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By Earl Bardwell

THE determination of suitable and safe annealing temperatures is one of the most important problems arising in the operation of a copper rolling mill. Certain of the larger mills have worked this problem out for themselves and in these mills the operation has become more or less standardized. In some of the mills pyrometers are used to measure the temperature of the annealing furnaces and careful watch is kept to see that overheating does not take place. In a considerable number of the mills, however, dependence is placed entirely on the judgment of the operator. The almost total lack of literature bearing on this subject seems sufficient warrant for the publication of this paper. The discussion of this subject naturally divides itself into two parts: (1) The effect of annealing temperature on physical properties; and (2) changes in the microstructure of refined copper due to cold rolling and annealing. I. THE EFFECT OF ANNEALING TEMPERATURE ON PHYSICAL PROPERTIES For the purpose of investigating this phase of the subject six test bars were selected, varying in oxygen content between the limits of 0.036 and 0.070 per cent. The chemical composition of each of these test bars was as follows:

Jan 8, 1914

By Joseph Hodgson

IN 1880, mining operations were commenced at the Copper Queen mine. The famous Queen orebody, which extended to the surface, was first quarried from a large open cut in the outcrop. The orebody was followed down to the 300 level with the Queen incline, and stoped. This, we believe, marks the introduction of square setting in the Bisbee district, which is still the method most generally used. Orebodies The orebodies in the Copper Queen mine occur in the limestones, and the main portion of the ore has been mined from the Abrigo, Martin, and. Escabrosa limestones. While the orebodies outcrop in the extreme western end of the mine, the general dip is to the east and south, at an angle of about 20°, although this dip is not by any means regular, being, in fact, very irregular locally. The ore is remarkable for its variableness in character, some of it being very soft, requiring a large amount of timber, and other portions consisting of extremely hard sulphides. The orebodies, in general, While remarkable for their continuity, are very irregular, both as to shape and size. The mine having been in operation so many years, and mining having been prosecuted over such a large area, the operations have caused the shrinkage of the overburden, and there is a constant movement, which is shown y large cracks and interstices in the surface rocks, which largely contribute to the very high deadwork or maintenance cost of the mine. It is surprising that for year 1913 it cost almost $400,000 just for the one item of repairs and deadwork in this property.

Jan 8, 1914

By C. D. Demond

IN reverberatory smelting, fuel is the chief item of expense, as it commonly is in processes using large percentages of it. Hence the most suitable supply is eagerly sought; that is, the supply which, in the end, yields the greatest net profit. The better grades are not infrequently bought, even at an advanced price, because they are apt to be decidedly more economical. High price, of itself, however, is no merit, for freight is generally the largest part of the cost of fuel, and the nearby supply may yield as high efficiency as that from a greater distance. If a poorer grade is reasonably good, and if its cost is low enough to more than offset the decreased technical efficiency, it is of course the more suitable. Any smelting, operation depends for both efficiency and economy on raising the furnace atmosphere considerably above the "critical" temperature; that is, above the temperature at which smelting is completed. If this temperature is not exceeded, smelting stops, no matter how much coal is burned; and the real value of a fuel depends on the number of degrees that the temperature is continuously kept above this point. For example, if one fuel maintains 2,500° F. and another only 2,100° F., while the "critical" temperature is 2,000° F., the first is worth at least five times as much as the second, although the increase above atmospheric temperature is only one-fifth more in one case than in the other. This "margin of temperature" above the smelting point is much more significant than the total number of heat units developed from the fuel. The case is parallel to that of water flowing from a pipe. The reservoir may contain a billion gallons of water; but, even though the fluid has come to the nozzle, not a drop will run out, where it can be of practical use, unless the level in the reservoir is higher than the nozzle; and the speed and volume of flow depend on how much higher the level is in the reservoir than at this point. If the temperature inn a furnace is not above the critical level there will be no slag to flow over the skimming plate, even though there are enough heat units to bring an unlimited quantity of charge up to the point of slag formation; and just as the value of a water supply for the purpose of putting out a fire depends largely on the effective head, so the difficulties of furnace management

