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By Charles A. Weinstein

INTRODUCTION As a set of management practices, "Knowledge Management" (KM) has disappointed many of its early advocates. The core notion behind KM can be summed up in the oft- quoted adage, "If we only knew what we know." KM describes a set of tools, practices, and approaches for using data, information, and expertise-knowledge-resident in an organization to improve the performance of that organization. The idea was incubated, hatched, and grew among some the largest and most successful companies in the world. Some of these companies created "Chief Knowledge Officers." Many more collectively invested billions in a huge range of KM efforts, all designed to use their organizations' information and expertise to innovate, improve margins, sell, or accomplish any of a myriad of sound business goals. Some KM efforts were successful, and many were not.* Today, it is indisputably the case that KM as a named set of practices has fallen out of favor. Why, then, should KM be discussed at a conference on "Things that Actually Work" for plant operators? Because, in many instances, KM has actually worked. The practices that represent KM done right offer significant opportunities for plant operators to achieve real gains, especially in times of resource constraints and in the face of ever-increasing technical and commercial goals. The KM fad is all but over. The KM benefits continue to accrue to those who have applied the lessons learned from that fad, and implemented sound * Fair disclosure: I am not unbiased with respect to the potential impact of KM. Teltech has been a pioneer and leader in KM, both as a practitioner and as a leading consultant to other organizations.

Jan 1, 2004

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

It was a western truism that more money was made from selling mines than from buying them, just as it was accepted that many a good mine had been spoiled by working it. from R. E. White, "The Mining Town," Alta California August 18,1873 INTRODUCTION One of the most important aspects of mineral enterprises of US corporations is the influence of the depletion allowance on cash flow. This allowance permits mineral producers to claim sizable federal income tax deductions not available to other industries, and these deductions significantly increase cash flows in mining. In the past several years the minerals depletion allowance has come under increasingly heavy fire from many sectors as a tax loophole that deprives the federal government of large amounts of revenue. One estimate of the loss of tax dollars in 1968 was $2.25 billion due to depletion deductions and intangible expenses in the oil industry. Largely on the basis of such arguments, the Tax Reform Act of 1969 reduced percentage depletion rates for a number of minerals, and the Tax Reduction Act of 1975 totally eliminated statutory depletion for most oil and gas. In regard to percentage depletion for hard minerals, the federal government has estimated its resulting loss of revenue at $1.75 billion for 1980. The TEFRA legislation of 1982 further reduced the statutory depletion allowance available to iron ore, coal, and lignite beginning in 1984. Thus, it is clear that minerals engineers and managers should have a thorough knowledge of the origin, evolution, justification, and computational procedures relating to the depletion allowance. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE DEPLETION ALLOWANCE

Jan 1, 1984

By Geo. H. Ashley

THE present critical state of the supply, distribution, and utilization. of coal and the necessity for pooling and zoning coals calls renewed attention to the lack of any fully adequate classification of coal. In the past coals have been classified as anthracite, semianthracite, semibituminous, bituminous, subbituminous coals, and lignite, and a few special types, such as splint coal and cannel coal. But under the term bitumi¬nous coal are included a great variety of coals differing markedly both physically and chemically. The term subbituminous coal covers as great a range of chemical differences. In order to distinguish these varieties of bituminous coals it has been customary to designate coals by names derived from the place where mined, or by the name of the bed from which it is mined. Thus, in the market reports, coals are quoted as Pocahontas coal, New River or Sewell coal, Moshannon coal, Ohio coal, Williamson County coal, Jellico coal, and so on indefinitely, no limit being set as to the boundaries of the area to which a given name is applied. Nor is there any scale by, which the coal from one place may be compared with the coal from some other district or some other bed. On the one hand, coals from the same district may be quite distinct and sell at very different prices or coal from the same bed may differ greatly in different districts; on the other hand, coals from different states may be so similar physically and chemically that one could replace the other in practical use without any appreciable difference in service.

