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The meeting of the Institute at St. Louis brought together many members of the Women's Auxiliary, and Mrs. Philip N. Moore, who was nominated as the Director for the St. Louis Section, took the occasion formally to inaugurate the organization in that district. A meeting was held at the Planters Hotel, anti after discussion as to, the aims and objects of the. Auxiliary, officers were nominated for the' Section; the meeting then adjourned for two days, to he resumed in Joplin.. Here a very successful meeting was held, at which the Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer were elected. A great deal of interest was arouse under the able directorship of Mrs. Moore the St. Louis Section is likely to become a large and active organization. The president of the Women's Auxiliary, in opening the meetings, told the ladies present of the inauguration of-the-Society in February, 1917, and of the work which had been accomplished up to date. She told how the Society devotes itself to patriotic and humanitarian work along lines acceptable and interesting to the Mining Engineer, standing always alongside and behind the men of the profession. The Central Welfare Committee of the organization has three Sub-Committees: Foreign Relief, Emergency, and Americanization, and under one or other of those heads most of the work of the' Society has been done. Mr. Hoover was responsible for the inception of the Foreign Relief Committee, as its first work was the collection of funds for the supplementary meals for the Belgian Children. Under the energetic administration of Mrs. H. Knox, this sub-committee raised $12,100 in the period between the February meeting and the Declaration of war by the United States, when our government took over the entire duty of feeding starving Belgium. The organization of the Belgian Relief Committee, as it was styled, still remains, but the members are now asked to take up the question of relief in France. The President, Mrs. S. J. Jennings suggested at the St. Louis meetings that one way of working for the foreign relief alight be that all the members of the Auxiliary should, during the period of the war, forego all giving' and receiving of Christmas presents, except those they have been accustomed to give to the poor or in charity, and those they would give to the men in the services of the United States; that the money usually spent on the Christmas gifts should be put into a fund to be sent abroad for the fatherless children of France, as a gift from the families of the Institute. A good deal of discussion followed this proposal, as some of the ladies felt that children should have their Christmas gifts as usual. The Director of the Section emphasized the truth that the Christmas spirit was the .spirit of giving and sacrifice, and that no sacri-

Jan 1, 1918

Discussion of the paper of E.. C. LEE, presented at the St. Louis meeting, October, 1917, and printed in Bulletin-No. 130, October, 1917, pp. 1825 to 1832. H. M. WILSON, Pittsburgh, Pa.-The statement ill the paper of T. T. Read, "Increasing Dividends Through Personnel Work;" that the offering of substantial money rewards for avoidance of accidents is much more effective than mere propaganda or education respecting accident prevention, is a, point fully substantiated in the experience of insurance inspection under workmen's compensation acts. The first year under the Workmen's Compensation Law in Pennsylvania, during which over 2000 mines were tinder the observation and protection of the inspectors of the insurance companies, has resulted in several inspections of each mine, a splendid cooperation .between the operators, the State mine inspectors and the insurance inspectors, and an average reduction in premium rate for insurance from $3.83 to $2.77, a reduction of more than $1 per $100 of payroll, on an average payroll of nearly $100,000,000, In other words, the insurance companies have

