Search Documents

By Marcel Daly

THE writer has devoted a number of years to practical operations and to the study of geology in the oil fields. In consequence, he has been brought to investigate the theories advanced to account for the accumulation of oil and gas in commercial deposits. It is the result of these investigations and his personal conclusions that he wishes to sum up in this paper. The writer is an advocate of the organic origin of petroleum found in pools. He has been led to believe that the present theories of oil and gas accumulations are incomplete and, in certain respects, incorrect, although they may embody certain elements of truth; that the forces that are called upon to explain the movement are only secondary forces in the process, and insufficient, by themselves, to cause this movement; and that the phenomenon of accumulation is of much larger order than heretofore admitted and bears an intimate relation with the general as well as with the local deformations of the crust and is a direct consequence and a mechanical effect of these deformations to which the term "diastrophic" has been applied. As a complement to this theory, the writer offers a new interpretation of the "rock pressure" and of the mechanism of the "sealing up" of this pressure in oil and gas pools.

Jan 7, 1916

By Abner Dixon

INTRODUCTION. IN India the production of mica, which in other countries is of very minor importance, is one of the staple, long established industries, and ranks high in the statistics of mineral products. Nearly two-thirds of the mica of commerce comes from India. The Indians have used mica for glazing and decorative purposes through many centuries. About 14,000 men are employed in and about the mines, and the indigenous and primitive mode of mining is still followed; but, by reason of the exhaustion of the surface supply hitherto won without intelligence or capital, it will not be many years before the present interesting and casual methods will be replaced by a less archaic and more profitable system. India on the whole has little mineral wealth, but the unique resources of its mica fields, cheap labor, and favorable natural conditions render it unlikely that any other country can ever more than temporarily contest her leadership in the production of this one minor but essential mineral. Mica plays a small but indispensable role in a variety of fields of dissimilar application. Its use and value depend upon characteristics which different kinds of mica have in varying degrees, each kind being adapted to 'its own special purpose. Its well-known characteristics of transparency, flexibility, elasticity, toughness, high dialectric, strength, perfect flatness; ease of splitting into thin films, ability to stand high heat and sudden changes in temperature, give it value in many industries. No other substance, natural or artificial, has this combination of qualities. The oldest use of mica is in glazing. By reason of the improvements in annealing glass, this is not now of great importance, but mica is still employed for the covers of ikon images in Russian churches, the windows of anthracite stoves, compass

Jan 5, 1913

By Graham Bright

The rapid increase in reliability, the low cost of operation, the ready application of safety devices, and the growing availability of central-station power have made the question of installing a hoist of the electric type no longer debatable. Where adequate electric power is available, there are few cases where it would be advisable to install a steam or air hoist. The type of electrical equipment depends largely on the nature of the power supply, its capacity, and the form of the power contract under which power is purchased. In a large majority of cases, the available electric power is alternating current, three phase, 60 cycles. There is, however, considerable 25-cycle power in use; and in a few instances constant voltage direct current is the only power available for a small or an occasional medium-size hoist. Where a new hoist is to be installed, the designer of the mechanical parts can readily take care of the maximum stresses likely to be imposed by the motor. Where the hoist is already installed and operated by steam or air and it is desired to substitute an electric motor for the engine, a careful check should be made to determine the advisability of using the old mechanical parts. In most cases it is better to install a complete new hoist than to attempt to use old mechanical parts. A steam engine has a definite maximum torque, which the hoist has been designed to withstand, while a motor may be able to deliver momentary torques beyond the strength of the mechanical parts of the hoist. The selection of the proper type of electrical equipment can only be made after complete information is obtained and certain calculations made to determine the capacities required. There are several methods used in making hoist calculations, but no matter what method is utilized a fair degree of familiarity with hoists and hoisting conditions is necessary before an intelligent analysis and proper selection can be made. Forms Used in Hoisting Calculations Some of the hoist calculation methods are long and complicated. Where such calculations are seldom made, it is better to use the

