Search Documents

By John Gross

The group of claims, comprising over 1,100 acres, located at Maitland (formerly known as Garden City), in the Ida Gray mining district, Lawrence county, South Dakota, are now being developed and operated by Alexander Maitland, the owner. Prior to the acquisition of this property two years ago by Mr. Maitland, but little work had been done in this district, and little was known of the extent of the ore-deposits. Recent development, however, has opened up some very promising ore-shoots. The ores so far encountered are the so-called " Potsdam siliceous ores," occurring in the flat formation lying immediately above the Cambrian quartzite, which dips at this locality about 12º. Both oxidized and blue ores are found, and the latter have proven particularly refractory to treat. No prospecting in the underlying slates of the Archean period has so far been attempted; but this work is one of the future considerations in the development of the property. Small quantities of blue ores are unavoidably sent to the mill, but special care is taken to send only the oxidized ores for the cyanide treatment. The ores, being close-grained and hard, have given considerable trouble in their treatment. Pyrrhotite arid pyrite exist in about equal proportions; arsenic, copper, and traces of antimony and tellurium are encountered, and considerable quantities of bismuth have been found in the zinc-box precipitates. The silver in the low-grade ores is slightly greater than the gold, while in the high-grade ores the reverse is generally true. Table I., showing the variations in the analyses of these ores, gives a fair idea of their general character. Early in 1902, the building of a 40-stamp wet-crushing cyanide-mill was begun, and it was finally placed in commission

Jan 1, 1905

By Luther W. Lennox

The purpose of this article is not to compare one type of grinding machinery with another and to conclude from a series of tests that one particular machine is superior to all others. Neither is the reader asked to tire himself with the details of many tests to prove the statements herein made. The Chilean mill stands today almost an outcast from the milling world. It ranks with the applicant for a job who has been given a trial along with others and condemned because he was not able to perform the definite task assigned as well as the others, and was forever eliminated. The judges did not tarry long enough to try this aspirant in a field of a slightly different nature. Even though it has been condemned, the writer contends that the published records will indicate that the trials were never shifted into the field of greatest efficiency for the . Chilean mill. Those of us who cling to this outcast as a fine grinder in our milling operations do not wish, naturally, to be condemned also, with the machine, and yet we feel that we are classed as behind the times, at least in this phase of our milling judgment. Hence there is considerable personal feeling in our efforts. During the last few years there have been published several papers on the relative merits of the various grinding machines. In two of these articles a comparison was made between Chilean mills and cylindrical grinders. In each case the Chilean mill came out second best from about all standpoints. The outstanding feature in these comparisons would seem to be the decided attempt to keep all conditions the same, so that each machine could be judged on its merit. As Mr. David Cole states,1 "We are inclined to regard a direct comparison of grinders arranged side by side, and making a product that affords as nearly as possible the same screen measure, as the Supreme Court in these grinding matters." The writer agrees that this is the very best method for true comparison between machines. The results in the two detailed tests should give the relative merits of the two grinders in doing the work assigned. And they probably do. The conclusion drawn in each case was adverse to the Chilean mill as a fine-grinding machine. However, the duty placed upon the machines was that of converting material that had already been

