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By John D. Sullivan

A DISCUSSION of the developments of the past decade in the field of refractories, and the effect of these developments on the performance and life of open-hearth furnaces, is perhaps best introduced by reference to Fig. 1. This shows the most important types of refractories doing into various parts of the furnace, together with their cost, and remarks on their use. It has been estimated that half of the refractory makers market comes from the iron and steel industry, and something like one-third of all refractory brick used finds its way into open-hearth furnaces. To melt steel, a furnace capable of withstanding temperatures close to 3000 deg. F. is required. The furnace is assembled of various refractory materials selected by experience and economic considerations. Furnace structures today, from a refractory standpoint, are considerably different from a quarter century ago. Furnace operators, interested in the performance of refractories, care little how they are made or where they come from so long as they give reasonable service. But, the entire history of the refractory is important and technical knowledge of the ceramic materials used in making the refractory is necessary to the manufacturers, so that the proper article gets into the hands of the ultimate consumer.

Jan 1, 1936

By D. K. MACKAY

The production of oil and gas in Arkansas is confined to two distinct and widely separated regions of the state; namely: (1) South Arkansas in the Gulf coastal plain, where 49 fields-many containing two or more reservoirs or pools-yield oil, condensate and gas from beds in the Cretaceous and Jurassic, and (2) Northwest Arkansas, a part of the Arkansas Valley, where only dry gas is produced in 21 fields from sandstones of Pennsylvanian age. Exploration during the year 1945 centered largely in these two producing regions, but some of the geophysical surveys were made and wildcat drilling was done a considerable distance outside these regions.

Jan 1, 1946

By George F. Becker

(San Francisco Meeting, October, 1911.) A MERE record of Emmons's professional career would very inadequately represent the man. That he was eminent we know, and our successors will realize in due time; but they must depend upon us for knowledge of a singularly wholesome, modest, unselfish personality, and of a character that did honor to a profession in which trustworthiness is indispensable: Those members of the Institute who met Emmons are his friends, and I never knew one of these who was not the better for that friendship. Emmons was born in Boston, Mar. 29, 1841, the son- of Nathaniel H. and Elizabeth (Wales) Emmons, and was named Samuel Franklin after an ancestor who was of the same family as Benjamin Franklin. He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Harvard in 1861, and soon afterwards went abroad to complete his education. From 1862 to 1864 he attended the courses at the École Impériale des Mines at Paris, lie e Beaumont and Daubrée being among his professors. The year 1864-1865 he spent at Freiberg under Cotta and other famous teachers; after which he spent another year in traveling through Europe. Like many other renowned geologists, he approached his ultimate profession from its economic side, and was thus from the first imbued with a sense of high responsibility in the promulgation of scientific opinions or conclusions. With hypotheses which were interesting merely because. they were ingenious or even plausible, he would have nothing to do. In 1867 he joined the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel at its organization under Clarence King, serving at first as a volunteer, but soon receiving a regular appointment. This expedition was the first one of purely geological character sent out by the United States Government. As Emmons has shown in his admirable presidential address on " The Geology of Government Explorations," its work was founded on a com-

Sep 1, 1911

On the preceding pages, operations of the four major producers of nickel today have been described. There are, however, other operations in the world that, while not as large, are still of importance to the over-all picture of the industry. Among these are the Finnish producer, Outokumpu Oy, a state-controlled company that operates the Kotlahti mine 200 miles northeast of Helsinki. The ore from this operation, which began production in 1959, is pentlandite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, occurring as disseminations in the host rock and in breccias. The flowsheet of the 1500-tpd mill at Kotlahti follows standard practices of crushing, grinding, and flotation to produce a pentlandite-pyrrhotite concentrate and a copper concentrate, both of which are shipped to the smelter at Harjavalta.

Jan 10, 1968

By Hal M. Lewers

IN the past few years and especially since the beginning of World War No. 2, gold has attained a new, important. and critical place in the international scene, and in world affairs. In the past, as far back as history records, most wars have been waged for the purpose of acquiring it from someone else by conquest. But now, the most titanic struggle of all time is being waged with the avowed purpose of not only destroying it, but of destroying all that it stands for and represents. A tradition dating back to ancient Rome, affirms that battles are fought by men with weapons, but wars arc eventually won by gold. The validity of that tradition is now being subjected to its major test. Hitler has proclaimed that in his new world order, the work dollar or reichsmark, a beautifully engraved paper currency representing only a theory of value, based on unit of work and production, will become the supreme medium of world exchange, and that gold eventually will he valueless and obsolete.

