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By W. E. C. Eustis

1st. The fine iron ore is mixed with a sufficient proportion of fine coking coal, and is coked in any of the ordinary methods for making coke. The effect of this is to convert the iron oxide into sponge in such a shape that the usual trouble of oxidation is avoided. 2d. The resulting mixture of coke and sponge is melted down ill an ordinary cupola, the coke furnishing more than sufficient fuel for that purpose. I may briefly point out here that in the first place the iron is sponged, and this sponge, as is well known, contains no phosphoras or silicon when the reduction takes place at a low temperature; and in the second place this sponge is melted down in a cupola in which there is no zone of reduction for phosphorus or silicon, and that con . sequently the resulting iron should be free from both of these impurities. 3d. The liquid sponge, now carburized, is run into an open-hearth furnace, where the requisite degree of hardness or softness is obtained by adding some of the fine ore, and the usual dose of ferromanganese, I have merely given above the rough outlines of the prows, bat it is my intention, as early as possible, to bring the process more fully before the Institute.

Jan 1, 1881

By Thomas M. Drown

Remarkable as have been the direct results of Danks's puddler, there are some indirect and incidental results, which are well worthy of study for their intrinsic value and suggestiveness. The success of Danks's machine is due mainly to the nature of the lining and the manner in which it is attached to the walls of the revolving chamber. Herein lies Danks's merit and good fortune. Given such a lining, and the success of the machine, as far as puddling iron is concerned, could easily be predicted. Other important results have, however, been obtained with this machine, which, though clearly explicable, were, nevertheless, unanticipated. These are the increased yield of bar-iron over the pig-iron charged, and the elimination of phosphorus, which, though not absolutely complete, is yet more decided than in the case of hand-puddling. As regards the increased yield, this is merely what we have a right to expect if we consider the puddling process to consist in the oxida tion of the carbon and silicon of the pig by the oxygen of the oxide of iron. That this result is attained, nearly to the extent that the theory requires, in Danks's puddler, and has never been more than partially attained by the most careful experiments in band-puddling, points clearly to the fact that the contact of the molten pig-iron with the oxide of iron is much more intimate and complete in the one instance than in the other. The action of puddling in Danks's machine may be considered to be twofold: first, the removal of the carbon, silicon, and phospho rus of the pig, which is the primary object, and, second, the produc tion of wrought iron direct from the ore, which is entirely an inci dental result. Intelligent metallurgists were not long in recognizing in this latter result a fact of deeper import and greater value than the attainment of a perfect puddling process. A new method

By Thomas M. Dr. Drown

REMARKABLE as have been the direct results of Danks's puddler, there are some indirect and incidental results, which are well worthy of study for their intrinsic value and suggestiveness. The success of Danks's machine is due mainly to the nature of the lining and the manner in which it is attached to the walls of the revolving chamber. Herein lies Danks's merit and good fortune. Given such a lining, and the success of the machine, as far as puddling iron is concerned, could easily be predicted. Other important results have, however, been obtained with this machine, which, though clearly explicable, were, nevertheless, unanticipated. These are the increased yield of bar-iron over the pig-iron charged, and the elimination of phosphorus, which, though not absolutely complete, is yet more decided than in the case of hand-puddling. As regards the increased yield, this is merely what we have a right to expect if we consider the puddling process to consist in the oxidation of the carbon and silicon of the pig by the oxygen of the oxide of iron. That this result is attained, nearly to the extent that the theory requires, in Danks's puddler, and has never been more than partially attained by the most careful experiments in hand-puddling, points clearly to the fact that the contact of the molten pig-iron with the oxide of iron is much more intimate and complete in the one instance than in the other. The action of puddling in Danks's machine may be considered to be twofold first, the removal of the carbon, silicon, and phosphorus of the pig, which is the primary object, and, second, the production of wrought iron direct from the ore, which is entirely an incidental result. Intelligent metallurgists were not long in recognizing in this latter result a fact of deeper import and greater value than the attainment of a perfect puddling process. A new method

