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By Arthur Dwight

WE NOT have to go so very far back, when measured in actual years, to what may be considered the beginning of the industrial era of the great West, the discovery of gold in California in 1848, just 74 years ago. By a strange coincidence, this event occurred within a few days of the signing of the treaty with Mexico which ceded California to the United States. Needless to describe the mighty wave of humanity that hurled itself toward the setting sun in response to that call. The single thought in every one's mind was gold. The gold as they found it in placers or ledges could be so easily worked, and the product was so readily transportable, and available immediately as money, that practically no attention was paid to deposits of the base metals, in the treatment of which cheap transportation was a paramount con-sideration; consequently little progress was made in anything but gold mining until after the Civil War. The next great step was accomplished when East and West were united by the successful construction of the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha across the great plains and through the Rockies to meet the rails of the Central Pacific coming eastward across the Sierras. The industrial history of our great West really dates from the day when those two hands of steel were joined, on the shores of the Great Salt Lake at Prom-ontory Point,. May 10, 1869. That seems a long time ago when we think of the enormous changes that have been wrought since that day, and when we regard the rich empire that has sprung up in that western land. Into the new empire thus made accessible, by this first thread of steam transportation, flocked a new brood of adventurous spirits from the older communities of the East. This way walked Fate; and as she, went, flung far the line of destiny, That bound an untracked continent to brotherhood from sea to sea; That long gray trail of dream and hope, marked mile by mile with graves that keep On every barren hill and slope some stout heart lost in dreamless sleep. Patience and faith and fortitude were willed to it and justified; Stern, homely virtues, plain and rude, eternal as the sky and wide. Nor ever sea-king dared the sea in sterner mood than these who went Strong armed to wrest from Mystery their birthright, half a continent.

Jan 4, 1922

By John F. Blandy

Every new mining district has had its own peculiar experiences in inventing and experimenting upon new methods for the various operations of mining, and more particularly in the processes of crushing and dressing ores. As a matter of course, during this period many old things have been reinvented, patented, and cast aside, there to remain until at a future day other geniuses shall bring them forth again as new. In this respect the Copper Region of Michigan has not been behind other mining centres, and probably in no other part of the country has more money been expended in devising new machines and improvements upon old ones for the crushing of the rock. The appliances for washing the sand have not been so varied, simply for the reason that, having but one mineral, or rather metal, of high specific gravity to separate from rock material which varies but little in its character in any one mine, it requires much less care than is necessary in most mining centres of the world. At the beginning of operations in that district most of the work was in the control of Cornish miners, who introduced the simplest of Cornish mills, namely, wooden stem pestles, with wooden shafts and cams. These were well suited to the small mines, and particularly to the limited means of transporting more expensive machinery. As these facilities improved, they were enabled to change to iron, and to vary their patterns of rods, shafts, cams, and mortars. The most approved pattern, finally obtained, is the square or round stem, with collar adjustable by means of keys. In its present form it is a bar of cold rolled shafting, an eye in the top, an adjustable collar with key-plate and keys, the head and a shoe of chilled iron. The stem is fitted into the head by a slight taper. The battery has heretofore been of wood, lined with chilled cast plates, and bed-plate of the same, but within the past year the California pattern has been introduced. The screens are of sheet-steel, drilled with 16 holes to the inch. During this period of trial and gradual improvement in the pestle stamps, in the years 1855-6, the Ball steam-stamps were introduced, and after years of labor and expense, have been made the most efficient and powerful machines ever yet used for the purpose. It is ostensibly the Nasmyth steam-hammer, and yet the

