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By W. D. Ryan

The organic act passed by Congress in 1910 instituting the Bureau of Mines provided that the director of the bureau should promulgate such investigations as might be necessary to determine the causes of mine accidents and the best methods of preventing them. With the object of accident prevention in view, Director Joseph A. Holmes, and others who were pioneers in the bureau, conceived the Plan of having first-aid and mine-rescue training as one of the major activities of the Bureau. Out of this plan grew the first-aid and mine-rescue contests, which have been featured as an incentive for men to take courses in this type of mine safety training. The first appropriation for mine-accident investigations became available on July 1, 1908, under the jurisdiction of the U. S. Geological Survey, with Dr. J. A. Holmes in active charge. During 1908 there had been some first-aid training in the Pennsylvania anthracite field and a start made in Illinois, although there appears to be no exact information as to when or where first-aid training in the mining industry first became a reality, it is generally conceded that the St. John's ambulance corps of Scotland was one of the first - if not the first - to make the work effective. In 1911, to celebrate the establishment of the Bureau of Mines and the formal opening of the Pittsburgh, Pa., station, a first-aid and mine-rescue demonstration was conducted on Forbes Field, Pittsburgh. President William Howard Taft and many other men notable in public life were 2 resent. This was the first general national contest of the kind held it the United States; and since then there have been a number of nation-wide first-aid and mine rescue contests, as well as some which have been international in scope. There are over one hundred first-aid and mine-rescue contests of various kinds held annually in connection with mining and the allied industries.

Jan 1, 1929

By Joseph Chalmers, J. S. Desmond, R. Van A. Mills

[Because of the limited space in this volume and the fact that a description covering the oil recovery buildings and equipment (see page 4, Technical Publication No. 144) will be given in a forthcomnig U. S. Bureau of Mines publication, and because the paper was published in detail as Technical Publication No. 144, and is available as a separate at the Institute, it is impossible to include here more than the following brief extract.] Problems Being Studied The selection of the first problems to be studied was based largely upon the following very practical questions asked by several of the largest operators in the Mid-Continent field. 1. What are the causes for the formation of excessive amounts of bad thick oil on properties that are being repressured with compressed air and how can this trouble be prevented? 2. Why, in some areas, does the oxygen in the air injected into an oil sand during repressuring operations apparently change to carbon dioxide? Is carbon dioxide formed by the oxidation of some of the oil in the sand'? How can the formation of inert or low B.t.u. casinghead gas, loaded with nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen, be prevented? 3. What percentage of the oil originally present in an oil sand can be recovered by the ordinary methods of operation when the gas originally dissolved in the oil is the main propulsive agent? 4. What percentage of the amount of oil produced by ordinary methods can be recovered under average conditions by repressuring a so-called depleted oil sand? 5. What are the relative propulsive efficiencies of compressed air and natural gas in repressuring operations? 6. What are the practical advantages of pressure maintenance and early repressuring as compared with late repressuring?

Jan 1, 1929

By E. H. Denny

The coal and metal mines of the United States furnish this country with a large part of the fuel and material necessary to support our industries and thus make possible the welfare and prosperity of our people and even the continuance of our present-day scale of civilization. Mining companies furnish material to industry with one general purpose in mind -- the making of a profit on their work. Efforts are being made successfully and continually to reduce operating costs, to increase production per man, and to perform work as far as possible mechanically and with more efficiency. These efforts are made primarily to reduce costs, to increase production, or to do both - in other words to make more profits or more certain profits. In the endeavor to reduce expense companies are considering more and more the factors which enter into costs of production, among them the factor of accidents and their cost. This paper endeavors to estimate the approximate cost of accidents to the mining industry in order to present the saving possible through accident reduction or elimination.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. E. Head

At the microscopic laboratory of the Bureau of Mines Intermountain Experiment Station, Salt Lake City, Utah, efforts are being made to devise methods of differentially coloring finely crashed minerals as a means for their identification. Staining would facilitate sight recognition of minerals under the microscope and would be of great value in the study of crushed ores, concentrates, and tailings. Since the treatment of ores for their beneficiation is primarily based on the recovery of the minerals containing the clements of value, it is extremely important that these minerals should be known and that a method for quickly determining them when in minute fragments should be available. Herein lies one of the greatest uses for color methods. In many cases it is a difficult matter for even the trained petrographer and mineralogist to identify finely crushed minerals quickly. Although ordinary petrographic methods are accurate, they are often time--consuming and are not suitable to the needs of millmen who require, especially in the examination of tailings a method for determining minerals by inspection.

