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By A. Eilers

The use of the bag-house for filtering out fumes produced in certain metallurgical operations is not new in America. There are no patents in force at this time, to my knowledge, which might hinder such use. Up to about 25 years ago the bag-house was only employed in connection with either zinc-works, which produced the oxides, to be sold for paint, or as an auxiliary in extracting lead from high-grade oxidized ores and from galena-concentrates in the Missouri and neighboring lead-regions; this work being then done in the Scotch or American hearths and in very low slag-furnaces, in all of which was produced an excessive amount of oxides which were also finally sold as paints. The literature1 on the above is abundant in text-books and periodical publications. The first large bag-house to be used permanently in connection with lead blast-furnaces was erected, as far as I am aware, about 1887 at the Globe smelting Co.'s works at Denver, Colo., under the Lewis-Bartlett patents. The brick flue, running from the blast-furnaces to the bag-house, was only a few

Jan 1, 1913

By William Hutton Blauvelt

Coke is the product of dry distillation of bituminous coal, by which the volatile matter is driven off, producing a hard body of cellular structure. Not all bituminous coals will coke, and there has been much discussion regarding the substance which is present in coking-coals to distinguish them from dry coals. Professor Lewes says that the bituminous matter in coal is largely derived from the spores of fossil mosses. Resins are present in all soft coals, and contribute largely to the cementing of the coke. The resinates and hydrocarbons begin to distil out at moderate temperatures and leave the pitchy residual, which at 500' C. forms a mass already well caked together, if the proportion of humus residual is not too great. This coke is soft, but if the heat be raised to 1,000° C. the pitch decomposes further, leaving carbon, and Professor Lewes is convinced that the coking bond is due to these liquid products which distil off, leaving pitch, which then carbonizes and binds the mass into coke. Professor Parr concludes that the structures of the organic compouilds of the coal Which furnish the cemeding-material for coke, and which are apparently attacked by oxygen, have not been determined and seen] to vary somesvhat in different types of coal. However, they yield, on oxidation, humic acids of varying composition which decompose into powdery residues. Because of the complex nature of these substances and the difficulty experienced in isolating and identifying them, the theory of coking is still an open problem and the explanations advanced are largely hypothetical. In the coking process the volatile matter driven off in the oven consists mainly of tar, ammonia, and gas, familiarly known as by-products. Both the quality and quantity of coke and by-products vary greatly With the composition of the coal.

Jan 1, 1913

By F. E. Lucas

This paper is offered with considerable diflidence, since some of the statements made may not agree with the opinions of other members of the Institute. What I give is the result of some years of experience in the operation and construction of coke-ovens, and observation of plants in America and Europe. Although my title is " The Manufacture of Coke," I have found it impossible to do justice to the subject without touching on a number of points which, while not strictly involved in the making of coke, yet are of paramount importance from an economic standpoint. There are, indeed, many points of interest, on each of which a separate paper of considerable length might be written, but the scope of my paper will permit me only to touch lightly some of them, in the hope that what I say will promote a full discussion on the whole question. Those of us who are interested in the manufacture of coke are under an obligation to the American Institute of Mining Engineers, which has opened its meetings to the discussion of this subject. I do not believe that there is any question to-day more worthy or more in need of discussion. When geologists and mining-men tell us that, at the present rate of consumption, our coal-fields will be exhausted in a few generations, me should welcome any means that will conserve these deposits as far as possible, and give us the greatest amount of heat or power from every ton mined. I shall try to show that much can be done in this direction through the by-product coke-oven, and that it should stand second to none as an economic factor in the industrial world. I shall here deal exclusively with the by-product oven, except for the comparative statement I hare prepared, showing the saving to be effected by coking in by-product instead of beehive orens. It should be borne in mind that this comparison

