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By Alec M. Crowell, J. W. Sanders

While the production of crude oil and condensate in South Arkansas increased only 1.7 per cent over the 1940 figure, complete utilization of gas produced with the oil and condensate, and heretofore wasted, was beginning to be evidenced. There were 26,229,264 bbl. of oil and condensate produced in South Arkansas during 1941, as against 25,790,380 bbl. for the year 1940. (Fig. I.) Since 1936, deep producing sands have been discovered in 18 fields and during that period only 40 per cent of the total state production has come from Upper Cretaceous formations while 60 per cent came from the Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic formations. The gas produced with crude oil and condensate from the latter formation contains large quantities of hydrogen sulphide, the maximum being 6900 grains per 100 cu. ft. in the Patton pool of Lafayette County. Gas Utilization During the latter part of 1940 and the early part of 1941, pilot plants were placed in operation to determine whether the hydrogen sulphide and deleterious material in South Arkansas gases could be removed economically. The Federal Government desired to build a large aluminum plant in the Ouachita Valley and was seeking cheap fuel for the generation of electricity. The fact that the gases were produced with appreciable quantities of crude oil and condensate made it available at a very low price, since the state's conservation law prohibits the flaring of any gas. As a result of these experiments the first large-scale unit for the processing of gases containing hydrogen sulphide was placed in operation on Sept. I, 1941. The plant is in the Magnolia oil field, Columbia County. It processes residue gas from the Shell Oil Company's gasoline plant in that field and also raw gas from the Village field, 6 miles east of the Magnolia field. The gas entering the desulphuri-zation unit is laden with approximately 1400 grains of hydrogen sulphide per 100 cu. ft. and is stripped to a content of 4 grains per 100 cu. ft. The capacity of the plant is 15 million cu. ft. of gas treated daily under a pressure of 160 lb. per sq. in. The cost of treatment, exclusive of depreciation, is appreciably less than I per 1000 cubic feet. Two other plants of much greater capacity have been announced and priorities have been granted, which should bring the total amount of gas treated to 150 million cu. ft. daily. The gas to be treated will have a maximum hydrogen sulphide content of 4500 grains per 100 cu. ft. and will be processed under a pressure of 600 lb. per sq. in. These developments are something entirely new in field practice for the industry. The fact that this heretofore wasted gas is available at very low cost has led to the location of some eight war industries within the state, in addition to the alu-minum plant. Recovery OF Sulphur The Susearch Corporation and the Southern Acid and Sulphur Co. placed in operation during 1941 pilot plants to de-

Jan 1, 1942

HAVING already shown you the methods of making the moulds for casting and how they are to be prepared so that they may receive the melted metals well, it is now necessary, in order to complete the casting with perfection, that I show you not only the operations and instruments by which metals are softened, but also how metals can be made as liquid and fluid as water so they may easily enter into all the hollows of the moulds that you have made. Of these, besides the fire which is the prime agent, there is a very powerful furnace, which is called a reverberator.* I believe this is chosen not only for convenience but also because it is necessary in large casts. This is made of baked bricks, or of crude ones if desired or of suitable fire-resistant stones. Although all masters have the same objective, each one proceeds to make this kind of furnace according to his own ideas so that it can be said that there are almost as many different shapes of such furnaces as there are masters. This can be seen in the place that contains the metal, which is of such a shape that the force of the fire may operate better. Thus some masters are called good who, seeing no farther than what has been shown them, make them circular like a bread oven. Some others make them oval across the fire en- trance, while others extend them lengthwise. Also, there are some who make a single outlet for the flames, some two, and some three. Some make the entrance for the fire high and narrow and others, wide and low. The same is true of the place where the flames are generated, which is called the firebox. Some put the wood in from the side, some lengthwise in the same direction as the entrance for the flames, and some from above by means of a little hole. Also, one makes the vault low, and another makes it high. And while one puts an entrance for air underneath so that the

