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By Max Roesler

I. INTRODUCTION THE following article concerns the geological occurrence of the iron-ore deposits on the south coast of Cuba. The article is based on a detailed field study, made in the hope that some information would I gained which might be of value in the search for further orebodies, Or in the economic development of the ore already found. LOCATION The iron-ore deposits of the Firmeza district lie near the coast, in the southeastern part of Cuba, in the Province of Oriente. The orebodies of this district form part of a belt of deposits that extends from Sigua, 25 miles east of Santiago, to Sevilla, 5 miles east of Santiago, and lies on the seaward slope of the Sierra Maestra range of mountains.

Jan 10, 1916

For the year ending February, 1917 PRESIDENT L. D. RICKETTS,1 NEW YORK, N. Y PAST PRESIDENTS BENJAMIN B. THAYER 1 NEW YORK, N. Y. WILLIAM L. SAUNDERS,2 . NEW YORK, N. Y. FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT SIDNEY J. JENNINGS,1 NEW YORK, N. Y. TREASURER GEORGE C. STONE,1 NEW YORK, N. Y. SECRETARY EMERITUS ROSSITER W. RAYMOND, NEW YORK, N. Y SECRETARY BRADLEY STOUGHTON NEW YORK, N. Y.

Jan 10, 1916

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Sept. 10, 1916, to Oct. 10, 1916. BLOOMFIELD, EDWIN CHARLES, Min. Engr., 1012 Standard Bank Bldg., Vancouver, B. C., Canada. BRINGS, HENRY, Min. and Met. Engr., Chief Engr., and Geol., Mollet-Mesrine, 1212 Mills Bldg., El Paso, Texas. CHASE, MARCH F., Vice-Pres., Commercial Acid Co., 1906 Boatmens Bank Bldg., St. Louis, Mo. CUMMINGS, ALVIN M., Asst. Mine Supt., Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Inc., Mineville, Essex Co., N. Y. DOUGLASS, GEORGE M., Genl. Safety Inspector, Amer. Smelt. & Ref. Co. 120 Broadway, New Fork, N. Y. EMRICH, CLARENCE T., Chief Chemist, Old Dominion Copper Min. & Smelt. Co., Box 1163, Globe, Ariz. GARDANIER, SUTTER ALBERT, Assayer, Mgr., Douglas Assay Co., Douglas, Cochise Co., Ariz.

Jan 10, 1916

(Members are urged to send in for this. column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who called at the Institute headquarters during the period Sept. 10, 1916 to Oct. 10, 1916. Arthur K. Adams, Chanaral, Chile. C. F. Moore, Salt Lake City, Utah. Hiram W. Belnap, Washington, D. C. L. D. Moore, Providence, R. I. E. A. Bridgman, Seattle, Wash. George A. Morrison, Chicago, Ill. D. W. Buckly, Wallace, Idaho. Pablo Ortega, Havana, Cuba. G. L. Carlisle, Jr., New York, N. Y. L. W. Paige, New York, N. Y. Ernest H. A. Cohen, Johannesburg, So. Africa. Charles Petzel, New York N. Y. A. Faison Dixon, Camp Rio de Oro, Venezuela. C. A. Pierce, Patagonia, Arizona. Charles E. Dutton, Goldfield, Nev. W. E. Pomeroy, El Paso, Texas. D.-F. Hewitt, Washington, D. C. George S. Rice, Washington, D. C. . James E. Howard, Washington, D. C. G. J. Schofield, Seattle, Wash. A. 0. Ihlseng, Joplin, Mo. Warren D. Thompson, New York, N. Y. I. Ishikawa, Niagara Falls, N. Y. M. M. Valerius, Tulsa; Okla. Montrose L. Lee, New York, N. Y. G. B. Waterhouse, Buffalo, N. Y. V. H. McNutt, Billings, Mont. Joel H. Watkins Washington, D. C. Benjamin L. Miller, So. Bethlehem, Pa. H. P. Wherry, Chicago, Ill. Arthur K. Adams has left for Chile, where he will act as geologist for the Andes Copper Co., a subsidiary of the Anaconda copper company.

