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By Jesus P. Manzano

The report of which this paper is a summary was made in 1890 for the Compania Investigadora Mexicana y Americana. Since the region examined covers 900 sq. kilom., chiefly of wooded arid rocky hills, almost without roads, and for the most part uninhabited, While the examination had to be made in two months, of which period more than 15 days were continuously rainy, I need not say that this account is not complete and thorough. I. Geography and Topography. The center of this zone, 19 kilom. SW. of San Luis Potosi, is situated in lat. 21° 24' N., and long. 2° 3' W. of Mexico City. The altitude ranges from 1866 m. (that of San Luis) to . 2816 m. (that of the Realito mountain), in the Sierra de Sail Luis. The topography is hilly—partly wooded, partly bare. The principal more level areas are the Bledos valley on the south, and portions of the haciendas of Tepetates, San Fran cisco and Santiago, on the west. The water-supply is scanty. The two streams that cross the Zone, the Santiago and Bledos rivers, carry water nearly the year through, though much reduced in the dry season. Other streams are torrents of less importance. All the waters of the valley and Sierra of Sail Luis arc absorbed or sink, not passing beyond Soledad de los Ranchos. The Continental di vide is within the Zone, some waters going west to the Pacific, others east to the Gulf of Mexico. II. Geology. Concerning the geology of this district I condense the fol lowing from the memoir, Las Minas de Guanajuato, prepared for the Minister of Fomento by Senor Pedro Lopez Monroy, mining engineer, with which I am entirely in accord. He says, ill substance:

Jan 1, 1902

By William P. Blake

In southern Arizona and in Mexico the word caliche is in general use to denote a calcareous formation of considerable thickness and volume found a few inches, or a few feet, beneath the surface-soil, upon the broad, dry, gravelly plains and mesas. , In western South America the same name is applied to the beds of crude soda-niter (Chili saltpeter). While these deposits of South America and of Arizona are totally different in composition, and have nothing in common, except that both occur in

Jan 1, 1902

By Carl R. Davis

The cost of mining during the past history of these mines has been excessive, principally by reason of the inefficiency of labor under the wage-system. The amount of labor performed per man was unsatisfactory; and Mr. Edmund B. Kirby, the general manager, decided to adopt the contract-system as a remedy. For this purpose the method now in use was devised by the writer (then and now the superintendent), as best adapted to the local conditions. On March 12, 1900, this system was presented to the miners of the War Eagle and the Center Star. The issue remained unsettled for several weeks,

Jan 1, 1902

By J. F. Kemp

PAGE Introduction,............170 I. The Competence oF the Igneous Rocks to Supply the Materi als oF Veins,...........171 The Demonstrated Presence of the Metals in the Igneous Rocks,. . 171 The Presence of the Metals in the Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks, 173 Conclusions,...........175 The Abundance in Igneous Racks of Vapors or Dissociated Gases which will Yield Water on Emission and Cooling,. 175 The Sequence of Eruptions,. .. . 1 . • .. 78 The Sequence of Vein-Formations,.......1 79 Contact-Metamorphism,.........180 Pegmatites,............181 Frequency of Pneumatolitic Minerals in Veins,.. 183 Surface-Flows of Igneous Rock Unfavorable to Vein-Formation,. . 183

Jan 1, 1902

By R. W. Raymond

Jan 1, 1902

By Walter Harvey Weed

(Mexican Meeting, November, 1901.) Among the many causes of that perplexing featurc of mineexploitation, the unequal distribution of the ore, the influence of the country-rock upon the vein-contents has long beer1 accepted as an important factor in certain districts, but the general application of the theory has not been proved. It is now possible to obtain trustworthy data with which to test the theory, and either to confirm or to overthrow this time-honored

Jan 1, 1902

In the Bendigo district, with its large number of comparitively small leases worked by separate companies, we might naturally expect to find many different arrangements of winding machinery and, as a matter of fact, there are steam winches, old portable engines, single and duplex geared engines, twin engines on the first motion, and in one instance a single engine on the first motion, all employed for hauling purposes from depths of 1000 feet and over.It would be impossible in the compass of this paper to discuss at all fully the various arrangements of winding gear employed on the field the writer can simply refer to some of the more prominent features, in the hope that the information may prove of interest and benefit to the mining community. In criticising our machinery it must be remembered that when many of the plants in use at the present time were erected, they were not intended to wind from more than one third of the depths now common on the field; but so long as the machine could be made to haul a tank of water from the bottom of the shaft it has remained, the greater power required being obtained by increasing the piston speed and altering the gear wheels to suit. The consequence is, of course, that in some of our mines the speed of winding is painfully slow this feature, however, though certainly not consistent with modern ideas of economical mining, does not so seriously affect Bendigo as it would other fields, for the comparatively small quantity of stone to be raised from a given reef by some...