By John D. Meahin

THE use of digital methods for generating crystallo-graphic data is well-established and many programs are now available. Transmission electron microscopy usually requires a knowledge of the electron diffraction pattern which is obtained by plotting a planar section through reciprocal space. With cubic symmetry these sections are very easily produced, but with hexagonal and lower symmetry systems considerably more labor is involved. Johari and Buchanan1 have written a Fortran program for generating standard projections and along similar lines we have produced a short but completely general program for generating any section through reciprocal space. The required inputs are the lattice parameters and angles for the real crystal. The Miller indices of the direction [U, V, W] parallel to the electron beam are then specified and the program will generate the Miller indices of the plane normals perpendicular to [U, V,, W] up to some specified integer. A subroutine can be inserted to test for forbidden reflections if desired. We have used such routines for fct and hcp crystals. As each permitted index is generated it is printed or punched out and no storage arrays are utilized in the computer. The normal diffraction pattern corresponds to the zero-order Laue zone, but with thin crystals or crystals of large lattice parameters the higher-order Laue zones may contribute to the diffraction pattern. Accordingly the program will generate successive Laue zones and project them onto the zero-order zone. The output of the program first lists the zone axis [C, V, W] and the Laue zone, and then gives a list of permitted reflections and the corresponding XP and YP coordinates of the reciprocal lattice point in angstroms-'. In addition, ZP, the perpendicular distance of the reciprocal lattice point from the (U, V, Ur) plane in reciprocal space is given, as is the reciprocal interplanar spacing. In the case of the zero-order Laue zone ZP is zero. A diffraction spot from the higher-order Laue zones will be very slightly displaced from the computed coordinates as its position in an actual pattern is given by projection along the diffracted beam2 and not along [u, V, w]. For any given electron wavelength this correction could be readily incorporated into the program, but as it only amounts to -1 pct it was decided to leave the program in its most general form, i.e ., a computation of points

Jan 1, 1970

By James Stewart

"THAT WHICH WE CANNOT SEE" INTRODUCTION Often it has been stated that the greatest of all fears is fear itself - fear created only by that which we cannot see or by that which we fail to understand. The elimination or minimization of fear can best be accomplished by a thorough understanding of the underlying causes of the fear. As related to the mining industry the omnipresent fear is the dread of acquiring cancer through accumulated exposure to "that which we cannot see" - radioactivity. The understanding of the resulting exposure effects can best be obtained through acquisition of authentic data and the subsequent analysis of the same by a group of highly qualified specialists. I may point out that the nuclear industry and its source, uranium mining, greatly surpass any other industries in the degree of public awareness as to its potential environmental effects. Public out-cry has always influenced major decisions relating to how industries conduct their operations and much of their effort has resulted in many changes. The issues of health and safety in the mining industry have created considerable public concern, but intense concern to those of us directly involved within the industry. Increasing concern regarding the effect of human activity on the quality of the outer environment of air, land, and water has developed within the past two decades. There is now a growing concern about the health and safety of persons at work in their inner environment, of their working-places in industry. Hearings and investigations conducted in Canada by three appointed "Royal Commissions" have all confirmed that this concern is well justified when focused on the health and safety of workers in our mines. REGULATORY CONTROL OF URANIUM MINING OPERATIONS In Canada, the ownership of mineral resources and the control of their extraction, except for uranium, is vested under the "British North America Act" in the provinces. In all provinces the statutory basis for health and safety provisions in the mining industry can be found in the provincial "Mining Acts" with each province assuming the responsibility to produce its own "Mining Act". In particular, all of the Mining Acts in Canada place upon the management of a mine the responsibility to ensure that provincial provisions are met. The "Federal Register" and mining companies parallel this arrangement in the United States. Equivalent legal

Jan 1, 1981

By Luther Lennox

THE purpose of this article is not to compare one type of grinding machinery with another and to conclude from a series of tests that one particular machine is superior to all others. Neither is the reader asked to tire himself with the details of many tests to prove the statements herein made. The Chilean mill stands today almost, in outcast from the milling world. It ranks with the applicant for a job who has been given a trial along with others and condemned because he was not able to perform the definite task assigned as well as the others, and was forever eliminated. The judges did not tarry long enough to try this aspirant in a field of a slightly different nature. Even though it has been condemned, the writer contends that the published records will indicate that the trials were never shifted into the field of greatest efficiency for the Chilean mill. Those of us who cling to this outcast as a fine grinder in our milling operations do not wish, naturally, to be condemned along with the machine, and yet we feel that we are classed as behind the times, at least in this phase of our milling judgment. Hence there is considerable personal feeling in our efforts. During the last few years there have been published several papers on the relative merits of the various grinding machines. In two of these articles a comparison was made between Chilean mills and cylindrical grinders. In each case the Chilean mill came out second best from about all standpoints. The outstanding feature in these comparisons would seem to be the decided attempt to keep all conditions the same, so that each machine could be judged on its merit. As Mr. David Cole states, "We are inclined to regard a direct comparison of grinders arranged side by side, and making a product that affords as nearly as possible the same screen measure, as the Supreme Court in these grinding matters." The writer agrees that this is the very best method for true comparison between machines. The results in the two detailed tests should give the relative merits of the two grinders in doing the work assigned. And they probably do. The conclusion drawn in each case was adverse to the