Jan 10, 1916

By J. F. Wolff

DURING the past 4 or 5 years, much has been added to the detailed geologic knowledge of the Mesabi Range. This has not been in the direction of discovery of any new fundamental facts, but of detailed study, subdivision and correlation of different parts of the whole formation and of individual orebodies. Prior to this time, mining engineers in the district were so engaged with the commercial interests of exploring and developing orebodies that close geologic study and subdivision was done in only a few instances. The demand for refinements of work in this direction has caused caused extensive structural subdivision and correlation to he done in all exploration work during the past 4 years by the engineers of the Oliver Iron Mining Co. Such work has become a commercial necessity rather than a scientific refinement, and at the present time is being extended to all parts of the Range. In the summer of 1914, the author of this paper wrote a series of articles on the orebodies and special features of the Mesabi Range, which was published in the Engineering and Mining Journal, issues of July 17 to Aug. 7, 1915. Since that time studies of subdivision of the iron-formation have been extended considerably. The principle feature of this paper is the presentation of the subdivisions of the iron-formation. To this is added a discussion of the relations of the orebodies to the gentle folding and fracturing of the formation, and special features of the Range. The outline will he as follows: I. General geology. II. Subdivision of Biwabik iron-formation. III. Relation of orebodies to folding and fracturing of the iron-formation. IV. Special features. Acknowledgment is due to W. J. Olcott, President, and John Uno Sebenius, General Mining Engineer, of the Oliver Iron. Mining Co., for permission to use the information presented in this paper.

Jan 10, 1916

The new Ceramic Engineering Building of the University of Illinois is to be formally dedicated on Nov. 20 and 21. The occasion will be made one of great interest to the clay-workers of the country. It is expected that the exercises will be attended by many representatives of the architectural, structural, mining, geological, chemical, and manufacturing interests. In connection with the dedication exercises, an industrial conference will be -held, in which a number of topics of current interest to the ceramic engineer, the clay-worker and the manufacturer will be discussed by well-known experts. : The number of students registered in the College of Engineering of the University of Illinois eleven days after the beginning of registration - for the new year, is as follows: Architecture, 116; Architectural Engineering, 167; Ceramic Engineering, 46; Civil Engineering, 190; Electrical Engineering, 266; Mechanical Engineering, 273; Mining Engineering, 25; Municipal and Sanitary Engineering, 26; Railway Engineering, 34; total, 1,143. The enrollment of students in the whole University, not including the College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry and the School of Pharmacy, which are located in Chicago, is 5,21.4.

Jan 10, 1916

By R. W. Raymond

CHARLES WILLIAM HENRY KIRCHHOFF was born March 28, 1853, at San Francisco, Cal., where his father, Charles Kirchhoff, was at that time employed in the consular service of his native country, Germany. A few years later, the family moved to Hoboken, N. J., in the public schools of which city the son received his preliminary education, proceeding later to Germany, where he was graduated in 1874 as mining engineer and metallurgist at the Prussian Royal Mining Academy of Clausthal, in the Harz. Upon his return to the United States, he became chemist of the Delaware Lead Refinery at Philadelphia, and retained that position for three years. But in 1877 he began what was to be an almost uninterrupted life-long association with David Williams, the publisher of The Iron Age, of New York, who established in that year, and continued for a brief period, a journal entitled the Metallurgical Review, on the editorial staff of which Mr. Kirchhoff received a place. The enterprise was doubtless an attempt to cover a wide metallurgical field outside of that which properly belonged to The Iron Age. But it was soon abandoned, and Mr. Williams wisely concentrated his energies upon the older journal, which, under his vigorous and skillful management, and the labors of the able editors and correspondents whom lie selected, became one of the greatest institutions off its class in the world. From 1878 to 1881, Mr. Kirchhoff was assistant editor of The Iron Age. From 1881 to 1884, he was managing editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal; in 1884 he returned to The Iron Age, to become for five years its associate editor, and in 1889, on the retirement of James C. Bayles, editor-in-chief. This list of dates and employments, without further comment, sufficiently indicates, at least to the eye of an expert, that Mr. Kirchhoff had found his congenial career in trade journalism. His qualifications for this profession were somewhat exceptional. He possessed the scientific training, the knowledge of foreign languages and literatures, and the power of making and keeping friends, which enabled him to get early notice of technical novelties; he had the taste for statistics which made him both industrious and intelligent in their collection and use; and to these traits he added a mastery of the meaning of such accumulated data, and a

Jan 10, 1916

By Richard Conkling

A SHALE layer, buried beneath two or three thousand feet of strata, in some instances, will upon folding become thicker in the synclines and thinner on top of the anticlines. This can be accounted for, in part, by the stretching on the crests of the fold and the compressing in the troughs; but this will by no, means account for all of it, as is shown in the example herein set forth. It is my firm belief that the rest of the thickness is due to flow. What causes the movement, however, does not concern us here, so long as there is movement, for this article purposes to show its effect upon the producing area of different sands. It is the author's hope, in this way, to drop a hint or two that may be valuable to the oil geologist, in making estimates of future productions and values of oil properties. An example will be given from property in the famous Cushing Pool in northeastern Oklahoma, where the author has had occasion to make a detailed study before recommending some property to his company, and has then been able to watch the results of this work. The author never mapped the surface structure in this pool, as this had been done by Frank Buttram when he was with the Oklahoma Geological Survey. We are using, therefore, a section of his map in this article for our surface contours. The main east clip comes farther east than this section shows.

