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By A. M. Evans

"INTRODUCTION Exploration of the Iron Mountain and Bader iron-ore deposits in Llano County and the Gamble deposit in Mason County, Texas, was begun by the Bureau of Mines in January and completed in May 1944. The deposits had been examined by A. B. Needham, district engineer of the Bureau, in November 1942. Detailed geophysical studies by the gravity method as well as with a dip needle were made by the Bureau of Economic Geology 3/ of the University of Texas and the Federal Geological Survey. 4/ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn the program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy., It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploration project as soon as practicable after its completion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests."

Apr 1, 1947

By H. C. Hamontre

The liquid-level gage described in this report is an instrument designed to locate liquid levels in wells rapidly and accurately and, with auxiliary equipment described, to follow moving liquid levels automatically. The depth at which the instrument makes contact with the liquid in a well is indicated at the surface by a depth meter on the cable to which the instrument is attached. When the gage is used to follow a surging moving level, the liquid depth is indicated continuously at the surface. This report contains a description and illustrations of the gage and outlines the operating procedures. The instrument is 1-3/4 inches in diameter and approximately 6 feet in length and may be operated through 2-inch tubing. The gage consists essentially of a float that moves upward with respect to the rest of the assembly, causing a change in the flow of electric current from the surface when the liquid level is reached. The instrument has been tested under a variety of conditions and has been found to be sensitive to changes in liquid level of 1/2 inch. Its accuracy is limited principally by the accuracy of the wire-line depth indicator used. It is not affected by pressure or temperature, and it can be run in open hole or under pressure through a lubricator. It employs only one electric circuit and can be run on an Amergraph single-conductor cable (type 1-H-0) ,

Jan 1, 1954

By F. D. Cannon

"In metal and nonmetallic mineral mines during the 15-year period 1911 to 1925, 30.17 per cent of all fatalities and 16.57 per cent of all injuries were caused by falls of rock or ore from the back or roof or from the wail; 1.24 per cent of the fatalities and 11.05 per cent of the injuries were caused by rock or ore while loading at the working face; 6.66 per cent of the .fatalities and 2.49 per cent of the injuries resulted from men falling down 3 chute, winze, raise, or stope; and run of ore from chute or pocket caused 1.48 per cent of the fatalities and 1.93 per cent of the injuries.3 Hence, accidents due to falls of men and material caused. 39.55 per cent of the fatalities and 34.05 per cent of the injuries in these mines. Accident prevention can best be assisted by each company's preserving complete records of accidents classified according to cause and rate per thousand or 10,000 shifts. A systematic method of recording accidents and the employment of graphs or charts will be helpful to the company safety department in analyzing the cruses of accidents. The purpose of this publication is to analyze data on accidents caused by falls of men and material in metal -mines of the United States, and to suggest methods of preventing or reducing such accidents."

Jun 1, 1929

By Townsend. James W.

"INTRODUCTION As a byproduct of its mineral investigation program, the Bureau of Mines has developed a number of operating devices and techniques worthy of note. This paper, prepared under the direct supervision of Paul T. Allsman, chief, Salt Lake City Division, Branch, and under the general supervision of Lowell B. Moon, chief, Mining Branch, reports upon one such device. A simple device has been developed for measuring angles of deviation from the horizontal as recorded on a glass tube by acid etching. The device has facilities, also, for measuring the angle between the long axis of the ellipse and the north-south reference points established by a Maas compass or from an established axial lamina, on the tube, which was ori¬ented to a specific direction in the hole by rod alinement.The device was found accurate within half a degree on repeated orientations of the same tube. However, the degree of accuracy is dependent on the accuracy of personal manipulation in orienting the tube to the correct plane."