Jan 1, 1929

By D. J. McAdam

Results of investigation of corrosion-fatigue of metals at the U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station have been presented by the author in four papers.1, 2, 3, 4 In those papers references were given to the work of Haigh in 1917.5 The investigation at Annapolis included a variety of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. The experiments showed that even slight corrosion simultaneous with fatigue may cause failure at stresses far below the ordinary endurance limit. The experiments also showed that, for most metals, severe stressless corrosion prior to fatigue is much less damaging than even slight corrosion simultaneous with fatigue. The term "corrosion-fatigue" was restricted to mean the simultaneous action of corrosion and fatigue. The combined effect of corrosion followed by fatigue was called "prior-corrosion fatigue." A stress-cycle graph representing corrosion-fatigue is a curve approaching a horizontal asymptote, the ordinate of which may be called a "corrosion-fatigue limit." To avoid confusion in later discussion, the term "endurance limit" will be restricted to mean the fatigue limit obtained by tests in air with specimens as free as possible from stress concentration and from corrosion. The cndursnce limit as thus obtained presumably represents an inherent property of the metal.

Jan 1, 1929

By Robert Mehl

THE system cadmium-mercury has attracted much attention, chiefly because of its importance in the study of electrochemical standard cells. The constitutional diagram, as it is accepted today, is essentially that FIG. 1.-BIJL'S DIAGRAM FOR CADMIUM-MERCURY ALLOYS. developed by Bijl1 (Fig. 1), though there has been a great amount of work done on the system by other workers.2 A year ago the senior author published a paper on the crystal structure of the system, in which were described determinations of crystal structure

Jan 1, 1929

By Hans Lundberg

Magnetic methods have been used for more than three hundred years in prospecting for magnetic ores. More recently magnetic methods have been used for finding salt domes and studying certain geological formations. A number of instruments have been developed and substantial improvements made as to their sensitiveness and accuracy. Papers and articles written on magnetic methods are generally elaborate and technical, and the average prospector finds it difficult to obtain the necessary information as to how to operate the simple magnetic instruments to the best advantage. The miner's compass, dip needle, and inclinator are, indeed, very useful instruments and are easy to handle, and a great deal of valuable information can be gained if the instrument is properly operated and the results correctly interpreted. The lack of knowledge of the fundamental principles, however, has caused a great deal of disappointment. Other and more elaborate geophysical methods have recently come into the limelight, and the prospectors seem to have lost a great deal of interest in the dip needle. This is much to be regretted, because magnetic methods have a particular field of use. The present article is an attempt to help the prospector regain interest in the magnetic instruments and to show the use and application of a simple magnetic survey. If the prospector expects some useful help in his work, he must, of course, know the instrument, know how to take the readings, and know how to plot and interpret the observations.

Jan 1, 1929

By George Branner

THERE is no record of the commercial production of bentonite as such in Arkansas up to the present although fuller's earth has been. mined intermittently in the state1 from 1891 to 1922. Very nearly all of this was obtained from decomposed basaltic dikes.2 Recently three bentonite deposits of close stratigraphical relationship have been identified in the Coastal Plain region of southern Arkansas, which suggests that there may be a considerable quantity of commercial material available. LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY The three deposits are located respectively in the SE. ;1/4 SE. ;1/4 sec. 13, T.- 2 S., R. 13 W., Saline County, the SE. ;1/4 SE. 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 16 W., Hot Spring County, and in sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 19 W., Ouachita County. The Saline County deposit is 14 miles by state highway 167 south of the city limits of Little Rock and 1 mile west by dirt road. This deposit is 12 miles south of Ward switch on the C. R. I. P. Railroad and 11 miles east of Vimy Ridge by dirt road. Vimy Ridge is also on the C. R. I. P. Railroad. The Hot Spring County deposit located in the SE. ¼ SE. ;1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 16 W. is about 100 yd. north of Durian switch on the C. R. I. P. Railroad and on state highway No. 9, 5 miles southeast of Malvern. The Ouachita County deposit has not been accurately located but lies in sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 19 W. It is approximately 2 miles by road from Chidester on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

Jan 1, 1929

By John D. Sullivan

The present article is one of a series which is being prepared by the Southwest Experiment Station of the United States Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Department of Mining and Metallurgy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., of papers dealing with factors involved in the leaching of copper ores. A knowledge of the time required to dissolve the various copper minerals present in ores, as well as of the consumption of leaching reagents is very desirable, because with the decrease of the Nation's total tonnage of sulphide ores increasing attention is being given to the recovery of copper by leaching methods from low-grade disseminated ore containing both oxidized and sulphide minerals. As leaching has already been applied with success and profit, this study was undertaken to determine certain fundamental characteristics that are applicable to all ores suitable for leaching.