Jan 8, 1914

INTRODUCTION IT is 10. years this summer since the first of the contributions which it has been my privilege to make to the working tools of the hydrometallurgist was set at work, but a full description of what has come to be known as "Dorr Machinery" has never been published in the Transactions of the Institute, and it has been suggested to me that an account of the same would prove of interest to members, although most of those engaged in cyaniding and concentration are probably familiar with it. The account which I shall give of the development of the machines must be recognized as being written from the viewpoint mainly of my own local experience and not from that of one who was familiar with the general metallurgical practice throughout the world. Most advances in any art are conceived before the time is ripe for their development and any .invention which comes into general use will usually be found to have been tried out in a crude way and abandoned more than once. If the early experimenter went as far as the Patent Office, his work may serve no other purpose than to prevent the issuance of the broadest patent to those who later may develop a commercial process. The cyanide process in the United States early in 1904 was mainly confined to the leaching of dry crushed ores, both coarse and fine, and sand treatment of tailings from concentration and amalgamation. In the Black' hills some plants were crushing in cyanide solution, leaching sands and handling the slime by the well-known decantation process. Filter pressing, in use for some years in Australia,had been tried in several places in this country and the Moors process had been abandoned at Mercur after' a short run, but was doing good work at the mill of Lindbergh, Dorr & Wilson, at Terry, and being installed at Bodie and the Liberty Bell. A general feeling, however, still existed that, slimes were to be avoided when possible, on account of the losses in treatment and the difficulty of making a good leaching product when they were present in large amounts, especially when the crushing was done in cyanide solution.

Jan 8, 1914

By George Packard

THE shaft of the Raven. mine, at Butte, Mont., is an incline 1,700 ft. in length and dipping at various angles. At the top the dip is 70° from the horizontal, but this is gradually flattened until at the 300-ft. level the inclination is only 47°. This angle continues to the 1,100-ft. level, below which it, curves with a 125-ft. radius to 78°. In addition to these variations in dip, the shaft does not lie in the same vertical plane, with the result that the hoisting rope not only rubs at intervals on both the hanging- and foot-walls, but presses strongly against the west, dividers near the collar, while 300 ft. below it runs close to the east end plates. The early operators used no idlers, and wall plates cut 6 in. deep y the rope resulted. Later operators first attempted to overcome the excessive friction, and the wear of rope and wall plates, by introducing solid cast-iron idlers, 3 in. in diameter. To allow for the travel of the rope from side to side some of these had to be 3 ft. long and were very heavy. Judging from the appearance of the old idlers of this type found at the mine, they often failed to turn in the bearings, which is not surprising when it is considered that they would have to make 1,000 rev.. a minute under ordinary hoisting conditions. The next rolls were made of wood, 6 in. in diameter, with an iron band about each end, and a pintle of 1-in. round steel driven in at the ends to serve as a shaft. These wore rapidly, and were soon replaced by rolls made from water pipe, 5 or 6 in. in diameter, cut to the desired length and fitted with a wooden cylinder into which the pintle was driven. Where the idlers were used on the hanging-wall of the shaft the original bearing was simply a piece of 2 by 1-1 in. strap iron, 10 in. long, turned up at the end in a circle of 18 in. in diameter to receive the shaft. A small hole served for oiling, and common black oil was generally used, although filtered oil from engine bearings and compressor bearings was also used. When the rolls were to be placed on the foot-wall the bearings were made from two pieces of 1 by 3 in. steel, 6 in. long. A half circle was cut on the flat side of each piece and the two half circles together formed a bearing. Oil holes were provided, and in some cases holes were bored through the two pieces so that they could be screwed or spiked to the wall plates.

Jan 8, 1914

By Sidney Wise

WHILE the installation of mine bulkheads to retain water under high pressure is y no means a rarity, the following points Which arose in the designing and placing of two of these bulkheads may be of interest: The Hibernia magnetite mine, located about 40 miles west of New York, in the State-of New Jersey, is partly filled with water. This mine is located on an ore lens, the outcrop of which is over a mile long. The ore has been mined from this lens from the surface to a depth of more than 1,500 ft. It was held desirable to- separate the old workings from the new, and to allow the former to fill to the 850-ft. level. Two weak places existed between the new and old workings below this level: namely, a temporary bulkhead on the 10th level and a rock bulkhead of indeterminate thickness on the 16th level. When the matter of allowing the old workings to fill was investigated, the fact was developed that if these old workings were filled, the bulkhead on the 10th level would be subjected to a water pressure of about 50 lb. per square inch, and that 200 lb. per square inch would act on the 16th-level bulkhead. As the above-mentioned barriers were not deemed of sufficient strength to permit of these pressures, it became necessary to design and install new bulkheads. Design As the 16th-level bulkhead was required to withstand a pressure of 200 lb. per square inch, it presented some difficulties. A careful consideration of the various types of mine dams now in use led to the adoption of a design of the form of a truncated wedge. In this, the pressure side of the dam is of greater area than the back, so that the resultant action is similar to driving the wedge. By cutting generous skewbacks in the walls, roof, and floor, this type in reality becomes an invisible arch. The wedge feature tends to compress the materials in the bulkhead, thereby adding to its imperviousness.

