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THE Fall Regional Meeting of the Institute, which has now for some years been held in cooperation with the Western Division of the American Mining Congress, will be held this year at Joplin, Mo., in the heart of the great Tri-State district. This year the Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association is joining in the meeting. The Society of Economic Geologists will also take part though not offering any papers. The district in which the meeting is held includes adjacent parts of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Out in the heart of a fertile prairie farming country, it is one of the major mining districts of the world. It produces normally approximately one-third of the zinc ore mined in the United States which is equivalent to nearly one-half the zinc since the concentrate has always been notable for the height of its grade. Even in the depressed business year 1930, the American Bureau of Metal Statistics credits the district with 434,460 tons of concentrates equal to 217,230 tons of zinc out of 1,503,095 and 576,630 respectively for the country as a whole. This was equal to about one-seventh of the world's output of zinc, more than that of any foreign country. In addition about 75,000 to 100,000 tons of lead is annually furnished by the same mines. Elsewhere we present a general description of the district prepared for this meeting by J. C. Heilman, a Lehigh graduate, who has spent the past eleven years there and has had charge of explorations for many of the companies.

Jan 1, 1931

By John Harmon

THIS paper was written-with two objects in view: (1) To describe in detail what has been done toward the ventilation of the main unit of the Portovelo mines and the results; (2) to give information that may be useful to anyone who may have to make a preliminary mine ventilation survey, with recommendations for the improvement of the existing system and finally the maintenance of the improved system.

Jan 1, 1931

By Norman B. Davis

Introductory Feldspar is one of the most important mineral products consumed by the various branches of the ceramic industry. In the manufacture of table ware, electric porcelain, floor tile, and enamels, it supplies the chief fluxing ingredients necessary to bond the other more or less inert materials together when moulded into desired shape and fired in a kiln. Feldspar is used in the manufacture of bottle glass as a means of introducing alumina in a form easily assimilated. It is also used in certain scouring soaps particularly designed for cleaning enamel and glass surfaces. Feldspar, as it finds its way to the trade, is not a single mineral but is rather a mixture of various proportions of the feldspar silicate series, either in natural intergrowth or blended in the milling process, to produce a desired result. It is often further modified by the presence of quartz in amounts up to 30 per cent. The table on the next page gives typical commercial analyses of feldspar from various sources. Canadian feldspar produced to date has consisted mainly of the high-potash, relatively low-soda, variety, and has enjoyed a good market in the United States for the manufacture of enamels, electric porcelain, and vitrified table-ware. About eighty per cent of the output has been exported to the United States, but, with increased milling facilities in Canada and changes taking place in domestic United States sources of supply, the proportion exported will be reduced next year.

Jan 1, 1931

Jan 1, 1931

By R. M. Santmyers

The chief compounds of boron are borax and boric acid, both of which have important applications in industry. At present the United States furnishes more than half of the world's requirements of borate materials, practically all from California. Nearly the entire production of borax in this country is under the control of four companies: The American Potash and Chemical Corporation, the Pacific Coast Borax Co., the West End Chemical Co., and the Western Borax Co.

Jan 1, 1931

By Yap Chu-Phay

Although chronologically the Sb-Bi system was the first one studied by the writer, the theoretical basis of the equations used in this paper is fully discussed in the writer's paper on the iron-carbon system,' because he believed that many would be more interested in the iron-carbon alloys. He suggests, therefore, that the reader consult that paper to familiarize himself with the theoretical aspect of the thermodynamic treatment outlined herein. This paper is divided into two parts: Part 'I deals with the Sb-Bi system and Part II deals with the lead-rich side of the Sb-Pb system. Although the former system has not much practical interest now, it has great theoretical interest in that it is the one system that for a long time was thought to have (and under specific conditions still has) an anomalous solidus, which no amount of physical investigation could adequately account for. The latter system, of course, is particularly interesting in the lead-rich end. It will be shown that the thermodynamic method is capable of predicting reliably the equilibrium position of the solidus, and thus acts as a check on the experimentally derived solidus. PART I.—THE ANTIMONY-BISMUTII SYSTEM In connection with his studies in thermoelectric phenomena,-the writer was naturally interested in the system Sb-Bi. In consulting the International Critical Tables2 he found the constitutional diagram shown in Fig. 1 (not including Ôtani's solidus), essentially after Cook,³ who investigated the system carefully by thermal analysis. Note the isothermal crystallization of alloys varying in composition from about 48 per cent, (by weight) to pure Bi. This is anomalous, because, according to the phase rule, in a binary system when only two phases coexist, there is univariant equilibrium; that is, the composition changes with the tempera-

