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By John V. Beall

It is difficult to understand why they did it. It was a demonstration of total commitment which sent chills of mixed admiration and fear up and down your spine. The scene was the bodega in Section A, 2660 Level on the 12 to 8 shift. The jefe was patiently waiting for the tea leaves to settle in a large metal cup. His attention was distracted by the appearance of a miner who had a problem. The long and short of it was that the miner believed the branch raise he was driving was unsafe and he wanted the jefe to come and see it. After lunch the jefe went around. First cautiously shining his light to peer up the raise from outside the chute, he then scrambled inside and swiftly climbed the cribs to the face. No question, it was hairy; about 4 crib sets were needed to catch up to the face. The unsupported raise was slabbing. It didn't take the jefe more than a few seconds to ascertain this situation and to slide back down. As he came out of the chute, a small avalanche arrived on his heels and provided a sort of exclamation point to his order; "cerrado!" In other words, shut 'er down.

Jan 1, 1970

By Ben B. Cox

Oil produced in Iraq for export during 1938 was 31,354,090 bbl., or a daily average of 85,901 bbl; This is an increase of 182,614 bbl., or 0.5 per cent over 1937. All oil exported was produced from the Kirkuk field. The Khanaqin Oil Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Ltd., continued to supply local market requirements from its Naft Khaneh field in the Transferred Territories. Slightly more than 32,000,000 bbl. was produced in Iraq, a small part of which was used in field operations. During the year 12 wells were completed and 9 wells were drilling at the end of the year. Of the completions, 5 were producers and 1 was an oil-water level observation well in proved fields, and 6 were listed as failures. Basrah Concession The outstanding event of the year was the granting, by the Kingdom of Iraq, of a 75-year concession embracing approximately 89,000 sq. miles to the Basrah Petroleum Company, Ltd., a British company with French and American participation. The concession covers all parts of the Kingdom, its territorial waters, islands, submerged lands, and its interest in the Neutral Zone separating Iraq and Saudi Arabia that

Jan 1, 1939

(The following list contains the names of those members of the Institute of whose connection with military service we have only recently become acquainted; it also includes the names of a few who have recently been promoted or transferred, indicated by a *. A complete list was published in the Year Book, issued as a supplement of the Bulletin for March, 1918.) ALLEN, Roy H., Capt., Air Service, Bureau of Aircraft Production, Washington, D. C. *AMIDON, CLAUDE E., Chemical Warfare Section', Astoria, L. I. *ARCHBALD, HUGH, 311th Infantry, 78th Division, American E. F. ASKIN, THOMAS B. H., Radio Station, Cavite, P. I. *AYER, FRANK A., Lieut., Commanding Officer, -270th Aero Squadron, American E. F. BARBA, W. P., Lieut. Colonel, Ordnance, U. S. A., Washington, D. C. *BARRETT, LESLIE P., 1st Lieut., 5th Field Artillery, American E. F. BLICKENSDERFER, F. C., 1st Lieut., N. A., Ordnance Dept., Edgewood Arsenal, Edgewood, Md. *BROOKS, FLOYD R.., Lieut., Canadian Engineers, Seaford, England. BROWN, GEORGE M., Co. G, 1st Replacement Regiment, Washington Barracks, D. C. *BRUNEL, LOUIS J., Lieut., 5th Field Artillery, Brigade Headquarters, American E. F. *BRUNTON, D. W., Cons. Engr., Naval Consulting Board, Washington, D. C.

Jan 11, 1918

Meeting of Nov. 21, 1913.-The President reported the appointment of the officers and members of the Committee on Non-Metallic Minerals, published elsewhere in this Bulletin. The President appointed the Executive Committee of the New York Section as a local .committee to have charge of the Annual Meeting of the Institute in February, 1914, with power to add to their numbers. It was voted that the Chairman of each Technical Committee, be made ex officio a member of the Committee on Papers and Publications. At the request of the Secretary, Burr A. Robinson was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Institute. E. Gybbon Spilsbury was nominated as representative of the Institute on the John Fritz Medal Board of Award. It was voted that the next summer meeting of the Institute be held in Salt Lake City in August, 1914, with power to the Executive Committee to fix the exact date. Substantial reduction was made in the price of the back Transactions of the Institute in accordance with the notice published on p. i of this Bulletin.. The By-Laws of the Montana Local Section were approved. The printing contract for the year 1914 was made with the Maple Press. Thirty-eight Members, one Associate and three Junior Members were elected.

