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By George Smith

TWELVE years ago, the Director of the United States Geological Survey addressed to the Secretary of the Interior a letter calling attention to the government's need for liquid fuel for naval use and pointing out that the rate of increase in demand was more rapid than the increase in production.1 This letter, in a way, inaugurated the policy of public oil-land withdrawals, which was well founded in its primary purpose of protecting the oil industry and highly desirable in its immediate effect of checking the over-development of that day in California. Unfortunately, however, through delays in legislation, this policy may be regarded now as having outlived both its intent and its usefulness. In 1908, the country's production of oil was 178,500,000 bbl., and there was a surplus above consumption of more than 20,000,000 bbl. available to go into storage.: In 1918, 10 years later, the oil wells of the United States yielded 356,000,000 bbl.-nearly twice the yield of 1908-but to meet the demands of the increased consumption more than 24,000,000 bbl. had to be drawn from storage. Nor is this all of the brief comparison. In 1918, our excess of imports over exports of crude petroleum was nearly 33,000,000 bbl. whereas in 1908 we exported 3,500,000 bbl., which was net, as we had not begun to import Mexican oil. In this period, the annual fuel-oil consumption of the railroads alone has increased from 16,871,000 to 36,714,000. bbl.; the annual gasoline production from 540,000,000 gal. to 3,500,000,000 gal. This record may be taken not only as justifying the earlier appeal for Federal action, but as warranting deliberate attention to the oil problem of today.

Jan 1, 1920

By R. Michael Craig

Mr. Juvkam-Wold's article is a timely and much needed presentation of the method of depressurization to reduce ground- water inflow into mine shafts. The article is very informative and discusses the effects of depressurization upon shaft inflows adequately. However, the article omits a discussion of another important benefit of depressurization: the reduction of potential for artesian burst or, as it is also called, floor heave. Confined aquifer systems (artesian aquifers) can contain water under several hundred pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure. For example, water levels at elevations of 455 m (1500 ft) or more above the top of the Westwater Canyon member of

Jan 1, 1984

By Geo. Otis Smith

Twelve years ago, the Director of the United States Geological Survey addressed to the Secretary of the Interior a letter calling attention to the government's need for liquid fuel for naval use and pointing out that the rate of increase in demand was more rapid than the increase in production.' This letter, in a way, inaugurated the policy of public oil-land withdrawals, which was well founded in its primary purpose of protecting the oil industry and highly desirable in its immediate effect of checking the over-development of that day in California. Unfortunately, however, through delays in legislation, this policy may be regarded now as having outlived both its intent and its usefulness. In 1908, the country's production of oil was 178,500,000 bbl., and there was a surplus above consumption of more than 20,000,000 bbl. available to go into storage. In 1918, 10 years later, the oil wells of the United States yielded 356,000,000 bb1.—nearly twice the yield of 1908—but to meet the demands of the increased consumption more than 24,000,000 bbl. had to be drawn from storage. Nor is this all of the brief comparison. In 1918, our excess of imports over exports of crude petroleum was nearly 33,000,000 bbl. whereas in 1908 we exported 3,500,000 bbl., which was net, as we had not begun to import Mexican oil. In this period, the annual fuel-oil consumption of the railroads alone has increased from 16,871,000 to 36,714,000 bbl.; the annual gasoline production from 540,000,000 gal. to 3,500,000,000 gal. This record may be taken not only as justifying the earlier appeal for Federal action, but as warranting deliberate attention to the oil problem of today. Need of Future Supply The position of the United States in regard to oil can best be characterized as precarious. Using more than one-third of a billion barrels a year, we are drawing not only from the underground pools but also from storage, and both of these supplies are limited. In 1918, the contribu-

Jan 1, 1921

By V. E. McKelvey

Some understanding of the United States mineral resource potential is essential for planning and policy making for the future. Reserves of some minerals are essentially lacking and for many others they are sufficient for only short term needs. Estimates of undiscovered resources of many minerals are substantial but are insufficient to support long term requirements, particularly if they continue to increase as they have in the past. Presently, subeconomic resources of some minerals such as aluminum are huge, but their recovery may require increased amounts of energy, which poses problems both as to cost and availability. Beyond these identifiable components of the United States mineral potential, what are the prospects? If they could be identified specifically, of course, they would be included in the above. An unappraised potential of new production and discovery can be expected to exist in known districts, where unproved methods of exploration may yield new discoveries; in new types of ore deposits; in metallogenic provinces as yet unrecognized or poorly explored; in frontier areas and in deeper parts of the crust as yet unexplored; and in presently subeconomic sources that may come within economic reach as the result of technologic advance. Other sources may extend the life of domestic material supplies -- substitution of abundant for scarce materials, recycling and prevention of waste, improved efficiency in recovery and use, and conservation of use.