Jan 1, 1920

By James Kemp

PostScript to a paper presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 98, February, 1915, pp. 129 to 154. The writer looked over the quarry with care in the search for fossils, having in mind shells or corals of fairly large size. In the brilliant summer sunshine, none were observed on the glaring white ledges. The impression was gained that none were present and the statement to this effect was made in the edition of this paper published in the Bulletin' of the Institute for February, 1915, p. 136. On closer examination in the laboratory it has been discovered that the limestone itself is made up of minute organisms, which are clearly revealed by microscopic examination of thin sections. The principal component of the rock is a small foraminifer, 0.1 to 0.3 in. (2.5 to 7 mm.), of the genus Orbitoides, presumably an Oligocenic form. Figs. 1 and 2. illustrate it. The accompanying description has been kindly summarized by Marjorie O'Connell, M. A., Curator in Paleontology in Columbia University, who first detected the evidences of organisms in the rock. Orbitoides kempi O'CONNELL N. SP.1 The foraminiferan which makes up the Seboruco limestone is an Orbitoides of a Species new to North America. The only Orbitoides heretofore described from this country is 0. mantelli from the lower Oligocenic of the Gulf States. This form from Cuba, then, so different in all of its characteristics from the 0. mantelli, is of great interest as perhaps forming a basis of correlation over wide areas. The most closely related Species is 0. dispansa Sowerby, which occurs in the Nummulite limestone of the Eocenic of the Bavarian . Alps, in the Priabona beds of the lower Oligocenic of Massano, and elsewhere in Italy, as described by Gümbel.2 The age of the limestone in Cuba would thus Seem to be of upper Eocenic or lower Oligocenic age, probably the latter. The fossil has the form of a sphere Surrounded by a wavy rim of horizontal extent, the whole resembling two flat-brimmed, round-crowned hats placed base to base. The total extent of the Shell ranges up to 7+ mm., while the thickness of the central sphere is 2.5 mm. in one of the largest individuals. Like all of the other Species of Orbitoides, this form begins with a Single layer of chambers which multiply in one plane and assume a circular outline; but it is in the subsequent growth that the distinguishing specific characters appear, for the chambers at the central portion of the shell increase more rapidly than do those near the periphery and in consequence a Swelling is produced which finally gives the Spherical form which is so characteristic. The rim, on the other hand, shows little chamber-increase and remains thin. This is clearly Shown in the sections figured, where the central row of larger chambers forms the equatorial zone. Radiating from this row, in section, there appear, a number of solid cones alternating with broad reticulated ones. The solid cones mark the more dense structure forming the walls surrounding the reticulated or chambered cones. These appear upon the Surface as distinct pits, whereas the solid part appears as raised walls.

Jan 7, 1915

By S. W. Zanolli

The history of labor relations in the coal industry of the United States is a study of its collective bargaining. This study of collective bargaining is largely the history of the United Mine Workers of America and its contractual relations with the various coal mining employers who have produced this country's coal over the years under a free enterprise system. There have been other unions in the picture from time to time and some coal miners have mined coal without representation by any union. Even today some 25% of the nation's coal is produced outside of the collective bargaining relationship with the UMWA. However, more than 100,000 coal mine wage employees - well over 75% of the total in the industry - are covered by labor agreements negotiated for them by the UMWA. Practically all of these work in bituminous mines.

Jan 12, 1972

By W. H. Emmons

THIS paper is the third of a series treating of the relations of ores of the metals to igneous rocks. The first1 outlined the general problem; the second2 proposed a classification of lode ores, and showed how the distribution of the deposits is in a certain measure controlled by the contour of the roof of the parent batholith. A number of mining districts were discussed, the examples being selected chiefly from group 2 of the classification. The proposed classification of lode deposits, briefly stated, is as follows: 1. Cryptobatholithic: near hidden batholiths which have not yet been exhumed by erosion. 2. Acrobatholithic: in and near cupolas or domes of batholiths-the high points of larger underlying masses. 3. Epibatholithic: on batholiths, near their rims, but below eroded cupolas, or below the highest points of the roofs. 4. Embatholithic: among closely-spaced outcrops which probably are parts of a single batholith. The outcrops of invaded rocks predominate. 5. Endobatholithic: in and near roof pendants of large batholiths. The invading rocks predominate. 6. Hypobatholithic: in deeply-eroded batholiths, where even roof pendants, have been -eroded. Deposits of certain metals on the roofs of the batholiths are much more numerous in some positions than deposits of other metals, and the horizontal zonal arrangements of lodes of different metals are shown characteristically only in certain groups. In a large measure, also, the character of the fracturing and metallization is determined by, the-position on the roof, of the batholith.