Jan 12, 1913

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Apr. 10, 1916; to May 10, 1916: Philip P. Baily, New York, N. Y. George W. Otterson Seattle, Wash. John M. Brooks, Jr., Knoxville, Tenn. C. Q. Payne, New York, N. Y. C. A. Burdick, New York, N. Y. Charles F. Potter, Los Angeles, Cal. W. N. Crafts, Oberlin, Ohio. Albert E. Rhoads, Harrisburg, Pa. Andrew B. Crichton, Johnstown, Pa. M. F. Sayre, Schenectady, N. Y. 0. P. Hood, Pittsburgh, Pa. H. V. Smythe, Northpines, Ont., Canada. W. McA. Johnson, Tulsa Okla. W. 0. Snelling, Long Island City, N. Y. G. H. Morgan, New York, N. Y. W. H. Staver, Ophir, Colo. E. G. Norton, Chicago Ill., A. W. Tucker, Salisbury, N. C. M. L. O'Neale, Coal City, Ala. Andrew Weisenburg, Philadelphia, Pa. Arthur H. Brown has resigned his position with the Dome Lake Mining & Milling Co., South Porcupine, Ont., Canada. Robert Sterling has resigned his position as chief engineer of the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Co., Goldfield, Nev., to accept the position of assistant manager of the vanadium mines of the Primos Chemical Co., Vanadium, Colo.

Jan 6, 1916

By S. P. Sharples

Under the act providing for the taking of the Tenth Census, the superintendent was authorized to appoint experts to inquire into special industries; accordingly Professor Charles S. Sargent was appointed to gather statistics in relation to the forest industries. As chief of the Department of Forestry of the Tenth Census he has been busily engaged in this work since the fall of 1879. Soon after his appointment he became convinced that it would be desirable to make an examination of the fuel-value of the various woods of the United States, and this work was placed in my hands. At the same time I made the suggestion that while we had the opportunity, it would be well to test also the strength of these woods. The suggestion was adopted and Professor Sargent at once set his agents to work in various parts of the country to collect specimens of all the trees growing in their localities, employing as a rule botanists who were familiar with the flora of the region in which they were at work. The result of this work was the collection of over thirteen hundred specimens of wood, comprising over four hundred species and varieties, nearly one hundred of which had not before been described as trees existing in the United States.

Jan 1, 1883

On Feb. 16, 1948, the Board of Directors of AIME authorized the publishing of "Technical Notes" in METALS TECHNOLOGY. The purpose is to provide prompt publication of very shod items of the following general types: I. Results of short investigations which do not warrant a paper. 2. The conclusions of extensive investigations of insufficient general interest to justify a regular paper. 3. Conclusions arising in the course of an investigation, which, because of interest to others in the field, the author wishes to present prior to completion of the investigation. 4. Pertinent factual comment (not mere argument) on the subject matter of previous ''Notes." Such Notes will be subject to the approval of the Auxiliary and AIME Publications Committees, but can be handled more promptly than regular papers because they need not be referred to readers. 'The recommended maximum length is 500 words; notes in excess of 1,000 words will not be considered for this type of publication. A graph or photograph may be included as part of the note when particularly illustrative. As with regular papers, contributions to the new section should be submitted to the Secretary of the AIME. Please furnish two copies each complete with illustrations.

Jan 1, 1948

I. C. WHITE, Morgantown, W. Va. (written discussion *).-The writer's conclusions with reference to the possibility of finding commercial deposits of petroleum in Brazil were published in 1908 in the Final Report of the Coal Commission of Brazil.1 Since this volume is not generally accessible, and the author has nothing to acid thereto, the following quotation found on pages 243-7 may prove of interest: The Possibility of Petroleum Deposits in Brazil "The writer has often been asked to express an opinion as to the possibility of finding petroleum in commercial quantity in Brazil. "The question is one that does not admit of an adequate answer except for the regions visited by the writer, which as already stated, include only, a portion of that great territory, and only the southern portion of Brazil; namely, the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catharina, Paraná, and a few rapid excursions across São Paulo, and Minas Geraes, as well as the brief visit to Marahú in Bahia. "That the sedimentary beds of the Brazilian Permian once held some petroleum is attested by the evidence of the Iraty black shale which gives off the characteristic odor of this substance from São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul.