Jan 1, 1976

By E. Werchowsky

FOR over four years, since the revolution of 1917, Russia has been cut off from the Western world. Political and general economical reforms have attracted the attention of the public and business world, but mining men have had no information as to the situation in their branch of industry, as various articles which have appeared in the European and American press gave little information as to actual conditions in our country. When the Soviet system of government was estab-lished and private ownership abolished, it affected the FIG. 1.-ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNCIL OF MINES. mining industry very little at first. The power of the Soviets did not affect the Ural provinces nor Ukraine or Asiatic Russia (Siberia, Turkestan, etc.) during 1918 and 1919, and, as is well known, the mineral wealth of the republic lies within those boundaries. In the Ural Mountains are copper, gold, and platinum; in Siberia, silver, lead, zinc, and gold, and the coal deposits in Koushetz district; in Ukraine, there are the coal fields of Donetz and the iron mines of Krivvy Rog, and silver, lead, zinc, copper, oil, etc. in the Cauca-sus. The mineral resources of Central Russia are the coal fields of Moscow (low-grade and brown coal), turf deposits, iron mines in Tula and Kalonga provinces, and quarries of granite and other building materials.

Jan 8, 1922

Dr. Arthur H. Elliott has been connected with the gas industry for upward of thirty-eight years and was a chemist to whom the industry is deeply indebted for the application of the science of chemistry to its problems and processes. He was born in London, England, in 1851, and was the son-of a physician. While a child he was taken to France, where he received his early education, learning to speak the French language before his native English. His father having destined him for the medical profession, he commenced his studies on his return to England, but his attention being attracted to chemistry, he gave up the study of medicine to pursue that of chemistry. While still a student, he obtained a reputation as an iron and steel analyst, publishing two methods of analysis, one for the determination of sulphur .and the other for the determination of carbon in cast iron. On his graduation from the School of Mines at South Kensington, he left England intending to go to Australia, where an uncle resided, having in mind also the possibility of a trip to China. On his arrival in New York, he met Professor Charles F. Chandler, to whom he had a letter of introduction, and who induced young Elliott to remain. He graduated from Columbia College with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1883. He became demonstrator in chemistry at the College of Pharmacy and afterward professor of chemistry and physics at the same college. He became connected with the Municipal Gas Lighting Co. in May, 1880. In. November, 1.884, when consolidation took place, he became engineer-chemist of the Consolidated Gas Co., which position he held until May, 1910, when he resigned, but was retained as consulting chemist until his death. Recently Columbia University conferred on him the honorary degree of Master of Science.

Jan 7, 1918

By Frank Firmstone

In 1871, two furnaces at the Glendon Iron Works, which had been blown out on account of the "coal strike," were altered from the open-top plan with side flues for collecting the gas, to closed tops with cup and cone. In one furnace the suppression of the side flues permitted a considerable alteration in the profile, but in the other (No. 5) no change in this respect was made; the side flues were simply bricked up and new ones cut through the sides close to the top. This furnace was in blast over four years, and we can, therefore, form a pretty good idea of the effect of the alterations on the furnace process. The principal dimensions are; Height 72'; greatest diameter, 18'; diameter at tuyeres, 8'; diameter of top, 10'; diameter at stock line (point at which the top of the materials is kept), 11'; cubic contents, 11,900 cubic feet. The table below shows the average results for periods of twentysix weeks each. 1st, of the open-topped furnace; 2d, of the furnace with the first charger used, which was an ordinary cup and cone (diameter of cone 5' 2") 3d, with the charger used ever since, a " double " cone 7' 5" diameter outside, having a central opening 3' in diameter. The diagram (Plate 11) shows the daily variations, in the grade of the irons for the same periods.*