Jan 8, 1914

By G. P. Hulst

THE Parkes process lead refinery of the International Lead Refining Co., at East Chicago, was built by the International Smelting & Refining Co. to treat the lead bullion produced by its Tooele plant, at Tooele, Utah. The plant was designed and constructed under the direction of the writer. Ground was broken Apr. 16, 1912, and exactly six months later the plant was in operation and lead was being cast. The capacity of the plant, running 25 days per month, is 5,000 tons. The four products of the plant are common lead, corroding lead, antimonial lead, and Doré bullion. The site is an area, 64 acres in extent, lying north of 151st Street, between McCook Avenue and the Canal. The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal, and Pennsylvania Railroad enter, the yard at the plant. There are five, storage tracks and space for storing 100 cars in the yard. The main lead to the storage tracks passes over a 100-ton track scale on entering the yard...

Jan 8, 1914

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL SECTIONS New York L. W. FRANCIS, Chairman, WILLARD S. MORSE,. Vice-Chairman. THOMAS T. READ, Secretary, Woolworth Bldg., New York, N. Y. P. A. MOSMAN, Treasurer. LOUIS D. HUNTOON. Boston HENRY L. SMYTH, Chairman. ALFRED C. LANE, Vice-Chairman. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary-Treasurer, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. TIMOTHY W. SPRAGUE, HENRY A. WENTWORTH. Columbia F. A. THOMSON, Chairman. GEORGE W. RODDEWIG, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. R. S. McCAFFERY, S. H. RICHARDSON.

Jan 8, 1914

By Charles Goodale

With notes on other mines of the Marysville district by WALTER McDERMOTT, London, England, and F. L. Sizer, Dos Cabezas, Ariz. (Salt Lake Meeting, August, 1914) THE purpose of this paper is to review the history of the Drumlummon, one of the famous old mines of the West. Mining engineers, when sent to examine new mines in old districts, or to decide whether an old property, under new conditions, will pay to re-open, have had difficulty in learning anything authentic regarding workings which are under water, and historical facts about the working character of the ore, the total production, and the value of the ore with increasing depth. Not many years elapse after the pumps are pulled, before maps, books and records are destroyed, and the value of the publications of the Institute would be increased if they contained the history of many old mines now abandoned. The unsuccessful efforts of the writer quite recently in trying to obtain reliable information about a gold mine which was reported to have produced several million dollars between 1880 and 1888, the workings of which are now partially caved and under water, impressed upon his mind the desirability of having a permanent record of old properties. In this particular case, the owners insisted that under present conditions of improved methods of treatment -particularly by the use of cyanide, which was not an applied process when the mine was operated, the property. could be made to pay a handsome profit on ore left in sight in the old workings, but no assay records could be found to confirm these assurances, and even the records of bullion shipments had been destroyed. If surveys and maps were made as the work progressed, no trace of them could be found, and therefore opening of the ground through a new shaft and drifts therefrom would be attended by some risk while exploring near the old workings. Fatal accidents by flooding under these conditions have occurred, and as an evidence that miners have fears of such dangers, it was urged upon the Mining Committee during a recent session of the Montana Legislature, by a delegation of

