Search Documents

By D. W. Brunton

The maps of our large mines are usually prepared with the greatest care; and it is somewhat singular that, in compari~on with the great amount of time and money spent in surveying and platting, 80 little actual use is made of them. Almost the only purpose for which a completed survey-map is afterwards consulted, is the determination of the relative position of the different workings to each other, and to the boundary-lines of the property. After the completion of such a map, it should be made the beginning of another, and in most cases a far more important undertaking, namely, its utilization as a starting-point for a complete inventory of the company's underground possessions. The ordinary mine-survey map, being nothing but a record of what has been done, is, in one sense, only ancient history. To increase its value, such additions should be made as will render it a complete statement of the amount and value of ore in sight at any particular time, and a guide for future development. Comparatively little extra labor is involved in this undertaking, since the larger and most expensive part of the work has already been completed when the mine has been surveyed and mapped. The necessary additions consist in working out and platting on the maps, the geology of the mine as exposed in the workings, in such a manner that the geological survey may be of daily use in the development and operation of the mine. The first step towards the production of a geological map consists in tracing individual level-sheets from the general or composite map. The area to be included, outside of the property in question, will depend very much on local conditions; but, for geological, legal and commercial reasons, it should be extended as far as reasonably practicable. The scale to be

Jan 1, 1906

By Bertrand S. Summers

The technologist who has devoted much attention to the foundry-business will perhaps have noticed that the present scientific development of foundry-practice is in a condition similar to that of the steel-business some twenty years ago. In many cases chemistry is looked upon with suspicion, and the old cutand-try-methods are still in vogue, especially in the smaller foundries. The larger works have laboratories and more extensive means for applying science, and have devoted considerable time and attention to the improvement of foundry-practice. This is more especially true in the East, although in the West there are numerous firms devoting considerable attention to improving their metllods through the application of chemistry to work in the iron-foundry. It is hardly necessary to dwell extensively upon the effects of the different metalloids associated with iron, in pig- or castiron, in the way they are given in most text-books. The writer has thought proper to consider more particularly new developments in eupola-practice, particularly those pertinent to the discussion of the physics of cast-iron. In this connection some new ideas which recent practice has developed will be mentioned, and some results of practical tests along the same line will be described. Yet it has been deemed advisable also, by way of introduction, to outline the effects of the metalloids as they are described in most text-books, without going into detail. The question is sometimes asked, What is the most important element governing the quality of cast-iron 'for any particular purpose ? It would seem that right here lies the basis for the greatest difference of opinion. Some twenty years or more ago, silicon was regarded by foundrymen as one of their worst

Jan 1, 1899

By W. M. Courtis

. There seems to be a well-established belief that there is an indescribable something in the appearance of gold-quartz not to be learned from books, that enables those who are fortunate enough to have acquired the power to recognize this characteristic, to pronounce at once that a certain quartz will or will not pay. The stronger this claim is made, the more certain is the claimant to be one of the self-styled practical miners. After several years spent among the gold-mines of California with practical and professional gold-miners, I have come to the conclusion that very few care to risk an opinion on a piece of quartz until some of it has been "horned out." Nevertheless, there is what the miners call a " kindly " appearance, that is more often followed by good results than is a vitreous, water-wet-looking quartz. A dark, resinous quartz seems to be most in favor, but there are so many exceptions that even quartz as " white as a hound's tooth " produces gold in some mines.. The ribbon-quartz, a laminated variety, separated by thin talc or chlorite partings, has a well-known good name. The slides of rich quartz specimens show that this parallelism is a microscopical characteristic of the only macroscopical distinction that, as a rule, these quartzes show. This is shown by Nos. 12 and 13, photographs of the richest quartz, that averaged $65 per pound. It is noticeable, also, in Nos. 7 and 9, and others. Dr. Hensoldt, of Columbia College, who prepared, excellently, a large number of my slides, and whom I have to thank for descriptions and suggestions, says of Nos. 12 and 13: "This variety of quartz differs considerably, microscopically, from the others of your locality, and is, in more than one respect, remarkable. Like the