Jan 1, 1927

By Burton H. Boyum

GREATER depth of exploration drill holes and increasing cost of drilling have been principal factors in reviving interest on the Marquette Iron Range in controlled directional drill-hole deflection. This deflection is obtained by the application of the Hall-Row wedging technique. Modifications were made in the technique and equipment in the effort to simplify and strengthen the procedure. The practice is similar in many respects to the oil well type of deflection with a whipstock.

Jan 1, 1947

By Charles Allen

THE Athens mine is in the city of Negaunee, Mich. It is one of the larger producers of soft hematite ore on the Marquette iron range. The property is held under lease by the Athens Iron Mining Co., and is operated by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., which is a partner with Pickands, Mather & Co. in the Athens company. The mine was opened in 1913, and shipments of ore commenced in 1918, the total reaching 3,063,711 tons up to Jan. 1, 1932. Diamond-drilling from surface, together with a knowledge of geological conditions in neighboring properties, gave a comprehensive picture of the location, size and shape of the orebody before shaft-sinking started. Striking east and west, the orebody entered the east boundary of the property at a depth of about 1500 ft. below surface. A pitch of 15° to the west carried it down to about 2500 ft. on the west boundary, about double the depth of that of any soft-ore property heretofore worked on the Marquette Range. The width of ore averaged close to 500 ft., and the thickness 300 feet. The depth of the deposit and its size, together with an overburden of quicksand, which in places reached a thickness of 150 ft., presented unusual mining problems. The use of a caving system made surface drainage into the orebody inevitable, because the north boundary of the deposit was a vertical diorite dike 200 ft. wide, and the south boundary a northward-dipping impervious slate. S. R. Elliott, manager of the mining department of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., who was super-intendent of the mine at that time, conceived the idea of starting at the bottom of the orebody and working upward, reversing the usual mining procedure. This innovation divided the Athens orebody into a series of steps, or blocks, the first of which was adjacent to the western boundary, and therefore in the lowest portion of the deposit. Top-slicing was to start under the capping in this first block by raising from the bottom level, and development and mining were to progress upward in successive blocks to the east. A complete description of the Athens system of mining was

Jan 1, 1933

By A. L. Field

A. W. FAHRENWALD, Socorro, 'N. M. (communication to the Secretary*).-When asked to discuss Mr. Feild's paper, I felt most highly complimented to have the privilege of commenting on such a worthy and needed piece of apparatus. In consideration of the importance of the viscosity of blast-furnace slags and the relation existing between the' melting point of a slag and its viscosity, the introduction of this apparatus should be a welcome means or assistant in the study of the physical properties of a slag. Up to the present time, it is A fact that this side of the practical working of the blast furnace has been sadly neglected by those investigating slags. It is easily seen that the fluidity of a slag is of as great importance as its melting point. It is not necessarily true that a slag having a low melting point will have a correspondingly low viscosity or be highly fluid. For example, a slag having a melting point of 1,100° C. may have to be superheated to, say,1,300° C., in order to have as high a fluidity as another slag whose melting point is, say, 1,250° C. The latter in this case would be the more economical. This point has been brought out very nicely by Mr. Feild. Before discussing this paper further, I think it will be well to outline some of the points, a discussion of which may be in order:

Jan 3, 1917

By J. S. Kasper, R. M. Waterstrat, B. F. Decker

THE large difference in the X-ray scattering factors for molybdenum and manganese makes the o- phase in the Mn-Mo system an interesting one to study with respect to ordering of the atoms. Such a study has been carried out using data obtained from a powder sample, and the resulting evidence for ordering in this compound is presented here. It is not possible, of course, to obtain all the details of structure for a u phase from powder data only. Most difficult of all would be the determination of precise atomic parameters. There is reason to believe, however, that the atomic parameters do not vary greatly in the different s'S and that the precise values obtained from one s structure would then allow decisions as to the ordering of atoms to be made when there is a large difference in scattering factors. In particular, the powder intensities for Mn-Mo s are for the most part in good agreement with those observed for Co-Cr, for which single crystal studies have been made by the authors.' There are a few marked discrepancies in the intensity comparison of the two s's, and these cannot be removed by adjustment of the parameters. They are interpreted as resulting from a more pronounced effect of ordering of the atoms. Accordingly, the parameters of Co-Cr s' have been used for the calculations of the Mn-Mo intensities. For Co-Cr, the space group is D4h14-P4/mnm with atoms in the following positions: 1—2 in (b); 11—4 in (f), with x=0.1031; 111—8 in (i), with x= 0.3713 and y=0.0370; IV—8 in (i), with x=0.5662 and y=0.2396; and V—8 in (j), with x=0.3160Y and y — -0.250. The unit cell is tetragonal, with an==9.10A and cn=4.74A for the Mn-Mo u phase studied here.