Jan 1, 1922

It is always the case with heavy and cheap materials that the area within which they can be economically used depends upon the cost of transportation, and in those days of poor roads and no mechanical means of haulage on them, coal could only be moved a few miles from the mine by any other means than water. The need of better means of transport to the areas west of the mountains had been urged by Washington and many other leaders, but the first turnpike over the Alleghenies only reached the Ohio River at Wheeling, W. Va. in 1818. The James River and Kanawha road reached the Ohio in 1831, that from Winchester, Va. to Parkersburg in 1838, and the road through the Cumberland Gap was completed in 1797. None of these affected the coal industry excepting indirectly by building up some of the river towns which coal could reach. The inadequacy of roads alone to carry the traffic of the rapidly growing interior communities was demonstrated only a few years after the National Pike was completed, and in the early 1820's several of the states embarked upon the construction of a canal system, which had been under discussion for some years. The Erie Canal was opened in 1825 from Lake Erie to the Hudson River through New York; Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland had already started similar projects designed to bring traffic to their principal cities from the interior. The Pennsylvania Canal was started from Columbia, as a railroad extended from Philadelphia to that point, and it followed the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers to Hollidaysburg; thence to Johnstown, a distance of 36 miles, where it consisted of partly railroad and partly inclined planes, the boats being hauled up, and lowered down the planes; from Johnstown the canal followed the Conemaugh, Kiskiminitas and Allegheny Rivers to Pittsburgh, 104 miles. Boats first reached Pittsburgh by this route in 1834. The Chesapeake and Potomac Canal followed the Potomac River from a point above Alexandria above the falls, to Cumberland. This canal was chartered in the eighteenth century and a portion of it was used by traffic in 1800. It was too small to be of much use and was abandoned, and later after many legal and financial vicissitudes was completed to Cumberland, traffic from there starting late in 1850. This date, however, was long after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had been completed to

Jan 1, 1942

By Franklin Moeller

THE application of electric power for driving, mine hoists handling heavy loads at high speeds has recently been extended by the installation of what is probably the largest electrically driven hoist in this country at the Granite Mountain shaft of the North Butte Mining Co., Butte, Mont. While the weight of rock which is hoisted by this machine is not the largest now being handled by electric mine hoists, the speed of hoisting is so, and the combination of the high speed with the heavy load has resulted in a machine of considerable interest to all those actively engaged in mining. Aside from mere consideration of size, this installation deserves attention because of the careful attention given, not only to the question of economy of operation, but to the details of construction and installation of the entire equipment. The conditions to be met in this installation were as follows: Weight of rock to be raised per trip, 7 gross tons 15,680 1b. Weight of skip 8,0001b. Weight of cage 1,8001b. Maximum depth of hoisting 4,000 ft. Diameter of rope 153 in. Total weight suspended on one rope from drum 42,000 1b. Normal hoisting speed 2,700 ft. per minute. Maximum hoisting speed : 3,000 ft. per minute. Desired capacity-200 tons per hour from 4,000 ft: depth. The ore is mined in several levels and hoisting is carried on from the 800-ft. level down to the 2,700-ft., which is at present the maximum depth from which the ore is raised regularly. Development is proceeding and a depth of 2,900 ft. has already been reached. The rock is handled underground in cars holding ¾ ton, and about 10 cars are the usual load for a skip. All of the ore is clumped into underground bins, which are of different capacities varying up to 250 tons. From the bins the ore is fed into the skips without passing into measuring pockets. At the surface the

Jan 2, 1916

By Irving A. Palmer

During the past 15 years in this country there have been few additions to the literature of lead smelting. After the consolidation of the principal smelting companies at the beginning of this period it became the policy of the larger company not to permit the publication of details in regard to many of its metallurgical processes. This led to similar action on the part of some of its competitors. The result, of course, was a decided decrease in the number of papers written upon the practical side of the subject. Even upon the theoretical side the contributions have been few. It would seem that the industry as a whole has suffered from this general unwillingness to exchange information. While it is true that a given company is entitled to the reward that may come from its own development of a new process, it is also true that a still greater reward might be the result of a free exchange of ideas with other plants. This principle has been recognized for a long time in other metallurgical industries, notably those engaged in the smelting of iron and the manufacture of steel. It is pleasing to note that the leading lead-smelting company has very recently decided to modify its policy of secrecy, and to permit the publication of papers covering some details of its metallurgical methods. The statement has been made that there has been but little progress in lead smelting during the period just referred to. This impression is due in part, no doubt, to the scarcity of papers written on the subject. 'There has been, it is true, some discussion of the new sintering processes, but with little reference to detail, and to the effect that blast roasting has had upon the industry as a whole. In spite of the prevailing belief, it may be said that lead smelting, in common with other metallurgical industries, has made steady and substantial progress. It is the purpose of the present paper to discuss briefly some features of the industry as it is now conducted, with special reference to the blast-furnace practice in the larger silver-lead smelting plants of the United States and Mexico.

