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By George S. Rice

Instantaneous outbursts of gas in underground workings are similar in effect to great blasts of explosives, but without heat effects. Fortunately they occur only in a few localities in exceptional coal fields of the world and under exceptional geologic conditions. Such violent outbursts should not be compared with the ordinary outflows of gas into coal mines or with explosions of gas and dust. The phenomenon is essentially one of gas held in circumscribed areas under very high pressure and as a mining face or heading approaches such a place and the mining excavation sufficiently weakens the natural surrounding dam or shell, this is burst by the pressure just as by the discharge of a mass of explosives. The outbursts, so far as known to the writer, have been confined to coal beds and have not occurred in other mineral deposits. Hence, as discussed later, he believes that it is the relation of the gases to the coal material that is a factor in conjunction with others in producing conditions which permit the phenomena to occur when mining is done. The gases in most instantaneous outbursts have been hydrocarbon gases but in two coal fields they have been definitely found to be chiefly or wholly carbon dioxide. One of these localities in which CO2 outbursts have been frequent and have caused loss of life is in the southern part of the Gard basin, near Alais, in southern France. In 1919, the writer visited the Fontaine mine in this field the day following the occurrence of an outburst by which two men were smothered by carbon dioxide and fine dust. After 24 hr. the CO2 had not been entirely removed by the ventilating current. Occasional outbursts of CO2 have also occurred in other small basins in France, causing accidents, as in Puy-de-Dome. However, mines in the Gard basin, north of those in which CO2 outbursts have occurred, have experienced hydrocarbon gas outbursts. In the Lower Silesian coal field, Germany, there is a group of mines which have been subject to many instantaneous CO2 outbursts, some causing serious accidents, but the greatest disaster occurred recently

Jan 1, 1931

By John A. Church

In the year 1874, when the price of pig-iron was still high, that staple product became the subject of discussion in the newspapers and among those philosophers who are determined to know the "reason why" for all things. The object of the inquiry was to find out Why iron did not fall in price as much as some other things had fallen. Indeed, there seemed to be an impression that iron and gold ought to move on nearly parallel lines, for the fact was constantly brought forward that iron then cost twice as much as it did before the war, though gold had returned to within twelve or fifteen per cent. of its former value. After some time the papers, by what seemed to be nearly unanimous consent, reached the conclusion that the maintenance of high prices was the work of the furnace proprietors, who, as the result of their shrewdness, were pocketing enormous profits. No proof was given to support this opinion, and the figures of cost and sale that were produced were of the most general kind, and used in the most vague manner. Visiting the president of the Thomas Iron Company, whose great works at Hokendaqua and Catasauqua, in Pennsylvania, are so well known as the largest and among the best conducted in America, I found him quite willing to meet the vague suspicions of the newspaper wiseacres, by a publication of the figures contained in the furnace-books of his company. These were accordingly given to the world through the Engineering and Mining Journal, and attracted the general attention they so well deserve. Though my own name became connected with these statistics, from the fact that I used them as the basis for the first attempt ever made to calcalate the furnace economy of an American works, I can, without the suspicion of egotism, say that the statistics referred to are the most valuable contribution the literature of American blast-furnace work has yet received, for their interest is independent of personal considerations, and due entirely to the fact that they represent faithfully the details of practice in one of the most prominent American works. They are an exact transcript of the furnace-books, and form a body of accurate information of the greatest value to the metullurgical student. Their importance is shown by the fact that though the theoretical conclusions which I based upon them have been several times attacked, not one of my critics has made the slightest contribution to