Jan 9, 1919

To determine the characteristics of a mineral deposit, the usual practice is to take samples, analyse the properties of those samples and infer the characteristics of the deposit from these properties. This analysis can be done using statistical methods. In the present work we are concerned with two types of statistical approaches, classical statistics and spatial statistics. If one uses classical statistics to represent the properties of the sample values, the assumption is made that the values are realizations of a random variable. The relative positions of the samples are ignored, and it is assumed that all sample values in the mineral deposit have an equal probability of being selected. The likely presence of trends, zones of enrichment, or pay shoots in the mineralization, is ignored. The fact that two samples taken close to each other are more likely to have similar values than if taken far apart is also not taken into consideration. In contrast, spatial statistics will be used if one chooses to consider that the sample values are realizations of random functions. On this hypothesis, the value of a sample is a function of its position in the mineralization of the deposit, and the relative position of the samples is taken into consideration. The similarity between sample values is quantified as a function of the distance between samples and this relationship represents the foundation of spatial statistics. There are few situations where classical statistics can be used. The assumption that all sample values in the mineral deposit have an equal likelihood of being represented will be satisfied only if the sample values are randomly distributed, or if the sample positions are random. Sample values are in fact never randomly distributed within a mineral deposit. Further- more, geologists usually avoid taking samples at random (random sampling), as it is correctly accepted that samples located on a regular grid, or approximately on a regular grid, give more information than randomly located samples. In practice, classical statistics should be used only in the early stages of exploration, when the number of samples available is relatively small and the distances between samples are large. In these circumstances, and whenever the information available is not sufficient to permit the use of spatial statistics, application of the methods described in this chapter is justified.

Jan 1, 1978

By Francis S. Peabody

This paper will not be a technical paper, because, although I have been in the business of mining and selling coal for 30 odd years, I am neither a mining engineer nor a practical miner. If I digress from time to time from my thesis, I must be forgiven by the expert engineers and highly technical gentlemen for whose proceedings this article is written. Waste of the wonderful store of power that the Creator placed at our disposal appears to have been the theory and the basis of our methods of extracting this power—waste from the time the coal is mined to the time it is consumed. Let us consider the prime causes of this wastage which has been the heritage of the coal mining industry. In the early days—about 150 years after " Stone Cole" was discovered in Illinois by Joliet and Marquette, and Father Hennepin noted a "cole" mine on his map—the mode of mining prevalent among farmer landowners, on whose property coal was discovered near the surface or outcropping on the hillsides, was to enter the seam by a shallow shaft or drift into the hillside and remove the coal by wedging it down until a large room was left. The roof without support would fall and our primitive coal operator would then sink another shaft or drive another drift. In these early operations only the large lumps were taken and all small pieces and screenings were left to be covered by the fall of the roof—in fact this condition prevailed in Illinois up to about 1885. Gradually the method of mining changed from the open chamber, to a single entry with rooms turned to the right and left. Later, as the demand for coal increased and the necessity for larger mines became evident, the "room and pillar" system grew to be regular practice. The room and pillar system of mining consisted of starting away from the shaft bottom or drift mouth, with a pair of entries usually 12 to 15 ft. wide and about 30 ft. center to center, one entry being used for the air intake and the other for the return air and haulage; from each entry rooms or chambers were turned, narrow at the mouth and widening

Jan 1, 1918

By P. B. Liebermann

The resistance to motion offered by mine cars is caused principally by: Rolling friction, flange friction, bending rails, bearing friction and wind resistance. With proper construction and with a fair amount of attention and care, that is, under favorable conditions, the first three items cannot be greatly improved. The wind resistance ordinarily is negligible on account of the slow speeds commonly used. The bearing friction, however, is a variable item, depending upon the design, the bearing material, the lubrication, the location (whether in wheel-hub or on car-body) and the alignment. Under the most favorable conditions the bearing friction will reach a lowest possible value. By the development of a successful anti-friction mine-car bearing this lowest value has been improved to such an extent as to affect the whole system of mine haulage. After being satisfied of their durability and certainty of operation, any investigation into the advantages of anti-friction bearings for mine cars will have to be based upon reliable information as to the saving in power of such bearings. While numerous tests have been made in this direction, the results have not always been convincing, principally because of the rather crude methods that were employed. These crude methods are the main cause of the wide variations existing in regard to the exact amount of the frictional resistance. Frequently an ordinary spring balance is used and the pull necessary to move a certain car or train of cars is obtained by a number of readings. Such spring balances necessarily have a coarse graduation and the continuous vibration and fluctuations to which they are subjected make them highly dependent upon the individual observer. Further, they must be frequently calibrated. Sometimes these tests were made without regard to acceleration, speed or even grade. The method of using an electric locomotive as a testing device is perhaps more open to criticism than the spring-balance method, because it introduces additional sources of error: The varying electrical and mechanical losses in the locomotive. Also, such a measurement always includes the power necessary to move the locomotive itself. This means a considerable amount of figuring, and the results due to the various multiplications and corrections may be of little value, for obvious reasons. When figuring the drawbar pull from the electrical