Jan 8, 1914

By W. W. Norton

THE gradually increasing proportion of sulphide ores which lead smelters of to-day are called upon to handle has caused the roasting problem to become one of ever greater importance. We may look back a score of years or so and recall the old hand roasters, some of which turned out a finely divided roasted product, and others fashioned with a "fuse-box" wherein the roasted ore was slagged. Then came mechanical furnaces of several types, the Brückner cylinder, the Brown-O'Harra, the Ropp, and others, all designed to cut out the cumbersome hand labor of the old reverberatories. Roasting costs were thereupon reduced and tonnages stimulated to a gratifying extent. However, it seems to have been early recognized that this very feature of a greater amount of roasted sulphide ore as compared with oxide ore brought with it a train of difficulties at the blast furnaces. The mechanically roasted ore was fine physically, the blast furnaces were choked and the troubles of the smelterman were not at an end. Then the Huntington-Heberlein pot system of roasting appeared upon the scene, and later on the Dwight-Lloyd machines were invented, and inasmuch as both of these processes were designed not only to roast the ore but to agglomerate it as well, it was apparent that distinct steps in advance has been achieved. At the Murray plant, modern up-to-date roasting practice is fully exemplified and there are now in successful operation roasting furnaces or devices of several sorts: namely, Godfrey revolving-hearth furnaces, Wedge multiple-hearth mechanical roasters, Dwight-Lloyd. sintering machines, and Huntington-Heberlein pots. Godfrey and Wedge furnaces will properly handle material high in sulphur, say ores with 25, 30, and 35 per cent. of that element; D. &.L. machines and H. & H. pots will positively not treat efficiently ores or mixtures containing anywhere near the sulphur content mentioned, but are confined to charges containing in the neighborhood of 15 or 18 per cent. In passing, it may also be explained that, so far as the knowledge of the writer goes, Godfrey and Wedge furnaces do not economically eliminate sulphur to an extent

Jan 8, 1914

By Arthur Crowfoot

INTRODUCTION The principal object of this paper is to present data on the development of the revolving convex round table as a concentrator for the through 0.07-mm. slimes from the ores of the Butte district, although same brief notes on the earliest recorded use of this type of concentrating table in the ore-dressing plants of the Lake Superior region and of the Butte district are also presented. The revolving convex round table belongs to the class of concentrating tables known as film-sizing tables, these tables using the relative transporting power of a film, or thin sheet of water, as it flows over a quiet inclined surface, to separate the minerals of a sorted product.

Jan 8, 1914

By Robert Bedford

THE objects of this paper are: 1. To give cost data on drilling obtained at the North Star mine in California; 2. To describe the methods of testing drills employed there, giving the results of shop tests, and the correlated data obtained underground; 3. To demonstrate that these tests form a satisfactory basis upon which to judge rock drills. The rock at this mine is either close-grained diabase in the upper levels, or tough grano-diorite in the lower levels. The vein, which has an average dip of 23°, consists of about 5 ft. of "formation" lying between walls of unaltered country rock. Of the 5 ft., solid quartz and stringers make up 18 in. of pay ore. The formation, which consists of but slightly altered country rock, is almost as hard as the unaltered walls. From 4 to 42 ft. is sent to the mill. One-third of the holes are drilled in the quartz; two-thirds in the formation. The holes are about 42 ft. deep and break on the average of 1.15 tons per hole. The average number of holes per stope drill shift is at present 5.65. The number of drill shifts throughout the mine in 1913, was 18,679, and the cost of labor for drilling, power, supplies, upkeep of machines and air lines, tool sharpening, and distribution, amounted to 33 per cent. of total mining expense. To do this work there are in commission 43 No. 12A, three No. 17V and eight No. 16V Waugh stopers, three Jackhamers, two Waugh pluggers, and 17 No. 8 ,and two No. 7 water Leyners. For the past three years a record has been kept of the repairs on each machine and number of shifts operated by it. The figures given in Tables I and II for the cost of repairs per drill shift have been taken from this record. The underground air pressure is about 90 lb. The air consumption per drill shift was measured by, aerometers. The leakage of pipe lines between compressor and meter is not included. From the number of pieces of steel sharpened for each type of drill during the year the average used per drill shift has been ascertained. For other supplies the figures given represent a year's average.

Jan 8, 1914

By C. R. Kuzell

INTRODUCTION KNOWLEDGE of the thermal capacity of gases is of great importance in making metallurgical calculations. The metallurgist is, frequently called upon to investigate and determine furnace efficiencies in which the heat carried into or out of the furnace by gases is a large item in the heat balance. Not only do such problems present themselves in the determination of furnace efficiency, but also in the study of the application of heat is accessory apparatus, such as stoves, regenerators, waste-heat boilers, driers,.etc. The thermal effect of the use of excess air in the combustion of fuel, the theoretical temperatures of combustion, the quantity of heat in hot blast at various temperatures, the effect of hot blast on furnace temperatures, are a few more examples of frequently occurring calorific problems involving gases. So many are the applications of the data on the heat capacity of gases that the subject merits careful study. The heat in a gas maybe due to its heat of combustion, if it is a combustible gas, and to its temperature. The latter is called its sensible heat and is the heat absorbed or evolved by a gas as its temperature is raised or lowered. The heat of combustion of gases is well established and is commonly known. The values can be found in almost any mcdern treatise on metallurgy. The sensible heat of gases has not been so well established because it is in most cases a function of the temperature, and the values of specific heats of gases over a wide range of temperatures have only recently been determined. It is the purpose of this paper to deal with the sensible heat of gases.