Jan 1, 1942

I HAVE already described to you many kinds of fusions and fires and still have many to describe if1 am to guide you, as I intend, among the operations of these processes. In all these, quantities of charcoal and various kinds of it must be handled continually and it therefore seems to me necessary to tell something about charcoal for aiding you in these processes. Without it artificers could scarcely bring their works to an end, because it is the food that nourishes the fire both for smelting and for softening the metals, or for calcining or drying things out. [61] It is a very powerful means and not only is its fire used for many more works than other fires, but it is also essential. Although there are many other things that make fire and would make it, I do not know of any that are better adapted for this purpose, or that can be more easily procured in large quantities, than wood and charcoal. For, as you can see, very great forests are found which make one think

Jan 1, 1942

By L. P. Davidson

THE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and .operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to storage tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in. the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching period, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid-either as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine-because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60° Be. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1942

By L. S. Darken

THE manufacture and treatment of metals comprises operations whose effectiveness depends in large measure upon diffusion phenomena. The significance of such phenomena has, for a few simple cases, long been understood, but in more complex cases it has not been adequately recognized. This paper presents a mathematical analysis of some of the cases in which diffusion leads to the formation of a new phase within the metal, and this analysis provides a basis for interpreting quantitatively many apparently diverse experimental observations recorded in the literature, some of which are outlined in the following pages. OBSERVATIONS RECORDED IN LITERATURE An outstanding instance is the general type of phenomenon in which diffusion of an element into an alloy is followed by a phase change, which most frequently is a reaction (precipitation) of the diffusing element with one or more components of the alloy to form a compound. Thus in certain alloys heated in contact with oxygen not only the usual oxide scale appears but, in addition, beneath the surface, a well-defined zone in which free oxide particles are dispersed with notable uniformity. This zone, commonly referred to as the subscale or zone of internal oxidation, is remarkable in that the visible boundary between it and the unaltered metal is usually sharp. Such a subscale, which appears to have been recognized first in oxidized copper alloys, has been described and studied by C. S. Smith,1 by Rhines,2 and by Rhines, Johnson and Anderson;3 but it appears also in other alloys when they are exposed to conditions that bring about the precipitation of some compound, not necessarily an oxide. Another clear case of this same kind is the diffusion of carbon into a steel containing an element such as molybdenum, chromium, vanadium or tungsten, whose carbide is less soluble in iron than iron carbide, the result being that some part of that element is precipitated as a dispersed carbide. A similar phenomenon may occur on the welding of two alloys each of which contains one of a pair of elements that react to form a compound or a new phase of any sort. But in addition to the precipitation of a compound formed from the diffusing element, other effects may result merely from the presence of the diffusing element. For instance, if homogeneous austenite, nearly saturated with respect to carbon, is heated in contact with silicon in the absence of oxygen, one would expect to find, behind the several iron-silicon phases analogous to a scale, a zone of austenite containing dispersed carbide, because of the fact that silicon decreases the solubility of carbon in iron. As still another example, oxidation of an alloy may result in diffusion toward the surface of one or more of the constituents; for instance, during oxidation of a steel containing an element such as copper, which is less prone to oxidation than iron, there is a notable enrichment of copper just beneath the scale-metal interface. As an example of a yet more

Jan 1, 1942

IN discussing the art of the goldsmith, it is apparent that it is an art requiring skill. He who wishes to be acclaimed a good master therein must be a good universal master in several arts, for the different kinds of work that come to his hands to be done are infinite. Those who work in gold and silver must outdistance all other craftsmen in learning and achievement to the same degree that their materials outdistance other metals in nobility. Therefore, it is necessary first of all to be a good designer, because design is the key that opens the doors not only to the goldsmith's craft but to all others. Then it is necessary that he understand melting and that he know well how to work with a hammer and how to use flat gravers and burins in engraving, as well as files and chisels. He must also possess certain secrets that are needful to the art, which in truth are parts of alchemy, such as softening gold when it is brittle and raw, coloring it when it has little color, soldering, enameling, working in niello, blanching, gilding, and an infinite number of things which must all be known in detail. But above all he who wishes to do this art well must be very patient in working, must know how to mould and how to proceed with the melt and with the file, hammer, chisel, or other implements for bringing his gold or silver work to the final state which he plans. He must also have good judgment in gems and know well how to recognize every [134v] good or defective quality they possess, and to distinguish the false gem from the true, either when set or when unmounted, as there is need; also how to value them both in buying or selling and in satisfying others who seek his appraisal. He should also be experienced not only in the technique of melting but also in the methods of assaying, parting, refining, cementing, and the like, and still many others. But if I wished to tell you of every part

