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Jan 1, 1941

By E. J. Gleim

[of- ac tore affecting the e -success of recent conveyor miningsystems forLt. extraction. 1 GL C ,_tfreedom shoot &apos;_)`u 2--ethe.1 is coal while e en othershot firers re:7 t _e&apos; _U-tin , w J, e coal .Z- 311.ing States conveyors because ;-.;lax .ca requires thatblasting be limited to when c .. men os. _o tend neces¬sary officials 1 s . re out c-z ,r 7t ...y e:e l z<: woes no t a -¬#to 1 C" such restriction on blasting conveyor miningbeen extendedWhere ere t ere. re no _ c: t&apos;_ _c tit-----! . kind cutlasting;,1CL?; C&apos;. _ z)carried anI-7LC. AT continuouslyHowever, unless et._&apos;0:, precations are taken under r&apos;t e , accidents, n is or such, as111 electricity r 1C- from.J--_,._.1t ,° =&apos;1?without usingholes, as well as numerous-o _&apos;1&apos;-1 -= e troublehe record of mineexplosions (some of themSo so _C&apos;_ °:&apos;,v 0f rock- dusting]

Jan 1, 1941

By A. S. Richardson

AIR conditioning, or air cooling, for the improvement of ventilation in the Butte mines has come into increasing use during the past 10 years. In part, the methods practiced have been described in previous publications of the Institute, but some improvements on earlier methods have been made and a number of new features have been developed. This paper is presented as a record of progress made, and for the sake of completeness describes all general features of the work. The need for air conditioning in the ventilation of mines in the district arises from the fact that the temperature of the ground and mine water has shown a very great increase with increase in mining depth, and has now reached a maximum of slightly over 130ºF. The most difficult part of the ventilation problem is the maintenance of temperature and humidity of a satisfactory standard in the working places, especially on the lower levels. Although ordinary ventilation is adequate to maintain good conditions in most of the working places it is subject to a number of limitations at great depth. Most important among these limitations is that with increase in depth the air becomes heated before it reaches the working places, both by compression from increase in atmospheric pressure and by heat transferred to it from rock at high temperature, so that its capacity for lowering temperatures is greatly reduced before it reaches the operating zone. Increasing depth of mining also increases the distance traveled by the air in its passage through the mine, and this causes a corresponding increase in resistance to air flow, so that there is greater difficulty in maintaining even the same volume in circulation. Thus, in the face of a demand that the ventilating system have a very much greater capacity to remove heat from the mine, the tendency is for that capacity to diminish. The only evident alternatives were (I) the opening of additional air shafts to increase the volume of air in circulation, (2) an extension of the existing system that would be subject to the same limitations, or (3) the adoption of an entirely different method such as air cooling. Fortunately for an economic solution of the problem, the mean annual temperature of the surface atmosphere at Butte is about 40°F., with very low relative humidity in summer, so that there is unlimited natural cooling power at a temperature range adaptable to air-conditioning methods. METHODS Two similar methods of air conditioning are used, as necessitated by service requirements and dependent upon the equipment available. In one, which is the more important and has the greater cooling capacity, water is circulated in a closed circuit, and, alternately, first absorbs heat from warm mine air and then dissipates it in the surface atmosphere by cooling at a cooling tower. The second

Jan 1, 1941

By Cyril Wells, Robert F. Mehl

THE two earlier papers in this series1,2 presented data on the rate of diffusion of carbon and of manganese in gamma iron. Apart from their scientific interest, these [] data are needed chiefly in order to treat data on carburization, on the rate of formation of pearlite, and on the rate of austenizing in a quantitative way. 1,2,9,10 In the present investigation rates of diffusion of nickel in -?-Fe over wide temperature and concentration ranges have been determined, and the effects of carbon, of impurities, and of grain size on these rates have been studied. Claussen,3 using the data of Fry,4 has calculated the diffusion coefficient of nickel [ ] in -?-Fe as 9.2 X 10-11 sq. cm. per sec. at 1200T., but had no data from which to calculate the variation of D with concentration, temperature, and percentage of carbon. METHOD AND MATERIALS Method.-Nickel was diffused along the axis of a cylindrical specimen across a concentration gradient, concentration-penetration curves were determined and D values calculated from Grube or Matano solutions.5 Details of the method are given