By John A. Church

IN the year 1874, when the price of pig-iron was still high, that staple product became the subject of discussion in the newspapers and among those philosophers who are determined to know the "reason why" for all things. The object of the inquiry was to find out why iron did not fall in price as much as some other things had fallen. Indeed, there seemed to be an impression that iron and gold ought to move on nearly parallel lines, for the fact was constantly brought forward that iron then cost twice as much as it did before the war, though gold had returned to within twelve or fifteen per cent. of its former value. After some time the papers, by what seemed to be nearly unanimous consent, reached the conclusion that the maintenance of high prices was the work of the furnace proprietors, who, as the result of their shrewdness, were pocketing enormous profits. No proof was given to support this opinion, and the figures of cost and sale that were produced were of the most general kind, and used in the most vague manner. Visiting the president of the Thomas Iron Company, whose great works at Hokendaqua and Catasauqua, in Pennsylvania, are so well known as the largest and among the best conducted in America, I found him quite willing to meet the vague suspicions of the newspaper wiseacres, by a publication of the figures contained in the furnace-books of his company. These were accordingly given to the world through the Engineering and Mining Journal, and attracted the general attention they so well deserve. Though my own name became connected with these statistics, from the fact that I used them as the basis for the first attempt ever made to calculate the furnace economy of an American works, I can, without the suspicion of egotism, say that the statistics referred to are the most valuable contribution the literature of American blast-furnace work has yet received, for their interest is independent of personal considerations, and due entirely to the fact that they represent faithfully the details of practice in one of the most prominent American works. They are an exact transcript of the furnace-books, and form a body of accurate information of the greatest value to the metallurgical student. Their importance is shown by the fact that though the theoretical conclusions which I based upon them have been several times attacked, not one of my critics has made the slightest contribution to

Jan 1, 1876

By Arthur Notman

THE COMMITTEE on Production Control of the Institute has accomplished little or nothing tangible during the last year. For this the chairman must accept responsibility and whatever praise or blame goes with it. However, we have all had plenty of opportunity to observe the results obtained by various producing groups in their attempts to regulate production to meet demand dur¬ing the last few years. It would be putting it mildly to say that these have not been such as to inspire confidence in the methods pursued. The present plight of the wheat, cotton, coffee and sugar growers; the oil, copper, lead, zinc and tin producers, to name a few of the unfortunates, suggests a common cause perhaps beyond their control. There is a growing tendency to question as outmoded the theories of laissez faire economics, with its laws of competition, supply and demand, with price as the automatic regulator. The position is maintained that something new should be substituted because these laws no longer work. Many solutions are offered, ranging in the world at large from the planned economy of Russia, with the profit element removed, to the military controlled economy of Fascism, and in our own country from voluntary curtailment to martial law. But one hardly feels driven by any irresistible logic to put his finger on any one of these proposals, and to say this is the one in which I believe. On turning to one's neighbors, one is still more confused by the realization that this intellectual uncertainty is wide-spread. Isolation or cooperation, protection or free trade, the gold standard, bimetallism or managed currencies, de¬flation or inflation, all have their proponents in whose eyes one or the other of these slogans will afford the panacea for all our ills.

Jan 1, 1933

Jan 1, 1951

By Robert E. Tally

CHAUNCEY L. BERRIEN, Butte, Mont. (written discussion).-Having had much actual experience with mine fires which have occurred or have been active in the mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. during the past 4 years and having lately visited the fire zone of the United Verde mine with Mr. Tally, I wish to congratulate him for the success which he has had in controlling this fire and making the mine perfectly safe .for his miners. By this work he is not only keeping the property in operation but is reclaiming many lost orebodies. The ventilation system as described by him is practically the same as that used under my direction at the Mountain View mine fire in Butte in 1913 and at the Pennsylvania fire in 1916. This same system is at present being followed at the Leonard mine to extinguish a fire which has been active for 10 years although bulkheaded. The mining system in the Butte mine, at the origination of these fires was the same as that at the United Verde, namely, square setting .accompanied by the use of much timber bulkheading in the stopes owing to heavy ground. The pyritic content of the ore in Butte is not as high, but on the whole conditions have been the same, with the exception of actual location of the fire in the mine. I agree with Mr. Tally that flooding, the use of C02 or any gas, and the use of steam are all impracticable unless the fire zone can be absolutely sealed. His system of upcast escapement shafts in the fire zone, the use of bulkheads and fans to keep the gases away from the firemen, must be resorted to. By the method lie describes actual stoping may be carried on safely if started from the bottom of the fire and if the fire zone extends to the surface. In other words, the fire zone must be isolated from the rest of the mine by bulkheads and solid ground, with no ground above which can be damaged by spread of fire or caving. The serious fires in Butte have .occurred on or between levels in the mines where it was necessary to prevent their .extension upward, downward and laterally while the work of actually extinguishing them was in progress. This necessitated proper bulkheading should we lose control of the fire, the installation of ventilation similar to Mr. Tally's and the systematic drilling of holes with diamond drills for distributing water on the fire and around it.