Jan 1, 1890

By Paul D. Merica, H. Hanemann

The application of other than mechanical methods to the study of the mechanical-physical properties of metals has become in the last few years a topic of investigation of ever-increasing interest, both from the theoretical standpoint and from that of the engineer and constructor. Besides the investigations which have been made of the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic metals, in their relation to the mechanical properties of these metals, which will be discussed more in detail below, there have been made studies of other phenomena in the same relation, and methods for the mechanical testing 'of metals have even been suggested; for example, the microscopic method of Tammann,' and the thermo-electric method of Turnera for determining elastic limits. The application of all such methods, which are based upon the dependence of some physical, crystallographic, or possibly chemical property, upon the mechanical state of the metal, must be preceded by close and careful correlation of these various "test" properties with the known mechanical state of the different metals or materials. It is with this view that the present work, as well as that of many previous investigators of, what may be termed in the interests of brevity, the mechanical-magnetic properties of ferromagnetic materials of construction, has been done. Previous Investigations of Mechanical Magnetic Properties The effect of mechanical stresses and of deformation, elastic or otherwise, oil the magnetic qualities of iron, steel, and other metals, has been studied by a number of investigators from the time of Joule (1841) to the present. It will, however, for the present purpose be sufficient to give an account only of the principal results obtained in the course of these investigations. It was early noticed (Villari, 1865) that if an iron wire is placed in a

Jan 1, 1916

By Emil Gathmann

Ik presenting this paper I will attempt to answer certain questions proposed at this meeting and describe and illustrate methods of producing sound steel in an economical and hence commercial manner, which are adaptable to the production of practically all steel manufacturers, by readily effected rational changes in the methods of casting, cooling, and subsequent handling of the ingots. In some of the high-grade mills of America, where it is essential to obtain perfectly sound billets or blooms, it is the practice to discard from 35 to 40 per cent. of the crop- or pipe-end, and even with this excessive discard, secondary pipe or shrinkage-cavities are frequently discovered during subsequent working of the blooms and billets into their various manufactured products. The usual discard of from 10 to 20 per cent, from the crop-end of the ingot, which is made by the present generally employed methods of form and solidifying of the castings, certainly does not give the slightest assurance of the saleable product being physically sound or chemically homogeneous. I am aware that in the past there has been and at the present time there still is a decided difference of expert opinion as to what constitutes physically sound steel. Physically sound steel, as I would classify it, must be free from blow-holes as well as pipe. The line of demarcation between harmless and harmful blow-holes is exceedingly difficult to define. It is certainly the better and safer practice to eliminate blow-holes from the saleable portion of the ingots and to form a well-defined shrinkage-cavity or pipe at the upper crop-end of ingot. The higher grades of steel are all piping-steels. Is not their superior physical quality due to this fact as well as to their better chemical composition ? Such

Jan 1, 1914

Joseph E. Thropp, Jr., Indiana Harbor, Ind.:—To what do you attribute the fact that in some localities the by-product coke sells at a premium over the ordinary bee-hive coke for foundry use ? If the cell-structure is preferably soft and rather thick in coke for foundry use, as I understand it, do you mean that by-product coke has soft and thick cell-walls ? William H. Blauvelt, Syracuse, N. Y.:—As I say in one of the paragraphs of my paper, the tendency seems to be towards the manufacture of foundry- and furnace-coke under somewhat different conditions. The development of the best cell-structure in coke, of course, has not reached perfection, but we are making progress, and we are inclined to believe that under ordinary conditions the best furnace-coke, that is, coke with the hard cell-wall and the well-developed cell, is produced at fast coking-time and high heats, whereas the best foundry-coke seems to be produced at somewhat lower heats. In one of our plants we are making furnace-coke in 16-hr. coking-time, and foundry-coke in 20-hr. time. Foundry-men want the strong, tough coke. I think the furnace-men present will agree that the best furnace-practice requires a hard coke, with a well-developed cell-structure. Replying to the question as to the reason for higher prices being realized for by-product foundry-coke than for bee-hive coke, of course, the immediate reason is that it suits the foundry-men better. Perhaps one cause may be that we are able, by the selection of coals, which is not usually practicable at bee-hive plants, to get a quality and analysis best suited to foundry-work, with high carbon-content, and with cell-structure and physical strength especially suited to the foundry-men's ideas.

