Search Documents

By Thomas O. Breitling

The Mill Design Session at the Annual Meeting in New York next February will have a total of four papers. All of these papers will be concerned with the subject of in-plant dust in the hard-rock mining industry. The emphasis on efficient dust collection is timely, because dust is a problem not yet adequately covered in AIME papers. In general, dust collection should be the step following dust suppression. Dust collection and its return to the ore recovery circuit, or its waste to tailing are sources of added operating cost. If possible, dust should be kept in the main stream of ore flow by suppression.

Jan 1, 1970

By B. Welber, R. Webeler

A CCORDING to accepted theory, fatigue in A] metals is connected with the occurrence of local strain hardening even at applied stresses below the yield point as a consequence of stress concentrations created by the presence of structural inhomogeneities.1 It seemed possible, therefore, that

Jan 1, 1954

By James A. Lewis

It is the purpose of this paper to show the importance of sand characteristics, when combined with other physical data, in evaluating production obtained by secondary recovery operations, and to indicate the benefits to be gained from the application of these principles to primary production.

Jan 1, 1942

Ernest R.. WOAKES, Cana, Colombia: The allusion in this paper, under the heading " Mining on the Isthmus," to the Espiritu Santo mine at Cana is neither according to fact nor worthy of the most interesting and able summary of the mining districts of Colombia contained in the remainder of the paper. The following remark is certainly open to contention: "The most widely-known mine of this department is the Espiritu Santo, at Cana, a quartz-mine opened up in 1680 and abandoned in 1727 on account of the attacks of the Cana Indians. This mine undoubtedly produced great quantities of gold, although many of the accounts given of its ancient richness are probably exaggerated. In 1884 it was rediscovered and reopened by the Darien Gold Mining Company, and under the able management of Mr. Thomas H. Leggett, now prominent in South African mining circles, produced for a time successful results ; but later the veins became pockety and the output unsatisfactory." The mine here referred to, though situated at Cana, was not the Espiritu Santo mine, and was closed down in 1892. Mr. Leggett, however, ran ten stamps on the ore from it for some two or three months in the year 1890, when he left Colombia. The Espiritu Santo mine was not reopened by the Darien Gold Mining Company until the year 1894. For the last three years the ore from the old Spanish workings of this mine has been yielding in the mill 1 ounce to the ton, and has served to keep the mine going whilst extensive development-works have been

Jan 1, 1899

By Eugene Guccione

"All engineering societies should encourage and motivate their members to take part in public affairs. And engineers, in turn, should learn to translate their technical knowledge in a language which politicians can understand," stated James Boyd last month as he received the Hoover Medal, which is awarded annually by four engineering societies-AIME, IEEE, ASME, and ASCE-to an engineer who has rendered important public service. James Boyd is no ordinary engineer (see box). A few weeks ago, Dr. Boyd took time out of his busy schedule to stop at MINING ENGINEERING'S editorial office for the following exclusive interview.

Jan 1, 1976

By W. R. Ingalls

THE present administration has made sincere and effective efforts to reduce the expense of the Federal Government, but it has reached a point beyond which it seems impossible, or anyway extraordi-narily difficult, to go. This is ascribable to the large part of the budget that is represented as war expense. There is no doubt that this spells high taxation for many years to come. Nevertheless, although a large part of the taxation will be attributable to the war, the paying out of the proceeds of that taxation by the government will not be war expense, except in minor part, as will be hereinafter made clear. It will be useful to explain the economic meaning of this situation, for it has bear-ings upon several open questions, such as a bonus to the ex-soldiers, the foreign debt accounts, etc. The expense of the war on the part of the American people was in the main paid concurrently with its prose-cution. This was necessary. Warfare is not conducted with money, but with materials and labor. Except for such previous production as was represented by stocks of goods, the requirements had to be supplied by coincident production. With the end of 1918 our war expense ceased, save for such production, e.g., of ships, that was allowed to run on unchecked, and the indemnities that had to be paid for cancelled contracts. When those matters have been settled we shall be done, barring one important thing. Of course, our war expense began to contract right after the armistice and shrunk rapidly with the demobilization of the troops in 1919. If we had not been able to obtain all needful material from our own sources and had been constrained to borrow it from foreign countries, incurring a foreign debt, we should have been in the quite different posi-tion of having to repay that material, or its equivalent, during subsequent years. The European countries had to come to us for such supplies. This outlines the fundamental difference between their present situations and ours. We were therefore compelled not only to furnish materials and man-power for our own warfare but also much for the Allies.