Jan 1, 1942

It is probable that the first commercial production of coal in Ohio was for the supply of Wheeling, before mines were opened at that place. This coal came from Pipe Creek in Belmont County,l where the seam was exposed a short distance above the river. This movement could not have lasted more than a few years, because coal was being mined at Wheeling in 1818, and probably before that.2 Mining began in Tuscarawas County in 1810 and in Perry County in 1816, and has been followed steadily since then. In the eighteen twenties the Pomeroy field in Meigs County, Jackson County, and the northern Ohio field in Summit County commenced production. All of the early data available are given in Table 57. No early official reports were made, but after 1859 the Secretary of State published statistics of production, admittedly inaccurate, by counties, and under various officials these have been continued to the present day. Ohio has never published statistics about coal in smaller units than the county; no reports of individual properties have ever been collected. The period from 1800 to 1885 includes the opening of practically all of the coal fields of the state, although those of eastern Ohio were not large producers at its end. During this time the use of raw block coal in blast furnaces had begun and ended, and at the end, coke was nearly the universal fuel for this purpose. Much of the coal traffic on the Ohio River and its main tributaries originated in the necessity of a fuel supply for Cincinnati and other down-river cities. This traffic started in 1794, and few records of it are available until many years later; in 1846 records of the movement to Cincinnati began and have been maintained with increasing thoroughness, and represent one of the most complete records of such a traffic extant anywhere. As these data show the originating fields of most of the coals used there, the available figures to 1885 have been collected in Table 16.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. T. Beckwith

The Lehigh Navigation Coal Company Inc. operates steep-pitch, relatively deep mines in the Panther Creek Valley, at the eastern end of the southern anthracite coal field. Commercially minable coal beds are the Mammoth,† Primrose, Orchard, and Buck Mountain;‡ their respective thicknesses average 50, 15, 10 and 12 ft. Sand slates immediately overlie and underlie these beds, though in some locations sandstone or conglomerate beds occur. Underground operations extend to a depth of 1200 ft. below the surface, and comprise a bulk of virgin work on the lower levels, and a small amount of remining on the upper levels. With increase in depth, ventilation has become a more important factor. Development In early days slopes or drifts were driven in the outcropping coal on the hillsides. Subsequent development was by water-level tunnels, with portals above high water in Panther Creek. These tunnels have been maintained because they intercept and drain much water that enters the mined-out portion of the bed and otherwise would follow down to the deep workings+ Below these tunnels, the coal was customarily developed by slopes. Muleways, which are zigzag chutes easy to travel, were also driven to connect lower openings with the water levels. When it became necessary to go still deeper, the slopes were abandoned, and vertical multicompartment shafts were sunk from the surface. Levels have been at vertical intervals of from 175 to 250 ft. Recent practice has been toward the latter spacing, splitting the total lift, however, by starting to mine from chutes extending halfway up to the level above. Chutes customarily are spaced at 50, 60 or 70-ft. centers along the gangways. At some mines, additional shafts have been sunk from the surface to the level containing the main pumping station, and these carry the discharge lines from the pumps. As the mines are ventilated by the exhausting system, both the hoisting and so-called water shafts serve as intakes. The main fan is always on the surface, and is connected with the return airways from the various levels by an air hole or a vertical shaft. For economy, when the present deepest levels were developed, and return-air shafts or air holes were not extended to the new level, but connections were made from the new level to that above by two or more holes. It is doubtful that this method will be continued, as complications in the system, increased resistance to flow, and other difficulties undoubtedly will counterbalance any economies this provision may afford. During the early years of mining, when operations were at no great depth, all development headings were driven in the coal bed. As mining progressed downward, increased ground pressures slowed develop