Jan 1, 1874

By Susasn Leiter

THAT oxygen in copper has been a source of trouble is well known and that that trouble has been real in the commercial world has been shown by Fuller.1 Moore and Beckinsale's paper2 at the annual meeting of the Institute of Metals in London, 1921, called forth considerable discussion. Prof. T. Turner expressed the opinion that it was not necessary to have cuprous oxide present in sufficiently large quantities to form either globules or seams in order to produce a bad effect if the copper were gassed. This brought up the question of the solubility of oxygen in copper and the authors desired to know whether there were any evidence of such solubility, because their experience was that whenever there was any oxygen in copper it was present in the form of free cuprous oxide, .which was practically always in the form of globules. Later Hanson, Marryat, and Ford3 stated that for all practical purposes cuprous oxide may be regarded as insoluble in copper. However, they found particles of the eutectic to coalesce to form much larger particles. They suggested that cuprous oxide was actually slightly soluble in copper, for it was diffi-cult otherwise to understand the mechanism by which such coalescence could take place. W. E. Ruder, in discussing that paper, said that his experiments had led him to conclude that a slight solubility must exist to allow for the ready coalescence of oxide particles, but conductivity tests convinced him that that solubility was very small. Nevertheless, there appeared to be a state of admixture of oxide with copper that closely resembled a colloidal mixture which at first was mistaken for a true solution and which usually existed at the grain boundaries.

Jan 2, 1926

By Samuel Dolbear

PUBLIC discussions of mine finance in the tech-nical press have been confined mainly to methods of providing funds for the development of pros-pects or other mining operations which have not reached the stage of productivity. The application of modern financing methods to mines which have behind them a successful record of net earnings has, for some reason, been given scant consideration by mine owners and managers. In a few conspicuous cases, such for example as the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., Chile Copper Co., and one or two others, industrial finance has been applied to mining operations on the scale and after the fashion of other operations. When extensions are needed re-course is usually had, however, to the sale of common stock, with the obvious disadvantage of diluting the holdings of every stockholder of record prior to such financing. In some cases, it has been sought to over-come this disadvantage by issuing stock purchase rights to shareholders of record. If the stockholder is in a position to acquire additional stock, he may then pre-serve his interest intact, otherwise he must suffer a dilution of his holding. If he purchases additional stock he is, from one point of view, paying more for his in-terest than he bargained for when he made his original purchase. In many cases development and equipment are paid for out of surplus or current earnings. It is sometimes most difficult to explain to a manager why he can afford to borrow money when funds are available from a sur-plus account. Nevertheless, industrial enterprises with adequate surplus accounts often finance new construc-tion by the issuance of bonds. Such a procedure enables the company to maintain its surplus intact, and to con-tinue the payment of dividends during a temporary period of unusual expenditures.

Jan 2, 1927

The sudden and untimely death of Dr. Charles R. Van Hise, late' president of the University of Wisconsin, was one of the greatest losses, not only to the educational world and science of geology, for which he was a great leader and pathfinder, but also to the world of mining and allied interests, for which he was an adviser and helper who blazed trails and pointed out paths of development, which the practical men of englneering and industry will follow long after his death. To the general public, Dr. Van Hise stood as a great educator who conceived and wrought out a new idea in the people's university .of .a commonwealth and as a great active mind that could not be held within the bounds of education and science but, by its own bigness and broadness, was forced into the contemplation of the larger affairs of the nation. To the engineering profession, dr. Van Hise will be remembered as a tireless worker who solved some of the most complex problems in geolpgy and the development of mineral resources and recorded these findings In a form that is of lasting value to those who follow him in similar labor. In this combination of thinker and worker, educator and economic student, scientist and practical engineer, lies Dr. Van Hise's contribution to his generation. As an educator, Dr. Van Hise attained perhaps his widest recognition, for in the University of which he was president he evolved and accomplished a new idea, which caused it to be called, in 1908, by President Eliot of Harvard, "the leading State University." At the time of his death, Nov. 19, 1918, he was just completing fourteen years as president and forty-three years as student and teacher in the University. His entire life of 61 years had been devoted to his State and its University. He was the first alumnus of the University and the first Wisconsin-born citizen to become its president—and he enjoyed the longest term as president of the institution. Since his graduation from its College of Engineering in 1879, he had been constantly a member of its faculty. As Chief Justice John B. Winslow, of the Wisconsin Supreme Court said at the time of President Van Hise's death, " Wisconsin has had many able sons, men who have served their Country and their State with ais-tinguished honor in various fields of effort, but among them all none, I believe, has rendered greater service in his time than President Van Hise. The University will be his true monument, for to him, more than to any one person, we owe the present commanding position of that, great Institution." What his "new ideal of a State University" was maybe best expressed in the words which he used to outline it in his inaugural address in 1904. "I shall never be content until the beneficent influence of the University of Wisconsin reaches every family of the State. This is my ideal of a State University. When the University of Wisconsin attains this ideal, it will be the first perfect State University.... The University of Wisconsin desires to prevent that greatest of all economic losses to the State, the loss of talent. To prevent this loss of talent, the University must not only provide for those who come to Madison for instruction, but must go out to the people of the State with the knowledge which they desire and need." Hence it was said early in his administration that "the boundaries of the State are the campus fence."