Jan 1, 1917

By Raymond M. Howe

Some time ago, a prominent engineer asked a representative of the firebrick industry to prepare a comprehensive paper on blast-furnace refractories. It was to have been the purpose of this paper to gather practical experiences from widely different sources, in the hope of determining what kind or kinds of firebrick were best adapted for certain uses. This engineer sent questionnaires to the large consumers of blast-furrace linings and stovebrick and received very detailed replies as to their experiences. These replies are conflicting, but, having been turned over to the writer, form the basis of this attempt to meet the request. Because of the impossibility of making final recommendations at this time, a few of the more interesting and commonly known methods of studying refractories are also discussed, as well as the more recent developments in this field. The first reply to the questionnaire stated that good service was being secured from the linings. This satisfactory condition was attributed to the use of a very good distributor. The writer believed that manufacturers try to and do produce a good product and that the proper handling of equipment is of the utmost importance, if good results are to be secured. The type of bricks used was not mentioned. The second reply stated that good life was secured from the furnace linings, but that the writer had had soft-fired stovebrick crumble and, for that reason, preferred a hard-fired product for use in this position. The type of bricks used was not mentioned. The third reply stated that firebrick had crumbled from the mantle up; the cause was not known. The fourth reply stated that the stove linings were satisfactory. Hand-made furnace linings failed after.4 years' service so a steam-pressed lining- was installed which was still good after 4 years of service. Consequently, a second steam-pressed lining was installed but this disintegrated at the top after the furnace had been in blast 7 months. The firebrick manufacturer attributed this failure to the expansion of iron blocks that had been installed at the stock line to prevent erosion. The fifth reply stated that the present "hard-burned" hand-made furnace lining had worn away very uniformly to the depth of only 5 in.

Jan 1, 1920

By William Hume-Rothery

I need not say how much I appreciate the honor of being asked to lecture to you, and how much I would thank you for your kind invitation. It is encouraging to feel that the abnormal restrictions of the war have been relaxed sufficiently to allow a free exchange of scientists between our two countries, and I hope that some of you will be persuaded to go to England, and to visit us at Oxford, so that I may repay a little of the kindness I have received from you. As this is one of the first lectures since the end of the war, I have thought it well to describe some of the advances in the theory of alloys which were made in the years between the two World Wars. From the point of view of theoretical science, these years have been of outstanding interest in the history of metallurgy. They have been years in which the development of new and more accurate experimental methods has led to the revelation of many new facts. At the same time, the theoretical developments have enabled some of these facts to be viewed as parts of a general scheme, and we may say that some of the foundations of metallurgical science have been laid. This work was naturally stopped by the Second World War, and it can therefore be reviewed as one definite stage in the development of our Science. To illustrate the new advances, I shall deal mainly with the alloys of copper and silver, since these have revealed many of the general principles. taken, and copper had been found to crystallize in the face-centered cubic structure (Fig I). The determination of this structure naturally was of immense importance in the understanding of our subject, because it meant that we were at last in a position to appreciate the underlying structure out of which the crystal of copper was built. The earlier science of metallography had shown that in many alloys of copper the addition of a second metal in not too large proportions resulted in the formation of a homogeneous alloy which was regarded as a solid solution of the one metal in copper. Fig 2, for example, shows the so-called equilibrium diagram of the copper-zinc alloys, and here you will see that there is a solid solution of zinc in copper extending to something of the order 35 to 40 at. pct zinc.

