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THIS paper proposes to give a general description of the pumping and other machinery in use at the Thames Hauraki Pumping Station, situated on the Thames goldfields of the North Island, New Zealand. An idea of the general arrangement of the pumping engines and pumps can be obtained, together with a certain amount of detail, by reference to the illustrations. The history of the pump is rather interesting, and is as follows: -In 1894 the Government decided that a subsidy of £1 for £1up to an amoUllt not exceeding £25,000 be granted towards the erection of suitable machinery to exploit the Thames low levels.With a guarantee of such assistance a company was floated in London, with a capital of £300,000, to develop several properties at Thames. As the old Queen of Beauty Company had produced bullion worth £400,000 prior to closing down on account ofa breakdown to its pumping gear, their shaft was chosen as the site of the principal work. As soon as the company was floated, operations were commenced at the Queen of Beauty shaft, situated at the entrance of the Waio-Karaka Creek, and not more than about half a mile distant from the principal mines on the field.

Jan 1, 1912

By Bernard MacDonald

Of the treatment of the slime-pulp of gold- and silver-ores by cyanidation, agitation is an essential part. When prepared for treatment, this pulp, consisting of ore reduced to such fineness that approximately 80 per cent. of it will pass through a 200-mesh screen, is mixed with a certain proportion of water, carrying in solution the cluantity of cyanide (KCN) and other chemicals required. The water-constituent of the pulp thus prepared usually ranges from 1 to 2 parts by weight to 1 of the dry ore. Thus constituted, the pulp is charged into treatment-tanks, the shape and capacity of which vary, according to the quantity of pulp to be treated daily and the method of agitation to be employed. Tanks have no other function in a cyanide,plant than that of being economical and corlvellient containers or receptacles for holding the pulp, solutiou, or water used in the operations. It is by agitation that the solids in the pulp charged into the tanks are kept in suspension in, and mixed with, the solution in the proper proportions required for the treatment. If the proper mixture of solution to dolids be determined to be 2 to 1 by weight (which is, approximately, 5 to 1 by volume), this proportion should be maintained in every part of the charge; that is, each solid particle of the pulp, whether it be of' 180- or 400-mesh size, should be surrounded by five times its own volume of solution throughout the whole period of treatment. The reason is, that the amount of chemicals ascertaiued to be necessary for dissolving the gold and silver contained in the solids, is held in uniform solution in the water-constituent of the pulp, and, therefore, the determined proportions of solution and solids must be maintained at all times during treat-

Jan 1, 1912

Jan 1, 1912

Jan 1, 1912

THE slide-rule, as a quick and convenient instrument for performing approximate calculations, is steadily growing more and more into favour with the engineer, and results obtained by it are considered close enough to enable him to satisfactorily dealwith a considerable portion of his work. To the surveyor, however, whose ordinary computations must be as precise as his measurements, the present makes of rule are insufficient, except for a very narrow margin of the scales and for rough work. Few will carry the rule when they can clearly see that it is unreliable for general routine, and the careful surveyor is inclined to look askance at those who do use it, recognizing the temptation there undtmbtedly must be to push it into work that the log book should be called upon to treat. From the fact that a surveyor's duties take him on the surface in all weathers, and underground in many wet and uncomfortable places, where the manipulation of a book of mathematical tables becomes both awkward and patience-trying, an efficient slide-rule must offer the mbst transparent advantages. Again, a surveyor being specially trained to read divided scales quickly and accurately, the slide-rule must commend itself as an apt addition to his outfit.

Jan 1, 1912

By Samuel D. Warriner

The dealings between concentrated capital invested in the conduct of our various industries and the combinations of labor known as "trade union organizations," have produced not only in the United States, but abroad, many novel methods of negotiation between employers and wage-workers. The size and strength of these organizations have destroyed the personal elements formerly governing the dealings between employer and employee, and have produced various forms of trade-agreements now in more or less successful operation. The difficulty, however, has been to secure consent of both parties to an equitable agreement. For this purpose there have been devised various forms of arbitration, either compulsory under the shadow of governmental legislation, or voluntary by mutual agreement. But these have not been altogether successful from a technical stand-point, for the reason that a compromise has generally been necessary, and in an effort to reach an agreement, terms have been made which have been neither fair nor satisfactory to either of the contending parties. The Anthracite Board of Conciliation represents one of the few thoroughly successful courts for the settlement of trade-disputes, if not the only one which has yet been evolved. The prestige of this board rests upon its successful treatment of the labor-troubles of the anthracite region for a period of more than eight years, and upon the fact that it has been able