Jan 1, 1913

By C. R. Forbes, J. C. Barton

Many different shapes of drill bits are in use with hammer drills, but little definite information is available whereby to judge which one of these shapes is the best. The following investigation was undertaken in order to determine what effect, if any, the shape of the cutting edge has on the cutting speed and wearing qualities of drill bits. The bits tested were those in common use, namely, the 4-point or cross bit, the 6-point bit, the Z bit and the "Carr" bit. The rock in which the tests were made was the red granite from southeast Missouri. It is a coarse crystalline granite containing an unusually large amount of quartz and is extremely hard, and on account of its uniform texture is admirably adapted to this work. While tests in other rocks might show somewhat different results, nevertheless it is the opinion of the authors that the relative cutting quality inherent in the shape of the bits would be the same in all rocks. Other qualities, such as mudding freely, freedom from fitchering, etc., might make one bit more desirable than another in softer rocks. Description" of Bits Tested 'I'he 4-point bits were the usual shaped bits commonly made on the Leyner sharpener, with 14' taper on the wings and a 90" angle between cutting edges. Some tests were run at 85 Ib. pressure with a 4-point bit made with a 50 taper on the wings; this bit was formed with the Carr bit dies. The 6-point bits were the usual shaped bits made on the Leyner sharpener. The Carr bits were made with a 5º taper and an angle of 100" between cutting edges.

Jan 1, 1918

By Edward Keller

About a dozen years ago the art of bessemerizing copper- * matte, brought to these shores from France, was first established at the smelter, in Butte, Montana, of the Parrot Silver and Copper Company, which had bought the process from Mr. Manhks, the inventor. Through the efforts of Mr. J. E. Gaylord, general manager, and Mr. A. J. Schumacher, snperintendent,, assisted by an able staff, the new method rapidly underwent, at the Parrot establishment, an evolution towards higher perfedion, and within a few years its success and its advantages were so marked that all the great works in the west followed in the footsteps of this pioneer. The converter-process has now practically superseded the reverberatory-process in this country. The latter will undoubtedly, in a not very distant future, be relegated to metallurgical history. The writer has availed himself of what was perhaps the last chance to make comparisons of the two methods, working practically on the same material on an extensive scale, the reverberatory process being that of the Baltimore Copper Smelting and Rolling Company,* while the converter-process is that of the Anaconda Copper Company—both using the matte from the latter company's works in Anaconda, Montana. For the greater portion of the material considered in this paper, the writer is indebted to the two companies. In order to understand the difference of behavior of the several elements, and the difference of the copper produced in the two processes, it is best to study and follow those elements

Jan 1, 1899

By David Browne

THE literature dealing with the physical constants of nickel is so fragmentary and unrelated, that a synopsis presents unusual difficulties. It is only within the last few years that investigators have understood the importance of placing on record not only the determinations they have made but also the composition, physical treatment, and past history of the material investigated. For this reason much of the earlier literature is valueless. Determinations have been made of the same physical constants on samples differing widely in origin, composition, and treatment, and the results differ widely among themselves. In the first place nickel is almost as flexible a term as steel. Its physical properties are widely influenced by its composition and treatment. It absorbs large quantities of gases and is exceedingly difficult to prepare in a state of chemical purity comparable to gold, silver, or copper. It is vitally affected by thermal and mechanical treatment. Hence in the following pages the recorded literature, where quoted, must be accepted with a certain reserve and used, as far as possible, as a check on later observations, in which these important factors are noted. In every case where new determinations are given, an attempt has been made to record all available information concerning the composition and treatment of the material used so that the data may serve as steppingstones toward a wider knowledge of the properties of the metal. As this synopsis is an attempt by men of metallurgical training to do what should long before have been clone by physicists, it is to be expected

Jan 9, 1919

By Wallace Ralston

The East Texas area includes the northeast 38 counties of the state of Texas. It covers all, and extends beyond, the borders of what is commonly described as the East Texas Basin. It is one of the most important oil and gas-producing areas of the Mid-Continent Province. It includes four important oil fields—Van, East Texas, Cayuga and Long Lake— and the recent extension of Rodessa field into Cass County, Texas, may prove to be of major size. Four commercial gas fields are in this area— Bethany, Waskom, Cayuga and Long Lake. Up to January, 1936, all of the oil has been produced from the Upper Cretaceous formations, and most of that from the basal member, the Woodbine sand. Gas is produced from both the Upper and Lower Cretaceous formations. Development in Fields East Texas Field.—This field continued to dominate the drilling and production situation throughout the United States. There were 4036 wells completed in this field during 1935; that is, 365 more wells than were completed during 1934. Drilling activity was due to close spacing of wells and the addition of 10,000 acres to the field. The field is now drilled to a density of one well to 6½ acres, which is certainly more wells than necessary for economic production of the field. The close spacing of wells is due mostly to the type of proration, which is per well allowable based on a potential test, and does not take acreage into consideration, and also to the numerous small acreage tracts such as town lots and excess strips. The field now has 19,519 producing wells. The allowable production for the field during 1935 was 161,118,659 bbl.; estimated production, including illegal or "hot oil," was 174,200,150. The illegal production of oil gradually decreased throughout the year, until an estimated low was reached of 20,500 bbl. daily during the months of November and December. The price of oil remained at $1.00 per barrel throughout the year. As stated, about 10,000 acres were added to the field during the year, making a total of 128,000 productive acres. There is a possibility that