Jan 8, 1914

By Frank Van Horn

INTRODUCTION IN June, 1911, the writer spent a few days in studying the economic geology of the vicinity of Park City. During this rather hurried visit a number of specimens of ore were collected, which have since been examined. The results of these investigations show that bournonite (PbCuSbS3) is present in the ores in greater or less quantity. This fact has never before been reported, as far as can be learned. The failure to recognize this mineral is due to its similarity to tetrahedrite, with which it has probably been confused during a long period of years. Jamesonite (Pb2Sb2S5) has been reported from the region in a rather doubtful manner, but the writer has seen it in notable amounts from several mines, and can offer the first analysis of this mineral from the district. Calamine (H2Zn2SiO6) was found at one mine and has never been recognized and reported from the district.

Jan 8, 1914

PERSONAL (Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during the period June 10 to July 10: J. C. Ralston, Spokane, Wash. E. P. Ashmore, So. Porcupine, Ont., Can. William H. Yeandle, Jr., Mexico City, Stuart Croasdale, Denver, Colo. Mexico. W. E. Hopper, Houghton, Mich. W. C. Minsch, Mexico City, Mexico. D. W. Brunton, Denver, Colo. H. V. Winchell, Minneapolis, Minn. Fred Crabtree, Pittsburg, Pa. W. G. Swart, Denver, Colo. Robert S. Lewis, Salt Lake City, Utah. D. F. Schindler, Madison, Wis. Noel Cunningham, Timmins, Ont., Can E. R. Pettebone has just been elected a Trustee of the Pennsylvania State College, being supported by the votes of the delegates of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Local Section of the Institute and the Engineers' Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Jan 8, 1914

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the, names of those persons who became members during the period June 10 to July 10, 1914: Members ALDRICH, HAROLD W., Supt. of Leaching Plant, Washoe Red. Wks., Anaconda Copper Co., Anaconda, Mont. AYER, FRANK ASHTON, Mine Foreman.. ..Detroit Copper Co., Morenci, Ariz. BELL, ARTHUR F. L., Chief Engr., Associated Oil Co.., 817 Sharon Bldg., San Francisco, Cal. BERGMAN, JULIUS GUSTAF, Mech. Engr., Chief Draftsman, Arizona Copper Co. Morenci, Ariz. BURT, CURTIS F., Min. Engr., Pittsburg-Dolores Mining Co., Rockland, via Yerington, Nev. CALLAWAY SCOTT DAVID, Chem La Harpe Smelter Co., La Harpe, Kan. CAMPBELL, W. C., Min. Engr 4 Princess St., Roodeport, Transvaal, So. Af. CARROLL, GEORGE A., Genl. Mgr Kildare Min. Co., Manson, B. C., Canada. CARUTHERS, JOHN LYTLE, Min. Engr., Asst. Engr., St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific Co.. Raton. N. M.

Jan 8, 1914

By Stuart Croasdale

NOT long ago I was called upon to conduct some experiments on the treatment of ores from the New Cornelia copper mine, Ajo mountains, Arizona, for the Calumet & Arizona Copper Co. The problem was a very interesting one and contained some unusual features. Incidental with this problem was the utilization of a large amount of low-grade pyrite in the Bisbee mines of the company, provided this could be accomplished by any feasible method. The New Cornelia mine is situated 45 miles south of Gila Bend, the nearest railroad point, on the Southern Pacific Railroad. It is about 160 miles, almost due west, from Tucson. This section is one of the most arid in the United States. The normal annual precipitation, as given by the United States Weather Bureau covering a period from 1870 to 1901, is 3 to 5 in. During June and July, 1913, the records kept by the company gave the following results. These are all I have available, but they show the enormous evaporation that can be expected, which may be a factor in leaching operations on a large scale.