Jan 1, 1941

By Edward P. Chapman

In the Leadville district toward the close of the "intermediate mesothermal period" of mineralization, there occurred a stage of ore deposition marked by a rather complex mineral association. As bismuth minerals formed in many places during this period, it is here called the "bismuth stage" for convenience of description. The minerals so far identified with this stage, listed roughly in the order of prominence, are: chalco-pyrite; several varieties of galena, differing slightly from one another in their small contents of silver, bismuth and tellurium; altaite; hessite; galenobismutite; alaskaite; aikinite; gold; tennantite; argentite; and perhaps sphalerite and arsenopyrite. With the exception of gold, the age relations of these minerals are difficult to determine. As shown in their descriptions, they all appear contemporaneous and hypogene. Gold may be in part contemporaneous, but most of it is distinctly later. Where minerals of this stage occur so that they can be mined alone, as at the Tucson mine, they constitute high-grade ore. Elsewhere their presence in small amounts has served to increase greatly the value of what otherwise would be low-grade pyritic or zinc-lead sulphide ore. The distribution of the bismuth ores corresponds closely to the distribution of gold ores, though not so general. It seems probable that most of the old in the district was deposited during the "bismuth stage." These ores occur relatively near the supposed centers of mineralization in Breece and Printer Roy Hills or deep down along the Tucson-Maid fault, which is one of the well recognized channels of mineralization in the Iron Hill and Graham Park areas. Consideration of the high-grade nature of this mineralization and the fact that it appears to be found relatively close to the source of mineralization suggests that prospecting along some of the known channels, even deeper than they have yet been prospected, may offer hope of commercial success. Introduction The Leadville district has been studied sinee 1880, and numerous detailed geologic descriptions of it are available in print; so also are more or less complete summaries of the mineral paragenesis, representing what was known at various periods up to 1927, the year of publication of Professional Paper 148.V lie writer has been engaged as consulting geologist at Leadville since the year 1926, and has been able to examine various types of Leadville ores throughout this period. Inasmuch as

Jan 1, 1941

By Edward Wisser

The environment of an ore body is taken to mean not only its physical surroundings but every factor, passive or active, that conditioned the ore shoot, saving only the original composition of the solutions that formed the shoot. Collection of data related to the shape and characteristics of veins should be followed by correlation of the data and the formulation of generalizations regarding ore formation. The nature of the criteria used in arriving at these generalizations is discussed. Certain of the criteria, when used with an understanding of their underlying causes, become "ore-guides." In the course of his study the geologist must not confine himself to the immediate surroundings of the veins, but should attempt to work out the geologic history of events culminating in the crucial epoch for any mining district, the period of mineralization. The work may involve study of features far removed from the veins and related to them only indirectly. It commonly means thorough study of the geology of the entire region surrounding the ore deposits. The following question has been suggested for discussion: "Are there any criteria by which one can determine when mining operations have reached the roots of an ore deposit?" The question deals less with the roots of a particular ore body than with the lower limit of the vertical range within which ore bodies may be expected. It concerns a critical line upon the longitudinal vertical projection of a vein.† Below this line it is useless to look for ore shoots; above the line exploration below the bottoms of individual ore shoots may be justified. Can we learn to determine the position of such a line? In some multivein districts the line for any given vein may be approximated by simple interpolation or extrapolation. Where this is possiblc the bottoms of the lowest ore shoots in the various veins are points on an imaginary, gently rolling surface. The trace of this surface upon the vein is our critical line for that vein. The imaginary surface rolls so gently that it may be projected from two or more known veins to an unexplored vein near by. Here is a criterion for the bottoming of ore that has nothing to do with changes in the appearance of the vein in question; it rests solely on the depth at which the ore bottomed in adjacent veins. The method is not applicable in districts only slightly explored in depth, nor where the lower limit of the ore-bearing horizons

Jan 1, 1941

1. Healthy and active Local Section organizations are vital factors in promoting the vigor and growth of the Institute. 2. Activity on the part of Local Sec¬tions should be recognized and stimu¬lated by appropriation of funds from the Institute&apos;s treasury;. and these appropriations should be as large as is consistent with the relative needs for other activities. 3. As between different Sections, the amount of such appropriations should be based primarily on the extent of activities as reflected in the number and character of meetings held and the attendance of the members at such meetings. 4. In making a request for funds for any year, the officers of a Local Section should submit a report on the printed form approved by the Directors at their meeting on November 19, 1937.

