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By W. W. Adams

"The third annual safety contest for plants producing sand and gravel, which was conducted in 1911 by the United States Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the National Sand and Gravel Association, registered further progress in safety as compared with the two previous annual contests. Both the accident-frequency rate and the accident-severity rate were reduced.The period covered was the calendar year 1931; sixty plants participated, and 17 States were represented by the participating companies.The contest covered accidents and man-hours worked by all men at the participating plant who were employed by the same company; and it included work up to the point of delivery of the material directly to the consumer or to an independent agency of transportation--in other words, to the point of relinquishment of control of the material by the producer.The purpose of the yearly contests for producers of sand and gravel is to aid in the promotion of safety among the employees and in the reduction of accident costs to the companies. The contests develop friendly rivalry among the various plants and among the employees of individual plant in a concerted effort to prevent accidents.Two safety trophies are awarded annually, both of which are provided by Rock Products magazine. One of the trophies is for the host safety record among plants that were in operation the contest year 100,000 or more man-hours; the other trophy is for the best among plants that were in operation lees than 100,000 man-hours. Awards and the relative standing of the various plants are based upon statistical compilation by the Bureau of Mines of accident reports and employment reports furnished by the enrolled companies. are summarized at the close of each year, and the summaries are submitted to each company concerned for certification as to the accuracy of the summary and the completeness of the company's reports from which the summary was prepared. When the summery is returned signed by an official of the company, the records are considered to be a trustworthy basis for determining the relative standing of the various plants. The position of each plant is determined by its accident-severity rate; that is, the number of days of disability resulting from accidents for each 1,000 men-hours of work done by all employees at the plant."

Aug 1, 1932

By M. M. Tilman

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of small amounts of cobalt in nickel on the tensile properties and hardness of representative types of austenitic stainless steels . Cobalt substitutions for nickel up to 2 weight - percent were made in types 302 and 309 stainless steels . Data were obtained at room temperature for tensile strength , yield strength , percentage elongation , percentage reduction in area , and hardness . In type 302 steels , tensile strength and hardness increased with increased percentages of cobalt , percentage elongation and reduction in area decreased , and yield strength showed little change . Property changes were largely due to the reduction of nickel content rather than to the addition of cobalt . In type 309 steels , only minor variations were observed for the properties investigated ; the effects of the relatively snall cobalt substitutions and nickel reductions were somewhat reduced by the higher total alloy content .

Jan 1, 1964

By Richard A. Winters

In 1985 at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied 9,400 acres of the 10,005-acre Duncan Creek Wilderness Study Area (ID-111-78) in order to evaluate the mineral resources. The study area is located in Owyhee County, 10, about 36 miles southwest from Bruneau, ID. No mining districts are in the study area, nor were any mines or claims recorded or found. The southern half of the area was covered by oil and gas lease applications, all of which were cancelled prior to June, 1985. No economic concentrations of minerals were found in the study area. INTRODUCTION This report describes the USBM (U.S. Bureau of Mines) portion of a cooperative study with the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) to evaluate mineral resources and potential of the Duncan Creek study area at the request of the BLM (U.S. Bureau of Land Management). The USBM examines individual mines, prospects, claims, and mineralized zones, and evaluates identified mineral and energy resources. The USGS evaluates potential for undiscovered resources based on areal geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys. Results of the investigations will be used to help determine the suitability of the study area for inclusion into the National Wilderness Preservation System. Although the immediate goal of this and other USBM mineral surveys is to provide data for the President, Congress, government agencies, and the public for land-use decisions, the long-term objective is to ensure the Nation has an adequate and dependable supply of minerals at a reasonable cost.

Jan 1, 1986

By W. D. Mcmillan

Soapstone is the term applied to an impure, massive, soft rock with a greasy feel. It is of variable composition, consisting chiefly, however, of talc, tremolite, and chlorite. Although limited quantities of soapstone are used as building material, in fireplaces, and in the manufacture of laundry tubs, sinks, laboratory-table tops, and-oven and furnace blocks, the principal part of the production is ground for use in roofing paper, insecticides, and as a filler in asphaltic paints.