Jan 1, 1913

By C. W. Andrews

The various methods of by-product coke-manufacture have been quite thoroughly discussed in a number of papers recently published, and I think it would possibly be of interest and value to discuss the growth and probable future of the byproduct coke industry, rather than details of manufacture. The first by-product coke-plant in the United States, consisting of 12 ovens, was put in operation at Syracuse in January, 1893. This installation was followed by one at Johnstown, Pa., in 1895; one at Dunbar, in 1896, and one at Glassport, in 1897. The plant at Syracuse was primarily intended to supply the owners with ammonia for their alkali-works. At Glassport, for the first time, gas was sold for illuminating purposes, although it was mixed with water-gas to make it marketable. The New England Coke & Gas Co. started the plant in Boston in 1899, which was destined to change the whole trend of the establishment of by-product plants, since it manufactured for the first time illuminating-gas suitable for sale without enrichment. This was accomplished by dividing the gas on the battery into two portions. One portion, consisting of the richer part of the gas, was saved for sale, while the remaining, or leaner, portion was used in the battery. This idea was originated by Dr. Schniewind, of the United Coke & Gas Co. The coke was used for domestic, industrial, and locomotive fuel, as its sulphur-content was too high to make it suitable for use in the foundry. The successful operation of this plant led to the building of additional plants at points where the production of illuminating-gas could be sold to advantage and where there was a fair market for the coke-output. The following list of illuminating-gas plants in order of construction will give a good idea of the rapid growth of this method of combined gas- and coke-manufacture: Hamilton, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Camden, N. J.; Baltimore, Md.; Chester, Pa.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Duluth, Minn.; Geneva, N. Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Indianapolis, Ind. In addition to these there are now under construction plants at Muncie, Ind.; Joliet, Ill., and Waukegan, Ill., all of which will produce illuminating-gas and metallurgical coke.

Jan 1, 1913

By C. A. Stewart

PAGE. I. Introduction............ 241 II. Location. TopoGRaphy. and History....... 243 III. DescRiption of the Rocks......... 245 1. Altered Sediments.......... 245 2. Alaskite........... 246 3. Alaskite.Porphyry.....255 4. Quartz Dikes........... 257 5. Biotite.Granite.......... 256 6. Quartz.Porphyryl......... 260 7. Andesite........... 262 8. Miscellaneous Dikes......... 263 IV. Age oF the Rocks and Comparison with other Localities.. 263 V. AlteRation............ 265 1. Sericitization........... 265 2. Silicification........... 266 VI. StRuctuRes........267 1. Dip of the Limestone......... 267 2. Faulting........... 267 VII. Contact - metamorhism,.......... 269 1. Endomorphism.......... 269 2. Exomorphism......... 271 Recrystallization and Loss of Color...... 271 New ,Minerals.......... 272 Addition of Material........ 274 Volume.Changes.... 276 Locus of Metamorhism........ 277 Method of Precipitation.........278 VIII. ORe-Deposits............ 278 1. Contact-Metamorphic Copper.Ores,..... 279 General..........279 Shape and Distribution........ 279 Minerals........... 281 Secondary Enrichment........ 282 2. Disseminated Copper.Ores........ 283 3. Origin of the Copper.Orcs........ 284 4. Lead-Silver Ores.......... 287 IX. Bibliography............ 288

Jan 1, 1913

By Thomas T. Read

Jan 1, 1913

By Richard B. Moore

This bulletin presents a summary of available information regarding the sources of uranium, radium, and vanadium, the methods used in treating the ores, and the uses of the finished products. In particular the paper describes the ores found in the United States, giving especial attention to those characteristics of the ores and the conditions of their occurrence that affect mining and treatment. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. In the preparation of this bulletin a number of persons rendered assistance by furnishing information and by making it possible for us to visit the carnotite deposits in western Colorado and eastern Utah at a time of the year when without this assistance it would have been difficult to obtain satisfactory results. We desire to express our thanks to the following persons: Henry Hall, W. L. Cummings, T. V. Curran, K. D. Hequembourg, David Taylor, H. C. Brown, Forbes Rickard, George W. Alsdorf, Dr. Herman Fleck, Orr J. Adams, C. S. Cherrington, Newt. Stewart, O. B. Willmarth, Angus Cameron, George A. Head, and Lorimer Bros.