Jan 1, 1936

By S. D. Michaelson, Eric Sinkinson

Many of the magnesite ores of the western part of the United States contain such large amounts of silica and hydrous silicate minerals that the value of the ores is either low or nominal. Expensive and carefully controlled mining methods are necessary to prevent excessive dilution of the higher grade ores by introduction in mining of small pieces of the hanging walls or footwalls of the deposit. This difficulty is further complicated by the various states of decomposition of the country rock of the deposits in which many of the ores occur. The problem the authors attempted to solve arose from a request to float an impure magnesite containing varying proportions of siliceous gangue with calcium carbonate. The ore is normally enclosed in serpentine masses, somewhat decomposed, and in mining it wall rock is incidentally added, so that variable amounts of siliceous material occur in the samples. The silica, alumina, and iron oxide are so closely associated with the magnesium carbonate in the magnesite that ordinary mechanical separation at coarse mesh sizes is of no avail. It is well known that calcium carbonate can be floated by suitable reagents, therefore it seemed reasonable to suppose that magnesium carbonate minerals would behave in a similar manner, but experimental trial proved that this supposition was unfounded. Therefore the first step in the problem was to find out what differences of behavior there were between magnesium and calcium carbonates under flotation conditions, or when suspended in water. In water at 18" C. magnesium carbonate is slightly more soluble than calcium carbonate; in fact, MgCO3 is soluble to the extent of 0.0106 grams in 100 c.c. of water at 18" C. and CaCO3 to the extent of 0.0013 grams. However, magnesium carbonate in water gradually changes to the basic carbonates of a composition (3MgCO3.Mg(OH)23H2O) or (4MgCO3.Mg(OH)25H2O), depending upon conditions, and calcium carbonate to calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2. The relative solubilities of these hydroxides in water are the reverse of the solubilities of magnesium and calcium carbonates. The range in published figures for solubility

Jan 1, 1938

By David A. Keys

Applied geophysics is the youngest child of that old branch of learning that has been known from Aristotle's time as physics—the constitution and laws of nature. The mother science, with the help of mathematics, has given birth to many children, who, on becoming of age in the scientific sense, wedded more practical applications which later became known as electrical engineering, physical chemistry and acoustical engineering. Some vigorous sons still retain the family name, among which the most recent to take its place as a division of science is geophysics, which deals with the physics of the earth. Geophysics in its broad sense has many departments—meteorology, oceanography and seismology, to mention only three. Within the past 20 years, however, a special interest has arisen in the application of physical principles to problems in geology, mining and civil engineering, with the consequent rapid growth of what has now been called "applied geophysics." Applied geophysics in this narrower sense is the application of experimental and theoretical physics to determine variations and discontinuities in underground structures that cannot be ascertained from surface inspection. It seems evident, then, that the physics department is the natural place in a university where the principles and methods involved should be taught and developed, for the physicist will also have had the requisite training in mathematics that the proper understanding of many methods now used will require. A knowledge of the procedure and principles, however, is not sufficient for the successful application of geophysical methods. One may know the dynamics of flight of golf balls and of impact and yet not play a par game of golf! The proper selection and use of the right club to suit the circumstances of the lay of the ball and an acquaintance with the possibilities and limitations of the strokes as well as the practical execution of the play is essential to a successful game. So, also, in the application of geophysical methods, it is important for the geophysicist to use the best device under the conditions presented, to know the limitations of the conclusions deduced from his physical measurements and to make the proper interpretation of the results. A knowledge of geology will be of great aid in coming to the correct con-

