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By Kenneth M. Bravinder, Jonathan E. Koogle, Dean H. Sheldon

The solution of subsurface geological problems requires an analysis of vertical and horizontal dimensional relationships. For many, the ability to visualize structures in three dimensions is not easily acquired, and for areas where the structural conditions are complicated by faulting the need arises for illustrative models. This has led to the many forms of peg models, in which the usual course of construction includes a peg for the well bore, and the suspension of strings from peg to peg to illustrate the formation correlation between wells, thus developing the usual folds and flexures. Such models proved unsatisfactory for the analysis of fault problems. Consideration was then given to the use of transparent materials. A model of the Dominguez oil field was constructed in 1935, which consisted of a series of glass panels irom well to well on which the formations were shown in color. This model, though serving its purpose at the time, proved to be impractical from the standpoints of cost, breakage hazard, and extreme difficulty in maintenance. The cost of materials was estimated to be approxi-mately $300, and the construction required the services of one man for a period of from 10 to 12 months. Maintenance after actual construction was an additional expense. Consideration was then given to the use of celluloid, and aiter some experimental work it was found that the advantages in its use were: (I) a short construction time, (2) ease of handling the material, (3) sec-tions are easily reworked, (4) low cost. Construction It would be of little value to recount here the difficulties encountered in the building of the first celluloid model. The conclusions drawn, however, suggest the following pro-cedure for those who contemplate the construction of such a model: 1. Determilzatiolz of the Scale.—Accurate geological interpretation requires the use of the same scale horizontally and vertically. It should be emphasized that the limited size of the celluloid sheets (20 by 48 in. maximum dimensions), the area to be studied, the maximum depths to be plotted, and area of possible future development are the controlling factors in adopting a scale to he used. 2. Construction of the Base.—A satisfac-tory base may be constructed by using two pieces of three-ply wood separated by strips of I by 2-in. material. This type of construction prevents warping of the base. The size of the base is determined by the dimensions of the area to be studied plus 5 in. on all sides. A map of the same scale as that adopted for the model, indicating the lines of section to be used, should be fastened to the base. 3. Constructiolt of the Frame (Fig. I).—In the construction of the frame the use of %-in. 0.d. pipe welded in a box shape is suggested, with two horizontal rods on each of the four sides, top and bottom. The top rod should be at least r in. higher than the

Jan 1, 1941

By Kenneth M. Bravinder, Jonathan E. Koogle, Dean H. Sheldon

The solution of subsurface geological problems requires an analysis of vertical and horizontal dimensional relationships. For many, the ability to visualize structures in three dimensions is not easily acquired, and for areas where the structural conditions are complicated by faulting the need arises for illustrative models. This has led to the many forms of peg models, in which the usual course of construction includes a peg for the well bore, and the suspension of strings from peg to peg to illustrate the formation correlation between wells, thus developing the usual folds and flexures. Such models proved unsatisfactory for the analysis of fault problems. Consideration was then given to the use of transparent materials. A model of the Dominguez oil field was constructed in 1935, which consisted of a series of glass panels irom well to well on which the formations were shown in color. This model, though serving its purpose at the time, proved to be impractical from the standpoints of cost, breakage hazard, and extreme difficulty in maintenance. The cost of materials was estimated to be approxi-mately $300, and the construction required the services of one man for a period of from 10 to 12 months. Maintenance after actual construction was an additional expense. Consideration was then given to the use of celluloid, and aiter some experimental work it was found that the advantages in its use were: (I) a short construction time, (2) ease of handling the material, (3) sec-tions are easily reworked, (4) low cost. Construction It would be of little value to recount here the difficulties encountered in the building of the first celluloid model. The conclusions drawn, however, suggest the following pro-cedure for those who contemplate the construction of such a model: 1. Determilzatiolz of the Scale.—Accurate geological interpretation requires the use of the same scale horizontally and vertically. It should be emphasized that the limited size of the celluloid sheets (20 by 48 in. maximum dimensions), the area to be studied, the maximum depths to be plotted, and area of possible future development are the controlling factors in adopting a scale to he used. 2. Construction of the Base.—A satisfac-tory base may be constructed by using two pieces of three-ply wood separated by strips of I by 2-in. material. This type of construction prevents warping of the base. The size of the base is determined by the dimensions of the area to be studied plus 5 in. on all sides. A map of the same scale as that adopted for the model, indicating the lines of section to be used, should be fastened to the base. 3. Constructiolt of the Frame (Fig. I).—In the construction of the frame the use of %-in. 0.d. pipe welded in a box shape is suggested, with two horizontal rods on each of the four sides, top and bottom. The top rod should be at least r in. higher than the