Jan 1, 1942

By Paul Weir

Bleaching clays have been used extensively in the oil-refining industries for a number of years. Their use in water purification is relatively recent and less extensive. They are frequently classified as (1) those naturally active and (2) those active after artificial activation with acid. Fuller's earths fall within the general group of bleaching clays and gradually the commercial term "fuller's earth" has been applied to natural clays originating, for the most part, in the southeastern section of the United States. Bentonitic clays are usually classed as activable and are prevalent in the southwestern section of the United States.l Bleaching clays vary considerably in chemical and physical properties throughout the country, or even in different parts of one deposit (Table 1). The fuller's earth type of clay is characterized by a lack of plasticity, relatively adsorbent, foliated structure, and does not swell to form a

Jan 1, 1942

In Table 47, tonnages shown before 1869 are estimated. After that time they are partly estimated from the total tonnage handled by the Allegheny Valley Railroad from four counties, of which this was one. Several reports to state authorities give a few figures, all probably very low, as is shown by the return in 1880 to the Secretary of Internal Affairs. [ ]

Jan 1, 1942

By L. G. Graper, E. L. Ramsey

THE present program of increased production of armament and lend-lease material for mechanized war has created a problem for the shops that must do the machining. They have naturally turned to the steel producers to provide them with a steel that can be accurately machined with the greatest possible speed. The adding of sulphur to steel as an aid to machinability has long been practiced; however, it may cause red shortness in rolling and may result in billets with seams and cracks, which must be removed before rolling can be continued. This conditioning of billets slows down production and' adds to the cost of making steel. Experience with various grades of sulphur steel made to different specifications has shown that Bessemer sulphur steels roll better than similar grades made in the open hearth, and also that low-carbon steels that are open or semikilled .as tapped roll better than completely deoxidized or killed steels. This has led to the belief that oxygen plays an important part in the rolling qualities of sulphur-bearing steels. It is generally held that the red shortness of sulphur steels is due to the low melting point of the sulphide compounds that separate out at the grain boundaries when the steel solidifies. At the rolling temperature of steel these sulphide compounds melt and cause cracking. ADDING SULPHUR AS A SULPHITE These difficulties can be avoided if sulphur is introduced into the steel by means of an anhydrous sulphite, such as sodium sulphite or sodium bisulphite, which-upon decomposition-forms sulphur dioxide. It is assumed that, in this case, the oxygen of the sulphur dioxide forms part of the sulphide inclusions in the steel, and raises their solidification temperature enough so that the formation in the steel of a low-melting eutectic is prevented. The result is the prevention of hot shortness and a more uniform distribution of inclusions. Fig. I shows photomicrographs of steels made with sulphur, while Fig. 2 illustrates the structure of steels made with sodium . bisulphite. These samples were cut from the steels as cast-that is, before rollingand were polished and lightly etched to bring out the grain boundaries. Fig. I shows that sulphide -inclusions segregate more or less at the grain boundaries, and it can be seen how the continuity of these low-melting inclusions would cause red shortness. Fig. z shows that the sulphide inclusions are more or less uniformly distributed throughout the matrix. This arrangement of inclusions has no apparent effect on the rolling qualities of a steel. This statement has been substantiated by the observation of the rolling of over 6000 tons of steel made with a sulphite addition. RESULTS As stated before, the sulphur dioxide-is added to steel by means of the decomposi-

Jan 1, 1942

Aamot, Olav Crone, (M'29) Chem. Engr., Elektrokemisk, Raadhusgt. 23, Oslo, Norway. Abadilla, Quirico A., (M'3S) Min. Engr., Dir., Bu¬ reau of Mines. Manila, P. I. Abbott, Agatin Townsend, (J'40) Jr. Engr., Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci Branch, Morenci. Ariz. Abbott, Clarence E., (M'04) Civil Engr., V.P., Ten¬nessee Coal Iron & R.R.. Co., 1542 Brown -Marx Bldg.. Birmingham, Ala. Abel, Raymond L., (M'28) Chem. Engr., Command¬ing, Officer, Pittsburgh Chem. Warfare Procurement Dist., American Bank Bldg., Pittsburgh. Pa. Abel, Walter D., (M'32) Alin. Engr.. Div. of Cor¬porations, State of Calif., 403 California State Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. Abele, Louis T., (M'31) 423 3rd Ave., Decatur, Ga. Abell, Leo M., (M'31) Mill Supt. & Met., Emperor Gold Min. Co., Led., Vatnkoula, Fiji Islands. Abernathy, G. E., (M'38) Geol., Kansas State Geol. Survey, Pittsburg, Bans. Abernathy, Jack H., (M'40) Peer. Engr., c/o Superior Oil Corp., National Bank of Tulsa Bldg., Tulsa, Okla. Aborn, Robert H., (M'10) Asst. Met., Research Lab., U. S. Steel Corp., Lincoln Highway, Kearny, N. J. Abraham, A. W., (M'39) Peer. Engr., Richfield Oil Corp., 555 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, Calif. Abramowitz, William L., (J'40) Chem., Industrial Inventions, Inc., 103 Foster Se., Peabody, Mass.