Jan 1, 1918

By Frederick L. Hoffman

These extracts are sufficient for the purpose of emphasizing the practical difficulties of averaging iron-mining conditions so as to make general vital statistics concerning iron miners useful Tor scientific. purposes. It is self-evident that conclusions based upon iron miners, so called, working largely above ground and employed chiefly in open-cut blasting ~perations or the management of steam shovels, etc., can not be made to apply to miners working continuously underground with an exposure of dust and other conditions quite similar to underground mining methods in the extraction of gold, silver, copper, lead, and other ores. The so-called "milling" process as practiced on the Mesabi Range may here be referred to, the same being explained in the report of the Immigration Commission to consist "in the sinking of a shaft on the edge of the ore body from which a tunnel is run in under the ore and connected with a vertical, funnel-shaped hole from under the surface, through which the ore is 'milled' down into the tramcars placed under the opening under the tunnel. After being loaded at the bottom of the funnelshaped hole, the cars are run out to the bottom 0.£ the shaft. where the ore is dumped into skids or elevators and raised to the ~urface and unloaded into the tipple, where it is loaded into thecal'S ready for shipment." It is properly pointed out that the so-called " milling" process employs some of the features of both the open-pit and underground methods of mining. For these and many other reasons it is self-evident that general statistics concerning iron mining are quite likely to be inconclusive and possibly seriously misleading. Aside from the foregoing the problem is seriously complicated by the extensive employment of foreign labor in the iron-mining ind ustries of the Lake Superior districts and of Negro labor in iron mining in Alabama. Within recent years, according to the report of the Immigration Commission, a considerable displacement has occurred in t~e quality of labor employed in iron mining, the displacement bemg referred to as "progressive," in that one race or group of races has entered the region and taken up the work offered in the lower occupations, the race or races already holdinz such positions having. moved up in the scale of occupation leaving the field to the newcomers. This statement is quite suggestive in that it indicates a comparatively short average trade life or trade exposure, quite at variance with the relatively long average ascer- MINES, QUARRIES, ORE REDUCTION, AND SMELTING. 377 tained for the iron mines of New <Tersey. It is said in the report of the Immigration Commission that- The Scandinavians and the other northern European races have given way to the Finns and Slovenians, and in the open-pit mines the Finns and Slovenians have given way to the south Italian, Montenegrins, Croatins, and other southern European races. In the underground mines the common labor and mining is chiefly done bv Finns and Slovenians because the races from the southern countries can not stand the heavy physical work required in this kind of mining. Here, too, is found the same upward movement, for formerly the English (Cornishmen) and Scandinavians' were in the lower occupations in the underground properties, At present the south Italians, Serbians, Montenegrins, and Croatians are performing the most menial work and are the races who are now at the foot of the scale of occupations. It is a matter of conjecture on the ranges as to who will push these races up or whether they will remain the commou laborers of the region. Inquiry was made into the prevalence of diseases OIl the ranges, but more with reference to outside sanitary conditions than to occupational exposure. The most common diseases on the ranges, however, were ascertained to be pulmonary tuberculosis and typhoid fever, and to a lesser extent smallpox and venereal diseases. With -cgard to pulmonary tuberculosis it is said that the disease is most Eevalent among the Finns and the Swedes, and is chiefly imported, I'here is no reference to a possible connection between disease occur- ~ence and occupational conditions, above or below ground, but there .s no evidence that this aspect of the iron-mining industry was made .he subject of a special investigation.

Jan 1, 1918

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Member, also Assoc. Mem. Am. Soc. of C. E.; excellent technical education, and best of references covering 12 years in responsible charge of work; experienced in surveys, construction, prospecting, mine

Jan 12, 1917

By Francis Pyne

THE following notes are presented in an endeavour to point out the disadvantages attending the use of chrome brick in reverberatory furnaces used in the treatment of materials that are too valuable to allow any great amount of metal absorption by the brick. Several years ago one of the large Eastern copper refineries decided to utilize basic material in place of siliceous material in the walls of their reverberatory furnaces for the treatment of very foul blister copper, as the latter rapidly corroded the siliceous linings. It was also expected that there would be less slag formation, with a consequent decrease in the cost of treatment and a reduction in the metal losses. Magnesite brick were first used, but while the corrosive action of the foul material was greatly reduced, and the amount of. slag formed was very much less, the magnesite proved to be unsatisfactory in certain parts of the furnace, because of its tendency to crack and span badly when subjected to the alternate heating and cooling that takes place in a reverberatory refining furnace. This made many repairs necessary, and consequent frequent interruption in the operation of the furnace, which, together with the high price of the magnesite brick, ran up the cost of maintenance to an unreasonable amount. It was, therefore, decided to substitute chronic brick for magnesite brick in the parts of the furnace affected. The results, as far as the reverberatory furnace was concerned, were very satisfactory. The corrosion due to the action of the foul blister was small and the amount of slag formed was no greater than when using magnesite, and the tendency to crack and spill shown by the magnesite was eliminated. Gradually the use of chrome brick was extended to all furnaces; those treating blister copper as well as those melting cathodes, and the results were so satin-, factory that the siliceous roofs were replaced by roofs of chrome brick except in certain places where experience showed a more satisfactory performance on the part of the silica brick.

