Search Documents

By Everette Lee DeGolyer

FIFTEEN thousand barrels of oil daily, the production of the United States 75 years ago, amounted to more than 90 per cent of world supply. Russia and Romania, neither of which produced as much as one thousand barrels daily, were the only other suppliers in substantial quantity. The adolescent oil industry of the United States, a dozen years old in 1871, was still confined to the Appalachian region. Wells were drilled by cable tools; many of them were "kicked down" by manpower with a spring pole; and depths were measured in hundreds rather than thousands of feet-a 1000-foot well was a deep well. Casing was an innovation, come into general use only a few years previously and still so new as to be subject to bitter patent litigation. Crude oil was packaged in wooden barrels and shipped by flat boat and barge on the creeks and rivers and by railroad. Such pipe lines as existed were only a few miles long. There were many refineries. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and the Atlantic seaboard were refining centers. Refineries were very small, however, and their operations consisted essentially in simple fractionation by distillation and treating for quality. The products in demand were burning oil or kerosene and lubricating oils. Oil was not yet used as fuel and gasoline was a nuisance to the refiner.

Jan 1, 1947

By Frederick Laist

IN the course of the past 75 years the treatment of copper ores has undergone the most profound changes. To a lesser degree, this is true of all the nonferrous metals, but the rapid increase in the demand for copper due to the phenomenal growth of the electrical industry, and the discovery of vast new ore deposits in Michigan, Montana and Arizona, provided an exceptional incentive for improvements in smelting practice and for large-scale operations. Because these must perforce be carried on in regions where labor was scarce and wages high, the need for mechanization and larger smelting units soon became apparent. At a later date the porphyry coppers were discovered, with ores so low in grade that enormous tonnages had to be treated daily if they were to be made to pay at all. In some instances these ores were associated with, or overlain by, oxidized ores, which could not be concentrated mechanically and, of course, could not be smelted directly. This led to the development of the copper-leaching process. While the principles of the various smelting and leaching processes are for the most part of European origin, and have long been known, modern practice is essentially American and was evolved on this side of the Atlantic. The ores of copper may be divided into three general classes; viz, native copper, sulphide and oxidized ores. By far the greater number of commercially important ore deposits come under the classification of sulphides. Commercial deposits of native copper are limited to the Lake Superior

Jan 1, 1947

By Cadwallader Evans

THE American Institute of Mining Engineers was organized in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania by men who were primarily interested in anthracite. Its first meeting, at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in the Northern Anthracite field, on May 16, 1871, resulted from a call sent out by three outstanding men of the anthracite .industry: Eckley B. Coxe, R. P. Rothwell, and Martin Coryell. The best known of these was Eckley B. Coxe, who was the manager of large hold¬ings operated by him and his family,. and who is remembered as the inventor of a special grate for burning very fine anthracite, known as the Coxe traveling grate, which is still very widely used. R. P. Rothwell was a well-known consulting engineer of the region, as was Martin Coryell, who was associated with another well-known anthracite family, the Pardees. There is no record of the discussions that resulted in this initial meeting, but it is safe to assume that the formation of the Institute was largely influenced, through appreciation by the founders, of the necessity for a free exchange of information covering the whole of the mining industry. One of the rules adopted at the first meeting was:

Jan 1, 1947

By Oliver Bowles

Two striking events marked the year 1871-the establishment of the A.I.M.E. and the beginning of the portland cement industry, the most spectacular of all the nonmetallics in its development. Just as David Saylor's first portland cement, made in a little mill at Allentown, Pa., in that year was the forerunner of a mighty industry, the products of which in 1942 were made in 155 plants scattered throughout the country (having attained a value of nearly $300,000,000), so the Institute from its small beginning has attained a membership of many thousands, likewise decentralized into a series of individual sections of wide geographical distribution. Concurrent with the establishment of the Institute was also the invention of the steam drill, followed by the compressed-air drill about 1904. These mechanical drills were so immeasurably in advance of the hand drill and hammer used previously that quarrying and mining of present-day magnitude could never have been attained without them. Some outstanding occurrences have marked this eventful three quarters of a century. The concrete age, with its enormous demands for cement, aggregates and steel, is of primary importance. Of interest also is the shift of fertilizers from the organic to the mineral field. Nitrates, primarily obtained