Jan 1, 1941

By AIME AIME

THAT neither the Reconstruction Finance Corp. nor its subsidiary, the Metals Reserve Corp., are in competition with private enterprise was stressed by Charles B. Henderson in an informal talk before the N. Y. Section, A.I.M.E., on Sept. 23. Among other things, the speaker stated that the R.F.C., since its establishment, had authorized loans of $12,000,000, of which over $8,775,000 has actually been distributed. Of this amount, over $6,600,000 has been repaid. None of this money was appropriated by Congress, the sole assistance from that body being the initial authorization of $500,000,000 capital stock.

Jan 1, 1941

By A. C. Fieldner, Lester L. Hirst, Henry H. Storch

Experimental work on liquefaction of coal was taken up by the Bureau of Mines in 1936 when it became evident that a prudent policy from the national point of view should include preparation for the time when gradual exhaustion of petroleum resources would require supplementing the growing demand for motor fuel with gasoline and diesel oil from coal. At that time (1936) certain foreign nations that had no home sources of petroleum, especially Germany, England, and Japan, were conducting active research and at least two of them were producing liquid fuel from coal on a commercial scale. Germany was reported to have an annual producing capacity of 800,000 metric tons of gasoline per year, and England had just put into operation the Billingham plant of Imperial Chemical Industries for the hydrogehation of bituminous coal and tar by the Bergius-I.G. process. The annual capacity of this plant was about 150,000 long tons of gasoline per annum (3500 bbl. per day). With these developments taking place in foreign countries, it seemed important to undertake a long-range program of fundamental research in this country to establish a sound groundwork for the evaluation of foreign work on synthetic liquid fuels and at the same time to obtain data on the oil yields and operating difficulties using various kinds of American coals and lignite to the hydrogenation process. The results of such research would be useful in determining the yields and quality of liquid products obtainable from various coals so that American industry would be in position to select the most suitable coals and make rapid progress in establishing this new industry when the commercial need should arise. It was hoped, also, that progress in a better understanding of the chemistry of coal hydrogenation would reduce the cost of the process materially. To carry out this program, a small continuous unit capable of hydrogenating 100 Ib. of coal in 24 hr. was installed at the Central Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines at Pittsburgh, Pa. Small steel autoclaves or bombs of 0.3 gal. (1.2 liters) capacity also were used for batch-hydro-genation experiments in the study of the chemical fundamentals of the process. Much valuable assistance was obtained in planning the experimental program and designing the equipment from the Fuel Research Station of Great Britain and the Fuel Laboratories of the Mines Department of Canada, where such investigations had been in progress for several years. Equipment and General Procedure of Research The industrial liquefaction of coal by the Bergius-I.G. hydrogenation process as practiced at Billingham, England, from