Jan 1, 1942

By George C. Stone

WHEN George C. Stone, a Director of the Institute, and so well known to our Members in connection with the Institute's many activities was abroad in 1.919, he secured an interesting collection of these coins, which appeared in Zinc, a publication by the New Jersey Zinc Co. Regarding this collection of coin, Mr. Stone says: "During the war, all gold and most of the silver disappeared, making small change very scarce. As the French Government was fully occupied by the war, it allowed various Chambers of Commerce and other bodies to issue money, both paper and coins. Many of the latter were made of zinc, and I secured several while in Paris. We had all heard of the Belgian and German zinc coins, but I imagine few knew how many different kinds there were. The accompanying plates show both sides of those I got. I took all that the dealer had; but he said that there were a number of others in existence. The coins in the bottom line were issued by the Germans in Belgium during the war and all are still in common use. The first two in the next to the bottom line are German. All of the others were issued by Chambers of Commerce or corporations. A few have been nickel plated; these look and wear much better than the others. "Coins" made of pasteboard were also issued by similar bodies, also notes.

Jan 1, 1920

By A. J. Weinig

IN the accompanying figure consider the classified AB in closed circuit with a ball mill, wherein T = Tonnage of new feed C = Ratio of circulating load Now consider that the circulating load is made up of two portions of ore. One portion is due entirely to the characteristics of the ball mill and the tonnage of new feed impressed on the ball mill. This portion of the circulating load in no way is to be blamed on the characteristics of the classifier and is all composed of oversize. Consider, for illustration, that this portion of the circulating load is handled in the A division of the classifier, assuming that the classifier is divided longitudinally into two divisions by an imaginary line. Because the classifier does not usually make a perfect separation of the undersize, a certain portion of the total circulating load is to be directly blamed on the efficiency of the classifier. Let this portion of the circulating load be considered as being handled in the B division of the classifier. Now if the classifier is operating perfectly (100 per cent efficient), the width due to the B division becomes zero and correspondingly the efficiency of the classifier diminishes as B becomes wider in proportion to A. If E is the mechanical efficiency, then

Jan 1, 1934

By AIME AIME

THE American Engineering Council, which is the working body of The Federated American Engineering Societies, held its first meeting in Washington, Nov. 18 and 19, 1920. The Federated American Engineering Societies was formed in Washington in June and is composed of engineering and technical societies, national, state, local and regional. These Member Societies elect delegates to the American Engineering Council, which is the administrative body of the Federated. The meeting was called to order by Richard L. Humphrey, Chairman of the Joint Conference Com¬mittee, and the program (which is printed below) was carried out without substantial change by E. S. Carman, who was elected temporary chairman. Under the Constitution, the Council appoints an Executive Board, the members of which are chosen according to the proportional membership of the vari¬ous Member Societies in their respective districts. Under this plan, with the present membership, 'the national societies will have 14 members and the local societies 6 members on the Executive Board.

Jan 1, 1920

By LUDWIG VOGELSTEIN

WE are indebted to Mr. Barbour for his valuable contribution to the literature on copper statistics; it is to my knowledge the only intelligent attempt to throw light on a much misunderstood subject. If I should appear to criticize some of his findings and arguments, I do not want to leave the impression that I do not appreciate the article; I think Mr. Barbour has been painstaking, and even where one might not agree with his conclusions, he has opened our eyes and stimulated us in our search for the truth.' It might be well to define the term "secondary copper" and to make a few remarks about the origin and the reasons for the variation of the supply. Mr. Barbour has touched on these points, but not sufficiently to make them clear to those not in the business.

Jan 1, 1931

By Lawrence Addicks

T HIS has been a most momentous year in the annals of the Institute. We have been in the midst of a situation which, were it not for the convulsions of social unrest with which life is surrounded on every side, would have attracted the attention of the world at large. I do not refer to the desperate campaign for new members. That has gone on much as usual except that, this being leap year, the annual proposal to the M. & M. Society has been omitted. Nor do I refer to the desperate situation which we found in other directions, the spread of Bolshevism, the burning of the Engineers' Club, the fact that the selling of copper appears to have become one of the lost arts. No, I speak of the great question which has to be. settled once and for all, as to whether this great Institute should adopt simplified spelling. The whole trouble started in the ranks of the California Hysterical Society. It appears, while most of the San Francisco members can read and write, several of them cannot spell. It also appears that the Secretary, in editing the Transactions, has perhaps made just a little bit too much of a point of employing the correct Stoughton idiom. At any rate, the rebels filed an amendment to the constitution, and the stage was set for civil war, with perhaps more stress on war than on civil.

Jan 1, 1920

By Paul M. Tyler

MUCH has been said in print, and much more that was unprintable, about burdensome controls, taxation, and multiplying restrictive, regulatory, or taxing activities of the Federal Government, but not so much has been said about ways and means whereby the Government can and does render economic assistance. Economics has been defined as the study of men earning a living, and economic assistance to industry as well as to individuals properly should take the form of helping enterprisers to help themselves rather than charity. Proposals to have the Government play Santa Claus must be examined carefully if -only to avoid undue favoritism to politically important persons and downright venality by potentially crooked public officials. Thomas Jefferson is credited with the remark that the best government is the one which governs least. Paternalism is abhorrent to most Americans.

