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By Harold Markus, Gerhard Derge, Arthur Grobe

THE high corrosion resistance possessed by tin under most circumstances, combined with its generally satisfactory appearance and useful physical properties, has led to many and varied uses for the metal. These uses have been partly limited by the fact that tin is an expensive metal, therefore many applications have been developed in which tin has been employed in combination with lead, either by coating, as in tin-lined collapsible tubes, or by the formation of alloys containing various proportions of tin-rich and lead-rich phases, as terne plate. A detailed knowledge of the corrosion characteristics of the tin-lead couple therefore is of general interest and has become specially important at the present time, when every effort is being made to conserve tin as much as possible. The present study has been limited to carbonate solutions with a pH range from 8.4 to 11.2 so that the results may be related to earlier work on the corrosion of tin and its alloys.1-3,6 In these papers, the effects of a number of anion and cation additions to these solutions have been observed. APPARATUS AND METHOD The electrodes for the corrosion cell were cut from rolled sheet about 1/16 in. thick. The length of all specimens was held constant at 7 in., while the width was varied from ½ to 2 in. These electrodes were fastened to brass electrode supports, which were attached to rubber stoppers fitting into tall-type one-liter Pyrex beakers that contained the electrolyte. The lead electrodes were prepared from Omaha pig* and the tin was rolled from a slab of Chempur.† After cutting to size, the sheets were polished with No. I emery paper and cleaned with carbon tetrachloride. The edges, back and upper parts of the specimen were coated with a synthetic lacquer, which was supplemented with beeswax for the lead electrodes. The binding posts were coated with beeswax after the electrodes had been clamped. The pH of the electrolyte was controlled by adjusting the ratio of carbonate to bicarbonate. Approximately 600 ml. of electrolyte was used in each beaker. The entire assembly was placed in an oil bath thermostatically adjusted to operate at 30°C. ± 0.1°. Potentials were measured against a saturated calomel electrode connected to the cell by an agar-agar salt bridge. The carbonate solution used in the salt bridge was the same as that used in the corrosion cell. Currents were measured with a milliam-

Jan 1, 1942

LEAD and tin mixed together make an alloy through an attachment of natural affinity which they have with each other, so that when they are mixed it is difficult to recognize by the sight which one it is, if the essences of their qualities are not surpassed by more than half. If, indeed, one can be recognized, it is the tin which gives off a certain sharp odor to the sense of smell, besides having a greater hardness and whiteness. The best of these is the one that is the purest in its kind. In the alloy of tin it is the one that is the whitest and hardest, or, when it is bent or some thin end of it is held tightly by the teeth, is heard to crackle as frozen water does. Because this happens more with this than with other metals, I do not wish now to inquire into it. It is enough that it be a sign for recognizing when tin is pure or mixed. Pewterers say that it should be joined in alloy with lead and that it is better for working when it contains four or six pounds to the hundred because it makes it softer to the hammer and more fluid in casting. But I do not like to hear this, even if all they say is true, for I see that the tin that comes from England, when worked as well as in cakes that show it to be pure, is much more beautiful and better in all works than is that made in Venice. And I believe that it is not better for any work when mixed than when pure, except for the advantage of the master who, if he does nothing else, sells lead that is worth little for tin that is worth much. I find that when mixed it serves in only two things. One is when it is wished to make a solder for copper, for use when it is not worth while to solder the bottoms and large pieces of vessels with low-grade silver as should be done. The other is when master potters calcine it in order to make glazes and to apply white to their vases. I consider lead to be useless in all other works of any kind of metal, since it unites with none of the other metals of good company except tin.