Jan 12, 1917

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M., except on holidays. It contains about 70,000 volumes and 90,000 pamphlets, including sets of technical periodicals and publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions, are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library, through its Library Service Bureau, can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive especial attention. The Library is prepared to furnish references and photographic copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining maps, and to furnish general information on the geology and mineral resources of all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may not be of interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more promptly and in more usable shape.

Jan 12, 1917

The following is a &apos;partial list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Oct. 10, 1917, to Nov. 10, 1917. Edwin T. Blake, Berkeley, Cal. Alfred C. Lane, Tufts College, Mass. H. M. Boylston, Cambridge, Mass. W. G. Matteson, Houston, Texas. W. B. Cogswell, Syracuse, N. Y. E. Francis M&apos;Crossin, Birmingham, Ala. Paul R. Cook, Zaruma, Ecuador. R. E. Murray, Butte, Mont. F. W. DeWolf, Washington, D. C. Edmund Newton, Minneapolis, Minn. A. Faison Dixon, Venezuela. J. J. Ormsbee, El Paso, Texas. W. H. Dufur,, Oil City, Pa. Pablo Ortega, Havana, Cuba. Maxwell E. Erdofy, Lieut. Engr. Officers&apos;. W. E. Pomeroy, El Paso, Texas Reserve Corps, New York. J. C. Ralston, Spokane, Wash. Evan Fraser-Campbell, Scotland. W. L. Remick, Chrome, N. J. David B. Gemmill, Crown King, Ariz. Howard D. Smith, San Francisco, Cal. F. Lynwood Garrison, Philadelphia, Pa. Harold C. E. Spence, Steeple Rock, N. M. C. J. Hall, Spassky, Siberia. R. K. Stockwell, Salt Lake City, Utah. H. Hamada, Tokyo, Japan. Maurice W. Summerhayes, Timmins, Rush M. Hess, Bouse, Ariz. Ont., Canada. A. Howard Higgin, London, England Malcolm M. Thompson, Morsemere; N. J. A. O. Ihlseng, Joplin, Mo. Nicholas Truschkoff, Petrograd, Russia. T. Ishikawa, Japan. H. J. Wendler, Los Angeles, Cal. C. H. James, Tucson, Ariz. Ira T. Wright, Hurley, N. M. R. R. Landon, Philippine Islands. C. Yabe, Japan. Robert W. Bissell has now become associated with Gunn, Richards & Co., of New York, N. Y. Major Reginald W. Brock is giving a course in a school for commanding officers in England.

Jan 12, 1917

By Frank Peterson

THE manufacture of gasoline by extraction or precipitation from the natural gases in which it is found, the present status of. the industry, its past development and future extensions; offer a subject which is so broad that to handle it in its entirety would require a voluminous paper. The writer will, therefore, attempt to concentrate the essential matter of the subject for a general presentation, giving some of the most interesting details of the factors that are important to the industry. This industry has drawn liberally on the principles of physics and chemistry, and, to a large extent, has had to adapt such information as is most useful-not from data recorded with reference to petroleum, but from data recorded with reference to general treatment of other materials. Because of the complex character of the petroleum series of hydro-carbons and the fact that data, such as solubilities, vapor pressures, etc., of the different petroleum compounds have not been determined, we are still working by rule of thumb in. some essential phases of the industry. Furthermore, the difficulties of determining such data are almost insurmountable. We have not one,, but two butanes to deal with-not one, but several, pentanes, hexanes, heptanes, and, as we ascend in the series the complexity and multiplication of isomers increases at such a rate as to make the task of isolating and studying their physical characteristics almost beyond the hope of possible attainment. The industry is the connecting link knitting the interests of oil producers and refiners into a much closer relationship than ever existed .prior to its inception and development. The relation between the producer and the refiner of petroleum prior to 1910 was. a rather antagonistic one in a commercial sense. It was to the interest of the producer of crude petroleum to sell it for a maximum consideration; the refiner&apos;s interest was to obtain the same product for a minimum consideration; therefore, each side of the business transaction retained within his own hands as far as possible the trade secrets of his business. Each side maintained an attitude of cold-blooded business sympathy only for the other. Cas-