Jan 1, 1947

By A. P. Boller

In the victories of peace as well as of war, the science of engineering has played a prominent, if, indeed, not the leading part. While it might be interesting, and food for profitable thought, to trace the development of engineering from early times in its bearings upon the social betterment of mankind, it will be sufficient on the present occasion to suggest a few thoughts that it is hoped will aid the unprofessional listener to an appreciative consideration of the subject-matter laid down for to-day's discussion, and possibly lead the professional brother to a higher conception of the profession to which he belongs. Since the advent of the railway era, it is difficult to grasp the sequence of historic events that have led to the wondrous derelopment of mechanical science, making possible the civilization that is our daily boast, and opening up a vista of future intellectual and moral advancement among the nations of the earth, 'before which the imagination becomes hopelessly lost. Even now, looking back over a period of only half a century, we often fail to realize the vast change in the relations of individuals and nations to each other., brought about by the results of those mechanical discoveries which, having made the whole world kin, exercise a resistless levelling influence that bears fruit politically in the spread of republican ideas, and morally in the elevation of the individual through the facilities given to the dissemination of Christian ideas and general intelligence. In this view, it seems almost like a work of supererogation for a body of representative men of one department of that science to which the whole world owe. so much, to meet here at the centre of our national life to plead not only for a practical recognition of the national importance of the work to which their lives are devoted, but also for national aid, on a scale beyond that of private effort, to the end that mechanical science may be carried to a higher plane than ever yet attained, each step on the way being of material benefit to every man, woman, and child in the community. Possibly this is strong language, but none too strong when we consider that the work for which we plead is one affecting not only vast scientific and commercial interests, but also human life, to a degree little ap

Jan 1, 1882

By William Hume-Rothery

I need not say how much I appreciate the honor of being asked to lecture to you, and how much I would thank you for your kind invitation. It is encouraging to feel that the abnormal restrictions of the war have been relaxed sufficiently to allow a free exchange of scientists between our two countries, and I hope that some of you will be persuaded to go to England, and to visit us at Oxford, so that I may repay a little of the kindness I have received from you. As this is one of the first lectures since the end of the war, I have thought it well to describe some of the advances in the theory of alloys which were made in the years between the two World Wars. From the point of view of theoretical science, these years have been of outstanding interest in the history of metallurgy. They have been years in which the development of new and more accurate experimental methods has led to the revelation of many new facts. At the same time, the theoretical developments have enabled some of these facts to be viewed as parts of a general scheme, and we may say that some of the foundations of metallurgical science have been laid. This work was naturally stopped by the Second World War, and it can therefore be reviewed as one definite stage in the development of our Science. To illustrate the new advances, I shall deal mainly with the alloys of copper and silver, since these have revealed many of the general principles. taken, and copper had been found to crystallize in the face-centered cubic structure (Fig I). The determination of this structure naturally was of immense importance in the understanding of our subject, because it meant that we were at last in a position to appreciate the underlying structure out of which the crystal of copper was built. The earlier science of metallography had shown that in many alloys of copper the addition of a second metal in not too large proportions resulted in the formation of a homogeneous alloy which was regarded as a solid solution of the one metal in copper. Fig 2, for example, shows the so-called equilibrium diagram of the copper-zinc alloys, and here you will see that there is a solid solution of zinc in copper extending to something of the order 35 to 40 at. pct zinc.

Jan 1, 1947

By C. D. Dolman

Since the outbreak of the war we have discovered in the united States minerals of which there was no general knowledge, and which compared very favorably with anything that could be found in any foreign country. One of these was magnesite, or the carbonate of magnesium as it occurs in nature. This mineral crystallizes in the rhombohedra1 form, has a specific gravity of 3.00, molecular weight of 84.4, molecular volume of 28.1, and a hardness of 3.5 to 4.5.1 Had it not been for the development of the California deposits of this mineral and the discovery of immense new deposits in Stevens County, Wash., the production of steel during the war would have been more seriously handicapped than it was. Now that the war is over, we face the possibility of competition with the cheap Austro-Hungarian magnesite; and while that may not be so cheap as it was before the war, adequate protection should be given the producers in this country to insure the full development of our own resources. The consumption of magnesite in the United States in 1913, the year preceding the war, was 172,591 tons of calcined and 22,872 tons of crude magnesite. Less than 3 per cent. of this amount was produced at home. At the present time, practically all of the magnesite used in the United States is produced at home. Expensive plants have been constructed, extensive exploration work done, and production pushed to the utmost to supply the necessary requirements of the war. Thus a considerable industry has been built up within our borders. Some magnesite has been imported from Canada and Mexico, but the Canadian ore was of an inferior grade and could not be used satisfactorily. During the year 1918, production decreased in both the United States and Canada; the production in the United States was 225,000 tons in 1918 as against 315,000 in 1917, and in Canada 39,365 tons in 1918 as against 58,090 in 1917. This decrease was mainly due to over-production during 1917, the domestic demand being only 300,000 tons. The material produced and sold in the United States must contain, in the crude form, not more than 3.5 per cent. silica and 2 per cent. lime;

