Search Documents

By AIME AIME

OVER-ALL operations of the oil industry, as measured by production of crude oil and consumption of products, are almost exactly of the same magnitude as a year ago. Does this mean that the great oil industry has been undisturbed by the war? Has this industry, so vital to the prosecution of the war and to the maintenance of our way of life, been unaffected in its operations? No indeed - changes within the industry are great. It has been called upon to revamp its trans¬portation methods so as to move about one fourth of the total amount of crude and refined products by railroad tank car instead of by ocean-going tankers. Its fundamental internal economy, based on maximum gasoline yield from a barrel of crude, has been relegated to memories of the past. Rationing of oil products, which has been forced upon us in face of an abundant supply, is not only disagreeable medicine but is in itself completely disruptive to the marketing end of the-business.-

Jan 1, 1942

By Howard N. Eavenson

DURING the past year, as in the preceding ones, prices continued to fall, production to decrease, and more mines were closed. Much attention is being given by the industry to suggested plans for betterment of its position, and if the scheme recently brought out for consolidation of sales agencies into district agencies is loyally carried out, it cannot but help to improve conditions. The progress in the anthracite industry is shown in the report of its chairman, E. H. Suender; changes in coal preparation are outlined in the report of J. B. Morrow, chairman of Committee on Coal Preparation, while increased mechanization of the western mines is described by Eugene McAuliffe, chairman of the Committee on Machine and Strip Mining. In spite of the depression, interest in the Coal Division has been increasing, its meetings have been well attended, and its committees are active and have been doing excellent work.

Jan 1, 1932

By John V. Beall

HEAVY-DENSITY separation processes, a commercial application of the sink-float test used in mineralogical laboratories for the separation of mineral particles by their difference in specific gravity, are the biggest development in mineral dressing since flotation, which was at about the same stage of development thirty years ago. The scope of their application has broadened and, though still in the development stage, they are being accepted in a constantly increasing number of commercial installations. This progress in mineral beneficiation is especially satisfying when we realize that our high-grade ore deposits are fast disappearing and a big factor in determining whether a hole in the ground is being sat upon by a liar or an honest citizen is how economically the ore dressers can concentrate comparatively low-grade ores. As early as the middle of the nineteenth century attempts were made to use aqueous salt solutions in a heavy-liquid separation for cleaning coal. But the original and recovery costs of these liquids were high and further, the fact that they were corrosive, unstable, and toxic added to the difficulty in using them.

Jan 1, 1948

By John Treweek

FOR many years the Homestake Mining Co. has devoted serious attention to the elimination of accidents, and ground is steadily being gained in this direction. In accident prevention work it is line-plunging with perfect teamwork and not the spectacular forward pass that brings progress toward the goal. In both surface plants and under- ground workings we regard "good housekeeping" as a first requisite for safety as well as efficiency. Under this term are included all types of safety guards and protective devices as well as cleanliness and orderliness it working places. Perhaps the most important factor in safety work is to arouse and maintain employee interest. The general morale and contentment of employees is of particular importance.

Jan 1, 1938

By Marcus Nadler

WAGES in the United States, in spite of the wage freeze, have increased materially. Overtime payments have become standard practice in almost all industries. Now efforts are being made to place wages on an annual basis, and if this is adopted, it will result in an increase in the cost of production. Organized labor today is more powerful than ever before; union membership is large and steadily increasing, and in many instances membership in the union is a prerequisite to employment. The treasuries of many unions are strong as a result of the large membership and full employment. The unions, therefore, today are in a much better position than ever before to carry on long strikes. Politically, too, the unions are more powerful today than they ever were. On the basis of their strength, one may expect that some of the demands that the labor unions will make in the not distant future will be granted. It is, therefore, quite evident that before long, particularly when the curtailment in war production reaches about 40 per cent, this country will be confronted with a serious labor problem.