Jan 1, 1915

By G. A. Croes, N. Schwarz

The dimensionless groups, to which the variables that govern the displacement of oil from reservoirs by liquids can be combined, are derived. Three types of displacement are considered, viz. cold-water drive, hot-water drive and solvent injection. The derivation of the dimerzsionless groups is carried out by means of the relevant basic equations (in-spectional analysis). The resulting sets of groups are afterwards completed by means of dimensional analysis. The form of the groups is given in such a way that they can be adapted to suit the various boundary conditions that are encountered in practice. The physical meaning of the groups is discussed. They have all been brought together on a chart, from which their mutual relation and their corresporzdence to related dimensionless groups in common use in other engineering sciences can be read off. The limitations of dimensionally scaled model experiments as a useful tool for studying liquid flow in porous media, as occurring in oil reservoirs, are discussed. The use of models to study fluid mechanics has an appeal for everyone endowed with natural curiosity. What active boy has not played with ship and airplane models, or crude models of dam and drainage systems Even in the most advanced technical engineering, such models play a fundamental and indispensable role. "And yet in few departments of the physical sciences is there a wider gap between theory and practice, between scientific knowledge and the state of art, than in the use of models to study hydrodynamic phenomena." Garrett Birkhoff1 INTRODUCTION Laboratory displacement experiments are extensively used to investigate, directly or indirectly, the production behavior of petroleum reservoirs. Such experiments are representative of the reservoirs as a whole, if they are carried out with models that are "properly scaled." The performance of oil reservoirs is governed by the values of a number of variables, which can be combined to dimensionless groups. Two general methods are available for the derivation of these groups. In the first of these, dimensional analysis, combination of the variables is done essentially by trial and error. Its only premise is knowledge of the complete set of relevant variables. In the second method, inspectional analysis, the dimensional homogeneity of the equations describing the behavior of the system to be studied is used. The resulting dimensionless groups can be divided into: (a) independent (variable) groups, such as dimensionless length, time, etc.; (b) dependent groups, giving the dimensionless form of the variables, such as recovery and pressure, that can, at least in principle, be measured during an experiment; (c) similarity groups, which are independent constant groups, such as ratio of length to height of the reservoir and ratio of

Jan 1, 1957

By Luther M. Krupp

A 3 ½ -mile asphalt mixed mat haulage road joins American Smelting & Refining Co.'s El Tiro copper pit northwest of Tucson and its Silver Bell mill. Two-axle trucks operate continuously over the road- way but the asphalt top shows none of the wash- board wear usually seen on dirt haulage roads during use by heavy vehicles. The following data cover construction of this road, and results of its use by Asarco and Isbell Construction Co., the road's builder.

Jan 11, 1958

By G. R. Brophy, A. J. Miller

The Grossmann principle1 for the calculation of hardenability of steel from composition is attractive because of its simplicity. It postulates that the hardenability of a steel for any particular grain size may be expressed in terms of an ideal critical diameter, which is the product of an ideal critical diameter for a "pure" iron-carbon base multiplied by a succession of factors for each element of composition contained, including the incidentals. It infers that the multiplying factor for a given quantity of an element is constant for all combinations of composition. Gross-mann has stated that in the great majority of cases the experimental values of hardenability are found to be well within 10 per cent of the calculated values. The validity of the scheme has been confirmed in principle by Crafts and Lamont2,3 and by Kramer et al.4 Their results differ from the original in the magnitude of the effect of some elements but, since they accepted the product concept and followed its direction, it is to be ex~ected that similar results would be obtained. Crafts and Lamont, in their second Paper, recognized that the factor relations for manganese and nickel were not continuously linear, but beyond certain critical amounts increase sharply. Austin, Van Note and Prater6 demonstrated nonlinear relations between hardenability and alloy contents. Their curves for chromium, silicon, manganese and nickel were all convex upward to show decreasing incremental effects. They concluded that Grossmann's factors under-evaluate the hardening effect of low percentage additions of these elements, and overevaluate the larger additions. More recently W. Stevens has found that the factor method fails when applied to complex steels containing two or three principal alloying elements other than carbon. Multiplying factors derived from his results bear a complex relation to composition and are not constant for a given amount of an element as the base composition varies. C. A. Liedholm7 found that, using either the Grossmann or the Crafts-Lamont multiplying factor values, not only were the relative hardenabilities of two heats of S.A.E. 6130 chromium-vanadium steel