Jan 3, 1923

By Carl Zapffe

The manganese ore reserves of Lake Superior, because of their location and nature, have recently achieved a rnarked degree of importance as compared with the world's manganese reserves. To appreciate fully the significance and the adequacy of this reserve, one should understand how such ores are used, where obtainable, the quantity used, possible avenues for increasing use or application, and the chemical and physical characteristics of the available ores. Only with those data at hand, is it possible to arrive at a convincing answer to the question whether the reserves of manganiferous iron ores are adequate to satisfy the annual demand of the presently known iron ores for the full life of the latter. That they should last is vital; and to ascertain whether they will last was the purpose of the present investigation, which marks the first attempt to study these Lake Superior reserves. The Lake Superior region possesses and supplies the full assortment of iron ores needed for the conversion of ore into pig iron and steel ingots and castings. These ores are named bessemer, low-phosphorus and high-phosphorus non-bessemer, manganiferous and siliceous; and to include the term aluminiferous would be in keeping with the most recent nomenclature adopted by some dealers. About 35 or 40 years ago, perhaps less, most of the Lake Superior ore which is being used today was the material then considered either useless or too poor for immediate use; perhaps it was considered no more than a future reserve. An examination of the analyses of ores and the guarantees in the sales of those older times convince one that the opinions of those days must have been governed by only small differences in analyses. Some grades of ores used today in substantial amounts were used most sparingly only one or two decades ago. The relative quantities of the different ores used are ever changing; and, bit by bit, the metallurgy and the opinions are ever changing and the prejudices against certain ores and practices decrease. This is unquestionably more pronounced for the manganiferous ores than for any other kind. If, when using the present data for manganiferous ores, we will only be content to make allowances for the same experiences other kinds of ores

Jan 1, 1927

By L. J. Demer, W. W. Walker

AMONG several variables of the indentation hardness test is the effect of loading time on the measured hardness of a material. The most generally recommended duration of loading is 10sec.1-3 Although this short loading duration is undoubtedly satisfactory for harder metals, it is questionable that it is sufficient for very soft metals,4 or for certain plastics.5 The effect of duration of loading on the measured hardness of ionic crystals is largely unknown, although Onitsche and Mitsches found that the indentor (under a very low load) had not yet reached equilibrium after 60 sec in a variety of ionic crystals. To extend further the data of Onitsche and Mitsche, a systematic study was made of the effect of duration of loading for longer periods, up to 50,000 sec, on the 136 deg Dph of synthetic lithium fluoride. For comparison, less extensive tests were made on synthetic magnesium oxide and copper single crystals. The general procedure used was to indent a cleaved and polished (100) face of a lithium fluoride crystal using a Leitz Durimet microhardness tester. In certain cases, the indentor was so oriented as to align the diagonals of the 136 deg diamond pyramid indentation parallel to a (100) edge. In other cases the diagonal of the indentation was aligned at 45 deg to a (100) edge of the crystal. After indenting, the surface tested was etched in the acid etchant recommended by Gilman and Johnston.' This revealed the position of dislocation lines which intersected the surface tested. At these points of emergence were formed the usual sharp, pyramidal etch pits as shown in Fig. 1. The specific procedure used in studying duration of loading was as follows. The surface of the crystal was indented, and the load was left on the indentor for a predetermined time. This duration of loading was varied systematically from 1 to 50,000 sec. After the desired amount of time had elapsed, the indentor was removed from the crystal and the size of the resulting indentation was determined using a micrometer eyepiece. The surface was then etched to reveal the dislocation etch pit pattern around the indentation. Procedures used for lithium fluoride, magnesium oxide, and copper were similar. Preliminary studies revealed that, although an indentation was enlarged by increasing loading time, no corresponding changes occurred in the surface etch pit pattern. Since no evidence of dislocation movement was observed on the surface, it was assumed that the plastic deformation indicated by the indentor sinking into the surface was a result of dislocation movement inside the crystal. This movement was studied bf making a series of surface indentations in a crystal corresponding to various lengths of time, cleaving the crystal vertically through the indentations, etching the freshly