Jan 1, 1942

By F. D. DeVaney

The low-grade deposits of manganese ores along the Missouri River near Chamberlain, S. Dak., are known to contain one of the largest reserves of manganese in the United States. Manganese occurs as concretionary nodules ranging in size from 13 inches in their longest dimension to particles finer than 65-mesh. The nodules are embedded in soft, wet shale, which contains little manganese. The removal of nodules from the low-grade shale is a simple mechanical -problem; the question is primarily to determine the lowest-cost method of separation. This report purposes to present data acquired by experimenting with samples of the ore, which form a basis for suggesting methods of concentrating manganese nodules.

Jan 1, 1942

By S. S. Clarke

THE sheet-ground deposits of the TriState district, because they are fairly uniform in thickness (7 to 11 ft.)-rather flat, with an easy dip to the west-and cover a large acreage, offered a problem of improved transportation. Heading advance in this kind of mine is very rapid and track haulage requires a larger crew of trackmen than do other mines, and a heavy investment in track. The use of some type of rubber-tired truck equipment for underground haulage was under consideration for some time by the Eagle-Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The nature of some ore bodies made them not adaptable to truck haulage and some mines that did offer possibilities were equipped with other types of haulage, and the expected savings by the use of trucks did not offset the loss of investment that would be incurred in discarding other equipment. The decision was made to sink a new shaft, designed for skip hoisting, on the Blue Goose ore body, and then develop truck equipment. DEVELOPING TRACTORS AND TRAILERS A study was made of internal-combustion engines for power units in the tractors, but the extreme difficulty of controlling air circulation, and the heavy cost of drilling large churn drill holes for blower installations, led to the adoption of a tractor with a storage battery. The storage-battery tractor that was on the market for mine haulage was impossible to obtain because all were needed for defense work. Several standard electric-truck chassis were purchased and rebuilt in the Eagle-Picher shops. The steering wheel was shortened and set vertical, permitting the driver's seat to be moved forward, and the frame was shortened enough to take the battery box and the fifth wheel support that carried the gooseneck of the dump trailer. The fifth wheel, or turntable, is of the ball and socket type. Fig. I shows the ball fastened to the gooseneck. The socket is split to permit introduction of the ball and is held by through-bolts, and the socket is welded to a ½ -in. plate, which in turn is attached to the tractor frame. Smaller wheels and tires were put on to reduce over-all height. If it had been necessary, the springs could have been reversed, or taken off entirely, to gain additional clearance. The tractors are equipped with 48-cell, 23-plate, 400-A.H. batteries. With the initial tonnage and mileage, the batteries were about 50 per cent down at the end of a shift. Tractors have truck tires 7.50 by 20, 8-ply, front and rear, the rear being dual. After four months of use, the tires are beginning to show signs of failure.* In