Jan 8, 1919

By Jesse O. Betterton

IN the last analysis, two basic factors influence the use of metals and alloys; namely, cost and adaptability to the use under consideration. These are so interrelated that to study the properties of metals or alloys without considering the prices and price trends is quite illogical. Lead has been a cheap metal, selling in 1932 for the extremely low price of 2.56 cents per pound. The cheapness of lead in the past was not due to a particularly abundant supply of the element in the earth's crust but rather to the ease with which it was won from its ores and to the chemical stability of the metal, preventing its dissipation. Today, however, our modern economy has caught up with the distribution of lead in the earth's crust and the price is largely dictated by the supply of concentrates readily available for smelting, and which can be placed quickly upon the market. The demand for lead, particularly in times of stress, has brought the price up to the level of 19 cents in the United States, where the price is controlled by Government decree, and the price has been even higher in the world markets. The higher price for lead has changed the uses for this metal to a marked degree, driving it out of the fields where it is not essential. Lead articles of great antiquity have been found in Egyptian ruins, proving the stability of the element and indicating the basic simplicity of its metallurgy. It is probable that lead was the first

Jan 1, 1953

By Edward V. D’Invilliers

In connection with some recent professional work in the coalfields of Western Pennsylvania, with special reference to results of coking operations, I was asked to compile a statement giving the estimated cost of mining coal and manufacturing coke at two hypothetical plants of 500 ovens each, giving the relative yield of coal in coke at each plant; and, upon the average number of working days in each of the past five years, from 1899 to 1903, together with average selling price of coke at the ovens, to prepare an estimate of the relative commercial returns in each district. What seemed at first sight to be a comparatively simple proposition, involving only the ordinary elements of mining and coking costs, became complicated by the lack of standard published records of mining costs and sales, which would be applicable to the subject at issue. Upon searching through the usual channels of Government publicatious and the files of our technical societies and mining periodicals, I was surprised to note the absence of fundamental factors that would approximately meet the case in point. The very elaborate and interesting statistics annually published by the National Government' do not supply the required data for the following reasons:—1. Being reported by arbitrary districts, the average values are too general to be applied to special fields. 2. The value of coal charged to the ovens is apparently based upon the regional average value of the coal if sold in the market, and not upon the cost of production. 3. Some plants only use the slack (a by-

Jan 1, 1905

By Y Peng, D J. Bradshaw, G Long

As copper reserves deepen, they are becoming increasingly less pure. Penalty elements such as arsenic, antimony and bismuth are occurring in increasing concentrations. Environmental issues with smelters are leading to increases in penalty rates for these elements such that some concentrates may become difficult to sell. Arsenic concentration in Rosebery copper concentrates during 2010 varied between 3000 and 8500 ppm. Arsenic levels above 5000 ppm can preclude import to some customer countries. Optical mineralogy has indicated that arsenic in Rosebery copper concentrates is most commonly associated with tennantite (Cu12As4S13) in solid solution with tetrahedrite (Cu12As4S13). In addition, silver reports to concentrate as freibergite (Cu12As4S13 ). A reduction in arsenic content will therefore lead to a concurrent reduction in the silver content.A literature review by Long, Peng and Bradshaw (2012) indicated that arsenic bearing minerals could be removed using potential controlled flotation. Some success in reducing the amount of arsenic had also been reported using either roasting or chemical depression using reagents such as lime and cyanide. Due to the location of the Rosebery concentrator adjacent to world heritage listed temperate rainforest, the use of a roaster or cyanide was immediately discounted. Lime is already used as a reagent in the Rosebery flow sheet, so could be considered as a potential arsenic depressant.In order to determine a method of separating out the high arsenic bearing minerals, two series of flotation tests were conducted. The first series investigated the effect of pulp potential on the recovery of copper, silver and arsenic minerals; a second series investigated the effect of pH, froth depth and regrind.CITATION:Long, G, Peng, Y and Bradshaw, D J, 2012. Production of a low arsenic copper concentrate at MMG Rosebery, in Proceedings 11th AusIMM Mill OperatorsÆ Conference, pp 347-354 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 29, 2012

MR. GIBSON (continuing): In connection with the coal from this mine, I will say that it is not a very dirty coal. The vein where most of the coal comes from is about eight feet thick, and two feet from the bottom there is a small boney band about two inches thick. The breaking shot has to be placed over the, band, therefore breaking the boney into fine particles which goes off with the slack. This coal is a very good domestic coal and the slack is in great demand for various power, plants, such as sugar plants, smelters and other industries, but where this, boney is broken up and goes into the slack, it is very injurious in effect and retards the sale of the slack. Therefore the Spring Canyon Coal Company went to the expense of' building this plant, costing over $250,000, just in order to get that, two inches of boney coal out of the rest of the vein. The market in, Utah is very critical, and in order to sell coal, the product must be thoroughly clean in every way and, as Mr. Murphy says, I believe they have succeeded in making a very good commercial product. In any event the Spring Canyon Coal Company put out more coal than any other one mine during the last year, 1924, they had the largest production. I thank, you. (Applause). PRESIDENT MARKS: With the assistance of Mr. Robinson and Mr. Miller, I am sorry you could not get the pictures a little better synchronized with the story. MR. F. C. MILLER (Chief Chemist The Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, Pueblo) : We had seven slides to show eighteen different views on the screen and we did remarkably well. (Laughter.) PRESIDENT MARKS: Is there : any further discussion on this paper? MR. G. B. JONES (Mining Inspector, Victor-American Fuel Co.) : I would like to ask a question on the