Jan 1, 1964

By O. Cuscoleca

The Austrian plants at Donawitz and Linz were the first to blow steel with high purity oxygen. The paper shows how the process was developed and gives a survey of the results achieved to date. Compared with open hearth steel of equal quality, the obvious advantages of oxygen steel are the low investment and conversion costs. The nitrogen content of oxygen steel is not higher than that of good open hearth steel. Rimmed and killed steel products made by the oxygen process are superior to rimmed and killed steel products made by the best open hearth process. TWO new steel plants using the principle of making steel with high purity oxygen went into operation in Austria, one at Linz (Vereinigte oster-reichische Stahlwerke) in November 1952 and the other at Donawitz (dsterreichisch-Alpine Montan-gesellschaft) in May 1953. An estimated 330,000 metric tons were produced by the two plants in 1953, the first year of operation. In 1954 production by Austrian plants- using the high purity oxygen approach will be raised to 450,000 metric tons. This will be in addition to facilities in Huckingen (Man-nesmann A. G., Düsseldorf, Germany), those planned and under construction at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (Dominion Foundries and Steel, Ltd.), and elsewhere. It is expected that by 1955 a total capacity of one million tons of high purity oxygen steel will be available. At the close of the last century, because of increasing availability of scrap, open hearth steel production forged ahead at an ever increasing pace. This caused world steel production to rise faster than pig iron production and finally to overtake it. In 1911 65 million tons of steel were produced against 64 million tons of pig iron. World steel production was 209 million tons in 1951, while pig iron output was only 147 million tons. The 1951 breakdown for steel shows 118 million tons made from pig iron, while the balance, 91 million tons or 44 pct of the total tonnage of steel produced, was made from scrap. This increase in crude steel production on a basis of high scrap consumption led to the world market scrap shortage and soaring scrap prices. In the United States and other nations, production of converter steel has fallen far behind that of open hearth steel. The surplus of processing scrap, un-absorbable by converting mills and thus a welcome source for open hearth and electric melting shops in the past, together with regular scrap purchases, no longer can meet requirements of both open hearth and electric steel production in Europe. In addition, recent modification of the basic bessemer process, blowing with oxygenated blast, substantially raised the scrap capacity of these plants. Any further expansion of world steel production will necessitate utilization of self-containing processes in regard to scrap because of the shortage.

Jan 1, 1955

"Butte is in many ways an ideal location for a mining school. The student lives in the atmosphere of his intended profession. By the time he has spent four years at the school and in the community he has a fairly clear idea of what kind of a business he is entering upon, and is freed from any illusions about its being a primrose path he is about to follow. The mines and mills and smelters are his lecture rooms in part, and the shovel, pick and drill form part of his equipment. Most of the students work in the mines during part of their school life, which serves the double purpose of assisting them financially and increasing their practical knowledge.The School of Mines is a state institution, amply endowed and exceptionally well equipped. The school is strictly technical and no attempt is made to prepare men for any other work but mining engineering. The mining men of the community take an active interest in the welfare of the school and are of much assistance in securing employment for its graduates.The teaching staff is entirely composed of men who have had practical, commercial experience in their various specialties, and no expense is spared in securing suitable men for the faculty."

Jan 1, 1913

By Edward Salisbury Dana

THE remarkable advance in the Science of Mineralogy, during the years that have elapsed since this Text-Book was first issued in 1877, has made it necessary, in the preparation of a new edition, to rewrite the whole as well as to add much new matter and many new illustrations. The work being designed chiefly to meet the wants of class or private instruction, this object has at once determined the choice of topics discussed, the order and fullness of treatment and the method of presentation. In the chapter on. Crystallography, the different types of crystal forms are described under the now accepted thirty-two groups classed according to their symmetry. The names given to these groups are based, so far as possible, upon the characteristic form of each, and are intended also to suggest the terms formerly applied in accordance with the principles of hemihedrism. The order adopted is that which alone seems suited to the demands of the elementary student, the special and mathematically simple groups of the isometric system being described first. Especial prominence is given to the "normal group" under the successive systems, that is, to the group which is relatively of most common occurrence and which shows the highest degree of symmetry. The methods of Miller are followed as regards the indices of the different forms and the mathematical calculations. In the chapters on Physical and Chemical Mineralogy, the plan of the former edition is retained of presenting somewhat fully the elementary prin¬ciples of the science upon which the mineral characters depend; this is par¬ticularly true in the department of Optics. The effort has been made to give the student the means of becoming practically familiar with all the modern methods of investigation now commonly applied. Especial attention is, therefore, given to the optical properties of crystals as revealed by the micro¬scope. Further, frequent references are introduced to important papers on the different subjects discussed, in order to direct the student's attention to the original literature. The Descriptive part of the volume is essentially an abridgment of the Sixth Edition of Dana's System of Mineralogy, prepared by the author (1892). To this work (and future Appendices) the student is, therefore, referred for fuller descriptions of the crystallographic and optical properties of species, for analyses, lists of localities, etc.; also for the authorities for data here quoted. In certain directions, however, the work has been expanded when the interests