By Rajaraman V. Ramani, K. Sinha Atmesh, Robert Stefanko

Use of electrical power in the bituminous mining industry has increased many fold during the last few decades. Rapid changes have also occurred in mine electrical power systems in order to meet the demands from highly mechanized mines. Fires, explosions, and deaths due to electrocutions are the primary hazards due to the underground use of electricity, although there has been a marked decrease in the fatality rate from electrical accidents. However, efforts to eliminate electrical hazards and to insure trained manpower for better distribution, utilization, and protection of the electrical systems cannot be relaxed. In this article, 200 fatal accidents that occurred during the period from 1955 to 1970 have been analyzed. Accident frequency has been correlated with the size of the mine and of the work force, and with age and work and task experience. A strong negative correlation has been established between task experience and accident frequency. Though the available data permitted only a limited analysis, need for improvements in electrical power technology and for better education and training has been identified and discussed. Missing information in accident statistics is outlined and suggestions for better hazard analysis are presented.

Jan 1, 1975

MISSOURI SCHOOL OF MINES The Missouri Mining Association has enjoyed a very good year. Last October the society was reorganized and the following officers elected for the year: E. Ross HOUSHOLDER, President, ORE N. MANESS, Vice-president, WILLIAM REBER. Secretary, RUAL CHAVEZ, Treasurer. The head of our mining department, Prof. C. E. Forbes, is now serving as a Major in the United States. Army. We were fortunate in having. Prof. Chas. E. Locke, of Boston, with us for part of the winter to take charge of the senior mining work. During the autumn and winter months we had a number of informal smoker lectures in Norwood Hall. Among the speakers at these meetings were: H. A. Buehler, Missouri State Geologist; Chas. E. Locke, Boston, Mass.; V. H. Hughes, Tulsa, Okla.; Dorsey Lyon, Washington; D. C.; Prof. G. H. Cox, Professor of Geology, Rolla, Mo.; together with a number of returned alumni.

Jan 8, 1918

By Jennifer Drake, Edward T. Moriuchi, Jennifer A. Hill

SEAMSYS and CSD/SMP are sets of computer programs that assist geologists and mine engineers in modeling and evaluating coal properties. The systems are tailored for treatment of waste and coal quality data, including metallurgical coal product capabilities. The gridded SEAMSYS model honors all drillhole data and incorporates user- defined mining parameters, losses and dilutions, and operational constraints. A variety of reserve reports and graphic displays are available from the model. Preliminary mine planning is accomplished through automatic cut generation and production targeting. CSD/SMP refines the preliminary plans to help anticipate the consequences of various mine schedules and evaluate equipment capacity requirements.

Jan 1, 1983

The Institute maintains a dual relationship with students: (1) an individual relationship with a Student Associate; and (2) a relationship with local organizations of students, known as Affiliated Student Societies or Student Chapters. 1. The conditions of Student Associateship are set forth in Section 9, Article I, of the Bylaws of the Institute (see page 64 and following pages). During 1934, sundry amendments were made for the purpose of improving the student relationship. Postgraduate students are now eligible; and associateship can be maintained, with the payment of the regular dues of $2 per year, for 18 months following graduation in June. With his regular dues, each Student Associate is entitled to receive during the year his choice of MINING AND METALLURGY, METALS TECHNOLOGY, MINING TECHNOLOGY, PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY, or two "classes" of Technical

Jan 1, 1943

By Thomas M. Plouf

Getting optimal performance from flotation cells can, in many cases, be critical to a project's economic viability. Simple testing procedures can sound early warning signals as well as maintain optimum recoveries from the flotation cycle. The materials required for a simple testing laboratory include: (1) pH meter or pH paper, (2) bottles of reagents used in plant flotation, (3) stop watch, (4) calibrated eye droppers. (5) laboratory flotation machine (1000-g tank, open impeller), (6) froth collection pans, (7) magnifying glass, (8) sizing screen sufficient to retain 10% of the flotation feed coarse fraction, (9) sizing screen for the size particles at which desliming of the plant flotation feed is to take place, and (10) a set of screens covering the complete range of feed particle size.

Jan 4, 1978

By B. J. Scheiner, A. G. Smelley

The Bureau of Mines, US Department of the Interior, is conducting research on a dewatering technique for fine particles generated during the mineral beneficiation process that will recover a portion of the water now being lost using conventional waste disposal methods and significantly reduce the time required for land reclamation. The technique utilizes a flocculant, polyethylene oxide (PEO), that forms strong stable flocs that can be dewatered rapidly on static and/or rotary screens. Infield tests, phosphate clay waste has been dewatered from a nominal 2.5% solids to greater than 20% solids. In other field tests, coal-clay waste has been dewatered from a nominal 3% solids to greater than 55% solids. In addition, small-scale continuous tests have shown that bentonitic clays can be dewatered from 12% solids to 40% solids.

