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By Henry P. Ehrlinger

The Alta and St. Louis mines of the Alta Mines, Inc., produce a somewhat oxidized ore with a talc gangue that presents quite a problem in milling. For several years the mill recoveries were relatively low and there seemed to be no cure for this condition even with increasing the various collecting agents and frothers to two or three times of what they should be. The usual alibi of "oxidized ore" was given as the reason for these results and the matter stood there for some time until these investigations were started. Flowsheet As a brief outline of the flowsheet the ore is crushed to minus I in. in a Telsmith jaw crusher and then fed to a 64½ Marcy grate mill. The resulting product from the grate mill is passed over a trommel where the coarse particles (plus 7 mesh) are returned to the grinding circuit through the classifier. The under 7-mesh pulp is passed over two Denver mineral jigs where a high grade concentrate is produced, thence over two Wilfley tables where a table concentrate is produced and about 80 pct of the oxide lead recovered. The tailings from these tables are pumped back to the classifier and after classification the 30 pct pulp density product, which overflows the lip, is passed into a series of 10 Denver economy flotation cells where a lead-copper concentrate is produced. Three products are made and shipped to the smelter termed jig, table and float concentrates. Results with various Reagents In March of this year work was started on the metallurgical problems of the mill and, as is shown in Table I, the results obtained were not too efficient. Tests were run with various reagent combinations that were recommended for ores of this nature but there was no appreciable effect on the recoveries. The grades of the flotation concentrates were reduced by the insoluble picked up and retained by these more powerful collectors and frothers. Results with "Metso" In past work on ores of this type the use of "Metso" had improved gold and lead recoveries, but no effect on the silver and copper recoveries had been noted. To

Jan 1, 1949

By Joseph Zwierzycki

By an extension of drilling activities in 1938, the Polish oil industry succeeded not only in maintaining production but even in increasing it slightly. This increase, however, was from present oil reserves and not due to the discovery of any new fields. Most of the new wells were drilled in the Jaslo district, particularly in the Lipinki-Libuszal oil field, because of the shallow depth of the producing sands. At the Boryslaw field the 12,332 meters drilled could not compensate for the steady drop in production. A drilling campaign similar to that of the previous year in the Stanislawow district resulted in a slight decline of production. A number of the new wells have been subsidized by the Fund for the Advancement of Drilling2 in Poland. As the present sums at the disposal of this fund are insufficient for a great exploration program, they are chiefly used for the maintenance of the actual production. New wells on known folds, but more than 1000 m. outside the present productive areas, are entitled to a subsidy. Applications for wildcats outside the known productive areas have not been received in 1938. Even when the Polish oil industry was prosperous, wildcatting was not frequent and in their present impoverished condition the oil companies are no longer able to bear such financial burdens. The only way to start a large-scale drilling campaign on the still existing promising areas seems to depend on the granting of new substantial subsidies from the Treasury. Such measures are being considered by the Polish Government. It has been suggested that a fund for wildcatting might be raised by a small increase in the price of benzine. An advance of one grosz per liter of benzine would raise, on present home consumption of 108,000 kilogram-tons, about 1.3 million zloty, an advance of 5 grosze more than 6 million zloty.3 This small increase in price would hardly be felt by the motor-car owners, as it would mean an extra expense of 80 to 400 zloty in a year.