Jan 10, 1916

New York Meets first Wednesday after first Tuesday of each month. DAVID H. BROWNE, Chairman. PERCY E. BARBOUR, Vice-Chairman. A. D. BEERS, Secretary, 55 Wall St., Now York, N. Y. C. A. BOHN, Treasurer. Boston Meets first Monday of each winter month. W. E. C. EUSTIS. Chairman. R. L. AGASSIZ, Vice-Chairman. E. E. BUGBEE, Secretary-Treasurer, Mass. Inst. of Technology, Boston, Mass. ALBERT SAUVEUR, H. L. SMYTH. Columbia Holds four sessions during year. Annualmeeting in September or October. STANLY A. EASTON,- Chairman FREDERIC KEFFER,-Vice-Chairman: LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P.O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. D. C. LIVINGSTON, FRANK A. ROSS.

Jan 10, 1916

ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute of members or other persons introduced by members.) Member, Cornell M. E., graduate, aged 31, married. Will soon complete 2 years' engagement in the Russian oil fields. Eight years' practical experience in drilling for and producing oil. Can speak Russian fluently and some French and German. Open for engagement. Interview after August 15, in the United States. No. 299. Metallurgist, four years' experience in electric furnace operation on steel, ferro-alloys and smelting of ores, both practical and research, desires position as metallurgist or superintendent. No. 314. Member, technical mining graduate. 5 years' experience in coal and metal mines and construction work. Married. Aged 27. Employed at present. Interview in Salt Lake City or Denver. No. 316. Member, American, aged 39, married, desires position as superintendent or mine superintendent. 14 years' experience in opencut and underground work. 12 years' Spanish, Portugese, Cuban and Mexican labor. Fluent Spanish. Good training in first aid and safety first. Specialty of high explosives and steam-shovel work. Good costs. Go anywhere, but tropics preferred. References. Interview, New York or Philadelphia, No. 318.

Jan 10, 1916

By Stephen Taber

INTRODUCTION THE term asbestos, as commonly used, includes half a dozen minerals all having a well-developed fibrous structure, but differing in chemical composition and in some of their physical, properties. In its strict application the name is limited to the fibrous varieties of the monoclinic amphiboles. Commercially, however, the most important of the asbestiform minerals is chrysotile, a fibrous variety of serpentine. About 95 per cent. of the asbestos used in manufacturing is chrysotile, and it commands a much higher price than any of the other fibrous minerals now on the market. Although the production of asbestos has increased rapidly in recent years, comparatively little has been published concerning its origin. The present paper is preliminary in its nature, and therefore does not pretend to exhaust the subject. The ideas herein developed are the result of field investigation, laboratory experiments in the growth of fibrous

Jan 10, 1916

The 114th(New York) Meeting of the Institute will be held in the third week of February, 1917. The committee on Papers and Publications has set Dec. 1, 1916, as the closing date for the receipt of manuscripts intended for this meeting. . Manuscripts must be received by the Secretary on or before this date. If they are sent through members of the technical committees they must be sent to those committees enough in advance of the time to be forwarded and in the hands of the Secretary by the time specified.

Jan 10, 1916

Vols. 52 and 53 have been shipped 60 all who have paid their dues for 1916. Members who do not receive them within a-reasonable time are asked to notify the Secretary.