Jan 1, 1912

By Jennings S. Cox

The following notes, prepared in 1908, as the result of a personal examination and extensive explorations under my direction in 1906, have been revised and greatly augmented after two subsequent visits and further explorations in 1910. The hard iron-ores of the south coast of Oriente Province, in the island of Cuba, have been known for many years, in fact one mine has been in operation for more than 20 years; but it is only within the past four years that the large mantle-deposits of brown ores of the north coast have attracted serious attention. A. C, Spencer' has described these ores in a paper, entitled Three Deposits of Iron Ore in Cuba, which refers to the Mayari, Moa, and Cubitas deposits. C. M. Weld,2 in a scholarly paper, The Residual Brown Iron-Ores of Cuba, has discussed the character and possible genesis of these deposits with particular reference to the Moa field, calling attention also to the Taco and Navas fields in addition to those described by Spencer. Descriptive articles with reference to the Mayari field, and a few words about the Moa deposit, have also appeared3 It is the purpose of the present paper to give some account of the exploration of the Moa deposit arid to call attention to its commercial importance. Location. The Moa district is situated on the north coast of the Province of Oriente, which is the most easterly province of the

Jan 1, 1912

By Dwight E. Woodbridge

DuriNg April, Max, and June, 1910, I was in charge of an examination of the greater part of the Moa iron-ore area in Oriente Province, Cuba, on the north coast, near the east end of the island. My instructions, on arrival at the properties, were to check former estimates of tonnages and grades, and to re-examine the ore comprised in claims covering 44,727 acres. This work included the running of lines dividing the properties into co-ordinate planes, the boring of many thousand feet of holes spaced at the intersections of these co-ordinates, the taking of samples of the ore penetrated, the analysis of these samples for their various constituent minerals, and the determination of the results as to tonnages, depths, and grades, both for individual properties and for the entire group. Each section of every one of the thousand holes drilled was to be compensated for depth and grade with every other, a series of simple arithmetical calculations of no slight magnitude, the mere mechanical labor of which consumed much time, but finally resulted in giving a complete average of all the essential facts for the entire area of 18,000 hectares, Had it not been for the more than willing, active, and able co-operation of the officers of the Spanish-American Iron Co., from Charles F. Rand, President, and Jennings S. Cox, General .Manager, down to the most humble water-carrier, the work would have consumed far more time than it did. The lands thus systematically explored by me were comprised in the following denouncements: Punta Gorda, Yaminiguey, Baracoa secunda, Sagua, Moa, Yajrumaje, Lirio, and Cabanas, all of which were massed as the Moa group, so called, and cover an area of 13,832 hectares, or 34,179 acres. Some 10,000 acres additional to this was included in neighboring properties, lying between Moa and the east end of the island, the Buena Vista,

Jan 1, 1912

Charles R. Eeyes, Des Moines, Ia. (con~munication to the Secretary*):—It is not in a spirit of criticism that I offer a supplemental suggestion or two on the subjects covered by this valuable and highly instructive memoir. There are two points which, in my opinion, should have received greater emphasis in Mr. Emmons's excellent paper. One is the fundamental r6le played by the chlorides under certain conditions in ore-formation. The other is the possible establishment of geographic relationships among the four pheilomena of (1) excessive chlo-ridic content of mine-waters; (2) the abundance of chloridic compounds of the precious metals; (3) the presence of man-gancse oxides; and (4) the diminishing importance, in ore-genesis, of the metallic sulphates. Although Mr. Emmons's notes refer to gold alone, it may be pertinently asked whether the same principles do not hold good for silver and copper also, since these metals form, together with gold, a distinct and well-known chemical group. That the reactions involved apply equally well to the other two metals mentioned, is sbown by a number of recent observations and discussions. Chloridic ores of silver are, as I have lately endeavored to show, mainly worked in arid or desert regions only; and the great deposits of disseminated copper-ores are similarly characteristic of such regions, in which both classes doubtless owe their formation to the abundance of saline materials derived from desert dusts, and to the plentiful and almost universal presence of manganese oxide. Under these climatic conditions, silver is somewhat more abundantly deposited than copper and gold, because its chloride is so much less soluble. During volcanic emanations, the metallic chlorides perform at all times distinct functions; when these are

Jan 1, 1912

YOUR Excellency, Fellow Members of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers and Gentlemen:-Nearly a decade has passed since our Institute first met in New Zealand. May I, at the very outset of this second gathering, congratulate the Institute on the great progress that has been made in the interval. At the first meeting in New Zealand in the year 1903, I understand that less than 20 persons were present, and now in the large concourse before me I believe there are not fewer than 140 persons, while if every member of the Institute to-day where here there would be over 500 with usagreat change from a membership of only 250 in 1903. I feel deeply appreciative of the honour you have conferred upon me by electing me your President for the year 1911. In return for the compliment, may I ask you to believe that I shall do everythingin my power to further the interests of the Institute throughout the coming year.It is a great regret to me to realise that soon my work in New Zealand will be over. However, I trust that the new...