Jan 1, 1939

By F. J. Tuck

THE Hayden mill of the Ray Mines Division, Kennecott Copper Corporation, is now equipped with two 9 by 12-ft. rod mills having a daily capacity of 6000 tons of coarse-crushing plant product from the mine. These two mills crush a ¾ -in. product to approximately 19 per cent on 14 mesh, with only one pass through the mills. Each rod mill has taken the place of four sets of 42-in. Garfield rolls with their attendant screens, and is making a product for the fine-grinding department comparable to that formerly made by rolls in closed circuit with screens. The rod mills are lined with wave-type liners of white iron, varying in thickness from 2 to 3 in. The shell and end liners last approximately 600 to 700 days. Manganese-steel lifter bars, 3 5/8 in. thick, are used, spaced about 11 in. apart, and they give a life of 350 to 450 days. Fig. 1 shows the general design and thickness of the wave-type liners and lifter bars; 1 ½ -in. liner bolts are used to fasten the lifter bars to the shell. The shell liners are held in place by the tapered lifter bars. A 3/4-in. wood backing is used between the shell and the liners. The rod-mill scoop has removable manganese-steel lips, which last 250 to 300 days. The scoop proper has shown some wear in spots, and these spots have been protected by rubber bolted over them. Water and milk of lime are added to the elevator feeding the mill, but not enough water to cause a pounding of the rods against the shell. Roughly, the water added amounts to 25 to 33 per cent of the ore. Additional water is added to the mill discharge to facilitate distribution to the classifier bowls in the fine-grinding department. Rods are charged to the mill once every four days, the mill being down about 20 min. for this purpose. Other delays are negligible, and usually are due to a loose liner bolt or possibly power trouble. However, these occasions are extremely rare. In charging the mill, a crane is used

Jan 1, 1938

By Peter Q. Nyce

Law is as old as civilization. In its early stages the so-called law of the jungle, "the survival of the fittest," was entirely operative. Man was quite largely a law unto himself and was likewise his own lawyer. As civilization developed and individuals segregated themselves into bands or communities, man-made laws became a reality, the individual sacrificing certain privileges for the benefit of the band or community in which he was privileged to live. Our present system of law is a continued development of that process. Very early in this development the exigencies of the occasion called into being classes of individuals who were given to study the laws then existing, and this group became known as lawyers. They advised what could or could not be done under existing laws. They were the aggressors in formulating new laws and principles under which the communities must live. Concurrently with the development of the law and the lawyer, the engineering profession was born. In our early civilization, each man was his own engineer; he built his own home, constructed his own bridge, and provided his own means of conveyance. As civilization became more complex, technical study was required to consummate projects and thus meet the requirements of an expanding community. The engineering profession assumed this burden. Both groups were human and thus susceptible to human mistakes and errors. It was Macaulay who said: "The world generally gives its admiration not to the man who does what nobody else ever attempts to do, but to the man who does best what multitudes do well." BiRth of Petroleum Industry In 1859, by the completion of the Drake well in Pennsylvania, the petroleum industry as we know it was born. Its rapid progress since that time has been both extraordinary and remarkable. The zeal of the individual operator to secure all possible oil in the shortest time, even to the extent of bringing into possession a part of the oil underlying a neighbor's property, developed unnecessary drilling, wasteful methods of recovery, great loss of gas, the early abandonment of property with much unrecovered oil thereunder. Such methods, plus

Jan 1, 1931

Homestake's Bulldog Mountain Operation near Creede, Colorado, in the San Juan Mountains at an elevation of nearly 2,750 m (9,000 ft), is subjected to short summers and long cold winters. Creede’s history dates back to 1889 when silver ore was discovered; and by 1892 production of over a million dollars per month was being shipped from mines located along the Amethyst Fault. The Bulldog Mountain Fault remained relatively untouched by the early prospectors. The United States Geological Survey recognized the potential of this fault in 1960, which led to the staking of many claims over the structure. Homestake leased properties in 1963 and in mid- 1964 a tunnel was started at the 2,956 m (9,700 ft) level with encouraging mineralization being encountered. In 1968 a decision was reached to build a flotation mill of 318 mtpd (350 stpd) capacity. The erection of the mill was completed in early 1969, six years after the first exploration was begun. Since initial start-up, extensive drifting has been done on several separate levels. Two underground hoist installations serve the various levels and many thousand feet of vertical mining operations. Due to the unconsolidated nature of the vein, a new unique underhand cut-and- fill mining method was developed. This procedure is the reverse of the normal cut-and-fill and proceeds from the top down under cemented sand fill, which, while expensive, has greatly reduced s toping hazards. Prior to 1977, a considerable quantity of silver was lost in the slime fraction of the ores processed because of oxidation and other inherent characteristics of individual minerals. Due to Homestakefs favorable experience in treating the slime fraction of the Lead, South Dakota gold ores, experiments with leach methods to recover silver from the slimes by Carbon -In -Pulp offered' the potential for additional silver recovery. Work was begun on the Carbon-In-Pulp plant in April 1976 and completed in December of that year at a cost slightly exceeding $2 million. The C. I. P. plant was designed for 136 mtpd (150 stpd) of current plant slimes plus 227 mtpd (250 stpd) of slimes dredged from the old tailings during the summer season. The sand fraction of the flotation