Jan 1, 1955

By C. D. Young

IN an effort to employ cast steel of a stronger structure than that found in the annealed steel castings, the possibilities of heat treatment which will increase the strength without materially decreasing the ductility may be resorted to. The following abstracted report (which is a brief outline of what has already been clone by the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. at its shops and Test Laboratories at Altoona, Pa.) is of material interest, as it indicates what may be done with steel castings when properly treated, thereby permitting in railway service greater strength of cast steel parts without any increase in weight or space. The question of the heat treatment of alloy steel castings is not taken up in this paper. The obscurity formerly surrounding the heat treatment of steel has been for the most part removed by the development of our knowledge of the critical points of steel, pyrometers, furnace construction, and the testing of the finished product. The operations of the heat treatment proper will be taken up under the heads of (1) heating for quenching; (2) quenching; (3) drawing. (1) Heating for Quenching.-Heating for quenching is best conducted slowly, especially in the case of castings of variable thickness. Cracks may occur either in heating or in cooling, clue to different temperatures at different points of the casting. The castings should be thoroughly soaked at the maximum temperature (generally 1,500° to 1,600° F.), 1 hr. being sufficient for sections 1 ft. in thickness. The minimum temperature which will produce the desired hardening effect will, in all cases, be found to be the most satisfactory, as the grain coarsens when the critical range is exceeded to too great an extent. All temperatures should be governed by a checked pyrometer with the hot junction to the heated object, and with several couples in a large furnace to insure a uniform temperature.

Jan 2, 1914

By Herbert M. Wilson

We of the employer class represent labor in the social organization and in industry just as truly as do those who labor only with their hands, and, because our labor is chiefly with our brains, the duty is all the more imposed upon us to use those gifts in which we excel in helping steer a clear course through the turbulent waters in which we are now enmeshed. Only their selfish engrossment in the daily tasks they were employed to perform could possibly have permitted the great majority of the intelligent and industrious German people to become terrorized by a handful of the idle, the vicious, and the criminal, whom the elections to the National Assembly showed to be in as pitiful a minority as they are in Russia, in this, and in other countries. It is the leisure unemployment of the I.W.W.'s, the Bolsheviki, and the Sparticans that has enabled them to devote their whole time to a concerted and aggressive struggle against the great majority of those of the world's workers who are unorganized, and who are therefore even in opposition one to the other. In union there is strength, and this was never better illustrated than by these conditions. The great fallacy of our previous attitude toward social and industrial problems has been the belief that labor, by which we commonly mean organized or physical labor, is something antagonistic to and having a different object in life from that great body of unorganized laborers who work with their brains. Our difficulty has been our lack of will or opportunity to think. The hurry of our daily struggle to earn our livelihood under the nerve-racking pressure of modern civilization has left us no opportunity for quiet thought and study. The physical laborer, and above all the laborer in the mines, on the other hand, has all his hours of toil in which to think over, in all their varied aspects, those problems that concern his immediate, personal well-being. As a result he has arrived at perhaps a more true appreciation of the facts of life in their relation to social and industrial conditions than we. Have we not too readily adopted the view that, as the managers of industry under the direction of capital, it has been our duty to think and act in opposition to labor, rather than to realize that we also are laborers, have like aspirations, and should participate in a free and aggressive solution of these problems rather than leave their solution