Jan 1, 1945

By Paul Gemmill

Production was first recorded from the Pioche district in 1864, and it has continued to show an inherent ability to take on new life after periods of depression in the metal markets. Production from replacement leadsilver- zinc sulfide ore bodies in limestones of Cambrian age now accounts for several times the gross value of silver production from rich fissures in Lower Cambrian Quartzite. Aggregate production of some 6 million tons represents a gross value over $100-million. Future output is expected mostly to be from limestone replacement deposits of which the most productive are "channels" of ore up to several hundred feet wide and several thousand feet long with thicknesses from a few feet up to 50 feet. Such channels are restricted to the lowermost limestone bed of the district, about 250 feet above the basement quartzite. The "blotter-like" characteristic of this highly productive Jimesto~e bed in absorbing mineralization is believed to be, at least in part, due to lithology, including free carbon in the bed, which has created a unique set of conditions for delicately balanced mineralizing solutions that rejected any tendency to replace siliceous wall rock and were properly constituted for replacement of Limestone. All recognizable orogenic history is considered to be related to the Basin and Range faulting that created the mountain ranges. The faults developed after mid-Tertiary time and after widespread extrusives that are themselves involved in the faulting. Flat faults, formerly believed to be part of regional thrust faulting, are now interpreted as gravity slide faulting that can be shown to be large in magnitude and not simply local landslides. Large slide faults generally have concealed the great magnitude of mountain-bordering faults. Mineralization that accounts for ore is later than the faulting. Most faults are pre-mineral since they influence the shape of ore bodies, and some clearly have been offset by fault fissures containing ore. Post-mineral movement probably has been an important component of some large, initially pre-mineral faults. A single period of mineralization was begun by the introduction of large quantities of ironmanganese carbonate, and, in places, carbonate manganese with minor values in sulfides. Closely following the carbonate invasion, massive sulfides were brought in, usually replacing part of the carbonate body though in some places the massive sulfides replaced limestone that was not previously mineralized. Manganese mineralization is not a "halo" but leaks of manganese to higher formations and to the surface are the most significant exploration guides. The Pioche district is expected to be long lived with technological developments in ore treatment being important to the exploitation of low-grade manganiferous ores, while aggressive exploration is expected to find important quantities of bedded lead-silver-zinc ores of the massive sulfide type.

Jan 1, 1968

By Walter F. Gries

AN ounce of prevention is worth A a pound of cure' is an old proverb that has sometimes been forgotten in programs having to do with the health of workmen. Realization of the truth of this maxim is increasing, however, and today the iron-mining industry, with which I am particularly concerned, is becoming more alive to the prevention of illness and the conservation of health, thus decreasing the need for treatment after diagnosis has established its necessity. The healthy workman is the happy, efficient workman, and new programs tending to make him more health-minded are being put into operation. Preventive medicine is less costly than corrective medicine, to say nothing of the better results obtained. Periodic physical examinations, with close follow-up attention when required, have reduced the time lost because of illness, workmen's compensation costs, and group-insurance benefits for nonindustrial disabilities.

Jan 1, 1939

By Oscar A. Glaeser

INDUSTRIAL relations in the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company's Western operations covers the field of personnel and labor relations, and the principal aims are to render service to the employes of the Company and to its operating departments. Accident prevention Safety is a primary function. A safety engineer is employed at each operation. The wholehearted support of Company officials, staff, and the working force has been most successful in preventing accidents. Constant vigilance has been combined with a policy of building safety into all operating activities whether these are in the construction of a new facility, the developmnt of a mining system, or the direction of the working force. That this policy has produced results is attested to by the fact that the accident frequency rate at the Company's major mining operations in Utah has been reduced approximately 75 per cent in the ten-year period ending Dec. 31. 1946.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. Gurland

THE microstructure of sintered carbides consists of particles of metal carbides, such as WC and TiC, embedded in a metallic binder which is usually a cobalt—or nickel-rich solid solution. One of the important factors influencing the strength of the alloys is the degree of dispersion of the carbide particles in the binder matrix. While it is generally accepted

Jan 1, 1960

By H. Herbert Hughes

ECONOMISTS have predicted that the present business depression ultimately may pay big dividends to industry through the cumulative savings resulting from technical improvements and merchandising advances that might never have been developed under normal conditions. Waste prevention is a sound medicine for economic ills. In theory, this prescription may be applied not' only to raw materials, but also to labor, fuel, over- head, and other phases of production. Actually, how- ever, regardless of the efficiency of operating practices, waste is inevitable in the production of many commodities. The problem then becomes one of profitable utilization of waste rather than prevention.