Jan 1, 1981

By William Newnam

LEAD mining has been carried on in several localities of the Province of Ontario in a desultory fashion for the past 60 years, but up to 1916 the results have not been of much commercial importance. The most ambitious attempt was made by an English company which built a lead smelter at Kingston, Ont., in, 1880 to treat the- concentrates from the . Frontenac mines. After 2 years' operation, the -mines and smelter were abandoned. Up to the present there has not been a sufficient tonnage of concentrates to support an efficient blast-furnace plant and as most of the small properties could not stand the heavy freight and duty charges into the United States, development work has not been carried on in a, systematic manner. As a result the industry has languished. At, Galetta, in southeastern Ontario, considerable prospecting and development work has been carried on in the last few years and very promising deposits of galena have been found in the Chats Island group by the James Robertson Co., Ltd., of Montreal. The chief deposit is that of the Galetta or Kingdon lead mine, located on Chats Island in. the Ottawa River about 5 miles east of the town of Arnprior. The rocks' in the vicinity of -the mines consist of an interbedded series of crystalline limestone and biotite gneisses of pre-Cambrian age. This part of the Ottawa River' basin has been severely faulted and the overlying Paleozoic limestones may be seen in normal fault contact with the pre-Cambrian. The vein filling is of a very well-marked fault fissure type and although the amount of displacement is not determined at this point, similar faults to the east show a displacement of from 1,500 to 1,800 ft. which would indicate mineralized fault fissures of considerable depth. The ore occurs in a highly crystalline calcite with some barite and fluorite, and the galena occurs more or less richly disseminated in clusters and crystal aggregates. In some cases these masses weigh several hundred pounds. Small amounts of sphalerite are occasionally encountered.

Jan 4, 1917

By Enrique Touceda

The question as to the proper amount of total carbon that the malleable founder would prefer to have in pig iron for use in the production of air-furnace, white iron castings, must be considered from different angles, that is, whether it is desirable or advantageous from an economic standpoint to use some kind of low-carbon scrap on his mixture, or make use of pig and sprue only. Whereas silicon is the acknowledged scrap carrier in the case of cupola gray iron castings, carbon performs this role for the most part in malleable iron practice, irrespective of the character of furnace used for the production of the white iron castings. In this particular, the advantage lies with the maker of gray iron castings in that the silicon content in pig iron through a regulation of furnace temperature is under very easy control by the blast-furnace manager, whereas he has little or no control over the resultant percentage of carbon, as this is dependent on the quantity of coke in the hearth, and hearth temperature, coupled with the amount of hearth slag and its particular composition. As perhaps more than 95 per cent. of white iron castings are made in air furnaces the following statements are intended to cover that situation particularly: In the malleable process the composition of the hard iron castings (that is determined upon as best suited for the work in hand) is the one factor that must control the composition of the mixture to be used; because if the elements are not between certain definite limits individually and collectively the annealed or finished product will be unsoitable, due, perhaps, to lack of sufficient strength or because it is too hard, to machine easily. The annealed product can be divided into two classes, one of which greatly predominates, that is, by far the largest tonnage is used for machine parts where high strength and ductility are essential requisites, while a far smaller amount, light in weight and thin in section, is used for other manufactured products in which castings of any reasonable degree of strength and ductility have proved satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1927

