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By Chung Yu Wang

DURING the time I was in charge, of this mine, from 1914 to 1915, I had occasion to read the interesting papers by T. T. Read and C. M. Weld about these deposits, to find how far their observations corroborated mine. To quote from the paper on "The Mineral Production and Resources of China" by T. T. Read:' "The iron ores at Tayeh lie along the contact between a marble and an intrusive body of a dark gray syenitic rock. * * * * At one place it is slightly magnetic, apparently having been partly reduced to the magnetic oxide by the action of reducing solutions, which have deposited small amounts of copper and iron sulphides along the foot wall." To quote from the paper on "The Tayeh Iron Ore Deposits"2 by C. M. Weld: "I find the orebodies described as occurring along an approximately E-W contact between horn-blende-granite and limestone. * * * * The granite is a granitoid rock consisting essentially of quartz, potash-feldspar and hornblende." These quotations show the differences of opinion entertained by two observers. My own study of these interesting deposits has been intermittent amid the manifold duties devolving upon a superintendent. General Description of the Deposits The deposits are situated to the west of the Yangtse River, being con¬nected with the river by a standard-gage railroad of 56 li (16.16 miles, 26 km.) in length, as shown in Fig. 1. The general topography of the region is of mature age, showing broad valleys with sluggishly meandering streams. These deposits are worked as two mines, named the Tieh Shan Mining Department and the Teh Tao Wan Mining Department; the former consisting of three orebodies more or less connected, named Tieh Man Kan, Sha Mau Tze and Lung Tung, and the latter consisting of Chang Pei Shan, Sze Tze Shan, Ta Shih Men, Yeh Chih Ping and Tsin Shan, also more or less connected, as shown in Fig. 2.

Jan 3, 1917

By O. C. Ralston

Flotation is now commonly practiced in alkaline ore pulps, yet little is known regarding the action of the alkaline solutions on the ore particles beyond the fact that films of oxidized material form. We wish to chronicle our discovery of the presence of soluble reducing agents in alkaline ore pulps of the United Verde, and present some data on lime consumption. During the grinding and flotation of a pyritic ore containing small amounts of ferrous sulfate and other soluble salts, an excess of lime was added to precipitate the salts, and filtered samples of the solution were titrated with standard permanganate solution. Even in pulps of high causticity an appreciable permanganate titration was always obtained, in spite of the fact that the solutions were shown to contain little iron. Investigation of the cause brought about the discovery of several previously unsuspected compounds in flotation pulps made from pyritic ore. Not only the reducing agents present had to be identified, but also the amount of dissolved oxygen, and a survey was finally made of the free oxygen content and reducing agents of the mill pulp in the concentrating mill at Clarkdale. A great many compounds might form, caused by oxidation of pyrite or other metal sulfides or by reaction between a lime solution and pyrite. The most probable compounds considered were calcium sulfides, polysul-fides, thiosulfates, and polythionates. Later it was discovered in the literature that in alkaline pulp polythionates do not exist and if introduced are decomposed into sulfites and thiosu1fates.l Any precipitated sulfur is changed by alkali into thiosulfate and polysulfide. Sulfites and sulfides react to form thiosulfate, so that in the end it is possible to have in an alkaline solution only thiosulfate and an excess either of sulfide or sulfite. Confirmatory tests were made and it was finally established that the alkaline mill pulps made from the United Verde ore contained

Jan 1, 1930

By A. C. Richardson

TROUGHS or launders are probably the oldest machines used for ore. concentration, and their development was suggested no doubt by the natural segregation and stratification of materials that take place in the bed of a stream. Trough washers for coal cleaning were first used in France and Germany about one hundred years ago and have been used in some form or other ever since. The early launders were intermittent or batch machines, and only comparatively recent developments have made them continuous. The chief disadvantage of early launder systems as applied to coal has been that when a satisfactorily clean: coal was produced the loss of good coal in the refuse was excessive. Other disadvantages have been the large quantities of water and the great lengths of troughs necessary to treat moderate tonnages of feed. One of the most widely used types of trough washers is the Rheolaveur, which has been developed in the last 25 years. Fig. 1 shows a more or less standard arrangement for fine coal. In this there are four troughs placed one below the other and sloped a few degrees from the horizontal. Rheo-boxes or draws are provided at intervals in the bottom of the trough for the removal of material deposited from the stream. These draws are spaced substantial distances apart. Some of the rheo-boxes are provided with upward currents of water to modify the horizontal current stratifica-tion. In operation it is the function of the first two troughs to remove all refuse material and permit only clean coal to be discharged over the end. In order to accomplish this, large quantities of coal are drawn through the rheo-boxes. The third and. fourth troughs are used to recover the coal discharged through the boxes of the first two troughs as a middling product and to discharge a clean refuse. The middlings are returned to the first launder and are usually about equal to 40 per cent of the raw coal being fed to the launder.