Jan 1, 1947

By Philip B. Bucky

FIFTEEN papers were presented at the Monday and Tuesday joint sessions of the Industrial Minerals Division and Society of Economic Geologists, covering beryl, mica, wollastonite, magnesium resources, exploration for pegmatite mineral deposits, rutile, properties and uses of phosphates, and a general survey of nonmetallic minerals and their war uses.

Jan 1, 1944

By Hassell E. Hunter

The Wyoming Minerals - Conoco Crownpoint Joint Venture represents the first time that big hole drilling has been exclusively used to develop a privately financed mine. Three shafts, one ten feet in diameter and two six feet in diameter, have been successfully drilled to depths of 2243', 2188' and 2188' respectively and lined with hydrostatic designed steel casing. The largest shaft is to be used to as a development shaft to handle muck and water from enlargement and station excavation of the other two shafts. A reverse fluid air assist circulation system with potassium base mud was used during drilling. The mud was cleaned by settling in steel lined tanks with assistance from cyclone type sand separators. Deviation was monitored with wireline gyroscopic surveying instruments at 30 foot intervals. Horizontal departure did not exceed 16 inches off perpendicular. Casing was designed to withstand full hydrostatic pressures with a 1.5 safety factor for the large shaft and 1.25 safety factor for the two smaller shafts. All casing welds were x-rayed prior to lowering the casing into the hole. Cementing the annular space completed the operation. The total time to mobilize, drill and move off the three shafts was 363 days. The drilling operation was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

Jan 1, 1982

By Donald P. Richards, John F. Abel

Geotechnical site investigation for new mine shafts can reduce the level of design uncertainty for shaft linings. The parameters which determine the lining strength required include rock strength and hydrologic properties, the in situ stress conditions, and the concrete strength. These parameters are applied to analytical methods of shaft lining design using the plastic and clastic assumptions of rock response to determine the required lining thickness to maintain the stability of the shaft excavation.

Jan 1, 1982

[ ]

Jan 1, 1938

[ ]

Jan 1, 1938

By T. M. Berry

In the past few years changes have taken place in shaft sinking. Progress has been made with types of machinery designed, developed, and made available to shaft sinking contractors. This is particularly true of drilling and mucking equipment. Compared with conventional clamshell loading, mucking or loading with a crawler-mounted overshot loader is a new technique for shaft work. There are several methods of clamshell loading. Dravo Construction Co. mounts an air tugger on the clamshell to operate the closing line. The load, or holding line, is attached to the hoist of a crane or whirler at the shaft collar. The clamshell is raised or lowered by the hoist when a signal is given by a bell or light system operated by men at the bottom of the shaft. Two men control the drift of the clamshell with tag lines, pulling it to any position in the shaft for loading, or over the shaft muck bucket for emptying. One man operates the air tugger to open and close the clamshell by means of two lines attached to the operating air valve, just as reins are used to drive a horse. One man operates the signal telling the hoist operator when to raise or lower the clamshell. This method requires two hoisting lines in the shaft-the line from the mine hoist that lifts