By B. L. Dunic, Terkel Rosenqvist

rr has long been suspected that sulphur has a small but finite solid solubility in iron, but up to the present more accurate data have been lacking. The survey given by Hansen' illustrates the divergence of data and opinions. Solubilities between 0.01 and 1.5 pct have been suggested, and opinions vary regarding the effects of temperature and phase transformations in iron on the sulphur solubility. The extent of solid solution and its variation with temperature might be expected to be an important factor in the occurrence of hot shortness in steel. Therefore, the object of the present investigation was to study this problem more systematically. It was furthermore hoped that solubility data for sulphur might contribute to an understanding of the factors which determine solid solubilities in general. Experimental Procedure The present work was based on the measurement of the chemical activity of sulphur in the solid solution by means of equilibrium with a mixture of hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide. When the solid solubility limit is reached, the sulphur activity in the iron becomes equal to that in the coexisting sulphide phase. A gas mixture of a controlled H,S/H, ratio was passed over pure metallic iron heated to a temperature in the range 900" to 1500". The amount of sulphur absorbed by the iron was determined by analysis, and from a plot of percentage of sulphur vs. gas composition the sulphur activity and the solubility limit were determined. As the rate of diffusion of sulphur in solid iron is very small, often several days were needed to be sure that equilibrium conditions had been established. To produce a gas flow with less than 1 pct H,S of constant composition for several days, was in itself a problem. The most satisfactory arrangement was obtained by a continuous synthesis of hydrogen sulphide from the elements. This was done in the part of the apparatus shown to the left in Fig. 1. The hydrogen used was first purified in tank batches by passage through activated charcoal cooled in liquid nitrogen under a pressure of 150

Jan 1, 1953

By A. L. Field

This general subject has been so thoroughly discussed by Dr. Herty and his associates, especially with regard to the degree of oxidation of the metal at the time that the silicon pig or spiegel is added, that I am not going to spend much time on that today. I should like to propound a question, which is based on my own observations made some years ago while with a large alloy-steel company which had two open-hearth furnace plants. It is true that one of these plants was not engaged particularly in making alloy steels, but there were certain relations between slag and metal composition which appeared to me to be entirely different in the two plants. I have an explanation for it that is more or less incomplete, but possibly Dr. Herty or Mr. Reinartz or some of the others may be able to complete it. Suppose we take our three layers; the metal on the bottom, on top of that the slag, and on top of the slag, the gas. We cannot overlook the gaseous phase. Regardless of the effect of the iron oxide in the slag on the rate of carbon elimination—and that, of course, is rather important in alloy practice since it is not desirable to have the carbon dropping too rapidly at the time the deoxidizing is had in the furnace—it will probably be admitted that it depends on the iron oxide in the metal for a given carbon oxide. I have seen cases where with approximately identical metal and slag compositions one furnace would work twice as rapidly as another in removing carbon. Of course, there is some explanation of this in what others have already said, that the question of the exact lime and silica content of the slag determines the activity and viscosity of the slag; but I am convinced, without having reviewed the actual records since I was asked to make this talk, because they were not available at the time, that the slags in these two furnaces were not materially different. Putting it another way, one furnace would have

Jan 1, 1935

By Henry P. Ehrlinger

THE Alta and St. Louis mines of the Alta Mines, Inc., produce a somewhat oxidized ore with a talc gangue that presents quite a problem in milling. For several years the mill recoveries were relatively low and there seemed to be no cure for this condition even with increasing the various collecting agents and frothers to two or three times of what they should be. The usual alibi of "oxidized ore" was given as the reason for these results and the matter stood there for some time until these investigations were started. FLOWSHEET As a brief outline of the flowsheet the ore is crushed to minus I in. in a Telsmith jaw crusher and then fed to a 64 1/2 Marcy grate mill. The resulting product from the grate mill is passed over a trommel where the coarse particles (plus 7 mesh) are returned to the grinding circuit through the classifier. The under 7-mesh pulp is passed over two Denver mineral jigs where a high grade concentrate is produced, thence over two Wilfley tables where a table concentrate is produced and about 80 pct of the oxide lead recovered. The tailings from these tables are pumped back to the classifier and after classification the 30 pct pulp density product, which overflows the lip, is passed into a series of 10 Denver economy flotation cells where a lead-copper concentrate is produced. Three products are made and shipped to the smelter termed jig, table and float concentrates. RESULTS WITH VARIOUS REAGENTS In March of this year work was started on the metallurgical problems of the mill and, as is shown in Table I, the results obtained were not too efficient. [ ] Tests were run with various reagent combinations that were recommended for ores of this nature but there was no appreciable effect on the recoveries. The grades of the flotation concentrates were reduced by the insoluble picked up and retained by these more powerful collectors and frothers. RESULTS WITH "METSO" In past work on ores of this type the use of "Metso" had improved gold and lead recoveries, but no effect on the silver and copper recoveries had been noted. To