Jan 1, 1920

By G. W. P. Rengstorff, R. B. Fischer

A study was made of the effect of impurities on the bend ductility of cast molybdenum. High purity molybdenum was repared by re-melting under high vacuum. The ductility of "transverse-grain" specimens indicated that intergranular brittleness decreased with an increase in purity of the metal. THE production of as-cast molybdenum with high ductility at room temperature would make working of the metal easier and increase the usefulness of the as-cast metal. Furthermore, a .knowledge of the factors that influence the ductility of as-cast molybdenum might be applied to the problem of making fusion weldments having satisfactory room-temperature ductility. Individual grains of commercial as-cast molybdenum are slightly ductile at room temperature. However, the presence of carbides at the grain boundaries may cause the metal to fracture in a brittle manner. This behavior has been discussed.' The amount and distribution of the impurities in as-cast molybdenum would be expected, from previous research on the metal, to have considerable influence on its ductility. Some effects of oxygen and carbon on the mechanical behavior of the metal were discussed by Parke and Ham,2 Woodside,3 and Zappfe. Landgraf, and Worden.4 Parke and Ham2 found that, if a sufficient number of molybdenum oxide particles were present at the grain boundaries, the intergranular cohesion was reduced to the extent that arc-melted molybdenum would rupture intergranularly during hot forging. They also found that if the oxygen content was less than 0.003 pct, the cast molybdenum was hot forgeable. It is suspected, however, that forgeable molybdenum may contain a small amount of oxide that could reduce the ductility of the as-cast metal at room temperature. Also, there is the possibility of the unfavorable distribution of other impurities having a detrimental effect on the ductility of cast molybdenum. The results of a study of the influence of purity on the room-temperature ductility of cast molybdenum are presented here. Vacuum Arc-Melting to Produce High Purity Mo One way of determining the effect of impurities on the ductility of molybdenum is to prepare and test metal as free of all impurities as possible. Accordingly, the present investigation was undertaken with this in view. Arc melting in high vacuum (less than 0.1 micron of mercury) was chosen as the method for reducing the impurities below the concentrations occurring in commercial molybdenum. Commercial arc melting of molybdenum is carried out at about 50 microns pressure. During the arc melting, carbon and oxygen in the metal react to form carbon monoxide. By virtue of the vacuum process, the partial pressure of carbon monoxide is maintained at such a low value that the reaction greatly lowers oxygen and carbon contents. An excess of at least 0.03 pct C is used in commercial arc melting to insure that the oxygen content will be below 0.003 pct. The excess carbon remaining after the deoxidation step forms carbides on freezing. Some of the carbides precipitate at the grain boundaries and, as will be shown, have an unfavorable effect on the room-temperature ductility. In the present work, only the small amount of carbon (0.003 pct) contained in the commercial powder-metallurgy molybdenum used for melting stock was present. Partial removal of oxygen from the melt probably occurred as the result of the volatilization of molybdenum oxides, or by distillation of oxygen at the high melting tem-

Jan 1, 1953

E. W. King, Bozeman, Mont.: The form of measuring up ore in sight looks very plausible, as illustrated in the paper of Mr. Emmons, but from my experience of many years of mining in Montana and Nevada, I have found it is very hard to measure up anything nearer than a guess of what you have in sight, except in the case of a true vein, or a flat vein where the boundaries are well defined. I have been interested in several miues with Dr. A. R. Ledoux, and I know that my foreman and myself, going into the mines and using our best judgment, could seldom see more than 30 days' supply actually in sight, and yet we were running from 100 to 250 tons a day, and keeping it up year after year. Prof. John D. Irving, New Haven, Conn.: I understand from Mr. Emmons that this is a method which has been found applicable in the copper-mines in Tennessee, where the record could be made with a good deal of accuracy, and where the work in the mines allowed the necessary development to be done, so that the record could be kept up. I do not think there was any intention in his mind to imply that this was applicable to all cases, especially such as Mr. King has mentioned. President Charles Kirchhoff, New York, N. Y. : I think the point is that the paper impresses the necessity for doing it where the possibilities exist. There has been too little attention given to this very matter, particularly in the United States; but I think our English friends are following it very much more zealously, and the demand for it there is possibly greater than it is here, because English boards of directors handle mines that are often very much further away than our own are, and the English public and the English engineers generally are very much more insistent upon seeing how much longer current dividends are going to last, or current assessments are going to continue.