Jan 1, 1922

By H. D. Kynor

By the term mechanical mining is meant that operation, or series of operations, that replace the hand methods of mining. The first undercutting machine to operate in anthracite was placed in the Butler mine of the Hillside Coal and Iron Co., Dec. 23, 1910, by the Sullivan Machinery Co. The first Jackhamer used in the anthracite field was installed at the Wadesville colliery of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Co. in Oct., 1912, by the Ingersoll-Rand Co. The first longwall conveyor was installed at the Dodge mines of the Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western Coal Co. in March, 1912. The first mechanical scraper equipment was installed in the Seneca mines of the Lehigh Valley Coal Co. in January, 1914. The amount of anthracite mechanically mined since the first mining machine was installed in 1910" is as follows: Penna. Coal Co. D. L. & W.. ScRanton Temple Hudson YeaR and Hill- Tons Coal Co., Coal Co., Coal Co., Total, side Coal Tons Tons Tons Tons and Iron. Tons 1920................ 372,737b 367,000d 322,892 74,127 371,878 1,508,634 1919................ 950,786 no record 306,616 81,575 319,356 1,658,333 1918................ 917,778 744,966 24,880 44,756 288,781 2,021,161 1917................ 757,940 838,800 5,050 57,279 164,180 1,823,249 1916................ 286,780 860,663 13,960 114,173 101,475 1,377,051 1915................ 428,819 592,169 8,253 1,029,241 1914................ 219,188 153,896 373,084 1913................ 171,505 1912................ 124,267 124,267 1911................ 40,319 40,319 1910................ 1,184 1,184 a A slightly greater production was obtained than here indicated, as the tonnage from individual operations is not shown. b Decrease due to strike conditions in 1920. c Does not include tonnage of D., L., & W. d D., L., & W. decrease in 1920 due to having fewer mining machines in operation. There are about 150 undercutters in use in the anthracite region, 80 mechanical loaders, and 10 longwall conveyors.

Jan 1, 1922

By E. E. Schumacher

IN a laboratory devoted to the furtherance of the science of communication, the breadth and variety of the problems encountered are challenging to a metallurgist. In my own long association with the Bell Telephone Laboratories, our metallurgical group has dealt with a vast number of alloys, both ferrous and nonferrous, and with many materials in the border range of metallic properties., The objectives of our design engineers embrace every phase of telephony, and the properties they desire in metals are generally unusual, frequently unique, and often conflicting. Commercial alloys have not always been available with properties to meet a special requirement in the telephone plant, and many alloys have had, therefore, to be custom-made. Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe the results of tests of all types on numerous such alloys, both commercially and specially produced, or who has taken part in the development of an alloy of some necessary, but new or unusual combination of properties, could not fail to be impressed by the frequency with which a desired goal has been reached or adequately approached through the presence of decimal quantities of alloying elements. Nor could One fail to be struck by the occasions when, conversely, of a minute amount Of impurity element has rendered an alloy useful. It is no exaggeration to state that the content be- hind the decimal point often spells success or fail-ure, and the critical content is sometimes far to the right of the decimal point as I shall later illustrate. The great effects of small additions have long been recognized and have, in fact, been described by many investigators. The importance of the minute, however, cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, in this discussion, I propose to illustrate for you some of the startling instances, drawn primarily from our own experiences, wherein small, even vanishingly small, proportions of stranger elements in otherwise common aggregates have com-pletely changed the customary pattern of behavior. No one property has a monopoly as to being dis-proportionately affected by minor elements. Nearly all properties are affected, but there is time here to include only a selected few. I have chosen, there-fore, three of general interest: strength, magnetic, and electrical properties. I shall inquire into both the mechanisms and consequences of these disproportionate effects and try to share with you the fascination and challenge of this field. Strength Properties of Lead and Lead Alloys To illustrate the effect of the minute on strength properties I have selected lead and its alloys, with which we have worked extensively for many years. Lead has the advantages of being available in quantity in a state of high purity and of being fairly easy to melt and fabricate without contamination to any extent detectable by the spectrograph. It has the interesting disadvantages of recovery and recrystallization at room temperature. Whether I

