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By Charles W. Frey

COMPRESSED air is one of the most useful tools that the mine operator has at his disposal. It is clean, nontoxic, easily handled, and can be distributed anywhere that a man can drag a length of rubber hose. Without it a great deal of drilling would still be a laborious hand process, and although the John Henry of legendary fame could beat a mechanical drill, John Henrys are few and far between, and in the long run the air drill is the victor. As a general rule, horizontal compressors are lubricated by mechanical lubricators, which furnish oil to the cylinder walls, whereas vertical units are splash lubricated. In most horizontal machines oil is introduced at the top center of the piston, from which point it can run down and lubricate the rest of the piston. Some large units introduce oil at more than one point on the cylinder wall, the necessity for this and the number of points of introduction depending upon the size of the cylinder.

Jan 1, 1938

Jan 1, 1913

FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Erie V. Daveler, Chairman A B. Kinzel Gail F. Moulton INVESTMENTS ErIe V. Daveler, Chairman W L. Kleitz, '52 Henry Krumb, '53 Joseph E. Pogue, '51

Jan 1, 1952

By Sherwin F. Kelly

THE present lull in engineering activities presents an advantageous moment for inquiring into the position now occupied by geophysics in its various fields of application. The recent over-expansion in all lines of work resulted in an uncritical employment of these methods of exploration which was bound to have its harmful reaction. The pendulum has now swung back, producing a decidedly hypercritical attitude toward the new science that had been recently welcomed so joyfully as the panacea for prospecting troubles. The severe retrenchment in exploration has forced upon us a period of waiting and, it is to be hoped, of profitable contemplation. This can well be employed in trying to pass a reasoned judgment on what position geophysics should occupy in the new geological exploration programs that will inevitably ac- company the looked-for industrial recovery.

Jan 1, 1931

By Jennifer Drake, Edward T. Moriuchi, Jennifer A. Hill

SEAMSYS and CSD/SMP are sets of computer programs that assist geologists and mine engineers in modeling and evaluating coal properties. The systems are tailored for treatment of waste and coal quality data, including metallurgical coal product capabilities. The gridded SEAMSYS model honors all drillhole data and incorporates user- defined mining parameters, losses and dilutions, and operational constraints. A variety of reserve reports and graphic displays are available from the model. Preliminary mine planning is accomplished through automatic cut generation and production targeting. CSD/SMP refines the preliminary plans to help anticipate the consequences of various mine schedules and evaluate equipment capacity requirements.

Jan 1, 1983

By AIME AIME

To accompanying photograph of the plant of the Beattie Gold Miner Limited, at Duparquet,. Quebec, is taken from the east and shows the open-pit from which the ore is taken during the summer. The buildings on the level ground above the open-pit are the change rooms, steel shop hoist building, compressor building, machine shop, warehouse, carpenter shop, and oil house. The main five-compartment shaft is shown west of the hoist building. The crusher plant adjoins the headframe and a long conveyor transports the fine ore

Jan 1, 1936

By Ross C. Anderson, William I. Weisman

THE manufacture of anhydrous sodium sulphate or salt cake from natural deposits in the United States has been in general somewhat of a marginal undertaking. Competition from foreign sources and from large quantities of byproduct sodium sulphate produced domestically in the manufacture of hydro-chloric acid and other chemicals has existed and continues.

Jan 7, 1953

By J. A. Dresser

The controlling supply of asbestos for the world is obtained from southern Quebec, 150 miles or less north of the international boundary line between Canada and the United States, and about 75 miles south of the city of Quebec.

Jan 1, 1915

By Hans Lundberg

GEOPHYSICAL methods as described in technical articles generally fail to answer the questions of prospectors and geologists as to which method they should apply and what information they may expect from their application. This article is an attempt to discuss the use of electrical methods with special reference to the prospecting for orebodies and the map¬ping of geologic structure. Especially on virgin ground, geological reconnaissance should precede electrical prospecting, with the object of outlining carefully the orebearing rock and determining the possibilities of elec¬trical prospecting. No electrical survey will then be carried out on ground which, for geological reasons, may be considered barren or where the electrical meth¬ods are inapplicable. As the success of electrical prospecting depends on the difference in conductivity between the ore and the country rock within which the orebody is inclosed, the conductivity of the two should be considered and de¬termined, if possible. The conductivity of an orebody depends on the distribution of conductive ore minerals and, in addition, on its size (length, width and depth). Most minerals with metallic luster show good electrical conductivity; for instance, the sulfides. Zinc-blende is an exception, but as it is often associated with the ore minerals of good conductivity (for instance, pyrite or galena), there is likelihood also of finding zinc.

