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By AIME AIME

ALTHOUGH the present economic depression is felt in the petroleum industry, probably as much as in any other branch of American industry, the Petroleum Section of the Institute was well represented at the general sessions on Monday and at all of the seven division sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The seven sessions of the Division were so arranged as not to conflict and thus permitted members to hear the programs of all sessions.* The first meeting of the Petroleum Division was held on Tuesday afternoon; a joint session on engineering research and production engineering. The following papers were presented:

Jan 1, 1931

By Carl Scholz

DURING November And December, 1907, Four Serious Mine-explosions Occurred In The Appalachian Coal-Field, Which Resulted In The Loss Of Nearly A Thousand Lives And Caused An Enormous . Damage To Property. These Accidents Attracted More Than The Usual Attention; Coal-Trade And Engineering Papers Contained Many Comments And Suggestions On The Cause And Prevention Of Accidents; The Daily Press In Many Instances Condemned The Coal-Operators And Charged These Accidents To Their Negligence, Or Their Anxiety To Make Money Without Adopting Precautionary Measures. Immediately After Each Accident The Respective State ..Authorities Ordered Close Investigations To Be Made, With The View Of Establishing The Cause And Suggesting Remedies To Prevent Recurrence. Representatives Of The Technologic Branch Of The U. S. Geological Survey, To Whom The Investigation Of Mine-Accidents Had Recently Been Delegated By The Secretary Of The Interior,. Visited The Mines And Co-Operated With The Local Authorities In Their Determinations. It May Be Safe To Say Here That An Investigation Of A Mine After An Explosion Has Occurred Discloses But Little, Because. The Causes Have Been Removed And Conditions Have Been Entirely Changed. On Jan. 8, 1905, The Coal-Operators Of West Virginia Organized An Association At Washington For The Purpose Of Making Extensive Investigations, And Sufficient Funds Were Pledged To Carry Out This Work. At This Organization Meeting, The Representatives Of The Geological Survey Present Had No Suggestions To Offer As To The Cause Of These Accidents. An Examination Of The Various Reports Concerning These Accidents Indicates That The Explosions Were Caused By The Ignition Of Gas Or Dust; They Show The Point Of Origin And The Direction In Which The Force Was Expended, And Give A Detailed Description Of The Damage Done. Very Little Has Been Said As To What

Jan 7, 1908

By John Fritz

MEMBERS of the American engineering societies who were in London and Paris during the last days of. June and early July were present at many interesting gatherings. The official delegates of the Founder societies were the specially honored guests of the foreign engineering societies, but other American engineers took part in the meetings. The members of the delegation were: Arthur S. Dwight, Charles F. Rand, William Kelly, representing A. I. M. E.; Ambrose Swasey (general chairman of deputation), Ira N. Hollis, Jesse M. Smith, representing A. S. M. E.; F. B. Jewett, A. E. Kennelly, G. O. Squier, representing A. I. E. E.; Charles T. Main, Robert A. Cummings, John R. Freeman, D. C. Henny, representing A. S. C. E.

Jan 1, 1921

By AIME AIME

ARRANGEMENTS for the Annual Meeting of the Institute were well advanced at the end of December as the following program will show. Heretofore this has been printed separately, but its inclusion in the Annual Review issue of MINING AND METALLURGY will, it is hoped, make it more easily available for reference until the final program is issued, which will be distributed at the meeting. Added details will appear in the February issue. Last year's meeting drew a record crowd of over 2300 which should be exceeded this year. Early reservations at the headquarters hotel, the Waldorf-Astoria, or any other convenient hotel are desirable, as are prompt reservations for the Annual Dinner. No one need worry about too much speechmaking this year, for the honors will be awarded and accepted in a few words instead of a few paragraphs, in seconds rather than minutes.

