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By C. M. Means

CONSIDERING the hazard involved in mining operations, statistics show, that a very small percentage of accidents is chargeable to electricity. These accidents do represent quite a large percentage of those that are preventable and they are the direct result of the introduction, for purely economical reasons, of a dangerous element. The introduction of electricity in mines should decrease the hazard, and in no case should electricity be applied to the mechanical operation of equipment if by so doing the dangers incidental to mining are increased. The greater number of accidents are the result of persons coming in contact with exposed conductors at potentials varying from 250 to 500 volts direct current. The use of alternating current at higher potentials than these is quite common in large mines, but it is very rare that an accident happens from this source. This is explained by the fact that where these high voltages are warranted, proper precautions are taken, and the installations are directed by those who fully appreciate the dangers incidental to the work. Direct current is in much more general use than alternating current because of its adaptability to haulage locomotives and the low cost of installation in small operations. We are, however, coming to a more extended application of alternating current for the operation of mechanical devices used in connection with mining. Our underground direct-current wiring system is an evolution from the surface trolley and feeder systems. This is probably due to the fact that our earlier successful applications were electric locomotives, which required the use of a trolley wire. The trolley current has been almost banished from industrial establishments on the surface because of the hazard involved, yet we use it indiscriminately underground, where the dangers from accidental contact or fire are infinitely greater. This does not mean that the underground trolley systems should be eliminated, but it does imply the proper safeguarding of such equipment as is necessarily a part of the trolley systems.

Jan 4, 1914

By F. D. Weeks

THE Salida smelting plant, owned by the Ohio & Colorado Smelting & Refining Co., is situated at an altitude of 7,000 ft., about 2 miles west of Salida, Colo., and 215 miles southwest of Denver. Salida is a division point on the. Denver & Rio Grande R. R. where the narrow-gauge line serving the Sari Juan region joins the through standard gauge. This narrow-gauge road also serves the coal and coke companies at Crested Butte and the lime quarries and mines at Monarch and Garfield, which are only 20 miles distant. These facts, together with the possibility of an appropriate site, doubtless influenced the builders to locate at this point. The smelting plant and yard occupy 80 acres of land on the northeast side of the Arkansas River. The slope of the ground is such as to permit of the ore being delivered by cars at a point 25 ft. above the feed floor; and in front of the furnaces there is a fall of 50 ft. for the slag clump. A recent purchase of river bottom has provided slag room for 20 years. As originally constructed, the plant consisted of four blast furnaces, 40 by 144 in. at tuyeres, two copper-matting furnaces, dust chamber, stack, power plant, blowers, sampling works, and one railroad trestle about 16 ft. from bed floor to rails. Later 12 hand roasters of excellent design were added and the practice of smelting leady matte in-a copper-matting furnace was abandoned. Since the plant passed under the present management the equipment has been increased so that the following is a brief description of the same at this date: Two lead blast. furnaces, 48 by 180 in. at tuyeres, 17 ft. 6 in. tuyères to feed floor; four lead blast furnaces, 40 by 144 in. at tuyères, 17 ft. 6 in. tuyères to feed floor; two copper-matting furnaces, not used; blast-furnace flue, 900 ft.; area 245 sq. ft.; blast-furnace stack, 150 ft.; above furnace floor, 190 ft. When smelting a 500-ton charge per day, the gases approximate 63,700 cu. ft. per minute and travel at a speed of 260 ft. per minute.

Jan 8, 1915

By W. M. Weigel

SALT production in Louisiana and Texas at the present time is entirely from salt domes of the interior and coastal groups. Before and during the Civil War salt was recovered from numerous salines and salt springs by evaporation in open 'kettles. The location of these in nearly every instance was near what is now known to be a salt dome, and the source of the salt in the salines and spring waters was that in the salt core. The tops of many of the shallower domes have been subjected to erosion1. The discovery that the salt occurred as large masses of rock salt in the form of domes was made in May, 1802, at Avery Island, La., by John Marsh Avery, grandson of the original owner, John C. Marsh, who built the old salt works in 18122. The first shaft for mining was sunk on the Avery dome in 1867 by Chouteau and Price. It was 90 ft. deep, about 58 ft. being in solid salt. It was abandoned in 1870. There are three general groups or fields of salt domes; interior Louisiana in northern Louisiana, interior Texas in northeastern Texas, and the coastal domes nearer the Gulf Coast and extending from the Mississippi River to the Rio Grande. This last group contains by far the greatest number of domes. As many of the coastal domes especially are prolific producers of petroleum and a few of sulfur, their geology has been intensively studied and fully covered in the literature. The depth to the top of the salt varies from near the surface, where shallow ground waters have dissolved the salt to just below recent deposits, to several thousand feet, where the depth has been estimated only by geophysical methods. The diameter of the salt core varies from less than ½ mile to over 2 miles. Only domes where the salt is compara-tively near the surface have been developed for commercial salt. Three deeper domes, which will be described later, have recently been developed or are in process of development, as a source of brine for chemical use.