Jan 1, 1930

By John Hays, Hammond

IT is both a pleasure and an honor to be a guest of the Institute and I thank you, Mr. President and fellow-members, for giving. me the opportunity of meeting you this evening. My esteemed friend, President Smith, has requested me to do a bit of "reminiscing" as to the earlier years of my career as a mining engineer, which has now covered a period of fifty years. Let me reassure you by promising that my narrative will not include all the experiences I have had over that long period. You will, I trust, pardon what might seem egotistical but I do not see how a personal narrative could well be otherwise.

Jan 1, 1928

By P. H. Mell

AMONG the minerals exhibited at the Atlanta Exhibition of 1881, soapstone, kaolin, and asbestos were well represented. The first two occur in large quantities, of very pure quality, throughout the South. The last is somewhat limited in amount, yet in certain localities it exists in masses sufficiently large to pay for working; in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama it has been mined with some profit. I would, in this paper, call special attention to the minerals soapstone and kaolin, because their many valuable qualities seem to have been al most entirely overlooked by our Southern manufacturers. Steatite, particularly, occurs in such large quantities, and generally in such close proximity to the great iron regions of Alabama and Georgia, that it is amazing that the iron companies will persist in sending abroad under. heavy expense for firebrick. It would require a much smaller sum of money to quarry this rock and place it at the various furnaces ; and the results obtained, I am sure, would prove its superiority over the majority of firebrick brought into this region. Soapstone, as well as kaolin, is found throughout the metamorphic regions of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Below-will be found seven analyses that I have made of this mineral, taken from various points in the four States above mentioned. I have also subjected these same specimens to severe fire-tests, and the results were very satisfactory. The tests were conducted in the following manner: Small portions of the compact variety were carefully weighed and placed in a Fletcher's new crucible furnace for gas, and subjected for half an hour to a heat that will in 12 minutes fuse iron. The only effect upon these specimens was a slight change in color .to a darker shade, a small loss in weight, due evidently to the evaporation of water, and, in one or two specimens, a slight degree of fusion on the sharp edges. The first specimen subjected to investigation was taken from a large outcropping in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Specific gravity, 2.88 ; hardness, 1.9; color, blue gray. Composition Water, - 2.68 Silica, - 65.46 Iron oxide, - 2.10 Alumina, - 15.02 Magnesia, - 15.35 100.61

Jan 1, 1882

By B. Fitch

This paper deals with the behavior of sedimenting suspensions. More particularly, it treats, in as organized a manner as possible, the body of knowledge, theoretical or empirical, by which one predicts the behavior of miscellaneous swarms of particles in suspension. Such knowledge is necessary for precise and economical design of equipment. While the behavior of a single spherical particle settling through an infinite sea of quiescent fluid is well understood, practical sedimentation processes are almost always concerned with particles of assorted sizes, densities, and shapes, in such concentration that there is profound particle interaction. Such swarms of particles are observed to settle in any of four markedly different manners. Which one they follow is governed by particle interaction. It is determined largely by the dilution of the suspension, and the relative tendency of the particles to cohere. TYPES OF SEDIMENTATION The relationship between the different modes of sedimentation is shown paragenetically in Fig. 1. The left side of the diagram represents particles having little tendency to cohere; the right side represents particles for which interparticle cohesion is large compared to the settling force. The vertical axis represents dilution. As seen in the diagram, sedimentation is divided into three broad fields or regimes. At high dilutions there exists a regime here named 'clarification.' Particles in clarification may settle either individually, or by collecting into separated floccules. Thus there are two different possible modes of settling in the clarification regime. It is characteristic c~f this regime that there will be no clear line of demarcation between settling suspension and a supernatant. Faster particles settle out ahead of slower ones. In batch tests there develops a gradation of both particle sizes and pulp density due to progressive depletion of the largest particles from any given pulp level.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. Elmer Thomas