Jan 12, 1917

By A. L. Field

Previous Publications THE first report on the slag viscosity work of the Bureau of Mines was made by one of the authors 1 in 1916. It was concerned chiefly with, the method of measurement. A paper 2 on this phase of the work was presented to the Institute in February, 1917, and a similar paper 3 was communicated to the Faraday Society. Purpose and Scope of the Slag Viscosity Tables Following the development of a suitable method, the next step in the investigation was the measurement of slag viscosity over a wide range of temperature and composition, and the arrangement of this experimental data in the form of tables for the use of the blast-furnace operator. It is believed that this information, if used intelligently, should help the operator to reduce losses in production caused by off-grade pig iron, to improve fuel economy, to promote operating efficiency, and to extend present-day practice to meet the increasing need of smelting lean and complex ores. In the experimental part of the work it was early observed that the temperature-viscosity relations of a slag were determined, for practical purposes, by the relative proportions of the three major constituents, lime (CaO), alumina (Al203), and silica (Si02), provided the percentage

Jan 12, 1917

SAN FRANCISCO SECTION W. H. SHOCKLEY, Chairman, PRANK H. PROBERT, Vice-Chairman, T. A. RICHARD, Sec.-Treas., 420 Market St., San Francisco, Cal. C. C. BRAYTON, J. F. NEWSOM. The San Francisco Section met on September 11 to discuss the problem of Labor in its Relation to the Mining Engineer. Mr. W. H. Shockley was in the chair. T. A. Rickard opened the discussion under four heads: The recognition of the union, the rustling-card, the sliding scale of wages, and the&apos; contract system. He expressed his belief that collective bargaining cannot be ignored, and insisted that the mining company represented a collective bargaining of its shareholders with the men. employed in its mine. He held that the contract system was often used unfairly, but that used fairly it was the best check on labor tyranny. The rustling-card he held to be right in principle, in so far as it gave the employer the choice of employees, but he believed that it was often used in an irritating way to black-list refractory laborers. The sliding scale of wages was easy to establish in prosperous times, but it would inevitably lead to trouble when conditions went against the miner. His conclusion was that the quarrels of labor and capital were due mainly to a lack of the sense of fair play and of social justice. Albert Burch agreed with most of the foregoing, and insisted that 90 per cent. of the men were inclined to be just, but that the 10 per cent: made all the trouble. He stated that he had introduced the rustling-card in the Coeur d&apos;Alene in 1899, as a means for getting rid of agitators. E. L. Foucar considered that labor was irresponsible. He described his experience in Peru, where the authorities promptly stopped a strike of Italian miners by threatening prompt punishment for any display of violence. Morton Webber also gave a bit of his own experience, to show that the chief trouble is that the men do not think for themselves, and are therefore easily led by fomenters of trouble. F. H. Probert described his experiences in Germany and. also in Arizona, and insisted that too often the men were not given a fair hearing. E. T. Blake argued that a manager must get the workmen&apos;s point of view, in order to control them effectively. He believed that young men who started life doing manual labor were in a better position to understand their fellow workers. George J. Young suggested that the mine owners should encourage the good men to lead the unions, and not leave the direction of the unions to the noisy element.

Jan 12, 1917

Notice is hereby given that all members whose dues are paid for the year 1917 will be supplied with a copy of the Volumes MV and LV. Volume LVI has been delayed by the fact that our printer, like almost every other industrial society, has taken up war work and is under great pressure in addition thereto. Volume LVI will be sent before the end of the year, to members whose dues for the year 1917 are paid.