Jan 1, 1940

By R. E. J. Putman

Introduction Self-tuning regulators are a class of controllers built around the concepts of sampled data theory, and are especially suitable for implementation in a digital microprocessor or minicomputer control system. The algorithms used are distinctly different from those based upon analog control techniques and include automatic adjustment features which permit them to adapt to unmeasured changes (in, for example, ore grindability) or process nonlinearities (as exhibited by cyclone classifiers). They are also designed to handle transport lags in a simple manner, for example, anticipating the effects of a variable recycle rate on particle size distribution. The advent of distributed control systems will encourage the exploration of these techniques in the minerals processing industries, and particularly for improving the control of comminution circuits, which are especially energy intensive. This paper outlines some current work in progress on this topic. Background Those engaged in the practice of process control have long had two philosophical problems for which solutions have been actively sought - what is optimal control and how can we attain it in some heuristic fashion automatically. The basic analog controller can be represented by the differential equation: [V = Ko + K1 f y • dt + K2 dt(1)] where: v and y are the instantaneous values of output and error respectively and K0, K1, and K2 are tuning constants. The empirical rules for establishing the values of K0, K1, and K2, which provide stability, have evolved from the initial suggestions of Ziegler and Nichols(9) in 1942 and have served their purpose well. However, later analyses demonstrated that there are in fact many combinations of the values of K0, K1, and K2 which, besides being stable, behave better or worse in relation to other process control criteria; some examples are duration of error, amplitude of a damped response, magnitude or rate of movement of control valve or adjustment of speed regulator, etc. The definition of optimality had broadened. In 1964, Kalman(4) published his classic paper which tried to resolve these problems. He defined a

Jan 1, 1982

By David A. Keys

Applied geophysics is the youngest child of that old branch of learning that has been known from Aristotle's time as physics—the constitution and laws of nature. The mother science, with the help of mathematics, has given birth to many children, who, on becoming of age in the scientific sense, wedded more practical applications which later became known as electrical engineering, physical chemistry and acoustical engineering. Some vigorous sons still retain the family name, among which the most recent to take its place as a division of science is geophysics, which deals with the physics of the earth. Geophysics in its broad sense has many departments—meteorology, oceanography and seismology, to mention only three. Within the past 20 years, however, a special interest has arisen in the application of physical principles to problems in geology, mining and civil engineering, with the consequent rapid growth of what has now been called "applied geophysics." Applied geophysics in this narrower sense is the application of experimental and theoretical physics to determine variations and discontinuities in underground structures that cannot be ascertained from surface inspection. It seems evident, then, that the physics department is the natural place in a university where the principles and methods involved should be taught and developed, for the physicist will also have had the requisite training in mathematics that the proper understanding of many methods now used will require. A knowledge of the procedure and principles, however, is not sufficient for the successful application of geophysical methods. One may know the dynamics of flight of golf balls and of impact and yet not play a par game of golf! The proper selection and use of the right club to suit the circumstances of the lay of the ball and an acquaintance with the possibilities and limitations of the strokes as well as the practical execution of the play is essential to a successful game. So, also, in the application of geophysical methods, it is important for the geophysicist to use the best device under the conditions presented, to know the limitations of the conclusions deduced from his physical measurements and to make the proper interpretation of the results. A knowledge of geology will be of great aid in coming to the correct con-

Jan 1, 1940

By Barnabas Bryan

In the year 1875, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, acting on incorrect information concerning the production of oil and gas, established what has become the law of the land for the governing of oil production. While the decision was ideal for the refining monopoly which was completed in that year, there is no evidence that the court was in any way influenced by that refining monopoly. The evidence indicates that the court accepted the view of the royalty owner and independent oil producer. Throughout the life of the refining monopoly it accepted this law, which was so evidently to its advantage in securing cheap raw material. The same policy continued until the development of the exhaustion theory and the entry of the various units of the former monopoly into the production of crude oil. It is curious that no one doubted the new theory of shortage sufficiently to feel the need of changing the law. When the theory entered the economic field sufficiently to raise crude oil prices beyond justification it shortly disproved itself, but by this time the question of split ownership in producing fields made a change from legal error to justice too complicated to be undertaken by the large companies. Not even the ardent advocate of unit operation dared to carry the question to the United States Supreme Court, which has never been asked to pass on the complete question. The impossible position of the producing industry, hemmed in on one side by court law compelling wasteful production and on the other by the national law against cooperation, lasted until the demoralization of 1927 led to cooperation within a state and under state guidance. Since that time control of production has grown with the bringing in of each new field and at this time has the active support of the Department of the Interior in such ways as are definitely legal. As in 1875, the royalty owner and independent producer are opposing by all possible means the rational conduct of the business of producing crude oil. Fluctuation in Investments The investor in oil securities has not been as badly fooled as has the oil man himself. Fig. 1 is designed to show the composite regard of all