Jan 1, 1942

IN general in making such powders, all kinds of gravel, tuff, washed river silt, and similar earths whose grain is fine and lean by nature are good for this operation of casting, either by themselves or in mixture because they are disposed to receive the metals well on account of a certain dryness which they possess. Many kinds are also compounded by means of art. Of these, I shall proceed to tell of all those that experience [119] has taught me to recognize as good. But first I desire that we return to speak of the natural ones because they are real earths and can always be had wherever one may be, and in the necessary quantity. They please me greatly because they are easy to reduce on account of their disposition. A loam is made from these and mixed by beating with wool-cloth cut- tings, spent wash ashes, and horse dung. This is made into cakes and dried. These are then put to bake in a furnace or in some other way and, in fact, are baked very well. Then it is pounded and sifted with a fine sieve, or it is ground in a potter's color mill, or by hand on a porphyry with water, to the fineness that the craftsman desires, or as fine as he can make it. When it has been ground it is again drained free from water and dried out with fire. Then as much magistery of salt is taken as will moisten it. It is dried and pounded again and passed through a sieve. When it has been made as desired in this way it is moistened again before use with water, urine, or vinegar just enough so that it holds together when it is squeezed in the fist. Then, when it has been brought to this point, it is moulded as you will hear. Powders are also made of crushed brick, tripoli, vine ashes, tiles, and glazed drainpipes, or burned emery, calcined tin, straw, and of burned paper and horse dung as well as of young ram's-horn ashes and many other things. The goodness of all these depends on three things; namely, on receiving the metal well, on being so fine as to be almost impalpable, and on their being made .with a magistery that renders them hard and strong when they are dry. In addition to these powders I have used another when I needed it, and it has succeeded well every time I made it. To make this. I have taken I two parts of pumice and one of iron scale and ground them on the por-

Jan 1, 1942

By P. de Vitry, Oliver Bowles

The conventional wire saw, introduced in the slate district of Pennsylvania by the Bureau of Mines in 1927, and used thereafter with remarkable success, consists of a three-strand steel cable having a diameter of 93/16 or 54 in. The equipment, methods used, and accomplishments have been described in previous reports.'-I Similar wire saws have been used extensively in Europe, in quarries and in shaping blocks and slabs. During the period 1932-1937, competition in European marble quarries was keen, prices were declining, and orders were not abundant. When orders were received, there was generally an urgent call for speedy delivery. Because of the diversification of demands, it was impossible to maintain in stock marbles of the color, size, and thickness called for, therefore the material generally had to be fabricated after the order was received. The wire saw enabled stone mills to fill such orders promptly. With skillful handling, 7/8-in. slabs could be cut accurately and rapidly with this equipment. It was found, however, that, as the three-strand wire became worn, the cutting speed dropped rapidly and the cut became less accurate. To overcome these difficulties the junior author of this paper, after much experimentation, developed a new type of wire consisting of a single ribbon-shaped strand, twisted as shown in Fig. I. To ensure straight sawing, the twist of the ribbon is reversed from right to left and vice versa every 25 ft. The reversal of the twist is shown in Fig. 2. This is not a new feature; it has been used to advantage with the three-strand wire both in Europe and America for several years. However, some difficulties arise in splicing the three-strand reverse-twist wire, and the claim is made that cutting is less accurate as the wire becomes worn. To make an endless belt, the ends of the single-strand wire are brazed together with Pyrophyllite is a hydrous aluminum silicate (A1²Si4O10(OH)²)1 that, occurs in both the foliated and the massive forms. The foliated variety resembles talc in that it has a greasy feel, a pearly luster, perfect basal cleavage, and usually is white, although in some deposits apple green, gray, brown, russet, and nearly black specimens may be found. The massive deposits of pyrophyllite yield pearl gray to light tan aggregates, some of which are so friable that they may be crushed with the hands into a fine gritty powder. Frequently specimens of the massive variety are studded with crystals of radial structure. The mineral has a specific gravity of about 2.7 and a hardness of 1 on Mohs' scale.' The chemical composition of commercial pyrophyllite reflects the mineralogy of the deposits, which, according to Stuckey12 contain pyrophyllite and quartz, together with chloritoid, sericite, and a few other minerals of negligible importance. The latter, he says, ('are noticed in but small quantities to the extent they might occur as accessory constituents of an igneous rock or as products of regional metamorphism or weathering. . . . Quartz is abundant everywhere except in the very best grades of pyrophyllite." Analyses of specimens from several deposits are listed in Table 1, showing that the silica content varies from 57 to 73 per cent and the alumina from 22 to 33 per cent. Oxides of iron and the alkaline metals are collectively present, with one exception, to an extent of about 1 to 1.5 per cent. Sources At present, North Carolina is the only commercial source of pyrophyllite, although the mineral has been found in small quantities in many parts of the world. The North Carolina deposits are in the "Carolina Slate Belt," which traverses the center of the state in a southwesterly direction. This belt varies from 8 to 50 miles in width. Two major deposits of pyrophyllite lie along its eastern boundary, in what is known as the Deep

