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Jan 6, 1951

By V. C. Allen

THE Tri-State Zinc, Inc., Galena, Ill., was confronted with the problem of securing ore from a deposit because the hoisting shaft was several thousand feet from the mill. The orebody is several thousand feet long, averaging 200 ft in width and 60 ft in height and opened up by vertical shafts some 300 ft deep. Mining is by the room-and-pillar method. During the initial operation the ore was loaded by conventional electric 1/2 -yd boom-and-dipper shovels and hauled to the shaft by 8-ton diesel trucks. This underground ore loading and hauling was well adapted to the conditions and productive of low costs per ton. However, with the mill situated as mentioned, a triple handling of all broken rock was necessary: 1-from the stope to the shaft by truck, 2-up the shaft by skip or can into the surface hopper, and 3-by truck from the surface hopper to the crushing plant at the mill. In addition to the repeated handling, serious troubles were encountered during the winter because of freezing in the shaft hopper.

Jan 6, 1951

Hiring - Science or Guesswork?

Jan 6, 1951

By Paul M. Tyler

MILITARY power stems from industrial power and industrial power in turn depends predominantly upon an ample and assured supply of mineral raw materials. It thus becomes the duty of mineral economists to collate the vast array of data and logical deductions in order to reach an unemotional judgment as to the ability of the Soviet economy to withstand the strain of prolonged military action on the modern scale. Russian publications, reports: and official speeches have been laboriously screened and analyzed. Since these are the sources of information for the lower echelons of the Soviet industrial organization itself, they carry factual data that can be pieced together to show the present-day pattern. Apparent contradictions and obvious distortions or omissions can often be rationalized on the basis of observations made by foreign engineers and consultants during the 1930'5 and by checking against the technical literature published before even so-called technical articles were riddled by bombastic and presumptuous claims.

Jan 6, 1951

By F. M. Leonard

Churn-drill hole sludge samples have proved their reliability at Cananea

Jan 5, 1951

By D. M. Bondurant

Auger mining-extraction of coal with large diameter augers is proving profitable in recovering coal left after stripping has ceased to be economical. Its many advantages-low initial cost of equipment, low operating cost, low power demand, adaptability to selective mining, simplicity of operation, etc.-have excited the interest of some in the industry in its possibilities for underground operation.

Jan 5, 1951

A Report Of Current Activity In The Industry

Jan 5, 1951

By William L. Swager

This is the second in Mining Engineering's series of articles on sources, uses, production, and conservation of strategic minerals. "Cobalt" first in the series, appeared in February 1951.

Jan 5, 1951

A PROSPECTOR stood atop a Venezuelan mountain called El Florero just 25 years ago, and shouted to the world that he had found a large, rich new source of iron ore. But his words were lost in the big green South American jungles and besides, the world had more iron ore than it could handle. There were no crises in 1926, no major wars on the horizon, no worries about mineral supplies. In the U. S., the populace was "keeping cool with Coolidge," and the solid foundation of the economy-the steel industry-rested on a still firmer basis, the Lake Superior iron ores.

Jan 5, 1951

By R. C. Amero

FULLERS earth is a general name applied to claylike minerals that have high natural adsorptive powers. They are usually distinguished from ordinary clays by a higher content of combined moisture and a lower apparent density. The definition is based on the ancient use of the material for fulling, or cleansing woolen cloth of oil and grease; a more modern definition should mention the ability to decolorize oil and should differentiate between fullers earth, which is naturally active, and certain bentonites which only develop decolorizing power after being leached with strong mineral acids. The distinction between fullers earth and activable bentonite is not a sharp one, since all types of intermediate clays can be found that are more or less naturally active, yet more or less responsive to acid treatment. The differences seem to depend somewhat on the amount of leaching that has been effected by natural ground waters.

Jan 5, 1951

By Orville Lyons

CENTRIFUGAL force has been utilized for the dewatering of fine coal for over 50 years by means of machines commonly called centrifugal dryers. In any centrifuge the coal and water are subjected to a spinning action which usually increases in intensity as the coal progresses through the machine. This spinning action, or the centrifugal force that it induces, tears water away from coal particles and produces a dewatered coal. The effectiveness of the dewatering action for any particular machine is governed by the size-consist of the coal and the centrifugal force imparted to the water on the coal.