Jan 1, 1941

By Benjamin S. Lindsey, James Norman

BARITE (BaSO4) is the most important industrial barium mineral from the standpoint of quantity consumed. In 1938 the amount was 365,000 tons. Its uses are numerous, some of the more important being in the production of pigments, as an inert filler in a wide variety of products, as a weighting material in oil-well drilling muds, in the manufacture of some kinds of glass, and in the production of barium chemicals. The barite studied in this investigation occurs as the massive variety in a shale replacement formation near Magnet Cove, Ark. It is intimately mixed with quartz and small amounts of iron oxide and residual shale. Complete liberation of barite and quartz is not obtained when the rock is ground to 100 per cent through 325 mesh. The crude rock with which all test work was done assayed 85.1 per cent BaSO4, 11.11 per cent Si02, and 2.85 per cent R203. Its specific gravity was 4.03. It was found in the course of the investigation that the barite contained a small amount of uniformly distributed carbonaceous material, so intimately dispersed that it could not be seen with the microscope, but gave a definite gray cast to the barite concentrates. The color of the barite in polished sections of the crude rock ranged from gray to almost black, while finely ground powder ,was a reddish gray. The reddish hue was due to the iron oxide present. In 1939, under the supervision of Oliver C. Ralston,* the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Milwhite Company, of Houston, Texas, undertook to study the flotation of barite from Magnet Cove, Ark. Flotation of several southern barite ores had already been investigated by the Bureau of Mines.&apos; The Magnet Cove barite was unique, however, in that it had to be ground to such an extremely small particle size for liberation. The flotation of nonmetallic minerals in the presence of a large amount of slime is usually very difficult, and when done is an innovation calling for conditions different from those under which granular material is separated. LABORATORY FLOTATION WORK Preliminary investigation showed that the flotation reagents recommended by O&apos;Meara and Coe1 for separating barite and siliceous material were suitable, but much larger quantities of reagents were required to separate such finely divided material. Moreover, it was found that careful control of the frothing was necessary. When oleic acid and sodium silicate were used a voluminous froth was observed at the beginning of a test, and toward the end there was not enough froth to effect complete recovery of barite. The addition of pine oil as a frother gave proper frothing for the duration of the test, and the substitution of coconut fatty acid (crude lauric acid) for oleic acid produced a more heavily burdened froth. Two different paper-mill fatty-acid products were tested

Jan 1, 1941

By George Sachs

I deeply appreciate the honor of being selected to deliver the twentieth Annual Lecture of the Institute of Metals Division. The subject of my paper is extremely involved and voluminous, therefore I shall discuss only some more recent experimental material and speculate somewhat on the physical and mechanical fundamentals of these changes. The flow and the rupture of a solid material are rather different phenomena. It is therefore surprising that up to a rather advanced stage in metallurgical science these two fundamental phenomena have been simultaneously treated and forced into the general conception of the "failure " of solid material. Only in this century, and particularly during the last 20 years, have the very different physical meanings of flow and rupture been clearly recognized. Several hundred of the more recent publications deal with these subjects.l Law of Similarity The basic values commonly considered responsible for the mechanical behavior of any material are the stresses. From this standpoint both a large and a small article made from the same homogeneous metal and of geometrically similar shapes should behave identically, i.e., they should deform geometrically in a similar manner, if subjected to the same stress values at corresponding points. This "law of similarity" was introduced about 60 years ago simul- taneously by Barba2 and Kick3 and was derived from the classical theory of elasticity. As far as the plastic behavior of a metal is concerned, this rule appears to be valid. The conventional properties of large and small tension or compression test bars, machined from larger sections, are identical; while the force required to deform a section is proportional to its cross-sectional area and the work consumed in deforming geometrically similar articles in a geometrically similar manner is proportional to its volume. The general trend of the stress-strain diagram of a metal is independent of the section size (Fig. I). No exceptions from this rule are known. However, if the deformation of a metal is continued until rupture occurs, and the breaking stress or the work consumed is measured, a test bar of large cross section appears to fail before or at lower stresses than does one having a small cross section. Thus, the specific impact energy has been often found to decrease with increasing size of the test specimen, particularly for materials with a limited ductility.4 Another exception from the rule of similarity is offered by fatigue-strength values, which usually decrease with increasing section size.6&apos;6 The conclusion must be drawn from these experimental facts that the ductility of a homogeneous metal decreases with increasing section size (Fig. I). This effect has been actually confirmed by Docherty,7 who observed that in static notch bending tests large specimens failed earlier and in a more brittle fashion than small specimens ma-