Jan 1, 1902

Jan 1, 1902

By Norberto Dominguez

In the year 1820 a commission, assisted by Sr. C. Fernando de Ainada, was appointed by Sr. Jose Ramon Mila de la Roca to report on the condition of the mining region of Parral, in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, where in recent years the mines of Batopilas have reached an important development under American management. The object of the inquiry was to provide Sr. De la Roca with facts to support a project for reopening mines that two centuries before had produced a large amount of silver. Although this plan failed, many facts of interest in the history of the mines were presented.. Much of the report dealt with questions that had only local application or were restricted to the conditions of labor and equipment in the opening of the nineteenth century. The historical part is presented in the following paragraphs: Abstract of the Report. Notwithstanding the difficulty of forming a just estimate of the system of mines in this mineral group in the valley of Senor Sail Jose del Parral without an examination of each of them, that which we shall say in a general way will suffice to convey an idea of their value and of the urgent necessity of reopening them. If this is undertaken, we believe the results will be of the highest consequence to the Republic, as well as to this immediate locality. The group of the Villa del Parral covers the mineral territory in which the village of that name was located. Its moantains contain large metallic veins, from which, as from the trunk of a tree, depend others much more slender, locally called ,fibras, crossing and interlacing each other in many directions. The first and oldest of these very rich deposits of gold

Jan 1, 1902

By Walter G. Perkins

In the assay of copper-bearing material for gold and silver, the elimination of copper before the final cupellation is of course essential, because any copper left in the lead-button will carry gold into the cupel; and a method which will effectively remove the copper with the smallest amount of manipullation is desirable. The scorification method is often rendered long and tedious by the necessity of repeatedly re-scorifying the button— to say nothing of the risk of losing Au—Ag thereby incurred. An ore carrying, for instance, 10 per cent,. of copper and only 0.1 or 0.2 oz. gold per ton, cannot be scorified with accurate results, because so many portions would have to be taken in order to get enough gold for weighing. On the other hand, the crucible method, with potassic nitrate and nails, would not do at all in such a case, because all the copper would be reduced by the nails, and (if the charge were 0.5 A. T.) this would defeat cupellation, by causing cupel-absorption of gold. In matte-assays, more concentrated value permits the determination of gold from smaller portions, and thus diminishes the difficulty experienced with ores. The method here described has been severely tested, during use for more than a year, and hart never failed hitherto, in the assay of any ore or product to which it has been applied. It is not proposed as perfect for every variety of ore or matte—probably no method would be that; but it is believed that, intelligently used, with the modifications dictated by practice, it will give better results, with less expenditure of time and labor, than any other known to the writer.

Jan 1, 1902

By Walter R. Crane

PAGE I. Apparatus and Methods.......... 406 1. The Magnetic Circuit...........406 2. Apparatus Employed in the Traction-Method...... 406 a. The Coils............409 b. The Pole-Pieces..........409 3. Methods of Testing Fields Produced by Different Pole.Pices.. ..409 c. Testing with a Search.Coil........410 d. Testing with Iron-Filings and Glass Tube.. .. .410 4. General Forma of Pole-Pieces.........411 e. Flat Poles............411 f. Conical Poles........... 411 g. Spherical Poles...........411 h. Chisel-Edged (Chamfered) Poles.......412 II. Magnetic Fields...........412 5. Methods of Testinq for Magnetic Permeability...... 421 i. The Rod-Method..........423 j. Method Employed in These Experiments......424 k. Difference in the Results of the Two Methods..... 425 l. The Traction-Method.........427 m. Effect of Loosening the Charge.......430 n Corrections...........432 6. Theory.............433 o. Effect of Varying Weight on Tractive Force..... 434 p. Effect of Varying Pole-Distance.......436 q. Effect of Varying Magnetization.......436 T. Effect of Varying Size.. .......437 a. Summary,........... 441 III. The Relative Magnetic Permeability of Various Minerals,. 443 The form and strength of magnetic fields have attracted much attention. especially in connection with the designing of dynamo-electric machinery—an art which has been revolution-