Jan 1, 1947

By Donald H. McLaughlin

PRICES paid for goods and services in paper currencies are undoubtedly determined by many interrelated factors, but among them none is more specific in pushing prices toward higher and higher levels than the vast increase in debts and monetary obligations of our own and practically all major governments. There is nothing unorthodox in the situation in which the gold miners find themselves today. With wages and the prices of all materials required in the production of gold at the high levels characteristic of a period of prosperity, phony or otherwise, and with shortages of both men and machinery to contend with as well, the spread between the returns in paper dollars that must be accepted for gold in the United States and the cost of producing it is rather painfully small for most producers. Technical

Jan 1, 1948

By AIME AIME

NEW place was assigned to the women for their headquarters at the annual meeting of the Auxiliary but they, as usual, occupied a large place in the activities of the annual meeting. The alcove on the Thirty-ninth Street side of the building was a busy place on Monday morning, as the members of the various sections from New York to California greeted each other. The registration was conducted under the supervision of Mrs. Wolfes, Miss Georgene Davis and Mrs. Jennings, while Mrs. Hursh, Mrs. Hyde, Mrs. Charlton Reynders, and others dispensed tickets to the various functions that had been provided for entertainment. There seemed to be the usual number registered, but when only one member of the District of Columbia Section made herself known everyone wondered why the large delegation of last year had so dwindled. The explanation appeared next day, when a number of others from that Section arrived, telling of a delightful reception on the night before, at the White House. Mrs. Hoover had honored the "Canaries"¬(the organization of Lone Girl Scout' workers) the officers of the Section, and their husbands, who for once became only "so and so's husband." Luncheon was served on the fifth floor on Monday, the hostesses for that day being Mesdames C. F. Ayer, Willis Burns, G. W. Farny, H. G. Moulton, and T. T. Read. A number of sight-seeing trips had been arranged for the afternoon. The most popular proved to be an expedition to the new Riverside Church; where Dr. Fosdick is pastor. Guides were there to conduct

Jan 1, 1931

By Henry G. Granger

I. INTRODUCTION. REPEATED failures in attempts to work gold-bearing gravels by means of suction-dredges have created the impression that this method is impracticable. The suction-dredges have failed from three special causes excessive wear and frequent breakage of pump-shell, runners and liners; inability to dredge compact gravel which would ,not. readily move towards the intake; and, most important of all, closing. of the suction-pipe by stones too large to enter it. In my opinion, all three causes of trouble may be remedied: the first, by making stronger the parts most liable to wear and breakage; the second, by means for loosening the gravel at the intake; and the third, by sufficiently... Increasing.. the diameter of the suction-pipe. In suction gold-dredges, this diameter has not usually exceeded 10 or 12 in.; whereas there are few profitable gold-fields which can bee considered dredgeable, in which stones more than' 12 in. in diameter, are-.not frequently encountered. II. AN EFFECTIVE SUCTION-DREDGE. In harbor-operations, much larger stones are handled by suction-dredges.., The large dredge of the Henry Steers Contracting Co. worked for nearly four years at League Island, Philadelphia, where it sucked up, passed through the pump, and forced through 3,700 ft. of discharge-pipe; gravel containing boulders up to 200 lb. in weight. This was done with no bad breaks and few shut-downs. The cutter; and liners were the only parts liable to damage, and these were easily replaced with brief interruption of work. The chrome-steel liners are said to have lasted from six to nine months. I am informed that this dredge worked continously for nine

Apr 1, 1909

By W. F. Boericke

WORLD production of silver in 1929 totaled 256 million ounces. In 1928 production was 258 million ounces, and in 1927, 254 million ounces. With an actual decrease in the amount of silver produced last year, as compared with 1928, and an increase over 1927 of less than one per cent, obviously there has been no overproduction of the metal in the popular sense. But the price of silver tells a different story. For 1927, the average quotation was 56.37 cents; it was 58.17 in 1928, and 53.0 in 1929. During the last year it reached a high point of 57 cents in January, and fell steadily, without interruption to the downward trend, to a low of 47 cents in December. Since then it has dropped to an all time low of 43 cents on February 6.