Jan 1, 1947

By A. J. Miller, G. R. Brophy

The Grossmann principle1 for the calculation of hardenability of steel from composition is attractive because of its simplicity. It postulates that the hardenability of a steel for any particular grain size may be expressed in terms of an ideal critical diameter, which is the product of an ideal critical diameter for a "pure" iron-carbon base multiplied by a succession of factors for each element of composition contained, including the incidentals. It infers that the multiplying factor for a given quantity of an element is constant for all combinations of composition. Gross-mann has stated that in the great majority of cases the experimental values of hardenability are found to be well within 10 per cent of the calculated values. The validity of the scheme has been confirmed in principle by Crafts and Lamont2,3 and by Kramer et al.4 Their results differ from the original in the magnitude of the effect of some elements but, since they accepted the product concept and followed its direction, it is to be ex~ected that similar results would be obtained. Crafts and Lamont, in their second Paper, recognized that the factor relations for manganese and nickel were not continuously linear, but beyond certain critical amounts increase sharply. Austin, Van Note and Prater6 demonstrated nonlinear relations between hardenability and alloy contents. Their curves for chromium, silicon, manganese and nickel were all convex upward to show decreasing incremental effects. They concluded that Grossmann's factors under-evaluate the hardening effect of low percentage additions of these elements, and overevaluate the larger additions. More recently W. Stevens has found that the factor method fails when applied to complex steels containing two or three principal alloying elements other than carbon. Multiplying factors derived from his results bear a complex relation to composition and are not constant for a given amount of an element as the base composition varies. C. A. Liedholm7 found that, using either the Grossmann or the Crafts-Lamont multiplying factor values, not only were the relative hardenabilities of two heats of S.A.E. 6130 chromium-vanadium steel

Jan 1, 1947

By H. Landsberg

In a previous report1 it was pointed out that a successful attack on roof troubles has to be preceded by extensive scouting. As Lord Kelvin once said, scientific progress can be made only if accurate data are available: "unless you measure, you do not know." The Convergence Recorder For the observation of roof movements in mines the convergence recorder has shown that it will enable us to get some of the necessary information. Results with convergence recorders were first published by Winstanley and other English investigators for rapidly moving longwall faces. In their investigations the speed of work and the heavy overburden produced a considerable amount of absolute values of convergence in a short time. Under the conditions frequently encountered in our investigations in Central Pennsylvania, under shallow, overburden and in mines with slowly proceeding extraction, the movements observed were much less in absolute value, for an equal interval of time. This mas partly because the mines in which our studies were carried on frequently had idle days, sometimes four or five in succession. Therefore continuous records were not employed and a simple convergence gauge was built. In its first models, it consisted only of two telescoping tubes pressed against roof and floor by a coil spring. At the side of the lower tube a rule divided into 1/2-mm. divisions mas fixed and a knife-edge, which was attached to the upper tube, mas slid over the scale in case of convergence between roof and floor. While the larger motions could be read on this device, it seemed to be desirable to increase the accuracy by inserting between the two tubes a dial meter reading in 1/1000 in. Such a gauge was first built in April 1937 and installed for experimental purposes in a bituminous coal mine in Pennsylvania (Fig. I). It was read at least once daily, 24 hr. apart, and if feasible at shorter intervals. After several months of experience it can be said that this type of gauge answers the scientific as well as the practical needs. It is easier to handle than the recorder; no clock is used, there are no pen troubles. The price of

Jan 1, 1938

By H. Landsberg

In a previous report1 it was pointed out that a successful attack on roof troubles has to be preceded by extensive scouting. As Lord Kelvin once said, scientific progress can be made only if accurate data are available: "unless you measure, you do not know." The Convergence Recorder For the observation of roof movements in mines the convergence recorder has shown that it will enable us to get some of the necessary information. Results with convergence recorders were first published by Winstanley and other English investigators for rapidly moving longwall faces. In their investigations the speed of work and the heavy overburden produced a considerable amount of absolute values of convergence in a short time. Under the conditions frequently encountered in our investigations in Central Pennsylvania, under shallow, overburden and in mines with slowly proceeding extraction, the movements observed were much less in absolute value, for an equal interval of time. This mas partly because the mines in which our studies were carried on frequently had idle days, sometimes four or five in succession. Therefore continuous records were not employed and a simple convergence gauge was built. In its first models, it consisted only of two telescoping tubes pressed against roof and floor by a coil spring. At the side of the lower tube a rule divided into 1/2-mm. divisions mas fixed and a knife-edge, which was attached to the upper tube, mas slid over the scale in case of convergence between roof and floor. While the larger motions could be read on this device, it seemed to be desirable to increase the accuracy by inserting between the two tubes a dial meter reading in 1/1000 in. Such a gauge was first built in April 1937 and installed for experimental purposes in a bituminous coal mine in Pennsylvania (Fig. I). It was read at least once daily, 24 hr. apart, and if feasible at shorter intervals. After several months of experience it can be said that this type of gauge answers the scientific as well as the practical needs. It is easier to handle than the recorder; no clock is used, there are no pen troubles. The price of

