Search Documents

By H. K. Shearer

North Louisiana (including all townships north of the Louisiana base line) had a year of normal development in 1940, marked by the discovery of two shallow oil fields producing from the Wilcox formation in La Salle Parish and a large increase in drilling in the old Caddo shallow field. This renewal of shallow drilling activity led to a somewhat unexpected increase in the number of wells drilled, although the total footage and average depth continued to decline, as in several preceding years. Well completions and depth statistics for 1940, with previous years for coinparison, are as follows: Wildcat producers in 1940 include the discovery oil wells in the Olla and Nebo fields; also three gas wells in the vicinity oi the Olla field and a shallow gas well, which opened a new field or extension in the Greenwood area of Caddo Parish. This table illustrates the lack of important deep discoveries since 1937, in which year the Rodessa, Lisbon and Cotton Valley fields were being actively developed. Operators have been forced to return to the old type of shallow drilling, which necessarily means smaller producing wells. Oil production in 1940 was 24,381,760 bbl., a decrease of 867,880 bbl. from 1939, or 3.44 per cent. The newly discovered fields of La Salle Parish produced over a million barrels, and other increases worthy of note were at Cotton Valley, Caddo, Sligo and Sugar Creek. The greatest decrease was again at Rodessa, although this remains the principal producing field. Geological Names Revised Deep drilling during 1940 did not provide a great deal of new geological information. However, by agreement of a majority of the members of the Shreveport Geolog- ical Society, the names of some of the Lower Cretaceous formations have been revised in the interest of greater clarity and in order to make the descriptions agree better with the facts discovered in recent years. The geological section is discussed in detail and reasons for changes in nomenclature are stated in a recent publication by Ralph W. Imlay. Although not yet in universal use among field men, the new names are employed in this report and accompanying tables, as

Jan 1, 1941

By H. W. Morse

INTRODUCTION THE experimental work on the oxidized copper ore at the New Cornelia mine at Ajo, Ariz., ended on Jan. 12, 1916. On that date final decision was made on the general nature of the process to be used in the 5,000-ton leaching plant, and on many of the details, as far as experience on a40-ton scale could decide them. With the approval of the Board of Directors and the General Manager, John C. Greenway, we have compiled what seem to be the most interesting data on the results obtained during the experimental period. The most important part of the data resulted from the operation of a 1-ton and a 40-ton plant at Ajo. Experimental work on Cornelia oxidized ore dates back to April, 1912, and has been going on nearly continuously since that time. A good many variations from the original idea have been tried, but the process finally decided upon is in principle and in all of its details a simple one. The history of the leaching work on this ore has been brought down to about a year ago in papers presented to this Institute by Stuart Croasdale1 and Dr. L. D. Ricketts.2 The present paper will, therefore, deal principally with the results obtained during the last year of the work.

Jan 9, 1916

By Henry Carlisle

W. W. Mein: One of the most amusing things in Nevada City – I was born and was going to school there - was that my mother made overcoats for us, and because they were different from other boys’ overcoats, we’d hide them under a bridge and pick them up on the way home. I left Nevada City with my parents when I was about eleven years old, and moved to Oakland. This was caused by the closing down of the hydraulic mines and my father being send to the El Cayo mine in Venezuela, which was then one of the richest gold mines in the world. Hamilton Smith operated the hydraulic mines in California, and when they were closed down by the Sawyer decision, he was persuaded by the Rothschilds to go to London. There, together, they formed the London Exploration Co.