Jan 1, 1935

By G. Derge, W. Peifer, J. H. Richards

INTRODUCTION A WIDE variety of metallurgical defects in steel have commonly been attributed to the presence of excessive amounts of hydrogen. These defects include flakes in rails and forgings, cracks in welds, and blisters in enameled ware. They have been related to hydrogen largely by circumstantial evidence because the proper sampling and analysis of steel for hydrogen has been known to be difficult and because no general agreement has existed with regard to the relative suitability and accuracy of available methods. The need for a direct approach to these problems has been widely recognized. This general situation has been well described in the publications of the British Committee on the Heterogeneity of Steel Ingots,1 and current approaches to the problem were reviewed in a recent symposium of the AIME.12 The plans described by the present authors at that meeting have now matured satisfactorily and will form the basis of this paper. The principle object of this paper will be to describe the methods of sampling and analysis which have been developed and to illustrate the usefulness and limitations of these methods by citing their application to a specific problem. The first problem selected for investigation was the behavior of hydrogen in rail steel. This was chosen because the occurrence of shatter cracks in rails has received a great deal of study over a long period of time. The defect can be controlled by the expensive procedure of slow cooling. However, it may be hoped that a better understanding of the factors influencing the hydrogen content of rails will lead to a more efficient control of this problem. Rails provide a good starting point for a more general study of hydrogen in steel because they provide a cross section large enough to develop cracks, yet small enough for convenient handling and sampling. Rails were also selected because they are made from plain carbon steel and it was felt that the initial work should not be complicated by the effects introduced by alloying elements. The considerations which determined the original planning of this study should be reviewed. The inherently complex nature of most hydrogen problems requires that a large amount of data must be collected for any particular case. This in turn means that any analytical procedure should be as rapid and simple as possible. The same objective of speed is indicated by the fact that it may finally become desirable to use hydrogen analysis in process control. It is also known that hydrogen is highly fugitive and that any procedure which facilitates early analysis of the sample without prolonged or irregular storage has distinct advantages. The most important previously reported methods of analysis may be classified into three general groups: (I) Vacuum fusion. (2) Vacuum extraction (without melting). (3) Total combustion.

Jan 1, 1948

Discussion of the paper of Frederic P. Dewey, presented at the Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912, and printed in Bulletin -No. 70, October, 1912, pp. 1075 to 1101. EDWARD KELLER, Perth Amboy, N. J. (communication to the Secretary *) :-Mr. Dewey, in his paper, offers a liberal addition of new data to those already to be found in the technical literature on this subject. However, now as before, the work issuing from the U. S. mints and assay-offices conveys the impression that systematic sampling in those institutions is more or less a secondary consideration, the chief attention being given to the principle of producing approximately homogeneous bars; recourse being taken to remelting or refining the bullion. This practice has been definitely rejected in the realm of copper-bullion sampling, for the reason that in such operations there are always unaccounted losses. Does not the same objection hold true for gold-bullions; although, perhaps,in a lesser degree ? Differences of opinion would seem justified on the following statements made by Mr. Dewey: 1. "Only two classes of alloys can form homogeneous bars-those that are solid solutions, and the eutectics."

Jan 3, 1913

By H. L. Barr

THE following report covers the history of the development of the mine, present equipment, methods and costs of mining and milling. In addition, a description of the ore deposit is given with emphasis on the origin of the fractures, mode and types of ore occurrence, and mechanics of granite emplacement. An endeavor has been made to present a complete and accurate statement of the San Mauricio mine, the highest grade gold mine in the Philippine Islands. Credit is gratefully acknowledged to the mine staff for descriptions and details regarding their particular field of work. All analyses were made by Mr. T. A. DeVore, head chemist, San Mauricio Mining Co. Messrs. Edward Wisser, J. E. Fyfe, A. F. Skerl and W. B. Meek, geol-ogists, have contributed geologic information and ideas, for which thanks are extended. The Executive Committee of Marsman and Co., Inc., Managers of the Company, has kindly given permission for publication. Mr. J. B. Stapler, Division Manager, Marsman and Co., has had the courtesy to read the manuscript and to give critical and helpful suggestions.