Jan 12, 1916

By W. P. Barba

IN THE early summer of 1917, it became evident that the then existing sources of supply of guns and gun forgings were totally inadequate for the enormous and rapidly growing requirements of the Ordnance Department of the Army, so arrangements were made with sixteen makers of other products to take up the manufacture of guns and gun forgings. Nine of these makers were required to produce their own steel from the raw materials and convert it into rough machined gun forgings; the others finished and assembled these forgings into completed guns. In December, 1914, four of these makers of steel and rough gun forgings were instructed to manufacture the same amount of the 6-in. and 9.5-in. guns and howitzers. It, therefore, seemed practical .and profitable to assemble these makers into a small group, together with the officers of the Ordnance Department, and provide standard 'equipment in each of the four works for the production of these two types of guns. The advantages of this cooperation were immediately manifested, and there commenced an interchange of shop practice and a free discussion of facilities and methods that covered not only the equipment but the manufacturing processes.

Jan 1, 1920

By Walter C, Smith

Metallic bismuth was known in the Middle Ages and the name is supposed to come from the German Wismut. The origin of the German name is uncertain. References to bismuth are found in the writings of Valentine, Paracelsus, and Agricola between 1450 and 1550. Early specimens of bismuth were very impure and often were confused with antimony, tin, and zinc. About the middle of the eighteenth century, J. H. Pott, C. J. Geoffroy, and Torbern Bergman succeeded in producing fairly pure bismuth and showed it to be an elementary metal similar in many respects to lead.

Jan 1, 1953

By Richard M. Foose

MOST of the roofing granules produced in Pennsylvania are made by two companies at three plants. The Advance Industrial Supply Co. has three quarries and a mill at Gladhill Station, in southern Adams County. The Funkhouser Company is actively engaged in mining, quarrying and milling at Charmian, about one mile west of Gladhill Station, and at Delta, in southern York County. These three plants produced approximately 100,000 short tons of granules in 1943. The production of roofing granules in 1937 for the whole country was only about 500,000 tons, generally indicating the large growth of the industry since that time. The fundamentals of producing roofing granules were discussed comprehensively by G. W. Josephson in a paper before the Industrial Minerals Division in October 1943 (Mining Technology, March 1944). The purpose of this paper is to describe the actual methods of mining the rock and milling it to make roofing granules, as practiced by the three Pennsylvania plants. MINING AND MILLING Funkhouser Company (Delta) The Funkhouser Company, near Delta, in southern York County, Pennsylvania, operates three joined quarries and a mine in the Peach Bottom slate. The joined quarries extend 1200 ft. in a northeast southwest direction along the strike of the slate cleavage and are about 200 ft. wide. The working face is about 45 ft. high. The quarrying operation is rather simple: Ingersoll-Rand Jackhamers, 1-in. and 1 1/4-in., with hollow drill steel, are used to undercut the quarry face with10-ft. holes. The face is "blown" and allowed to slump on the quarry floor. Loaded by a Marion electric shovel into trucks, the shattered rock is taken to the primary crusher 2500 ft. away. In addition to the normal quarrying operations, a drift into the northeast wall of the middle quarry was begun about 1935 and has advanced about 2000 ft. since then. Rooms have been driven at angles to the drift along choice beds of slate. The drifts and rooms have a roof more than 35 ft. high and the main drift and rooms are all more than 40 ft. wide. There is no cribbing at any place in the mine. Several of the rooms were driven upward on a 5º slope and in some of them there was stoping. Ingersoll-Rand Jackhamers are used, and only wet drilling is practiced. When visited in January 1940, an electric shovel was operating at the head of the drift, scooping up the slate blasted out of the working face. This, too, is trucked to the primary crusher. Some of the better quality slate is saved for making slate shingles. The primary crusher, which is a No. 30 McCulley gyratory, receives the slate from the trucks and crushes it to about 2-in. size (Fig. I). This product travels by a 30-in. belt conveyor to Niagara vibrating screens with 2-in. holes. The minus 2-in. product moves to a storage silo by bucket