Jan 12, 1917

By A. L. Field

Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 189 consists of a record of the scientific data obtained in the iron blast-furnace slag investigation which is reported in Technical Paper 187, "Slag Viscosity Tables for Blast-Furnace Work." It includes a description of the method of preparing the synthetic melts, construction of an improved electric furnace, and refinements in laboratory methods of measurement. Only the general features of the work and the conclusions drawn from the experimental data can be given attention here. Silicates in the Liquid State In the manufacture of refractories, Portland cement, glass, and porcelain, and in pyrometallurgical operations, importance attaches to the behavior of silicate compounds at temperatures beyond the range of common experience. This field of research has not been investigated as carefully as its scientific and industrial importance would seem to warrant. Probably the most important of the unsolved problems in the, chemistry of silicates is the question of their stability in the liquid state. That little progress toward the solution of this problem has been made is not strange if there be borne in mind the difficulties attending experiments made at temperatures at which silicates become fluid, and the comparatively short time since it became possible to measure these temperatures. On the other hand, considerable progress has been made in the study of the compounds in the solid state because of the directness and simplicity of methods of optical examination.

Jan 12, 1917

The Engineering Council met on October 11 in the rooms of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Engineering Societies Building, New York. The Rules Committee submitted a draft of rules for the admission of other societies to the Council and progress was made in their consideration. The Committee on Public Affairs reported on a number of requests that the Council support pending or proposed legislation. Remedial laws intended to promote hydro-electric development were favored and Council voted to offer its cooperation to the United States Chamber of Commerce which is interesting itself in this matter. A movement to coordinate, unify and strengthen the work of various engineering committees cooperating with the federal authorities at Washington was favorably considered. Messrs. H. W. Buck and Charles. Whiting Baker were appointed Council conferees. CALVERT TOWNLEY, Secretary.

Jan 12, 1917

By H. C. George

THE Wisconsin. Zinc District, or the Upper Mississippi Lead and Zinc District as it is often called, lies in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin, in, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Counties, and it includes adjoining parts of Illinois and Iowa. The district is about 70 miles long, north and south, and about 40 miles wide, east and west. It lies wholly within what is geologically known as the non-glaciated area of the Upper Mississippi Valley. HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT The district was first opened up as a lead producer in 1822. From this time until 1860, about 205,000 tons of cog lead (galena) and washed lead (galena) was produced from shallow crevices and openings. From 1860 to 1900, about 74,500 tons was produced, and since that time, from 5000 to 7000 tons has been produced annually. Since-1900, most of the lead concentrate produced has been as a byproduct of the zinc mines. The first zinc ores were mined about 1862. These were the carbonate ores, locally known as " drybone." Very little zinc blende was mined in the district, previous to 1875. The zinc blende ores mined from 1875 to 1900 were mostly of the high-grade, hand-cobbed, sheet-ore class, which usually contained from 45 to 60 per cent. metallic zinc. Such nines as the "Sallie Waters," ? Quinlin," "Lead Mine," "Benton Blende" and "Ida Blende," located near Benton, Wis., were mines which produced ores of this type, during this period. The mines located at Highland, the "Coker Mine" located at Livingston, Wis., and the "Opencut Mine" located at Shullsburg, Wis., were mines that were heavy zinc carbonate producers, previous to 1900.

Jan 12, 1917

Oct. 8 to 13, inclusive, 1917 COMMITTEES Committee on Arrangements H. A. BUEHLER, Chairman W. E. MCCOURT, Secretary C. J. ADAM L. L. HUTCHISON VICTOR RAKOWSKY J. A. CASELTON EUGENE MCAULIFFE J. D. ROBERTSON .F. W. DEWOLF P. N. MOORE ARTHUR THACHER E. F. GOLTRA MRS. P. N. MOORE H. A. WHEELER Committee on Ladies&apos;, Entertainment MRS. PHILIP N. MOORE, Chairman MRS.. W. E. MCCOURT, Vice-Chairman MRS. D. M. ARMISTEAD MRS. R. G. HALL MRS. A. A. BONSACK . MRS. J. W. HEGELER MRS. B. F. BUSH MRS. J. N. HOUSER MRS. G. 0. CARPENTER MRS. EUGENE MCAULIFFE MRS. F. V. DESLOGE MRS. RUDOLPH PORTER MRS. F. W. DEWOLF MRS. N. P. ROOD MRS. A. W. DICKINSON MRS. ARTHUR THACHER