Jan 1, 1940

By D. L. Gardner, H. L. Barr

THE following report covers the history of the development of the mine, present equipment, methods and costs of mining and milling. In addition, a description of the ore deposit is given with emphasis on the origin of the fractures, mode and types of ore occurrence, and mechanics of granite emplacement. An endeavor has been made to present a complete and accurate statement of the San Mauricio mine, the highest grade gold mine in the Philippine Islands. Credit is gratefully acknowledged to the mine staff for descriptions and details regarding their particular field of work. All analyses were made by Mr. T. A. DeVore, head chemist, San Mauricio Mining Co. Messrs. Edward Wisser, J. E. Fyfe, A. F. Skerl and W. B. Meek, geologists, have contributed geologic information and ideas, for which thanks are extended. The Executive Committee of Marsman and Co., Inc., Managers of the Company, has kindly given permission for publication. Mr. J. B. Stapler, Division Manager, Marsman and Co., has had the courtesy to read the manuscript and to give critical and helpful suggestions. LOCATION OF AREA AND SCOPE OF WORK San Mauricio Mining Co. controls a group of 113 claims that lie immediately north of the town of Jose Pañganiban (formerly Mambulao), Camarines Norte, Luzon, P. I. (Fig. 1). Exploration work commenced in the spring of 1934; active development began in the fall of that year and has continued to the present date. Mill construction was begun Oct. 15, 1935, and production started March 10, 1936. Total production to June 1, 1939, is P10,499,105.15 ($5,249,552.57). [+]

Jan 1, 1940

By H. L. Barr

THE following report covers the history of the development of the mine, present equipment, methods and costs of mining and milling. In addition, a description of the ore deposit is given with emphasis on the origin of the fractures, mode and types of ore occurrence, and mechanics of granite emplacement. An endeavor has been made to present a complete and accurate statement of the San Mauricio mine, the highest grade gold mine in the Philippine Islands. Credit is gratefully acknowledged to the mine staff for descriptions and details regarding their particular field of work. All analyses were made by Mr. T. A. DeVore, head chemist, San Mauricio Mining Co. Messrs. Edward Wisser, J. E. Fyfe, A. F. Skerl and W. B. Meek, geol-ogists, have contributed geologic information and ideas, for which thanks are extended. The Executive Committee of Marsman and Co., Inc., Managers of the Company, has kindly given permission for publication. Mr. J. B. Stapler, Division Manager, Marsman and Co., has had the courtesy to read the manuscript and to give critical and helpful suggestions.

Jan 1, 1940

By IRVING H. WENTIVORTII

(New York Meeting, February, 1912.) THE little town of San Nicolás, Tamaulipas, Mexico, lies approximately 60 miles east of Linares, situated in the State of Nuevo Leon, and 150 miles SE. of Monterey, as shown in the sketch-map. Fig. 1. The place is reached from Monterey by the Tampico train as far as Linares, a distance of 92 miles, and then by coach the rest of the way. It is situated in a narrow valley between low hills, the houses forming one main street and a plaza. It is peopled by about 500 inhabitants. The climate is temperate, the thermometer ranging from 90° in summer to a few degrees below freezing-point in winter; but this severe weather only lasts a day or two at a time, when the " northers " blow. There are no streams in the vicinity, but water sufficient for the use of the people is obtained from wells. The rainfall is about the same as that in the rest of NE. Mexico. The rainy months are July, August, and September. The rest of the year is practically dry, with an occasional showery day or two during the winter, when a " norther " is blowing. Timber is abundant in many localities. There are two varieties of oak, besides mesquite, ebony, "maguira," "patol," and a number of other kinds of trees indigenous to this region. I. HISTORY. On the discovery of the silver-lead hearing veins occurring in this district, the mining-camp of San Nicolás was founded in 1767 by the Spaniards, and numerous mines were opened and worked for a distance of abort 3 miles east and 5 miles west of the town. At the western extremity and near the Carrolena mine, a small town called San Pedro was built. The ruined walls of the houses form a single street, and all is over-