Jan 1, 1918

E. B. WILSON, Scranton, Pa. (written 'discussion *).-Prof. Young's paper shows another application of electricity in solving problems in coal mining, and suggests that it may be possible to utilize the data he has collected in developing an electric firedamp detector. If electric lamps are to be adopted in gassy coal mines, the use of an electric firedamp detector becomes almost imperative, for safety lamps and electric lamps in the same mine are not always conducive to safety, and Liveings electric firedamp detector, is too cumbersome to meet with general approval. Three well understood facts are verified in a new way by Prof. Young's experiments: - 1. The temperature at which methane ignites. 2. The more inflammable gas present in an atmosphere, the hotter will be the flame, and the longer the cap in a safety lamp. 3. As the temperature at the source of ignition varies, the length of the gas-cap flame varies. Prof. H. B. Dixon collaborating with Mr. H. F. Coward, some years ago, made experiments on the ignition of various gases to find the tem-perature of their kindling points.1 From the results of their experiments, the writer has culled the ignition temperatures of some hydrocarbon gases, and has tabulated them with other data, in Table 1.

Jan 10, 1919

On Feb. 16, 1948, the Board of Directors of NME authorized the publishing of "Technical Notes" in METALS TECHNOLOGY. The purpose is to provide prompt publication of very short items of the following general types: I. Results of short investigations which do not warrant a paper. 2. The conclusions of extensive investigations of insufficient general interest to justify a regular paper. 3. Conclusions arising in the course of an investigation, which, because of interest to others in the field, the author wishes to present prior to completion of the investigation. 4. Pertinent factual comment (not mere argument) on the subject matter of previous "Notes." Such Notes will be subject to the approval of the Auxiliary and AIME Publications Committees, but can be handled more promptly than regular papers because they need not be referred to readers. The recommended maxi- mum length is 500 words; notes in excess of 1,000 words will not be considered for this type of publication. A graph or photograph may be included as part of the note when particularly illustrative. As with regular papers, contributions to the new section should be submitted to the Secretary of the AIME. Please furnish two copies each complete with illustrations.

Jan 1, 1948

The word "engineering" should not be considered as all-inclusive. Perhaps it should be redefined at this time. Various fields of learning that are indispensable to the locating, beneficiating, processing and using of minerals cannot be classified properly as engineering. For example, in locating deposits, the sciences of paleontology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, petrography, geo- chemistry, economic geography, and mineral economics might be involved. Beneficiating, processing, and using go beyond the normal scope of engineering to include fuel technology, physical and organic chemistry, physical and atomic metallurgy, and ceramics. Fifty-eight institutions of higher learning in the United States offer curricula in one or more subject-matter fields of the mineral arts and sciences. Thirty-four curricula are offered in mining; 42 in metallurgy; 17 in petroleum and natural gas; 13 in ceramics; 1 in fuel technology; 23 in geological engineering; 8 in geology; 4 in geophysics; 2 in mineral preparation; and l in mineral economics.1 Under given conditions, some of these curricula probably could be eliminated without the slightest retardation in the rate of advancement of knowledge concerning the science of mineral discovery, extraction and utilization, but it is no credit to mineral industries colleges that five departments of mining per-

Jan 1, 1950

What do you think are the major problems that the mining industry is facing? While I don't have any intensive knowledge of the various problems that plague our industry, I know that they are all part and parcel of a more complex and fundamental question: What must we do to make mineral extraction successful, safe, and profitable? Obviously, as mining people, we must continue to expand our technical know-how and to make better use of it. In today's context, however, that is not enough. We must also improve the "public image" of the mining industry. Why? Because the key word in the term "public image" is: the public. Many people in our country and in Congress, for instance, are against strip mining-and some are even against underground mining. Pressures from the public, from voters, have affected past, present, and new legislation. And government controls can be a major problem in any industry, let alone mining. At first, people ask government to intervene, act, or resolve problems, even in management and labor contract negotiations. But later, after Washington gets involved, there are clashes between departments and personalities, and eventually there is resentment against the interference with mining operations or our daily lives.