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Jan 1, 1913

By L. C. IlsLey, H. H. Clark

As part of its investigations of the causes of mine accidents and of the safest and most efficient methods of handling electricity underground, the Bureau of Mines undertook a study of the ignition of mine gases by the filaments of electric incandescent lamps. This bulletin describes the investigation in detail and gives a complete record of the results obtained.

Jan 1, 1913

By Clarence Hall, Spencer P. Howell

This bulletin deals with the characteristic features of the principal explosives used in mining and engineering operations, and espe- cially with the tests that show the suitability of different classes of explosives for different kinds of work. The Bureau of Mines pub- lishes the report as one of a series dealing with tests of explosives and methods of reducing the risks involved in the use of explosives in mining operations. The application of explosives to engineering and mining opera- tions has increased rapidly in recent years. According to a pre- liminary report issued by the Bureau of the Census, 469,000,000 pounds of explosives was manufactured in this country during the year 1909, and the greater part of this production was used for industrial purposes. In large engineering projects and in mining operations requiring the use of explosives the selection of a suitable explosive from the many varieties offered for sale is of fundamental importance. Vari- ous considerations are involved in the selection of an explosive of proper class for the blasting to be done. Many explosives suitable for quarry work are unsuitable for use in deep mines or in close workings. In metal mining and in driving tunnels the character of the gases evolved by the explosive on detonation is an important consideration. An explosive for use in gaseous or dusty coal mines must be formulated and compounded so that its flame temperature and the height and duration of its flame are reduced enough to per- mit its being used with comparative safety. In wet workings or in submarine blasting explosives impervious to moisture are requisite. In extremely cold climates explosives that do not require thawing are desirable, provided they are equally good in other respects. An essential requirement of all explosives, especially of those for use in tropical countries, is that they shall remain stable without change in chemical or physical characteristics.

Jan 1, 1913

By N. H. Darton

In mining coal in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania the general custom has been to leave a large percentage of the coal in place as pillars to support the roof. Evidently any practice that involves partial waste of an important mineral resource is bound to be discarded. It is well recognized that one method of obviating probable waste is to fill the workings with cheap or worthless materials, a process extensively employed in the anthracite and some European mines. At present many of the collieries in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania are utilizing refuse from the old culm banks, which formerly were prominent features in the landscape, and are flushing the fine waste underground so that pillars may be reduced in size or removed. As a result the banks are now disappearing and soon will be gone. The fine culm from the breakers and rock from the mines will continue to be available, but the volume of these materials is insufficient to replace any considerable proportion of the coal removed. The next stage of progress suggested is the use of sand. Fortunately there are available large deposits of this material, much of which can be handled by dredges and pumps. This report is issued by the Bureau of Mines in the interest of safer and more efficient mining methods. I ts purpose is to describe the sand deposits in the northern anthracite coal field in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, Pa, Much of the information available is presented in the map, Plate I. Field studies, mostly preliminary, were made in the summer of 1911 to determine the distribution, amount, and character of the larger deposits. It was not thought desirable to make a detailed examination of the region because when the coal companies decide to utilize the sand their engineers will make precise surveys and drill test holes. In preparing the map the various coal companies were consulted; they contributed a large number of facts, especially as to the deposits in the buried valley of the Susquehanna between Pittston and Nan- ticoke, where nearly 1,000 test holes have been bored. The results of these borings were placed at the author's disposal, and have been utilized in drawing the boundaries given in the wide valley area and its extensions up Lackawanna River and NewportCreek. Wyoming Valley contains deposits of sand that are 100 feet thick over a wide area, 200 feet thick in places, and over 300 feet thick in the deep old channel south of Plymouth.