The evolution of the oil business is one of the great industrial romances of modern times. First used as a medicine, then as a lubricant, then as an illuminant, and finally as a motor fuel, each change in its principal usage caused large increases in consumption. Producing Successes The producing branch of the industry responded ably to the demands made upon it. Never was there a famine, rarely any threat of scarcity, and stored inventories were gradually accumulated to form comfortable working stocks. Originally an erratic and hazardous undertaking, the discovery and development of oil fields has made such strides as to classify now as a science. When storage stocks were low, production in close balance with consumption, and demand trending sharply upward, considerable concern was expressed over future needs. Price was very responsive to fluctuations in supply under those conditions, and quotations for crude and refined oils exhibited wide swings. A very different situation exists today. Consideration of the statistics only since the war will show how recent has been this change. In the 10-year period from 1918 to 1927 inclusive, we produced in the United States 6,100,000,000 bbl. of crude and imported 900,000,000 bbl., our total supply being 7,000,000,000 bbl. The consumption was 6,600,000,000 bbl., thus adding to stocks 400,000,000 bbl., an accumulation of somewhat less than 6 per cent. of the total supply. During that period virtually every field was promptly developed as soon as discovered and nearly every well in the country was producing at full capacity. With the maximum production of the wells required to take care of the rapid increases in consumption, with storage stocks moderate and proven reserves very slight, the producing division of the industry acquired a tempo not needed now. Potential Surplus Today the situation is vastly different. The economic consumption is about 2,700,000 bbl., with current production slightly in excess of that.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. R. Kaiser

COAL research during 1942 was directed in an important degree toward the solution of problems of wartime importance. A wider selection of coals for carbonization to meet the increased demand for coke, and the improved utilization of lower-grade coals for boiler fuel were made possible by fundamental studies on cod and ash behavior that had been started several years ago. The coal industry's interest in the work of the various laboratories brightened significantly as results were demonstrated on smokeless combustion in stoves, on stokers without coke trees, and on pulverized firing of forge furnaces. Despite the limitations of priorities and scarcity of materials, the mineral industries building of the West Virginia University was completed and equipped with facilities for research on coal min

Jan 1, 1943

By William P. Dyrenforth

The principle of electrostatic separation is discussed and elaborated on by dividing into the three main mechanisms of electrification as applied to separation of solid substances, i.e., (1) contact electrification, (2) electrification by conductive induction, (3) electrification by ion bombardment. Types of equipment used for electrostatic processing are described and the effects of humidity mentioned. Processing of iron ore, titanium minerals, rare earths and cassiterite is discussed and some existing plants are described.

Jan 1, 1978

By P. H. Mell

AMONG the minerals exhibited at the Atlanta Exhibition of 1881, soapstone, kaolin, and asbestos were well represented. The first two occur in large quantities, of very pure quality, throughout the South. The last is somewhat limited in amount, get in certain localities it exists in masses sufficiently large to pay for working; in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama it has ken mined with some profit. I would, in this paper, call special attention to the minerals soapstone and kaolin, because their many valuable qualities seem to have been almost entirely overlooked by our Southern manufacturers. Steatite, particularly, occurs in such large quantities, and generally in such close proximity to the great iron regions of Alabama and Georgia, that it is anlazing that the iron companies will persist in sending abroad under heavy expense for firebrick. It would require a much smaller sum of money to quarry this rock and place it at the various furnaces ; and the results obtained, I am sure, would prove its superiority over the majority of firebrick brought into this region. Soapstone, as well as kaolin, is found throughout the metamorphic regions of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Below will be found seven analyses that I have made of this mineral, taken from various points in the four States above mentioned. I have also subjected these same specimens to severe fire-tests, and the results were very satisfactory. The tests mere canducted in the following manner: Small portions of the compact variety were carefully weighed and placed in a Fletcher's new crucible furnace for gas, and subjected for half an hour to a heat that will in 12 minutes fuse iron. The only effect upon these specimens was a slight change in color to a darker shade, a small loss in weight, due evidently to the evaporation of water, and, in one or two specimens, a slight degree of fusion on the sharp edges. The first specimen subjected to investigation was taken from a large outcropping in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Specific gravity, 2.88 ; hardness, 1.9; color, blue gray. Composition: Water,....2.68 Silica,..........65.48 Iron oxide,.........2.10 Alumina,.........15.02 Magnesia,... 15.35 10061

Jan 1, 1882

By E. H. Crabtree, T. G. Chapman, V. W. Winters

This paper traces the experimental and pilot plant work completed by the authors since 1939 including the various methods which have been developed in applying coarse activated carbon to cyanidation. The methods and results developed by the authors in desorbing gold and silver from carbons are given and the possibilities for the re-use of the desorbed carbons are discussed.