Jan 1, 1932

By Harold G. Moulton

IT is highly significant that engineers should seriously consider the interrelations of technology, economics, and government. It is indicative of the emergence of maladjustments and problems that perplex our thinking and frustrate our activities. Instead of a world in which scientific discoveries and their applications through engineering to the processes of wealth production are regarded as the royal road to progress, we now find science and engineering being made responsible, in no small degree, for our economic and social troubles; and the powers of government are even being invoked to stem the tidal wave of technology. Indeed, there is a deep-seated fear, manifested in the writings of some of our greatest scientists as well as in popular discussions, that science may destroy our civilization.

Jan 1, 1938

By H. M. Beatty, T. L. Joseph, Gust Bitsianes

SUCCESSFUL blast-furnace operation depends upon securing an optimum balance between a number of important variables. This balance will vary somewhat from furnace to furnace in the same plant and with raw materials available in different plants. It is difficult to isolate the effect of any one variable unless it has a rather pronounced effect upon the efficiency of operation. The physical properties of iron ore and coke are known to affect the process, yet it is difficult to set up any definite yardstick by which these differences can be appraised. In recent years, whenever practicable, operators have taken steps to obtain better control over the absolute size and uniformity of size of the ore and coke. The size and physical character of the stone, however, have received comparatively little attention, emphasis being placed upon chemical composition, fluxing efficiency, and action as a desulphurizing agent. Since the stone occupies only about 10 per cent of the volume of the stock column, its influence upon permeability is less than that of the ore and the coke. The large pieces now used have a tendency to roll to the center and thus increase the permeability of this part of the stock column. Smaller pieces would be more effective in promoting the permeability of denser portions of the stock. The size and physical properties of blast- furnace stone are important also for reasons best understood by considering the results obtained by the crushing and the sizing of iron ore. Crushing ore to about 2 in. at Provo, Utah, and to about I in. in Alabama produced material somewhat less permeable to gases, even though sized. In spite of some sacrifice in permeability, the efficiency of the process was improved by crushing and sizing the ore, as indicated by a substantial saving in fuel and increased output. This saving in fuel is due in large measure to more thorough reduction of ore in the upper part of the furnace and to a corresponding decrease in the amount of carbon consumed prematurely above the tuyeres by the reaction CO2 + C = 2CO ? 70,080 B.t.u. [I] The physical properties of stone, its size and rate of calcination are important because they influence the rate at which C02 is released and the completeness of calcination before reaching a level in the furnace where the temperature does not exceed 1050°C. (1920°F.). Briefly, carbon dioxide from the limestone or from the reduction of ore may cause premature com- bustion of carbon above the tuyeres. Assuming that 1000 lb. of limestone is used per ton of pig iron, about 435 lb. of C02 will be liberated during calcination of a good grade of stone. If all this CO2 from the stone were to oxidize carbon prematurely, about 120 lb. would be consumed above the tuyeres in a heat-absorbing reaction. The amount of carbon thus consumed when a

Jan 1, 1942

By H. D. Wilde

GREAT emphasis is being placed today on petroleum as a source of chemicals. Such prominence is well merited, for rapid strides have been made in developing processes for the conversion of petroleum into synthetic chemical products, which are now being made on a huge scale. These marvelous accomplishments have resulted in some highly optimistic predictions as to what can be expected in the future. Many of these forecasts are well justified, but some writers, especially those contributing to the Sunday supplements and the popular-cience type of publications, have let their imagination run wild and present a rather distorted picture of the possibilities in this field in the postwar period. Commercial manufacture of synthetic organic chemicals had its beginning in England with the establishment of a plant by Sir William Perkin in 1857 for the manufacture of "Aniline Purple" or "Mauve." The preceding year he had discovered in the laboratory how this dyestuff could be made from aniline, one of the many derivatives of coal tar, and he soon made commercial application of his discovery. Influenced largely by his success, organic chemists began research on production of a vast array of synthetic dyestuffs, medicinals, flavors, scents, and explosives. Rapid progress was made and by the turn of the century hundreds of these products were being manufactured. Most of these synthetic chemicals were derived from materials obtained as by-products in the conversion of coal into coke. These by-products are generally referred to as "aromatics" and are obtained by processing coal tar recovered in the coking process, so they are popularly known as "coal-tar chemicals." During the early years of this century, coal-tar chemistry was the wonder of the age, and rightfully so, since the products so made seemed limitless.