Jan 1, 1947

Discussion of the paper of CHARLES T. MALCOLMSON, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 98, February, 1915, pp. 271 to 289. E. W. PARKER, Washington, D. C.-The briquet or boulet, or coalette (whatever name is used) has come to stay as a part of the fuel supply, particularly for domestic purposes. During the past winter I have had some personal experience with the use of boulets made from anthracite coal. All of this winter I have used boulets in my furnacee and in my grate at my home in Washington. One reason for doing so is that we get the boulets at a price considerably cheaper than the prepared sizes of anthracite coal. The fuel has proved entirely satisfactory. One advantage possessed by the boulet is its absolutely uniform size, which makes the ventilation of the firebed practically perfect. The boulets burn until entirely consumed. There is not, even in an open grate fire, if the fire is kept constantly going, any unconsumed fuel passing through the grate bars. The boulets hold their form until entirely consumed and then break away into a clean white ash, with absolutely no clinker. That in itself is a particularly favorable recommendation to the housekeeper. Mr. Malcolmson has mentioned the fact that notwithstanding the smokeless character of anthracite, the boulets made from it emit smoke. The emission of smoke is due to the coal-tar pitch used as a binder. This is particularly noticeable if the fireman is somewhat careless, or wants to save labor, and feeds too much of the fuel on the fire at one time, cooling it down and thus causing an unnecessary amount of smoke. The smoke lasts but a short time, however, and if the fire is fed a little more frequently, with a small quantity of fuel at one time, the smoke is reduced to a minimum. I believe it will not be long before some of our engineers will have overcome the objectionable smoke; and will produce either from anthracite or from the so-called smokeless New River and Pocahontas semi-bituminous coals, a briquet which will be as smokeless as anthracite for all. practical purposes.

Jan 5, 1915

By Warren A. Sinsheimer

ProbDly there has never been a year during which the petroleum industry expended so much effort as in 1929 in an attempt to rectify its ills. Eventually good will undoubtedly result, but as yet there have been no marked changes from the unhappy conditions familiar to all. Throughout the year remedies were sought that would cure the long-existing troubles of overproduction and waste. Proration of production and voluntary curtailment of output, for a short time considered the means for stability, not only failed but contributed to further waste and created a false sense of security. It encouraged a high rate of field development, weakened the economic structure by excessive development of newly discovered reserves and absorbed large sums of capital yielding meager or negative return. The manufacturing of gasoline by refiners without regard for market requirements furthered the unsatisfactory condition by falsely stimulating the demand for crude and placed on the market an oversupply of finished products, particularly gasoline. The marketing section of the industry has made progress by its adoption of the Code of Ethics as promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission and by the formation of an Export Association. The year 1929 opened not only with a current supply of oil exceeding demand but with an additional daily shut-in and potential supply variously estimated at from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 bbl. This situation stimulated the industry, through the American Petroleum Institute, to attempt to work out an economically sound solution which would further conservation by bringing supply and demand into closer balance. Production Control After a thorough study of producing conditions, the committee of the American Petroleum Institute had for its recommendation that the production of crude oil in 1929 be held in check to an amount equal to that produced during the year 1928. The Federal Oil Conservation Board heard the appeal of the American Petroleum Institute and referred the matter to the Department of Justice. It was ruled that neither the Federal Oil Conservation Board nor the Department of Justice had the * Land and Oil Production Dept., Henry L. Doherty & Co.