Aug 1, 1912

By Clarence Woods

ONCE a millionaire's plaything, the Santo Domingo mine, in Peru, is now, because of its metallurgical problem, an engineer's nightmare. It is deep in the montaña jungles of the Amazon basin, 140 mi. northeast of Tirapata, which is a rail- way station between Puno and Cuzco, and about 250 mi. east of Mollendo on the Pacific. The discovery was 111ade by Marian(-) Quispe, an Indian, who, while searching for quinine bark, was attracted by a slab of gold quartz 1x1 the rock wall of a narrow canyon. He broke off a piece, weighing 47 Spanish ounces and, that time, worth approximately $900. This he took to Francisco Velasco and Manuel Estrada, merchants of Coaza, who persuaded Quispe to lead them to the place, five days' journey on foot through a tangled wilderness. Velasco ' and Estrada denounced the claim

Jan 1, 1938

By Joseph W. Richards

THIS method of briquetting flue-dust, or flue-dust mixed with fine ores, or, in a few exceptional cases, coke-dust, has come into large commercial use in Europe, and a small plant is already in operation in the United States. It promises to become of such great importance to the iron industry of the United States that the following description will certainly interest the majority of our pig-iron producers. Discovered in 1908, the process rests upon the observation of Dr. Schumacher that blast-furnace flue-dust, while possessing of itself no binding or cementing properties, acquires strong cementing properties if mixed with a very small amount of certain salt solutions, the amount of which is so small that the resulting cementation appears to be rather by catalytic action of the salts added than by the mass-action of such chemicals. To be more specific, fresh blast-furnace flue-dust mixed with from 5 to 10 per cent. of its weight of magnesium chloride or calcium chloride solution-that is to say, with from 0.25 to 2 per cent. of its weight of magnesium chloride or calcium chloride-acquires the property of setting within a short time, from 15 to 60 min., and forming a hard cemented briquette. Alkaline solutions appear to have no action such as described, and they even interfere, if present, with the action of the magnesium and calcium solutions. When treated in this way the flue-dust briquette sets very hard, apparently from pure excess of cementing- and setting-power. It is, therefore, possible to . mix with the flue-dust a considerable proportion of inert ore or like material, which has no setting-power by this process, and thus to make a compound briquette containing large quantities of ore mixed with flue-dust, but in which the flue-dust may be regarded as the cement or binding-material. A particularly strongly cementing flue-

May 1, 1912

By Robert F. Mehl

PROGRESS in the general field of nonferrous physical metallurgy during the past .year has been uneventful but healthy. A continued increase is apparent in the number of useful alloys and in the mechanical treatment and heat- treatment of finished metals and alloys nothing can hinder the multiplication of alloys or the diversification of their treatment as knowledge of the behavior of .alloys increases; as ternary and quaternary alloys are better understood, hundreds of new metal combinations with unusual properties may well be expected. Evidence of rapid progress is already at hand.

Jan 1, 1936

IN comparing the living conditions of the worker or peasant of the past with those existing today, his-torians might point out many strange contrasts. From the Doomsday Book we learn that at the time of Wil-liam the Conqueror the 1,375,000 inhabitants of Eng-land and Wales owned less than 1000 horses and 5000 oxen. Even as recently as 1871 when England and Wales had a population of 31,845.000, the total number of horses in the country was estimated at 1,110,000. Compare the necessary drudgery of labor in those days with conditions in Canada today where a population of less than ten million people own 3,500,000 horses. Re-member that there is also a turbine installation in` this country of more than four million horse-power, besides steam boilers and locomotive and automobile engines which reduce the traction and hand labor of the farm and factory. Frequently, poetic license has glossed over the poverty and hardship of the common people in the "good old days," and the imagination has created an idyllic world, far from being justified by the condi-tions which actually prevailed. Simon Patten's de-scription of the Middle Ages as "A Thousand Years Without an Ice Box" came nearer portraying the true situation. No one is likely to forget that the discovery of America was an incident in Europe's attempt to find a short route to the Indies, but the fact is usually for-gotten that the summer diet in Europe in 1400-an ice-less age-was such that spices were more precious than gold. Though the glamor of the Indies may never sur-round the modern refrigerator, certainly the modern housewife is likely 'to feel that the applied art called "cookery? may attain to higher levels with the assist-ance-6f such an adjunct. Those who have spoken slightingly of the uniformity of the modern apartment and have eulogized some of the exceptional hand-made furniture which has been bequeathed by former generations, have failed to com-pare modern house furnishings with those in the typical peasant's hovel. Machine-made furniture, though with-out particularly good lines, contrasts quite favorably with the pile of rags in the corner, and the poorest gas or oil stove is better than an open fire on a dirt floor. The scientist's application of the theories of physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics .to practical prob-lems has brought about a series of kaleidoscopic trans-formations in agriculture, industry and commerce. Large scale production, improved means of communica-tion and the prevailing higher standard of living are terms which imply a very human meaning when in-terpreted as actual changes in individual living. Though the student and the teacher may deprecate the influence of commercialism upon science, humanity as a whole has received great benefits from the close relationship which has developed between science and industry, and industry in turn has done much for science through the building and endowment of laboratories and by supply-ing funds to maintain research workers.