Jan 1, 1913

By K. C. Strebig, C. W. Schultz, A. A. Selim

For some time researchers have attempted to in- crease drilling efficiency (and therefore reduce costs) by adding certain chemical agents to the circulating medium. The effect of some organic additives on the diamond drilling of quartzite was recently investigated in the laboratory by personnel of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. In these tests, the penetration rate and bit life were found to increase with the use of additives. In addition, an economic analysis of a hypothetical 1000-ft hole showed that additives can reduce drilling costs by 30%. Wetting Agents Improve Drilling Efficiency Much of the interest in the use of wetting agents to improve drilling efficiency is the result of an observation made by Rehbinder, Shreiner, and Zhigach.1 These investigators postulated that drilling creates a region of increased crack formation directly below the bit and that a circulating medium that wets the rock will also penetrate the micro- cracks of the predestruction zone. Increasing the molecular affiinity (wetting ability) of these circulating media for the surface of the rock helps the deformation and destruction by softening the rock in the zone of increased crack formation. In this manner, the hardness or strength of the rock is decreased as the medium wets the rock in the predestruction zone. This is known as the "Rehbinder effect." Rehbinder's work has prompted many investigators to examine the relationship between the use of additives and the mechanical destruction of rock. Engelmann, Terichow and Selim reported that the maximum penetration of the rock by a diamond point in a solution environment was at the isoelectric point of the mineral and solution interface.2 Improvement in rock breakage with the use of additives was observed by Frangiskos and Smith.3 Joris and McLaren suggest that additives having a lower surface tension than water will also be more efficient in cooling the diamonds.4 Additives help remove fine cuttings from the face of the bit and improve efficiency. The latter two authors also report an improvement in impregnated bit life and penetration rates with the use of soluble oil additives. All of these investigations were initiated in the hope of discovering what economic benefits will accrue with the use of additives.

Jan 10, 1969

By K. Stout, E. Van Eeckhout, L. Friel

Previous research at the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology indicated that it is practical and economically feasible to place stiff back- fill in a cut-and-fill stope. This backfill would reduce wall closure and high stress buildup in pi1llars, thus alleviating rockburst potential. Three ;topes from the Sunshine Mine, of the Coeur d’Alene Mining District, were chosen for a test verification of this concept. Although the first stope was lever mined beyond the initial cut (for economic reasons), some vibrating wire stressmeter results were obtained and found to compare favorably with numerical predictions. Some other instrumentation devices were built and tested, but never installed .

Jan 1, 1984

By J. H. Brophy, J. Wulff, H. W. Hayden

The mickel-activated sintering of tungsten occurs in two stages of densification. A kinetic analysis of the second stage has been based on an appropriate model of the process. As in the first stage, the rate-controlling mechanism for the second stage is also the solution of tungsten in the nickel carrier phase. The transition from the relatively rapid first-stage results from the spherozdization of pores and the initiation of grain growth. Finer grain size due to higher-nickel content leads to more rapid and higher degrees of densification 1 HE sintering of tungsten is accelerated by small additions of nickel, cobalt, and iron.' Experimental evidence in detail has shown that nickel-coated, hydrogen-reduced tungsten powder may be sintered to more than 90 pet of theoretical density at l100o C.2, 3 Simultaneously, a kinetic analysis of the process showed that it took place in two distinct stages. In the first stage, nickel evidently served as a carrier phase through which tungsten atoms could move. This stage was kinetically similar to the "solution-precipitation" step postulated when the carrier phase is a liquid,4 although in the Ni-W case, there is no evidence of the existence of a liquid phase either in equilibrium phase relationships or in microstruc-tures at the temperatures under consideration. It has been shown that this stage corresponds to a process which is rate controlled by a phase boundary reaction.3 More recent evidence has been presented5 showing that after the initial rapid stage of sintering, densification continues in the final stage but at a slower rate, although no mechanism for this stage of densification was defined. An analysis of later stages of densification in solid state sintering has been presented,6 but it is not directly applicable in the present case of activated or carrier phase sintering. It is the purpose of this investigation to study the final stage of nickel activated tungsten sintering in greater detail The effect of varying nickel content has been examined, and a possible kinetic mechanism defined. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND RESULTS Commercial hydrogen-reduced tungsten powder from Wah-Chmg Corp., having a nominal particle size of1 µ and a B.E.T. specific surface area of 5500 sq. cm per g was mixed with aqueous solutions of hydrated nickel nitrate in proportions sufficient to produce nominal compositions of 0.25, 1, 3, and 5 wt pet Ni. This solution was then evaporated to dry-ness at approximately 150" C for 15 hr. Following evaporation, the resulting powder cake was broken with a mortar and pestle and reduced in hydrogen at 800oC for 1 hr. Following reduction, the powder