Jan 1, 1938

By R. E. Zimmerman

WITH coal-preparation plants becoming more complex and containing widely diversified types of equipment and processes, it is necessary that considerable control be exercised in their operation. Rising mine costs make it imperative that close check be made of plant efficiencies to assure a minimum loss of coal to the refuse bank. Further, much of the coal sold today is sold on a competitive specification basis, and this makes it necessary to provide frequent analyses and inspections. Many ' plants are required to operate on a two or three-shift basis, and as a con- sequence an efficient organization is required to eliminate down time and provide for smooth low-cost operation. ORGANIZATION Probably the most important item for successful operation of a preparation plant is a capable, properly organized staff, with the individual workers properly informed and well trained for their particular jobs, clear-cut lines of authority among the supervisors and in general a standard operating procedure for most conceivable conditions that may occur. The idea of placing the older, partially disabled and generally incompetent coal miner in the cleaning plant, as was the practice on the earlier tipples, is entirely inadequate in a modern complex cleaning plant. The new plants require intelligent, alert, and reasonably educated men. With perhaps millions of dollars invested in an installation, it is poor business to use other than a well organized, well trained, and properly supervised force. Organizations naturally must vary with the size of the plant and local conditions; whether it is a central cleaning plant at a distance from the mine organization or one of several cleaning plants operated by the company. Smaller operations can be operated by a washery foreman, under the supervision of the mine superintendent or perhaps the "outside" superintendent. Large installations should have a plant superintendent either responsible to the mine superintendent or preferably, where possible, responsible to a preparation manager or engineer. A typical organization chart for companies operating in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania is shown in Fig. 1. Breaker (preparation plant)

Jan 1, 1950

By Louis Katona

The practical execution of the design for rolling-mills presented by the writer at the Paris meeting* of thc Iron and Steel Institute in 1900 involves the determination of some questions not yet discussed, among which is the determinatioir of the amount of power required to perform the rolling of pieces of iron and steel of given dimensions. It is necessary to know this factor if we would put motors of proper capacity to the respective pairs of rolls, or, rcciprocally, if, having standard motors at our disposal, we would design grooves to suit them. Moreover, this factor is involved in giving right dimensions to every part of the rolls and housings. Expert designers of engines for driving rolling-mills of the present type receive very indefinite directions, such as: that the motor is to drive a light, medium or heavy train; that it must work with fly-wheel or reversing gear; that the number of revolutions per minute should not exceed 40 or 60, and that at a given speed the power developed should be from 100 to 200 H. P., or from 1,000 to 2,500 13. P. It frequently happens, however, that an cngine of 200 H. P. is forced under the circumstances to press or develop as much as 300 H. P., while, on the other hand, the ,1,500-11. P. engine may be rolling-stock which could be worked with a maximum expenditure of 60 to 80 H. P. Of course such variatior~s as these do not permit the best adjustment of parts or the best economy of power and fuel. The design of roll-trains is even more vaguely limited. Every part of a train, from the point where it connects with the engine to the last groove in the rolls, bears evidence that there are no rules for calculating even approximately the dimensions of the main-shafts, couplings, pinions, gears, rolls, trunnions,