Jan 1, 1912

By Charles Catlett

While the occurrence of phosphorus in coking-coal has assumed less importance with the development of the opeu-hearth method of steel-making, it may not be without interest to note the form in which phosphorus exists in one particular coal-seam. In the examination of what is known as the Big seam, which outcrops a few miles west of Columbiana, Ala., my attention was called to the distribution through the coal, in the form of minute veins and particles, of a resinous-looking substance. A small amount of this was selected, and was provisionally identified as evansite (Al6 Y2 O14, 18 Aq). Subsequently, through the courtesy of Dr. J. Sharshall Grasty, of the Geological Department of the University of Virginia, I was able to secure an additional amount of material, which was purified down to about 0.3 g. This was examined by Prof. John J. Porter, of the University of Cincinnati, and gave the following partial analysis: Per Cent. Loss on ignition,......... 37.43 Phosphoric anhydride,..10.33 Alumina,..........36.33 There was also a trace of silica, and quite a considerable quantity of lime and magnesia. Professor Porter was led to think that the material was not pure, but a mixture of several of the phosphates of aluminum carrying lime and magnesia. The material available did not permit of the convenient determination of the other ingredients. One form in which phosphorus occurs in coal is evidently as a hydrated phosphate of aluminum; and any coal which shows to the eye the occurrence of a light-colored resinous-looking material should be looked on with suspicion as being high in phosphorus.

Jan 1, 1912

The cost of power is an important matter to mining companies generally and this thought that the members of the Australasian Institute of Engineers, as well as the engineering and mining professions generally would be interested in any proposal for the reduction of that cost has led to the presentation of this paper.The writer trusts that the description will be found clear and increase the interest in this interesting subject. In the up of the electrical arrangements touched on in this paper, the author has had the able assistance of his friend Mr. Mars, to whom he offers his hearty thanks. The selection of the best class of power plant for a mine is a very difficult and large problem and it is quite out of place to dogmatise that anyone of the many systems that offer is better than another, eg that the all electrical is better than the partly direct steam-driven and partly electrical, or that a gas plant is better than a steam plant. Such a selection is one that calls for very careful and close consideration, in each particular case, of a large number of before it is possible to arrive at a proper decision.

Jan 1, 1912

Jan 1, 1912

By William H. Emmons

Jan 1, 1912

By Henry B. Kaeding

This paper presents the results of experiments in the treatnient of the gold-bearing ores of the Pis Pis district, near the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, C. A. Up to the present time, the methods in use in this section of the country for the extraction of the values from the ores have been of the crudest, and the waste has been criminal in its enormity. The transportation of heavy machinery being difficult and costly, recourse has been had to flimsy and inadequate installations, involving great wastes in operation. In some places $15 ore is considered the lowest workable grade. One mine that came under my observation had a 7-ft. vein of $23 ore when examined for purchase; it has been running for years and is now deeply in debt. The future metallurgy of these ores must depend upon chemical, mechanical, and economical considerations—the last being, of course, a resultant of the two former, discussed in the light of prevailing or realizable commercial and industrial conditions. I. Chemical. The ores consist principally of quartz, carrying galena, pyrite, marcasite, and chalcopyrite, and occasionally magnetite, hematite, pyromorphite, and sphalerite, in which minerals the gold lies. The quartz veins occur between malls of andesite, " porphyry," or dioritic rocks, occasionally limestone and dacite. Often the dacite itself is heavily ribbed and filled with auriferous quartz, and is mined as ore. Owing to the excessive rainfall of the country, the ores above water-level have been oxidized and leached of their sulphides, and have become in that operation highly acid and free from

Jan 1, 1912

Of late there have been various papers published on this subject by various authorities, in which certain definite factors influencing slime settlement have been brought forward. As the principles set forth by these writers are of great interest, and have, in most cases, been generally accepted, the author will review them in the hope that by discussion some more knowledge may be brought to bear on many points connected with the subject.The definition of slime at the present time is not a standard one, and varies according to different authorities, some defining slime as ore crushed to such a fineness that it will pass through a screen of standard size, say 150 or 200-mesh, in water (1, 2);others as that part of the finely-crushed material which is in the physical condition which causes it to remain in. suspension in water, and possesses pr?perties which render it almost unleachable (3). Authorities seem divided on this point, but of late American writers seem to prefer the former definition. On the contrary, B L Gardiner describes slime as a mixture of small particles of crushed ore of varying sizes which, when mixed with water, tend...