Jan 1, 1949

By Charles Findlay, Stephen Krickovic, J. E. Carpetta

As one of its projects for degasification of major panels of coal prior to mining within them, the Bureau of Mines conducted methane emission studies during development of a set of three headings 1,800 feet in a major coal panel (2,700 by 3,500 feet) which had been completely isolated by sets of main headings for 12 months in the Federal No. 2 mine (Pittsburgh coalbed) in northern West Virginia. Similar emission studies were conducted in the development of two sets of main headings in virgin coal areas nearby. Comparing the two sets of data indicated that the isolated coal panel had been degasified by approximately 70 percent.

Jan 1, 1973

By Robert C. Hickman

In its search for strategic minerals, the Bureau of Mines investigated the Rutherford Mine property in Amelia County, Va. The property was visited by F. W. Horton, mining engineer, and Margaret Fuller Boos, mineral technologist, of the Bureau of Mines, in company with Eugene Dawson, of the War Production Board, on July 16-11, 1943. An exploration program by the Bureau was recommended, and work was started on July 28, 1943, and continued until September 16, 1943. A total of 1,250 feet was diamond drilled in 5 holes on the property.

Jan 1, 1950

By S. P. Kinney

During 1925, at Holt, Ala., the United States Bureau of Mines made a study of the composition of the gases at four elevations in the shaft of a furnace producing foundry iron. A report3 of the work was published in 1927. Some of the results of this investigation are shown in Figure 1. As indicated, the gas at the center of the shaft is low in CO2 content, while the gas in the vicinity of the wall is higher in CO2. The composition of the gases at the top and at the center of the stock column was not far different from the composition of the gas at the top of the bosh. The investigation indicated clearly that lean gas was channeling through the center of the column. More recently the study was enlarged in scope to include investigation of a furnace operating on Lake Superior ores in the Chicago district. A series of planes between the stock line and tuyères was surveyed. Means and apparatus were developed for obtaining, between the inwall and the center of the furnace, the gas composition, gas velocity, and temperature on each plane. A complete report4 of the investigation has recently been published.

Jan 1, 1929

By E. G. King

Existing thermodynamic data for compounds of the rare-earth metals are few in number and often inaccurate because, in the past, it was difficult to obtain samples that were pure enough and reasonable in cost--a situation that is rapidly improving. This paper reports the results of low-temperature heat-capacity and high-temperature heat-content measurements for cerous fluoride (CeF3) and supplies the first such published data for a rare-earth fluoride. The low-temperature heat-capacity data cover the temperature range 51°-298° K. and serve to evaluate the entropy at 298.15° K. The high-temperature heat-content data cover the temperature range 298°-1,799° K., including the temperature and heat of fusion. The results are assembled for ready use in thermodynamic calculations. Cerous fluoride is one of the important intermediate compounds in the production of cerium metal.

Jan 1, 1959

By Donald J. Barnes

The Glacier View RARE Ii further planning area contains no identified mineral deposits, other than stone, which cannot compete favorably with similar deposits closer to major markets. Pierce County mining claim records show six coal claims were located in the study area between 190b and 1907; however, no coal was found at the described locations. Two coal prospects, the H.O. Lamming and Floyd Rice, are within 0.5 mi (0.8 km) of the area's west boundary (fig. 1). At these prospects, impure bituminous coal beds strike approximately north and dip east toward the study area. Analyses of samples 1/ indicated an average heating value of 2,767 BTU 2/ per pound (6,436 joules per kg). Because of the low heat value, this coal is subeconomic. Intense folding and faulting which disrupted the beds would limit the use of conventional coal mining equipment, making future economic development even less likely. Trinity Resources of Houston, Texas has leased approximately 1,404 acres (568 ha) inside the study area and an additional 1,020 acres (413 ha) adjacent to the study area for oil and gas exploration. However, no oil or gas wells are known to have been drilled in or around the study area.