May 1, 1947

By E. M. Frost

"Helium has great value to the oil and as industry as a tracer gas, according to tests just completed in the Elk Hills Field, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, Kearn County, California. When used as .a tracer gas, small percentages of helium are mixed with natural gas pumped into a reservoir for conservation, repressuring, or cycling purposes. Because minute quantities of helium added to natural gases can be detected by analytical methods and accurately determined, the variations of the helium content of gas withdrawn from various parts of a field when helium has been added to the injected gas give interesting and long-sought data on the movement of injected gas through reservoirs.The Bureau of Mines engineers began their studies of the use of helium as a tracer material in gas-injection operations in the Elk Hills, California, oil field, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, in response to a request by the Navy Department for assistance in connection with an expanded oil-production program instituted in that field. This report discusses the Bureau's work on the problem of determining the direction and extent of migration of injected gas in the Elk Hills reservoir by the use of helium as a tracer gas,The Bureau appreciates the cooperation and assistance of Commodore W. G. Greenman, U.S.N., director, and Commander R. Walling, U.S.N.R., Assistant director, Naval Petroleum .and Oil Shale Reserves, Washington, D. C., Captain H. P. Stolz, U.S.N.R., commanding officer, and Commander F. G. Taves, U.S.N.R.., of the Navy's Elk Hills staff. The Bureau also appreciates the cooperation and assistance given by V. O. Wankowski, F. C. Tratt, Marray Putnam, Dana Champion, and other personnel of the Standard Oil Co., of California, operators of the Elk Hills field.R. A, Cattell, chief, and C. C. Anderson, assistant chief, Petroleum and Natural Gas Division; C. W. Seibel, supervising engineer, Bureau of Mines Helium Plants; and H. H. Hinson, petroleum engineer - all of the Bureau's staff - furnished valuable advice and assistance during the course of the work. H. C. Miller and G. B. Shea of the Bureau's San Francisco Office contributed valuable liaison work. The writer wishes to express appreciation to all these people for their cooperation and assistance."

Jun 1, 1946

By William H. King

The property of the Cupric Mines Co. is situated in the San Francisco mining district, Beaver County, Utah, 21 miles westerly from Milford (fig. 1), the rail and supply center for the area. Scheelite mineralization was not discovered until 1941, although the occurrence of lead and copper minerals had been known previously. S. VI. Hobbs, of the Federal Geological Survey, examined the Cupric property in November 1941 and prepared topographic and geologic maps of the area. This work was supplemented by additional investigations in January 1943 and March 1944 (fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1949

By John Nagy

Tests were conducted in the Experimental coal mine to study some of the factors that should be considered in fighting mine fires and to obtain data on the effectiveness of different types of extinguishing agents. The investigation was confined to class "A" fires in a zone 20 feet long, involving coal burning on the floor, on the floor and ribs, and on the floor, ribs, and roof of the mine entry. It was determined that the time elapsed between ignition and attack of the fire is very important. A fire in the early stages was found to be controlled more easily and quickly than a similar fire that had burned longer. It was also found that, under suitable conditions, a fire in the floor, ribs, and roof develops very rapidly and consequently might spread over a considerable area if not brought under control quickly. The ventilating current affects fire-controlling operations markedly. Attack in intake or fresh air is highly advantageous, the chief inconvenience being the radiant heat from the fire. Attack in direct return air was impossible for the fires tested in this investigation, because of the high temperature. Universal-type gas masks for noxious gases and smoke offered no protection against the intense heat. Approach to a fire in the return air behind a water-fog curtain is not feasible unless the direction of air flow can be reversed. In one" test fresh air was carried to the fire area with a line brattice. Although the entire controlling operation was in fresh air and masks were not necessary, it was considerably more difficult to control the fire than when a similar fire was attacked in intake air.

Jan 1, 1950

By Eugene T. Sheridan

The 25th annual survey of the peat industry by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, disclosed that 79 companies produced and sold peat from 81 operations in 21 States in 1958. Peat is a carbonaceous deposit, formed under water or in a water-saturated environment from plant material. It is the first stage in the development of coal and, when properly dried, can be used as fuel. Although 98 percent (estimated) of the total world production is used for energy purposes, the status of peat in the United States is somewhat unique in that none is used for fuel, and practically all is consumed as an agricultural product, chiefly for soil improvement purposes. The domestic peat industry has expanded rapidly since World War II, and production in 1958 was 327,813 net tons valued at $3,445,767. More than one-half million ton of peat was consumed in the United State in 1958, however, as 269,096 tons was imported.

Jan 1, 1959

By Young W. A.

The Eagle Silver mine is in the Rush Valley mining district, Tooele County, Utah, and is now operated by the Hampton Mining Co. The property, originally referred to as the Argent, is reported to have been one of the first discoveries in the district. The early operators mined ore to a depth of 850 feet, at which point the property was abandoned because of excessive water. During 1905 the Honerine tunnel was driven into the area approximately 1,800 feet below the collar of the Argent shaft. This tunnel served to drain the levels above and operations were resumed. Ore deposits in the Eagle Silver mine occur in the Galena King lime-stone, a 20-to 60-foot member of interbedded quartzite and limestone in the Oquirrh formation of Pennsylvanian age. This member has been faulted along the bedding, forming the Galena King gouge. Mineralization commonly occurs in or near this gouge area in a brecciated, highly altered, pipelike zone. The known ore shoots occur in association with the breccia pipe, commonly adjacent to cross faulting and porphyry intrusions. In general, two ore shoots have been mined on the upper levels of the mine, one lying to the east and the other to the west of the breccia zone. The Bureau of Mines diamond-drilling program was begun during the latter part of 1948 and completed early in 1949. Nine holes were drilled, aggregating 852.8 feet. Sludge and core samples from mineralized sections were analyzed in the Salt Lake City laboratories. A total of 87 sludge, 71 core, and 11 chip samples was submitted for analysis.