Jan 1, 1942

The eastern part of the state of Rhode Island on both sides of Narragansett Bay, including the island of Rhode Island, is underlaid with carboniferous rocks which carry veins of anthracite. This formation extends into the neighboring portion of Massachusetts, including the area from the state line, the towns of Mansfield, Brockton and Bridgewater,: and extending probably ten miles east of the latter two towns, to Middlesboro, and to Fall River. In Massachusetts the coal formation extends over nearly the whole of Bristol, and parts of Plymouth and Norfolk Counties. In Rhode Island and Massachusetts the area covered is about 400 square miles. In both states the exact limits of the coal measures cannot be determined on account of a thick layer of drift which overlays it. Along parts of Narragansett Bay, the coal measures outcrop in the cliffs on the west side of Rhode Island, and the presence of coal here seems to have been noted as early as 1760, and in 1768 a patent was granted to parties who "were about to dig after pit, coal or sea coal" at the back of the town of Providence. In 1807-08 Benjamin Silliman, later a geologist, visited some openings,' and in 1808 a mine was opened near Portsmouth, in the northeast part of Rhode Island. Work was done here until about 1814 when the mine was abandoned. No anthracite had been used in New England at that time, all coal used came from Nova Scotia, Virginia or England, and was high volatile bituminous; neither experience nor the means of firing favored the use of the local fuel? This mine was again working in 1827, was again abandoned and operations were resumed in 1847. In 1837 a note in a magazine mentions, "the immense coal mine in Cumberland-about six miles from the city of Providence" as having a shaft 14 ft. in diameter and 80 ft. deep, that the horses then used for hoisting the coal were to be superseded by a steam engine and another shaft was to be sunk. With these improvements 30,000 to 50,000 tons were to be produced the following year at a cost of $1 per ton and a sales realization of $6.1 Hitchcock's report refers to a number of localities in both states where definite knowledge of coal existed. These are:

Jan 1, 1942

By W. J. Tough

THIS paper offers examples of some of the typical calculations which occur in the ventilation of metal mines. The fi.rst section of the paper discusses the problems associated with natural-draft pressure; the second section presents the more common of the calculations concerned with the operation of mine fans; the third section illustrates the integration of the individual problems covered by the preceding sections into the larger problem of determining the operating characteristics of a fan for a particular mine duty. There is a very definite limit to the extent to which pure arithmetic can be successfully applied to the solution of min<; ventilation problems. As mines advance from the exploration, development, and initial production stage to the rime when underground workings become exceedingly complex, there is a considerable increase in the relative importance o theory and judgment in the solution of ventilation problems. These calculations illustrate the application of mathematics to ventilation, but they also in-elude examples of instances where arithmetic cannot be conveniently applied, and important estimates, based on judgment compounded of experience and a knowledge of the theoretical consideration involved, must be made. The inclusion of such estimates is intended as a guide and a warning to the reader; a guide in assisting him to recognize and estimate his own incalculables; and a warning that the solutions must not be blindly applied to his apparently similar problems. These sample calculations are intended to assist the reader in applying the theory contained in the standard texts on metal-mine ventilation. They have been selected from the ventilation experience of a British Columbia mine.