Jan 1, 1931

Jan 1, 1931

By J. Elmer Thomas

If 1929 witnessed a growing realization on the part of the oil industry that supply must be balanced against demand, 1930 proved conclusively that excessive inventories constitute a price depressant even with balanced conditions. Increased attention was certainly paid to economic considerations last year, and the achievement of holding daily crude production, with a constantly mounting potential, to levels 500,000 bbl. below the output of the summer before, deserves special mention. The ill-advised accumulation, however, of gasoline stocks, at least 10,000,000 bbl. larger than necessary, nullified the restraint exercised by the producers and finally necessitated drastic downward price revisions. An event of special significance was the appointment by the Federal Oil Conservation Board, last March, of a temporary Committee on Petroleum Economics that attempted a forecast of demand, an estimate of supply, and an allocation of the latter between the principal producing states. Thus for the first time was an economic program for an entire basic industry drafted by an independent body under the auspices of the Federal Government. The report was widely discussed and generally approved, but its schedules were not adopted by the refining division nor by oil producers in the State of Texas until too late to contribute to the industry's prosperity during 1930. If the restraint of November had been exercised in May a profitable year might have been the result: The gasoline price war in California during June, however, illustrated the point that even with a fairly sound statistical position insistent pressure to expand normal marketing outlets must result in losses to all concerned. The balanced program so painfully attained by producers must be maintained by refiners and distributors to be completely effective. Again in November the Federal Oil Conservation Board, acting on the request of the directors of the American Petroleum Institute, called its Committee on Petroleum Economics back into existence to prepare a new estimate for the next six months. An economic program adopted in advance of the winter period of accumulating inventories may aid this large and essential industry toward the profits to which it is entitled

Jan 1, 1931

By Matthew Scott

Introduction The refining of precipitate is the final stage of all the processes involved in gold mining and cyanide milling, by which the precious metal is at last obtained in a concentrated form, which can be accurately valued and marketed. Possibly one ought to say, conveniently shipped, for accuracy in valuation depends in many instances on a toughening treatment given the bars as received at the Mint so as to obtain a homogeneous metal that lends itself to representative sampling; which, of course, entails a surcharge on the regular Mint charges for the extra work necessarily undertaken. There are several methods of refining zinc-gold precipitate, each with its advocates; the method employed depending not always on the quality of the bullion produced but on the local exigencies of the case in point. These methods are more or less detailed in various textbooks and it is not the purpose of this paper to discuss them, but to confine ourselves to the specific case as stated in the title of the paper. At the outset, it behooves the writer to express his thanks to Mr. Brigham, the General Manager of the Hollinger Mines, for the kindly consideration and encouragement given in developing this process. This will be better understood when one considers the immense values involved, tending towards conservatism in practice, and making one chary of radical innovations. This process has been in satisfactory operation now for about two and-a half years, during which time over twenty-five million dollars value in fine gold has been produced, so that it may be reasonably held that the process is successful.

Jan 1, 1931

By John D. Sullivan

The recovery of copper by leaching from relatively low grade ores containing both oxidized and sulphide minerals is rapidly gaining in commercial importance. There is an economic limit below which certain ores can not be treated by concentration methods, and material with values below this limit must be discarded, possibly to be treated later, or the copper must be extracted by wet processes. Heap leaching has been carried out by the Phelps Dodge Corporation, Copper Queen Branch, for several years, and to-day its plant is a large producing unit. The Ohio Copper Coy at Bingham, Utah; has been leaching in place since 1919. Many other leaching operations are also being; carried out in various parts of the United States and in foreign countries. The plant at Rio Tinto, Spain, may be considered the father of heap leaching.