Jan 1, 1964

By David W. Brunton

The list of our past-Presidents comprises the names of many who, in their official addresses, have sketched the current progress of the arts and professions with which they were familiar. Such addresses are, in my judgment, highly useful, setting forth the results of our own work as a society, and recalling to our minds the particular lines in which discussion would prove most fruitful. Following this course with some hesitation, I venture to offer an outline of the recent improvements and the present situation in mining and metallurgy in the Western United States. The wonderful advances in mechanics, chemistry, and electricity have all combined to aid these arts to such an extent that progress during the last decade has undeniably been more rapid than ever before in the history of the profession. In all mining countries improved transportation-facilities, in many instances called into existence by the traffic created by the mines themselves, have done much to enlarge the field of operations by the reduction of freight-, operating- and living-expenses, thereby bringing lower-grade properties into the producing class. Under normal conditions, as the age of a district increases, all these different factors should combine to off-set the augmented costs attendant on deep mining, and greatly tend to prolong the profitable life of the mines. The more recent and important improvements in our Western mining-practice which have contributed most towards the advancement of the art may be briefly summarized as follows; but, before beginning this portion of my address, I wish to thank most heartily the many engineering friends who have so

Jan 1, 1910

THE first mention of the mining and use of coal in the Pittsburgh district refers to the mine under Duquesne Heights that furnished coal for the garrison at the fort at Pittsburgh in 1760. Coal had been dug and used as fuel just outside of Brownsville, Fayette county, in 1759, but this was not a regular mine as the opening was in an outcropping. Maps of Ohio in 1770 showed "Cole Mines" at various points. The Penns purchased all the coal south of Kittanning in southwestern Pennsylvania from the Chiefs of the Six Nations for a reported price of $10,000. During the Revolution, coal from Herron Hill, Minersville, and Coal Hill, all within the present city limits, was used in Pittsburgh. There is today one custom pit opened in Coal Hill (Duquesne Heights). The first steam engine was set up in Pittsburgh in 1794 and used coal as fuel. The first mine in the Youghiogheny gas district was opened in 1796. In 1803, the first shipment of coal by water was made from Pittsburgh down the Ohio river and landed at Philadelphia, where it sold for approximately $9.50 per ton. The mines along the Monongahela were naturally the first to be opened. With the completion of locks and dams in 1844, permitting slack-water navigation, the industry began to thrive. The No. 8 field of Ohio and the Fairmont region of northern West Virginia were opened in the period 1840 to 1855. From that time on there has been a continuous development of the coal resources of this district, until at present-productive capacity is enough to supply 30 per cent. of the country's needs of bituminous coal. The original method of working the Pittsburgh seam was to drive under cover at some .easily accessible point on the outcrop with a single entry, usually 1 1/2 yd. wide. Rooms or gangways were turned to the

Jan 10, 1926

By H. A. Kuhn

The Pittsburgh coal field in Western Pennsylvania is conceded to be the most important in the world.

Jan 1, 1915

By Rush Greenslade

The oil and gas lease is the basic contract of the oil and gas industry; it is the foundation stone upon which the producing industry, particularly, is based. As the industry is precarious and highly speculative, the foundation contract should be of the utmost integrity and certainty. But right there an anomaly exists; the oil and gas lease is the most obscure, most uncertain, doubtful contract in the realm of law today. That is a condition that must be considered when taking oil and gas leases, and when buying, selling, and holding them. It may fairly be asked why should this industry rest upon so insecure a foundation. Why should not the oil industry rest upon the contract that is the basis of all industry, the warranty deed? There are many contributing reasons, but the principal one is business expediency. The Anglo-Saxon idea of ownership of land is that every land owner owns from the center of the earth to the sky—all that is above and all that is below—consequently the oil and gas are owned by the person who owns the surface. That idea is not exactly true with reference to oil and gas, for many states have adopted the doctrine that oil and gas are like wild animals; they are fugacious and migratory and belong to the man that traps them. But, except for that doctrine, we believe that oil and gas are owned by the owner of the surface, wherein we differ from the Latin-American countries where the mineral rights are owned by the government. The United States was settled largely by homesteading. The owners of land were, in the main, farmers, who did not have the means or the faith to drill for oil or gas. The operators or speculators did not want to buy the land on the mere possibility of finding oil; hence a compromise resulted by which the land owner gave the speculator or the operator what he called an oil and gas lease, or a right to go upon his land and drill for oil and gas. What is supposed to be the first oil lease placed on record reads as follows: Agreed this 4th day of July, a.d. 1853, with J. D. Angier of Cherrytree township in the county of Venango Pennsylvania that he shall repair up and keep in order the old oil springs on land in said Cherrytree township, or dig and make new springs, and the expense to be deducted out of the proceeds of the oil, and the balance, if any, to be