Jan 2, 1950

By Edward C. John, Wilbur H. Smith

At the Bingham Canyon pit operated by Kennecott's Utah Copper Division, the demand for geology has recently grown and diversified so rapidly that it has necessitated a revolution in geologic mapping techniques. The most significant changes in method have been in the preparation of the base map and in the computer application of collected data. Formerly maps were prepared by surveying with a transit or plane table. Now, however, a photogrammetric map with a scale of l in. to 200 ft is prepared semiannually and updated continuously to keep pace with the removal of more than 350,000 tons of material a day. Larger-scale bases of areas with specific problems such as un- stable slopes are prepared with aerial and terrestrial photography and photo-mosaics. Note sheets designed for computer application speed the processing of data. The multiplying applications of geology at the Bingham mine now include studies of the effect of structure, rock type, and alteration on slope stability, the relationship of sulfide mineral distribution to concentrating results, the effect of rock and mineral types on waste dump leaching, and the requirements of a reliable internal source of silica flux for smelting, as well as many others.

Jan 9, 1969

Discussion of the paper of S. E. Bretherton, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 80, August, 1913, pp. 1481 to 1487. S. E., BRETHERTON, San Francisco, Cal.:-Since preparing my paper, our chemist, F. L. Wilson, has been experimenting with Leadville, Colo., oxidized zinc ore and Leadville zinc sulphides containing lead, operating upon 40-1b. lots at a time. His results on Leadville sulphides are as follows: The raw ore contained a trace of gold, 5.04 oz. of silver, 19.1 per cent of zinc, and 7.24 per cent of lead. After roasting the ore contained a trace of gold, 5.72 oz. of silver, 0.75 per cent of copper, 21.7 per cent of zinc, and 8.29 per cent of lead. The loss in weight by leaching was 38.8 per cent. The extraction was 42.8 per cent of the copper, 80.6 per cent of the zinc, 7.1 per cent of the lead, 0.64 per cent of the silver, and no gold. The little .silver that is extracted would be thrown down with the copper when precipitating it from the zinc and both thrown hack into the residue to be smelted. There would be no trouble in smelting the residue with nearly all the sulphur eliminated and containing less than 7 per cent. of zinc. On zinc carbonates containing silicates the results are not satisfactory. H. O. HOFMAN, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary*) :¬The paper by Mr. Bretherton upon the application of ammonia and carbonic acid to the recovery of zinc as oxide from roasted sulphide ore is of interest to me, as the first installation of the Schnabel process for the extraction of zinc from a mixture of zinc oxide, lead oxide (with some cupric oxide), and pellets of enriched lead, produced in steaming liquated zinc-silver-lead crust of the Parkes process, was made at Lautenthal, Harz mountains, where I was chemist. In that capacity I carried out numerous experiments on the Schnabel process, was active in the erecting of the plant, and later had charge of it. After the Lautenthal plant had been in operation for some time a similar one was built at Hoboken-les-Anvers, but both have been abandoned, as the wet process could not compete with the distillation of the liquated zinc-silver-lead crust, now used universally in the Parkes process.

Jan 11, 1913

THE SOUTHWEST MINING SECTION of the National Safety. Council held a well attended two-day conference at Globe, Ariz., March 19 and 20; followed by two days of mine-rescue maneuvers at the Old Dominion mine in cooperation with the Globe-Miami District Mine Rescue and First Aid Association and the U. S. Bureau of Mines. C. L. Colburn of the Bureau had general charge of the arrangements and was chairman of the conference. All sessions were held in the Old Dominion Library. The program of papers was as follows: MINE FIRE PREVENTION AND FIGHTING What to do in Case of a Mine Fire. / Chas. A. Mitke, Consulting Mining Engineer, Bisbee, Ariz. Gunnite as a Fire Preventative. W. C. Browning, General Manager, Magma Copper Co., Superior, Ariz. Chemical Engineer's Part in Fire Fighting. Dr. L. H. Duschak, Consulting Chemical Engineer, San Francisco, Cal. Mine Fire Drills. A. C. Stoddard, Chief Mining Engineer, Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co., Inspiration, Ariz. Notes on the Installation of Fire Fighting Equipment in Mines. Benjamin F. Tillson, Assistant Superintendent, New Jersey Zinc Co., Franklin, N. J.

Jan 5, 1923