Jan 1, 1904

By James B. Graham, Earle E. Smith

The value of all minerals produced in the United States for the years 1930 to 1932 averaged $3,460,000,000 annually, according to Bureau of Mines reports. Of this amount, approximately $1,280,000,000 represents nonmetallic substances, such as petroleum, gas, sulfur and salt produced as fluids. Thus, about.37 per cent of the country's mineral wealth is procured through wells drilled in the earth, which require casing to keep them open throughout their life. Deep well drilling has increased greatly in the last few years. Several strings of casing have been set deeper than 9000 ft.—one, a string of 7?-in. O.D. casing, 10,301 ft. long, run in a well drilled by the Gulf Production Co. in West Texas, holds the record up to this time. These are longer strings than were contemplated when the American Petroleum Institute Specifications were adopted 10 years ago, therefore it is necessary to consider whether the present joint standards are adequate for such strings, or for even longer strings that may be called for in the future. Petroleum engineers are asking: Is there a possibility that stronger joints can be designed without going to stronger and more costly steels than offered in present specifications? Without sacrificing too greatly the tensile properties of the joint, can its design be changed to allow more clearance in the open hole below the next larger string of casing, and thus avoid costly underreaming? What can manufacturers offer for drilling through heaving shale? Fundamentals of the Problem During the last few years considerable study has been given to casing joints and their limitations, and since attention must be given to this subject by those who will be required to drill deeper holes, it is timely to review the fundamentals of the problem. These will be recognized generally as the following: 1. No threaded joint can be stronger than the area of metal under the root of the first perfect thread, and this area must be large enough

Jan 1, 1935

By Ernest Hersam

THE rate of output of a rock crusher is based upon a certain space relation, the calculation requiring that the size and position of the jaws, the principle of motion, and the speed of the machine be known. The result is a calculated maximum output. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method of calculating this maximum output, to judge the general applicability A utility of such a calculation, and, so far as possible, to record calculated values as a basis for the comparison of actual results, or for estimating the capacity of a new crusher or of a standard crusher working under new conditions. A method for calculating the capacity of crushing rolls, which has been in common use for a long time, is well presented by R. H. Richards.1 The output is conceived as a ribbon of rock, of which the breadth, thickness and length are governed respectively by the width of the rolls, the space, between them, and their peripheral velocity. The weight of the rock thus crushed in a given time can be calculated from its specific gravity, after applying a factor representing the percentage of voids in the hypothetical ribbon. The calculation of crusher capacity is made in a somewhat similar manner. While the action of rolls is simple, with few irregularities in operating conditions, in rock crushers the material advances intermittently, usually under the force of gravity alone, and is subjected to a variety of variable conditions. The effect of these variable influences upon' the calculation of capacity is now to be shown. In this paper, capacity will be discussed quite apart from any consideration of mechanical efficiency; that is, results will be stated not in terms of output per horsepower, but of output for a given machine when operated at a known speed, constructed and adjusted to receive material of a known size, and to yield a product having a definite maximum coarseness.

Jan 7, 1922

By G. L. Kothny

DEVELOPMENTS of well-surveying instruments, coring and core orientation, were in an advanced state when drilling for oil began-these developments actually originated with the mining industry.1 Surveying of oil wells was not generally used in the United States until Alexander Anderson2 disclosed that the majority of wells drilled with rotary tools were crooked, with average horizontal drifts of about 516 ft. for holes 5000 ft. deep and about 793 ft. for holes 6000 ft. deep. This disclosure brought about the development of many additional instruments for surveying oil wells during the progress of drilling and after their completion. Surveying of boreholes, during the process of drilling at regular depth intervals, became a standard practice in the petroleum industry. Some producing states even established laws making check surveys mandatory, during drilling and under certain conditions also after completion. The surveying of boreholes also brought about changes and improvements in drilling practices. It provides information for the guidance of the hole while drilling, and for plotting the course as the work progresses, enabling the driller to take corrective measures immediately and with the least expense. The reasons for drilling straight holes are too well recognized to warrant any full discussion of them here. Straight holes are less costly to drill, because [ ] they reach the object on the shortest course. Table I shows the horizontal drift and loss in vertical depth for various angles of inclination. It is not surprising, therefore that many drilling contracts for oil wells today limit the drilling contractor to a maximum inclination off the vertical of 2° or 3°. In the mining industry the reasons for drilling straight holes are still more serious. A crooked hole may miss an ore body underground or provide incorrect information regarding an ore body. TYPES OF SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS The surveying instruments used in oil-well drilling may be classed in two types: I. Inclinometers, recording inclination only.