Jan 1, 1924

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names f those persons who became members during the period of Dec. 10, 1917, to Jan. 10, 1918. ARLUCK,- A. A., Headquarters Co., 66th Artillery Brigade, 41st Division, Care Postmaster, New York, N. Y. BUCK, LEONARD J Park & Prospect Ave., Bethlehem, Pa. BULL, FREEMAN N., Min. Engr., Robert W. Hunt & Co., 310 Wall St., Joplin, MO. BURGESS, ELISHA PAYNE JEWETT, Pres. & Mgr., Montana Consolidated Copper Co., Care Clark Dodge & Co., 51 Wall St., New York, -N. Y. CAMPBELL, THOMAS E Governor of Arizona, State House, Phoenix, Ariz. CARTWRIGHT, F. 0., Asst. Chief Clerk, The Braden Copper Co., Bancagua, Chile. CASH, FRANK E., Engr. & Asst. Supt. of Mines, Alleghany Ore & Iron Co., Lignite, Botetourt Co., Va. CRITCHLOW, EDWARD B., Pres., Conkling Min. Co., 307 McCormick Bldg., Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jan 2, 1918

By John V. Beall

THIS is not simply the story of how a water filled shaft was developed into a million-ton- a-year producing mine in the space of four critical years, although it is reason enough for telling it, but it is also the saga of an engineering achievement in which knowledge nurtured by years of experience in coal and ore mines was blended together and the best from each type of mining selected. The entire system of mining was detailed on maps by the mining engineering department before the shaft was unwatered, and subsequent development followed these plans nearly to perfection. The selection of machinery was particularly critical as it was necessary to push production from only a few headings in the early stages of development and metal mine machinery was being used in a coal panel-system of mining.

Jan 12, 1950

By Milton E. Wadsworth, T. D. Chatwin

Bulk density variations can usually be minimized by properly mixing the material before moisture measurement. The measuring of moisture on material being with- drawn directly from storage bins requires some form of bulk density correction. In Bethlehem's pellet plants continuous automatic bulk density correction and uniform feed-rate control are obtained with Bethlehem's patented Bin Level Control System. With this sys- tem a single probe, suspended or inserted in the bin, senses whether material is at the proper level in the bin and automatically regulates filter speed to control the filter-cake discharge rate to maintain this level. The level of concentrate in the filter-cake bin can thereby be controlled to within ± 1/2 in. of the point of contact between the concentrate and the probe. Material thickness on the conveyor does not have to be controlled accurately and mix compositions can vary widely as long as they do not contain variable amounts of water-soluble electrolytes. In sinter plants, errors caused by changes in normal feed rate and bed height are minimized by counter-weights that permit the free-floating to maintain a uniform contact pressure on the mix. Large changes in mix resistance can be taken care of either by resetting the control point or by adjusting the calibration control.