Jan 1, 1942

By Charles G. Kemsley

IN view of the truly remarkable development of special steels for special purposes, the mining industry has for years looked forward to a time when steel makers would come forward with a product which would be an improvement over the straight carbon steel which has always held the field for drilling rock. In order to avoid making changes in conventional shop practice, the industry has perhaps been too insistent upon obtaining a water hardening steel which could be handled in the blacksmith shop by long established methods. As early as 1932 or 1933, an oil-hardening tool-steel of the one per cent carbon, plus chrome, plus molybdenum type was applied to hollow drill steel. It was known as a hard as well as a tough steel, and one that, theoretically, should give a good account of itself as a rock drill, if properly heat-treated; and so it has proved in actual trials. There were numerous deterrents which retarded adoption of this steel. For several years there has been a constant improvement in the drilling qualities of the straight carbon steel, and, considering the higher unit price ? of the alloy, there has been considerable doubt in the minds of some mining? men as to what advantage there might be in the use of alloy over straight carbon for hollow drill steel. The alloy being an oil-hardening steel, its adoption meant having two kinds of steel in the mine, for a time, and that spelled trouble, unless some positive means of identification was adopted. The hardening and forging ranges of alloy steel being narrow also made necessary much closer control over these operations if poor results were to be avoided. These thoughts undoubtedly prevented its use becoming wide-spread, for, as a matter of actual record, less than fifteen per cent of all the hollow drill steel used in Canada today is alloy.

Jan 1, 1942

By P. B. Leavenworth, Jack F. Harang

Development during the year 1941 on the Texas Gulf Coast resulted in the dis covery of 27 new fields as compared to 26 fields for the year 1940. Drilling.—During the year, 1405 wells were drilled. Of this number, 1031 were completed as oil wells with 375,000 bbl. daily of new production; 50 were com pleted as gas wells and 324 were failures. The most active area was Jackson County, where 375 wells were drilled and 336 of them accounting for 190,000 bbl. daily of new production. Types of Fields.—Of the 2 7 new fields, 14 are considered to be oil fields, 8 are listed as gas-distillate fields and 5 as gas fields. This may be compared to 26 fields found in 1940, of which 14 were oil fields and 12 gas-distillate fields. Producing Sections.—Frio discoveries retained their predominant position by having 10 Frio fields discovered in comparison to 6 fields in the Wilcox, 4 in the Yegua, 5 in the Miocene and 2 in the Jackson. In the previous year 15 Frio fields were found, 4 in the Wilcox, 2 each in the Yegua, Cook Mountain and Miocene, and I in the Jackson. Production.—Production increased over 1940 approximately 10 per cent, being 113,726,893 bbl. for the year 1941 and 104,127,247 bbl. for 1940. The statistics in Tables I and 2 include distillate and condensate as oil production because no separate reports have been compiled. It is hoped that this separation may be possible some day, but as a great many fields produce both oil and distillate and these arc commingled in pipe lines, separation of statistics will be more difficult than for other areas. New Fields Big Hill, Jefferson County.—Stanolind Oil and Gas Company's No. I George D. Anderson was completed as a gas well from a Frio sand at 8705 to 8720 ft., on Dec. 24, 1941, after having been drilled to a depth of 9500 ft. Additional development is being carried on but it is not possible to evaluate this discovery at this time. Brushy Creek Field, Lavaca County.— Shell Oil Corporation's No. I D. G. McManus was completed as the discovery well in the Brushy Creek field on Oct. 29, 1941, from a Wilcox sand through perforations at 7225 to 7230 ft., making gas and 180 bbl. of 59° gravity distillate. This well was bottomed at 10,998 ft. in the Wilcox. No statement can be made at this time as to the importance of this discovery. Chenango Field, Brazoria County.—J. N. Rayzor et al. completed their No. I Sarah J. Christian through perforations at 8564 to 8572 ft. in a Frio sand, for 453 bbl. of 37.7° gravity oil, on Feb. 6, 1941, after having drilled to 9564 ft. Several wells were drilled in this area during the year but failed to establish important production. This is considered a minor discovery. Clodine Field, Fort Bend County.—Providence Oil Company's No. I Hatfield was the discovery well of the Clodine field, being completed through perforations at 7499 to 7502 ft. for 108 bbl. of 51.2° gravity distillate, on June 19, 1941. The well was bottomed at 8090 ft. Several wells

Jan 1, 1942

I AM sure you know that it is necessary to draw the gold into wire in order to make gold cloth, gold embroidery, or gold filigree work. Just as it is beaten to form leaf for ornamenting pictures, so also can gold be drawn easily. The same is done with silver and tin, and I believe it could also be done with iron, copper, and brass. Although brass is not so