Jan 1, 1942

By Joseph C. Kieffer

THE Duquesne property of the Callahan Zinc-Lead Co. is about 20 miles east of Nogales, in southern Arizona. One mine is near the mill, but most of the mill feed is hauled in by truck from a number of small mines. The same sulphides are found in all the ores, in general, but the amounts vary considerably. All ores contain silver, copper, lead and zinc minerals but one mine ships ore high in silver and lead and low in copper and zinc; while another mine ships ore high in copper and zinc, and low in silver and lead. The common sulphides are galena, carrying most of the silver; chalcopyrite; sphalerite, carrying iron in solid solution; and pyrite, in a gangue consisting of limestone, quartz and garnet. Mineralization is fairly coarse. At the present grind of about 66 per cent minus 200 mesh most of the sulphides are liberated. A small amount of chalcopyrite is locked up with the sphalerite and cannot be liberated at an economic grind, and the copper carried into the zinc concentrate with the sphalerite accounts for the comparatively poor recovery of copper in the copper-lead concentrate. PRODUCTION OF TWO CONCENTRATES The milling problem, which was complicated by the extreme variation in the grade of the feed, was first attacked with the idea of producing a silver-copper-lead concentrate and a zinc concentrate, both with satisfactory grades and recoveries. By February I94I, it was felt that these objectives had been attained, when the grades of the various products and the recoveries were as shown in Table I. [ ] A rough outline of the flowsheet and reagents used is as follows: Minus ¾ -in. feed to a 7-ft. by 36-in. Hardinge ball mill working in closed circuit with a 36-in. Wemco classifier. The classifier overflow passes to the second cell of an 8-cell bank of No. 18 Special Denver Sub-A flotation machines (volume, 22.5 cu. ft. per cell). A rougher concentrate is removed from the second to the fifth cells inclusive, and returned to the first cell, which is the cleaner. A scavenger concentrate is removed from the sixth, seventh, and eighth cells, and returned to the third cell. Consump

Jan 1, 1942

By Alfred H. Bell, George V. Cohee

In 1941 Illinois produced 134,139,000 bbl. of oil, or 9.5 per cent of the total for the United States, and ranked fourth among the states. The production for 1941 declined 9.2 per cent from the previous year&apos;s total of 147,647,000 bbl. Daily average production for 1941 was 366,000 bbl. At the beginning of the year daily production was slightly more than 326,000 bbl. and it remained at appoximately that amount until June, when there was a slight increase. The increase continued until the peak of 431,260 bbl. daily was reached for the week ending Oct. 4. Daily average production at the end of the year was approximately 387,500 barrels. The increased production during the last half of 1941 was largely due to the rapid development of the Johnsonville field, Wayne County, the Rural Hill field, Hamilton County, and the Benton field, Franklin County—new fields discovered in the current year (Fig&apos; 1)—and the Woodlawn pool, discovered in 1940. Discoveries In 19 counties in southern Illinois, 44 new fields were discovered in 1941 (Fig. 2 and Table 2), and extensions to 40 fields were successfully completed (Table 3). At the end of the year there were 10,496 wells in the fields discovered since Jan. I, &apos;937, as compared with 71965 wells at the end Of &apos;940. The area proved for production in the new fields increased from 78,040 acres at the beginning of 1941 to 97,483 acres at the end of the year (Table I)—an increase of 19,433 acres, of which 9,955 acres are in the fields discovered during the current year, and the remainder of 9,478 acres in extensions to pools discovered earlier. Drilling During the past year, 3838 wells were completed in Illinois (Table 4), of which 2912 were oil producers, 13 were gas producers and 913 were dry holes; 76 per cent of the wells drilled were producers. Of the total number drilled, 591 wells are classified as "wildcat" and of these 84 (1 in 7) were successful in obtaining production. The results of an investigation to ascer-tain the reason for the locations of the wildcat wells are set forth in Table 5. Of the 591 wildcat wells, the 292 known to have been located by scientific methods were 21.6 per cent successful. The total footage of wildcat wells drilled in 1941 was 1,341,743 ft., of which a total of 216,995 ft. was drilled in successful wells. Exploration MEthods Subsurface geology and geophysics, largely the reflection seismograph, are still the principal methods used in exploration and development in the state. The number of seismograph parties operating throughout the year was as follows: seven parties on Jan. I, 1941; five on Apr. I; four On July I; eight on Oct. I; fifteen on Jan. 1: 1942.