Jan 1, 1926

By Francis Peabody

THIS paper will not be a technical paper, because, although I have been in. the business of mining and selling coal for 30 odd years, I am neither a mining engineer nor a practical miner. If I digress from time to time from my thesis, I must be forgiven by the expert engineers and highly technical gentlemen for whose proceedings this article is written. Waste of the wonderful store of power that the Creator placed at our disposal appears to have been the theory and the basis of our methods of extracting this power-waste from the time the coal is mined to the time it is consumed. Let us consider the prime causes of this wastage which has been the heritage of the coal mining industry. In the early days-about 150 years after "Stone Cole" was discovered in Illinois by Joliet and Marquette, and Father Hennepin noted a, "sole" mine on his map-the mode of mining prevalent among farmer land-owners, on whose property coal was discovered near the surface or outcropping on the hillsides, was to enter the seam by a shallow shaft or drift into the hillside and remove the coal by wedging it down until a large room was left. The roof without support would fall and our primitive coal operator would then sink another shaft or drive another drift. In these early operations only the large lumps were taken and all small pieces and screenings were left to be covered by the fall of the roof-in fact this condition prevailed in Illinois up to about 1885. Gradually the method of mining changed from the open chamber, to a single entry with rooms turned to the right and left. Later, as the demand for coal increased and the necessity for larger mines became evident, the "room and pillar" system grew to be regular practice.

Jan 5, 1917

By W. W. Colpitts

To me, as to many other students of railroad needs, the necessity for reducing the dead weight in railroad rolling stock, both passenger and freight, has been apparent for, many years. The problem of weight reduction of passenger cars is so entirely different from that of freight cars, is so much more to the fore at the present moment and would seem to be so much nearer solution, that I shall confine myself in these remarks to the former. On the surface of things there would appear to be no close association of thought between the decline in traffic on the railroads, which is largely responsible for their present deplorable financial condition, and new metal alloys. It sounds like a trick riddle a school boy might propound to his parents. But that there is a relationship between the two, and one that bids fair to be of great mutual benefit to the railroads and the makers of .high-strength metal alloys, I hope I shall be able to show before I have finished. To make the situation understandable to those who are not entirely familiar with the problems of railroad management, and, who feel that the railroads have not moved as rapidly as they should in the direction of greater use of newer materials and newer appliances, I shall have to review briefly the course of recent railroad history. If in this part of my talk I seem to the professional man to be a little off key I feel sure my remarks will be fully appreciated by the business man who cannot understand why he is not making better headway in selling things to the railroads. To do this I shall have to go back to war times for a moment.

Jan 1, 1936

By L. A. Cramer

There are a couple of dozen junior platinum mining companies coming into existence in Southern African and most intend to mine, concentrate the PGM?s in a flotation product and sell the concentrate to one of the major producers in South Africa. The price they will receive for their product and hence the return they achieve for their investment will depend upon the large number of factors that influence the market for such a product. Unfortunately the number of buyers is severely limited as it is dominated by the two major local producers, Impala Platinum and Anglo Platinum. Furthermore the current smelting technology has limited capacity for UG2 concentrates and high nickel concentrates will quickly fill any available base metal refining capacity. Few if any overseas buyers can compete for the bulky flotation concentrate produced. This paper will explore those factors such as metal recoveries, metal prices, operating costs, capacity constraints, deleterious elements, transport issues, metal premiums and discounts that are in play, types of flotation concentrates, processing capital costs, PGM grades, etc and their impact up on what smelters and refiners might be prepared to pay for such PGM concentrates. Ultimately simple graphs and equations can be developed for probably payment terms for such concentrates. Those who negotiate well will move to the higher return section of the envelope and those who use the concentrator facilities to produce the most saleable combination of flotation concentrates will enhance their returns. A deep and firm understanding of the issues surrounding this market is necessary in order to negotiate the best possible price for the seller.