Jan 1, 1929

By Wm. F. Netzeband

The purpose of this paper is to present to the operators, in other districts a detailed description of the ruining method used and the results obtained to exploiting one of the zinc-lead deposits of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri district. No. 1. mine is located in the heart of the town of Picher in the extreme northeast corner of Oklahoma. HISTORY The first prospect drilling was done at No. 1 mine late in-1914, and shaft sinking was started early in 1915. Sufficient ore was developed to start construction of the mill in April, 1016, Production begin in August, 1916, and the mine s been producing, except for short periods, to the present time. The property was originally a 40-acre tract, but additional properties have been consolidated with the original one until the mine now covers 200 acres.

Jan 1, 1929

By G. L. Oldright

[Processes by which silver alone is extracted from ores that also cant contain base metals are usually associated in the mind of the period when mines were changing from the production of noble metals to the production of base metals containing noble metals as a by-product. In this transition period the mixed arcs of the partly oxidized ore zone had to be treated instead of the free-milling ore that had been treated in the past or the deeper-lying sulphide ores that were to be smelted subsequently under improved economic and technical conditions.]

Jan 1, 1929

By van Wert, L. Russell

During an investigation in which the solubility relations of the phases in Muntz metal (60 per cent. copper, 40 per cent. zinc) were under study, certain phenomena that had no immediate connection with the main problem were observed, which were thought sufficiently interesting to study further. Because of lack of time, only a preliminary survey was made of two of these; namely, the cleavage structure developed under certain conditions in a 60:40 brass and abnormal grain growth in this alloy. Cleavage Structure in Heat-treated Muntz Metal Carpenter noted many years ago that cold-working a brass of the Muntz metal type, which had been quenched previously from within the beta field, results in a partial breakdown of the supersaturated beta solution and the precipitation of the solute (the alpha solution) in the cleavage planes of the beta grains. This manner of rejection of a solute from a metastable solid solution is not peculiar to this particular alloy, for among others, it occurs in the cold-working of certain austenitic steels; for example, the austenitic nickel steels. In these ferrous alloys, cold deformation produces a partial decornposition of the austenite, with the formation of martensitic "needles" and zigzags in the austenitic poly-hedra. It is interesting to note that while the two solid solutions— austenite and quenched Muntz metal— are metastable and in their mode of decomposition behave quite alike when deformed in the cold, the metastability of each results from a different cause; viz., that of the austenite from the fact that it is a supercooled solution (its solvent. gamma iron, at ordinary temperatures is below its normal stable range whereas the metastability of the quenched Muntz metal is the result of supersaturation. When a 60:40 brass is quenched from above 800" C.—that is, from within the field where the beta phase alone is stable—this solution is retained practically intact and the alloy so cooled is found to consist almost entirely of polyhedra of this solution with only a little alpha present ordinarily at the boundaries of the beta grains—the result of a slight

Jan 1, 1929

By I. L. Greninger

THE property of the Andes Copper Mining Co. is in the central part of the Republic of Chile, Province of Atacama, 147 km. (91.5 miles) eastward by rail from the port of Chanaral. At this point the Andean system is made up of two principal ranges. The mine is on the westerly slope of the outer, or western, range, at a mean elevation of 3250 m. (10,500 ft.). A meter-gage railroad extends from the company's port at Barquito, near Chañaral, to the reduction plant at Potrerillos. This road has a total length of 151 km. (94.0 miles), of which 93 km. (57.79 miles) are owned by the Andes Copper Mining Co. The remainder of the road is owned by the state. The company operates its trains over the portion of the road owned by the state, under an agreement with the Chilean Government. The mine is connected with the reduction plant by a meter-gage railroad, 10 km. (6.214 miles) long, which extends from the coarse-ore bins at the metallurgical plant to the underground storage bins at the mine. Tunnels make up 60 per cent. of the total length of this railroad. As is characteristic of the Andean region in Chile, the topography of the locality is extremely rough, and a number of points near the mine have elevations of from 15,000 to 16,000 feet. History of Potrerillos Mine The ore occurrence has been known for many years, and many of the claims under individual ownership were worked in a small way before the property was acquired by the present owner—the Andes Copper Mining Company. The highest grade oxide ores near the surface were mined by primitive methods and, after sorting, the product, assaying around 15 per cent, copper, was hauled by mule carts a distance of about 80 km. (49.71 miles)