Jan 1, 1919

By E. S. Moffat

Members of the Institute who have visited the works of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company at Scranton, will remember the exposure of a large vein of anthracite coal in the rocky bank on the south side of Roaring Brook, near the blast-furnace. The vein is quite flat, and is exposed to view for several hundred yards along the banks of the brook, a few feet above the surface of the water. It is some ten feet in thickness, and is known as the Big Vein. At a point just opposite the blast-furnace, much of the coal from this vein was mined out many years since, the usual pillars being left to support the overlying rock and drift, which are here some twentyfive to thirty feet in thickness. Over thirty pears ago fire was communicated from an ore-roasting pile on the surface of the ground at this point, through an old shaft, down to the refuse and pillars which had been left in the mine

Jan 1, 1887

By Richard Pearce

IN looking around me for some subject on which to frame an address for this meeting, it has occurred to me that some results of observation and investigation, in regard to the varied conditions under which gold is found, may possibly prove of interest. The subject is one which frequently crops up in discussions at our meetings, but there is always an immense amount of uncertainty expressed as to the actual condition in which the gold exists in any particular ore. It follows, therefore, that any light which might be shed on this rather complex subject, would be of value to science and of service to mining and metallurgical practice. In some investigations which I have, from time to time, been led to make, for the purpose of determining to what extent an ore might be concentrated, I have been astonished at the very varied and apparently inexplicable results encountered, and have been naturally led to inquire into the causes for such seeming inconsistency. The mines of Gilpin county, Colorado, where gold was first discovered in that State, furnish an infinite variety of examples of its occurrence, and it was here that difficulties first presented themselves to the Colorado miners, in the sudden transition from what is called " free-milling gold-ore " to an ore characterized by properties which make the ordinary treatment by amalgamation stamp-mills utterly impracticable. So long as mining was limited to what might be called the zone of oxidation in the veins, just so long might amalgamation be conducted without difficulty; but directly the miner reached a point beyond the influence of the oxidizing power of the surface waters, the gold resisted all attempts at amalgamation, and recourse • was had to smelting.

Jan 1, 1890

By C. W. Kempton

If New England were located in some distant and almost inaccessible region, there is no doubt that its mineral resources would have been ere this well developed and generally acknowledged, but laboring under the disadvantage of nearness, it has been neglected. Its surface, moreover, is not cut up by mountains and canons, and the remnants of many of the old ridges are extensively covered by glacial drift. Having for the past ten months been engaged in the development of a mineral district in Southeastern Maine, 1 would take this opportunity to lay before the Institute sketches of results, and try to give some idea of the formations as found. The Sullivan Mining District extends from the town of Franklin, through Hancock, Sullivan, and Gouldsborough, from northwest to southeast, about sixteen miles. A general idea of this locality may be gathered from the map accompanying. (Fig. 1). Sullivan is situated at the head of Frenchman's Bay, ten miles north from Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, twelve miles from Ellsworth,

Jan 1, 1879

R.. B. T. KILIANI, New York, N. Y.-I do not care to discuss Mr. Taggart's paper in the light of theory, as that has been very well done by Prof. Bell,1 but I should like to criticize some of his conclusions, in the light of actual operating practice at plants all over the country. 1. Mr. Taggart's first conclusion is that in crushing average ore, the character of the gangue has little effect on the efficiency of the mill. This, I believe, is not in accordance with the usual practice, since in crushing a hard ore the capacity will be much reduced below what it would be with a softer ore, while the power consumed will be practically independent of the character of the ore, being proportional only, to the load of ore and balls in the mill. 2. Mr. Taggart's second criticism is that the Hardinge mill is not suitable for grinding soft, tough material. In answer to this I might mention that the mill is being used for grinding tough, dnctile material, such as metallic aluminum, and also for grinding licorice root. 3. He says that the ball-mill works more efficiently on material of intermediate size, say 1/2 to 3/4 in., than on either coarser or finer feed.. This is true as to coarser feed. For the most efficient work, I believe that a ball-mill should be fed with material not coarser than 1 1/2 in.; it' will handle material up to 3 and even 4 in., but the reduction from 3 or 4 in. to 1 1/2 in. can be done much more cheaply and efficiently by rolls or disk crushers than in the ball-mill. 4. As to Mr. Taggart's fourth conclusion, that a greater ratio of reduction can be expected with feed of an intermediate size than with a coarse feed, I have not enough information to express an opinion. 5. His next conclusion is that steel balls are much more efficient crushing media than pebbles. Steel balls are undoubtedly more efficient for crushing coarse feed. On fine material they are also more efficient as to tons per horsepower crushed to 10-mesh, but on fine material I think it will be found that flint pebbles are cheaper than cast-iron balls, per ton of ore, although there will be a saving in power per ton by using cast iron instead of flint. The increased cost of crushing with cast iron will be due to the higher cost of iron at the present time. 6. Mr. Taggart's sixth conclusion coincides with present practice, that steel balls will grind as fine or finer than pebbles when working on the same feed.