Jan 8, 1914

By Carl Allen

INTRODUCTION IN any discussion of mining one is repeatedly confronted with the difficulty of dealing with so many variable conditions. It is not an exact science and in the choice of a method each varying factor has a certain weight, which, in many cases, experience alone can determine. In mathematical terms, it is a function of many variables. A discussion of mining also loses much of its value unless, costs are considered, because the expectation of profit is the only excuse for carrying on mining at all. As conditions vary they cause fluctuations in cost and there are few operations to which a definite cost can be assigned. The character of the ore may make it difficult to drill, yet because of the ease with which it breaks the total cost of drilling and blasting may be low. In preparing this article the attempt has been, not to cover the whole field of mining, but to describe the different methods of stoping and mining which have distinct principles. In addition to this an effort has been made to show the advantage of dissecting the methods into their detailed operations and applying to these a mathematical study as an aid to the judgment in determining which is the best method to adopt, or in attempting to reduce the cost of a method already in use. Methods of mining include stoping, caving, and various methods of working large deposits which, in addition to the method of actually breaking the ore, require elaborate and definite plans of, development of the orebody. The ordinary methods of stoping are too familiar to all for any elaborate discussion, but it has seemed advisable to review the subject and give the principal advantages' and disadvantages of the different methods.

Jan 8, 1914

By Richard Divine

IN the Parkes process of extracting precious metals from lead, zinc is added to the molten lead containing gold, silver, copper, and, some antimony. These metals, with the exception of antimony, form an alloy with the zinc by reason of their greater affinity for it than for the lead, and this alloy, being lighter than lead, rises to the top, carrying the precious metals with it, whence it can be removed by skimming. These skimmings are further treated for the separation of the zinc therefrom, and the recovery of the precious metals, the zinc being driven off by heat and again used for another operation. In addition to the zinc that combines with the silver, etc., a certain amount is necessary to saturate the lead, and it is therefore necessary to treat the desilverized lead to free it from this residual zinc. To do this it is heated again in a reverberatory furnace and air or steam is blown through it. This oxidizes the zinc together with a small amount of lead and antimony, leaving the lead free from zinc and antimony, and forming oxides of these metals, which rise to the. top and are skimmed off. This process relates to the separation of the metals in these oxides or skimmings. The skimmings are cooled, crushed, and mixed with carbonate of soda and pulverized oil coke. The mixture is heated in a reverberatory furnace on a bath of lead, to about 1,000°C. The metals are reduced by the coke, the lead and antimony go into the lead bath, while the zinc is volatilized and burned to oxide. This impure oxide is at the present time treated at Omaha by the Hall process of electrical precipitation, making a very pure metallic zinc. It can also be very easily refined by the old Schnabel process of using ammonia and carbon dioxide as a solvent. It seen-is to be in an ideal form for this purpose, and very few changes from the original method are required to obtain the zinc oxide practically C. P., leaving the lead and antimony as residues.

Jan 8, 1914

By Dorsey Lyon

INTRODUCTION THE electric furnace has always been found to be especially adapted to melting, refining, and finishing processes throughout its gradual acceptance by metallurgists, as a practical apparatus for conducting metallurgical operations. In the steel industry, the electric furnace is firmly established in the manufacture of steel of the highest grade, equal to crucible steel. For the production of the cheaper grades of steel in large tonnage, the electric furnace gives a higher-grade product than the open-hearth or converter, but due to the high cost of power prevailing in steel centers, considered from the electric furnace standpoint, it is not economical to produce tonnage steel in the electric furnace. As a refining and finishing agent for open-hearth or Bessemer steel, the electric furnace has had some degree of success in the production of tonnage steel. After a study of the use of the electric furnace in the steel industry, it appears that there may be a possibility of its use to advantage for the melting of cathode copper. In the case of copper the problem is not one of actual refining, because the copper if refined properly y the electrolytic method needs no further refining; it needs simply to be cast into a marketable shape. The name" refining". is applied to the present finishing process, because in the operation oxygen and other impurities are removed, which the electrolytic copper absorbs in being melted in the reverberatory furnace. Considering that processes may be positive, negative, and neutral; the electrolytic method would be positive; reverberatory melting of cathode copper, negative; and electric furnace melting, neutral. The electrolytic method produces about as pure a copper as is possible, if operated properly and the anodes are not too impure. The final reverberatory melting of this cathode copper lowers the grade of the final product, due to the absorption of gases and impurities.

Jan 8, 1914