Jan 1, 1944

By T. A. Rickard

A knowledge of the principles of punctuation is essential to effective and intelligible writing, for the ease and pleasure of the reader, and even his understanding, may depend upon the choice and the placing of punctuation marks. To 'punctuate' is to mark with stops or points; the word comes from the medieval Latin punctuare (punctuatus), which in turn is derived from the Latin punctum, a point. The purpose of punctuation is to show the manner in which the writing is to be understood; to indicate the relations between parts of a sentence and between successive sentences. To some extent "it does for the eye what vocal stress does for the ear", but especially it marks logical relations. Some punctuation marks, such as those indicating admiration, exclamation, and interrogation, are rhetorical as well as grammatical, but most of the common ones are logical, or grammatical. My discussion will be confined to grammatical punctuation in ordinary writing. .'The problem of punctuation in text matter", as George Summey * says, "is to employ words, points, and paragraph breaks in such a way as to achieve at the same time clearness; proper distribution of emphasis, and the desired kind of movement." The criticism of the punctuation of a sentence or of a group of sentences is not final until the context, within the paragraph, is read. A paragraph is a sentence or a group of sentences forming an independent unit of the composition; it represents a unit of thought. A multiplicity of paragraphs produces a choppy effect; 'on the other hand, paragraphs of. excessive length are tiresome, because the belaboring of one unit of thought wearies the reader. The aim should be to

Jan 1, 1931

By NEWTON B. KNOX

THE war has forced the principal industrial nations of the' world into the strait jacket of a closely controlled economy; taxes have been heaped upon all enterprises in order to maintain the armed forces and to deprive the people of the ability to bid for goods now unavailable. These restrictions, controls, and taxes are unlikely to disappear entirely after the war has been won, for debts will remain to be paid with a long period of difficult readjustment. Although the new economy will doubtless offer plentiful opportunities for the advantageous use of capital, no investor can ignore the favorable conditions offered by industry in Latin America, where taxes are relatively low and the restrictions on free enterprise comparatively mild. In mining in South America, the great international corporations have

Jan 1, 1944

R. Trimble, Pittsburg, Pa (communication to the Secretary) : There are in the proposed specifications only two points on which I wish to comment at this time.