Jan 1, 1941

By Walter Kauzmann

ALL viscous or plastic flow of incompressible matter is the result of shear strain; the changing shape of any body that is being plastically deformed can be completely described in terms of the shear strain occurring at each point in the body.[t] Furthermore, the relative amounts of shear strain occurring in different parts of a body under stress depend upon the relative rates of shear strain at those different points, so that if the dependence of the shear rate of any material on the temperature, shear stress, previous history, etc., were understood, the principles of plastic deformation would be known, and we could calculate how a body made of a given material, having a given shape, and subject to a specified system of forces, would change its shape with time. It may be said, then, that the problem of plasticity resolves itself into, first, the problem of the rates of pure shear processes, and second, the application of what is known about pure shear to actual cases. It is the purpose of this work to investigate the former problem -i.e., the dependence of shear rates on temperature, stress, etc.-from the standpoint of recent developments in the field of chemical-rate theory and with particular reference to the phenomena occurring in the creep of metals and in the plastic flow of crystalline solids in general. It is left for the mechanical engineer, and perhaps the expert in hydrodynamics, to deal with the problem of applications1 RESOLUTION OF MACROSCOPIC SHEAR INTO MICROSCOPIC MOVEMENTS; RESEMBLANCE TO CHEMICAL REACTIONS Just as any large body is made up of many small units, or atoms, so macroscopically observable shear is the result of many microscopic unit shear processes; just as the understanding of the behavior of large bodies demands the understanding of the atoms of which it is made, so the understanding of macroscopic shear demands the understanding of these fundamental unit processes. The study of shear from this "atomistic" point of view has made considerable progress. There has been fairly complete understanding of shear processes in gases for a long time, at least for nonturbulent flow, as a chapter on gaseous viscosity in any text on the kinetic theory of gases will prove. In recent years Andrade2 and Eyring3 have presented important theories for the flow of liquids and amorphous solids. Becker,4 Orowan,5 Taylor,6 Burgers,7 and Kanter8 have considered the

Jan 1, 1941

By S. J. Broderick

[The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of O. C. Ralston, chief engineer, Nonmetals Division, Bureau of Mines, Who suggested the problem and Gave valuable aid during the course of the work. Thanks axe due also to Will H. Coghill, supervising engineer of the Southern Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines. INTRODUCTION One phase of the general program for utilization of coal-mine waste led to the possibility of making a water softener from the material, as the waste matter contained both coal and clay and. it is known that both these substances can be so activated as to exhibit distinct base-exchange properties. The carbonaceous]

Jan 1, 1941

By B. K. Miller, R. S. Bradley

THE principal producing areas of fire clay in Missouri are: (I) the east central district, which includes Audrain, Callaway, Montgomery, Warren, and Boone Counties [ ] (Fig. I); (2) the St. Louis district, which includes St. Louis and St. Louis County; (3) the north central Ozark district, which includes Franklin, Gasconade, Osage, Maries, Phelps, and Crawford Counties. [ ] Most of the semiplastict fire clay is found in Audrain, Callaway, Montgomery and St. Louis Counties, and in St. Louis. Flint fire clay is found in Callaway, Audrain, and Montgomery Counties and in most of the north central Ozark district. High-alumina [ ] diaspore clay is found only in the north central Ozark district, except a few deposits found in Montgomery County. This paper is concerned with the semiplastic fire clay that occurs in the east central Missouri district near Mexico, Audrain County, Missouri, which is mined by the open-pit method as practiced by the A. P. Green Fire Brick Co. About one-fourth of the semiplastic fire clay in that district is mined in shaft mines, and three-fourths in open pits.

Jan 1, 1941

NORTH AMERICA ALASKA Anchorage.-Culver, H. W. Geehan, R. W. Strandberg, H. Chicagof.-Russell, J. C. Tracy, Q. S. College.-Dorsh, J. B. Fox, E. F. Joesting, H. R. Smith, M. C. Wilcox, H. G. Douglas.-Cahill. W. E. Fairbanks.-Adams, J. M. Barber, R. J. Beistline, E. H. Crawford, J. D. Doheny, L. C. Earling. R. B. Greves, J. H. Harris. Q. P., Jr. Henton. H. M. Herbert, C. F. Nester, W. B. Hopkins, J. E. CANADA ALBERTA Calgary.-Allen, R. E. deHart, J. B. Dunn, W. Gray, J. G. Johnson. R. V. Link, T. A. Slipper. S. E. Soul, N. Thorne, B. L. Thorne, H. L. Edmonton.-Ball, M. W. Lilge, E. O. Pitcher, N. C. Nordegg.-Shanks, J. Turner Valley.¬MacKenzie, W. D. C.