Jan 1, 1918

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Marcus Digre

That calcium will activate quartz for flotation with anionic collectors such as soaps has been known for a number of years,12'3 and the method has been applied to the concentration of various iron ores4 5 6 as well as to other materials. Clemmer gives the permissible pH range for the activation of quartz by calcium as between 9.5 and 12.5 with an optimum value of 11.0, and Hertzog7 has determined the calcium abstraction of iron ores and of Ottawa sand, but otherwise little quantitative data are available. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine those conditions under which dilute solutions of calcium chloride will activate quartz for anionic flotation and to determine the amount of calcium ion adsorbed by quartz. Those variables, the influence of which was primary, such as calcium, sodium, and hydrogen ion concentrations, were studied. Other factors which influenced the results are discussed in the description of the experiments. Three different experimental methods were used to determine the activation of the quartz. The first method was to treat a sample of ground, deslimed quartz with solutions of calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide, and to determine the calcium adsorbed by chemical analysis of the solution. Advantages are that a direct value for the amount of calcium adsorbed is obtained, and introduction of a collector which may affect the adsorption is avoided. The difficulty is to determine the extremely small differences in the calcium concentrations before and after the abstraction. The second method was to determine the activation of the quartz by observing the contact angle obtained on pressing an air bubble against the polished surface of a piece of quartz immersed in a solution of calcium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and sodium oleate. This is the well-known "contact angle" method. The third method was to determine those conditions under which an air bubble will pick up quartz particles immersed in a solution of the desired reagents. Disadvantages common to the sec- ond and third methods are that introduction of a collector is necessary to obtain bubble contact with the mineral; very small quantities of contaminant can give erroneous results; and no information is obtainable concerning the amount of calcium adsorbed. Advantages are that tedious analyses, which at best give approximate results, are avoided, and the conditions, especially for the third method, closely simulate those of actual flotation. Although the most consistent results were obtained with the third method, this paper describes the techniques used and the results obtained from each of the three methods. Distilled water and analytical grade reagents were used throughout except where otherwise stated. Between tests all glass articles were cleaned with a chromic-sulphuric acid mixture and sodium hydroxide. Abstraction Method The raw material for the tests was Ottawa sand sized between 14 and 28 mesh. Batches of 500 g of this sand were dry ground for 1 hr in an Abbe porcelain mill with 2700 g of quartz pebbles. The batches were split down to samples weighing approximately 30 g, and the weight of each sample was adjusted to exactly this value.

Jan 1, 1950

By Kung-Ping Wang

This is the second installment of two-part article on the Far East. The mineral situation in Hong Kong, Indo-China, Thailand, Burma, Malaya, Indonesia, the Philippines, and British Borneo is covered.