Jan 12, 1917

Organization Place Date 1917 American Institute of Architects Philadelphia., Pa. Dec. 26-29 American Society of Mechanical Engineers New York City. Dec. 4-7 American Mining Congress State Chapter Phoenix, Ariz. Dec. 26-29 1918 American Society of Civil Engineers New York, N. Y. Jan. 22-25 American Institute of Mining Engineers New York, N. Y. Feb. 18-21

Jan 12, 1917

In accordance with the provision of the Constitution, notice is here given to all Members, Associates, and Junior Members, that the clues of the year 1918 will be payable on Jan. 1. 191.8, at the office of the Secretary. The dues for Members and Associates are $12 per year and the sum of 83 additional is asked of those Members and Associates who desire to have the three volumes bound in the Institute&apos;s standard half morocco binding. The dues of Junior Members are $5 per year.

Jan 12, 1917

By C. E. Arnold

A BRIEF description of this installation was included in a recent paper by H. Kenyon Burch.1 The purpose of the present paper is to amplify Mr. Burch&apos;s description, as it is felt by the writer that the subject merits more than passing attention. In making a comparison between the common method of hoisting men in mine shafts, and elevator practice in high buildings, the former shows to great disadvantage both as regards safety measures and smoothness of operation. It is surprising that in view of the inducements offered, the step of applying the building equipment direct to the mine shaft has not been taken before, as in many respects the conditions of service are similar, and the objects to be attained are identical. Even without doing this, it is certain that safety to life and limb in the usual method of hoisting men underground can be greatly enhanced by the application to the mine hoist, of some of the features of the building elevator. In the case under consideration, the elevator cage runs in a vertical, concrete-lined shaft compartment 5 ft. 11 in. by 5 ft. 6 in. (1.8 by 1.68:m.) in section and 585 ft. (178 m.) deep, while the counterweight runs in the pipe and ladder compartment of a twin shaft 102 ft. (31 m.) distant. The section of the division of this compartment occupied by the counterweight measures 2 ft. 4 ¼ , in. by 3 ft. 10 ½ in. (0.72 by 1.18 m.), and the counterweight is made in the form of a small cage which. suffices to carry two men for the purpose of making inspections or repairs in the pipe and ladder way.

Jan 12, 1917

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period of Oct. 10, 1917, to Nov. 10, 1917. ABEY, HIROSHI Min. & Met. Engr.. Mitsubishi Co., Tokio, Japan. BARNETT, WALTER W., Assayer & Chem., Seoul Min. Co., Tul Mi Chung, Chosen, Korea. BATES, WILLIAM S Min. Engr., Anaconda Copper Min. Co., Butte, Mont. BENDELARI, ARTHUR E Mgr. of Mines, Eagle Picher Lead Co., Picher, Okla. BERKEFELD, PAUL C Mining Engr., 2901 Piedmont Ave., Berkeley, Cal. BILLINGS, It. S Mgr., Sheep Trail Pyramid Mines Co., Kingman, Ariz. BILLWILLER, C. J., JR Mgr. Nitrate Agencies, Ltd., Iquique, Chile. BLUM, EDWARD H., Engr., Asst., to Pres., The Atlantic Refining Co., 3144 Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. BORDEN, GAIL, Vice-Pres. & Treas., American Safety Explosive Co., 50 East 42d St., New York, N. Y. BRESLIN, THOMAS F Min. Engr., Cebu, Cebu, P. I. BURKE, JAMES M., Efficiency Engr., Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., Calumet, Mich. CANTON, WILLIAM R Met., Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., McGill, Nev.

Jan 12, 1917

Mr. Address Member is hereby proposed by the undersigned, as a Associate Junior Member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. Signature of three Members or Associates (not Junior Members). Place of birth Year of birth Education, when, where and how acquired, with degrees, if any. A technical education is not requisite for membership. Dates. Please give record of experience on following page with dates; for example, in the form used by "Who&apos;s Who In America" and similar publications.

Jan 12, 1917