Jan 1, 1945

By Edgar T. Wherry

EDGAR .T. WHERRY,* Washington, D. C. (communication to the Secretary ?).-Dr. Pogue's presentation of the facts concerning the emerald deposits is very clear and convincing, and the only addition that I can suggest is a summary of previous theories of origin. He makes it evident that the pegmatite theory is the only one capable of explaining the existing relations, but upon certain details there may be some difference of opinion. If I understand the term pneumatolytic, it does not imply that all the elements concerned in a given deposit were transported as gases, but rather that the crystallization of these elements into the various minerals was favored by the presence of certain gaseous substances, notably H20, C02 and HF. It is highly improbable that the oxides of glucinum, aluminum, chromium, and silicon, which enter into the composition of the mineral emerald could have been transported in the gaseous form. The same is true of the metallic constituents of the parisite and other associated minerals. The explanation suggested, that solutions separated into liquid and gaseous portions, the latter ascending and forming the emerald in the upper portions of the rock only, therefore, seems to me untenable. When two formations exist side by side and one, A, is mineralized while the other, B, is barren, the possible explanations may he classed as (1) chemical, and (2) physical. 1. Some chemical feature of A not found in B might have caused crystallization of certain minerals in the former, which did not appear in the latter. In the present instance both rocks appear to be so similar chemically that no such effect can be looked for. Pogue mentions carbon as a possible precipitating agent, but describes both formations as carbonaceous, so that the difference in the minerals of the two can not be thus explained.

Jan 10, 1916

By Edwin Ludlow

I DEEPLY appreciate the honor which has been conferred upon me by my election to the presidency of this Institute, as I feel that it is the highest honor a mining engineer can receive, and I also feel that I am especially fortunate in being called to take the presidency in the year following Mr. Hoover, as I may be enabled in that way to carry on the work which he has initiated. The constructive work that Mr. Hoover has inaugurated has been of inestimable benefit in bringing not only this Institute but the entire engineering profession into a place in the public esteem to a degree which it had never before occupied.. This work Mr. Hoover will now carry on in the broader field of the Federated American Engineering Societies, of which he is president. Through that organization the engineers of this country, in all branches of the profession, will be welded into one compact body reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, making the united engineering profession a power for maintaining American . . ideals and standards throughout the land.,

Jan 1, 1921

By Heinrich Oscar Hofman

IN THE death of Professor Hofman who was born on Aug. 13, 1852 and died on April 28, 1924, the world has lost a great metallurgist and a great author of metallurgical literature. Measured in time his life was not quite seventy-two years, but measured in work accomplished it was much longer than this. It is not surprising that Dr. Hofman became a great scholar for his father, Karl Hofman, was on the faculty of Heidelberg University, and his early days were spent in these surroundings. He studied in the University under such men as Kirchoff and Bunsen and often spoke of the intimate relations he had with them. Following his course at Heidelberg, he studied at the Clausthal Mining Academy where he graduated with honors, receiving the degrees of Mining Engineer and Metallurgical Engineer in 1877.

Jan 1, 1924

By PHILIP N. MOORE

THE problem of managing the policies of the Institute so that a middle course may be drawn between the close control of a few who are so situated that they can give continuing attention and intermittent control by occasionally present directors presentation .of the subject is to bring clearly before the membership of the Institute a summary of the attendance at the Directors' meetings for the past four years.