Jan 1, 1942

By Wilbert J. Huff

This is the sixth of a series of annual reports describing the work of the Explosives Division, Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior.3/ It deals particularly with the activities of the division from July 1, 1940 to June 30, 1941. The studies outlined in this and preceding reports of the series have been conducted under the direction of the author and the respective unit leaders, to whom specific credit is given.

Jan 1, 1942

AS you have seen, I have hitherto demonstrated to you the methods for bringing to their proper and pure bodies all metals of any kind of ore that you have found and mined. If these did not now serve human needs all these operations with so much expense and labor would have been profitless and in vain. Therefore I recognize that it is necessary in speaking to touch upon all their operations and to teach you to ma& use of the metals according to the works needed. There are, for instance, some metals that would serve poorly for certain works when reduced to their fineness and perfection. Also, many artificers, in order to avoid expense, are content with having a larger quantity of metals and do not care so much about their perfection. For this reason they willingly accept mixtures of one metal with another, for example, of silver or copper with gold, of copper with silver, and likewise of tin or lead with copper. Tin is accompanied by lead to avoid spoiling its nature completely. All this, however, is done with a definite proportion by weight and not by chance. These admixtures, as I have told you in another place, are called in gold, carats, and in silver, leghe. This, in fact, means nothing but the association of one metal with another, indeed, a soiling of their purity and fineness, to which they have been brought with so much hard effort and labor. But now leaving this discussion, I shall tell you in the present book as briefly as I can, in order, first of the alloying of gold with silver or copper, and then of that of silver with copper.

Jan 1, 1942

By J. D. Davis

The carbonizing properties of No. 2-bed coal from the Bartoy mine and No. 5- or Miller-bed coal from the Wilkeson-Miller mine, both at Wilkeson, Pierce County, Wash., were determined by the Bureau of Mines-American Gas Association (BM-AGA) method. Tests were made in the 13-inch retort at 500°, 600°, and 700° C. and in the 18¬inch retort at 800°, 900°, and 1,000° C. Fischer low-temperature and United States Steel Corporation high-temperature assays were made and the results compared with those of the BM-AGA tests at corresponding temperatures. Agglutinating and plastic properties were determined, and chemical and petrographic analyses were made. The No. 2 bed is 58.5 to 88.0 inches thick at three points sampled in the Bartoy mine. The coal is 98 percent bright and contains only a trace of fusain. A composite of three mine samples contained 13.8 percent ash. The washed sample, which was used in the tests described herein, contained 11.4 percent ash, 2.2 percent moisture, and 0.6 percent sulfur upon the as-carbonized basis and 68.4 percent fixed carbon upon the dry, mineral-matter-free basis. The heating value was 15,183 B. t.u. per pound upon the moist, mineral-matter-free basis. No. 2 therefore ranks as a high-volatile A coal and is very high in that, rank. The ash softens at 2,910° F. Except for its ash content, which is higher than the limit of 9.0 percent specified by the American Society for Testing Materials, No. 2 coal fulfills the requirements of a coking coal. It also is classed as extremely friable, the friability being 88.0 percent. The agglutinating index (7.6 for the 15 : 1 ratio of silicon carbide to coal) is high, and the plasticity as indicated by the Gieseler test (60 divisions per minute) is low for a high-volatile A coal.