Jan 1, 1985

By Waldemar Lindgren

CONTENTS. [ ] I.-CHARACTER OF THE DEPOSITS. 1. Principal Features. IN many schemes of classification and description the term contact-deposit has been somewhat loosely applied to all accumulations of useful minerals (other than those of unquestioned sedimentary origin) which are enclosed between two different rocks. As thus used, the term may include deposits of widely differing origin, and, unless qualified, is not in place in a genetic classification. The present paper deals with a special class of contact-deposits. In many geological provinces, granular igneous rocks, such as granite, diorite and syenite, have broken through and invaded sedimentary rocks. The molten magma may in part have reached the surface and there solidified with relative rapidity as a lava. The largest masses of it, however, did not reach the surface, but cooled very slowly at considerable depth under great pressure, and eventually consolidated into a rock of granitic texture. Uplifts and extensive erosion may have followed; and at the present day, in many places, thousands of feet of material have been removed, bringing to the surface the intrusive granular rocks and their once deep-seated contacts with the sedimentaries which they shattered at the time of in-

Jan 1, 1902

Past-president Philip N. Moore has accepted the position of engineer member of the War Mineral Relief Commission and has already taken up the work. J. E. Spurr is the chief engineer of the Commission and is now organizing the examining staff.

Jan 4, 1919

ON p. 499 of the December issue Of MINING AND METAL-LURGY plans were announced for a memorial to en-gineers who died in overseas service during the World War and a gift to the University of Louvain on behalf of the engineers of America. In this connection it is proposed to erect a memorial tablet giving the names. of engineers who died in the foreign service. Members of the A. I. M. E. who gave their lives, so far as they are known, are listed below. It will be much appreciated if notice be given of any omissions and also if the name of some surviving relative be supplied in each case. Louis Baird, Lieut., Royal Field Artillery, British Army, killed on the battlefield, 1915. John H. Bellamy, Capt., Regimental Staff, 103rd Engi-neers, killed near Fismes, Aug. 9, 1918. Martin F. Bowles, Lieut., 1st Battalion, 355th Infantry, 89th Division, killed on the battlefield, Sept. 3, 1918. Andrew Burt, died in .active service, 1916. Stanley B. Carlisle, Machine Gun Battalion 346, 91st Divi- sion, died in France, Oct. 24, 1918.

Jan 1, 1928

By Edwin A. Sperry

The use of steam-stamps in the crushing of ore for the purpose of amalgamation has been very limited, and little has been written on the subject. As the writer has been operating a mill of this kind during the past year, it is possible that he may be able to present a few points in regard to mill-practice in this line which will be of interest. The mill herein referred to contains two Tremain steamstamps, a more detailed description of which will be given below. A bond and lease had been taken on a property on Cross mountain, Gunnison county, Colo., and the parties operating wished to prospect it thoroughly and did not wish to ship out the ore, owing to high freight-rates. They looked around to find some mill that would answer the purpose and not be too expensive. The steam-stamp in question was finally decided on, and the writer was employed to erect and operate it. The economy of construction was demonstrated at the outset. The stamps were dropping within ten days from the time that the machinery was unloaded on the ground. A large portion of this period was consumed in waiting for supplies and fittings which should have been on the ground at the Hame time with the machinery. Ore.—The ore to be treated was a mixture of white, porous quartz, with the decomposed and undecomposed oxides of iron and manganese in varying proportions, from the pure white quartz to solid pieces of the oxides. It appeared to be the product of replacement in a soft dolomite at or near the line of contact with a dike of porphyry. On careful examination with the aid of a microscope it was found that the gold was in the form of an extremely thin film over the surfaces of the quartz, making only a bronzy-yellow coating, quite readily distinguished from the film of iron oxide, which was also present. Mill.—The mill was constructed on the usual plan, with the ore-bin above and against the hill, which was cut into for the