Jan 1, 1946

By Research Staff ? Verde Copper Mines

FLOTATION is now commonly practiced in alkaline ore pulps, yet little is known regarding the action of the alkaline solutions on the ore particles beyond the fact that films of oxidized material form. We wish to chronicle our discovery of the presence of soluble reducing agents in alkaline ore pulps of the United Verde, and present some data on lime consumption. During the grinding and flotation of a pyritic ore containing small amounts of ferrous sulfate and other soluble salts, an excess of lime was added to precipitate the salts, and filtered samples of the solution were titrated with standard permanganate solution. Even in pulps of high causticity an appreciable permanganate titration was always obtained, in spite of the fact that the solutions were shown to contain little iron. Investigation of the cause brought about the discovery of several previously unsuspected compounds in flotation pulps made from pyritic ore. Not only the reducing agents present had to be identified, but also the amount of dissolved oxygen, and a survey was finally made of the free oxygen content and reducing agents of the mill pulp in the concentrating mill at Clarkdale. A great many compounds might form, caused by oxidation of pyrite or other metal sulfides or by reaction between a lime solution and pyrite. The most probable compounds considered were calcium sulfides; polysul-fides, thiosulfates, and polythionates. Later it was discovered in the literature that in alkaline pulp polythionates do not exist and if introduced. are decomposed into sulfites and thiosulfates.1 Any precipitated sulfur is changed by alkali into thiosulfate and polysulfide. Sulfites and sulfides react to form thiosulfate, so that in the end it is possible to have in an alkaline solution only thiosulfate and an excess either of sulfide or sulfite. Confirmatory tests were made and it was finally established that the alkaline mill pulps made from the United Verde ore contained

Jan 1, 1929

By J. C. Wright

A practical program of education for workers of the mining industries is being formulated by the Federal Board for Vocational Education in cooperation with the states in which this industry is a dominant one. The Federal Government last year passed a law, known as the Federal Vocational Education Act, that provides for the promotion of vocational education and for cooperation with the states in the promotion of such education in agriculture and trades and industries and in the preparation of teachers of vocational subjects. More than 1,000,000 men in the continental United States are employed in mines and quarries. The following table, from the 1910 Census Report, shows the relative importance of mining and manufacturing pursuits: Manfactures Mines and quaRRies Employees.......... 7,405,313 1,109,410 Capital............. $18,428,269,706 53,380,525,841 Value of product..... $20,672,051,870 $1,238,410,322 Of the more than 1,000,000 men employed in mining, almost three-fourths are engaged in the production of bituminous and anthracite coal; one-fifth, in the production of copper, iron, lead, zinc, and other metals; and the remainder in getting out structural and miscellaneous materials from quarries. The meeting of the needs of the coal-mining industry, therefore, is the problem of greatest importance in the point of numbers to be served. Moreover, the dangers in coal mining are greater than in metal mining. Practically all states have set up educational and technical standards for the position of foreman, boss, superintendent, etc., and every applicant for these positions must have a certificate of competency. The qualifications, too, are becoming increasingly difficult in the field of technical information. In some states, every miner must have a certificate, which is issued by the mine examining board only after an oral examination. Did these state laws not call for definite and comprehensive plans for the vocational education of men in the mining regions, the conditions

Jan 1, 1919

By G. C. Gester

With the exception of exploration geological work that is being prosecuted in various parts of the mainland of Arabia, the only new developments in Arabia during 1934 were on Bahrein Island, which is in the southwestern portion of the Persian Gulf, approximately 25 miles from the mainland of Arabia. Here the Standard Oil Co. of California, through its wholly owned subsidiary, The Bahrein Petroleum Co., Limited, has continued to carry on a systematic drilling campaign and has constructed camps, pipe line and marine loading facilities. During 1934 eight wells have been completed at depths ranging from 2058 to 2253 ft. These wells have shown average initial productions ranging from 1500 to 5000 bbl., with one, No. 15, estimated as being capable of flowing as much as 11,000 bbl. per day. The oil is asphaltic in character and has a gravity range of from 32' to 34' A.P.I. The locating of all new wells has followed a plan of orderly development, with the ultimate object of obtaining efficiency of operation and maximum production. The wells are taking a penetration of 200 to 250 ft. of the lower or so-called Main productive zone. The upper oil zone, which is cased off, includes 300 to 400 ft. of alternating limestones, clays and shales and carries a heavier oil under lower pressures. The Main zone is similar lithologically to the upper zone. Micro-fauna collected from cores have shown that the oil occurs in formations of lower Eocene and Cretaceous age. Development to date has not progressed sufficiently so that either the maximum thickness of the oil-bearing horizons or the limits of the field can be determined. Something over 10,000 acres has been proven to date. Among other developments leading toward the marketing of oil from Bahrein during 1934 was the construction of a marine loading terminal. This included the laying of over 3 miles of 12-in. submarine pipe line from the small island of Sitra out into the harbor, terminating in 50 ft. of water; also the laying of more than 10 miles of gathering lines from the producing area to the terminal. Three crude oil working tanks with floating roofs were erected on Sitra Island, having a capacity of 250,000 bbl. A pumping plant was provided having a capacity of 5700 bbl. of oil per hour. This is housed in a dustproof building, as rather severe