Jan 1, 1942

By T. S. Spicer, C. C. Wright

A characteristic property of bituminous coal is that upon being heated the coal becomes plastic, evolves volatile gases, and finally solidifies into coke. This fundamental characteristic is of utmost importance and is utilized in the production of the high-temperature coke upon which the steel industry is so dependent; but from the standpoint of operation in the domestic underfeed stoker this coking tendency seriously interferes with efficient combustion. When the coke formed has too strong a structure, certain difficulties result, such as low rate of burning, slow response to heat demand, and, in extreme cases, extinction of fire. The plastic mass prevents uniform distribution of air through the fuel bed and, with strongly coking coals, large dense pieces of coke are produced which have much less reacting surface than was possessed by the original coal. In both ignition and combustion of solid fuels, the extent of the reacting surface is an accelerating factor. Poor combustion permits a surplus of fuel to accumulate in the furnace because the rate of feed and the rate of combustion are not in equilibrium, and this produces an unbalanced condition detrimental to continued automatic service. In order to bum strongly coking coals satisfactorily in a conventional stoker during the three requisite types of operation—continuous, intermittent and hold-fire, frequent attention is necessary. Domestic stokers are defined by the industry as residential stoker heaters that burn 60 lb. of coal or less per hour. With a few exceptions, these units employ the underfeed principle of combustion in which both air and coal move in the same direction up and through the fuel bed. Domestic combustion equipment has difficulty in meeting the problems presented by the several variations in ash and volatile matter, in ash-clinkering tendencies, in coking properties, and in the particle size of bituminous coals. The work of Bituminous Coal Research Inc. at Battelle Memorial Institute has shown that, of these, coking characteristics and the clinkering tendencies have the greatest effect upon the operation of the conventional clinkering type of stoker. Typical coke formations in a clinkering type of underfeed domestic stoker are illustratcd in Fig. I, which shows (A) the ideal fuel bed obtained with a noncoking or free-burning coal; (B) the type of fuel bed formed with a coal that produces a weak coke; and (C) the type of fuel bed obtained with a strongly coking coal. C is characteristic of the fuel bed developed when the average Pennsylvania bituminous coal is burned in an underfeed stoker of conventional type. It is apparent from these pictures that the formation of coke trees will seriously interfere with the efficient automatic combustion of Pennsylvania bituminous coals.

Jan 1, 1942

By Oliver Bowles

Whiting or Paris white is a fine-grained preparation of calcium carbonate having a wide variety of uses. Until recent years it was prepared almost exclusively from certain north European chalks. With the curtailment of imports of European chalk during the World War of 1914-18, however, finely ground limestone, of domestic origin was used more extensively to satisfy the American demand.

Jan 1, 1942

By Reed W. Hyde

SOME information has been published on the sulphur dioxide concentration of gases from Dwight-Lloyd machines sintering lead ores but most of this relates to the customary practice in which the charge is relatively high in lead and is sintered in two passes over the machine. It is thought, therefore, that the following observations on sintering in one pass a low-lead, low-sulphur charge may be of interest. The data were obtained in sintering lead sulphide flotation concentrates mixed with minus 20-mesh oxide ore, the mixture carrying 16.8 per cent Pb and 5.3 per cent S. No returns were used because of the limited amount of sulphur available as fuel, but the mixture pelletized readily to make a satisfactorily permeable bed on the sintering machine. As there was a possibility that the SO2 might be utilized, a series of runs was made to determine the concentration of SO2 in the gases at different points along the wind box, and the effect on this concentration of changes in the wind-box vacuum. Several runs each were made with vacuums (as measured in inches of water at the wind box) of (1) 2 to 1 3/4 in., (2) 4 to 3 1/2 in. and (3) 6 to 5 1/8 in. The averages of the determinations from each series are platted on the graph (Fig. I). The vertical scale shows the percentage by volume of SO2 (as determined by the Reich method), and the horizontal scale shows the time expressed as percentage of the total sintering time. Sintering was considered to be complete when no SO2 could be detected in the gases. In all cases the depth of bed was 4 1/2 in. and the weight of dry charge per square foot of hearth area was 45.2 lb. Other data are given in the table. The volume of gases corresponding to the several points along the wind box at which SO2 determinations were made could not be measured, but has been calculated from the SO2 content and sulphur elimination on the assumption that the volume is uniform throughout the sintering period. This is not strictly true, as with a given vacuum the volume will usually drop slightly toward the middle of the period and increase toward the end. However, this assumption is a reasonable approximation. Several interesting features are brought out by these data. In general, the published data on SO2 concentration in sintering under ordinary conditions show a high SO2 concentration in the early stages followed by a rapid decrease in concentration and with relatively little SO2 in the gases from the last half or third of the operation. In other words, the greater part of the sulphur elimination is obtained in the first third or half of the period. In these runs, the 6-in. vacuum, which approximates the usual operating condition, gives a curve that follows this customary pattern. Maximum SO2 concentration is obtained 2 ½ min. after