Dec 1, 1956

By J. Murray Riddell, George A. Morrison

This paper is a companion to the one by George A. Morrison on Mining a Deep Limestone Mine in Ohio.‡ Barberton is 8 miles west of Akron, Ohio, and 23 miles south of Cleveland. The underground mining of limestone at Bar-berton constitutes the world's deepest limestone mine. The stratigraphy is as follows: 0-20 ft. Loam, clay, sand and gravel. Water bearing. 2-40 ft. Fractured sandstone. Water bearing. 40-110 ft. Sandstone with interbedded shale, slightly fractured. Water bearing. 110-314 ft. Sandstone with interbedded shale, slightly fractured. Water carrying. 314-2197 ft. Shale with occasional seams of sandstone, which varies in thickness from a few inches to 4 feet. Dry. 2197-2247 ft. Limestone. Dry. 2247-2742 ft. Dolomitic limestone. Dry. 2742-2767 ft. Salt. Dry. 2767- Dolomitic limestone. Dry. All of the strata dip to the southeast, about 0.5 per cent from the horizontal. The top 110 ft. of the crust is water-bearing. The rock strata are naturally fractured to a depth of 314 ft., sufficient to allow the passage of water. In the shaft-sinking operations, a stra- turn of oil-bearing sandstone one foot thick was encountered at a depth of 520 ft., and flows of methane gas were pierced at depths of 1350 and 1952 feet. Specifications for the mine plant called for, in part, the sinking of two vertical shafts and a hoisting plant capable of producing at the rate of 300 tons per hour. No. I shaft is 550 ft. west of No. 2 shaft. Each shaft measures 8 by 17 ft. outside of steel. General features of the design (Fig. I) are: Principal set members, 6-in. H-section; connecting angles (studdles), ? by 4 by 4-in. angle irons; spacing of sets. 8 ft. centers; spacing of bearer sets, generally, 160 ft.; bearers, of 12-in. I-beams. Each bearing set featured a concrete ring about the periphery of the shaft, steel to rock, and 8 ft. in height; permanent guides, 6 by 10-in. long-leaf yellow pine, 85 per cent heart. The Shaft-sinking Operation The preliminary shaft-sinking work consisted of driving interlocked steel piling about the exterior of the shafts to depths of 35 and 32 ft., respectively, and of such horizontal dimensions as to ultimately permit the pouring of a concrete collar 2 ft. in horizontal thickness. Following the pouring of a shaft collar, a temporary wooden headframe for shaft-sinking purposes was erected. The head-frame, while ordinary, featured: (1) a storage pocket of 300 cu. ft, capacity with truck servicing facilities, and (2) pneu matically operated dump doors, which mere actuated by the hoistman, thus caring

Jan 1, 1946

By Donald L. Anderson

Presence of hot water brought on by volcanic action nearby has severely complicated mining in the Limon gold mine in Nicaragua. Routine pumping problems have been multiplied and ventilation is a major problem. Enclosing rock is so hot that 20 pct of all power generated at the mine is consumed by forced ventilation. But hot water underground, however disagreeable and troublesome, may be handled and surmounted like any other difficulty if the estimated profit margin permits. Empresa Minera de Nicaragua's Limon mine is a 400-ton gold-silver producer located in western Nicaragua about 60 miles northwest of the capital city, Managua, and some 45 miles from the Nicaragua-Honduras border. Limon is situated in a low- lying district with a nearby chain of active and semi-active Tertiary volcanoes.

Jan 6, 1959

By John Henry Harden

IN 1874, with Mr. H. Y. Attrill, of Baltimore, Md., I made an examination of some property at Goderich with reference to sinking for and mining salt. With this end in view we visited all the wells in the neighborhood, but the information sought being of so unreliable a character I advised the putting down of a borehole on the property. This has since been done, the result of which has lately been published by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt in the Toronto Globe. From this there appears to have been passed through six beds of salt of an aggregate thickness of 123 feet. Rock-salt was known to exist, for, by the boring of existing wells, small crystals had been brought to the surface in the dirt, but no attempt had before been made to obtain a reliable sample or to prove the number and thickness of the beds. The question now remaining for discussion is, shall the present method of obtaining the salt be continued, or shall the beds be won by a shaft in a regular mining fashion, by which means the salt may be gotten in a condition almost ready for the market? The present mode of obtaining salt is by boreholes from 6 inches to 8 inches in diameter drilled to the beds, into which is inserted a pump. The "feeders" of fresh water intersected in drilling the well are allowed to descend on the outside of the pump-tube to the salt beds and there become saturated, when, on use of the pump, brine is obtained for evaporation. In the beginning brine can only be had in limited quantity, but by the daily application of the pump, and the gradual solution of the salt, a larger surface becomes exposed to the action of the fresh water, and a continuous supply of brine is obtained. It will then be understood that the supply of brine is dependent upon the feeders of fresh water intersected in boring the well, which, we are told, have never shown any sign of diminution, and this is the water that must be encountered in sinking a shaft. There are ten wells in operation at Goderich, the most important one to the present project being known as the Hawley Well, located at an elevation a few feet above Lake Huron at the mouth of the river Maitland, at a much lower level and nearer to the proposed shaft than any other well in the district. At this well the feeders