Jan 3, 1975

By Yoshinao Nakada

In many experiments involving electropolishing such as electropolishing during deformation and electrothinning of deformed metals for electron microscopy, it is usually assumed that the specimen temperature is the same as the temperature of the polishing bath. In order to test this assumption, the interior temperature of aluminum single and polycrystals was measured while they were being electropolished. Specimens were 1/4 by 1/4 by 6 in. and were of 99.99 pct purity. A small hole 1 in. deep was drilled axially at one end of the specimen so that a copper-constantan thermocouple could be inserted. The electropolishing solution was 4 parts methanol (reagent grade) and 1 part perchloric acid (70 pct). The electropolishing was performed using an apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The electropolishing solution was stirred by a motor-driven stirrer and was cooled to —5°C with a mixture of methanol and dry ice. Electrolyte temperature was measured and remained at -5°C during the electropolishing. Current density of 0.3 amp per sq. cm was used. When the current was turned on, after about a 5-sec delay, the temperature began to rise rapidly until it reached 65°C. In order to determine whether the temperature measured was localized, the thermal expansion of the specimen was meas-

Jan 1, 1965

By G. R. St. Pierre, R. D. Blackburn

Oxygen contents of' liquid-iron alloys saturated with oxides are analyzed. Minimum points observed in particular Fe-X-O systems can be predicled by a simple extension of first-order interaction methods. If minimum oxygen content occurs at N; where r is the ratio of metal to oxygen in the oxide phase. RECENTLY, wisher' reported on solubility measurements of A1203 in liquid iron at 1580°C which support the earlier work of d'Entremont, Guernsey, and chipman2 and Gokcen and Chipman. Swisher's diagram is reproduced in Fig. l. Minimum points in oxide solubilities have also been found in the Fe-Cr-0 system,4 Fig. 2, and the Fe-Ti-0 system,' Fig. 3. Minima positions can be used to confirm approximately the measured first-order interactions, &, cgr, and E&~, in liquid iron and to deduce compositions of components of constant activity in the oxide phases. Consider the solution of Alz03 in liquid iron: for which an equilibrium constant can be written as: differentiating Eq. [2] with respect to Na~, the atom fraction of &l in the metallic solution, and noting that If the activities of Al and 9 are expanded by a first-order interaction model, then:

Jan 1, 1969

By J. H. Russell

THE great number of wells being drilled in the Gulf Coast creates a great demand for and an opportunity to improve the methods of drilling wells and of producing oil from them. Some improvements have been made, but in the present strenuous drilling campaign at Spindletop, the quickest methods of drilling and completing wells are much too slow. Therefore, not a great deal of thought has been given to any new methods. However, one can not help but compare the method and equipment used in the present-day drilling campaign at Spindletop with those of 1901. The differences in equipment and methods are staggering and the present-day operators can hardly imagine how the old operators ever were able to drill a well. The "Old Timers" explain the reason as being that "Men were men in those days and not much machinery was necessary." Yet the development in 25 years of thought and study has brought about a great improvement in equipment and in methods. I believe there has been a great deal more thought given to the development and improvement of drilling equipment and methods and to the completion of wells than has been given to the actual production operations.

Jan 11, 1926

By Alfred F. Brainerd

HAVING had considerable practical experience in the management of colored mining labor in the South, I have thought a few observations upon its peculiarities might interest those not personally familiar with it. In mining, as in all other departments throughout the South, this class of labor is largely in excess of any other; and its characteristics need to be known and duly taken into consideration by those who may be charged with the conduct of southern enterprises. The colored laborers are fervently religious, intensely superstitious, improvident, and usually good natured and happy,—in a word, they are like children. That strong religious emotions do not involve necessarily a moral sense highly developed in the direction of ethics, is shown in the propensity of the colored population for chickenstealing, and in the brutal fights and other outbreaks of which they are not infrequeutly guilty, upon any slight provocation. It is only fair to say, however, that many individuals among them are in the highest degree steady and trustworthy. To one accustomed to seeing white miners at work in the middle, northern or western States, the colored miners seem somewhat slow and lazy. But their efficiency is greater than it appears to be. The almost tropical sun of midsummer beats upon their unprotected heads