Jan 10, 1916

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers extends an invitation to members of the Institute to participate in an exceedingly interesting excursion on Saturday, November 11. Permission has been secured for a visit to the plant of the Electric Boat Co. at New London, Conn. There will be run a special-test on a high-power 8-cylinder, 4-cycle Diesel engine. A large number of submarine and other engines in various stages of construction will be seen, also the boring of torpedo tubes, cylinders and other equipment for submarines. The drafting rooms and foundry mill also be open for inspection. The party will have an opportunity to see at close range the submerging of several submarines, and an attack on a vessel on the surface, an exhibit which is being arranged by courtesy of Rear Admiral A. W. Grant, who is in command of the submarine forces of the United States. The Boston members will leave South Station on train No. 7 at 8.30 A. M. Those from Providence will board this train at 9.36 A. M. The Worcester members will leave on train No. 745 at 8.36 A. M. The New York contingent will leave the Grand Central Terminal at 8.31 A. M. on train No. 8. This train will leave New Haven at 10.30 A. M. Upon arrival at New London, each group will go directly to the Mohican Hotel, where a "get-acquainted" luncheon will be served

Jan 10, 1916

The Du Pont Magazine for August and September gives the following interesting information regarding recent progress in the use' of explosives. Blasting -Clay.-"The place where I tried blasting down clay for a brick yard had been worked for some years by old-time pick and shovel method. There was a large shallow pit, irregular in shape, with a perpendicular face at one end. I put down a line of holes 3 ft. deep and 6 ft. back from this face, loading each hole with one and one-half car-tridges of Red Cross Extra 40 per cent. dynamite. The charges were connected up to a blasting machine circuit and fired electrically. "Two of these shots kept the brick yard men very busy for two days taking out the loose clay. "I am convinced that if any brick yard man will try this method he will always have a blasting machine and dynamite on hand thereafter, because it cuts labor cost almost in two to get down the clay in. this way." In some clay pits the practice is to blast a large amount of clay in the fall, allowing it to freeze and thaw through the winter. Such clay is much easier to puddle in the spring than freshly dug or blasted clay. When the clay contains stones, the blasting loosens them and makes their separation-easy. Well-Drill Holes in Quarrying.-The well drill or cable drill method of working a quarry face is now in quite common use. The use of large drills is constantly increasing among quarrymen. In fact the growing tendency is for large machinery of all kinds such as mammoth crushers, steam shovels, etc. Volume is what is wanted nowadays. The advantages of the big drill over the piston driven drill are numerous. By carrying the holes the full depth of the face the stone is loaded and treated on one working floor. It eliminates the cost of bench cleaning. Loading operations are less frequent, thus lessening the danger. Stone can be shot down in greater volume and in better shape, making it economical to use a steam shovel. No bench cleaning makes it safer for the men. It is cheaper and can be used in outlying and temporary operations where the cost of installing a power plant would be out of the question. It permits a greater spacing of bore holes and eliminates the necessity of "squibbing" or springing. In this method usually holes from 4 in. to 6 in. in diameter are drilled the full depth of the face from 15 ft. to 2,0 ft. apart, and as far back and the whole face shot down at one time. The cost of well drilling may vary all the way from 20 cents to 75 cents: per foot, and in extremely hard rocks up to $1.50 per foot.

Jan 10, 1916

By W. H. Blauvelt

W. H. BLAUVELT, Syracuse, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary*).-I have read Mr. Howland's paper on Calculations with Reference to the Use of Carbon in Modern American Blast Furnaces with much interest, and believe that his method of analysis of the subject will be of material assistance in our study of the action of coke in the blast furnace. Mr. Howland quotes Professor Richards' statement that from the standpoint of the generation of the maximum quantity of heat in the furnace, Grüner was right in saying that all the carbon burned in the furnace should be first oxidized at the tuyères to CO and all reduction of oxides above the tuyères should be caused by CO, which thus becomes CO2. It is clear that the maximum quantity of heat is generated in the furnace when the greatest amount of carbon is burned to CO2 irrespective of whether it is burned at the tuyères or further up the furnace. So it would appear that Grüner's theory is sound regarding the maximum production of heat only because if all the carbon is burned to CO at the tuyères the reduction of the ores will have to be effected by the further oxidation to CO2. Whereas, if the reduction of the ores is effected in part by solid carbon, part of this carbon might be oxidized only to CO, resulting in a higher percentage of CO in the escaping gases than from Grüner's "ideal conditions.? But in studying the combustion of coke in the furnace, it is clear that the production of the maximum quantity of heat is not of the first importance in blast-furnace operation, or in the utilization of the fuel charged into the furnace. To my mind the production of a high thermal head at the tuyères is of the first importance, and the best coke is that which reaches the tuyères in proper condition to produce the highest temperature at the tuyères, and in just sufficient quantity to do the amount of work required there under the conditions produced by this maximum temperature. The combustion of a much larger amount of fuel at the tuyères, under conditions that will fall short of producing the highest possible temperature, cannot produce as good results, either in fuel economy or output. If this statement is correct, does it not correspond with Mr. Howland's statement that too much wind is inimical to low coke consumption? Nothing is more fatal to obtaining the highest temperatures than an excess of air for combustion. In the blast furnace an excess of air dilutes and cools the products of combus-