Jan 1, 1877

By Jack M. Swales

Kermac Potash Co., the newest American entry in a rapidly expanding industry, has come on the scene with notable variations in conventional shaft-sinking and mining techniques. Located in the famed potash producing district east of Carlsbad, N. Mex., Kermac started up its mine in November, 1965, to supply ore to the company's 500,000-tpy potash crystallization refinery. In so doing, the company (1) drilled the first large diameter mine shaft in the potash industry and (2) has employed new continuous miners especially adapted for use in thin potash beds. REACHING THE ORE ZONE In its initial mine planning, Kermac, a partnership owned jointly by Kerr-McGee Corp. and the National Farmers Union Development Corp., considered it imperative that the shafts be sunk and equipped as soon as possible and that the mine be developed sufficiently to insure a constant ore feed to the mill when the unit was placed on stream. After examining the alternative sinking techniques available to it, the company decided to accept a proposal by Big Hole Drillers, Inc., to drill the shaft from the surface through various formations of sandstones, siltstone, shales, anhydrite, limestones, dolomite and salts to the potash ore zone.

Jan 12, 1966

By Gerald G. Griswold, James O. Greenslade, Cherie Tilley, Richard Reseigh

INTRODUCTION The Harrison Western Corporation, a leading Denver based mine contracting and engineering concern, is presently engaged in sinking two 1,006 m (3,300 ft) shafts for the Phillips Uranium Corporation at their Nose Rock Project, approximately 13 miles northeast of the small community of Crownpoint in McKinley County, New Mexico. The Nose Rock Project is the first attempt by the Phillips Uranium Corporation to tap the deep uranium reserves in what has become known as the Grants Mineral Belt. (See Figure 1) Project Description Phillips Uranium Corporation's plan for the large 2700 metric ton per day (2950 tons/day) mining facility calls for a series of deep access and ventilation shafts ranging from 4.27 m (14 ft) to 5.49 m (18 ft) in diameter to approximate depths of 1,006 m (3,300 ft). The initial pair of shafts consists of one production shaft and one ventilation shaft separated by a distance of 91 m (300 ft). The interbedded layers of sedimentary sandstones and shales to be penetrated by the shafts contain several major water producing aquifers, the deepest being the mineralized zone called the Westwater Canyon Member of the Morrison Formation. A series of temporary and permanent water pumping stations is planned. Generally, the temporary stations are located above major aquifers to facilitate water removal while sinking through the aquifer and the permanent stations constitute what, in the final mode, will be the mine dewatering system. In addition, Phillips Uranium Corporation has In- stalled and is maintaining a system of depressurization wells that temporarily pump the major aquifers and considerably reduce the water inflows during shaft construction. The major aquifers are also chemically grouted prior to sinking. Site work for the project was initiated in the fall of 1976. Full scale shaft sinking commenced in November of 1977 on the 4.88 m (16 ft) diameter ventilation shaft and on the 5.49 m (18 ft) production shaft by another contractor. Harrison Western Corporation began work on the project on November 4, 1979 wlth the production shaft at a depth of 633 m (2,076 ft) and the ventilation shaft at a depth of 474 m (1,554 ft). This paper will address only the portion of shaft sinking completed by Harrison Western. Geology and Hydrology The Nose Rock Project is located on the Chaco Slope in the southern extreme of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. The southern San Juan Basin is generally bound by the Defiance Uplift to the west, the Zuni Uplift to the south and the Nacimiento Uplift to the east. The Grants Mineral Belt occupies most of the southern portion of the San Juan Basin and this project is located on the northern extreme of the Grants Mineral Belt. The San Juan Basin is comprised of sedimentary rock of continental, marginal-marine and marine origin, that dip northward from the Zuni Uplift and Chaco Slope into the interior of the San Juan Basin. (See Figure 2) Major Formations The major geologic formations to be penetrated range from mudstone and shales to siltstones and sandstones. The sandstones are highly productive aquifers which, under static conditions, would flow artesian. Water temperatures in the aquifers are high and therefore are a force to be dealt with. Temperatures range from 18ºC (65OF) in the upper aquifers to 48ºC (118º'F) in the lower. The mudstones are generally bentonitlc. (See Figure 2) GALLUP SANDSTONE: The Gallup Sandstone is the first major regressive wedge in the San Juan Basin of the Cretaceous era and at this project is about 35 m (115 ft) thick. It is medium grained and prior to depressurization carried a hydrostatic water pressure of over 72.5 kg per cm2 (1,031 psi) which 1s artesian. Compressive strength ranges from 334.7 kg per cm2 (4,760 psi) to 421.8 kg per cm2 (6,000 psi). Water temperature is approximately 30°C (86°F).