Jan 1, 1962

By H. M. Howe, W. E. C. Eustis

The processes which form the subject of this paper have been experimented on in the laboratory of W. E. C. Eustis, but have not passed beyond the experimental stage. The first is the invention of Mr. J. L. Thomson, of Capelton, Quebec, Canada, the others have been invented by the writers. Thomson's PRocess foR the Extraction oF Nickel. This consists essentially in first rendering the nickel magnetic, and then separating it from the materials with which it is mechanically vol. X.—20

Jan 1, 1882

By William M. Brewer

Since writing the paper on this subject,* which was presented at the Atlanta meeting in October, 1895, I have had opportunity for more thorough investigations in several localities, and venture, therefore, to offer some additional facts and opinions. The literature of the subject is not very abundant. Dr. George F. Becker's " Reconnaissance of the Gold-Fields of the Southern Appalachians "† contains some brief notes relating to Georgia, but does not include Alabama. The paper of Messrs. Nitze and Wilkens on " Gold-Mining in the Southern Appala-

Jan 1, 1897

By E. L. Dougherty, J. W. Sheldon

A numerical method for computing the dynamical behavior of fluid- fluid interfaces is described. Results of studies made to assess the accuracy and economy of the method on a computer are reported. It is concluded that it is practical to obtain digital computer solutions for fluid- fluid interface problems with two space dimensions. PROBLEM DEFINITION We consider two-dimensional flow in a rectangle as shown in Fig. 1, where a fluid-fluid interface divides the rectangle into two regions. The pressure is specified along the lower boundary (the injection boundary) and upper boundary (the withdrawal boundary). There is to be no flow of fluid across the side boundaries, which are walls of symmetry for the flow, and px = 0 along these boundaries. The fluids are incompressible, the absolute permeability and porosity is constant, and each fluid has its own constant mobility. Thus, the pressure satisfies Laplace's equation in each region. Across the interface, pressure is continuous and the normal component of fluid flux is 1. These conditions are shown in Fig. 1. The velocity of a point on the interface in the direction of the normal from Fluid 1 into Fluid 2 is U,/ Q, where Un is the normal component of volumetric flux at the point on the interface, i.e., For brevity, we call the problem defined above "Problem A". Problem A is a simple example of a dynamical fluid-fluid interface problem. However, the same numerical methods which we use to solve Problem A can be extended to the solution of a large number of fluid-fluid interface problems which are mathematical models for various oil recovery processes,l hence our interest in Problem A. We define the interface by prescribing the x, y coordinates of a finite set of points. These points are called "interface mesh points" and are illustrated by triangles or asterisks in the figures. Fig. 2 is a procedural (flow) chart displaying the main steps in the solution. We comment briefly on some of these steps in this section and then give further details in subsequent sections. For mobility ratio greater than one it is well known that Problem A is unstable.*2 Small amplitude,

Jan 1, 1965

By JOHN S. HEARDING

ON the Minnesota Ranges, 600 million tons of material have been moved in the past three years to produce 172 million tons of direct-shipping iron ore. Increasing wage rates and cost of equipment and supplies, coupled with the larger amount of waste material to be moved in comparison with the quantity of ore make it imperative that tile industry adopt all practices and methods which will enable it to move earth at progressively lower costs. Drilling. Prior to and during the war practically all blastholes drilled were 6-in. in diameter and put down by drills using strings of tools weighing from 2000 to 3000 lb. Present trends indicate that heavier drilling equipment making 9-in. holes wit11 3000 to 6000 lb tools will be more economical. Holes up to 12 in. diameter will be made with this equipment. Forging and hardening practices for bits to increase footage is receiving attention. One manufacturer expects to market 9-in. bits having sintered carbide inserts in the reaming and cutting edges. Oxygen and oil to burn holes in the rock are being tested for making blastholes at a considerably greater speed than can be obtained with a blasthole drill on the same size hole. To dale, however, the cost has been prohibitive.