Jan 1, 1930

By L. BENEDICT

COMMENTING on the report of the latest Royal Commission for India, the September, 1926, issue of the National City Bank's monthly letter states, among other things, that "The decision of the Royal Commission is against the proposal for a gold coinage, but in favor of placing the silver coins and paper currency now redeemable in silver on a gold basis." Also, it quotes the following from the Royal Commission's report: The essence of the proposal * * * * * is that the ordinary medium of circulation in India should remain as at present the currency note and the silver rupee, and that the stability of the currency in terms of gold should be secured by making the currency directly convertible into gold for all purposes, but the gold should not circulate as money. It must not circulate at first, and it need not circulate ever. In this connection it may be stated that during the last one hundred and fifty years or so unsuccessful attempts have been made by the governments of different nations of the world to devise a plan or plans by which gold and silver could be used concurrently for money purposes and, particularly, as standard money; such, for example, as bimetallism, which, of course, is impracticable. But, since none of such plans has been adopted generally it is logical to conclude that their proponents did not shape them so as to conform to the basic principle of standard money, or else political issues were deemed to be dominant, or, perhaps, it was partly due to each.

Jan 1, 1926

By William H. Bassett

RECENTLY it has become the custom of retiring presidents to talk of the relations of the Institute to its membership and its constituency- and it seems a good precedent to follow. Past-president Smith reviewed our relations to materials and to society in general. Mr. Bradley spoke of the value and use of our publications and of our educational duties. My message will be in regard to the coordination of our various groups of member interests and of service to industry. This Institute has, within its organization, four divisions and fourteen technical committees--each interested in a separate put very definite subject, and each covering a phase of mining engineering interest. These vary from geology and the geophysical methods of prospecting, to the physics of the structure of metals, truly "from the mine to the consumer"-from the preparation for mining to the final use of that which has been mined.

Jan 1, 1931

By Zay Jeffries

AN acute current shortage of copper, with the prospect that conditions may become worse, indicated by Office of Production Management information. Present estimates of copper requirement for defense indicate that nearly all the available metal will be required in the future for this purpose. Severe dislocations are, expected, but the objective is to distribute the copper available for civilian use in such a manner as to minimize these dislocations. The advisory committee on metals and minerals has been asked for a suggestions which may be helpful in meeting this situation.\

Jan 1, 1941

By CHARLES R. KETES

I. INTRODUCTORY. Lake Valley, New Mexico, has long been one of the most widely known mining districts of southwestern United States. For many years its silver-mines have been among the most famous of the country, visited by many mining men and geologists; yet little information regarding the origin of the ore-deposits and the influencing geologic conditions has found its way into print. With the recent revival of public attention, after a decade and a half of utter stagnation, to the mining of silver in the Southwest, special interest attaches to the genesis and geologic disposition of the ore-bodies which are so finely open to inspection in the Lake Valley district. Moreover, the local features here described are typical of the conditions existing over a much larger field. The fact that the ores are chiefly the chloride and the chloro-bromide of silver adds further interest. Data bearing upon the genesis of haloid ore-deposits are, at the present time, very much sought. Arid regions offer particularly favorable conditions for the formation of such ores. This New Mexican district appears to supply solutions to many problems concerning this class of ores, which have long vexed the student of ore-deposits. II. LOCATION AND HISTORY. The town of Lake Valley is situated in Sierra county, in the southwestern part of New Mexico, and 100 miles northwest of El Paso, as the crow flies.From a mining standpoint, the location of the place is itself suggestive, as it lies on the southeastern slope of the great quaquaversal arch of the Colorado plateau. The center of this vast dome is in north-central Arizona, and radii about 150 miles in length reach its foot in all directions. Around its basal margins runs the broad mineralized belt containing most of the great mines of the Southwest, which extends from south-central Colorado southward and southwestward through New Mexico, thence westward through Arizona, northwestward and northward through southeastern California and western Nevada, and, finally, eastward through Nevada and Utah into Colorado again. This great mineralized belt is important as geographically limiting profitable mining over the greater part of five States.

Jan 1, 1908

By H. W. Gillett

UNLIKE most previous Howe lecturers, I had not the good fortune to be associated with Henry Marion Howe, nor to be directly one of his students. Yet, through his writings, he has been my teacher, as he has of all American metallurgists. Instructive as his writings are-I use the present tense because Howe thought so keenly and reasoned so surely, seeing clearly, as if by intuition, what was hazy to lesser minds, that his writings are still vital-it is not, those books and papers, nor even the minds he trained in his classes, that were his most outstanding service. It was the spirit of Howe in his: approach to the problems of metallurgy, his broad-mindedness and fair-ness, his recognition of the need for theories and hypotheses to explain metallurgical phenomena, his willingness to use them as servants, as well as his questioning attitude-his refusal to accept them as masters-that comprise his greatest service. This most thoroughly warrants the honor the Institute pays each year to his memory. These traits I so respect and honor in any man that I glory in this opportunity to do reverence to him in whom they were so notably united.

Jan 1, 1939