Jan 1, 2008

A compilation of papers presented at the Fifth WVU Conference on Coal Mine Electrotechnology in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 30, 31, and August 1, 1980. Papers cover areas of electromagnetics/power systems, power systems, monitoring and control, and communications.

Jan 1, 1980

By Robert H. Holgers

Eveleth Taconite Co. was chartered on July 29, 1963, and is 85% owned by Ford Motor Co. and 15% by Oglebay Norton Co. The latter also serves as managing agent. The location of the company's facilities is depicted in Fig. 1. The Thunderbird mine is located midway between the cities of Eveleth and Virginia, Minn. (Fig. 2). The Fairlane plant and General Office are located approximately 10 miles south on the St. Louis River near the community of Forbes (Figs. 3 and 4). The crude ore and the finished pellets are transported by a common carrier railroad, the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Co. The facilities are also serviced by the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway Co. Pellets are hauled year around by the DM&IR to its docks 60 miles south in Duluth, Minn. Ford Motor Co. consumes its share of the high grade pellets at its Rouge plant in Dearborn, Mich., and Oglebay Norton Co. sells its share in the open market. HISTORY Following six months of preliminary engineering by the initial staff of Eveleth Taconite Co. and the Western Knapp Engineering Div. of Arthur G. McKee & Co., the project was approved by Eveleth's board of directors on Apr. 17, 1964. On May 1, 1964, contracts were awarded to McKee for the mine, coarse and fine crushing and concentrating facilities, and to Allis-Chalmer for the pelletizing facilities. The pre-production surface overburden stripping contract was awarded to Skubic Brothers Co., Virginia, Minn. Ground-breaking ceremonies were held at the Thunderbird mine on

Jan 1, 1969

By Rose L. Ballard

This chapter summarizes data on crude nonfuel mineral production for the United States, its island possessions, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Included also are tables that show the principal nonfuel mineral commodities exported from and imported into the United States, and that compare world and U.S. mineral production. The detailed data from which these tables were derived are contained in the individual commodity chapters of volume I and in the State chapters of volume II of this edition of the Minerals Yearbook. Although crude mineral production may be measured at any of several stages of extraction and processing, the stage of measurement used in this chapter is what is normally termed "mine output." It usually refers to minerals or ores in the form in which they are first extracted from the ground, but customarily includes the output from auxiliary processing at or near the mines. Because of inadequacies in the statistics available, some series deviate from the foregoing definition. For gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and tin, the quantities are recorded on a mine basis (as the recoverable content of ore sold or treated). However, the values assigned to these quantities are based on the average selling price of refined metal, not the mine value. Mercury is measured as recovered metal and valued at the average New York price for the metal.

Jan 1, 1981

By Lawrence Addicks

SOME three years ago the smelter connected with the Chrome, N. J., refinery of the United States Metals Refining Co. found itself embarrassed y constantly increasing piles of unsmelted blast-furnace flue dust. The charge was fine and 10 to 15 per cent. of it was blown over into the flue. Sulphur was at that time too scarce to make the sintering of the finer part of the charge attractive, and raw-ore smelting in a reverberatory with a partly oxidized charge. was not to be thought of. A great many schemes were considered, including leaching, blowing into the converters, and briquetting, the problem finally narrowing down to blast roasting and nodulizing. It was found by experiment that blast roasting would not yield a satisfactory sinter without the addition of coke dust or sulphide fines to augment the fuel value of the flue dust, and on this account, together with the low first cost of a kiln, the latter was decided upon. A couple of tons of flue dust Were tried out in the experimental kiln in the laboratory at Yorktown, Va., of J. H. Payne, who acted as consulting engineer in this connection. This kiln was approximately 2 ft. in diameter and 20 ft. long and Was fired with fuel oil. A run of several hours yielded excellent nodules. The kiln showed no tendency to build in and form "nose rings" and gave a fuel consumption of 50 gal. of oil per ton of flue dust. There was no indication of any stack loss. The roasting was strongly oxidizing. A study of what full-size kilns were doing on cement clinker and on nodulizing pyrites cinder indicated that a 60 by 6 ft. kiln would certainly not consume over half of the oil per. ton of flue dust shown on the test and as fuel oil at that time Was selling around 2 1/2 c. per gallon it was decided to let it go at that.