Jan 1, 1942

The early gazetteers mentioned the mining of coal in this state but gave no output data Several of the bulletins of the Illinois Coal Mine Investigations give the results of some historical studies of parts of the state and some early production figures, but some make no mention of this phase of the industry Reports to the state by the various railroads of tonnages carried give figures for coal carried, but usually do not specify its origin These figures, however, when used for roads which crossed the various coal producing counties, and divided between counties in accordance with the little data available have furnished the base for the most of the estimates of county productions Some county histories furnished a few facts, and some were obtained from various other sources

Jan 1, 1942

There are no data available of shipments until 1858, and then estimated, when railroad service became available. By reason of the iron made in the county, and the large amounts of salt, the tonnage used locally was quite large, and until 1860 these are estimated from the probable salt and iron production. After 1859 the tonnages shipped by rail are partly estimated from the total shipments of the Allegheny Valley Railroad from four counties. It is believed that the totals are below, rather than above, what the actual production was. While considerably larger for the same years than figures given by the Secretary of Internal Affairs and census reports, these data were always too low in those days, partly because of lack of facilities for gathering them, but more largely because of the strong prejudice existing in those days against furnishing such data to any governmental agencies.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. A. Brant

Self-potential methods are based ?on measurements on the surface of voltage distributions caused by natural sub-surface oxidation phenomena. The attempt is made to. correlate voltage minima or maxima with the location of mineral materials or geological conditions which may give rise to such naturally produced spontaneous potentials. Any orebody undergoing oxidation is a source of electric current. Ground waters carrying free oxygen attack the upper surface of the body, rendering this the positive pole of a galvanic cell, with the lower portion of the body the negative pole and the surrounding weak acidic waters the electrolyte. Current flow is from positive to negative through the orebody and negative to positive through the electrolyte, i.e., through the surrounding rock. The upper end of a steeply dipping, tabular orebody is hence indicated as lying below the point on the surface where the largest negative potential is observed(l). From its basis, it is apparent that the self-potential method was developed primarily for ore exploration.

Jan 1, 1942

By James Terry Duce

The symposium on production for the year 1941 contains few papers on the foreign situation. Rigid censorship prevails in various countries, as the question of the volume of petroleum supplies has become one of great strategic importance. This is even truer than in the last war, owing to greater mechanization of armies. It has always been the policy of officers in charge of the symposium to refrain from publishing information that might possibly injure national or private interests. At the close of the war we hope again to publish full and accurate records of production abroad. Excerpts from Circular to AutHORs In order to facilitate interpretation of the data in this chapter, we print the fol-lowing excerpts from the Circular to Authors. The field is the unit in this tabulation. In cases of fields extending across State boundaries, such as Rodessa, it is suggested that each State author treat the section of the field in his State as a unit, and by a footnote indicate that the field extends into an adjacent State. Each space in Table I may represent one of four possibilities; either it is not applicable to the particular field, or the proper entry is not determinable, or the proper entry may be determinable but is not determinable from data available to the author, or the proper entry is determinable. When spaces are not applicable, leave blank; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable but not de-terminable from data available to the author, please insert y; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable by the author, make such entries. y implies a hope that in some future year a definite figure will be available. The entry of a zero is a positive declaration, and an important declaration where it is in order. Inability to determine precisely the correct entry for a particular space should not lead the author to insert merely y. Contributions of great value may be made by the author in many cases where entries are not subject to precise determination. In such cases the author should use his good judgment and make the best entry possible under the circumstances. For many spaces the correct entries represent the opinion of the author (for example, "Area Proved") and in such cases the entry need not be hedged to such extent as when the quantities are definite yet can be ascertained only approximately by the author. In cases under definite headings but where figures are only approximate, the author may use x. It is thought that the nearest whole numbers are sufficiently accurate for our purposes except as to percentage of sulphur in oil. If an author desires to report any other figures to tenths, he may do so. The quantity of gas produced should include, where possible, gas sold or otherwise marketed, and gas blown into the air, burned as flares or otherwise wasted. Segregation of these figures would be interesting if the authors can make such segregation. In any event, the figures should represent as nearly as possible the total quantity of gas removed from the reservoir.. Under the columns on "Depth," the average depth to the top of the productive zones and to the bottom of the productive wells, when