Jan 1, 1939

By Allen V. Heyl

This old district is a major zinc and lead source and minor copper and barite source. Ores are chiefly in the Galena Dolomite and in limestones and dolomites of the Decorah and Platteville Formations, all of Middle Ordovician age. Locally, deposits have been mined from Lower Ordovician dolomites and Upper Cambrian sandstones. Small deposits of lead, zinc, and iron sulfides have been found in Upper Ordovician Maquoketa Shale and in Lower and Middle Silurian Edgewood, Kankakee, and Hopkinton Formations. No post-Precambrian igneous rocks are known in the region, and the granitic and metasedimentary Precambrian basement rocks unconformably underlie the district at depths of 1500 to 2000 feet. The strata are gently flexed and faulted, probably largely the result of gentle compressive and rotational adjustments in the underlying crystalline basement, especially along lineaments between basement blocks. Folds of three orders ·of magnitude are recognized, and many related reverse, strike-slip, and normal faults of small to moderate displacements are present. Zinc-lead deposits are commonly linear, arcuate, or elliptical in plan. Most ore occurs as vein fillings in fractures and as breccia fillings and lining vugs, but some is in bedded replacements and impregnations of wall rocks. The ore is in shears, small reverse and bedding- plant faults, joints, and solution-slump structures related to intermediate and small folds. The main primary minerals in their general sequence of deposition are quartz, illite, dolomite, pyrite, marcasite, cobaltite(?), sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, millerite, barite, and calcite. Wall-rock alterations include solution of the carbonate rocks, silicification, dolomitization, clay alteration, and sanded dolomite. Oxygenisotope, trace-element, lead-isotope, and sphalerite- stratigraphy studies are in progress. Fluid inclusions in sulfide and gangue minerals are filled with concentrated brines at 120° to 40°C. Sulfides are directly replaced by supergene minerals above the water table at 50 to 100 feet in depth. In this relatively cool climate and limestone environment, smithsonite is in pseudomorphs after sphalerite; solution transport and redeposition of supergene minerals are rare. Ore genesis is postulated by rising hot-water solutions-a mixture of heated connate, magmatic, and meteoric waters.

Jan 1, 1968

By George Otis Smith

A YEAR ago, ,at the Institute's dinner, I closed my A remarks with the words: "The scientist devotes his life to the advancement of learning; the engineer gives his to the advancement of living." May 1 begin tonight where I left off then and speak first of the distinction between science and engineering? This difference is a difference both in purpose and in method: it is the sharp contrast between theory and practice; it marks the broad gap between dream and attainment. Sometimes it happens that the investigator is also the builder and applies what he discovers, yet the distinction between science and engineering serves to point out the broad dependence of the engineer upon his brother the scientist. You remember .the old - saying that "where there is no vision the people perish" translate this into modern experience and we may say that "where there is no science, the engineer fails."

Jan 1, 1929

Jan 1, 1963

By G. K. Manning, P. C. Rosenthal

USE of copper as an intentionally added alloy in steel and cast iron has rapidly expanded with-in the last fifteen years. It is estimated that in 1931 not more than 2000 tons of copper were so used; by 1941, however, this figure had grown to 13,000 tons. Tonnage figures during the war years have been restricted just as copper itself has been restricted, but copper-bearing cast irons and steels have played a part in the production of ordnance equipment. They are used in gun carriages, airplane landing-gear assemblies, scout cars, bulldozing equipment, army trucks, armor plate and many other instruments of war. These wartime applications have their counterpart in many peacetime applications; derricks, dredges, mine equipment, railway equipment, trucks, farm implements, automobiles, and tractors, all usually contain some parts made of copper-bearing steel or iron. An example of this is the Ford tractor which in 1940 contained over 300 lb. of copper-bearing steel castings. To this list should be added corrugated building sheet for exterior use most of which, at the present time, contains upward of 0.15 per cent copper. With the return to peacetime economy and the removal of wartime restrictions, it appears certain that copper cast irons and steels will find increasing application in civilian goods.

Jan 1, 1945

By Edward H. Robie

THE registration badges gave out, there were not enough programs, the Pioneer Hotel's rooms were insufficient, and some hundred applicants for banquet tickets had to be turned down at the Institute's Regional Meeting in Tucson, Nov. 1-5. Minor inconveniences these, however, occasioned by the fact that, optimistic as they are in Arizona, about half again as many partook of the week's activities as were expected. For this, the local program committee can be blamed-both the technical and social features were too attractive in quantity and quality. Seriously speaking, though, the Institute has probably never had a more successful Regional Meeting than this one. It being the first that has been held in Arizona in 22 years, no effort was spared to make it the distinctive gathering that it was.