Jan 1, 1950

By Irving Hartmann

Following the severe starch-dust explosion in the casting department of a large candy factory nearly 2 years ago, great interest has been shown in the explosive properties and the safe manufacture and handling of powdered starches. Under the auspices of the National Fire Protection Association, a committee has been formed to prepare a code aimed at preventing dust explosions in the confectionery industry. One objective of this code will be to reduce the explosion hazards of starches that are widely used for molding, dusting, and other candy-manufacturing processes. The explosibilities of starches and starch mixtures have been studied in the laboratories of the Bureau of Mines and elsewhere. The results of the initial experiments made by the Bureau on 10 samples of cornstarch and mixtures of cornstarch with other materials have been published. In response to numerous requests for additional information, further laboratory studies have been conducted. Data have been obtained on the effects of dust concentration, particle size, moisture content, admixture of .calcium carbonate, and on the effect of oil treatment on the explosibility of cornstarch. The results of this investigation are summarized in this report.

Jan 1, 1950

By James P. McGee

Use of nuclear reactors to furnish high-temperature heat is a field that has not received as much attention as propulsion and electric power production. Investigations are being conducted under a joint Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)--Bureau of Mines research program to determine the feasibility of using nuclear heat for chemical processing. A part of this process-heat-reactor program is the study of a system in [hich] helium transfers heat from 8 nuclear reactor to a chemical processing [essel]. This requires construction of (1) a nuclear reactor to operate with helium exit temperature of 2,500° F. and with pressures in the range of 250 to 500 p.s.i.g. and (2) a processing vessel (heat exchanger) to convert the enthalpy of the helium into chemical process reaction heat. Neither component exists at present, and development of each promises to be a formidable task. To aid in the study of such a system, the Bureau of Mines has designed and constructed a vessel heated by electrical induction to simulate a source of nuclear fission heat. This vessel is undergoing preliminary testing. Gasification of coal and reforming of hydrocarbons are promising uses for nuclear heat. It appears that a higher price per unit of nuclear heat can be tolerated for chemical processing than that allowable for power generation.

Jan 1, 1960

By L. G. Marshall

This report is one of a series published by the Federal Bureau of Mines describing mining methods and performance at individual operations throughout the United States. The objective of these papers is to promote development and conservation of our mineral resources by disseminating reliable technological information on mining methods, practices, and results that may be applied to the engineering analysis and solution of mining problems. SUMMARY Operation of a limestone quarry producing flux for the steel industry and crushed stone for production of concrete is described in this report. The deposit being mined is a flat-lying limestone formation under a thin overburden 2 to 25 feet thick. The height of the quarry face varies from 9 to 60 feet, averaging 40 feet. Production rate ranges from 4.5 to 5 million long tons per year.

Jan 1, 1959

By D. S. Kingery

Recent Federal coal-mine inspections have revealed some good and some definitely hazardous practices and systems for transporting; handling, and storing lubricants in and about coal mines. Improper storage or handling of. lubricants in coal mines has caused disastrous mine fires or, by supporting combustion, has made fires from other sources more difficult to fight. Careless handling of grease and oil around electrical equipment wastes much oil and permits entrance of grit and foreign substances into the working parts, which causes excessive wear and increases the possibility, of electrical ignition.

Jan 1, 1943

By R. E. Head

[Surveys of the manganese situation conducted by the Geological Survey any other agencies have definitely established the, fact that the tonnage of high-grade manganese or in the United States is relatively small. It is therefore obvious that large-scale production of manganese is possible only through beneficiation of low-grade material. Deposits of low-grade manganese ore are being examined by engineers of the Mining Division of the Bureau of Mines to determine their size and possibilities as sources of manganese on a tonnage basis. The Metallurgical Division of the Bureau is developing and perfecting beneficiation processes with the objective of utilizing such low-grade ores. Microscopic study of these ores represents one phase of the research.]