Jan 1, 1949

By E. Sengier

At the Director's dinner of the A.I.M.E. on. April 22, Mr. Sengier of the Union Minière du Haut Katanga was a guest. Though a member of the Institute for sev-eral years this was the first occasion on which he had had opportunity to meet with it, and in response to an invitation from President DeGolyer, after expressing his pleasure at being present, he told informally of the present development of the Congo with which he has been so closely related. From his remarks the follow-ing has been prepared.-EDITOR. AS you know, the Belgian Congo, a fairly large colony compared with the territory of Belgium, is in the center of Africa. Natural waterways, railroads now built and new railroads under construc-tion, give increasing means of transportation and are helping toward development. The mining industry is by far the most important part of our colonial activity. Considering that we are all engineers, I will confine my figures to mining enterprise. First I will show you the relative importance of the mining industry com-pared with the total exports of the Belgian Congo. During 1925 there was exported 100,000 tons of cop-per, valued at about $25,000,000; 900,000 carats of diamonds, 8000 lb. of gold, 1700 tons of cassiterite, 300 .tons of cobalt, and 20 grams of radium, of a total value of about $35,000,000. Other products to a value of about $12,000,000 and consisting mainly of palm nuts, palm oil, cotton, ivory, copal, rubber, were also exported. From this you will see that mineral products account for about 72 per cent of the total exported value. Copper alone amounts to 52 per cent of the total and 72 per cent of the mineral exports. All minerals, with the exception of gold, which is mined by the government, belong practically toy two mining companies in which American and British capi-tal is interested with Belgian. These two companies (one called Forminière, interested in the diamond busi-ness, and the other called the Union Minière, interested in copper, cobalt, tin and radium) were formed twenty-five years ago. They started producing in 1911, but the war prevented normal operations, and active de-velopment could only be carried on after the Armistice.

Jan 5, 1927

By Sooi P. Chong

Expansion of concentrator capacity at Iron Ore Company of Canada's Carol Lake plant resulted in a dramatic increase in the production of fines. With iron recovery from the fines running only 18%, Carol Lake engineers initiated an extensive test program which resulted in the installation in July 1977, of a full-scale plant utilizing Reichert cone concentrators. Results to date have indicated a 100% increase in iron recovery from the concentrator's fines product. Carol Lake is located near the western boundary of Labrador, Newfoundland, some 960 km (600 mi) northeast of Montreal. Concentrator operations began in 1962 with a design capacity of 7 million t/y (7.7 million stpy). The bulk of the concentrate was pelletized at a 6 million t/y (6.6 million stpy) pelletizing plant completed in 1963. The remaining concentrate was sold in the international market. The concentrator was first expanded in 1966 to 10 million t/y (11 million stpy) capacity. In 1967, the pellet plant was expanded to match the increase in concentrate production. Sales increases led to a further expansion in 1973. By 1977, more than 40 million tons (44 million st) of crude ore were processed to recover in excess of 17.42 million tons (19 million st) of concentrate and 10.4 million tons (11.5 million st) of pellets.

Jan 12, 1978

By A. E. Wells

IN 1866, Thomas Graham1 called attention to the volume of gases, three times the volume of the sample, evolved from a meteoric iron heated in an evacuated porcelain tube. From that time to this the occurrence and significance of gases in metals have been the subject of investigation by many workers, among whom Sieverts,2 Iwasé3 and 0. W. Ellis4 stand preeminent. Sieverts and Iwasé concerned themselves with the solubility of a number of gases in metals in the liquid and solid states. They determined the absorption coefficients of these gases, and in all cases found a sharp change in solubility at the melting point of the metals. Ellis analyzed the gases evolved by solidifying copper and those occluded by the solidified metal. Lobley and Jepson5 endeavored to determine the effects of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen on the porosity of copper that was allowed to solidify in the presence of each gas after 30 min. exposure to it in the