Jan 1, 1924

By AIME AIME

PRIZES totaling $450 were awarded at the Annual Meeting luncheon on Monday, Feb. 9, to the winners of the third national student prize paper contest. The undergraduate prizewinners, each of whom received a check for $100, were as follows: Mayo W. Lanning, Lafayette College, for his paper entitled ?Some Aspects of the Mining Methods Employed at the Scrub Oak Mines of the Alan Wood Steel Company,? (entered by the Lehigh Valley Section). Charles F. Parent, Montana School of Mines, for his paper entitled ?Relationships of Manganese Minerals in the Butte District,? (entered by the Montana Section). Harry Czyzewski, University of Illinois, for his paper entitled ?A Metallurgical Study of Cast Irons Used for Glass Molds,? (entered by the Chicago Section).

Jan 1, 1942

By E. D. Gardner

AGAIN in 1945, the fourth year of World War 11, the American mining industry met the necessary demand made upon it for metals. Lack of labor prevented full production in some districts; maximum output, however, was maintained with the man power available. Development work and maintenance of mechanical equipment were neglected in favor of immediate production. Drafting of the younger men continued throughout the year, and the loss of personnel to war industries with higher wage rates continued up to "V-J" Day, Aug. 14. Labor shortages were more critical in 1945 than in 1944 though the man-power situation eased for some districts in the last quarter of the year. The trend in mining for the most part was to increase tons per man-shift by continued increased mechanization and refinements in methods and practices; larger equipment was installed where practicable. Labor shortages, together with the current higher wage rates, have advanced mechanization several years ahead of normal progress. The manpower shortage and the employment of inexperienced men had the effect of decreasing the average efficiency of the individual workman, but this condition was largely balanced by improved organization, greater efforts to improve labor relationship, and increased use of incentive pay systems. Safety instruction was emphasized, personnel contacts were increased, and more frequent foremen meetings were held to clarify contract agreements. Many of the large companies maintained schools to train green workmen.

Jan 1, 1946

By Thomas A. Simpson, Tunstall R. Gray

The Birmingham district first produced steel from Alabama hematite ores in 1899. Since then, the district generally produced more than 6.0 million gross tons of ore a year to the late 1950's. Production has declined since then to an annual rate of about 1.5 million gross tons. Reserves calculated for the district are sufficient to last many years. Mining in the district is now confined to Woodward Iron Company's Vance and Pyne mines. The rocks exposed consist of about 15,000 feet of consolidated Paleozoic sediments with a thin veneer of unconsolidated Cretaceous sediments in the Vance area. The district is characterized by a distinctively parallel and subparallel, slightly arcuate series of faults and joint systems. In view of available information, it seems reasonable to conclude that the Birmingham red ores are of sedimentary origin, modified to a small extent by diagenetic replacement after original deposition.

Jan 1, 1968

By Edward H. Robie

OF the current Adirondack iron mine development, the Benson Mines operation of the Tones and Laughlin Ore Co. (Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. wholly owned subsidiary) is the last to go into operation. Following an active construction program in 1943, the mine. concentrator and sintering plant were scheduled to enter production in the fall. This description therefore cannot include any operating data, and details of equipment and flowsheet have not as yet been released.

Jan 1, 1943

By AIME AIME

COAL preparation will be the main topic discussed at the first fall meeting of the Coal Division at Pittsburgh, Sept. 11, 12 and 13, though valuation, mergers, safety, stream pollution and other topics will not' be neglected. It is particularly appropriate that the great changes taking place in preparing coal for the market should be discussed at length where in the plants of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. and others the opportunity is afforded to see on a large scale just what is being accomplished. In wartime, the United States broke all records in coal production, but, as the late Franklin K. Lane pointed out, every fifth car shipped consisted of dirt. Obviously that constituted a big bur- den on industry and, in the remaking of the business which is now taking place both in the anthracite and bituminous fields, clean coal has properly enough be- come a watchward. Central coal-cleaning plants are being erected as a part answer to the puzzled inquiry of those familiar with metal mining as to why miners of coal have so long been content with what are relatively small units of production. Gradually big collieries comparable in tonnage output to the biggest copper mines are being built, and excellent examples are to be seen near Pittsburgh. Even the age-long tradition of the coal operator in favor of the single shift is