Jan 1, 1929

By C. E. Reinhard

A useful accelerated weathering test should be capable of placing any series of metals quantitatively in the same order of endurance as that noted under a particular set of actual exposure conditions. The development of such a test must necessarily depend to a considerable extent upon data obtained from a wide variety of exposures. This paper offers preliminary data from exposure tests on nine metals placed in 11 locations in the Lehigh Valley, within a radius of 20 miles from Palmerton. The exposure conditions vary from a severe industrial atmosphere to a pure rural atmosphere. The data are offered as evidence of the necessity for the identification and evaluation of the variables of corrosion and as illustration of some of the variations to be considered in the development of a useful accelerated test. It is quite clear, from this evidence, that a useful accelerated test must be versatile to the extent of showing the probable variations of corrosion resulting from differences in atmosphere as well as from differences in the metals. The paper is presented solely with the object of pointing out the wide variations in relative merits of several common metals in resisting corrosion and without any thought of initiating controversy regarding the merits of particular metals. For this reason the metals are designated only by symbols in the tables and no key is given to these symbols. Test Procedure Specimens, 4 by 6 in., were cut to accurate dimensions from each of the following metals or alloys: aluminum, ascoloy, copper, copper steel, galvanized iron, and zinc. Additional grades of these metals bring the total to nine types. Since it was impossible to obtain the required number of copper-steel specimens having equal surface conditions of rust and scale, it was thought advisable to pickle these specimens in a hot solution of 10 per cent. sulfuric acid. All other specimens were carefully cleaned in ether and alcohol and weighed just prior to exposure. Four specimens of each type of metal were mounted on a test rack by means of porcelain insulators. The racks were so constructed that

Jan 1, 1929

By Oliver Bowles

The wire saw, introduced by the Bureau of Mines about two years ago, has revolutionized slate quarrying in Pennsylvania. The success of the saw since its early accomplishments has become greater and greater as the equipment has been perfected and skill acquired .in its use. In the first test made, a cutting rate of 9.7 square feet per hour was attained; in the next four cuts, made early in 1927, the average rate of cutting was increased to 12.8 square feet per hour; in 1928 a maximum of 34 square feet per hour had been attained, with a general average of about 20 to 25 square feet, The wire saw is now regarded as essential equipment in practically all of the quarries in the Bangor, Pen Argyl, and Windgap districts. The wire saw consists of a three-strand steel cable of 3/16 or 1/4 inch diameter running as an endless belt. The driving pulley is a 40-inch double-groove cast-iron sheave. A tension pulley supported by a frame mounted on wheels may travel back and forth on a short track. A weight of 800 to 2,000 pounds gives the desired tension on the wire. The driving units consist of electric motors with direct-drive compactly enclosed gear reduction, or double-belt speed-reduction units; the former is preferred. Silent chain and. pinion gear reductions are used to a limited extent. The travelling speed of the wire is about 15 feet per second. The driving and tension equipment are shown in Figure 1, A.

Jan 1, 1929

By Shun-ichi Satoh

The electric arc welding of cast iron has been studied by Braune Lamberton, Schimpke, Kenyon, Gale Manufacturing Co., Wedemeyer Candy, Neese, Miller, Carter, American Welding Society, Namack Lebrun, Achenbach, Jansson, Xochendorffer and others.' The write of this paper has been able to obtain a series of cast irons, from gray tc white, without using cast-iron electrodes but by coating on wrought-iron bars mixtures of carborundum (Sic) and graphite (C). In this work, he found the curious phenomenon of barium carbonate.