Jan 1, 1886

By John D. Morgan, Sylvain J. Pirson

AN instantaneous and continuous analysis of a mineral suspension should be of great value in controlling various mineral preparation processes. Described herein is a method of analysis based on the use of high-frequency alternating current, which, under certain restrictive conditions, could be of use. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS In a suspension of conductive minerals, the electrical effect primarily responsible for the variations in electric conductivity is the capacitance. In Fig Ia, let an alternating voltage E be applied across two electrodes F and F', between which are two rows (S and T) of mineral particles, all of approximately the same size, immersed in a fluid. Let the number of rows of particles between the electrodes be R and the number of particles in each row be N. If A is the area of a particle, D is the distance separating two particles, and K is a constant depending on the fluid, the capacity, Co, of the particle system will be given by: [KRA C0 ND] Referring now to Fig Ib, let R, the number of rows, be held constant, but let N, the number of particles in each row (S and T), be increased X-fold. The capacity, C1, of [ ]

Jan 1, 1947

By Chingyuan Y. Li, C. Y. Hsieh

Realizing that aluminum will have a great role to play in the coming industrialization of China, Chinese geologists have long been looking about for some aluminum deposits. The possible sources appear to be alunite, the alumina-rich shales, and the bauxite deposits. The locations of deposits are shown in Fig. I. Alunite Our attention was first directed to the alunite deposits along the southeastern coast of China. Table I summarizes the reserves now believed to exist in that region. Other alunite deposits have been found in Kiangpei, Szechuan province; Charming. Liuyang and Hsanshan, Hunnan province Tsingchow and Chowyuan, Shantung province. No reserve figures are available. High-alumina Shale Shale high enough in aluminum to serve as a source of that metal has been found in northeastern China(Tab1e 2). In Manchuria, the Manchuria Light Metals Co., at Antung and Fushun, operating under Japanese control, has been the only active producer of aluminum. It is not known, however, whether the company uses local raw materials or imports ore from elsewhere.* Shantung Bauxite Bauxite was first recognized in China at Paoshan, Shantung province. Although the reserve is reported to be large (estimated at 271 million tons), the high content of insoluble residue (SiO2) and mineral composition (diaspore) are dis-

Jan 1, 1948

By Frank E. Briber

In the years ahead, the industrial minerals producer will face several major challenges. Not only will he have to market increasing quantities of his product economically, but he will have to do so from lower grade deposits that are farther away from the marketplace. At the same time, he will have to comply with more regulations controlling the handling and disposal of waste products and get along with relatively less available labor than he has at present. Accordingly, industrial minerals developments of the next 30 years will be directed primarily toward helping the producer meet these challenges. There will be greater raw materials usage, new processes, new marketing practices affecting plant location, size and complexity, and maximum automation-all aimed at producing more materials at lower cost. Processes To Make the Most of Materials In future processes for industrial minerals, there will be great emphasis on more or total use of the initial raw materials or plant feed stock. This approach will result in the application of more and more concentration methods to the treatment of industrial minerals-both conventional processes and new ones that might be developed in conjunction with pyro-processing. High-intensity and electrostatic separation are certainly two areas which will see greater use in the field.

Jan 6, 1969

By Stanley Herold

AT THE present time five localities in the Argentine Republic are known to bear direct evidences of the presence, of petroleum. The segregation of these localities is more or less arbitrary inasmuch as minor indications may be found to extend from one locality to the other at no regular distance apart, especially in the northern and western part of the republic. These localities are listed as follows: North Argentine-Bolivian region, Salta-Jujuy district, provinces of Mendoza and Neuquen, Comodoro Rivadavia, and the Gallegos-Punta Arenas region. Economic conditions attract us to the possibilities of developing these and other regions of countries in the southern hemisphere. Development work will, naturally, be undertaken first in such localities as present direct manifestations of the presence of petroleum; "hidden fields" may exist, but, unless discovered by accident, their development will be left to the last. The problems to be solved in the development of the petroleum resources of the Argentine republic are mainly of stratigraphy, structure, and transportation. We are not here concerned with the unfavorable climate of the countries to the north in the tropics where, for us of the "far north," life hangs by a thread ready to be severed by a mosquito, gnat, or tropical germ.

Jan 2, 1920