Jan 1, 1930

By William E. Newman

Lead mining has been carried on in several localities of the Province of Ontario in a desultory fashion for the past 60 years, but up to 1916 the results have not been of much commercial importance. The most ambitious attempt was made by an English company which built a lead smelter at Kingston, Ont., in 1880 to treat the concentrates from the Frontenac mines. After 2 years' operation, the mines and smelter were abandoned. Up to the present there has not been a sufficient tonnage of concentrates to support an efficient blast-furnace plant and as most of the small properties could not stand the heavy freight and duty charges into the United States, development work has not been carried on in a systematic manner. As a result the industry has languished. At Galetta, in southeastern Ontario, considerable prospecting and development work has been carried on in the last few years and very promising deposits of galena have been found in the Chats Island group by the James Robertson Co., Ltd., of Montreal. The chief deposit is that of the Galetta or Kingdon lead mine, located on Chats Island in the Ottawa River about 5 miles east of the town of Arnprior. The rocks1 in the vicinity of the mines consist of an interbedded series of crystalline limestone and biotite gneisses of pre-Cambrian age. This part of the Ottawa River basin has been severely faulted and the overlying Paleozoic limestones may be seen in normal fault cantact with the pre-Cambrian. The vein filling is of a very well-marked fault fissure type and although the amount of displacement is not determined at this point, similar faults to the east show a displacement of from 1,500 to 1,800 ft. which would indicate mineralized fault fissures of considerable depth. The ore occurs in a highly crystalline calcite with some barite and fluorite, and the galena occurs more or less richly disseminated in clusters and crystal aggregates. In some cases these masses weigh several hundred pounds. Small amounts of sphalerite are occasionally encountered.

Jan 1, 1918

By Eugene McAuliffe

The term "mechanical mining" carries an ambiguity which justifies a preliminary word of explanation. . All mining activity conducted in this day is more or less mechanical; that is to say, power expressed in the form of electricity, steam or compressed air is used in some portion of practically every mining activity of consequence. "Mechanical loading" is more nearly correct than "mechanical mining" in reference to present practice. The first substantial effort made in the direction of mechanical mining, subsequent to the application of steam for hoisting and underground pumping purposes, was that of substituting for hand labor undercutting and shearing by power-driven machines. The undercutting of coal by hand represented at one time the most arduous task confronting the miner. Occupying a kneeling position in the thicker beds, or lying on his side in the thinner coal, the task was tedious and exhausting. The first attempt to substitute crude air-driven, and later electrically driven, "punchers," as the percussion type of machine was called, met with much the same opposition on the part of the workers as was expressed by workers in the other industries when any innovation, whether labor-saving or otherwise, was introduced. We should not be too critical of this attitude of mind shown by the mine workers. The peculiarly isolated character of the work carried on in semidarkness by a class of men who to a large extent lived and held themselves aloof from the other branches of society led long ago to the development of a craft consciousness which they have found difficult to surrender. It was not until 1891 that a definite record of the results obtained by the use of undercutting machines of all types was made available, the quantity undercut in that year totaling 6,211,732 tons of bituminous coal from all American mines. The volume of bituminous coal undercut by machines in 1928 totaled 369,687,007 tons, or 73.8 per cent. of the nation's production. In the light of this experience, we can properly feel that the work of introducing the coal-loading machine as a substitute for hand shoveling is making substantial progress.

Jan 1, 1931

By Edwin Chance

DURING the past 10 years, the safe and efficient lighting of the coal mines of this country has received an ever-increasing amount of attention. Several States have passed laws attempting to regulate the type of lamp to be used and the nature of the fuel to be burned, and the mining departments of coal-mining States have generally shown a keen and intelligent interest in this subject. The passage of the recent Employers' Liability Act in Pennsylvania has made it necessary for many coal-mining companies to take out liability insurance, and the companies underwriting such insurance have made it desirable for the insured to permit the use of, none but illuminants of established worth. While these conditions have not obtained for a sufficient length of time to permit the statement that the illumination of coal mines by portable lamps has been standardized, still, considerable progress has been made and the direction of future practice in this branch of coal-mining technology is very evident. Under these conditions it seemed that a review of the methods now used in coal-mine illumination, together, with a brief consideration of the principles underlying these methods, might be of some interest. Miners' lamps may be divided into three classes: The open light, the electric cap lamp and the flame safety lamp. It will be desirable to consider each of these classes separately, as each has properties peculiar to itself and one class is hardly comparable with another. In this country, without question, the open light is the most generally used of all miners' lamps. This fact is explained by the relative freedom of a large proportion of our mines from gaseous conditions, and by the admirable systems of ventilation installed in those that show a tendency toward such conditions. In the metal relines, the miner's candle has had and still has considerable vogue. Because of the small amount of ventilation usually supplied in metal mines, the freedom of the candle from any tendency to produce noxious gases or offensive odors, and the small amount of air it consumes, are. valuable assets, while, because