Jan 1, 1902

By George Frederick Kunz

Mexico has been famous for its silver-mines ever since the Spanish conquest; but in respect to gems, although many varieties occur, yet only a few have been obtained in any important amount. Considering the extent of country in Mexico and ill the adjoining States of the Central American Republics, and the richness of mineral wealth that must surely exist there, our present knowledge of the occurrence of precious stones is remarkably small. The great prevalence of igneous rocks would lead us to anticipate the future discovery of many localities of gems and ornamental stones, when fuller scientific exploration shall have taken place.* At the present time the only gem-stone that is systematically mined in Mexico is opal, and the only important ornamental stone is tecali, the so-called Mexican onyx. In addition to these may be mentioned the pink garnet, or rosolite, found in one

Jan 1, 1902

By H. Le Chatelier

An evident connection exists between chemical and calorific phenomena: the most important, of our sources of heat, the combustion of coal, is nothing else than a chemical reaction. Not satisfied with this indefinite statement, investigators have attempted to establish a more precise correlation between these two orders of phenomena, and have questioned whether there be not a necessary connection between the possibility of a chemical reaction and the algebraic sign of the quantity of heat which it would call into play (i.e., liberate or absorb). This question possesses the highest interest for metallurgical chemists. But the study of it by experimental methods only could not completely elucidate it. To arrive at a definite solution, it was necessary to appeal to a science much more general than chemistry,—namely, that of energetics, which embraces all the physical sciences. We can place absolute confidence in its conclusions, because they rest upon a proposition which can scarcely be denied, namely, the impossibility of The main facts in the history of the development o‡ this field of Triassic coals have been already set before the Institute in the papers of Mr. Oswald J. Heinrich, a former member of the Institute and the superintendent of the mines at Midlothian. † From these and other references to the field, it appears that coal was known to exist here as early as 1701; for on the 10th of May that year Colonel Byrd reported to the Colonial Council of Virginia the discovery of coal. Coal was mined from 1770 to 1780; but the amount shipped is unknown. It was much used in Richmond at this early date for gratefires. In 1789 shipments were made to northern ports. During the first half of the century just passed, mining operations attained in this field their greatest development, the number and extent of the collieries and the tonnage of coal raised per annum being greater for that period than for any similar period since. The maximum annual output exceeded 100,000 tons, while in two years only since the Civil War has the amount of coal raised exceeded 50,000 tons. This field covers about 150 sq. in. Its outline and the position of the strata in which the coal-outcrops occur are shown on the accompanying map, reproduced from the latest survey by the U. S. Geological Survey. Mining has been carried on along the margins of the area, often in the primitive manner in vogue at the beginning of operations, by means of shafts and slopes, usually too small in cross-section to permit the proper working of the beds. Most of the output has been won from

Jan 1, 1902

When asked to lecture at Bendigo on the geological factors that determine the depths of ore deposits, I hesitated for a little before agreeing to lecture on the theory of deep ores in the city world famous as the pioneer of deep gold mining. If there be one place, wherein the conditions of deep-seated ore deposits should be sufficiently well understood, it is the city where the 180 mine made its bold plunge to previously neglected depths; and where the record of that famous mine has been broken by the skill of the managers, and the pluck of the proprietors, of the New Chum Railway and Lazarus mines.In the face of such practical triumphs, theoretical discussion may seem a waste of time, especially since it is often dedared that the existence of such deep-seated ores was denied by geological theory. This assertion is, however, startling since the oldest and best supported geoiogical theory of ore deposits, has taught for more than a century tliat ores must descend far below the regions of practical mining. This charge against Victorian geologists is generally based on opinions attributed to the late Sir Fredrick McCoy. It has been repeatedly affirmed that he declared that gold cannot occur pelow a depth of 300 feet. But so far I have not been able to discover that McCoy ever made any such assertion or ever held such a view.

Jan 1, 1902

By Miguel Bustamente

In 1890 I mas manager of a mining enterprise in the State of Michoacan. The ores were composed principally of iron pyrites (much decomposed), in a quartz matrix, with native gold in very irregular grains. Some portions, however, carried their metallic value in a matrix of calcite arid siderite. The mill in which the ores were treated consisted of two 800-lb. stamps, two amalgamating-plates, four pans, two automatic washers, two Frue vanners, and the necessary accessories for assaying, retorting and refining gold. The plant, originally erected with American capital, and directed by competent Americans, passed in 1890 into the hands of Mexican owners. On taking charge of the business I found on hand a large amount of ore assaying 35 grammes of gold per metric ton (about 1 oz. Troy per ton of 2000 lbs.); but the company was losing money, and was about to abandon the business. Obviously, the difficulty lay in the treatment of the ore. The extraction of gold scarcely reached one-tenth of the assayvalue ; the loss of mercury was considerable; and high freight; charges excluded the alternative of exporting the ores. This situation naturally suggested that amalgamation was not applicable to these ores, and that a more appropriate method must be adopted. The cyanide- and chlorination-methods had been tried already, without practically satisfactory results. For the first few months I employed a combined system, extracting a part of the gold by direct amalgamation, and cyaniding the concentrates. This saved 32 per cent. of the assay-value, but the cost of milling still exceeded the proceeds. Meanwhile I observed