Jan 1, 1930

CONTENTS DAVIS, CARL R., WILLEY, J. L., and EWING, S. E. T.-Recent Developments in the Fine Grinding and Treatment of Witwatersrand Ores. Discussed by Charles E. Locke, H. W. Hardinge, H. N. Spicer, G. M. Brown, Justice F. Grugan, R. C. Canby 1 WEINIG, A. J., and BOWEN, MAX W.-Determination of Dissolved Oxygen in Cyanide Solutions. Discussed by A. L. Blomfield, M. F. Dycus, A. W. Bull.... 4 LEPSOE, ROBERT.-Precipitation Efficiency of Zinc Dust in Cyanide Process. Discussed by G. M. Brown, Charles E. Locke 5 Recent Developments in the Fine Grinding and Treatment of Witwatersrand Ores Discussion of the paper of CARL R. DAVIS, J. L. WILLEY, S. E. T. EWING, presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1925, and issued as Paper No. 1386-B, with MINING AND METALLURGY, December, 1924. CHARLES E. LOCKE, Cambridge, Mass.-In this country, we have come to think that we should use smaller size of feed in our ball-mills. I will admit that a ball-mill is not comparable to a tube-mill, as conditions may not be the same, but there we have an unusual demonstration of the advantage of a coarser feed. Further investigation along this line is going to lead to some valuable results. The authors have overcome the difficulty of this coarse feed by taking out what I would call the difficult lumps, It is not clear from the paper whether many of these difficult lumps' may not be 'reduced portions of their grinding media. H. W. HARDINGE, New York, N. Y.-The idea is not exactly new because in 1911 they used the miner to reduce the finer material. We proceeded three or four years using many tons, about 15 tons. or nearly the same proportion of ore to grinding medium. Another thing to be taken into account is the hardness of the ore being ground. In South Africa, the transportation costs must be, taken into account. They are also making progress in the method of using tube-mills and ball-mills instead of stamps. Experiments are to be conducted with 10-ft. diameter mills there, with the object of increasing the mass action and agitation which, as has been demonstrated under different circumstances, increases the overall efficiency.

Jan 6, 1925

By Herbert F. Miller

For a long time I have believed that the gas- and brick-costs of open-hearth furnaces using prodncer-gas could be greatly decreased by a change in the design of the port, which would materially reduce the first-cost of the furnace, the rebuilding-cost, and the repair-cost. The defects of the present type of such furnaces, which has clone duty for so many years, may be studied in Fig. 1, in which A A are the two air-uptakes, B is the gas-uptake, and C the end of the gas-port. In the present type of furnace, C is practically 011 the edge of the bath and therefore combustion begins to take place at that point, but has no effect until the gas passes from 5 to 10 ft. into the hearth. As the furnace grows older, C moves back by reason of the burning or falling down of the arch. The furnace reaches its highest efficiency when C has moved a certain distance, but is still near enough to the bath for the overhead layer of air to hold the gas down on the bath, and far enough back to permit combustion to take place at some distance from the bath. This latter fact means that the temperature is sufficient to melt steel at the edge of the port. From this time on, the furnace decreases in efficiency. What is the reason ? As C moves further hack, the gas is released from the gas-port at a point where there is little or no overhead layer of air. The result is that the gas floats along the roof, with the air mostly underneath it. Why the air does not stay over the gas is readily seen in Fig. 1. The lines of draft naturally run parallel to the length of the furnace. The air-uptakes being on the sides and the gas-port in the middle, most of the air will naturally be drawn along the sides of the furnace and the layer of air will be thinnest over the gas, where it is most needed.