Jan 1, 1931

By T. A. Rickard

Do not write until you have something to say. Think first; then write. In order to be understood, you must know what you wish to say. Clear writing is the consequence of clear thinking. Therefore consider your subject well before you begin to write; ruminate on it; marshal the salient facts in your mind; saturate yourself with the ideas you wish to express and with cognate ideas; then express yourself deliberately. If you are bubbling over with your subject the words will come, but you might as well expect to sail without a breeze as hope to give life to words without the living thought. Here I may advert to the fact that among the uneducated it is a common expectation to acquire the knack of writing without taking the trouble to study the art of literature. I overheard a woman in a suburban train remark to her neighbor: "I'd like to be able to write well without stopping to think about it". She was one of many that would like to do a thing well without the trouble of thinking; but it cannot be done in respect of anything to which thought is essential. The possession of a good voice does not justify a person in expecting to sing successfully to a large audience; before singing in public one has to master the technique of singing; one has to learn first how to breathe properly, how to enunciate, and many other things. The successful singer is an artist, not a megaphone. Most of us would regard a man or a woman without any training in the art of singing as a fool or an impostor if he or she were to give a public concert, yet we do not recognize the equal foolishness and imposture of persons that write books before they have studied the technique of writing. That is why so many books are unreadable, and why many books by clever men are difficult to read. They start to write books before

Jan 1, 1931

By E. L. Estabrook

Oil companies operating in foreign countries have made increased use during 1930 of cooperative agreements in prospecting unproven territory and in developing proven territory. A considerable proportion of the existing foreign fields are held under single ownership and have been developed as units. The operating companies seek to maintain this condition by acquiring land in large blocks or by merging smaller concessions under unit operating agreements. Your committee has secured a number of reports on foreign non-competitive operations and a valuable formal paper which deals with the Golden Lane of Mexico.l 0. B. Knight has drawn some valuable comparisons concerning costs of development and ultimate production between a certain competitive area and another noncompetitive area along that strip of rich producing territory. After discussing details of production, numbers of wells and cost of drilling and production, he concludes that the 93,700,000 bbl. of competitive oil will have cost $0.193 per barrel as compared to 85,700,000 bbl. of noncompetitive oil at $0.059 per barrel. The saving of $0.134 per barrel amounts in round figures to $11,500,000, which is 21/2 times the total cost of developing the non-competitive block. The cost for drilling and development of the two areas of 3550 acres which Mr. Knight compares was $18,150,000 under competitive and $4,760,000 under noncompetitive conditions. The estimated ultimate production of the competitive 3550 acres is expected to reach 93,700,000 bbl., or 8,000,000 bbl. above the noncompetitive block. Under ordinary production methods it is to be expected that a noncompetitive area will yield less oil per unit area than will a similar competitive area, because of closer spacing and more rapid extraction in the latter case. The advantage of noncompetitive conditions, in this regard, is that the undivided ownership makes it possible to apply repressuring as a production method fairly early in the life of the field and thus, in the end, to vastly increase the yield. In the particular region described by Mr. Knight, repressuring is not thought to be a factor of

Jan 1, 1931

By W. G. McBride

INTRODUCTION Preparation of this article, at the request of the Committee on papers, has been undertaken in the hope that it may stir up helpful discussion and constructive criticism. The Canadian mining industry is in the dumps and there is no use trying to deny the fact; nor does it help to say that other industries are in as bad or a worse condition. Let us face the situation honestly and see just how serious it is. The entire financial and industrial world is in a state of depression. The gravity of the case is no doubt exaggerated by contrast with the wave of optimism and false prosperity which pre-ceded it. The prevailing gloom and pessimism are just as irrational as was the former super-optimism. As far as we mining engineers are concerned, the causes are quite beyond our control, and it is the effect upon our own industry which interests us most. This effect is an accumulation of mineral products with consequent depression in price to a point where profits have almost, if not quite, disappeared. Whether this accumulation of stocks is the result of over-production or under-consumption is difficult to say, but it would seem likely that there is a combination of the two. The introduction of selective flotation has brought about a large increase in the production of zinc, a moderate increase in the production of lead, and a comparatively small increase in copper. It has turned relatively small mines into great producers, as in the case of the Sullivan, revived expiring mines like La Cananea, and brought-in new ones like Flin Flon

