hand fired the boilers, using approximately 125 tons of prepared steam-size coal daily. The Black Diamond steam coal is the best quality of coal for steaming purposes mined in that section of the country, and there is a market for all that can be produced. By installing a pulverizing plant, it was possible to substitute coal of a size and quality that had no commercial value, so that 125 tons daily of the best steam coal formerly used at the mines is now marketed. This company made a similar installation, at its New Castle, Wash., mine with approximately similar results. Each of these two plants has a

Jan 1, 1922

By C. H. Stein

The Pennsylvania Legislature, on March 13, 1837, passed an act authorizing the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. to construct a railway to connect the North Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal with the slack water navigation of the Lehigh River; the navigation company accepted this act on May 10, 1837. Edwin A. Douglas, chief engineer for the navigation company, located the route for this railway from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre, which was called the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad. The object was to transport coal from the Wyoming Valley, of Pennsylvania, to the Atlantic seaboard. This railway was considered a marvelous piece of engineering, as it included a tunnel nearly 55 mi. long, and a series of inclines, or planes, up which the cars laden with coal were raised from the vicinity of Ashley to the summit of the mountain near Solomon's Gap, whence they were taken to White Haven by rail. There the coal was transferred to canal boats. In June, 1862, floods almost completely destroyed the upper division of the canal, so on March 4, 1863, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed an act prohibiting its restoration, but granted a charter for the construction of a railway from White Haven to Mauch Chunk to connect with the line from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre, previously built. On March 16, 1864, a supplementary act was passed extending the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad to Easton, Pa. This completed a direct all-rail route from Wilkes-Barre to the New York harbor (by way of the Central Railroad of New Jersey). Up to this time, all freight and passenger traffic passed over the planes, but in 1866 and 1867 there was constructed what was known as the "back track" down the mountain side between Solomon's Gap and Ashley over which all the passenger traffic and empty cars thereafter passed; it is now known as part of the main line. For the handling of the heavy coal traffic, however, this would have involved a continuous climb from Ashley, 170.27 mi., from New York, to Solomon's Gap, 157.8 mi. from New York, or a distance of 12.47 mi., and a total ascent of 1013.75 ft., composed of grades 95.61, 83, and 51.4 ft. per mi., respectively, and

Jan 1, 1922

By R. J. Wensley

The use of small substations for the supplying of 275-volt energy to the locomotive and cutting machines in coal mines is a well-established practice. A few years ago, when labor costs were lower, these substations were located as near to the load as possible, and an operator was provided for each station. This practice has now become so expensive that substations are being located with reference to other mining machinery, such as hoists or pumps, so that one operator can look after both. Sometimes the substation is operated by one whose duties make him traverse quite a large area. In such cases the interruption of alternating-current supply may produce a long interruption in the direct current, as the station cannot resume service until this man reaches it. Such interruptions interfere seriously with production and may easily counterbalance the supposed saving gained by such operating methods. The grouping of substations for convenience in operating may also result in excessive copper loss and consequently poor trolley voltage, with its attendant evils of low locomotive speeds and increased locomotive motor maintenance. The speed of the coal-cutting machines will also be reduced. By relieving the substation of its burden of the operating labor cost, the most economical location, from an electrical standpoint, may be chosen. The matter of machine insurance should also be considered. If an attendant is caring for several kinds of equipment, he cannot watch the machine continually for signs of trouble; therefore, continued overload, phase failure, low alternating-current voltage, bearing trouble, etc. may result. Some partly automatic equipments have been installed; these have protection against low voltage, reverse current, and bearing trouble and are provided with automatic reclosing circuit breakers. This is a step in the right direction but it does not go far enough to give first-class machine insurance. The saving in maintenance costs is often the smallest item, when considering the automatic substation as machine insurance. When the coils in a machine are roasted out, due to continued overload or to opera-

Jan 1, 1922

By J. B. Dilworth

The word ".development," as used in connection with mining, is a rather general term and in most instances must be qualified or explained before the exact thought in the mind of the user is made clear. For instance, by the development of a mining district is often meant its entire facilities of mineral production, such as railroads, towns, mine plants, etc. In speaking of the development of a property its prospecting by test pits or diamond drill borings may be referred to; or it may be the mines, strip pits or quarries from which the coal, ore or rock is won. Rut, as a rule, when the development of an individual mine is spoken of the idea in mind is the system of underground workings by means of which the mineral is recovered and transported to the surface. It is this character of development that is considered here. The discussion will be confined to the ordinary room-and-pillar system of mining practically horizontal coal seams that is used in most bituminous coal mines in this country, and to only two phases of this subject; viz., what is properly included under the head of "Development" as it appears on the books of a coal company or the inventories of an examining engineer, and how its " value " should be determined by the accountant or engineer. No absolute rule or definite agreement covers these points, yet these questions are far more than academic. Development is often an important part of a mining company's assets, affecting the amount of its invested capital (and hence its rate of taxation under present Federal income tax laws) as well as the value of its total assets and the amounts chargeable to cost of coal and to depreciation. Mine Development Account Perhaps the majority of mine accountants will agree that the mine development account is that capital account which shows the extraordinary expenditures incurred in opening and expanding the underground workings of a mine until it has reached its normal production, the expenditures being those made for shafts, slopes, rock tunnels, drift mouths and such relatively permanent work; also payments over and above ordinary mining costs made for driving entries, air courses and break-through; for

Jan 1, 1922

By Graham Bright

The rapid increase in reliability, the low cost of operation, the ready application of safety devices, and the growing availability of central-station power have made the question of installing a hoist of the electric type no longer debatable. Where adequate electric power is available, there are few cases where it would be advisable to install a steam or air hoist. The type of electrical equipment depends largely on the nature of the power supply, its capacity, and the form of the power contract under which power is purchased. In a large majority of cases, the available electric power is alternating current, three phase, 60 cycles. There is, however, considerable 25-cycle power in use; and in a few instances constant voltage direct current is the only power available for a small or an occasional medium-size hoist. Where a new hoist is to be installed, the designer of the mechanical parts can readily take care of the maximum stresses likely to be imposed by the motor. Where the hoist is already installed and operated by steam or air and it is desired to substitute an electric motor for the engine, a careful check should be made to determine the advisability of using the old mechanical parts. In most cases it is better to install a complete new hoist than to attempt to use old mechanical parts. A steam engine has a definite maximum torque, which the hoist has been designed to withstand, while a motor may be able to deliver momentary torques beyond the strength of the mechanical parts of the hoist. The selection of the proper type of electrical equipment can only be made after complete information is obtained and certain calculations made to determine the capacities required. There are several methods used in making hoist calculations, but no matter what method is utilized a fair degree of familiarity with hoists and hoisting conditions is necessary before an intelligent analysis and proper selection can be made. Forms Used in Hoisting Calculations Some of the hoist calculation methods are long and complicated. Where such calculations are seldom made, it is better to use the

Jan 1, 1922