Jan 2, 1917

By Walter H. Voskuil

Illinois supplies coal to seven states in the Upper Mississippi Valley —Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and portions of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas. In this same area are marketed large quantities of coal from West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere; fuel oil from the crude petroleum supplies of the Mid-Continent fields, and natural gas from Louisiana, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. The boundaries of this "Illinois coal-market area" are determined by competition from other coal fields and from other forms of fuel. Within the area so described 90 per cent of Illinois coal is marketed. Thus in the Southwest, an abundance of fuel-oil supplies and natural gas dominates the market almost to the exclusion of coal. The westward movement of Illinois coal in Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas is met by an eastward flow of high-grade coals from Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. In the lake-shore counties of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the market is dominated by Appalachian coals, cheaply carried over the Great Lakes and reaching the ports of Lake Michigan and at the head of Lake Superior. Illinois coals find their largest market in the southern and western sections of these two lake states. Only small quantities of Illinois coals are shipped east of the state line. This market area is occupied entirely by the neighboring coal fields of Indiana and the Appalachian coal fields in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Illinois Coal-makket Area , With these factors in mind, the map of the Illinois coal-market area may be drawn. Within this boundary is the area that is logically and economically served by Illinois coal. However, this area is by no means exclusively dependent upon coal from Illinois mines. The preponderance. of Appalachian coal in Wisconsin and Minnesota has been mentioned. Appalachian coal, also, moves in large tonnages into Illinois itself, particularly the Chicago district. The Iowa and Missouri local coals share the market with imported coal from Illinois; throughout the market area, fuel oil and natural gas are important factors in the total energy supply.

Jan 1, 1936

By Howard S. Bryant

Kansas maintained its fourth position on the list of all oil-producing states, for the ninth consecutive year. Total crude-oil production during 1935, as reported by the Oil & Gas Journal, was 53,364,446 bbl. on 97 per rent tank table calculations. This represented an increase of 17 per cent over the production in 1934, which had been the all-time peak of production in Kansas up to that time. Many of the 51 new discoveries of the year, listed in Table 2, did not have a pipe line outlet until about January, 1936; therefore did not contribute to the 1935 production of the state. The potential of all wells in Kansas at the end of the year was 998,-000 bbl. per day, and the daily allowable was 143,000 bbl. per day, showing proration to the extent of 14 per cent of capacity, under the rules of the State Corporation Commission. Several important new pipe lines were built into western Kansas by extending older lines from east to northwest, providing additional outlets for new crude-oil production, and increasing the service facilities from the older oil fields. The crude-oil price level remained unchanged throughout 1935 as it did in 1934, the price of Kansas 36" gravity crude being quoted at $1 per barrel. However, on Jan. 9, 1936, the price of this gravity oil was raised to $1.10 per barrel. Following the trend of the past several years, drilling activity was largely in western Kansas, and showed a still farther westward push from last year. A relatively high percentage of successful wildcat wells at a relatively shallow drilling depth, combined with the expiration of leased acreage assembled before the depression, caused the rapid exploration and development campaign, begun in 1934, to continue. This has caused the opening of more new fields in 1935 than during any previous year in the history of oil production in Kansas. A summary of the results of drilling in western Kansas is given in Table 2. Eastern Kansas had considerable drilling, showed six new fields or extensions of oil fields, but in the limited space of this paper such developments cannot be described.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. O. Whiteley, C. Dietz