Jan 1, 1941

By John L. Boardman

BECAUSE of the attention that has re¬cently been given to the health and safety of miners by various organizations such as the A.I.M.E., The American Congress, Mining Section, National Safety Council, as well as the Bureau of Mines and various state mining departments, your committee on health and safety deemed it best to call attention this year to the mine-accident cause that is by far the most important; namely, injuries due to falls of ground, rock, roof and coal. Each of several members of the committee contributed a brief outline of the importance of this accident cause in his district. While these papers were brief, it would require too much time and space to give them in full, therefore we present an outline of each and summation of all. REPORT OF M. D. COOPER, HILLMAN COAL AND COKE CO. M. D. Cooper, Division superintendent, Hillman Coal and Coke Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., contributed the following: During the period from 1930 to 1939, accidents from falls of roof in bituminous mines average 54.3 per cent of all accidents. In mechanized mining, there is a tendency toward reduction in this class of accidents because the operator of the machine is usually at a distance of 10 to 20 ft. from the face, whereas. in hand loading the miner is close to the face during most of the shift. No doubt the use of aluminum and light steel beams supported at regular intervals by jacks, a common practice in mechanical mining, has contributed to the favorable record so far developed. REPORT OF M. H. FIES, DE BARDELEBEN COAL CORPORATION Milton H. Fies, Vice-President, DeBardeleben Coal Corporation, Birmingham, Ala., says: With reference to the types of mining, it is suggested that a clear understanding be had as to the character and thickness of the directly overlying strata, with especial consideration to the strength and in some cases an analysis of it. In coal mining, generally speaking, overlying strata higher in silica than others is stronger. In changing from narrow to wide places, the procedure should be experimental, both as to the width and depth of places and as to the nature of the necessary timbering. Since most of the accidents in coal mining particularly are due to falls of roof and coal, this phase of mining should be attacked with vigor. There is no substitute for discipline and, in this connection, under present conditions it is important that cooperation by the labor organizations be sought and that a spirit of fairness prevail. Frequent and thorough inspection of all active working places should be made.

Jan 1, 1941

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, Inc. When Mr. Carnegie made. his gift ?for the erection of a suitable union home? for the engineering societies,

Jan 1, 1941

By P. B. Leavenworth

Twenty-six fields were found in the Texas Gulf Coast in 1940 as compared to 17 fields in 1939. Of these, 14 were oil fields and 12 were gas and distillate. About 150 wells were drilling at the end of the year. Production for the year 1940 amounted to 104,127,247 bbl. as compared to 100,-253,937 bbl. for 1939. Considerable wildcatting for Wilcox production featured the exploration, but discoveries were few and the type of fields found mainly gas and distillate. On the whole, the program was discouraging. New Fields Alta Lomu. Galveston County.—The Alta Loma field was discovered on May 20, 1940, by the Stanolind Oil and Gas Company&apos;s No. I John A. Hulen, which blew out at a depth of 9166 it. and ran wild for several days, with an estimated production of 400 bbl. per hour of 36" gravity oil from a sand in the top of the Frio. Water soon appeared but the well produced more than I3o,ooo bbl. of oil between May 20 and June 10, together with a large amount of salt water. Later the well was killed and recompleted on Nov. 23, for 276 bbl. of 34" gravity oil per day. Probably this was the most sensational discovery of the year, although development to the end of the year was disappointing. The discovery was the result of reflection seismograph work of the Stano-End Oil and Gas Co., the principal leaseholders. Bailey&apos;s Prairie, Brazoria County.— Glenn H. McCarthy9s No. I W. B. Munson was completed in a lower Frio sand from perforations 11,345 to II,349 ft. for 8 bbl. of fluid (50 per cent black oil, 27" gravity, and 50 per cent B. S. and W.) on Sept. 24, 1940. It was finally recompleted as a gas well from perforations 11,631 to 11,651 ft., on Oct. 9, 1940. The well had been drilled to a total depth of 11,860 ft. This well produced for only a short time and the area is at present inactive. Blessing, Matagorda County.—The Texas Company&apos;s No. I A. B. Pierce was completed from a Frio sand from 8265 to 8300 ft. on July 8, 1940, for an initial production of 29 bbl. of distillate, I 1/2 million cu. ft. of gas. One other gas and distillate well was completed in 1940. Borden, Wharlon County.—J. F. Hutch-ins&apos; No. 2 A. P. Borden Estate was completed on Feb. 11, 1940, for 108 bbl. of 35,6° gravity oil, from a Frio sand at 4758 to 4771 ft. This is the second well drilled in the area by Hutchins. Two other wells in 1940 were failures and there was no activity at the end of the year. Dyersdale, Harris County.-The Dyers-dale field was opened by the completion, on Sept. 15, 1940, of H. C. Cockburn&apos;s No. I G. Burkitt from a sand in the top of the Frio, through perforations from 4067-4072 ft., for 240 bbl. of low-gravity oil. By the end of the year the field had been fairly well outlined and did not appear to be a major discovery. Duck Bay, Calhoun County.—Coronado Oil Company&apos;s No. I Welder, alter having drilled to 10,002 ft., perforated casing from 5654 1/2 to 5659 it. and was completed for 60 bbl. of 36.8° gravity oil On July 27, 1940, from a Miocene sand.