Jan 1, 1951

By V. F. Hollister, M. Bernstein

The Copaquire porphyry copper deposit lies in an island of pre-Upper Tertiary rocks surrounded by Quaternary and Upper Tertiary formations. The pre-Upper Tertiary appears to be a horst block in a typical basin-range setting. Major right lateral faults have been mapped within the range from Chuquicamata north to Copaquire. All of the major porphyry copper deposits known in the block (e.g., Quebrada Blanca, El Abra, Chuquicamata, and Copaquire) are on or are very close to one of these major right lateral shears. In the Copaquire district, an epizonal igneous complex with diorite, quartz diorite, quartz monzonite, and intrusive dacite (in that intrusive order) invade folded Jurassic shale. Mineralization appears spatially and temporally associated with the quartz monzonite porphyry and dacite. Alteration zoning shows two separate core phyllic (quartz-sericite-pyrite) zones within one large argillic (clay-pyrite) zone. A propylitic (chlorite) zone is peripheral to the argillic zone. No potassic zone has been recognized yet at the surface. The intrusive petrology together with the phyllic, argilic, and propylitic alteration zoning as well as the chalcopyrite-molybdenite ore mineralogy characterize this deposit as being typical of the Lowell and Guilbert model. Copper and molybdenum minerals appear to be most strongly developed in the phyllic zone, in either a breccia or a zone of veinlets and stockwork which trend dominantly northeast, conjugate to the district's largest fault, the Sulfato fault. The setting is basically similar to that found in some other porphyry copper deposits in this block, in that the ore body is a zone of veinlets which appear to be genetically related to movement on a major north-south trending right lateral fault. The presence of the major fault in each deposit, and the speculative hypothesis that paleo-subduction zone operated at the time of mineralization, suggest the possibility that mineralization took place when a major fault permitted escape to the surface of cal-calkalic magma generated in a subduction zone as proposed by Ericksen. A hypothesis such as that proposed by Ericksen explains the near linearity of porphyry copper deposits in Chile, since the source of calc-alkalic magma would exist at about the same distance from a paleo-trench throughout the length of the paleo-subduction zone.

Jan 1, 1976

By Wilbur Nelson

IN 1839,1 Gerard, Troost, the first, State Geologist of Tennessee, reported the occurrence of zinc ores in East Tennessee, in connection with the iron ores at Embreeville; in 1844,2 he refers to the zinc deposits of East Tennessee, especially the apparently rich deposits occurring, in Jefferson and Claiborne Counties, while his ninth annual report is a ,description of the zinc deposits of Jefferson County and a description of the most improved processes by which zinc is extracted from its ores. Although. Tennessee has long known of the occurrence of its zinc deposits and has recognized their value, only during the last few years have these ores been successfully worked. As far as can be learned, prior to the systematic development of the Mascot district in 1911, no large-scale or successful operation of any of the zinc deposits was carried on. But in that year, after several companies had made considerable progress in developing the Mascot area and had proved. a relatively extensive body of low-grade sulfide ore, the American Zinc Co. entered the field. It introduced modern methods of prospecting and mining the ore and from the first was successful. Too great credit cannot be given this company for its pioneer work in a previously unimportant field. Throughout the history of its operations, the American Zinc Co. has confined its efforts to underground mining of the sulfide ore, sphalerite. This company has found that successful results in zinc mining in East Tennessee can be achieved only by expending large sums in prospecting and blocking out bodies of pay ore in sufficient magnitude for large-scale operations. At Mascot are located the mines of the American Zinc Co. of Tennessee, the mines being situated along the Southern Railway in the Holston River Valley, Knox County, about 13 miles northeast of Knoxville. Considerable mining and prospecting had been done by several companies prior to the acquisition of this property by the, American Zinc Co. Previous to 1900 only open pits, which were worked for oxidized ores, were operated. and the production was small. In 1900 the