Jan 1, 1913

By David White

The purpose of the studies that form the basis of this report was to learn from microscopic examinations of coal how far and in what ways the grouping of coal by types depends on differences in the kinds of plant material from which it was formed and on the condi- tions of its accumulation, or how far the special characters or qualities of coal of any type were determined by the nature and the state of the plant débris from which the coal was formed. The fact is almost universally accepted that beds of coal represent accumulations of vegetal matter in varying stages of preservation, with, as a rule, very small proportions of the remains of animal life. Mingled with the organic substances are different inorganic mineral sediments, which, together with the mineral matter originally con- tained in the plants themselves, constitute the "ash" of coal. The examination of coal shows that the kinds of ingredient plants range all the way from algee and fungi to large trees of various orders, and that these in turn vary in their own groups according to the depth and the nature of the water in which they grew and according to the other conditions of growth, such as moisture, temperature, soil, light, climate, and the competition of individuals. The species or kinds of plants and the numbers of each kind also differ greatly among themselves, not only during any one geologic period because of the changes of environment, but also from one geologic period to another, and it will be remembered that well-developed coal has been found in the strata of every period since the Silurian." Most geologists now agree that coal is transformed peat. True there is wide difference of opinion as to how the transformation has been accomplished and even as to whether coal started as such peat as is now found. Some writers insist that the higher grade coal, in its processes of development, never passed through geologic stages

Jan 1, 1913

By W. L. EGY, GEORGES. RICE, L. M. JONES, J. K. CLEMENT

This report has been prepared, not only for the purpose of recording the results of the first series of coal-dust tests conducted in the experimental mine of the Bureau of Mines, but also to place before the mining public a description of the mine and an account of the objects sought in its establishment. Soon after the organization of the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey, J. A. Holmes, then chief of the branch, concluded that for the solution of various problems relating to the causes and prevention of mine explosions it would be best to carry on large-scale tests in a mine rather than in a surface gallery. The idea of utilizing the underground passage of a mine for making explosion experiments did not at' first meet with general approval among investigators in this country or abroad. Many thought a mine passage was not a proper place in which scientific tests could be conducted, as great difficulty in controlling conditions was expected. However, after all arguments for and against such an investigation had been carefully considered, plans for opening an experimental mine were definitely adopted by the Bureau of Mines in 1910, and an allotment of funds was made to carry out the project. The first endeavor was to find an existing mine suitable for the purpose, but the mines offered by owners were either worked out, were wet, had poor roofs, or presented complications of various kinds, so that it was finally decided to open a mine if a site could be obtained having natural conditions that would fill the various requirements. A most desirable location was found on property of the Pittsburgh Coal Co., near Bruceton, Pa. The president of this company, Mr. W. K. Field, the general manager, Mr. G. W. Schluederberg, and the chief engineer, Mr. E. J. Taylor, rendered every possible service in

Jan 1, 1913

By E. J. HOFFMAN, L. A. SCHOLL, J. c. W. FRAZER

The danger from coal dust in mines has been thoroughly demon- strated by experiment, and consequently the study of the inflam- mability of coal dust suspended in air, that is, the readiness with which a cloud of coal dust inflames, is of decided importance to those engaged in coal mining. Much knowledge has been gained from the work done in the large galleries constructed at official and semiofficial stations in this country and abroad, but the study of the coal-dust problem in these galleries requires so much time and is so costly that there is need of a reliable laboratory method for obtaining a classi- fication of the great variety of dusts that occur in mines. The investigation described in this paper was an attempt to devise such a method. It was a preliminary investigation, and work in the same direction is being continued by the Bureau of Mines. As Mr. Frazer has severed his connection with the bureau, it is deemed advisable to publish the results of his study substantially as he prepared them, with little attempt to draw conclusions or to show the bearing of the results on other studies now in progress. The results of these studies and a full discussion of the significance of the laboratory investiga- tions will be published in future reports of the Bureau of Mines. The reader should remember that any laboratory method, since it involves conditions that differ so greatly from those of actual mining, should be thoroughly tested, and the results obtained by it should be confirmed by experiments conducted on a scale simulating mining conditions before final conclusions are drawn. The need of a laboratory method has long been felt, and several investigators have devised apparatus and methods. The work done by Vital, Holtzwart and Von Meyer, Bedson and Widdas, Le Chate- lier, and that of the British Coal Dust Commission is of great interest in this connection. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 20 contains a sum-