Jan 1, 1902

By R. W. Raymond

Richard Pennefather Rothwell, was born May 1, 1836, at Oxford, Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario). His father, Rev. John Rothwell, was a native of County Meath, Ireland, where the family (originally, no doubt, a Scottish one) still holds large estates, under a grant from William and Mary. John Rothwell was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a clergyman of the Established Church. He married Elizabeth Garnett, of Athearn Castle, Ireland, and subsequently came to Canada. It is said that he was a man of liberal views combined with sterling piety, an enthusiastic sportsman and yachtsman, and a pastor who refused for many years to accept any remuneration from his parishioners. After preliminary education, the subject of this sketch entered Trinity College, Toronto, with the intention of studying law; but a year later he resolved to become a civil engineer, and entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., where he was graduated, with high standing, as civil engineer, in 1858. He then went to Paris, and entered the Imperial School of Mines, where, by reason of the proficiency he had already acquired in civil engineering, he was able to finish in two years and a half the full three-year course, and to take the degree of Engineer of Mines. In 1861 he took the "practical courses" in mining and ore-dressing at the Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony. After traveling in Italy, etc., he went in 1862 to London, where, for the purpose of familiarizing himself with business methods, he entered the offices of W. T. Henley, a manufacturer of wire

Jan 1, 1902

By R. W. Raymond

Samson Jordan was born at Geneva, Switzerland, June 23, 1831. At the age of 20 years he entered the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, at Paris, from which he was graduated with high honors in 1854. After some months of service with the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Nord, he was employed (upon the recommendation of his former instructor, Prof. Burat, who had recognized his remarkable ability) at the mines of Portes, belonging to the Société de l'Elairage au Gaz et des Hauts Fourneaux, etc., of Marseilles, and subsequently to construct the St. Louis iron blast-furnaces of that Co. After finishing this work, he remained at Marseilles as a member of the directory of the Co., particularly connected with the development of its mines. In 1862 he became the general advisory engineer of the Co., and still later (1873) its general manager (Administratet~r), a position which he retained until his death, February 24, 1900. He became subsequently Administrateur of other important French industrial enterprises, including those of the Compagnie des Naut Fourneaux, Forges et Aciéries de Denain et Anzin, and the Compagnie Banco-Belge des Mines de Somorrostro ; and he was also, at various times, President of the Société technique du Gaz, Vice-President of the Comité des Forges de France, mepber of the Council of the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie nationale. In all these positions, it is the unanimous testimony of his colleagues that he was no mere ornamental figurehead, but a profoundly wise, practical and industrious laborer and adviser, both patient and keen in the mastery of details, yet at the same time competent to apprehend the wider bear-

Jan 1, 1902

By E. Nelson Fell

As this plant is the first ever erected in British Columbia for the treatment of tailings by the cyanide process, and as the ores of this, mine are of a character not unusual among gold-ores of this Province, it is probable that a description of the principal features of the plant, and of the methods employcd in its operation, may be interesting. These works were designed after a careful study of the process, in a small experimental plant, for a period of six months. During this period ten percolation-tests on charges of tailings of 1100 lbs. each, eight percolation-tests on similar charges of concentrates, and twenty-six tests 011 concentrates in a revolving barrel, were made, besides laboratory-experiments. The ore consists of a quartz gangue, containing a little lime and variable quantities of the sulphidcs of iron, lead and zinc. The following figures, giving the analyses of the ore before milling, and of the tailings after milling, which constituted the material to be cyanided, are based on the daily samples taken during February and March, 1901.

Jan 1, 1902

Jan 1, 1902

By T. A. Rickard

The presentation to the Institute, eight years ago, of the paper of Pogepny on " The Geilesis of Ore-Deposits " has borne fruit in much fresh investigation, as is evidenced, for example, by the group of very valuable papers, by distirlguished members of the United States Geological Survey, read at the Washing-

Jan 1, 1902