Jan 1, 1935

By Gilbert P. Moore

The production of petroleum in Argentina during 1932 was greater than in any preceding year. The total amount produced was 13,012,-756 bbl. This figure represents a decided increase in the production of oil in Argentina and can be attributed largely to the increased activities of the Royal Dutch operations at Kilometer 27 in the Comodoro Rivadavia district and those of the Standard Oil Co. of Argentina in the Salta region. Production from the Royal Dutch wells amounted to considerably more than 10,000 bbl. per day over quite a long period during the year. Of the 13,012,756 bbl. of oil produced during 1932, the Government Agency (Y. P. F.) was responsible for some 5,578,954 bbl., while 7,433,-802 bbl. were produced by private companies. Although in 1930 the Y. P. F. produced about 55 per cent of the total production and in 1930 50 per cent of the total, in 1932 its production had fallen to about 42 1/2 per cent of the total. This decrease in the proportion produced by the Y. P. F. was not due to a decrease in its production but to the decided increase in the production of private companies, particularly those two whose names are given above. One new discovery was recorded during the year. This was a well drilled by the Y. P. F. at Cacheuta in the province of Mendoza which came in pumping 80 bbl. of 15" gravity oil from a depth of 673 meters. This well was completed at approximately the same time that the provincial government of Mendoza granted a concession to the Y. P. F. and declared the whole province as a reserve in which no concessions may be granted for a period of 10 years. Under these conditions, the federally operated Y. P. F. will have no competition in the Cacheuta area from private companies such as they have in the other three fields of the republic. The Y. P. F. wildcat west of Comodoro Rivadavia at Pampa Maria Santissima on the Rio Senguerr was completed as a dry hole during 1932. This we11 was reported as a producer in 1930 by persons returning to this country from Argentina but it appears that they had been misinformed. The site of this test has been abandoned and a new location made north of the Rio Senguerr.

Jan 1, 1933

By Warren L. Howes

LITERALLY hundreds of designs of mill liners are in use in current grinding operations, varying in contour from smooth to the roughest of surfaces, and in materials from scrap rail to alloy steels. A certain amount of variation in materials can be expected, owing to differences in local market conditions and the character of ores. However, when one attempts to rationalize the designs in current operations of a parallel nature, there is little that can be called standard practice. Designs and opinions of designs are as divergent as day and night. Somewhere in this maze there must be clues to better practice. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors for consideration in liner design, and to propose a vigorous campaign of exploration in this phase of grinding operations. The paramount considerations in the choice of mill liners for a grinding operation are: (I) durability, in view of the cost, and (2) developed grinding capacity. Because of the strategic nature of grinding circuits in controlling the production of most mining operations,1 grinding capacity usually is the greater consideration. GRINDING CAPACITY Mill liners affect grinding capacity in two ways: (I) by establishing dead space within a mill shell, which could be usefully occupied by live grinding media, and (2) by controlling the grinding action of the media. The extent to which liner thickness affects the potential volume of live grinding media, and thereby the grinding capacity, is shown in Table I. In a ball mill 7 ft. in diameter, for example, an inch of liner thickness reduces ball volume and corresponding grinding capacity by 5 per cent. With grinding capacity at a premium, this makes consideration something more than first cost of liner materials. A low-cost, voluminous material, made extra thick to secure adequate life, can be very expensive in terms of grinding capacity. On the other hand, in increased grinding capacity, a long-wearing material in a thinner pattern can save many times its value. [ ] From the standpoint of mechanics, the function of mill liners is to provide the means of driving or tumbling the load of grinding media. In this respect, an internal-spur gear-and-pinion assembly resembles a rotating mill shell with its contained load of grinding media, the mill-shell liners