Jan 5, 1951

New Products Equipment

Jan 5, 1951

By Donald W. Mitchell

MINE operators have a choice of several classifications of mechanical loaders. Within each classification there are many types and makes available. Table I lists loaders on which manufacturing data as to operating characteristics are available. This paper discusses the conditions met in a mine as they affect these characteristics. It is assumed that management will provide satisfactory engineering, supervision, power, maintenance, loader service within a concentration of workings, and a balanced working cycle served by balanced production equipment. These are factors which affect the optimum operational efficiency of a loader. The conditions which determine loader choice are:

Jan 5, 1951

By Harold B. Foxhall

THIRTY per cent of the mineral wealth of the United States is obtained from seven states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. This area, which produced 84,727,156,000 worth of minerals in 1948, constitutes an almost complete economic unit in relation to mineral resources essential to industry. All of these states are producers of fuels and some of metallics, but in the field of important nonmetallic industrial minerals the picture is near perfection-a mineral any one of the seven states lacks, one of the others has in quantity.

Jan 5, 1951

By H. H. Hasler

THE mining and removal of coal from two or more beds, either simultaneously or consecutively, in vertically adjacent areas have always been matters of concern to mine operators from both operating and recovery points of view. However, with the progressive introduction and use of electrical and mechanical facilities, such problems assume even greater proportions. In this paper typical cases occuring in Cambia County, Pa., are given and procedures whereby such problems may be greatly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, are suggested.

Jan 5, 1951

There is plenty of sulphur available but not at the price currently being paid for brimstone. Immediate shortages may be felt before the market adjusts, making marginal sources and by-product sulphur and acid available. (See P. 403) Government aid for mineral exploration is available and regulations governing applications are available from The Defense Minerals Administration, Dept. of Interior. lust ask for M0-5 and also for the contract form which is MP-103.

Jan 5, 1951

By J. E. Ryan

TRONA, Calif., is a miniature urban community of some 3500 people, located on the northwest shore of dry Searles Lake in the extreme northwest corner of San Bernardino County, approximately 186 miles north and east of Los Angeles. Since it is situated on the Mojave Desert, a typically desert climate prevails with wide variations in temperature between day and night, extreme daytime summer heat, and cool to cold winters. Rainfall averages somewhat less than 4 in. per year, and dust storms are common. The rate of evaporation, however, is great, amounting to 6 to 9 ft of water per year. The extremely low humidity makes the summer heat of 110°F tolerable with only a mild, temporary discomfort.

Jan 5, 1951

GROWTH of the United States to industrial supremacy in the world is mainly because of the rapid exploitation of natural resources. The easily found high grade mineral resources have been depleted and attention has turned to low-grade ores. Progress has been made from the comparatively crude mining and milling techniques, which sufficed for the rich deposits, to more complex technology for exploiting low-grade ores. In spite of this progress the defense program is pointing up the fact that the mining industry is caught short on ability to produce the needed mineral raw materials. The mining industry is digging itself out of business here in the United States.

Jan 5, 1951

Jan 5, 1951

THE Leadville tunnel, a Bureau of Mines project designed to unseal Colorado's rich but flooded lead, zinc, and manganese mines, is still being advanced, although the work is encountering severe difficulties. Work on the tunnel, begun in 1943, was dropped for lack of funds in 1945, and started again last September. The tunnel is one of the nation's toughest mining jobs. Fifty firms and individuals, who were asked to bid on the job of continuing be- yond the 6600-ft mark, didn't even answer. The work was finally taken over by the Utah Construction Co. of Salt Lake City. Since last September, the face has been moved 1000 ft closer to the flooded Leadville district mines, and to the hoped-for length of 17.300 ft. Some apparent success has already been noted, with an unusual decline in the water level in some major mine shafts reported this winter.

Jan 5, 1951