Jan 1, 1912

By W. P. Lass

The purpose of this article is not only to describe the plant and method of cyaniding the Treadwell concentrates, but to present some of the results of the experimental work obtained in the past three years for the Alaska-Treadwell Qold Mining Co., at Douglas Island, Alaska, under the direction of F. W. Bradley, Consulting Engineer, and Robert A. Kinzie, General Superintendent, of the affiliated companies. At the time the experimental work was undertaken the concentrates were being shipped to the smeltery at Tacoma, Wash., and the cost for treatment of 3-oz. (gold) concentrates was $11.95 per ton, divided as follows : Smelting-charges,......... $4.00 Loading, freight, insurance, etc., . 2.89 Interest due to time loat in transit and in settlement,... 0.05 Loss due to settlement for 95 per cent. of the gold at $20 per ounce, 6.01 Total,...$11.95 From the experimental work described later, it was estimated that 96 per cent. extraction could be made by treatment on the ground, and that the cost, when treating 80 tons per day, would be $3.25 per ton, divided as follows : Per Day. Per Ton. Labor,. $86.16 $@.827 Chemicals,.76.60 0.960 Power and steam-heat,... 67.60 0.845 Marketing-, refining- and other charges, . 49.36 0.617 Totals,.. $2.59.72 $3.250 Adding to this total the 4 per cent. treatment-loss, which on 3-02. concentrates amounts to $2.48, gives a total cost of $5.13 per ton. Comparing this with $11.95, the cost when shipping to the smelter, leaves a net gain of $6.22 per ton by the local

Jan 1, 1912

ALTHOUGH it has been a matter of about one hundred years since the idea of the internal-combustion engine entered the mind of the inventor, the practical application of its use was not attained till 1860, when Lenoir produced an engine similar to the ordinary highpressure steam engine, with the valves arranged to admit the explosive mixture and the discharge of the exhaust gases. In this case no attempt was made to compress the gas before ignition, as it was then considered that the explosion under these conditions had a detrimental effect, inasmuch as it would act as a sudden blow to the working parts. Indeed, he went so far as to inject steam and water sprays to reduce the explosion.Under these conditions the consumption of gas was exceedingly high-about 106 cub. ft. of coal gas per b.h.p. per hour but the mechanical effect showed that the engine ran in every respect as smoothly and quietly as in best steam-engine practice.The extravagant consumption of this engine was clearly pointed out at the time by Gustav Schmidt in a paper before the German Society of Engineers, wherein he states :-" The results would be far more favourable if compression pumps, worked from the engine, compressed the cold air and cold gas to three atmospheres before entrance into the cylinder. By this means a greater expansion and transformation of heat is possible."

Jan 1, 1912

THE Taranaki oil-field is situated on the western side of the North Island of New Zealand, at about its widest part, and may be said to be the most compact and fertile part of the Dominion, for, with the exception of the upper half of Mount Egmont and of the ranges adjoining, which absorb 36,000 acres, the whole of the area, minus what is taken up by the rivers and streams is suitable for settlement, and certainly two-thirds is good land. The gross area of the district is 2,417,299 acres. The principle rivers are the Wanganui, Mokau, Waitara, Patea and Waiwakaiho. Mount Egmont, which is 8260 ft. high, used to be called Taranaki, and from it the district takes its name (the Maori meaning of which is "sloping peak ").THE OIL-FIELDThe discription of an oil-field now-a-days usually resolves itself into a mass of figures and statistics, of great interest and value to the engineer and commercial man, but practically indigestible to the general public. It is the realm of the financierand the captain of industry.

Jan 1, 1912

By Charles Janin

The first successful bucket-elevator dredge to operate in California was put in comnlisvion wt Oroville in March, 1898. There had been numerous previous attempts at dredging, but noue of the earlier boats proved a success. The gold-miners in California earl3 conceived the idea of a machine to dig gravel from the beds and bars of auriferous streams that were inaccessible by the methods then employed, and it was only a few months after the discovery of gold in California that such a machine was Shipped around Cape Horn from New York to San Francisco. Thij was, however, but the forerunner of many failures in gold-dredging, and was soon at the bottoni of the Sacramento river. During succeeding years many other unsuccessful attempts mere made, and it was not until 1897 that a dredge of the single-lift bucket-elevator type mas floated on the Yuba river. This dredge was built by the Risdon Iron Works for 12. H. Postlethwaite, and would probably have been a success if it had been operated on some of the rich Ororille ground

Jan 1, 1912