Jan 9, 1968

By George J. Young

The nature of slimes handled in the treatment of gold- and silver-ores has been discussed in technical literature to a considerable extent. The subject of slime-filtration from the practical worker's stand-point has also received much comment, arid scattered through the literature of the subject are descriptions of many slime-filtration installations. Articles of this nature serve a valuable purpose and assist materially in the design of new and the improvement of old plants. The subject of the physics of slime-filtration has been touched upon to only a slight extent. The underlying principles are worthy of niore intensive study and experimeritation than they have received, and the main purpose of this paper is to present the results of such study and experimental work as will serve to make clear in part at least many of the principles which control the filtration of slime. Nature of Slime. Much has been written concerning an accurate definition of the term "slime," but no comprehensive definition seems to be gcnerally accepted. The reason for this is clear. A slime consists of at least three different substances, each, when separated, possessing distinctly different physical and to a certain extent chemical properties. These substances are extremely fine sand, a colloidal material which may bc and generally is in a coagulated condition, and a colloidal material which is in a non-coagulated condition. Suspending a slime in a relatively large volume of water by shaking and allowing sedimentation to take place, results in the fine sand settling out with comparative rapidity, followed by the coagulated material, which settles niuch more slowly and finally a certain portion remains

Jan 1, 1912

By Samuel S. Wyer

The magnitude and economic importance of the problem of correctly valuing natural-gas leaseholds become evident when me consider that: (a) Natural gas is handled in 55 per cent. of the gas distributing plants in the United States. (b) Present known natural-gas acreage forms 47 per cent. of the total known mineral-land acreage in the United States. (c) Five acres of land are now required to protect and maintain continuous service to each of the 2,000,000 domestic natural-gas consumers in the United States. (d) The cost of acquiring and maintaining this acreage of an expendible resource represents a substantial part of the cost of the natural-gas service to the consumer. (e) "The right of a citizen by means of his ownership of or his mining leases on land to draw gas from beneath its surface is property and sometimes valuable property."' A large number of other court decisions have established the basic legal principle that the right to drill for gas within a given area constitutes an interest in the land itself, and is necessarily an exclusive property right. Definition of Vested Interests or Rights "Vested interests are economic interests which are legally recognized to be such that they cannot be impaired by public action, directly or indirectly, without indemnification. Vested interests are largely property interests. The recognition of an interest as a vested interest gives it some of the attributes of property, and by American courts it would be comprised in their very inclusive concept of property. Otherwise than through property, vested interests generally arise through contract."

Jan 1, 1917

Jan 1, 1904

By William L. Fink and

Although age-hardening in an aluminum-base alloy containing magnesium was observed by Alfred Wilml as early as 1911, it was not until 1919 that a theory of the mechanism of age-hardening was proposed. Merica, Waltenberg and Scott12 studying the age-hardening characteristics of Duralumin at the National Bureau of Standards, came to the conclusion that age-hardening of this alloy is caused by the precipitation of CuAl2, which is less soluble at the aging temperature than at the solution heat-treating temperature. It was postulated that the initially precipitated particles were of fine colloidal dimensions but that they gradually grew in size. Maximum hardness was assumed to be attained when the particles reached a critical size. This theory was at first received skeptically, since it was a widely accepted view at that time that the solid solution state should represent the hardest state of an alloy. Shortly thereafter, Jeffries and Archer proposed their well-known slip interference theory.'13 They suggested that age-hardening was accomplished by the precipitated particles acting as keys interfering with slip along crystallographic glide planes. They showed that this mechanical theory led direct,ly to the assumption that maximum hardening would be produced by particles of a critical size, which they suggested would have a diameter approximately 10 times that of the aluminum atom. This contribution amplified and explained so rationally the age-hardening theory of Merica, Waltenberg and Scott that wide acceptance resulted. Objections to Simple Precipitation Theory From time to time certain experimental facts have been cited against the simple precipitation theory. The first of these was the discovery by Fraenkel4 that, although the electrical resistivity of Duralumin decreased during aging at higher temperatures (from 100' to 250' C.), it increased during aging at ordinary temperatures. This was not in accordance