Jan 10, 1924

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, lnc. When Mr. Carnegie made his gift which made possible a home for the engineering societies, a separate corporation was organized to act as a holding company and to manage the common property. This was long known as the United Engineering Society, but the name has now been changed to one which more nearly reflects the real function of the corporation. It holds title to the Engineering Societies Building and to various funds placed in its charge and is managed by a Board of Trustees, of which three are chosen by each of the four societies, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers, which have equal and undivided interests in. the property. The land and building cost two million dollars. During the year 1934, the Constitution and Bylaws

Jan 1, 1938

By J. S. Diller

In 1827, chromite was discovered near Baltimore by Isaac Tyson, Jr., who initiated the mining of chrome ore an:! later (1845) .the manufacture of chromium compounds in this country. From 1828 to about 1860 the United States, supplanting Russia, supplied chromite for most of the world. Chrome deposits were found also in California, and the Tyson Company shipped ore to Philadelphia by way of Cape Horn. In 1848, J. Lawrence Smith, an American in the employ of the Porte, discovered large bodies of chromite in Asia Minor. They were developed in 1865 and became the chief source of the world's supply for a number of years. The discovery of the large high-grade bodies in New Caledonia, and later in Rhodesia, with other foreign sources, gives at present an abundant supply for all demands. For a number of years before the great war, the United States produced only a few hundred tons of chromite annually, for local use, but during the war the demand for domestic ore resulted in a production of more than 82,000 long tons of crude ore in 1918, and it was demonstrated that the United States has reserve deposits equal to a war demand of several years' duration. Now that the war is over, the country is conserving its domestic supplies by employing higher-grade but cheaper ore from foreign countries. ChromiUm-bearing Minerals Oxides: Chromite-—chromic iron ore................ FeO.Cr2O3 Picotite—chromic iron ore................. (MgFe)O.(Al,Cr) Chromates: Crocoite—lead chromate................... PbCrO4 Phoenicochroite—basic lead ohromite........ 3PbO.2CrO3 Vauquelinite—phospho-chromate of lead..... 2(PbCu)CrOd.(PbCu)3P2O8 Sulfates: Redingtonite—hydrous chromium sulfate.... Knoxvillitel—hydrous basic sulfate of chromium.............................. Daubreelite-—iron-chromium sulfide (known in meteorites only)...................... FeS.Cr2S3

Jan 1, 1920

By R. S. Handy

Does hand-sorting of mill feed pay? The fact that the practice is so general would seem to indicate that there must be good reasons for following it; yet, to my mind, the advantage in many cases is doubtful enough to invite a thorough discussion of the subject, in an effort to determine under what conditions hand-sorting does pay. A typical sorting plant in the Cœur d'Alene district handles about 800 tons of mine-run ore per day. The material is run over a grizzly with about 4-in. opening; the oversize is crushed to about 4-in. size and joins the undersize, and the whole product is washed and screened on trommels with about 11/2-in. openings. The oversize from these trommels is spread on a belt and the waste and first-class ore are sorted out by hand, the residue being further crushed, and passes, together with the trommel undersize, into the mill feed bins. About 50 tons of shipping ore and 150 tons of waste are sorted out per day, leaving about 600 tons of mill feed. To sort out this material requires 20 ore sorters and five bosses and repairmen. The normal cost of hand-sorting is about 16 c. per ton of run-of-mine ore, or 65 c. per ton of material sorted out. I believe that straight crushing and milling of the run-of-mine ore, in this case, is not only cheaper, but is metallurgi-cally more economical and efficient than hand-sorting followed by milling of the residue. At one of the Bunker Hill rock-houses, 1250 tons of run-of-mine ore are reduced to pass 30-mm., or about 11/4-in., opening in six hours, requiring five men. The equipment and the power consumed are not greatly different from that required in a sorting plant of the same capacity, and the normal cost of thus preparing the feed for milling is under 3 c. per ton of mine product. The relative cheapness of this method as against hand-sorting is thus clearly established, the saving being about 13 c. per ton. If there is any virtue in, hand-sorting, then, it must lie in the metallurgical results achieved. Possibly the favor that hand-sorting has found is due to a misconception as to what happens to the clean shipping ore if it is sent to the mill. If a mill makes, say, an 80 per cent. recovery on its feed, the hand-sorting advocate may assume that if the hand-sorted product be sent to the mill, 20 per cent. of the metals contained in it will be lost. This, I believe,