Jan 1, 1938

By Paul Billingsley

THE purpose of this paper is a comparison, based on genesis, of the ore deposits associated with the igneous rocks of the central Montana Rockies. Considered separately, without attention to their origin, the orebodies appear to be distributed haphazard, with no fundamental laws controlling their position and character. It is believed, however, that if all the factors be weighed, this apparent confusion will to a large degree disappear. The, first essential to such a comparison is detailed knowledge of the individual mines, as to their geographic position (see Fig. 1), their mineralogical character, and in particular the derivation of their ores.1 The authors of this paper have pursued such an investigation for the past 6 years, and have accumulated a mass of evidence that enables a preliminary correlation to be attempted. It appears that the majority of ore deposits are genetically related to one or another of the igneous

Jan 4, 1917

By J. W. JESSUH

TO certain people the name of Northern Rhodesia brings only a vague recollection of a distant country somewhere in Africa; to others, it means a big game territory and the opportunity for excellent shooting; to some, a land of sunshine and peace; but to mining men the name signifies the land where the latest discoveries of copper ore are astonishing the mining world and bid fair, in a few years, to make Northern Rhodesia one of the largest copper- producing countries. There is a fascination about this part of the globe that is somewhat similar to southern California, and at the same time there is that feeling of mystery peculiar to a tropical climate. Perhaps it is the isolation, the fear of wild animals, or the influence of an undefinable something which cannot be expressed.

Jan 1, 1931

By L. Adler

Longwall caving, one of the most economical and attractive mining methods, is yet one of the most difficult and hazardous.1 This dualism is inherent in a method which manipulates the mine supports themselves to aid in excavation. The difficulty is further compounded by the lack of an analytical method to predict and control results. This paper is intended to meet this need by providing a first approximation to the mechanics involved. The analysis will be limited to materials which are linear-elastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The rock structure is assumed to consist of beds of uniform thickness with no interbed bonding.2 Consequently, the mine roof can be likened to a beam, in which the action characteristic of longwall caving is the controlled deflection of the barrier supports. This deflection causes load to be intentionally transferred from these barrier props to the working face.3 Two of the requirements of this method, shared in common with other mining methods, are the provision of (1) adequate and (2) safe working space. The third requirement is the one characteristic of longwall caving and is somewhat in conflict with the second; (3) the development of near-failure static loads at the face. Requirement (1) is handled by spacing the barrier props sufficiently far from the working face for efficient operation. Requirement (2) limits the static stresses in the structure to predetermined allowable values. This means that it is not desirable to induce a maximum load on the working face as requirement (3) may imply. Such a condition could produce collapse in the whole structure. It is the purpose of the undercut to limit the depth, and thereby control the failure of the face. Therefore, requirement (3) really means the development of an optimum, not maximum, load which, in conjunction with undercutting, produces failure at the working face, with minimum powder consumption. Stress analysis requires an exact delineation of the structure and loads. The structure will be defined as the immediate roof and its supports. Since the roof is severed at the caving line, the supports reduce to the barrier props and the working face, as shown in Fig. 1. The mechanics of failure within the working face itself are complex and beyond the scope of this study, since the face represents a typical mine invert structure.4 However, this lack can be made good by the judicious collection of field data. The primary load on the structure is its own weight or body load which can be considered uniformly distributed over its upper surface. Additional loading occurs due to interference of overbeds with the structure. Wherever this occurs, the effect can be approximated by a load uniformly distributed on the upper surface of the structure.5 When this interference is intermittent, as with a much thicker overbed, the elastic curve for the overbed is superimposed on that for the structure and the extent of interference noted, as Fig. 2 shows. However, for simplicity, this study will ignore such intermittent loads without impairing the generality of approach. Consequently, the free-body diagram is that of a uniformly loaded cantilever beam with an inter-mediate support, as shown in Fig. 3. For convenience of analysis, the diagram will be divided just to the