Jan 1, 1940

By William L. Fink and

Although age-hardening in an aluminum-base alloy containing magnesium was observed by Alfred Wilml as early as 1911, it was not until 1919 that a theory of the mechanism of age-hardening was proposed. Merica, Waltenberg and Scott12 studying the age-hardening characteristics of Duralumin at the National Bureau of Standards, came to the conclusion that age-hardening of this alloy is caused by the precipitation of CuAl2, which is less soluble at the aging temperature than at the solution heat-treating temperature. It was postulated that the initially precipitated particles were of fine colloidal dimensions but that they gradually grew in size. Maximum hardness was assumed to be attained when the particles reached a critical size. This theory was at first received skeptically, since it was a widely accepted view at that time that the solid solution state should represent the hardest state of an alloy. Shortly thereafter, Jeffries and Archer proposed their well-known slip interference theory.'13 They suggested that age-hardening was accomplished by the precipitated particles acting as keys interfering with slip along crystallographic glide planes. They showed that this mechanical theory led direct,ly to the assumption that maximum hardening would be produced by particles of a critical size, which they suggested would have a diameter approximately 10 times that of the aluminum atom. This contribution amplified and explained so rationally the age-hardening theory of Merica, Waltenberg and Scott that wide acceptance resulted. Objections to Simple Precipitation Theory From time to time certain experimental facts have been cited against the simple precipitation theory. The first of these was the discovery by Fraenkel4 that, although the electrical resistivity of Duralumin decreased during aging at higher temperatures (from 100' to 250' C.), it increased during aging at ordinary temperatures. This was not in accordance

Jan 1, 1940

By D. F. Kelsall

During the past twenty years, and especially in the last decade, hydraulic cyclones have found increasing application in metallurgical processing as classifiers and, under special circumstances, as thickeners. To a more limited extent cyclones have been used to extend heavy, or dense, medium separation into the finer size ranges, and several attempts have been made to separate dispersions of immiscible liquids with a view to use in the field of liquid- liquid extraction. Before considering several aspects of conventional application, less conventional applications and some potential uses of modified cyclones, the mechanism of separation within a cyclone and the effect of the, major variables will he summarized.

Jan 10, 1963

By G. Sherburne Rogers

One of the features of oil-field work that puzzles operator, chemist, and geologist alike, is variation in the gravity of the petroleum produced on neighboring leases or even from adjoining wells. Few fields in the United States yield oil that is of uniform gravity throughout; in some fields the different grades are produced from different sands, in a few from different formations, and in many from different areas in the same sand. In a few cases, perhaps, a common assumption—that the heavier oil is derived from the lighter through the escape of the more volatile constituents—is valid, but many cases can not be explained in this way. Although in the California fields the specific gravity of the oil generally decreases with depth, there are numerous exceptions to this rule; and, as in many other regions the light oil is found nearest the surface, it is evident that evaporation underground is generally an unimportant factor. It is generally recognized that the great differences between petroleum from widely separated fields are due largely to differences in age and degree of metamorphism and to variation in the composition of the original organic matter; but in the writer's opinion some of these broader differences, as well as most of the minor variations in the character of the oil from any one field, are due to the local action of natural reagents such as sulphur or oxygen. This is particularly likely to be true if the oil has migrated from one formation to another, as in the California fields; and in some arcas it appears that variation in sulphur content may even afford a rough index of the extent or distance of the migration. It is the purpose of this paper to call attention to the chemical action of sulphur and oxygen on petroleum, to show that the gravity of the oil from any one field is intimately related to its sulphur content, and to discuss the possi-

Jan 1, 1918

By Ralph K. Foster

During five underground mine fires which occurred in Arizona during 1980 and 1981, sealing the fire area became necessary. To minimize leakage into the fire area, ventilation control measures were instituted to balance pressure across the bulkheads. Problems en- countered in sealing the fire areas and measures taken to improve these conditions are discussed. The routing of the ventilation and ventilation control to en- sure the workers' safety were also important considerations in reopening the mines. The use of continuous CO monitors is discussed. One important consideration was the condition of the fire, and chromatographic analysis was used to establish this. Graphs comparing the Trickett ratio, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations are given. The Trickett ratio was useful but needed to be augmented by the comparison of CO, C02, and 02. Problems with getting good samples from sealed areas and recommended procedures that were developed during these fires are discussed.

