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By Robert D. Lonqyear

SOMEWHAT biased by pride in twentieth century achievements, most of us mining engineers and diamond-drill operators look upon core drilling as a relatively modern practice. The invention of the diamond drill is generally ascribed to Rudolf Leschot, who made use of diamonds in 1846 in drilling blast holes in the Mont Cenis tunnel in Switzerland. In vain we search Agricola and other early writers on mining for signs of diamond drilling. We have, therefore, concluded that it was unknown until the middle of the last century. The trouble with this conclusion, as most prospectors will tell us, is that we "don't dig deep enough"; for it now appears that the archeologists have been putting one over on us for the last fifty years.

Jan 1, 1936

By Stuart St. Clair

EARLY in 1936, when the American Petroleum Institute issued -J "American Petroleum Industry," which was a survey of the current position of the petroleum industry, and its future outlook, and the figures for petroleum requirements .for 1950 and 1960 were widely publicized by the several oil journals, the impression was given that the petroleum- industry must be nearing maturity and would by 1950 have passed the high' point of its obligations to business progress in the United States.`' Let -us look at the figures which might conduce, this thought. Referring to p. 32 of the report, the total indicated crude-oil requirements in 1940 are 1,099,000,000 bbl-; for 1950, the peak, 1,109,800,000 bbl.; for 1960 a decline to 1,071,020,000 bbl. This downward trend, then established, is probably expected to continue. And this in the face of a crude production in 1935 of 993,942,000 bbl., 38,858,000 bbl.

Jan 1, 1936

By Oliver Bowles

GLASS razor blades, glass chairs, and marble window panes attest that creative genius was still active in 1935. Many less striking, though doubtless more important, developments are to be recorded for the nonmetallic mineral industries, and not the least of them is the establishment of an Industrial Minerals Division in the A.I.M.E. under the able leadership of Samuel H. Dolbear, Chairman. Thus the nonmetallics are rightly granted equal dignity with metals and fuels in the category of mineral industries. The brief review of progress that follows merely touches the fringe of important developments in this broad field.

Jan 1, 1936

By G. B. Gould, F. M. Gibson

IN DECEMBER, 1934, the joint Committee on Fuel Values, of the American Institute of Minim and Metallurgical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, submitted a preliminary report, which briefly stated its conclusion that it was not possible to devise any formula for the valuation of coal, based upon the various physical and chemical properties, that would be generally applicable. That report also listed those chemical and physical properties of coal that are generally recognized to have some effect on its use in steam plants, and those physical characteristics of steam plants which affect, in one way or another the relative importance of the properties of coal used in them. Since then, the Committee has considered and discussed in greater detail the interrelationship of the properties of coal and plant characteristics. The conclusions of the Committee are summarized below, with certain recommendations regarding engineering procedure, which will promote the collection of more easily correlated observations with respect to this subject, and thus advance more rapidly the accumulation of data capable of general application.

Jan 1, 1936

By Sherwin F. Kelly

GEOPHYSICS may be considered a vice (albeit, I submit, a comparatively harmless one) whose career is aptly described by Pope's lines: Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace. Although there may be some that have not yet succeeded in emancipating themselves from the first stage of horrified contemplation, geophysicists may be duly thankful that there are mining men and geologists that have arrived at a state of apparently irretrievable damnation.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

IN nonmetallic circles, probably no one is better known than Oliver Bowles, another of Canada's notable gifts to the American mining industry. The University of Toronto granted him B.A. and M.A. degrees in geology and mineralogy after he worked his way through that institution. He then spent some time in northern Ontario, and came to the States where he taught petrography and mineralogy at the state universities of Michigan and Minnesota from 1909 to 1914. Since then he has been with the U. S. Bureau of Mines, being honored with a Ph.D. from George Washington University in 1922. Since coming with the Bureau, the nonmctallics have been his field-particularly stone, slate, lime, cement, and

Jan 1, 1936

By John A. Gann

THE Iron and Steel Division has shared in the general increased activity of the industry. The fall meeting at Chicago was not only well attended but particularly characterized by the virility and scope of the discussions at the various sessions. The program for the February meeting indicates a similar interest in technological developments. The Blast-Furnace Committee continues to have the hearty support of the industry with discussions of such a nature as to be of real help to the operator as well ass the technologist. The work of the Open-Hearth Committee continues to be outstanding, with ever increasing attendance and ever mounting interest in the meetings. Formation of a conference on the physical chemistry of steelmaking has given those interested in this phase of work an organization allowing the same