Jan 11, 1927

By G. W. Brownell, H. T. F. Lundberg, R. W. Pringle, K. I. Roulston

The rapid improvement of the airborne scintillometer and the perfection of its efficiency for counting low energy gamma radiation has made it possible to work out a technique to map in great detail the radiation pattern at the earth's surface. On such maps low radiation over certain areas appears to indicate the existence of oil accumulations, forming a pattern similar to that obtained by the geochemists.

Jan 12, 1953

By Ernest Stütz

(New York Meeting, October, 1918.) THE problem of increasing blast: furnace efficiency through diminution of flue-dust production while operating with burdens consisting largely of fine ores has of recent years attracted the attention of metallurgists, whether directly or indirectly interested in the economies of iron smelting, and the various methods evolved from theory or practice have been submitted to wide discussion. After the very thorough and, at that time, exhaustive view of the whole subject, which was afforded to the industry by the meeting of this Institute in February, 1912, the subject was again taken up at the meeting of the Verein deutscher Eisenhüttenleute at Diisseldorf in December, 1912. While American and German conditions are not entirely identical, it may be of interest to give here the words of the gentleman summing up the discussion at the Diisseldorf meeting: ' The chief advantage offered by the use of briquettes lies in the fact that disturbances in the furnace, caused mostly by the presence of fine ores in the burden, are avoided, and that blast pressure can be considerably reduced. The resulting economies cannot be overrated, as, with lower blast consumption per ton of product, the installation will be able to take care of increased production. In consequence of lower pressure and speed of blast, heat is more efficiently utilized, flue gas temperature is lowered, and coke particles are less liable to be carried along with the flue dust, of which considerably less is produced. Finally, by increased regularity of operation and higher . temperature in the lower parts of the furnace, the quality of the product is improved. The question of briquetting iron ores has grown to be one of the most important in the iron industry, and, it is not any more a question of what is the cost of briquetting ton of ore, but what, in using ore briquettes, is the cost of production of a ton of iron.'

Jan 7, 1913

Discussion of the paper of Ernest Stütz, presented at the New York Meeting, October, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 79, July, 1913, pp. 1257 to 1265. H. 0. HOFMAN, Boston, Mass.:-I have hunted in vain for a figure which gives a dehydration temperature of cement. I was wondering if Mr. Stütz had a figure of that kind. E. STÜTZ :-No, I am afraid I have not. H. 0. HOFMAN :-I believe some figures have been published that cement disintegrates at 400° or 500° C. It seems tome a very low temperature. Mr. Stütz just made the statement that the disintegration of this briquette begins at the temperature at which the briquette begins to sinter. E. STÜTZ :-Above the sintering point. H. 0. HOFMAN :-The sintering point would be about 1,200° C. E. STÜTZ :-Yes, roughly speaking. I am afraid I have no information about the exact degree of dehydration. H. O. HOFMAN :-I have looked a great deal for such a figure and I have not been able to obtain it. Professor Howe says I might have tried myself. But my interests were directed in another line; although-that is, perhaps, a good suggestion. CHAIRMAN RICHARDS:-Is not Portland cement sometimes used for the test in a cupellation furnace and a drying-out furnace ? H. O. HOFMAN :-Yes, it is used, but that is a higher temperature, of course. But I have been trying to get a figure as to where it loses all its water. I understand it begins to lose water at 500° C. But there are different silicates or hydrosilicates in the cement, so that one would have four or five or sit figures to show the different stages at which the cement loses its water. CHAIRMAN RICHARDS :-I would ask whether the use of this material in blast furnaces has shown increased capacity of furnace or decreased consumption of fuel.