Jan 1, 1931

By C. F. Jackson

This paper has been prepared as a progress report in connection with the series of articles on mining methods and costs which are being published by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the form of information circulars. When enough circulars have boon completed it is planned to publish a more complete and comprehensive paper in bulletin form dealing with the subject of underground transportation. Progress reports, followed b., bulletins, will be prepared from time to time dealing with other subjects included in the general study of mining methods at individual nines, such as mine development, drilling, and blasting; stoping methods (each principal stoping method to be summarized in a separate paper); Ventilation; wage, contract and bonus systems, etc.

Jan 1, 1931

By Francis Lucas

EACH year we gather in this auditorium to honor the memory of a. distinguished American metallurgist and educator. I cannot bring to you reminiscences of Prof. Henry Marion Howe as other lecturers have done. It was not my good fortune to enjoy the-privilege of studying and working under his direction. As I have reflected on the published works of Professor Howe, it has seemed to me that his mind was trained on the nature of metals and on the mechanism which produced known but unexplained effects. He was interested in controlling and regulating the causes so as to produce specific effects, useful in serving mankind. I recall an afternoon in May, 1925, when, at the invitation of Mrs. Howe, I visited his former home, Green Peace at Bedford Hills, N. Y. The purpose of my visit was to receive at the hands of the widow an engraving of Professor Howe, a reproduction of a painting from life. Mrs. Howe showed me his study. The walls of this large attractive room, brilliantly illuminated by the spring sunshine, were literally covered with the scrolls of honors and of decorations which had been conferred on Professor Howe by governments, academies, universities, societies and institutions the world over. As we walked about the room, she pointed out the significance of each honor and recited a few details of each occasion. I sensed the pride with which Mrs. Howe, then in the late autumn of her life, told me of her husbands' achievements, of his struggles, of his disappointments and of his successes. There was a surprisingly familiar note in the recital to which I was listening. I 'have found the same theme running as a disconnected thread through the written accounts of the lives of most men of science. We then went to the drawing room to chat for a few minutes before I said my farewells. As we seated ourselves, Mrs. Howe turned to me and asked: "Mr. Lucas, what of this great microscope of yours? Cannot it be applied to the study of disease? What a great blessing it would be if it could be directed to relieve the suffering of mankind."

Jan 1, 1931

By G. L. Oldright

In the previous study that has been made by the authors on smelting in the lead blast furnace, the furnace examined was one that operated under conditions that have been considered as more or less normal up to the present time. That is although the furnace had in its charge a large portion of sinter, it also handled considerable quantities of naturally oxidized direct-smelting ore. Other ingredients, such as the limestone, were also added as fairly coarse material. The charges contained only about 24 per cent of lead. Until the changes incident to modern flotation began to take effect, many lead plants doing semicustom smelting in districts where competition was keen and much of the bonanza ore was exhausted were faced with the difficulty of obtaining enough lead to get a sufficient "lead fall" in the blast furnaces to clean the slag thoroughly and to separate it from the lead. A charge containing 24 per cent of lead would have been considered a very rich one by such smelters.