Jan 1, 1945

By Oliver B. Hopkins

The Peruvian production increased over 3 million barrels from 1933 to 1934—from approximately 13¼ million barrels to over 16¼ million barrels—bringing the cumulative production of the country up to 171 million barrels. Most of this production, as well as most of the increase in 1934, came from La Brea-Parinas Estate, the property of the International Petroleum Co., Limited. In 1932 Peru stood eleventh among the oil-producing countries of the world, but in 1933 her production exceeded that of Trinidad, Argentine and Colombia, which placed her in eighth position. In 1934 Peru's production was exceeded by that of Colombia by about one million barrels, and by that of the Argentine by about 1½ million barrels, thus placing her in tenth position. After several years of relative inactivity in drilling and exploration there was a noticeable increase during 1934 in both of these lines of activity. Oil Fields La Brea-Parinas Estate.—Production on the La Brea-Parinas Estate. reached a significant total of 85,080 bbl. as early as 1891. It increased to over one million barrels in 1912, and to over 10 million barrels in 1929, and in 1934 it reached an all-time high of over 14 million barrels. The total production from 1890 to 1934 was 133,784,609 barrels. Practically all the drilling on the property has been done with cable tools, but during 1934 three strings of rotary tools were introduced. One was a heavy outfit for drilling a deep test and the other two were lighter outfits for deepening wells in the newer section of the field, where the gas pressure was too high to permit safe drilling with standard tools. During 1934 a total of 28,127 ft. was drilled, 66 wells were deepened, and 6 new wells were completed. At the end of the year 2844 wells had been drilled on the Estate, of which 1814 were still productive. The remaining 1030 wells represent abandoned producers or dry holes. The total area that has been productive up to the present time is estimated at 13,369 acres. An interesting article on the various phases of operations of the International Petroleum Co. was written by Arthur Iddings and published in The Oil and Gas Journal (Dec. 27, 1934).

Jan 1, 1935

By K. P. Anderko

INVESTIGATIONS of the constitution of the system Mg-Ba were first made by Grube and Dietrich1 between 0 and 47 atomic pct Ba and then by Klemm and Dincke1acker" ver the whole composition range. Klemm and Dinckelacker corroborated intermediate phases of the approximate formulas Mg9Ba and Mg4Ba, and showed a third compound to have the formula Mg2Ba, rather than Mg5Ba, as suggested by Grube and Dietrich. Mg2Ba had been previously recognized by Hellner and Laves3 s a MgZn2 (C14) type structure. The main discrepancies between the results of Grube and Dietrich and those of Klemm and Dinckelacker exist, however, in the liquidus temperatures and solidification equilibria of alloys containing more than about 10 atomic pct Ba. The liquidus temperatures measured by Grube and Dietrich, and the outline of the liquidus of Klemm and Dinckelacker are plotted in Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale. Although there are strong reasons to prefer the results of Klemm and Dinckelacker, it was considered worthwhile to remeasure liquidus temperatures of some alloys in the controversial composition range. The alloys, made up from sublimed magnesium and 99.5 wt pct pure barium, were melted in an Armco-iron crucible in a dynamic argon atmosphere. Thermal analyses were taken using a Speedomax auto- matic recorder. Careful stirring during the solidification process was required in order to avoid segregation. After thermal analysis some of the cast alloys were chemically analyzed. The intended and analyzed compositions of the ten alloys prepared are listed in Table I. Since standard barium determinations cannot differentiate between barium present as element and as oxide, both the barium and magnesium contents of the alloys were analyzed. The fact that the sum of barium and magnesium was close to 100 pct in each case was taken as evidence that no excessive oxidation had occurred. The liquidus temperatures measured are listed in Table I and plotted in Fig. 1. As can be seen, they are in good agreement with the liquidus found by Klemm and Dinckelacker. This leaves no doubt that the thermal results of Grube and Dietrich above 10 atomic pct Ba are incorrect. This work was performed under the sponsorship of the Pitman-Dunn Laboratories of Frankford Arsenal, Philadelphia, Contract No. DA-11-022-ORD-1975. Sponsorship and permission to publish by this organization are gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1958