Jan 7, 1914

By Robert S. Mayo

My subject today is "Drilling-and-Blasting of Small Rock Tunnels". I am sure that there will be some people, primarily college students but perhaps Consulting Engineers, who will say: "Drilling-and-Blasting? I thought that went out with the invention of the Tunnel Boring Machine". A few years ago I talked to Dick Robbins and he told me that they did not try to sell a "Robbin's Mole" unless the tunnel was two miles long. For easy calculations I use 10,000-ft. (3km) A Mole today costs about $2 million which works out to $200 per lineal foot. This is "front money". You cannot place the order unless you are the uncontested low-bidder and then you must wait at least six months for delivery. Of course you can use that time to square up your portals, ready to turn-the-eye, or maybe you have shafts to sink to reach the tunnel grade. But this is "dead-time" and it is a heck of a feeling to have a job and cannot get started on it until you get the Mole. I do not have the American figures on lengths of tunnels but there was an article a few years ago in a British magazine: NEW CIVIL ENGINEER, on this subject. This stated that 75% of the jobs in Britain which were bid were for small tunnels, 10-ft x 10-ft (3m x 3m) or smaller, and that they were less than 5,000-ft (1.5km) in length. This does not mean that 75% of the footage in Britain was less than 10-ft in diameter. It means that 75% of the jobs being bid were less than a mile in length. From my experience in the U.S. I believe that we have substantially the same ratio: so many of the jobs with which I was associated were short, 1,000-ft, 2,000-ft and sometimes 3,000-ft and the bores

Jan 1, 1981

By M. S. Azun

The authors' paper did not explain the facts and reasons why state companies are established and what their role is in international industrial mineral trading. Also. I do not agree with the conclusion implying that the main goal for state companies is to capitalize natural resources. Almost all state companies are founded by certain laws and their activities are arranged by state regulations. Their only aim is to operate mineral deposits for their people and to protect the rights of the people. Although some ore deposits, such as nonstrategic or small, may be exploited by privately owned companies, the state has the right to control the operation and production. Activities of state companies may or may not be widened because of the character of the deposits and the importance of the mineral market involved. For some countries, although governments may occasionally change hands, the policy of the mineral trading system is not affected by this change. There is no doubt that any government desires to make more earnings to increase GNP, when it is involved in operating and trading mines. It wants to produce and sell the finished products, instead of unprocessed ones, if possible. When it is known that some mineral deposits are relatively rare, such as Turkish boron deposits, the government can nationalize the mines to control production and affect the market. If there is an abundance of a certain mineral in the market, the government can cut production and set a floor price, such as Canadian potash. Also, when production of a specific mineral is unique, such as Turkish chromite, the price of such mineral may be set by correspondent government. One may add that if some governments with their state companies produce a certain mineral in a larger amount, they may decide to establish a cartel to protect their production and price. These are the facts followed by government-owned state companies and partially government-owned companies. The reason being charge of many deposits by the state companies is always the same: "protect" the mineral rights of the people.

Jan 1, 1985

By Richard E. Chism

The metric system is now in official use in the Republic of Mexico, having been adopted by the Government in the year 1862. Athough it is used to compute all customs and other duties to be paid to the General Government, in the measurement of public and private lands arid in all freight and other transactions on the railroads, and is taught exclusively in the public schools, the system has made but slight head way among the people,and has not succeeded in displacing the old-time weights and measures, which are still used in ordinary commerce. The latter were founded on old Spanish models, but, owing to the inexactness of the first standards and to subsequent changes, differ at present very widely from their originals. As to local modifications, weights are the same all over the Republic, but measures of the same name differ greatly in capacity in different States, and even in neighboring towns. The value in the metric system here assigned to each denomination of the old weights and measures is that fixed by the Mexican Government at the time of the adoption of the metric system. The equivalents in American weights and measures were calculated by me from data found in Trautwine's Pocket-Book as to the comparison between the French and American weights and measures, and are believed to be correct. I shall be thankful for early notice of any error that may be detected, that it may be corrected before the final publication of this paper in the Transactions. Linear Measures. Kilometers. Miles. 1 legua (league) = 5000 varas . = 4.19 2.604375 Meters. Feet. 1 vara (yard) = 3 pies.....= 0.83800 2.749578 1 pie (foot) = 12 pulgadas.....=0.27933 0.916526 Inches. 1 pulgada (inch) = 12 lineas . = 0.02328 0.916526 1 linea (line).......= 0.00194 0.076577 The vara is also divided (for dry-goods-selling) into palms or cuartas (palms or quarters). Meters. Feet. Inches. 1 palmo or cuarta .. .. = 0.209500 =0.687394 = 8.248728