Jan 1, 1920

By Ward C. Smith

The industry of producing and processing boron compounds is called the borax industry because the chief product is borax, the decahydrate of disodium tetraborate. For the same reason, it is common to speak of borax mining. Reference to borate mining also is common, and while appropriate where it emphasizes the diversity of borate minerals that are mined in various countries, it is rather unsatisfactory where used in a general sense, because it seems to exclude the important production of borax from brine at Searles Lake, California, and of boric acid from steam vents in Tuscany, Italy. The terms "boron industry" and "boron mining" might seem more comprehensive, but are little used, and this is fortunate because they would be misleading-the element boron is manufactured only in small amounts for special uses, and it is not found free in nature. In most occurrences, boron is combined with oxygen and is in a borate or borosilicate material. The history of the modem borax industry starts with the introduction into Europe of borax from Tibet in the 13th century, about the time of Marco Polo, if not actually by him. The discovery that borax has unique value as a flux in metal soldering and ceramic glazing must have been made at some unknown time much earlier. As a rule, any mineral that has been used so long that its early history is lost must occur in deposits that are easily recognized and worked, and this is undoubtedly true of borax in Tibet. According to meager accounts,9 the borax occurs there in arid mountain basins as surficial crusts that coat the ground about thermal springs and seeps of mineralized water, and as coarser crystals in the bottom muds of shallow pools and lakes. Much the same essential features of surface exposures and minerals easy to recognize and recover characterize most of the deposits later found and worked elsewhere. The borax industry at the present time is faced with rising demands for its products, and consequently is increasing its productive capacity and appraising its borate resources.18 The areas that contain the known borate deposits are most likely to yield additional production, hence their distribution in the world is of interest, and is summarized later in this chapter. Mineralogy The mineral raw materials used by the borax industry include various borates mined in several countries, borax extracted from brines at Searles Lake in California, and boric acid extracted from the steam of vents in Tuscany in Italy. The hydrated borates[$] of chief commercial importance are listed in Table 1, which also shows their chemical composition. The properties of only the four most important borates are summarized here, but detailed descriptions of the borates and the minerals commonly found with them can be found in mineralogy textbooks.41 Ulexite generally forms clusters of silky fibers rather than large individual crystals. A

Jan 1, 1960

By John B. Hastings

Chief among the varied problems facing the mine-manager is that of vein-structure and origin, which is highly important as a guide to successful discovery and development. If metalliferous deposits can be traced to the intrusion of waters along definite lines, then is there something tangible for him to study. But when he is told by a geologist that metalliferous deposits are due to some other cause, like magmatic differentiation, while not perhaps discouraged, he is impressed with a vague sense of new worlds to be conquered. In 1897, while manager of the War Eagle mine at Rossland, B. C., where, previously, the ore-bodies had not been supposed to occur as veins, I suggested to visiting members of the Canadian Geological Survey that, perhaps, the structure of the pyrrhotite-bodies of that mine, which had been proved to occur along well-defined fractures, might throw some light on the similar deposits of Sudbury, then held to be basic aggregations from the original magma. Later investigation has at least provoked discussion of this last deduction, questioning its correctness and suggesting that, perhaps, the deposits are actual veins. The following extract from a paper by J. E. Spurr' is quoted, because it sets forth Mr. Spurr's theory of the quartz-occurrences of the Silver Peak mines, which will be discussed in this article. It also graphically describes the attendant geological features. "The Drinkwater group of mines, which is the most important part of the Blair gold properties, and which has produced practically all of the million dollars' worth of ore, as above stated, may be taken as typical of the gold-veins which, though widespread and numerons, show a wonderful similarity of character. On the surface two adjacent veins outcrop, the Crowning Glory and the

Jan 1, 1906