Jan 1, 1920

By W. M. Weigel

"The use of sand for the filtration of municipal water supplies is comparatively recent use in this country, although at the present time, most cities of any size that draw their water supply from surface sources use sand filters in their purification system. Not only are sand filters employed to remove sediment and suspended matter, but they also take out most of the bacteria in the water.The first comprehensive research and study of sand for this purpose was probably that of Hazen for the Massachusetts Board of Health in 1891 and 1892, although sand filters had been employed for a considerable time before, specifications for filter sand drawn since then have been largely based on the results of Hazen's work,The general requirements for filter sand are more exacting than for any of the different kinds of sands, except the chemical specifications for glass sand. Filter sand must be uniform in size and within certain limiting sizes. In addition, it must be clean and free from clay and organic matter and of fairly high purity. Early investigations established the fact that an excess of fine materiel increased the friction and decreased the rate of flow through the filter, and that the size of the finer particles rather than the courser, determined the effective size. Also, that large grains tended to cause irregularities in flow in different parts of the bed. There is no requirement as to grain shapes, except that they be not flat or elongated, since, so far as known, either rounded or angular grains are equally efficient.Based on Hazen's investigations, two factors are quite generally used to control the average size and uniformity of size of the sand. These are defined as follows: The ""effective size"" of a sand is such that 10 per cent by weight of the seed is finer than this size, end 90 per cent is coarser. It is expressed in millimeters, The ""uniformity coefficient"" is defined as the ratio of the size of grain which has 60 per cent finer than this size to the size which has 10 per cent finer (the ""effective size""). It is evident that the smaller this coefficient, the more uniform is the seed. If all the grains were exactly the same size, the coefficient would be 1."

Jul 1, 1924

By D. J. Hutchinson, S. Nickson

Cable bolts are used as a means of rock support around underground excavations in many mines across Canada and around the world. A substantial body of research on cable bolting was conducted at a number of Canadian universities and mines from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. Since then, research into selected areas of cable bolting practice has continued in Canada. The research has focussed on cable bolt instrumentation and on the inclusion of cable bolts in empirical stope design techniques. A review of cable bolting practice is now warranted at many mines. It has been five years since the completion of the previous substantial body of Canadian academic research and the associated advancement in understanding of cable bolt design, implementation and verification practice. Attempts were made at that time to transfer the new design procedures and performance assessment technologies to mine-site personnel. In some cases, this was effective, and ground control personnel continue to improve on their cable bolting practice at each specific mine site. However, at other sites, experienced people have moved on, and the new, less experienced personnel do not have access to the training or technical resources required to improve their understanding of the subject. In other cases, the technology was not transferred effectively to practitioners, with the result that substantial improvements can be made to the cable bolting practice at those mines. Guidelines for auditing cable bolting practice are provided in this paper. The guidelines include a discussion of the objectives of the audit, suggestions for audit procedure and a summary of the possible outcomes of a cable bolt audit. The objectives of an audit might include assessing the reasons for unexpected cable bolt failures, evaluating the quality of the installation procedures, quantifying the efficiency of the cable bolt system and assessing training requirements and procedures. A cable bolt audit should include consideration of all aspects of the cable bolting cycle, including the design, implementation and verification phases of the operation. At the end of the audit, a ranking should be assigned to the components of the cycle. The ranking system can then be used to identify items that require immediate attention, others that could be improved and others that are adequate. Following completion of a cable bolt audit, increased confidence in the support system and its application is generally, found, along with the potential for cost savings in many cases.