Jan 1, 1983

By G. B. Gait

This report is the fifth in a series concerning the Bureau of Mines program for microfilming maps of abandoned mines in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. A catalog of the microfilmed maps of 47 of 49 major mines and 18 independent mines in the Southern field is presented. Previous reports included catalogs of microfilmed maps of mines in the Eastern Middle field, the Wyoming and Lackawanna Basins of the Northern field, and the Western Middle anthracite field.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. V. Ramani, A. S. C. Owili-eger

List of Numbers

Jan 1, 1974

By David K. Denton

There are no active mines in the Mt. Eddy RARE II area. Chromite, gold, and stone prospects were examined. The RARE II area contains no identified mineral resources; however, a sample of a 260 ton occurrence contained 38.1 percent chromium oxide (Cr203) at the Ratero Prospect (fig. 1, no. 3), which has low potential for chromium resources. The Johnson Mine (fig. 1, no. 6) produced a small unrecorded amount of chromite during World War IT, but only a low potential exists for chromium resources. A low potential exists for gold resources at the Half Century Prospect (fig. 1, no. 2). At a borrow pit northwest of the study area (fig. 1, no. 1), sheared serpentinite is quarried for road metal; similar rock occurs in the RARE II area, but better material is more readily available elsewhere. Sand and gravel occurrences are too inaccessible and distant from markets to be considered resources. Mineral fuels and geothermal resources were not evaluated during this Bureau of Mines study. There currently are three unpatented lode mining claims in the study area. INTRODUCTION The Mt. Eddy RARE II area is 7 air-mi west of Mt. Shasta City, California, and straddles the Siskiyou-Trinity county line. The roadless area includes 7,200 acres of rugged, glacially carved, ridges and drainages which comprise Mt. Eddy. Elevations vary from 6,000 ft along the North Fork Sacramento River to 9,025 ft at the summit of Mt. Eddy. The area is covered with conifer forest below 8,000 ft elevation.

Jan 1, 1983

By Fred N. Kissell

In this report the importance of diffusion in controlling the emission of methane in mines is examined. An in-situ diffusion parameter is defined and calculated for a hypothetical unfractured lump of coal in the Pittsburgh and Pocahontas No. 3 coalbeds. The values obtained are similar to those obtained with lump coal in laboratory experiments.

Jan 1, 1972

By M. E. Volin

The Buckeye manganese deposits are in Stanislaus County, Calif., about 33 miles south of Tracy. From 1917 to 1919 the deposits produced 13,370 tons of ore reported to average 46 percent manganese and 14 percent silica. The deposits are confined to two areas of' development, known as the north mine workings and the south mine workings, about 700 feet apart horizontally. Mineralization occurs chiefly as rhodochrosite and psilomelane interbedded in cherts of the Franciscan formation. As a part of the Bureau of Mines program of investigation and development of domestic mineral deposits, a development project was started November 25, 1940, and completed June 27, 1941. The Federal Geological Survey cooperated by mapping the topography and geology and logging the drill cores. The program included road and. trail building, trenching, underground excavation, diamond drilling, and sampling. The following pages mention the location, brief the history, and note the physical .features of' the district. Mine workings are sketched, the deposit is described, and the plan of the project is noted. The work performed by the Bureau of Mines is explained in the concluding pages with a summary of the drill-hole logs.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. L. Schmidt

The effect of a water-repellent film in sandstone cores on the effective permeability-saturation relationship was investigated as part of a cooperative research program between the Bureau of Mines and the American Gas Association. The repellent film was formed by the reaction of methyltrichlorosilane3 with the connate water in the core. Other researchers have reported on the use of silicone chemicals to alter the flow characteristics of porous media (1-3, 5-7, 9, 10).4 The previous studies, however, dealt almost entirely with oil-water or oil-gas systems and not with water-gas systems. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using silane to retard the influx of water into natural-gas storage wells and to determine the necessary requirements for achieving this result. The success or failure of silane treatment as a remedial measure depends on its effect on gas-production rate and attendant water production.