Jan 1, 1944

By Lester L. Hirst, Henry H. Storch, A. C. Fieldner

Experimental work on liquefaction of coal was taken up by the Bureau of Mines in 1936 when it became evident that a prudent policy from the national point of view should include preparation for the time when gradual exhaustion of petroleum resources would require supplementing the growing demand for motor fuel with gasoline and diesel oil from coal. At that time (1936) certain foreign nations that had no home sources of petroleum, especially Germany, England, and Japan, were conducting active research and at least two of them were producing liquid fuel from coal on a commercial scale. Germany was reported to have an annual producing capacity of 800,000 metric tons of gasoline per year, and England had just put into operation the Billingham plant of Imperial Chemical Industries for the hydrogehation of bituminous coal and tar by the Bergius-I.G. process. The annual capacity of this plant was about 150,000 long tons of gasoline per annum (3500 bbl. per day). With these developments taking place in foreign countries, it seemed important to undertake a long-range program of fundamental research in this country to establish a sound groundwork for the evaluation of foreign work on synthetic liquid fuels and at the same time to obtain data on the oil yields and operating difficulties using various kinds of American coals and lignite to the hydrogenation process. The results of such research would be useful in determining the yields and quality of liquid products obtainable from various coals so that American industry would be in position to select the most suitable coals and make rapid progress in establishing this new industry when the commercial need should arise. It was hoped, also, that progress in a better understanding of the chemistry of coal hydrogenation would reduce the cost of the process materially. To carry out this program, a small continuous unit capable of hydrogenating 100 Ib. of coal in 24 hr. was installed at the Central Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines at Pittsburgh, Pa. Small steel autoclaves or bombs of 0.3 gal. (1.2 liters) capacity also were used for batch-hydro-genation experiments in the study of the chemical fundamentals of the process. Much valuable assistance was obtained in planning the experimental program and designing the equipment from the Fuel Research Station of Great Britain and the Fuel Laboratories of the Mines Department of Canada, where such investigations had been in progress for several years. Equipment and General Procedure of Research The industrial liquefaction of coal by the Bergius-I.G. hydrogenation process as practiced at Billingham, England, from

Jan 1, 1944

By Oliver Bowles

PRICES of quartz sold in the United States in 1938 ranged from $1.15 to $36,000 a ton. This startling variation was due simply to the differences between glass sand and rock - crystal, materials that are virtually the same in composition. It illustrates the complexities in qualities, uses, and values of industrial minerals. It is generally stated that mineral deposits are exhaustible resources which can never be replaced when depleted. This statement is no longer true with respect to certain industrial minerals now recovered in increasing quantities from that most inexhaustible of all sources of supply, the ocean. Salt has long been obtained from sea water, particularly on the Pacific Coast, and reference was made a year ago to the large bromine recovery plant at Wilmington, N. C. Now the Westvaco Chlorine Products Corp. is operating a large plant at Newark, Calif., having a capacity sufficient to recover daily from the ocean raw materials that will produce 60 tons of various magnesium products. Lime is used to precipitate the magnesia from salt-water bittern. The products are chiefly magnesium carbonate for chemical uses, periclase and other refractories, and oxychloride cement for flooring.

Jan 1, 1939

By Leo H. Duriez, James V. Neuman

THE Bayard property of the united States Smelting Refining and Mining Company is in south central Grant County in southwestern New Mexico about fifteen miles east of Silver City and one mile west of Santa Rita. The present holdings cover a belt roughly one mile wide by ten miles long, lying west of, and adjacent to, the holdings of the American Smelting and Refining Co., Kennecott Copper Corp., Empire Zinc Co., and Peru Mining Co. The area extends from the village of Bayard on the south to a point three miles northeast of Fierro. The property is a part of the well-known Central mining district which has been New Mexico's leading copper-zinc producer for many years. The property is segregated into three sections, the Bullfrog, Hanover Bessemer, and the Shingle Canyon sections. Of these, the Bullfrog section covers the area between the towns of Bayard and Hanover and includes the Bullfrog No. 1, Bullfrog No. 2, Slate, Hobo,