Jan 1, 1941

By G. S. Scott

In the course of the investigation into the causes, behavior, and control of mine fires, which the Bureau of Mines is now conducting, some attention was given to the subject of spontaneous heating. It is self-evident that the temperature of a pile of broken coal will rice if the rate of generation of heat exceeds the rate of brat dissipation and will fall if the opposite is the case. Factors that affect the rate of generation of heat are:

Jan 1, 1941

By E. C. Truesdale, R. K. Waring

THE Research Division of The New Jersey Zinc Company (of Pa.) has conducted, over a period of years, numerous tests of the reducibility of various zinc ores and the reactivity of various kinds of coal, using a number of different experimental methods. Most of these tests have involved the reduction of mixtures of ore and coal. In such cases the following simultaneous reactions are believed to be mainly responsible for the production of zinc, as was shown by Bodenstein1 some years ago: ZnO + CO = Zn + CO2[I] C + CO2 = 2CO[2]. Each of these reactions is dependent upon the other for the supply of CO and C02, respectively, and the over-all rate of formation of zinc vapor will be determined by the slower of these two reactions. An analogous pair of reactions sometimes of importance is: ZnO + H2 = Zn + H2O[3] C+ H2O=CO+H2[4] While it is possible to obtain an indication of the relative reducibility of various ores, or of a fine versus a coarse ore, by testing them with a given coal, and while coal reactivities may be measured in a corresponding manner, a more direct determination of relative reaction rates is possible by carrying out the desired reactions, such as I and 2, separately and under reproducible conditions. It is one purpose of this paper to present some of the results that have been obtained by the latter method. C. G. Maier2 discusses the relative rates of reactions I and 2 and concludes that while at relatively low temperatures reaction I is faster than reaction 2, this difference becomes less with increasing temperatures, although at smelting temperatures reaction I is still the faster. He also says (p. 48), "At temperatures . . . between 1100° and 1300°C the zinc oxide reduction reaction is intrinsically more rapid than its physical limitations; that is, it is limited by gas diffusion rates." In the course of numerous reactivity tests involving the separate use of reactions and I and 2, we have obtained data that show by direct experiment, we believe for the first time, the correctness of Maier&apos;s statements concerning these reactions. We also include data on the relative rate of reaction 3, involving reduction by hydrogen. Finally, some interesting results obtained by carrying out the reduction of a zinc ore-coal briquet in streaming atmospheres of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen, respectively, are presented.*