Jan 1, 1942

By M. F. Goudge

MAGNESIA refractories and magnesium metal are both essential war commodities. The need for magnesium, which had just made its debut as a commercial metal a few years before the outbreak of the present war, is widely known because this new and valuable light metal has already received much publicity. Less widely known but equally important in the war effort are magnesia refractories. They are indispensable to the efficient functioning of the great metallurgical plants producing steel, nickel, copper, and other metals, where, because of their resistance to extreme high temperature and chemical attack, they are used in lining the furnaces, which are operated at a white heat. The demand for refractories in the metallurgical industries rose rapidly upon the outbreak of war, and now, in consequence of the continued great expansion under way in the manufacture of steel, nickel, copper, and other metals, the need for magnesia is greater than ever. Since 1915, part of the Canadian requirements of basic refractories has been supplied from the deposits of magnesitic dolomite in Argenteuil county, Quebec. The products from these deposits are excellent for many uses, but the magnesitic dolomite has too high a content of silica and lime to be used in making a type of magnesia brick required in nickel converters, and in the roofs of reverberatory furnaces used in the copper and steel industries. There is now a large and growing demand in Canada for bricks and shapes for these uses. This demand has always been supplied from the United States. Makers of these products in the United States, in turn, formerly imported most of the necessary high-grade, dead-burned magnesia from Austria and Manchuria. Not only are these sources closed, but refractory chrome ore from the Philippines is no longer available and chrome refractories may have to be in large part replaced by magnesia.

Jan 1, 1942

By Benjamin S. Lindsey, James Norman

BaritE (BaSO4) is the most important industrial barium mineral from the standpoint of quantity consumed. In 1938 the amount was 365,000 tons. Its uses are numerous, some of the &apos;more important being in the production of pigments, as an inert filler in a wide variety of products, as a weighting material in oil-well drilling muds, in the manufacture of some kinds of glass, and in the production of barium chemicals. The barite studied in this investigation occurs as the massive variety in a shale replacement formation near Magnet Cove, Ark. It is intimately mixed with quartz and small amounts of iron oxide and residual shale. Complete liberation of barite and quartz is not obtained when the rock is ground to 100 per cent through 325 mesh. The crude rock with which all test work was done assayed 85.1 per cent BaSO4, II.II per cent SiO², and 2.85 per cent R²O3. Its specific gravity was 4.03. It was found in the course of the investigation that the barite contained a small amount of uniformly distributed carbonaceous material, so intimately dispersed that it could not be seen with the microscope, but gave a definite gray cast to the barite concentrates. The color of the barite in polished sections of the crude rock ranged from gray to almost black, while finely ground powder was a reddish gray. The reddish hue was due to the iron oxide present. In 1939, under the supervision of Oliver C. Ralston,* the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Milwhite Company, of Houston, Texas, undertook to study the flotation of barite from Magnet Cove, Ark. Flotation of several southern barite ores had already been investigated by the Bureau of Mines.&apos; The Magnet Cove barite was unique, however, in that it had to be ground to such an extremely small particle size for liberation. The flotation of non-metallic minerals in the presence of a large amount of slime is usually very difficult, and when done is an innovation calling for conditions different from those under which granular material is scparated. Laboratory Flotation Work Preliminary investigation showed that the flotation reagents recommended by O&apos;Meara and Coe1 for separating barite and siliceous material were suitable, but much larger quantities of reagents were required to separate such finely divided material. Moreover, it was found that careful control of the frothing was necessary. When oleic acid and sodium silicate were used a voluminous froth was observed at the beginning of a test, and toward the end there was not enough froth to effect complete recovery of barite. The addition of pine oil as a frother gave proper frothing for the duration of the test, and the substitution of coconut fatty acid (crude lauric acid) for oleic acid produced a more heavily burdened froth. Two different paper-mill fatty-acid products were tested

Jan 1, 1942