Jan 1, 1982

By H. Wilton Clark

VARYING in thickness and in number from place to place, coal seams in the Canadian Rockies also range in pitch from nearly horizontal to vertical, sometimes with overturns. Over the entire coal-bearing area there are considerable differences of rank in coals of the same geological age, and there are marked differences in ash content and wash-ability characteristics. Correlation of seams at mining operations within a few miles of each other has often proved impossible. These factors influence mining methods, and, of course, production results. The oldest coal formations of western Canada are of Lower Cretaceous age, as the carboniferous sediments are marine and contain no coal. Coal is also present in formations of Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary ages. The rank of coal varies from semi-anthracite in some operations in the Kootenay and Luscar formations of the Lower Cretaceous in the Rockies to lignite in the Tertiary fields of the Saskatchewan prairies. Fig. 1 shows the general extent of the formations. The pitching seams, chiefly Lower Cretaceous, occur in the western belt of the Rocky Mountain foothills and the eastern slopes of the Rockies themselves. (The road to Tent Mt. strip pit, elevation 7000 ft, is shown on p. 832.) Formations extend from the U. S.-Canadian boundary for several bundred miles in Alberta and continue for a similar distance in British Columbia. Present geological estimates show a probable reserve of the order of 25,000 million tons of coal ranging from high volatile bituminous to semi-anthracite, with a large percentage of coking coal, constituting one of the major world reserves of that type. It should be noted that although the quoted estimate probably errs on the conservative side, the question of access to the seams in a mountainous terrain will always be a problem; a wide divergence may exist between actual reserves and the quantities of coal economically recoverable. An excerpt from the Canadian government Report of the Royal Commission on Coal 1946 states that conditions favorable to coal formation were intermittent and these intervals relatively brief in comparison with periods in which no coal was formed. Conditions were favorable to the growth or accumulation of vegetation in one area, while fresh water sediments and marine shales were being deposited in other areas. During periods of emergence the coal deposits were subjected to erosion or were covered by coarse sands and gravels from the mountains, whereas during submergence they were covered by fine clays deposited in embayments of the sea. During some of the periods of coal formation, volcanic activity deposited beds of fine volcanic ash and dust with the coal-forming vegetation. Coal deposits reach their greatest development in the mountains and thin rapidly to the east into the plains area, where they are deeply buried beneath younger sediments. For example, in the Fernie area of southeastern British Columbia there are in places 22 seams having an aggregate thickness of 150 ft in a stratigraphic interval of 3500 ft, whereas at Cole-man in the Alberta Crowsnest area the measures are only 800 ft in thickness and contain a maximum of five seams aggregating about 47 ft of coal. At Belle-vue, 10 miles further east, the measures are reduced to 430 ft with only three seams aggregating about 37 ft of coal. Subsequently the tremendous forces involved in the upthrust of the Rocky Mountains produced great displacement of the coal-bearing formations and at the same time a change in geologically young coals from low to high rank. The floor or footwall of most seams consists of carbonaceous shales, which are almost as adaptable to bending as the coal seams themselves. The seams show very few cleats or cleavage planes and have been so weakened structurally that as mined 50 pct or more will pass through a ¼-in. screen, seldom

Jan 1, 1955

By P. J. G. duToit

The continually growing shortage of skilled underground miners, the escalating costs of labor, supplies and equipment, and the indisputable example of "what can be done" by our friends in the space-travel field, seem to be catalysts that are accelerating improvements in underground mining technology. The search for an economic, automated continuous excavation method that would produce rock at the mining face in sizes suitable for automated transportation directly into the rod-, ball-, or autogenous grinding mills is continuing. New mining methods and techniques were devised and many improvements on old methods and techniques came forth at an increasing pace that reflected a widely spreading policy among mining men to shun the shackles of conservatism and to forge ahead and venture into newer ideas.

Jan 2, 1967