Jan 1, 1948

By H. D. Hibbard

At the beginning of a Henry M. Howe lecture it seems fitting to refer to Howe's great contributions to steel metallurgy, and particularly to the literature thereof. Most of my predecessors in this role have been able, from their association with him, to give direct testimony as to his great services; but although connected with him for years in a business way, I am less familiar with what might be called his academic side, except as it is embodied in his utterances, written and oral. Howe was adept in his genial way in extracting information in any line which, at the time, was of interest to him. In a technical lecture one expects as a rule new knowledge-—something about recent advances relating to the subject. On this occasion, however, I will ask you to go back with me to the primary department of steel lore, as the title of my lecture shows, to review the more fundamental features in that field for the purpose of seeking some gaps which we can fill and so give the subject renewed interest. In thus going back one must inevitably repeat many familiar facts, but that seems to be necessary in order to reach a clear understanding of the unrecorded matters. The full interpretation of a steel analysis is at present unattainable, though much progress toward that end has been made. The ultimate analysis, giving the percentages of the five commonly determined elements, does indeed usually give a fair idea of what the steel is, and is ordinarily enough, with knowledge of its history and physical condition, to enable it to be assigned to some purpose or use for which it is reasonably suitable. Rut discrepancies arise. Every maker and every User of steel knows, from at least occasional examples in his own experience, that the ultimate analysis is insufficient by itself to enable one to tell positively, from its interpretation, either the mechanical properties of the steel or its adaptability to the purpose for which it was made. Further, if, while having the specified composition, it is abnormal or unsatisfactory, why it is so. Good, bad and indifferent steels may have substantially the same ultimate analysis.

Jan 1, 1928

By Scott Turner

AS IN OTHER lines of engineering, progress in mining was influenced during 1931 by the world-wide economic depression. Low-metal prices ? resulted in active efforts to reduce production costs of base-metal mines. Probably the chief factors in reducing costs were the greater efficiency of labor, due to better relations between management and workmen, to the scarcity of jobs, reduced wages in most base-metal mines, and to lower overhead expenses secured by drastic economies. The use of mechanical equipment continued to increase, due to more efficient designs and a better practical understanding of the applicability of such equipment to requirements. With one exception, there were no startling innovations in stoping methods, but there was notable progress in the better adaptation of mining methods. In the United States, no large new base-metal or silver mines came into production during the year. At a number of mines, output was curtailed, and operations were discontinued at several important producers. On the other hand world-wide interest in gold was stimulated, as evidenced by increased output from producing mines, the reopening of some old properties, and intensive prospecting for new deposits. Mining methods at several gold mines in the United States and Canada were modified or changed to obtain a higher extraction of ore or to meet the need for additional support of the mine workings at depth. Permanent record of improvements in mining practices has been made during the year by the Federal Government; the industry thus has available for its use more detailed information than ever before. This work was done through cooperation of the mining companies and their representatives with the United States Bureau of Mines, whereby many papers descriptive of practices and costs at individual mines have been published. The Bureau's program of describing methods and costs at the more important mines (those producing in excess of $100,000 annually) is nearly completed, but papers will be issued concerning such additional mines as may possess particular interest because of novel methods, exceptional conditions or operating results, and others to supplement reports already issued. In this way, an interesting record of the results of changing conditions, or innovations in methods, will be made available.

Jan 1, 1932

By Oliver Bowles

A HEAVY gel of bentonite clay has been proposed as an effective lubricant to speed down the ways to sea, river, or lake, the mighty cargo ships now hitting the water at the rate of about three a day. Another unusual application of a nonmetallic mineral is in food conservation, for the claim has been made that the next new item on the menu for poultry and rabbits will be vitamin tablets prepared from mont-morillonite clay. These uses have minor importance but illustrate not only the diversity in utilization, but the notable trend in 1942 toward mobilizing nonmetallic minerals for the war program. Although occupying less headline space than iron, steel, copper, aluminum, magnesium, and other metals, the nonmetallics are filling important emergency needs. Mica and quartz crystal are essential to communication; asbestos is urgently needed in fireproof heat and electrical insulation; and strontium minerals are utilized in the manufacture of signal flares and tracer bullets.