Jan 1, 1914

THE first session was held in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society, on Tuesday evening, February 26th. The President, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, called the meeting to order, and after a few introductory remarks concerning the importance of theoretical and speculative science, which often involves principles of the highest economic value, and, more than all that, serves to enlarge our conceptions of the universe, and ennoble us, by the cultivation which it affords to our most exalted faculties, proceeded to discuss some points in the chemistry of the atmosphere. It is known that there is in the crust of the earth a great amount of oxidized carbon, not only in the shape of coal, but also in the graphite or plumbago of the crystalline rocks, in the various bituminous shales or pyroschists, which are found in all succeeding rock-formations, and also in the forms of bitumen and petroleum. All the analogies of nature lead us to conclude that these various carbonaceous substances have had an organic origin, and have been generated by the deoxidation of carbonic acid, a process effected by the growing plant, and attended with the liberation of oxygen. He showed that the carbon of a layer of coal covering the whole earth's surface to the thickness of one meter, would, in its production from carbonic dioxide, liberate an amount of oxygen equal to that now present in our atmosphere. But bituminous coal contains also a large amount of hydrogen, derived from the deoxidation of water, which implies the liberation of a farther portion of oxygen. The amount from this latter source would equal, for the various coals and asphalts, from one-eighth to one-fourth, and, for the petroleums, one-half of that set free in the deoxidation of the carbon which these hydrocarbonaceous bodies contain. From what we know of the composition of the stratified rocks, it is probable that they include an amount of deoxidized carbon and hydrogen many times greater than that contained in a layer of coal one meter in thickness, and, consequently, that the disengaged oxygen in past ages must have far exceeded that now present in our atmosphere. To this must be added

Jan 1, 1878

EVERY dry thing that burns easily and multiplies or maintains fire by its own intrinsic nature can be put into an incendiary composition and various effects are produced. Some of these things are mineral combinations, like sulphur or its oil; some others, [163v] hot, dry, and subtle substances, like saltpeter; and some are. unctuous things, like fats and oils of any kind; while some serve because of dryness, like pith and wood. Some of these things are natural and some artificial But now I set aside the search for these differences in their composition. This is what I have found among all the ancient and modern things that I have been able to seek, and first, back in the time of Alexander the Great. Marcus Graecus, who was perhaps the inventor or a great experimenter and practicer of such things, writes of many of them. I have chosen some among these, and one* is this: In order to make it, he took Grecian pitch, alchitran, live sulphur, tartar, sarcocolla, niter, and petroleum oil, one part of each, and, in addition, a double amount of quicklime. He mixed it all with oil of egg yolks. Having put it in a well-covered and closed vessel of glass or glazed earthenware under warm manure, he left it for a month. Then, having liquefied it over a slow fire, always keeping the vessel well closed, he finally put this liquor in hollow sticks, in little pots, or in vessels expressly made, all with a little fuse fitted in the middle. If I should have to do this, I would say that a little gunpowder should be put in, which should give beginning to the fire so that it would ignite more easily. I have also found that another fire is made. For this sulphur is taken, or oil of sulphur if it is possible to obtain, petroleum oil or some rock oil, juniper oil, very well-refined saltpeter, and for one part of each of these five parts of asphalt; in addition, take goose or duck fat, pure black pitch, varnish, pulverized dove's dung, and enough aqua vitae to cover all the aforesaid things.. Then it is put in a glass vessel under warm manure for

Jan 1, 1942

By N. A. Elmslie

This subject covers much ground, therefore it must be treated in a general way rather than in detail in this paper. Personnel To approach the measure of a mine, it is, of course, essential that the personnel be measured, and this measuring must be done in a circumspect manner and conclusions must be reached slowly. There may be one unit in the personnel of an organization that may be out of step with the remainder of the organization, not always because of lack of ability, but because of misplacement or lack of proper measurement of his capabilities. Too much time can scarcely be spent in the study or measure of the personnel ; in fact, a manager or a superintendent of a mine never completes his work along this line. Mine or Plant Just as no two men are alike, so no two mines or plants are alike; and yet there are many similarities. Find out what the similarities are, and this will help to make clear the dissimilarities. Try to visualize details of the difficulties, not because you will have to deal with them yourself, but to consider them in later studies of general problems. To outline all the steps to be taken in familiarizing oneself with a plant or operation would be impossible, but the following points may be of interest in any investigation. The study of a mine is generally made backwards-—that is to say, one sees the finished product first-—-but this is immaterial, because each step must be considered separately in any event. As a rule, there are certain heads under which the different features of mining can be placed, as follows: Ventilation.—Ventilation is usually the most important item in power cost and safety, especially in gassy mines. Quantity of air, water gage and power consumption, and finally analysis of the return air in full return and separate splits should be considered. Type of fan and type of power unit should enter into this study because it is important to view expenditures which are going on 24 hr. a day and 36.5 days in the

Jan 1, 1931