Jan 1, 1982

By M. TAYLOR

AT Grand Saline, some 65 miles east of Dallas, the Morton Salt Co. of Chicago has for some years operated a brine pumping and evaporation plant on a salt dome. They recently drilled trial holes to obtain data on the dome, preparatory to opening, a new mine, with the following results: The dome is in the form of a truncated cone, with an average of 210 ft. of cover. The top of the dome is approximately one mile in diameter, with the town of Grand Saline lying over the northern rim, and the sides slope off at an angle of 50" to 80" from the horizontal. The deepest holes were drilled to 900 ft. without penetrating beyond the salt, and indications are that the salt deposit is several thousand feet thick. As the deposit increases in area with the depth, there is undoubtedly enough salt to supply a mining operation for an almost unlimited period of years.

Jan 1, 1930

By Noel S. Christensen

COBALT is a silvery white metal with a slight bluish cast, strongly resembling nickel in its appearance and properties, notably its resistance to corrosion, although its alloys with other metals differ quite decidedly in their properties from those of nickel. The name cobalt was derived from the German "Kobold" meaning goblin and this came to be applied to the cobalt minerals which, although they resembled ores, did not readily yield metal when smelted by the primitive processes available in the Middle Ages. Cobalt minerals were used as pigments by potters and glass workers before the Christian era. Cobalt blue glass was found in the tombs of the Egyptians and in the ruins of Troy, and many colors used by the ancient Greeks and Romans contained cobalt. The ancients were entirely unaware that the colors they used were caused by cobalt and the metal itself was only isolated about the middle of the eighteenth century by Brandt although the preparation of cobalt compounds had been carried on in a small way ever since the opening of the silver-cobalt deposits at Schneeberg, Germany, in 1470. The metal is fairly hard, with a density when pure of 8.81 in the cast state and 8.92 after working. The commercial grade of cobalt has a density of about 8.75 in the cast state. The atomic weight is 58.97. The Brinell hardness of the pure metal is 124; that of the commercial grade varies from as low as 100 to as high as 138, depend¬ing upon the impurities present. Pure cobalt has a sharp melting point at 1478°C. The tensile strength of the pure metal in the cast condition is said to be higher than that of any other pure metal. Kalmus gives it as 34,400 lb. per sq. in. for cast unannealed metal; the effect of annealing at 850 to 900°C. is to raise the strength slightly. The yield point is close to the ultimate strength and the reduction in area and elongation are both low. Mechanical working raises the tensile strength of pure cobalt rapidly and in the form of wire it will be over 100,000 lb. per sq. in. The presence of small quantities of carbon in the commercial metal raises the tensile strength to as high as 61,000 lb. per sq. in., the reduction in area and elongation being raised at the same time to approximately 20 per cent.