Jan 1, 2002

By Thomas C. Baker

The Fresnillo unit of the Mexican Corporation, S. A., is situated at the old historic mining town of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico, 33 miles north of the city of Zacatecas and 750 miles south of El Paso, Tex. It is connected with the Mexican Central Railroad by a broad-gage spur 5.5 miles long, belonging to the company. Fresnillo is surrounded by a broad semi-arid valley on the Mexican plateau at an elevation of 7300 ft. The monotony of the valley is broken by a number of low hills. Near the town of Fresnillo is the " Cerro de Proano," an elliptic-shaped hill of gentle slope, rising out of the plain to a height of 325 ft.; the base has a major axis of 4500ft. and a minor axis of 3000 ft. In this hill is the silver-bearing mineralized zone, which comprises past and present mining operations. (In this paper money values are expressed throughout in American currency and the dry short ton of 2000 lb. is used.) The discovery of ore at Fresnillo is credited to the Spaniards, soon after the conquest of Mexico. There are, however, no authentic records to show the amount of work done by them. In 1832, the State of Zacatecas took possession of the property and operated it. Evidently the rich ore above the horizon of the plain had been fairly well exhausted, as an old record states that thirty shafts were used for unwatering, requiring 300 men and 1500 animals. The cost of pumping alone amounted to $150,000 a year. In spite of the fact that cheap convict labor was used, mining costs were reported as $20 and treatment charges as $20 per ton. In 1835, the state was obliged to seek foreign capital, and a company formed in London secured a controlling interest in the property. This new organization sank two shafts, one 11 by 19 ft. and the other 10 by 15 ft., to unwater the mines and extract ore. Large Cornish pumps were purchased in England and hauled overland from Vera Cruz; engines also were installed to operate the arrastres (grinding mills) in the patio process of ore treatment. Substantial buildings were erected and operations were conducted on a large scale, for that period. The patio, the largest in Mexico, was 1150 ft. square. The costs for 1850 were:

Jan 1, 1925

By Charles H. Foreman, James F. McCarthy

The orebodies of the Hecla mine are from 3 to 40 ft. wide, dip not less than 70°, and in most cases are nearly vertical. The Hecla and Intermediate orebodies are generally associated with a lamprophyric dike, usually about 2 ft. wide, but which attains a maximum width of 7 ft. The ore appears on either or both sides of the dike. The country rock is Burke quartzite with no definite walls and a tendency for nearly horizontal, but irregular, quartz stringers to run from the lode into the walls. This latter condition prevails almost entirely in the hanging wall, causing a natural tendency for portions of the wall to "offset" and resulting in an extremely heavy side pressure. The fact that there are no definite walls causes a great variation in the width of the stopes, as stringers will run into the walls for irregular distances. The ore occurs as galena in varying widths and grades. It is often necessary to mine a face having a " horse"' of waste between two stringers of ore. This block of waste might be 6 or 7 ft. wide but with the Hecla method it is necessary to mine the entire face. In this case an effort is made only to shatter the waste, allowing for easy sorting underground. The Hecla mine requires a flexible system allowing for the extraction of ore from varying widths, with the necessity of close filling to give the needed protection from side weight. About 15' per cent. of the material broken in the face is sorted as waste, either at the face of stope, or in the sorting plant. Shafts, Drifts and Crosscuts The outside dimensions of the shaft are 19 ft. 4 in. by 7 ft. 2 in. The shaft consists of three working compartments, two for the hoisting of ore and one for auxiliary work. The working compartments are 5 ft. 2 in. by 4 ft. 4 in. inside measurement. The rest of the shaft is used for pump column, electric cables, and ladderway. (See Fig. 6 for framing of timbers.) The shaft is about 700 It. from the orebody for topographical reasons. Solid formation was not reached in shaft for 80 ft. Timbers in this section became alternately wet and dry on account of seasonal changes