Jan 1, 1902

Abadilla, Quirico A., Geol.. Lago Pet. Corp Box 172 Maracaiho, Venezuela. IIAbbw. Robert Graham. The W. W. Sly Mfg. Co.Train Ave.. Cleveland. Ohio. Abbotf A. N., Mines Supt., Maznpil Copper Co.. Ltd..Conception del Oro, Zac., Mexico. Abbotf Clarence E, Mgr.. Mines & Quarries, Tenn. Coal. Iron & R. R. Co., 1242 Brown Marx Bldg., Birmingham, Ala. Abbott. Louis Benjamin. Chief Engr.. Consolidation Coal Co. ... .Elkhorn Div., Jenkins, Ky. Abeel, George 8.. Jr., Cons. Min. Engr...4612 West 17th St., Los Angeles, Cal. Abel. Albert E.. Asst. to Pres.. Valley Mould & Iron Corp..Hubbard, Ohio. Abel. Raymond L Asst. Prof., Dept. of Pet. Refin.. Univ. of Pittsburgh. .. .Pittsburgh. Pa. Abernathy. George Elmer. Prof. of Geol. & Min.. Kansas State Teachers College. Pittahurg. Kans. Abernethy, D. Carl, Jr. Min. Engr., Hudson Coal Co. .Scranton, Pa. Abw, Hirouhi. Min. & Met. Engr., Min. & Met. Dept., The Higher Technical School, Osaka, Japan. Aborn. Robert H.. Research Assoc.. Mass. Inst. of Tech..Cambridge, Mass. Abouchar. Bylvain Sley. Min. Engr. & Geol., c/o S. H. Sekaly, 13 Rue El Nimr, Cairo, Egypt. tAbozeid. Mahmood. Pet. Min. Engr., Marland Oil Co. of California, Subway Terminal Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal. Abraham. Arthur W.A. pt. 40, Barcelona. Anzoatmui, Venezuela. Abrahams. Alexander I.. Gen'l Mgr., Racon Electrical Co.. ..... .Slough, London, England. tAbrahamuon, C. W., Min. Engr.. The Mond Nickel Co., Ltd.. ..... .Levack. Ont., Canada. Abstein, Henry T.. Engr. & Mgr.. Profile-Tamarack Mines Co.. ...... .Yellow Pine, Idaho. tAcker, E. WC.. Met.. ........ .I28 East Washington Lane. Germantuwn. Philadelphia, Pa. IlAckerman, D. E.. Research Engr.. Research Lab., International Nickel Co., Bayonne, N. J. tAckerman. Ernest R., Pres., Lawrence Portland Cement Co.. . .Plainfield, Union Co., N. J. Adachi. Jinzoo.A..d dress Wanted Adachi, Yuichi, Chief Engr.. Anzan Steel Works, South Manchuria RY. Co., Anzan, South Manchuria. China. (Via Dairen). Adair, Arthur C, Valuation Engr., Internal Revenue. Treasury Dept.. . .Washington, D. C. Adami. Arthur E., Prof. of Min. Engrg., Montana State School of Mines. Butte, Mont. Adami. Charles J.. Min. Engr., Gen'l Mnr., St. Jos~ph Lead Co.. ....... .Bonne Terre, Mo. Adama, C. W., Pres. Adams Pacific Corp .I66 Montgomery St., San Francisco. Cal. Adams. Cuyler .Dee rwood, Minn. Adams, David T, 514 Wrigley Bldg.. Chicago, Ill. ADAMS, FRANK DAWSON, Logan Prof. of Geology and Dean, Faculty of Applied Science. McGiU Univ., Montreal. Que.. Canada. Adams. Gale L, Research Engr.. General Pet. Corp...Los Angeles. Cal. Adams. George I.. Prof. of Geol. & Mineralogy. Univ. of Alabama. .Tuscalmsa, Ala. Adams. H. H.. Cons. Gml..Room 415, W. T. Waggoner Bldg., Fort Worth. Tex. Adams, Henry, Cons. Min. Engr. . 934 Park Ave., Plainfield, N. J. Adame, Henry H. 285 Madison Ave., New York. N. Y. Adams. Henry Farnum. Engr.. Charge Experimental Work, Inspiration Concentrator. Inspiration Cons. Copper Co.. Box 364, Inspiration. Ariz. Adams, Huntington, Min. Engr, 149 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Adams. Leland D, V.P.. Leslie-California Salt Co., 166 Montgomery St.. San Francisco. Cal. Adams. Louie W.. Illinois Steel Co Gary, Ind. Adama, XL L. Min. Engr.. Old Ben Coal Corp., Mine 12.. Christopher. IU. Adams, Robert M. Robert M. Adam Co. .I201 Fidelity Bldg., Duluth, Minn. Adams. Sidney F.. Geol., Empire Zinc Co .Gilman, Colo. tAdams, Waldo Peck..P ittsfield, Pike Co.. Ill. Addams. Charles 1. Min. Engr.. Bo x 663. Phoenix, Ariz. Addicka, Lawrence. Cons. Enar..... .61 Maiden Lane. New York. N. Y. Addison, Herbert, V.P.. Big Horn Collieries Co ,412 Colorado Bldg., Denver, Colo. Adkemn. J. Carson. Min. Engr.. HY Grade Manganese Co., Inc..Woodstock, Va. Ady. Joseph Wesley. Jr.. Min. Enar., 314 Mining Exchange Blda., Colorado Springs, Colo. Affelder. William Lewis. Asst. to Pres., Hillman Coal & Coke Co. & Allied Companies. 2006 First National Bank Bldg.. Pittshurgh, Pa. Ameck, B. F.. Pres.. Universal Portland Cement Co. .. .210 South La Salle St., Chicago. Ill. Agabeg, Edgar C.. Cons. Min. Engr.. ..... .Evelyn Lodae. Asansol, E. I. R. Bengal, India. tAsar. William M.. Aest. Prof. of Geol.. Kirtland Hall, Yale Univ.. ... .New Haven, Conn. Agaeniz. Rodolphe L, Pres.. Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co. ...... .Boston, Mass. tAgens, William Holmes. District Mgr.. Traylor Engrg. & Mfg. Co., 362 I. W. Hellman Blda.. Los Aneeles. Cal.