Jan 1, 1933

By L. A. Walker

DURING the past twelve years the underground shaft of the United States mine at Bingham has been sunk an additional 2000 ft. with stations and pockets cut every 200 ft. without interrupting the mining of 600 tons of ore per day and the advancing of 1500 ft. of development per month. Following is a brief description of the way the joint work is conducted. The vertical underground shaft is a three-compartment shaft with outside dimensions of 6 ft. 4 in. by 15 ft. 6 in., and inside dimensions for each compartment of 4 ft. 2 in. by 4 ft. 8 in. The manway compartment of the main shaft is used as the hoisting compartment in sinking operations; it is partially lined with 2 by 12-in, lagging and a bucket is used without guides or crosshead. Preparatory work includes the placing of a bulkhead in the manway compartment, 60 ft. above the lowest station or level, the installation of a hoist, a head sheave, a fleet sheave, a-signal system, air and water lines, and a trap door for handling waste.

Jan 1, 1937

By Richard P. Gerwels

Minas de Matahambre, a copper mine located 100 miles southwest of Havana, Cuba, has produced 10 million tons of copper ore since it was first opened up in 1913. During the mid-1950's the mine was producing approximately 1000 tpd and had attained a depth of 3600 ft. As shown in Fig. 1, the property contains three shafts: the No. 1 shaft, 2100 ft deep and located 2000 ft south of the No. 2 shaft, provided service to the 2100 level; the vertical 3600-ft No. 2 shaft handled all production to the 3400 level; the No. 3 shaft on the northeasterly fringe of the mining area was in a semi-active status.

Jan 12, 1960

By S. S. Clarke

THEN sufficient ore has been blocked out on a lease to warrant a shaft, the proposed. Location of the shaft should be carefully considered, as the old promoter's method of sinking wherever his hat landed is a sad mistake as some: of us have learned by trying to operate such mines. In some instances certain conditions exist, such as mill location, railroad right of way, etc., that necessitate a change of location from the. ideal, but under average conditions and with the knowledge of the formation gained from the drill logs and with the general trend of the orebody known, the shaft can be located from. the standpoint of its future relation to the mine with re-gard to hauling and' hoisting a maximum tonnage: at a minimum cost per ton, also taking into account the minimum amount of expense and trouble- in sinking. Quite a few shafts are located in the wall of a run or just in the thin edge of the orebody: As a general rule the formation here is solid and permits rapid and safe sinking, and the shaft pillars are left in practically valueless material. This permits the withdrawal of pillars and still keeps the shaft protected. By opening a shaft in thin ground, you are not tempted to cut it high, wide, and handsome, but to shape it up-with ample clearance for lay-bys and with more of an idea of permanency, as a few hundred extra dollars spent around the shafts for proper track installation will re-turn, a good rate of interest in ease of handling "cans," quick get-away; and fewer wrecks. Nearly all the shafts in this district are sunk on a contract basis, the con-tractors furnishing all labor and explosives, and the company building the sinking-derrick, dump-track, and furnishing, all equipment, material, and power. The following costs are the averages, for three shafts sunk through good solid formation, with no water to, contend with, and approximately 260 -ft., deep, having about-100 ft. of shale. The contract price was $9 per foot with the shale and $13 per foot in the solid, making a total of $2,980 paid to the contractor. The wages paid by the contractor were, $5 per shift for the hoist-man, who also sharpened steel, $6 for the lead shaft man, and $5 for the helper;, the cribbing was sawed on contract for 40c. per shaft: foot; about. 94 board feet. of cribbing was used per foot of staggered cribbing and 168 board feet per foot of solid cribbing.

Jan 8, 1928