Jan 1, 1936

By Joseph Kelly

DEPLETION of anthracite resources in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, has forced the recovery of coal tracts formerly considered unminable. Chief among these are the large areas of outcrop coal lying on a heavy pitch on the mountain sides, abandoned thirty or forty years ago as too costly and too hazardous to mine. The old companies, in many instances, stopped their chambers 80 or 100 ft. hack from the actual outcrop, and then dropped back another 100 ft. before starting to rob the pillars, thus leaving large areas of coal. Recovery of this coal naturally leads to mining hazards not encountered years ago. The first step is to sink a slope from the surface with the pitch of the vein, and then drive counters across the pitch as close to the robbed area as proper protection for the lower side of the -counter will permit. Next, the old chambers are advanced or new ones driven in the solid, as the conditions require. As these chambers approach the outcrop the real safety work begins-that of preventing the miner from being buried or locked in by an avalanche of mud.

Jan 1, 1936

By Carle R. Hayward

ATHOUGH there are signs of improvement in the lead industry, conditions are still far from what we have been accustomed to call normal. There has been little to stim¬ulate research and those responsible for the finances of the companies have been inclined to discourage expenditures except where need was urgent or the prospect for immediate returns bright. In spite of this fact, improvements have been developed here and there which will be available as business conditions become adjusted. No publicity is allowed at present. The rising price of silver has had a tendency to increase the production of lead from argentiferous ores but the greatest interest continues to be in the secondary field. Practically all lead plants situated near large centers of population are treating scrap materials, particularly battery plates, the quantity of which is increasing with the improvement in automobile sales.

Jan 1, 1936

By Charles Hardy

?POWDER METALLURGY? is the production of semiformed or fully formed metal products by compressing metal powders. It had its beginnings in the fabrication of tungsten and molybdenum bars and wire by compression, sintering, and swaging. Powder metallurgy, although still in its infancy with other metals, has shown remarkable progress in recent years. Production of Metal Powders-The first step in any powder-metallurgy process is the production of metal particles of suitable shape and size. Mechanical processes for producing metal powders, as by crushing, stamping, or grinding, are usually not suitable, as the resulting particles may cause laminations and decreased strength in the finished articles. The principal metal powders now in use on a large scale are produced by electrolysis or by reduction of metal oxides by gases.

Jan 1, 1936

By Geo. W. Bain

PRODUCERS of building stone have had to seek new and attractive uses for their output to supplement the diminished orders for standard products. Lunar is the direct result of the need of new outlets for marble and is. probably the most ingenious and attractive type to reach the market in a quarter of a century. It is a highly translucent stone which retains the same glistening sparkle in transmitted light that marble exhibits by incident rays. This sparkle sets it apart entirely from translucencies made of glass or even onyx, alabaster, and the distinctive exceedingly fine textured calcite marbles produced in Alabama and quarried formerly in northern Vermont and Quebec.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

MEXICO embraces one of the great metal and petroleum producing provinces of the world. In this respect its history dates back to the overthrow of the Aztec empire by a Spanish force under Hernando Cortes between 1519 and 1.521. Even before then, its richness in silver and other minerals was not unknown. But it was a treasure house for the Spanish conquerors until the country became independent in 1821. It has been computed that in the 400 years following 1521, Mexico yielded 1.55,000 metric tons of silver, worth $3,000,000,000, two-thirds of the entire world production. In 1935 the country accounted for 36 per cent of the world's silver output, 14 per cent of its antimony (in 1934), 13 per cent of its lead, 3 per cent of its zinc and copper, and 21/2 per cent of its petroleum. Contrary to the impression of some, its gold output is now comparatively small, though important in the past. Its oil, as well, formerly hulked much larger than now, in 1921 being one-fourth of the world output.

Jan 1, 1936

By Robert Peele

TWO outstanding members of the Institute will be honored at the Annual Meeting this month: Robert Peele, who will accept his election to the small group of Honorary Members; and Clinton Hoadley Crane, president of the St. Joseph Lead Co. and William Lawrence Saunders Medalist for 1936. Eminence in the profession character, interest in Institute activities, and general recognition as a gentleman and a friend by so many people, have contributed to the election of Professor Peele. The Saunders Medal is for "achievement in mining." In awarding it to Mr. Crane the citation reads "For distinguished achievement in the successful development and operation of low-grade lead mines."