Jan 1, 1943

By H. L. Teicliman, E. M. Sipprelle

ENACTMENT of Public Law 290 by the 78th Congress authorized the U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, to conduct an experimental program to develop the technology for obtaining oil from oil shale. In adopting and later extending this legislation, the Congress recognized the impending necessity of supplementing ground petroleum reserves with synthetic fuels. Under the provisions of this legislation, the Bureau of Mines, among other things, was charged with the responsibility of developing mining techniques, methods, and equipment for mining the oil shales of the Green River formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

Jan 1, 1950

By Elliot Rexford

The quality of aggregate materials is of major importance in governing durability and permanence of concrete structures. The problem of selecting suitable aggregate materials is two-fold. Geological factors include the type and character of the aggregate source, presence of known or suspected reactive constituents, and presence of thermally incompatible materials. Laboratory investigations include petrographic studies, soundness and reactivity tests, and tests of thermal properties. The importance of each factor in the selection of satisfactory aggregate material is considered in detail.

Jan 3, 1950

By H. L. Gilbert, C. Travis Anderson, W. J. Kroll

IN a previous paper,1 the use of a split graphite tube resistor as a heater element for high-temperature furnaces has been described. The principal advantages of this type of construction are: I. The quadruple resistance or voltage compared with the top-bottom clamp resistor furnace. 2. Free expansion of the resistor. 3. The ease of protection from oxidation by air. 4. The firmness by which it may be held in the compact split clamp. This construction appeared to be well adapted for the fusion of high melting metals which require fusion in a vacuum. Zirconium metal had previously been melted at the Albany Laboratory of the Bureau of Mines in a vacuum arc furnace on a water-cooled plate, using a movable tungsten top electrode.2 When larger furnace capacities were desired, this type of construction proved to have its limitations as the largest tungsten rods available were about 7/8in. in diameter. The supply of direct current of high amperage for producing the . desired arc characteristics was also not available. Considerable difficulty was also found in compensating the atmospheric pressure on the flexible tubing of the movable electrode, at the same time keeping its movement sufficiently free to enable the striking of an arc on any part of the metal briquet. Among the various materials used for the electrodes in conducting experiments in the vacuum arc furnace was graphite. It was found that zirconium fused in a graphite cup with a carbon arc was contaminated to only 0.2 pct carbon. It was therefore decided to melt zirconium directly in graphite crucibles. A high-frequency furnace was first used in the attempt to melt the zirconium in graphite crucibles. The high-frequency heating coil was placed outside a silica tube which was evacuated by means of an oil diffusion pump backed up by a mechanical pump. The graphite crucible was thoroughly degassed at 1900°C before use. Considerable difficulty was experienced in operating at such temperatures in vacuo because, as shown by Zintl,3 carbon vapor formed and reacted with silica according to the reaction: Si02 + C = SiO + CO. The silicon monoxide which is volatile at these high temperatures reacted with the zirconium, thereby contaminating it with silicon and oxygen. The presence of carbon monoxide was detected by means of a gas discharge tube placed in the vacuum system as indicated by the pale blue glow of the tube as soon as carbon vapor started to react with the hot silica. The reaction between the carbon vapor and hot silica was avoided by the use of split cylindrical molybdenum shields which were inserted between the graphite crucible

Jan 1, 1948

By John H. G. Monypenny

The range of chromium content of stainless steel is, in most cases, included in the limits 11 to 14 per cent., or the middle part of the range, 9 to 16 per cent., specified by the discoverer. For some time after the steel was produced commercially, the carbon content was about 0.3 to 0.4 per cent. and occasionally higher; only rarely was material with 0.25 per cent. carbon or less produced. The reason for this is obvious from the nature of the alloys of chromium available for making such steels; as the lowest carbon content generally available was about 1 per cent., and this in conjunction with a chromium content of about 60 per cent., the production of a 12-per cent. chromium steel with less than 0.25 to 0.30 per cent. carbon was impossible. The advent, on a reasonable commercial scale, of carbonless ferrochromium has modified this condition, however, so that for the last three years stainless material containing 0.1 per cent. or less carbon and the normal amount of chromium has been on the market. As far as the author is aware, the material was first made on a commercial scale by the firm with which he is associated in June, 1920, when a 5- or 6-ton cast of material containing 0.07 per cent. carbon and 11.7 per cent. chromium was made and cast into 12-in. ingots. The necessity for using a totally different raw material, carbonless ferrochromium, instead of the ordinary low-carbon ferro (0.6 to 1.0 per cent. carbon) has led to the idea that stainless iron is a quite distinct product and quite different from stainless steel. While this may be true from a commercial aspect, it is wrong metallurgically. The name stainless iron is unfortunate as the material is a very mild stainless steel and forms the lowest carbon member of a series of steels of continuously varying content which are, in many respccts, the counterpart of the series of ordinary carbon steels ranging from "dead soft" to tool steels. In an article on stainless steel in the Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry, November, 1920, the author said "Just as in the far-off days 'steel' was regarded as a hard product of iron, and little or no attempt was made to grade it into harder or softer varieties, so at present stainless