Jan 12, 1913

By Ernest Stütz

(New York Meeting, October, 1913.) THE problem of increasing blast-furnace efficiency through diminution of flue-dust production while operating with burdens consisting largely of fine ores has of recent years attracted the attention of metallurgists, whether directly or indirectly interested in the economies of iron smelting, and the various methods evolved from theory or practice have been. submitted to wide discussion. After the very thorough and, at that time, exhaustive view of the whole subject, which was afforded to the industry by the meeting of this Institute in February, 1912, the subject was again taken up at the meeting of the Verein deutscher Eisenhüttenleute at Düsseldorf in December, 1912. While American and German conditions are not entirely identical, it may be of interest to give here the words of the gentleman summing up the discussion at the Düsseldorf meeting : ?The chief advantage offered by the use of briquettes lies in the fact that disturbances in the furnace, caused mostly by the presence of fine ores in the burden, are avoided, and that blast pressure can be considerably reduced. The resulting economies cannot be overrated, as, with lower blast consumption per ton of product, the installation will be able to take care of increased production. In consequence of lower pressure and speed of blast, heat is more efficiently utilized,, flue gas temperature is lowered, and coke particles are less liable to be carried along with the flue dust, of which considerably less is produced. Finally, by increased regularity of operation and higher temperature in the lower parts of the furnace, the quality of the product is improved. The question of briquetting iron ores has grown to be one of the most important in the iron industry, and it is not any more a question of what is the cost 'of briquetting a ton of ore, but what, in. using ore briquettes, is the cost, of: production of a ton of iron."

Jan 7, 1913

By Robert Poole

On June 20, 1974, delegations representing the governments of 150 nations convened in Caracas, Venezuela. The occasion: the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. (As this article goes to press, the conference is still in session-Ed). Of all the many issues to come before the conference, none is of greater long-term consequence than the issue of jurisdiction over the seabed-the "land" at the bottom of the world's oceans. On the agenda, with widespread support from a majority of UN members, is a proposal to declare seabed resources "the common heritage of mankind," under the sole jurisdiction of the United Nations. Any would-be miner of seabed minerals would have to apply to a UN seabed authority for a permit, and would be forced to pay the bulk of his profits to a UN fund to aid the underdeveloped countries.

Jan 9, 1974

By William Copp

THE SEAL BEACH oil field is between the Long Beach and Huntington Beach oil fields, south of Los Angeles, and about half the productive area is with-in the city limits of Long Beach. The proved area lies in portions of Sections 2, 3 and 11, T. 5 S., R. 12 W., S. B. B. & M. Seal Beach is 'an additional link in that remarkable chain, of oil fields extending from Newport to Beverly . Hills, filling in one of the few remaining gaps. It differs from other fields along this line of folding in that it is an oil field in an area of tide lands. Ocean-connected sloughs have access to this area, which ac-counts for its extensive mud flats. The surface eleva-tion of the low ground varies from 2 to 5 ft. above sea-level. This condition called for much preliminary work in building roads prior to field development. Roads are constructed with dredges and drag-line scrapers, which excavate mud from alongside the proposed road and pile it up to a grade high enough to be above high tide. The road bed is then surfaced with gravel, or decom-posed granite, which makes it serviceable in all kinds of weather. An immense amount of road material has already been hauled into this field. Well locations are staked in the mud flats, sometimes ahead of road build-ing, and material is dragged to its place on the ground by tractor. It is necessary to drive piling to support derrick foundations. The present practice is to drive 5 piles for each derrick leg, 4 under the rotary table, 2 under the draw-works, 2 under the Samson post and 4 under the pipe rack, a total of 32 piles. This pro-cedure is, of course, varied to suit special conditions, using either more or less piling.

Jan 6, 1927

By H. J. Ward

RUM Jungle uranium field lies in the subtropical portion of the Northern Territory on the Finniss River, East Branch. It takes its name from a railway siding about 2 ½ miles to the southwest and 52 miles from Darwin. The field can be reached from Darwin by a bituminized road. Monsoonal rains of the wet season, October to April, provide an annual rainfall of about 60 in. Vegetation is of the open forest type with denser tree growth along the watercourses and scattered throughout the area are isolated dense patches of jungle growth which are always found on ironstone cappings overlying limestones. The name, Rum Jungle, is thought to have been derived from this unusual occurrence of jungle growth. The wet season prevents the movement of motor vehicles and personnel. It is not until March, when the grass which ranges up to 15 ft in height is burned and the alluvial flats dry out, that field work can be undertaken.

Jan 12, 1954