Jan 1, 1936

By D. Harrington

ALTHOUGH statistical data are not at hand to justify definite statements as to progress in health, and safety in the mining and allied industries during 1935, it now appears probable that in both coal mining and in metal- mining the rate of accident occurrence as well as the absolute number of accidents will show slight increases for the year. Much: of the responsibility for this increase lies with the large number of relatively. small mines that have more or less recently come into existence, partly because of 'the lack of opportunity for work in the larger mines for large numbers of unemployed miners, and partly due to increased prices for some of the mineral products, especially gold. In general, the larger long-established nines show downward accident trends and this is decidedly encouraging as it shows that where mines are operated with real efficiency, mining can be done in relative safety.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

TRADITIONALLY, the Annual New York Meetings of the A.I.M.E. cover four days, but the program is growing on each end as well as in the middle, and this year it lasted from 3 p. m., Sunday, Feb. 16, when the Education Division got under way, to 8:40 p. m., Friday the 21st, when a trainload of electrical inspectors, pro tern, got back fro111 the General Electric plant at Schenectady. The meeting has ceased to be a mere three- ring circus: on Wednesday afternoon eight sessions were being held simultaneously in the Engineering Societies Building, if one includes the Woman's Auxiliary, and according to frequent testimony one should include the W. A. as one of the most important units in Institute affairs.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

THE Board of Directors of the Institute has authorized the appointment of a committee to draw up rules of procedure under which awards can be made from time to time to petroleum engineers for outstanding contributions to the art of finding and producing oil and gas. These awards will 11e sponsored by the Petroleum Division and are the first recognition by any professional society of outstanding achievement in "oil mining." They will be in the form of either a gold medal, scholar- ship, or other suitable prize. The awards will be financed from the income of the Anthony F. Lucas Memorial Fund, which was started about fifteen years ago, shortly after' his death, by admirers of Captain Lucas.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

TO attempt to say anything adequate about Eugene McAuliffe as a human being, engineer, or executive in this brief space is ridiculous, for one could extol his virtues at length in all three catagories. Too, one might dwell on his good humor, and also his modesty, for lie did not wish even these few words to be said, "having no illusions regarding either ability or achievement, not even blessed with good looks." Mr. McAuliffe was born in England just seventy years ago. Twenty years later he started at the bottom with the Northern Pacific, gradually being promoted to locomotive fireman, engineer, and so

Jan 1, 1936

By R. S. MACPHERRAN

TRENDS in the manufacture and use of cast iron are decidedly toward specialization, alloy iron, and increased strength. Old handbooks list only one kind of cast iron, with a tensile strength of 15,000 lb. Recent A.S.T.M. specifications show that from 50,000 to 60,000 lb. per sq. in. can now regularly he guaranteed. The use of alloy iron, heat-treated iron, and even nitrided cast iron, is rapidly growing and all kinds are improving in quality. Iron for operation at high temperature and corrosion-resisting irons have also been developed. Only a few years ago cast iron was "cast iron," but now there are almost as many kinds of cast iron as there are foundries making it

Jan 1, 1936

By Paul M. Tyler, Carle R. Hayward

DOES it pay to do really good work? Quite likely the practical millman will answer that it does not. The preparation of ores for market is primarily a business enterprise, and by and large the individual operator does not bother his head about squandering our national resources or making easier the job of the smelterman. Having accepted such ore as he may get fro111 the mine, his job is to make the best possible showing with his mill fro111 the standpoint of financial return. His success is measured in dollars and cents, and he has no rightful reason to expect more than scant acknowledgment of any other achievements from the stock- holders of his company who in the last analysis are his employers.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

MOST recently elected to the limited group of Honorary Members in the A.I.M.E. is the distinguished Australian metallurgist, Guillaume Daniel Delprat. His citation reads: "in recognition of his distinguished achievement as metallurgist, engineer, and administrator in the production of ferrous and nonferrous metals," Mr. Delprat's ability and experience in both the ferrous and nonferrous fields at once distinguishes him from most of his professional brothers. Mr. Delprat's nativity was neither Australian nor English, for he was born in Delft, Holland, in 1856, and educated in Amsterdam. At the age of 22 he went to Spain, as metallurgist for the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Co., Ltd. Afterwards he spent some time with the Bede Metal and Chemical Co., which had mines in both Spain and Norway, and of which company he became general manager. Other positions of responsibility held by Mr. Delprat before he went to Australia included the managing directorship of the Cordova Exploration Co., with properties in Spain and Canada; of the Rincon Silver-Lead Mining Co., in Spain; and of the Deloro Gold Mines, in Canada.

Jan 1, 1936