Jan 1, 1961

By C. M. Smith

HOWARD N. EAVENSON, acting for the last time as president of the Institute, presided at the annual business meeting on Tuesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. He spoke briefly of his visits with Local Sections last fall, and read a scholarly address on "Mineral Fuels and Civilization," scheduled for early publication in these columns. Karl Eilers presented the Treasurer's report, showing last year's income to be $134,967.44, compared with expenses of $133.266.51. Comparable figures for 1933 were $121,689.90 and $115,462.60. The Institute's peak income was in 1923 about $208,000. Newell G. Alford read the report of the Membership Committee showing 750 new members elected and placed on the rolls in 1934, compared with 328 in 1933. Losses by resignation last year were 81, compared with 262 in 1933; and 691 were suspended for non-payment of dues, compared with 747 the year before. Total membership, including 579 Student Associates, was 7742 at the end of 1934. Applications for membership have been coming in freely the last few months.

Jan 1, 1935

Shooting Soot from Stacks In the DuPont magazine of June, 1916, S. R. Russell describes a method of cleaning large smoke or kiln stacks which he calls "simple,. economical- slid-most efficient" and-which- he -says can- be used in either-lined or unlined stacks, brick or steel, without fear of injury to the stack or lining. He gives the following specific directions: "The gun can be made out of air old piece of shafting about 4 in. in diameter and 14 to 16 in. long. Bore a hole 1 ¾ in. in diameter and 10 in. long in the center of the piece. Then bore a small horizontal hole ¼ in. in diameter through the piece-to the bottom of the center bore. This hole serves as a touch hole for inserting the fuse. "The-whole thing can be mounted on a pedestal about 6 in. in diameter so that it will stand in an upright position. "The -method of operation is as follows: Pour some FFF Blasting Powder into the mouth of the cannon to about 2 in. from the top. Tamp to the collar with dry clay. , A short piece of fuse is inserted in the touch hole and in contact with the main powder charge. Open the flue door at the bottom of the stack, set the cannon on the bottom and in the center of the stack, light the fuse and close the flue door. "The explosion shakes and loosens the soot adhering to the sides, causing it to fall to the bottom. It can' then be removed through the flue opening.

Jan 9, 1916

[Chairman ZAY JEFFRIES, Vice-chairman S. SKOWRONSKI, Chairman WILLIAM M, CORSE, Secretary Executive Committee J. R. FREEMAN, JR., Local Section G. E. JOHNSON R. S. ARCHER, Non-ferrous Data Sheets P. D. MERICA EDGAR C. BAIN, Journal Committee L. W. SPRING SAM TOUR, Papers Committee F. L. WOLF H. C. JENNISON, Membership Committee Local Section Committee J. R. FREEMAN, JR., Chairman R. J. ANDERSON, Cincinnati R L. DOWDELL, Minneapolis R. S. WILLIAMS, Boston G. H. CLAMER, Philadelphia W. A. SCHEUCH, Chicago R. F, Woon, New York Papers Committee S. SKOWRONSKI, Chairman F. H. DIx, JR.-Aluminum E. R. DARBY-Bronze C. S. WITH ERELL-Copper H. A. BEDWORTH-Brass W. K. FRANK-BRONZE F. W. HARRIS-Copper R. L. SUHL-Nickel H. M. ST. JOHN--Foundry Metallurgy R. S. DEAN-Theoretical Metallurgy]