Jan 1, 1942

By M. B. Standing, D. L. Katz

Density data are reported on 15 saturated hydrocarbon liquids in the range of 35° to 250°F. and 1000 to 8220 lb. per sq. in. The apparent liquid densities of methane and ethane are shown to vary with the density of the system in which they are present. A method is proposed whereby the densities of liquid hydro- carbon mixtures containing both methane and ethane in solution may be computed at elevated temperature and pressures within the accuracy of usual engineering computations. A method of computing the shrinkage of crude oils based upon the gas-oil ratio, gas analysis, and crude gravity is outlined. Introduction The densities of naturally occurring liquid hydrocarbon mixtures are important in many petroleum engineering computations. Calculation of the shrinkage of a subsurface sample of crude oil as the natural gas is evolved is one example of the use of liquid-density data. Sage, Hicks, and Lacey5 have presented a method of computing the density of hydrocarbon liquid mixtures based on partial molal volumes. Katzl has indicated a method based on the principle of additive

Jan 1, 1942

With the use of 86 rock drills of the jackhammer type at the West Lyell Open Cuts of the Mt. Lyell Mining & Hailway Co., it is of importance to determine the economic as well as the physical life of these machines. With this purpose in mind records have been kept of the footage bored and the cost of new parts placed in each machine, and the following procedure adopted.A graph is plotted for each machine showing the footage bored as a horizontal line and at each 5,000 feet of boring the total cost of new parts noted on this line. (See l"ig. 1.) Thus at a glance it is possible to see... the amount of work done by each machine and the money spent on it in new parts. However, it is difficult to visualise from this graph the increase in the cost of new parts for each machine as its life advances. To obviate this difficulty a curve is plotted with the cost of new parts as the vertical component and the distance bored as the horizontal component. As before the cost of new parts are taken at each 5,000 feet bored. (See Fig. 2.) The curves so obtained are particularly interesting for two reasons:1. Each machine has its characteristic curve.2. The curve always steepens.Some machines are found to have relatively flat curves, others flat curves for approximately 15,000 feet of boring, and others steep gradients from the begining.This demonstrates that it is not always economic to discard a drill after it has been in service for a certain length of time or after it has bored a specified number of feet. Each drill has its own characteristics and so must not be regarded as one of a class, but considered on its own performance.The following use of these curve diagrams has been made to determine whether a machine has reached the end of its economic life. Figure 3 shows...

Jan 1, 1942

While coal was undoubtedly seen by the early travellers within the state, the first mention of it was in the late 1820's when hunters put some stones from a creek bed under the logs of a large camp fire, and awoke later to find the stones on fire. The stream was later named Coal Branch; the location was at the eastern side of the present Bibbs County.1 In the Louisville Daily Journal of Feb. 11, 1831, the following short editorial note appeared: "Tuscaloosa Coal.-A small quantity of this article has reached Mobile, and has been tried in the office of the Patriot; it is said to be an excellent article. We invite such of our friends as desire economy in fuel, love a cheerful and constant fire, or would eschew a smoky room, to call and examine." On a geological map published in 1832, the "Carboniferous group" is shown and a spot near Tuscaloosa indicated as showing bituminous coal,2 and this is again alluded to in Morton's Synopsis, 1834. A brief description of the coal fields in the state in 1834 said that in winter coal was brought down the. Black Warrior River to Mobile and sold there at the same price as Liverpool coal, $1.00 to $1.50 per barrel, ($10 to $15 per ton) and that the writer was using it in his laboratory.3 At that time it was in local use by smiths and an iron foundry was using it in Shelby County.4 In 1836 some coal was mined in the Birmingham district, chiefly in the northern portion of the Coosa basin, where it was loaded on barges and taken down the Coosa Rivers.5 "William Whitman dug coal out of Wolf Creek (Walker County) in 1837," and in the same county, in 1839, the first coal shaft in the state, was sunk. This was near the mouth of Lost Creek and was known as Frierson's Shaft. It was operated by a hand windlass, using two tubs.1

Jan 1, 1942