Jan 1, 1924

By John H. G. Monypenny

The range of chromium content of stainless steel is, in most cases, included in the limits 11 to 14 per cent., or the middle part of the range, 9 to 16 per cent., specified by the discoverer. For some time after the steel was produced commercially, the carbon content was about 0.3 to 0.4 per cent. and occasionally higher; only rarely was material with 0.25 per cent. carbon or less produced. The reason for this is obvious from the nature of the alloys of chromium available for making such steels; as the lowest carbon content generally available was about 1 per cent., and this in conjunction with a chromium content of about 60 per cent., the production of a 12-per cent. chromium steel with less than 0.25 to 0.30 per cent. carbon was impossible. The advent, on a reasonable commercial scale, of carbonless ferrochromium has modified this condition, however, so that for the last three years stainless material containing 0.1 per cent. or less carbon and the normal amount of chromium has been on the market. As far as the author is aware, the material was first made on a commercial scale by the firm with which he is associated in June, 1920, when a 5- or 6-ton cast of material containing 0.07 per cent. carbon and 11.7 per cent. chromium was made and cast into 12-in. ingots. The necessity for using a totally different raw material, carbonless ferrochromium, instead of the ordinary low-carbon ferro (0.6 to 1.0 per cent. carbon) has led to the idea that stainless iron is a quite distinct product and quite different from stainless steel. While this may be true from a commercial aspect, it is wrong metallurgically. The name stainless iron is unfortunate as the material is a very mild stainless steel and forms the lowest carbon member of a series of steels of continuously varying content which are, in many respccts, the counterpart of the series of ordinary carbon steels ranging from "dead soft" to tool steels. In an article on stainless steel in the Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry, November, 1920, the author said "Just as in the far-off days 'steel' was regarded as a hard product of iron, and little or no attempt was made to grade it into harder or softer varieties, so at present stainless

Jan 1, 1924

By George A. Miller

ALTHOUGH the Andean mountain belt, which contains almost all the metal deposits of the other South American nations, does not enter Brazil, this country is rich in mineral resources, for in area it accounts for half the continent and geologically it contains almost all of the Brazilian Shield. This great mass of ancient rocks has been relatively stable for a long time and forms a great area of plateaus and highlands interrupted only by the syncline which carries the Amazon River across it to the sea. Lowland Brazil - the great flood plains of the Amazon. Tocantins, Paraguay, and Parana Rivers-is of no interest to the miner, and in fact supports but a small proportion of the country's population. The highland area is divided into unequal parts by the Amazon River; the north half is underlain by the north lobe of the Brazilian Shield which extends into Venezuela as far as the Orinoco, and into the Guianas, and is known as the Guiana Highlands. Mineralization appears to have been weak in the Brazilian portion of these hills. In fact most of the ore deposits are to be found in the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia, although the neighboring states of Sao Paulo, Pernambuco, and Piauhy can also boast of some deposits. Goias and Matto Grosso are as yet incompletely prospected but are considered to contain reserves for the future.