Jan 1, 1930

By Clyde Evarts Weed

SOME one once affirmed his great belief in luck, adding that he had found that the harder he worked the more luck he had. Clyde Weed is a firm believer in this method of courting the fugitive lady. He is at work early and late, often leaving his staff at Anaconda's offices at 25 Broadway breathless trying to keep up with the ideas teeming from a fertile brain and the actions those ideas entail. Miles ahead of his assistants much of the time, he still manages to be an agreeable fellow to work with, no small accomplishment as many can testify. Mr. Weed arrived in the world at Moorestown, Mich., on Aug. 8, 1890. Sixteen years later he entered Michigan Agricultural College, a lowly freshman. The following year, with the experience and wisdom expected of a sophomore, he transferred his studies from the reaping of a harvest on the surface of the earth to delving into the deeper, unpredictable bowels of the earth, his studies now shifted to the Michigan College of Mines. Last June his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Engineering.

Jan 1, 1947

By Alfred H. Bell, George V. Cohee

Illinois produced 146,788,000 bbl. of oil in 1940, or nearly 11.0 per cent of the total for the United States, and ranked fourth among the oil-producing states. Its production was only slightly less than that of Oklahoma, which produced 11.5 per cent of the national total. Illinois' production in 1940 represents an increase of 55 per cent over the previous year, when it amounted to 94,912,000 barrels. The development of the Devonian limestone in the Salem and Centralia fields is largely responsible for the increase in production during 1940 Production from the Devonian limestone in these two fields was estimated to be 36,698,000 bbl., or 25 per cent of the state's total production (Table I). The increase in production during June, when the state's daily average production attained a peak of 518,200 bbl. for the week ending June 29, was due to the Devonian production at Centralia (Fig. I). The initial production of the best Devonian wells in the Centralia field was as high as 12,000 bbl. in 24 hr. Daily average production in IIIinois for 1940 was 400,000 bbl. of oil, but actually daily production fluctuated widely during the year. At the beginning of 1940 daily production was approximately 330,000 bbl. During the first hali of the year it in-creased irregularly to the peak in June mentioned above and as the prolific Devonian producing areas were drilled up, the state's daily production declined rapidly during July and continued to decline, although more slowly, until the end of the year, when the daily production was approximately 325,000 bbl. The daily average production per well in the new fields at the end of the year was approximately 40 bbl. (Fig. I). Oil from the Devonian was also produced in the Bartelso field, Clinton County, the Sandoval field, Marion County, and the Irvington field, Washington County, bringing the estimated total production from the Devonian limestone to about 26 per cent of the state's total production, The remainder was obtained largely from the Mississippian system. About 2 per cent of the total was from Pennsylvanian and Ordovician strata. The decline in the Devonian limestone production has been so rapid that the 1941 output from this system will probably be only a small fraction of that of 1940 unless large new reserves are discovered. The "Trenton" (Ordovician) limestone has been tested in two wells in the Centralia field and both were small oil producers at a depth of about 4000 it. The "Trenton" also was found productive in the Salem field at a depth of 4500 ft. (Table 5). The initial production of the discovery well, which was completed shortly after the end of the year, was 130 bbl. on pump. Other wells drilled early in 1941 had initial productions averaging 172 barrels. The outlook for 1941 is for a continuation of drilling activity in Illinois, but at a declining rate (Fig. I, upper curve). The most active area at the end of 1940 was in the deep basin area in Wabash, Edwards, White, and Hamilton Counties.

Jan 1, 1941