Jan 10, 1916

The American Mining Congress, of which the President is Carl Scholz, and the Secretary is J. F. Callbreath, and of which many of the officers and directors are prominent in Institute affairs, has extended to the members of the Institute a cordial invitation to attend the nineteenth Annual Session of the Congress, to be held at the La Salle Hotel, Chicago, Nov. 13 to 16, 1916, and to take part in its deliberations. The morning sessions will be, general meetings at which the attendance of all members of the Convention is hoped for, and which will he devoted to a discussion of subjects related to the three several heads, "safety," "efficiency" and "conservation." The afternoon meetings will be divided into several sections, each devoted to the discussion of subjects of interest to its special branch of the industry. It is planned to have 811 papers printed and distributed, allowing the author a limited time in which to present the salient features of his address and giving up the greater part of the time to a discussion of the subject presented by members on the floor. By this plan it is hoped to have a free expression of opinion and to provide ample time for reaching conclusions to be embodied in resolutions representing the best thought of the mining industry.

Jan 10, 1916

By Edwin M. Chance

EDWIN M. CHANCE, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (communication to the Secretary*).-I have read with great interest Mr.. Liebermann's paper reporting dynamometer tests of mine cars and wish to express my appreciation of this investigation. The coal-mining industry needs just such precise study of the problems with which it is confronted.

Jan 10, 1916

By George Lehman

THE Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. had an orebody at Miami, Ariz., of close to 100,000,000 tons of low-grade copper ore, and the method of mining this ore most profitably was of great importance. The selection of a method was practically limited to a "top-slicing," a "shrinkage-stope" or a "caving" method. The "top-slicing" method would give a high extraction of the developed ore, at a high mining cost, and the ?shrinkage-stope" or "caving" methods ) a lower extraction of, the developed ore, at a lower mining cost. ORE-DRAWING TESTS To decide on the method to be used it was necessary to know about what extraction of the ore could be obtained by the "shrinkage-stope" or "caving" methods. As no definite information regarding the question was available at the time, C. E. Mills, the general manager, thought that some information could be obtained by experimenting in drawing ore, covered with capping, from an experimental box. Some work had already been done along these lines by W. C. Browning for the Inspiration Copper Co. and by myself for the Live Oak Development Co. The idea was to represent as nearly as possible, in the experimental box, the conditions within an area of caved stopes of caved ore all ready for drawing. That is, the area was supposed to represent a semibroken mass with the capping above it in the same condition and ready to follow the ore downward as it was drawn out of the chutes under the ore. To represent the above condition, in the experimental box, crushed ore from the mine was placed in it to a given height, and red barren capping from the mine was placed on top of the ore.

Jan 9, 1916

By Rudolf Gahl

THE history of flotation in America is very short, at least as far as the large-scale application of the process is concerned. It is remarkable how many important developments have taken place inn the last few years and are already being extensively utilized. What was new a year ago, seems almost commonplace now. For this reason it is with hesitation that I follow the suggestion: of Dr. Ricketts, President of the Institute, to describe the experiences of the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. with the flotation process. TESTS CONDUCTED IN SMALL TEST-MILL When the Inspiration company first decided to build a concentrating plant, nothing was known about flotation, and the process was to be gravity concentration pure and simple. Demonstration Tests Conducted by Minerals Separation Co. While plans were being prepared by H. Kenyon Burch (who had been intrusted with the design and construction of the concentrator) the Minerals Separation Co., a concern at that time little known in America, asked and obtained permission to demonstrate the value of its flotation process for Inspiration ore. As. a consequence, a small 50-ton flotation machine of standard design was added to the company's test plant and started to operate in the beginning of 1913. This marks the beginning of flotation at Inspiration. The results obtained with this machine, which was operated by members of the Minerals Separation staff, so far surpassed what this company anticipated that it was decided to continue flotation tests for this purpose, and two of the flotation experts of the Minerals Separation Co., I. L. Greninger and G. A. Chapman, were retained. L. R. Wallace, now superintendent of the Miami works of the International Smelting Co., was at that time metallurgist of the Inspiration company and in that capacity took an active part' in these tests. Great credit is due to him for his quick recognition of the possibilities of flotation.

Jan 9, 1916