It is difficult to give a refining outline that may be followed for any and all combinations of the platinum metals; different combinations require different methods of attack. This paper does not pretend to go into all of the reactions of the metals of the platinum group, but will outline the commercial refining of platinum scrap. Typical Platinum Scrap As a concrete case, let us take 100 oz. of miscellaneous scrap, made up of jewelry scrap, dental scrap and laboratory ware. This lot will contain some platinum, palladium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium, gold, silver and copper. The first problem is to get all of the metals in solution. If the scrap is principally platinum, palladium and gold, a treatment with aqua regia is the course to pursue; but if the scrap contains alloys high in iridium or ruthenium, aqua regia will act too slowly. In the case in hand, we are going to presume that we have scrap high in iridium and ruthenium, and proceed accordingly. Obtaining Residue A Place the scrap, together with six times its weight of granulated test lead, in a solid carbon crucible. This crucible may be placed inside a clay graphite crucible packed with charcoal, to prevent the excessive oxidation of the carbon crucible by the furnace blast. Place a tight cover on the carbon crucible; heat gradually to a good red heat and allow it to soak in the heat for 4 or 5 hr. After the leaded mass is cool, dissolve in dilute nitric acid (1-6) on a steam plate or sand bath. This dissolves practically all of the lead and most of the palladium, silver and copper, together with seme of the platinum and rhodium, and leaves the iridium, ruthenium, gold, and most of the rhodium and platinum as a finely divided residue. Siphon off the clear solution and treat the residue with another portion of dilute nitric acid to insure the solution of the lead and copper. The second nitric acid solution is added to the first, and the residue is filtered on suction and washed thoroughly with hot

Jan 1, 1928

By Elliott J. Roberts

In spite of the fact that the percentage of true colloids in an ore grind is very small,' these pulps exhibit many of the properties of true colloidal suspensions. A quartz particle, appreciably finer than 10 microns in diameter, has a settling rate so low that at a dilution of 5:l or over, the capacity of a settling tank to settle such particles would be uneconomical if the individual particle rate prevailed. However, by grouping the finer particles into aggregates or flocs, the settling rate can be increased to an economical value. The colloidal chemistry of pulp thickening is thus chiefly concerned with particles having diameters of between 1 and 10 microns, although particles as coarse as 40 microns in diameter are more or less involved. These particles must be associated in such a manner that they settle at an economical rate and give a clear, supernatant liquid or overflow. The treatment of the subject may be divided into three phases, cach phase having a more or less different colloidal aspect. The first phase is the problem of getting the pulp or suspension into the proper condition of flocculence; the second is the behavior of the flocculent pulp in its initial and intermediate stages of settling; the third is the behavior of the flocs in the find period of settling or thickening stage. Let us look first into the methods and mechanism of obtaining the flocs and then consider their behavior and properties. Flocculation Colloids are merely ordinary substances reduced to a very small particle size, the upper limit being placed by definition at 1 micron (0.001 mm.) diameter by the soil chemists and at from 0.2 to 0.1 micron by various other colloid chemists. The lower limit is reached only when the particles approach molecular dimensions. The term L'colloid" should not necessarily imply lack of crystallinity. Particles as small as 0.01 to 0.02 micron give perfect X-ray patterns, while with 0.005 micron particles the bands on the powder photograph are merely broaderled and diffused.2

Jan 1, 1935

By Walter H. Voskuil

Illinois supplies coal to seven states in the Upper Mississippi Valley —Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and portions of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas. In this same area are marketed large quantities of coal from West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere; fuel oil from the crude petroleum supplies of the Mid-Continent fields, and natural gas from Louisiana, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. The boundaries of this "Illinois coal-market area" are determined by competition from other coal fields and from other forms of fuel. Within the area so described 90 per cent of Illinois coal is marketed. Thus in the Southwest, an abundance of fuel-oil supplies and natural gas dominates the market almost to the exclusion of coal. The westward movement of Illinois coal in Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas is met by an eastward flow of high-grade coals from Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. In the lake-shore counties of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the market is dominated by Appalachian coals, cheaply carried over the Great Lakes and reaching the ports of Lake Michigan and at the head of Lake Superior. Illinois coals find their largest market in the southern and western sections of these two lake states. Only small quantities of Illinois coals are shipped east of the state line. This market area is occupied entirely by the neighboring coal fields of Indiana and the Appalachian coal fields in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Illinois Coal-makket Area , With these factors in mind, the map of the Illinois coal-market area may be drawn. Within this boundary is the area that is logically and economically served by Illinois coal. However, this area is by no means exclusively dependent upon coal from Illinois mines. The preponderance. of Appalachian coal in Wisconsin and Minnesota has been mentioned. Appalachian coal, also, moves in large tonnages into Illinois itself, particularly the Chicago district. The Iowa and Missouri local coals share the market with imported coal from Illinois; throughout the market area, fuel oil and natural gas are important factors in the total energy supply.

Jan 1, 1936