Jan 1, 1929

By Wm. W. Odell

In distributing natural and mixed gas, the industry is each year confronted with the problem of manufacturing gas in increasing amounts as the supply of natural gas becomes more nearly exhausted. The manufactured gas is now used in mixtures with the still available natural product, and will subsequently be used straight as a substitute gas. The gases that might be considered, and are producible by tried and developed processes, include water gas, carbureted water gas, and coal gas. Singularly, these gases can be used in this manner in ordinary appliances only when proportional amounts of them in the mixtures do not vary beyond rather definite limits, unless burner adjustments are made. The limits are defined by the specific gravity, content of inerts, and burning properties of the respective gases. Anticipating a future standard for city gas lower than that of natural gas during the period when considerable natural gas is available, there is justification for considering the possibility of re-forming natural gas and making a product that has substantially the same properties as other gases which can readily be generated. This report gives the results obtained during a series of tests made under a cooperative agreement by the U. S. Bureau of Mines with the Ohio Fuel Gas Co., re-forming natural gas at Toledo, Ohio, in full-scale operation in a water-gas generator having a grate area of 25.1 square feet. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Ohio Fuel Gas Co. constructed a special water-gas generator for the tests and provided men and the necessary funds for its operation. Appreciation is expressed for the general spirit of helpful cooperation which was evidenced in the activities of all those who took part in the work. Particular acknowledgment is made of the assistance rendered by C. W. Wallace, manager, and by C. F. Cramer, superintendent, and A. Upp, foreman of the plant.

Jan 1, 1929

By Berger

A detailed description is given of radio apparatus for controlling a coincidence outfit for relative gravity measurements. This is probably of little interest, since many types of apparatus could be used. The general method employed is the interesting thing about this paper. As long ago as 1883 von Sterneck made a proposal to control two coincidence boxes with the, seine, clock, and many persons have suggested the use of radio for this purpose. In accomplishing this it would appear to the reviewer that this method is probably inferior to that used by the Marland Oil Co., but Berger and Brückner must be given the credit for important advances in the coincidence method. In their apparatus a clock at a central station actuates a relay, which operates a short-wave transmitter (40 m.). At the receiving station the amplification is accomplished at low frequencies... The signal operates a relay which moves a slitted screen in a coincidence apparatus. This screen has been improved considerably, to decrease the mean error in observing a coincidence. As usual, a telescope is used to observe the flashes of light. It has a scale in its focal plane and positions of successive flashes are easily read off and recorded by a second observer. This makes possible' a: higher accuracy in determining the exact instant at which coincidence would have occurred at the zero point on this scale. This method obviously depends on the constance of the mechanical and electrical lag inn both sending and receiving apparatus, and may be adversely criticized from this standpoint. -- A. E. Ruark.

Jan 1, 1929

By D. Harrington

The coal-mining industry of the United States finds difficulty not only in making ends meet financially but also in operating with anything like reasonable safety. The record to date has not been particularly good as to either finance or safety, but at least in some phases or safety there are indications of better times to come. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1929, only 139 lives were lost in explosions in our mines as against 342 lost during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1928; this decrease in such fatalities is definitely a matter for satisfaction. During the fiscal year July 1, 1928, to June 30, 1929, the attention of the safety division of the U. S. Bureau of Mines was directed to 38 mine explosions in the United States. Two explosions were in non-coal mines, one in a semianthracite mine, two in anthracite mines, and 33 in bituminous mines. These were not all major explosions - that is, explosions in which five or more lives were lost; in some of the explosions no lives were lost, while in others fewer than five fatalities resulted. Table 1 gives data on the explosions, showing the number of mines using open or closed lights and the number of explosions with resulting deaths, by causes, for each State.

Jan 1, 1929

By Joseph Singewald

AMONG the genetically interesting iron ores of the United States are those of the St. Francis Mountains near Ironton and Iron Mountain, Missouri. They are specular hematite in porphyry. The Iron Mountain and Shepherd Mountain deposits are generally spoken of as veins and those of Pilot Knob, Cedar Hill, and Russell Mountain as bedded deposits. Iron Mountain has produced nearly 4,000,000 tons of ore and Pilot Knob about 1,500,000 tons. The output of the other three localities has been insignificant. Pilot Knob is no longer worked as an iron mine, but the rock is now being crushed for use as road metal. Iron Mountain has continued as an active producer. In 1927, the property was acquired by the M. A. Hanna Co. and an extensive prospecting and exploration campaign was undertaken, so that the ultimate production of Iron Mountain will doubtless greatly exceed the figures mentioned.

Jan 1, 1929