Jan 1, 1938

By Wm. Terry Siemers, Frank E. Kottlowski, George S. Austin

The value of industrial rocks and minerals produced in New Mexico in 1978 exceeded $227 million. The state ranked first in the nation in production of potash and perlite and was a leader in pumice production. Other commodities with sizable production in New Mexico include barite, caliche, clay, dimension stone, fuorspar, gypsum, humate, limestone, mica, salt, sand and gravel, scoria, and silica sand. Non-metallic resources are distributed throughout the state, but development and exploitation is concentrated in western and southeastern New Mexico. The value of industrial rocks and minerals within the state grew about 9% to more than $227 million in 1978. Continued growth, however, depends on continued demand, exploration, and development.

Jan 1, 1982

By R. H. Singleton

ThE purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of cerium upon the nonmetallic inclusions found in cast and wrought steel containing various amounts of sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Interest of the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory of the Watertown Arsenal Laboratories in this type of research was stimulated by the reports from industry that rare-earth metals imparted beneficial effects upon the mechanical properties of steel, but that the mechanism was not understood. Berry and Dorvel' found that misch metal improved the impact properties of aluminum-killed cast steels. They reported that the rare earths modified the intergranular-film type nonmetallic inclusion, present with aluminum as the sole deoxidant, to a randomly distributed globular type. Lilliequist and Mickelson2 observed the improvement of ductility and toughness of quenched and tempered cast steels through rare-earth additions. They also observed the change from angular to duplex inclusions when rare earths were present. They con-

Jan 1, 1960

Jan 1, 1920

By Waldemar Lindgren

I. INTRODUCTION AT the time of the discovery of America the old world had a scant supply-of the precious metals. Both the northern and the southern part of the new continent proved wonderfully rich in gold and silver and its treasures were eagerly looted; though the looting has lasted four centuries, the nines of its mountain chains are far from being exhausted. Even the later discoveries in Australasia and eastern Siberia could not rob the Western Hemisphere of its position as the greatest gold and silver producing region of the world, though finally the developments in a narrow and circumscribed area in South Africa wrested from the Americas their supremacy in the production of gold. Nevertheless the history of the two parts of the great western continent has been strikingly different. At first the Spaniards extracted vast treasures of silver from Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia, while Colombia and some placer deposits in Peru yielded a smaller quantity of gold. A couple of centuries later, a stream of gold began to flow from Brazil, the silver production from the countries mentioned above continuing strong in the meanwhile. Later on, the yield of South America diminished, but to offset this there began a wonderful series of discoveries in North America. The gold fields of California astonished the world; and when the cream of these had been skimmed off there began a no less amazing development of the Central Cordilleran gold and silver districts, which soon wade the United States the greatest producer of the precious metals. Aided by ever improving technique, extensive exploration, and a system of railroads, the yield was maintained and increased. Still later followed the discoveries of the gold fields of the arctic region and silenced those who had maintained that the zenith in gold production had passed. Recently the province of Ontario in eastern Canada

Jan 4, 1916

By F. H. Newell

Measurements of the amount of water flowing in many of the larger rivers of the west have been made by the United States Geological Survey, and by this means the daily discharges of these rivers have been computed for a period of over two years. These measurements have been confined mainly to that part of the country commonly known as the arid region, where the rainfall is insufficient for the needs of plants most useful to man, and the supply of water, not only for agriculture, but also for mining and all other purposes, falls below the demands made upon it. In such localities flowing water has a great value, for without it many industries are impossible. Experience has shown that in the western part of the United States, over an area a little less than two-fifths of the whole extent of the country, there are great bodies of fertile land enjoying a genial climate, and in every way adapted to the support of a large population, except in the one particular of water-supply. By utilizing the water available, portions of this rich land can be rendered valnable. In other words, the laud-values rest directly upon the prospects of a continuous artificial water-supply. The same is true of many mineral lands, which require for hydraulic mining, or for the supply of concentrating-works, stanip-mills, etc., a certain water-supply, and are impaired in value if this supply is inadequate or irregular. The pressure of this need upon the mining industry is not so widespread, or in the first instance so severe as upon agriculture; but as different regions become more thickly settled, and the two industries compete for a water-supply not sufficient for both, it, is probable that the miner will suffer. But he can snspend operations with less inconvenience than the farmer. Agricuitural land, if the watersupply is not continuous, becomes a desert; on the other hand, the profit of mining is greatly enhanced by the presence of agricultural