By J. O. Nomland

Bahrein 'Island.—In 1936 the Bahrein Petroleum Co. continued drilling additional wells to further increase production. In all, 39 flowing wells have now been finished and five others are drilling. A second well has been deepened for prospecting the deeper horizons but has not been successfully completed as a commercial producer. In addition, a well has recently been drilled near the eastern limit of the producing area for edge-water observation. The present system places wells 3000 ft. apart in a rhombic grid, or about one well to 179 acres. The total production for the year was 4,644,635 barrels. It is expected that refinery capacity of 20,000 bbl. per day will have been completed by July, 1937. A new permanent and enlarged camp with office buildings is being built. A new hospital has been constructed and two additional medical men have been added to the staff. Saudi Arabia.—In eastern Saudi Arabia, the California Arabian Standard Oil Co. has continued with the program of prospect drilling started in 1935. After the gas encountered in Dammam well No. 1 had been successfully shut off, it was completed as a small flowing well of 51" gravity oil. Dammam No. 2, which had been started in 1935, tested 3840 bbl. of approximately 50" gravity oil from a depth of 2175 ft. Dammam No. 5, before being deepened for prospecting lower productive horizons, encountered a gas zone producing 30 million feet. Five other wells on the Dammam dome are in various stages of drilling or completion. Most of these have been located principally to outline the productive area and the various producing horizons of the structure. An extensive program of geological work is being continued. In June, 1936, a well was started on the El 'Alat structure about 25 miles northwest of the Dammam development. Although various tar showings have been reported, the well has not yet, at 2518 ft., reached the depth at which it has been thought that productive horizons might be encountered. A prospect well is being drilled by the Kuwait Oil Co. (jointly owned by Gulf and Anglo-Iranian Oil Companies) in the Sheikdom of Kuwait. The well is near Bahra, a few miles north of Kuwait Bay and about 240 miles northwest of El 'Alat. To date no favorable results at depth of about 6000 ft. have been reported.

Jan 1, 1937

By Basil B. Zavoico

The developments in the Russian oil industry during 1935 marked a very definite turning point from the time when the industry was being educated to the modern methods of oil-field finding and development, refining, transportation and marketing, to the time when the industry has thoroughly assimilated the modern technique and is now firmly standing on its own feet, as is shown by the remarkable qualitative, if not quantitative, progress in 1935. The oil industry promises that 1936 will be a record year in every respect with both quantity and quality approaching the desired high levels and standards. More particularly the Soviet Government is beginning to be successful in the development of new fields and such new production in geographically strategical points of the country will be in the coming years a factor of great importance in the industrial life of the country. The most notable achievements of the last year have been: the very successful development of the Ishimbaevo oil field in the Lower Oural-Permian Basin; the discovery and development of several promising oil fields in the Puta district of Azerbaijan, while large flush production of Baku area was extended 50 miles due southwest into the Saliani-Aliat district, where a 3000-bbl. well was completed early in 1936 at Pirsagat. Also, an apparently important discovery was made at Zikh, on the Apsheron Peninsula proper. These discoveries, as well as several important strikes in the deeper producing sands in the older fields of the Apsheron Peninsula, have greatly augmented the proven reserves of Russia and made them available either at the points where transportation facilities were already present or at points not too far distant from major industrial centers of the country. Of course, not all objectives were achieved during the past year, and several major difficulties remain to be solved in the coming years, the more important of which are: (1) supply of equipment and of parts; (2) the unavailability of competent technical men in sufficient numbers, which more particularly affects the distant fields; and (3) the problem of distribution of oil products throughout the country, especially the question of handling the needs of small consuming areas, which, while individually unimportant, in the aggregate require huge distribution.