Jan 1, 1930

By William G. [Peryam], Bishop Ottey M., Fred E. Johnson

THE Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company is the largest copper producer in the Philippines, and the only one that makes a concentrate valuable principally for its copper; also, it has the only productive copper mine situated at considerable distance from the sea, and is the only one in the islands operating its own smelter. The Lepanto mine is in the Municipal District of Mankayan, sub-province of Benguet, near the heart of the Mountain Province of Northern Luzon. It is 165 km. from its shipping point at San Fernando, Province of La Union, on the shore of the China Sea. Elevations at the property range from 3200 to 4500 ft. The climate is very mild; temperatures are seldom below 50° or above 80°F. Annual rainfall approaches 170 in. and is mainly confined to a rainy season lasting from May to October. The months from December to April, inclusive, are usually extremely dry. This climatic pecularity entails the problems of landslides on the roads during the rainy season and water shortage during the dry season. The Mountain Trail, an improved rock-surfaced toll road maintained by the Commonwealth Government, gives access to the property. The 105 km. over this road may be traveled in about 4 ½ hr. during the dry season. Very few sections of the road are straight for more than 100 meters, and about one third of it is a one-way road controlled by gates. All freight for the property is delivered by the Manila Railroad Company to Bauang, La Union, 45 km. west of Baguio and at sea level, where it is picked up by freight trucks and hauled via Baguio to Lepanto. Granulated matte is hauled in bulk from Lepanto in four-ton lots on freight trucks to the storage bins at San Fernando. Freight rates from Bauang to the property amount to P8.00 per ton, and from the property to San Fernando the rate is P16.00 per ton. The company pays the road toll, P1.00 per truck, each way. THE CAMP The company maintains a modern camp, well separated from the mine and reduction plant. Comfortable and sanitary living quarters, water, and light, as well as free medical service are provided all employees. A hospital staffed by a doctor and two nurses takes care of all medical treatment. Considering recreational facilities of great importance, the company has provided two tennis courts, two basketball courts, and badminton courts for employees. Bowling alleys and a motion picture theater are operated by the company, the profits being expended for other recreational purposes. A moderate sized recreation hall serves for barrio dances, meetings,

Jan 1, 1942

By T. Sterry Hunt

AT the meeting of the Institute in Easton, October, 1873, I made a communication on the Ore Knob copper mine, in Ashe County, North Carolina (Transactions, vol. ii, p. 123), in which I called attention to the chemical decomposition alike of the pyritous lode and the inclosing gneiss rock to a depth of 60 feet, by which the feldspar of the latter had been converted into clay, and the whole rock very much softened. Such a decomposition is well known to be almost universal in the crystalline rocks of the Appalachians south of the Potomac ; and if it is only seen in rare and exceptional cases farther to the northward, this, as I have elsewhere pointed out, is due to the fact that the decomposition began and ended in the ages anterior to the drift period, and that the decayed portions which still remained were at that time removed from the surface, except in some localities which were protected from the eroding agency. I have lately had an opportunity of studying a remarkable instance of this kind in an examination made last month for the corporators of the Hoosac Tunnel.* The locality is at the western base of Hoosac Mountain, the western slope of which rises rapidly 1300 feet above the town of North Adams, in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, itself 700 feet above the sea level. Through this mountain, as is well known, a tunnel for the Troy and Boston Railroad has lately been opened, a distance of 25,081 feet from east to west. The rock of the mountain consists of mica schist and micaceous gneiss, including in its western half a great mass of harder feldspathic and quartzose strata in part a granitoid gneiss, the strata for the most part dipping to the eastward with variable angles, but with occasional western dips, apparently due to inversion. The crystalline strata of the mountain crest and sides are in many places exposed, and present rounded surfaces, often deeply grooved and striated, but with no appearance of decay. At the western base of the mountain, however, the gneissic rock is in a state of complete decomposition, which was well displayed in opening the tunnel, which, for a distance of several hundred feet, was driven through highly inclined strata so much decomposed that they were excavated with pick and shovel, and without the aid of blast- * See, for a detailed account of this examination, Dr. Hunt's report, published by the General Court of Massachusetts in House Document No. 9, 1875.

Jan 1, 1875