Jan 1, 1925

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

"There is nothing so disastrous as a rational investment policy in an irrational world. " John Maynard Keynes INTRODUCTION The principles of time value of money concepts were discussed and illustrated in Chapter 3. The importance of time value of money and the role it plays in the discipline of engineering economy have been well established. Chapter 9 further illustrates that project evaluation criteria that fail to consider this aspect are seriously deficient in providing appropriate capital budgeting decisions. Obviously future project receipts and expenditures must be discounted to permit valid comparisons with current cash flows. Although the concept of discounting is widely accepted, the selection of the appropriate discount rate has been the source of considerable debate and much disagreement. This chapter, then, provides an overview of the theoretical and practical considerations for determining or calculating the appropriate rate for discounting, the corporate cost of capital. Note specifically that the assumption of constant business risk among the various investment alternatives is maintained throughout this chapter. THE INTUITIVE APPROACH The fact that interest exists suggests that all money has a cost associated with its use. The cost of this money may be the result of either explicit or implicit charges or some combination of the two. Any time an individual or a firm consumes less than the total earnings generated in a given time period that individual or corporation has either consciously or unconsciously decided to "invest" these excess funds in some type of activity. For instance, the individual or corporation may decide to invest the excess funds in tangible property, place the funds in a money market account, or simply keep these funds in cash. In any case, these funds have been invested in some type of activity which promises the investor some return on the invested capital. Remembering that the firm's primary objective should be the maximization of shareholder wealth, then intuitively it seems reasonable to suggest that the firm should not invest in any project where the anticipated return does not exceed the cost of funds (capital) committed to the project. Indeed, if the firm always invests in projects having returns in excess of the cost of capital committed to them, then the wealth of the firm (as measured by the price of common stock) should be in-

Jan 1, 1984

By Howard Eavenson

IN a discussion in the Transactions of the Institute (vol. xl, page 835 et seq.) the writer gave some data about explosions of gas and dust in the coal mines of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, among which was a table showing all explosions in the countries mentioned, in which five or more fatalities occurred, which had been reported from Oct. 2, 1871, to Mar. 28, 1908. Since the elate of publication of this discussion, as opportunity has presented, this table has been extended by the addition of explosions occurring since that time, by including several explosions which occurred prior to 1871, and by adding to the list all explosions of gas or dust in which less than five fatalities occurred, this having been clone by a search through the various mine reports, partly by the author and partly by the Librarian of the United Engineering Societies, and by correspondence with mine inspection officials of the various States, to all of whom acknowledgment of assistance is made: The accompanying list, Table I, is believed to be as nearly correct as such a statement can be made, and, while only extending to Dec. 20, 1912, contains all of the data now available in reports. An analysis of Table I, showing the occurrence by months of all explosions of gas or dust, including those in which less as well as those in which more than five fatalities occurred, is given in Table II. The statements are frequently made, in technical papers, that the number of explosions, particularly the larger ones, is increasing more rapidly than the number of mines, and that the number of fatalities caused by mine explosions, particularly the more disastrous ones, is increasing faster, proportionally, than the production of coal. To investigate the correctness of these statements Table III was prepared, in which the number of accidents and fatalities is taken from Table I, using those in the United States only, on account of lack of other data for Canada and Mexico; the production is from the records of the U.S. Geological Survey, and the number of mines, from 1909, from the same source; previous to 1909, the number of mines, for the decennial periods, was furnished by the U. S. Census records.

Jan 10, 1914

By T. L. Joseph

Blast furnaces are most efficient thermally when the CO2 in the top gas is highest. Oxygen introduced in the air blast is converted to CO in the combustion zones. The extent to which CO, generated in front of the tuyeres, is converted later to CO2 depends upon the ratio of ore to coke in the charge and the degree to which CO2, formed by reduction of iron oxides with CO, reverts to CO by the secondary reaction C + CO2 = 2CO. About 300 to 400 lb. of carbon' per ton of pig iron is normally involved in the solution-loss reaction or direct reduction of FeO with carbon, which produces the same over-all results; that is, lower CO2 in the top gas. Rich2 has recently reported a reduction in fuel consumption at slower rates of blowing on two furnaces in spite of higher heat losses per ton of iron. Lower fuel consumption at slow operating rates was due to more complete reduction of the ore that resulted in higher CO2 in the top gas and consequently more efficient use of carbon. Kinney3 has reported substantial savings in fuel as a result of crushing and sizing the ore charge. Improvements in practice brought about by sintering magnetite concentrates, flue dust and fine ores have been due to the establishment of conditions favoring more complete reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace. The extent to which oxides and fluctuations in composition in pig iron affect the quality of steel and finished product needs further study. There is evidence that more thorough preheating and reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace tend to give a better quality of iron. Bogatzkii4 found from laboratory work that the amount of oxygen entering electrolytic iron, melted under various slags, was directly proportional to the concentration of free FeO in the slag and inversely proportional to the basicity of the slag. Herty and Gaines5 concluded that the silicate content of open-hearth steel before deoxidation is related to the concentration of silica in the pig-iron charge, indicating that most of the persistent inclusions are silica from the iron. They also found that

Jan 1, 1936