Jan 1, 1913

By A. W. BELDEN

Among the investigations that the Bureau of Mines is conducting witha view to increasing efficiency in the utilization of fuels belonging to or for the use of the Government is an investigation of the processesthat take place in a foundry cupola during a melt. Some observations on the results of cupola tests of cokes at the Government fuel-testing plant in St. Louis, Mo., the coke being fromcoal from many coal fields of the United States, have been stated in a previous bulletin.s Especial attention was given to the meltinglosses that resulted from the use of different grades of coke, light and porous or heavy and dense. These losses amounted in one instance to 52.5 per cent of the iron charged and showed, in convincing manner, the need of exact information in regard to conditions in the fuelbed of the cupola.b Melting losses of iron have been fully appreciated but little under-- stood. The fact that these losses were possible with either light or heavy coke led to the belief that by using small charges 80 placed that. melting would take place in that zone of the cupola where the highest heat and the smallest percentage of oxygen prevailed and by confiningall melting to this zone these losses would be eliminated and the economical use of practically any coke produced for metallurgical purposes would become possible. This widening of the field from whichcoke might be drawn for foundry purposes would serve to place the foundryman in an independent position as regards his source of supply, and would tend to conserve the better grades of coking coals, which are being rapidly exhausted, by making the poorer grades available for mixing with them. In order to investigate conditions within a cupola, the Bureau of Mines as a first step decided to install a commercial cupola, to sample the gases during their travel from the tuy~res upward, and to determine the temperature of the fuel bed.

Jan 1, 1913

By C. L. Wright

In 1904 the Government began a series of fuel-testing investiga- tions at its fuel-testing plant at St. Louis, Mo. These investigations, which were placed under the supervision of the United States Geo- logical Survey, included chemical analyses, steaming tests, gas- producer tests, briquetting tests, coking tests, and washing tests of samples collected from the various coal fields of the country. The specific purpose of the investigations was to analyze and test the coals and lignites in the United States, in order to deternime their fuel values and the most efficient methods of utilizing them for different purposes. Part of the fuel-testing plant, including the briquetting equipment, was moved to Norfolk, Va., in 1907, and the fuel-testing investiga- tions were made one of the divisions of the technologic branch of the Geological Survey. In 1908, after the close of the Jamestown Exposition, most of the fuel-testing equipment was removed to its present location at the Pittsburgh experiment station, Fortieth and Butler Streets, Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1910, an act of Congress, effective July 1, established the Bureau of Mines in the Department of the Interior and authorized the transfer to this bureau of the fuel-testing investigations that had been carried on by the technologic branch. Bulletins presenting the results of various inquiries and investiga- tions relating to briquetting have been published by the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines. As the supply of some of these bulletins is exhausted, the Bureau of Mines has decided, instead of reprinting them, to publish the more important facts they contain

Jan 1, 1913

By N. W. Lord

This volume contains the descriptions of the samples whose analy- ses are published in the preceding volume, Part I of this bulletin. The descriptions have been compiled from the notebooks of the per- sons who collected the samples, have been condensed from accounts given in published reports of the United States Geological Survey, or have been furnished by the collectors themselves. Inasmuch as the descriptions represent the work of many persons during a period of six years, and inasmuch as they were recorded under widely differing conditions, they necessarily vary in fullness of detail. The descriptions are published for two purposes: (1) To prosent such information regarding the character of the coal, the impurities in the beds sampled, and the nature of the roof and the floor of the beds as has a definite bearing on the significance of the analyses of the samples, and (2) to give any supplementary details such as the capacity or the output of a mine, the method of mining and prepar- ing the coal, and the chief uses to which it is put, that may be of assistance to Government engineers or purchasing agents, and to other persons, in preparing specifications and awarding contracts for fuel.

Jan 1, 1913