Jan 1, 1928

By Walter J. Mead

By American tradition, if not by rational decision, publicly owned natural resources have been transferred to private industry for processing. The process of transfer requires specific determination of the price which the patentee, buyer, or lessee must pay to the government in exchange for the right to develop a resource, and selection of the patentee, buyer, or lessee from among several possible contestants. Pricing of natural resources owned by the government presents a set of problems quite different from ordinary commodity pricing. Natural resources in situ are not homogeneous commodities. Within any class of natural resources, specific leasable parcels will differ in value by reason of location and accessibility, as well as quality and quantity. Thus, there is no "going price;" every lease within a specific resource class will have a different value. To complicate further the pricing and buyer selection problems, competition may not be reliable. Natural-resource markets are characterized by oligopsony conditions. In a significant number of cases, as will be shown later, there has been only one bidder for a given lease, and in most lease sales the number of bidders is equal to or less than three. As a further complication, there is great uncertainty regarding the value of specific resources, even among the best-informed buyers, as well as within the leasing agency. In some instances, particularly with regard to oil and gas resources, there may be uncertainty about the presence of resources, as well as the quantity and quality of any resources contained in the tract offered for lease. In other cases, such as oil shale and some deep ocean minerals where new technologies are involved, the presence of the resource is clearly established. There may be a relatively high degree of knowledge about the quantity and quality of the resource, but there is great uncertainty concerning the cost of production. These problems in total make it difficult for the leasing agency to appraise accurately the resource to be leased, as well as for the potential bidder to calculate a bid price that will yield him a normal profit. The pricing goal of the federal government as the seller or lessee may be to capture the economic rent; that is, the price of a resource might equal its discounted present value. A required price substantially above this amount would either generate no bids, or, in the long run, would bankrupt the buyer. A price below this amount is a disguised subsidy to the lessee. A subsidy to mineral lessees, as to any other economic interest group, as a minimum should be justified by a clear showing of net external benefits from the economic activity. In the case of timber sales by the U.S. Forest Service, the Forest Service Handbook asserts that "the aim in national forest stumpage appraisal is to determine market value,"8 and "market value" is equated to "fair market value." Regarding minerals, there is no reference in legislation or regula-

Jan 1, 1976

Jan 1, 1885

By E. D. Gardner

IN 1947 the metal-mining industry . passed through a year of readjustment; catching up on development work has caused production to suffer. Skilled labor has been short in most mining districts, notwithstanding the highest wage rate paid in the history of the industry. The trend has continued toward increased mechanization and refinements in practices and methods to increase the tons produced per man-shift. Improvements in procedures, however, have not kept pace with rising labor rates; and, in general, labor costs per ton mined have steadily increased since the war years. Prices of base metals have been the highest in a generation, but most producing companies can afford to pay the high wages. Capital expenditures have been approved for improvements to increase the output per man, both to reduce unit labor costs and to increase output. Surveys indicate a continuing

Jan 1, 1948

By FOSTER HEWElT

THE scope of this paper is the description of two districts in Peru in which deposits of vanadium have been found, and the consideration of much laboratory-work that I and others have done to determine the nature of these deposits. It is with regret that I present some of the data in a state of evident incompletion, particularly the analyses of a few of the minerals, which leaves some doubt as to whether the true nature of the minerals is understood. I make no apology, however, since in this case, as in many others referring to ore-deposits, conclusive opinions cannot be stated until a great amount of work has been done, and the deposit has been thoroughly exploited. I believe that the data and the tentative conclusions here presented indicate a unique and interesting condition which may assist others in work along similar lines; and further, what is of more practical importance, stimulate a search for a metal which, though long considered rare, is probably so merely because proper care has not been taken to recognize it. An excellent bibliography on the occurrence of vanadium in nature is given by F. W. Clarke in his paper, Data of Geo-chemistry;1 and in the preparation of this paper I have consulted many of the references contained in the Bibliography of the Chemistry of Vanadium, by M. Moissan.2 A brief review of the subject having special reference to the metallurgy of vanadium is contained in the small book by P.. Nicolardot.3 One of these vanadium-deposits has already been briefly

Mar 1, 1909

By H. C., Simpson

MANY metals by virtue of their place of occurrence as ore, and their uses are travelers! Iron and steel, for instance, is one of the greatest of travelers in the form of ships and the romance of iron in this respect is only just beginning to be superseded by the stories which can be told of the travels of aluminum and its alloys, used in the building of airplanes. Tin is a traveler from the Straits Settlements to this country and Europe, for use in the canning industry; afterward traveling all over the civilized world as a part of the container for preserved foods. Silver is somewhat of an aristocrat, when its uses are measured against those of the baser metals. From earliest times it has been used for adornment (first perhaps o4 the person and later for the embellishment of weapons and' buildings), for the making of fine ar¬ticles used in the household, and as money. While its uses have been widened by the discoveries in chemistry, electricity and other sciences, its early uses are still much in evidence in our modern life.

Jan 1, 1928