Jan 12, 1951

By Robert R. Abbott

The practice of carbonizing steel for the purpose of case-hardening has assumed great commercial importance within the past 10 years. Formerly, case-hardened steel was held in more or less contempt, since it was considered a cheap substitute for tool-steel. This is no longer the case. The development of the motor-car industry, and coincidentally that of modern alloy-steels, has resulted in overcoming many difficulties formerly experienced in case-hardening. This result has been accomplished by increased knowledge regarding the analysis of the steel which would respond most readily to case-hardening, and by more careful methods of treatment of the carbonized steel. The ordinary method of carbonizing consists in packing the steel with the carbonizing-material in cast-iron boxes and placing them in a furnace at a temperature of from 1,500° to 1,900° F. for a time sufficient to give the required depth of " case." The steel is then either quenched directly from the box, or is allowed to cool without unpacking, and finally given a single hardening-heat, or, for special work, two or three heats. During the year 1911, more than 100,000 tons of carbonizing-material was sold in the United States, at an average price of probably $55 per ton. More than 85 per cent. of this material consisted of granulated bone. Within the past four years, many manufactured compounds have been placed on the market, consisting largely of some form of carbon or carbonaceous material, with or without the addition of chemicals. Steel will absorb carbon placed in contact with it at the temperature of the atmosphere. The reaction is exceedingly slow, but increases rapidly with increasing temperature. Below

Jan 1, 1913

By P. B. Butler

IN common with others, the zinc industry found itself after the war largely over-capitalized, a condi-tion which still exists notwithstanding that Tri-State production has doubled since prewar days. This is partly due to the abnormal war demands and partly because of the war impetus given to research, a stim-ulus that because of its success has persisted (and probably will persist) constantly since then. Improved practice and metallurgy resulting from research are today responsible for an increased pro-duction in the Tri-State district of 15 per cent over the practice of five years ago, and the giant strides in this respect in the western states together with the more moderate advance in the Tri-State district has thrown out of equilibrium the more or less balanced production of before the war and production has con-sequently gained on consumption, a condition resulting in rapidly narrowing profits in the Tri-State field, where the present average cost is actually greater than the price received for our product. Despite this condition, no thinking person will de-plore the cause or means used to achieve a greater production and, as this progress is merely the economic application of intelligent thought, it follows that equal effort and thought may be expected to produce the remedy. It has been suggested that the practical application of research has resulted in less need for man-power and consequently in the lessening of employment to common labor and to engineers. I cannot think that such is the case although personally I have received more ap-plications for employment during the last two years than ever before. But when one considers the strides production of all commodities has taken, it is difficult to reconcile this immense development with the possible increase in pop-ulation especially in view of our stringent immigration laws. Whether or not improved industrial methods are responsible for the lessening of employment the ques-tion as to the wisdom of such improvement is hardly debatable. While the Tri-State district of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri continues to be the leading factor in the zinc¬mining industry, gradually lowering prices during 1925 and 1926 and a. decided drop during 1927, have de-creased its production almost 20 per cent, this tonnage having largely been replaced by western concentrates.

Jan 4, 1928

By G. P. Pilling

The use of magnetic ore in the blast furnace is a subject of increasing importance. The end of the deposits of lake ore is in sight, although not imminent, and unless some new field is discovered, the use of magnetites will be an increasing factor in the iron production of the country. Enormous deposits of magnetic ore in the country that have been practically untouched contain ore of sufficient richness and purity to prolong materially our ore supply without extensive importation of foreign ores. Magnetic ores can be divided into three general classes: Fine un-sintered, or raw ore; raw lumpy ore; fine ore that has been sintered. Fine Unsintered Ore Typical analysis and screen test of this class of ore from the Adirondack region is as follows: Per Cent. SCREEN TeST pER Cent. Fe.................... 58.00 Remaining on 4 mesh........... 7.50 SiOz.................. 7.50 Through 4 on 8 mesh........ 13.75 Al,O,................. 1.60 8 on 10 meah........ 3.75 Baseg................. 2.77 10 on 20 mesh........ 22.50 P.................... 1.00 20 on 40 mesh........ 27.50 Mn................... 0.13 40 on 60 mesh........ 2.50 S..................... Trace 60 on 80 mesh........ 10.00 80 on 100 mesh........ 2.50 100 mesh........ 10.00 100.00

Jan 1, 1923