Jan 1, 1928

By Harold Vance

EMPLOYERS of engineers have not always been satisfied with the training that young graduates have received in the conventional four-year course. Specifically, employers of petroleum engineers for a number of years have believed that a four-year course does not allow sufficient time for the student to secure a fundamental engineering background plus the fundamentals of petroleum engineering. A group of California employers went so far as to set up a type of curriculum for a petroleum-engineering course, which was based on four years of undergraduate work and one year of graduate work, with most of the petroleum-engineering courses included in the graduate year.

Jan 1, 1944

MELTING in a hearth and in a basket is almost the same thing; charcoal and bellows are used for both. These are made large or small according to the quantity that you wish to melt, and more or less force of the bellows is applied according to the need. The hearth, bowl, or refinery, as the masters call it, is made with bricks and clay like a forge; opposite the middle of the tuyère a round hole is made like a wash- basin, wide at the mouth and narrow at the bottom where there is a hole for emptying it. A little iron plug is put in this so that it may be closed when necessary, or a piece of brick that is cut and pointed. Now, when this has been well covered all over with ashes, and the tuyère has been arranged so that the wind strikes the center, it is first filled with charcoal and baked very well so that the metal may be kept hot once it has been melted. When it has been baked, it is again filled with charcoal, fire is applied, and it is left to inflame gradually by itself. Then put one or

Jan 1, 1942

By H. V. Churchill

There are two distinct methods of combating corrosive conditions. The first and most popular method is to choose a surface or material which will give adequate service under the specific and general conditions which are present. The second is a control or modification of the corrosive conditions to the end that metals and materials which would be attacked and corroded without such control or modification may be used. Under the first method of attack of the corrosion problem may be grouped such devices as the selection of metals or alloys which offer great resistance or the use of protective coatings such as paints, lacquers or metallic coatings. Such procedures are exceedingly useful. It is undoubtedly true that most of the problems of corrosion will be solved by recourse to this first method of attack. However, it must be remembered that there are many conditions in which metals are used where the choice of the particular metal to be used must depend upon other factors than corrosion behavior. Some of the factors which may govern the selection of metals for specific use are the physical and mechanical properties of the metals. But there is another factor which is of prime importance and that is relative price. It is the pressure of these factors of mechanical properties, physical characteristics, and relative price that has acted as the stimulus for the second methhod of combating corrosion. The producer and user of various metals is confronted with the fact that because of mechanical properties, physical characteristics, or price, the use of a particular metal is desirable even though the corrosion conditions are adverse to the use of the metal. In many cases, the successful use of the metal may be made even though it is impossible to protect the metal by coatings. This is rendered possible by control or modification of the corrosive media. Use of Sodium Silicate to Prevent Attack by Alkali Solutions This idea of controlling or modifying corrosive media is well illustrated by some recent experiences with aluminum. For a number of years collapsible tubes have been made of aluminum. Due to the ease with which aluminum is attacked by even mild alkalies, the use of such tubes

Jan 1, 1929