Jan 1, 1941

By W. B. Tarpley

This program was conducted to demonstrate the unique advantages of suppressing methane ignition in underground mines by use of Energy & Minerals Research Company's thixogel fire extinguishing system, which stably suspends dry powder extinguishing agent in thixotropically gelled liquefied gas extinguishant. As anticipated, the project demonstrated thixogel system advantages of: 1) capability to disperse state-of-the-art powders in thixogelled Halons; 2) non-agglomerating stability for dependable expulsion; 3) stability in storage for long shelf life; 4) virtually in¬stantaneous dispersion; 5) expansive cloud formation; 6) reach and re-forming around obstacles; 7) at least twice the extinguishant effectiveness; and 8) compatibility of use with Fenwal bottles and MSHA canisters. Thus, it should prove a superior explosion/fire suppressant for coal face cutters and triggered barriers, as well as for motorized equipment, electrical equipment and the like.

Jan 1, 1981

By K. E. Stanfield

One of the initial projects under the oil-shale research and development phase of the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act, Public- Law 290, 78th Congress, approved April 5, 1944, was a survey of oil shales of the United States for the selection of a site for an oil-shale demonstration plant. The oil shales were assayed by the conventional Bureau of Mines retort method proposed by Karrick and described by Guthrie in a more recent publication. From previous experience and that had in making these assays, it became evident that the assay method should be modified or replaced by a more satisfactory one. There are several outstanding objections to the Bureau of Mines oil-shale assay method: (1) the oil yields are frequently smaller than those obtained by other types of assay equipment and by commercial retorts; (2) the assayed oil yield represents only a portion of the organic matter in the shale, which under more favorable conditions, may, Jae converted, more completely into oil; (3) the retorting procedure is controlled mainly by trial-and-error methods; and (4) the assay requires approximately 6 hours for completion.

Jan 1, 1949

By F. E. Brantley

Blister copper was successfully deoxidized with any of a variety of reducing gases; lancing techniques or a vertical-column furnace were used to contact the copper and gases. Of the gases tested, butane, when used to lance molten copper at about 1,200° C, reaction temperature, was slightly more effective than propane, natural gas, carbon monoxide, or reformed gas for deoxidizing copper from about 1.0 to less than 0.1 percent oxygen content, Laboratory-scale tests revealed that the vertical furnace, composed of a heated column packed with silicon carbide chips or hollow carbon cylinders, was significantly faster and more efficient than the lancing technique for deoxidizing molten copper with any of the gases tested. Comparison of the gaseous-reduction method with the conventional poling method suggests that the gaseous method has important technical and economic advantages for deoxidizing blister copper to any readily controlled amount of residual oxygen content.

Jan 1, 1962

By Ernest Ph. Hérivel

The mine and treatment plant of the Teziutlan, unit of the Mexican Corporation, S. A., are located at Aire Libre, in the District of Teziutlan, near the northwest edge of the State of Pueblo, Republic of Mexico. The property is leased from the Teziutlan Copper Co. The town of Teziutlan is the terminus of a branch railroad starting from Oriental Junction or the Mexico-Jalapa-Veracruz narrow-gage system of the National Railways of Mexico. A branch line 18 km in length from Teziutlan to Aire Libre belongs to the Teziutlan Copper Co. and is leased and operated in conjunction with the mine.

Jan 1, 1933

By James J. Snodgrass

The Bureau of Mines designed and constructed a series of calibration models for geophysical borehole logging. A nominal hole diameter of 3 inches was selected as representative of typical core holes drilled for mining and engineering purposes, although additional hole diameters of 2, 5, and 8 inches are provided in one of the models for determination of empirical correction factors for variations in hole diameter. The physical properties of the models were determined by laboratory analyses of drill core samples and evaluated statistically for reliability. This report outlines the location of the models, elements of design and construction, and results of the laboratory tests. The models are available at the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colo., for use by Government agencies and private industry to calibrate logging equipment for measurements of density, sonic velocity, magnetic susceptibility, and electrical resistivity.

Jan 1, 1976

By Charles Prasky

The Bureau of Mines investigated the conversion of nonmagnetic iron minerals to magnetic form through reduction Toasting operations. The primary objective was to obtain a concentrate that could be used as a direct shipping material for blast furnace consumption. Crude iron materials from the Steep Rock Lakes, Ontario, area were prepared into a blend of 8 parts siliceous ore, 3 parts pyritic ore, and 1 part tailings. Experimental work included laboratory reduction roasting tests, two continuous 10-day campaigns, and one 12-hour test all in a 34-inch by 36¬-foot rotary kiln. The objective of the project was achieved in producing an iron concentrate containing about 66 percent iron with over 90 percent iron recovery. Desirable operating conditions were developed in the kiln but optimum process variables were not completely established.

Jan 1, 1969