Jan 1, 1941

By G. F. Fix

Oil and gas activity reached a higher peak in Indiana during 1940 than for any like period during the past decade. Major activity, as during 1939, was in the southwestern part of the state, the Indiana portion of the Eastern Interior Coal Basin, where most of the increase was due to field drilling in previously proven areas. The amount of wildcat drilling was about the same as for 1939. No new fields of any apparent consequence were discovered during the year, with the possible exception of the College pool, in southwest Posey County. Only one well had been completed in this area at the end of the year. About 10 ft. of saturated Aux Vases sandstone was drilled in this well and the initial production was I00 bbl. of oil a day. Other discoveries during the year 1940 include: St. Thomas, in southwestern Knox County, where four McClosky wells, ranging from I00 to 300 bbl. a day initially, were com-pleted; Buff kin, in central Posey County, with 11 oil wells and 5 gas wells completed; and new developments in two old areas —Randolph County (part of the old Trenton field) and Gentryville, northwestern Spencer County, where some oil was found many years ago. The St. Thomas field proved disappoint-ing, with very spotty production from the McClosky horizon of the St. Genevieve limestone at a depth of about 1875 ft. The discovery well flowed 362 bbl. a day ini-tially. At the end of the year the field was pretty well outlined by dry holes and some inside locations were dry. The Buffkin pool also proved spotty, with production from shallow Pennsylvanian sands and from the Basal Pennsylvanian Mansfield sandstone, the latter at a depth of approximately I175 ft., with small production from the Cypress sandstone of Chester age. Oil wells in this pool are small, ranging from 25 to 75 bbl. a day. The Randolph County area, on the east side of the Trenton gas field, showed some promise for a commercial gas field, with four completed gas wells having cumulative initial flows of about 1,200,ooo cu. ft. a day. The area appar-ently was not depleted during the Trenton boom at the turn of the century, since casing pressures are about as high as the virgin pressure in the old field. Elsewhere the pressure has dropped as low as 5 pounds. The Griffin field received most of the drilling during 1940, with 163 completed oil wells. This field now covers about 3200 acres on the Indiana side of the Wabash River and is not as yet completely delimited. It produced the major part of Indiana&apos;s oil during the year—a total of 3,594,000 bbl. At the end of 1940, there were 253 producing wells in Griffin. New Harmony had five completions for a total of 24. The Rockport field, in Spencer County, continued to be actively developed and had a total of 45 gas wells and 9 oil wells at the end of the year. Oil in commercial quantities had not been found in the field previous to 1940. Total gas production for the year was 394,470,000 cubic feet. In all, 521 wells were drilled in the state during 1940, as compared to 377 for 1939. Of this number 248 were oil wells, 77 were gas wells and 196 were dry. Divided into

Jan 1, 1941

By Walter Fuchs

IT is now generally conceded that coal is the product of deposition and transformation of debris of forests and swamps.29 Ample data are available to illustrate the metamorphosis of biochemical substances through biological action; other data show the progressive regional metamorphism existing in coal beds;25 and numerous examples of change effected by intrusion of igneous dikes into coal deposits have been established.23 However, often the relative importance of the biological and the geological factor in determining the character of the various natural coals is a debatable question. Since both biological and geological factors are ever present in nature, the problem, at first glance, would appear to resemble certain probability problems: specifically the simultaneous toss of two coins, with the biological factor as heads and the geological as tails. The probability is 2:I for the combined effect of both factors, as compared to the exclusive effect of either one. if the a priori probability is the same for each factor. This condition can be analyzed by a thermodynamic treatment of data, which may be obtained from a consideration of pertinent biological, chemical, geophysical and geological facts. SYNOPSIS OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL FACTS The biosphere is not sterile; i.e., microorganisms are always present. Microorganisms have been established in the ocean deep, under the ice of the polar regions, in the sand of the deserts, and in swamps far below the surface. The various biological media may be acid, neutral, or alkaline, and they may or may not be readily accessible to air. Microorganisms are encountered almost everywhere, except where the temperature is not within the range tolerable by microbial life. Of course, with changing conditions, the type of microorganisms will change. All chemical products of life-proteins, fats, carbohydrates, lignins, waxes, resins may serve as a habitat of microorganisms. In the decomposition of a medium, some microorganisms macerate organic matter mechanically and remove certain constituents for their own nutrition; others decompose a large part of the organic matter but may leave certain constituents undecomposed. Some attack only certain specific ingredients of the organic matter. All of them build up cell substance. The nitrogen content of the medium largely determines the degree of decomposition. Below 1.7 per cent nitrogen, growth of microorganisms and hence decomposition of organic material is retarded; consequently organic material will accumulate. l7,32 Such accumulations of organic material may give coal eventually. Coals differ in type and rank. The nature of the original vegetation and the conditions attending the transformation of the accumulated debris determine the type of coal such as bright, splint, cannel, and algal or boghead coals. Chemical analysis of representative samples of a given type of

Jan 1, 1941