Jan 1, 1945

By A. F. Lucas

Introduction BELLE ISLE, located in the low sea marshes near Atchafalaya Bay, is the southeasternmost of the famous Five Salt Islands of Louisiana. Rising about 80 ft. (24 m.) above the level of the surrounding marsh and being some 800 acres (323 ha.) in extent, it constitutes a striking landmark on the low Gulf coast, and since the eighteenth century, when it played an important part in the operation of the buccaneers, it has been intermittently frequented by man. In 1897, the writer discovered the great mass of salt that underlies the island and shortly afterward pub-lished a brief account of the geology of Belle Isle and the neighboring salt islands.' In that paper he described principally the salt, but pointed out also the occurrence of petroleum and of sulphur in the strata above the salt. Since that time the island has been extensively explored by the drill, and the developments up to 1908 have been described by Veatch2 and Harris," and Knapp.4 The writer's early conclusions as to the probable presence of sulphur in considerable quantity have been confirmed by the later drilling, some of the wells having found quantities of gas containing sulphur dioxide and a number of sulphur-bearing strata as well. Under the stimulus of the present keen demand for sulphur for war purposes, a syndicate of New York capitalists was recently formed to explore the sulphur resources of the island in more detail. Under the writer's direction, six wells were drilled for this syndicate during the winter of 1916-17. The present paper presents briefly the results of this work and sums up the present knowledge of the geology of this highly interesting locality.

Jan 9, 1917

By G. C. Trevorrow

STRIP mining during 1943 increased considerably with further extension of mechanical loading in mines already partly mechanized; with the considerable introduction of mechanical loading into hand-loading mines; and with improvements in the use of loading equipment. Extension of the use of machinery both in strip mining and underground is due to reduction in labor supply and increased cost of labor, together with the increased demand for coal during the period of labor shortage.

Jan 1, 1944

By Arthur Flagg

(New York Meeting, February, 1913.) THE Elk City mining district of Idaho occupies a position near the geographical center of Idaho county, a region of mod¬erate elevation in the western foot-hills of the Bitter Root mountains. The district comprises an area of approximately 350 sq. miles, bounded oil the west by the Newsome district and on the south by the Dixie and Oro Grande districts. There are no mining districts to the north or east. Elk City, the principal town and the seat of the mining office for the district, is situated in a hydrographical basin surrounded by low hills. The elevation is 4,200 ft. above sear level. Through this basin flow Elk Creek, Red river, and American river, which unite west of town to form the south fork of the Clearwater. The one township is set out from the Bitter Root Forest Reserve. Though a railroad starting from the Stites terminus of the Clearwater Short Line of the Northern Pacific railroad has been under consideration for some years, the camp is yet with¬out railroad facilities. The projected road would follow the south fork of the Clearwater on easy grades, but would be very expensive to build and maintain. While such a road would greatly benefit those who are now operating in the camp, and in a slight degree stimulate interest in its possibilities, there is hardly business enough to warrant its construction.

Jan 4, 1913

By Heber Cole

THE gypsum industry of Canada, like all others connected with the construction business, has felt the full effect of the depression during the past few years, and sales of its products have been greatly curtailed. The year 1934, however, saw a decided turn for the better and a gradual but steady improvement is noticeable in all its branches. In many ways the depression has been a blessing in disguise to the gypsum industry; during the years from 1926 to 1930, demand increased so rapidly that companies were forced to expand and often new apparatus and machinery were placed in operation regardless of expense, or plants already existing were taxed to their limit and forced to keep running with the minimum amount of repairs. The depression, therefore, has really given the industry what might be called a breathing spell, in which it has had time to take stock of its position, to reduce its costs of production, to devote more serious attention to the quality of its products, and to con-solidate its operations into a smooth working whole, which as conditions improve will enable it to meet the demands of the trade with more varied products of a quality hitherto unattained. Progress in the gypsum industry, however, has not been confined to the years of the depression, for some of the greatest advances occurred under the spur of increased demand for its products by the building trade. The purpose of this paper is to review briefly some of the out-standing trends in the development of the gypsum industry in Canada during the past 10 or 12 years.

Jan 1, 1935