Jan 1, 1961

By Raymond L. Carpenter

In connection with its continuing studies of the characteristics of alloys and alloying elements, the Bureau of Mines investigated the crystal structure of fused boron. This report describes how the structure of fused boron was found to be rhombohedral by the powder method for crystal-structure determinations by X-ray diffraction. The determinations of the crystal structure of boron reported in the literature were made on crystals prepared by various methods such as electrolysis, thermal decomposition of a boride, or by hydrogen reduction of boron tribromide. Table 1 summarizes the data found in the literature on the crystal structure of boron. The information shows the following: (1) Three structures have been reported for boron, (2) boron prepared by different processes--or even by varied conditions of a process--produces crystals of different structure, and (3) no information is given on the crystal structure of fused boron.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. R. White, S. W. Lambert, C. M. McCulloch

Examination of several coalbeds in Walker County, Ala., Cambria, Greene, and Fayette Counties, Pa., and Raleigh and Wyoming Counties, W. Va., indicates that cleat orientations are similar throughout a vertical sequence of strata. Studies of cleat orientation were carried out in underground mines that are operating in separate coalbeds vertically above one another. The data show that over a vertical separation of 100 to 400 feet, the average difference in coal cleat orientation between mines is 04° for the face and 08" for the butt cleat. Variations of coal cleat direction between coalbeds examined in strip-mined areas show similar values. Cleat orientations measured at outcrops agree well with the directions measured underground, suggesting that the amount of vertical separation between coalbeds has little effect on the resulting differences in cleat directions. The largest variation of cleat directions between adjacent coalbeds occurs where a large horizontal distance separates two sample locations. Cleat orientations for deeper coalbeds are most reliable where the data are taken from directly above.

Jan 1, 1976

By Paul T. Allsman

THE THREE words, research, mechanization, and automation are keynote words for mining technology during 1962. Basically interrelated, they not only express the major technologic developments in mining but are the signposts pointing out the road ahead. The process represented by each of these words is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but developments during the past year indicate a climactical stage has been reached in the process of evolution. Mining research has progressed beyond the stage of academic discussion and is a programed activity within the Federal Government,3 the mining colleges,4 and many of the large mining companies.5 Research was a major agenda item at various national and international mining meetings in 1962. A list of these meetings would include such diverse locales as the Workshop and Symposium on Computers and Computer Applications in Mining and Exploration at the University of Arizona in March; and the 5th Rock Mechanics Symposium at the University of Minnesota, in May; the Rock Mechanics Symposium at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, in September; and the Colloquium XIII, International Society for Rock Mechanics, at Salzburg, Austria, in November.

Jan 1, 1963

By Stephen R. Wilson

This paper is one of a series published by the Bureau of Mines on the mineral resources of the Nation. It describes briefly the occurrence of sodium sulfate in Salt Lake and Tooele Counties, Utah, presents data on sampling, and describes ex-traction and refining raw material and a mining research project that has been conducted on the deposits. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgments are given to the Tintic Standard Mining Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, and Bartlett Chemicals, Inc., New Orleans, La., for permission to use data obtained by the companies. The authors also acknowledge the courtesy of J. A. Marsh and H. K. Thurber, geologists and mining engineers, for permission to use information in reports prepared by them.

Jan 1, 1957

By John R. Benham

In 1987, at the request of the Bureau of Land Management~ the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied 7,600 and 3,000 acres, respectively, of the Slocum Creek (OR-003-075) and Upper Leslie Gulch (OR-003-074) Wilderness Study Areas in order to evaluate their mineral resources. They are located in Malheur County, OR, about 25 mi northwest of Jordan Valley. Both areas have an occurrence of stone (welded tuff) covering about 3,000 acres which is suitable for construction purposes including road metal, ballast, and road fill. However, similiar deposits are more accessible and closer to markets.

Jan 1, 1988