Jan 1, 1897

By E. S. Bardwell, Roy H. Miller

During the period extending from May, 1922, to September, 1923, the copper-refining furnaces of the Great Falls Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Great Falls, Mont., were operated exclusively with pulverized coal as fuel. The installation was made first as an experiment. It proved successful from the start and was abandoned solely because fuel oil from the Sunburst field became available at a price sufficiently low to be more desirable from an economic standpoint. The equipment required for pulverized coal has, however, been kept intact and is available for immediate use should the oil supply fail. Inasmuch as pulverized coal had been used on two large reverbera-tory smelting furnaces and was, at the time we were considering its application-to the copper-refining furnaces, being used on the Wedge furnaces roasting zinc concentrate for the electrolytic zinc plant, we were equipped with a coal-pulverizing plant of ample capacity to supply pulverized coal for the furnace refinery. The only problem was to devise suitable means for transporting pulverized coal from the pulverizer plant, located in the smelter building, to the refinery about 3000 ft. distant and about 150 ft. above the level of the pulverizer plant. When studying this installation, it should be borne in mind that the layout represents an adaptation suited to the existing conditions at this particular plant. The installation was entirely satisfactory and uniformly dependable but might be modified to advantage from an operating point of view if an entirely new installation were being planned. Fuel Supply The use of the local coals, high in ash and sulfur, was abandoned some time before coal-dust firing was attempted. Local coals from the Great Falls field carrying an average of 4 per cent. sulfur and 22 per cent, ash were used with fair success in the small furnaces in use prior to 1916. In the 250-ton furnaces, however, the time lost in grating and removing clinker from the fireboxes, as well as the difficulties incident to the high-sulfur content of the fuel, became serious and recourse was had to the

Jan 1, 1927

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Iwao Iwasaki, Hyung Sup Choi

Oleic acid is the chief ingredient of fatty acids used as collectors in nonsulfide flotation. With a few notable exceptions, the various quantities of saturated and other unsaturated acids comprising the remainder are usually unspecified. There have been occasional investigations to determine the collecting ability of these other acids and their effect on collection with oleic acid, but much remains to be done in this field. Hukki and Vartiainen, on the basis of tests using palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids and an impure linolenic acid, concluded: "The collecting power of fatty acids used in flotation increases with increasing unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain." 1 Their work was concerned mainly with the response of ilmenite to the foregoing collectors, although tests were also made with magnetite, pyrite, hematite, and rutile. Cooke and Nummela, employing an al- most identical technical procedure to evaluate flotation of hematite, magnetite, and goethite with various fatty acids, including oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids of the highest purity obtainable, found: "The effectiveness of 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acids, as collectors for hematite, decreases with increase in the number of non-conjugated double bonds."' In the foregoing investigations, collector efficacy was measured on the basis of reagent addition in moles per liter.

Jan 9, 1959

By Albert F. Schneider

The peculiar conditions under which lead and silver ores are now smelted in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, render it advantageous to make slags that are siliceous and carry a high percentage of lime. The ores treated come from Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada; nine-tenths coming from Utah. These ores are siliceous, and contain but little fluxing material; the iron present scarcely sufficing for the sulphur and arsenic. Formerly ores high in iron were furnished from Cottonwood Canons, but this supply is meagre. The ores from Idaho, Montana, and Nevada are high grade galenas, more or less impure. They generally require a large amount of iron for the sulphur, arsenic, and antimony. In the winter and spring of 1880—'81, we were treating at the Germania Works principally Bingham Canon lead ores and silver ores from Tintic. The former contained 15 to 30 per cent. silica, and only 4 to 5 per cent. iron (generally as iron pyrites); they ranged high in lead and low in silver, and carried more or less alumina; the lead was present chiefly as carbonate. The silver ores from Tintic contained sulphides, and ran as high as 80 per cent. silica. We had been running on a slag approximating 40 per cent. FeO, 20 per cent. CaO, 10 per cent. other bases, and 30 per cent. SiO2, which had heretofore been very satisfactory; but with the class of ores then coming in it was of the utmost advantage to use less iron and more lime, especially as the iron ore (50-55 per cent. iron and 5-7 per cent. silica) cost four times as much as the limestone (50-55 per cent. lime, 3-5 per cent. silica). The large amount of alumina in the slag influenced them for the worse; the addition of lime to the charge helped them, and after many experiments regarding the proportion of FeO, CaO, and SiO2, a slag approximating 35 per cent. FeO, 25 per cent. CaO, 5 per cent. other bases, and 35 per cent. SiO2 seemed to answer

Jan 1, 1883