Jan 1, 1936

By Basil B. Zavoico

The developments in the Russian oil industry during 1935 marked a very definite turning point from the time when the industry was being educated to the modern methods of oil-field finding and development, refining, transportation and marketing, to the time when the industry has thoroughly assimilated the modern technique and is now firmly standing on its own feet, as is shown by the remarkable qualitative, if not quantitative, progress in 1935. The oil industry promises that 1936 will be a record year in every respect with both quantity and quality approaching the desired high levels and standards. More particularly the Soviet Government is beginning to be successful in the development of new fields and such new production in geographically strategical points of the country will be in the coming years a factor of great importance in the industrial life of the country. The most notable achievements of the last year have been: the very successful development of the Ishimbaevo oil field in the Lower Oural-Permian Basin; the discovery and development of several promising oil fields in the Puta district of Azerbaijan, while large flush production of Baku area was extended 50 miles due southwest into the Saliani-Aliat district, where a 3000-bbl. well was completed early in 1936 at Pirsagat. Also, an apparently important discovery was made at Zikh, on the Apsheron Peninsula proper. These discoveries, as well as several important strikes in the deeper producing sands in the older fields of the Apsheron Peninsula, have greatly augmented the proven reserves of Russia and made them available either at the points where transportation facilities were already present or at points not too far distant from major industrial centers of the country. Of course, not all objectives were achieved during the past year, and several major difficulties remain to be solved in the coming years, the more important of which are: (1) supply of equipment and of parts; (2) the unavailability of competent technical men in sufficient numbers, which more particularly affects the distant fields; and (3) the problem of distribution of oil products throughout the country, especially the question of handling the needs of small consuming areas, which, while individually unimportant, in the aggregate require huge distribution.

Jan 1, 1936

By C. P. Sandberg

Having been occupied in inspecting and testing iron and steel these twenty years in England, and previous to that having served on the Board of Iron Masters in Sweden, I have naturally been very much interested in the subject of the use of steel for structures. I regret that I can offer but comparatively small experience on that had, having had principally to do with steel for railway plant and rails, but granting these to be a kind of "structure," and also that steel for rails has similar duties to perform in many respects, and is generally manufactured in the same way and at the same works as steel for stuctures, properly speaking, I may be entitled to offer an opinion on the use of steel in construction. In a paper recently presented to the Institution of Civil Engineers in London, Mr. Ewing Matheson has recommended that the Board of Trade rules should be amended so as to allow of a maximum straining of 8 tolls per square inch instead of 6 1/2 tons. But it is equally necessary to fix the amount of ductility or elongation of the metal for such a strain as 8 tons. Strength and ductility should always be spoken of together. Mr. Matheson says that steel can be manipulated in the factory in the same way and with the same tools as are used for iron. This can only be granted for mild steel; for hard steel would be spoilt by the rough mechanical treatment which iron can stand, such as punch ing, for instance; and the remedy for regaining the strength lost by punching hard steel, viz., annealing, cannot always be applied. Noth ing proves this fact better than the punching of steel rails of consid erable hardness, which caused fractures at an early period of steelunaking, and which resulted in the stipulation for drilling instead of punching the bolt-holes, which had been formerly applied to iron rails without any damage. In fact commissions to establish standard tests are now working on the Continent, principally in Germany, where

Jan 1, 1882

By C. F. Willis

The time is no longer when a man can act as an independent unit; the appreciation of the interdependence of one man upon another has emphasized the importance of the social unit. Epidemics have made us recognize that even a man's health is not distinctly his own to control as he pleases. The physical examination of workmen previous to employment started with an effort to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, for tuberculosis may be detected in its early stages and cured. But it was soon found that many other diseases were detected and the saving of lives made possible. The physical examination does not mean the elimination of the unfit—on that basis it would utterly fail—but rather the measuring of a man's physical fitness and placing the man where he can do the best for himself, his fellow worker, and the company. Industry as a whole cannot expect to live up to the standard of physical examination set for the army, nor should it expect to do so, for in all branches of industry there are types of work that do not require the same amount of endurance as does army work, and the lacing of men with physical limitations in the work for which they are capable permits a higher average of physical fitness for the work requiring physical excellence. Objects of Physical Examination The objects of physical examination are: The early detection of illness, particularly at a time when a full restoration of health is possible; the protection of employees from infection caused by working in contact with contagious diseases; the discovery of a man's physical limitations, in so far as his possibility for rendering good service is concerned; assistance to the safety movement by eliminating association in hazardous occupations with men whose physical condition renders them likely to accident to themselves and others; and the lessening of time lost by sickness. Statistics issued by the United States Department of Labor show that 22.54 per cent. of idleness is caused by sickness, with an average number of 7.71 weeks idle; whereas only 1.66 per cent. is caused by acci-

Jan 1, 1920