Jan 1, 1931

By Henry A. Ley

Oklahoma produced about 40,000,000 bbl. less crude oil in 1930 than it did in 1929, but developed the largest initial production from current well completions ever recorded in its history. The output of this year would have exceeded all previous years had it not been for state-wide production curtailment. The record initial production of 5,911,982 bbl. from new oil wells completed during the year is accounted for entirely by the rapid development of the Oklahoma City field. Completions declined to the lowest levels since 1909, as a result of a marked reduction in number of dry holes incident to reduced wildcat exploration. Leasing was most active in western and northern counties of the state west of Oklahoma City, but on a much smaller scale than in the preceding year. Geological and geophysical surveys were likewise most active in this western territory. The urge to deeper objectives resulted in the discovery of oil on the Cement fold. Changing economic conditions have created a distress situation among the marginal operators in northeastern localities of the state. Elsewhere in the state production records and successful exploitation of new supplies have been eclipsed by a new social concept of the industry in accord with natural economic developments. Many of the producers of crude oil have organized for a voluntary stabilization of the industry by regulating the output of wells. To enforce their measures these operators have sought for and secured the support of the state. Consequently, the current position of the crude-oil producer is not unlike that of the natural-gas producer—withdrawal of supplies in accordance with market needs. And while the industry as a whole is artificially stabilized by these measures individual operators and some of the integrated concerns suffer hardships. Oil Developments and Production The early operations in Oklahoma were confined to northeastern and eastern localities, beginning in 1885. The first commercial oil wells were completed in 1894, near Chelsea in Craig County, from Cherokee sands in the lower portion of the Pennsylvanian section. Scattered

Jan 1, 1931

By A. J. Kraemer

This paper is the second and concluding report of the results of the Bureau of Mines' twenty-second semiannual survey of motor fuel marketed in the United States. The first paper Was published as Report of Investigations 3063 and reported data relating to gravity, vapor pressure and distillation range of the samples. The present paper deals particularly with results of the determination of copper strip corrosion (method 530.22), color (method 10.11), sulphur content by the lamp method, copper dish evaporation residue (method 530.1), and "gum" content as given by the steam-oven method as developed by the Bureau of Mines. The price at the time the sample was taken and the tax are also stated for each sample. The sample numbers used throughout this report are identical with those used in Report of Investigations 3063; for example, No. 225 of this report is the same sample as No. 225 of Report of Investigations 3063. This is the first semiannual motor gasoline survey of the Bureau 6f Mines in which some data were obtained on antiknock values for samples collected in the survey. The Bureau of Mines is not provided with equipment for making these tests in its own laboratories, but composite samples were tested in the laboratories of the Bureau of Standards and the report on these samples is given as a supplement to this paper (pp. 11 to 14).

Jan 1, 1931

By W. R. Moorehead

This paper, describing the mining methods and colt at the New Indria quicksilver mine, is one of a series of similar papers being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on various mines in the United States. The New Idria mine lies at an elevation of 3,500 to 4,200 feet in the Coast Range of San Benito County, Calif. The property is accessible by automobile stages from Gilroy or Hollister via Tres Pinos. Tres Pinos, 65 miles northwest of the mine, is the nearest railroad point.

Jan 1, 1931

By Joseph Jensen, J. B. Stevens

The history of the normal oil field is supposed to show an oil graph starting high in flush production, descending more or less steeply into the curve of settled production and dropping gradually to the vanishing point of economical operation. Together with this, somewhere in the early history of the field, there appears from a vanishing point a graph showing the production of water. During the period of settled production this graph rises higher and, toward the close, unless extensive work is done in the line of correction, rises far above the oil graph to the point at which the cost of operation terminates profitable pumping. Fields that start out with a high relative content of water are generally very short-lived. Fields that never develop a water problem are exceedingly rare. The McKittrick oil field, Kern County, California, with 840 acres of proved ground, 300 wells and a present recovery per acre of 94,598 bbl. from 1898 to Aug. 1, 1930, presents a study which is an apparent reversal of the outlined normal history. Though the history of the field now covers over 30 years of operation, it is still too early and the conditions too unique to project the graph of production to completion. The present conditions and directions of change are most interesting, in that the curve of oil production is remarkably flat and the curve of water invasion, after reaching an appalling height, has shown a definite reversal and a continued decline for 10 years. Early drilling in the McKittrick field was in or prior to 1898. Development continued steadily to 1918 when the present limitations of the field were determined. Shut-offs, according to accepted practice of the time, were made by driving the shoe into a shale stratum or into a tamped-in bridge of sand, rosin and clay. Records of early days speak of three waters: (1) surface water which was fresh; (2) an intermediate sulfur water, encountered below the top oil or tar sand; (3) bottom salt water. In different portions of the field any one of these waters let into a well by faulty completion might require immediate correction to obtain satisfactory production. In many wells,

Jan 1, 1931