Jan 1, 1887

At first glance the staid Joralemon background does not seem to equate with the life of adventure that irresistibly called me for over 70 years. But my ancestors had their adventures too. My father's family were Dutch Reformed Protestants who had energy or daring enough to come to America to escape the Catholic persecution that followed the Massacre of St. Bartholemew. The first Joralemon came from Friesland to New Amsterdam m 1636, just after Peter Stuyvesant. My father's mother's family, the Berdans, were French Huguenots who came to northern New Jersey only a little later to escape the Catholic domination in France. Some say that the first Berdan to come to America was given all the land between the Passaic and the Hacken-sack Rivers by King James. Whatever, the Berdan family settled there and was able to make a scanty living by farming and selling their produce in Manhattan. The spirit of adventure in my mother's family was just as tenuous. Gamaliel Beaman was pastor of a shipload of Puritans who came to Massachusetts in 1636. Gamaliel's descendents were peaceful farmers and some ministers in New England and later New York State. They had got all of the adventure out of their systems in the long and dangerous voyage across the Atlantic to escape religious persecution. The Joralemons and the Berdans married into families that had been in America almost as long as they had. On my father's side the Berdans, Doremus, DeGreys, Vanderbeeks, and Varicks showed by their names their Dutch or French Huguenot stock. The only one who achieved any fame was Peter Varick, who was George Washington's military secretary during the American Revolution. After this he was nine times mayor of New York and was one of the founders of Kings College, later Columbia University. He was responsible for one of my few ancestral claims to distinction. When the Marquis de Lafayette made a fare-

Jan 1, 1976

By J. King Hoyt

IN both Sweden and England rapid progress is being made in metallurgical development, and the steel industry in both countries is distinctly on the mend. There has been some industrial trouble in Sweden in the iron mines and the wood pulp mills, but at the same time all the steel works have a sufficient stock of pig iron and ore to continue their operations for many months to come. Consequently the strike, unless long protracted, will not affect the output of steel in Sweden. Several of the steel manufacturers in Sweden, most notably Forsbacka and Sandviken, have been very suc-cessful recently in securing large orders, particularly from the continent, for ball-bearing steel, both hollow and solid. Whereas some years ago they ran into-se-rious competition with the German mills, the quality of the steel from these Swedish mills is such that they are now firmly established, and are selling some of the lead-ing manufacturers of bearings on the Continent, as well as automobile manufacturers. The secret of their success seems to lie in a better selection of ores, in more careful control of blast-fur-nace operations and better equipment. Rule of thumb in steel making is taboo, and strict reliance is placed on the laboratory. They are constantly experimenting, and metallurgists and chemists are sent to different countries for study and investigation. In their native ores they have, of course, a unique advantage in pos-sessing iron ores extraordinarily free from phosphorus. At Forsbacka, they are not content with the ordinary chemical analysis of the ingot; but also test the physical properties, as well as make metallographic investiga-tions for slag inclusions, segregations and oxides. In both England and Sweden they watch the nitrogen con-tent of the steel very carefully, a feature which does not appear in the ordinary analysis. In testing carbon, they do not use the color test, but employ an electric .induction device.

Jan 7, 1928

This story of the salting of a supposed diamond mine is a part of our Western history and deserves to be recorded in this book. It was more than a local affair, because it was concerned with persons in London and New York, as well as San Francisco. Part of the story has been told by Asbury Harpending in a little book published 12 years ago. Harpending (who died at New York in 1923) was in London in March, 1872, when he received a cable dispatch from William C. Ralston, the president of the Bank of California, stating that "a vast diamond field" had been discovered "in a remote section of the United States". Before starting for San Francisco, Harpending had an interview with Baron Rothschild, who showed a lively interest in the story, which was as follows: two weather-beaten prospectors went to the Bank of California and deposited some uncut diamonds and rubies for safe keeping; these precious stones were estimated to be worth $125,000. The men said that they had found the gems in "a desert portion of the West". They departed quietly, but the story was told in business circles; whereupon George D. Roberts, a mining engineer of wide experience and an associate of Ralston, sought an interview with the prospectors. One of them proved to be a man that had been in the employ of Roberts. Both prospectors, named Slack and Arnold, appeared "coy and cautious"; they were "simpleminded fellows", and were "afraid to trust anyone with the momentous secret ". They refused to divulge the place of discovery and declined "to part with their rights", but later "they became more amenable to reason" and expressed willingness to sell a half interest to

Jan 1, 1932