Jan 1, 1892

By Harold L. Walker

ENGINEERING educators have recently been discussing the advisability of extending the undergraduate curricula to five or six years, and a plan has also been proposed requiring a preliminary period of study in the liberal arts college before admission to the engineering college. Extension of the undergraduate curricula has been suggested as a means of more fully covering the subject matter in the major field of study. Interest in this proposed plan of requiring a preliminary period of study in the liberal arts college has been heightened through a bill recently introduced in the legislature of the State of New York. This plan intends to give a more professional status to engineering, and credit for these additional years of study would be allowed to those engineers applying for professional licensure. As a result of the interest in engineering curricula and due to the impetus given by these proposed plans a general reexamination of curricula has been conducted by a large number of schools with the stated purpose of determining if the present curricula are meeting the aims and scopes of engineering education.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. King Hubbert

THE growth of human knowledge is an evolutionary process. His-torically our separate sciences came into existence as people became interested in various apparently unrelated domains of phenomena, and in this manner we acquired the sciences of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology and geology. As various of these sciences became established, cognizance of them came to be taken by the universities and in this manner there arose the traditional departments of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and geology of our American universities. As there was no particular rationality in the boundaries separating the various sciences, in the university departments the jurisdiction of each has assumed quite arbitrary limits. In the domain of earth phenomena the first science to grow up was that of geology, which arose originally from the activities of the collectors of rocks, minerals and fossils. Thus geology evolved as a descriptive science dealing with directly observable terrestrial phenomena for which elementary rational explanations were offered. The traditional treat-ment of phenomena by the science of geology has rarely been with more than an elementary regard for the fact that these phenomena were also phenomena of physics and chemistry. Since the latter part of the nineteenth century, a new approach to terrestrial phenomena has been emerging and becoming of so great a significance that it can no longer be ignored. This approach has been made by people trained primarily in the sciences of physics and chemistry, who have investigated terrestrial phenomena as constituting phenomena of, their respective sciences. In this manner we have acquired the so-called "borderland sciences" of geophysics, the physics of the earth, and of geochemistry, the chemistry of the earth. Neither of these fields is new, having arisen chiefly at the hands of European investigators during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The European uni-versities have long since given official recognition at least to geophysics, by the establishment of departments or institutes of geophysics, which are on a par with ,the university departments of the other sciences.

Jan 1, 1938

By Benjamin Tillson

To MOST mine operators, it seems evident that there is a drill-steel problem, although under certain conditions the amount f drill-steel breakage does not appear serious. What is at fault? It may be one or a combination of circumstances. The development of rock drills to the hammer-drill type in place of the old reciprocating piston drill, probably is one important cause for the greater steel breakage. Perhaps the manufacturers of drill steel have failed to realize what alloys are needed for this new service or have overlooked the changes in the art of rock drilling. Although suitable alloys are provided, they may not be so handled in the manufacturing process as to be in the best condition to withstand the demands of rock drilling. The mine operator may be at fault in desiring to use the smallest possible drill-steel section in order that the gage of the drill bits may be correspondingly small and the amount of footage drilled per unit of labor may be greater; or the black-smithshop practice at the mines may need improvement. The miner who uses the drill steel may also require more intensive supervision and education. Again, the manufacturer of rock drills may have failed to study the types of blows the steel alloys will withstand satisfactorily and which their tools are delivering and so he may not know whether or not a different design of rock drill would equal or excel their present drilling speeds without treating the drill steel so severely. All of these hypotheses probably have their supporters. On the other hand, perhaps we are seeking too much service from drill steel and we need a fuller realization of the fatigue strains developed and should prepare to relieve these by a periodic heat treatment of the steels. However, we do not find any proof that any of these suppositions may be held responsible for the drill-steel breakage attendant to mining. The proposed investigation of this matter by the U. S. Bureau f Mines is fully warranted in the promotion of the conservation of labor and material, and the safety of the workmen. The great range of field conditions, as well as the scope of the research, requires the energetic cooperative support of many interests. Various manufacturers of steel,

Jan 5, 1921