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By Willis H. Carrier

Particular interest in the ventilation of deep mines, especially those in South Africa, has been created by a very complete system of cooling of the world's deepest mine, the Turf shaft of the Robinson Deep in Johannesburg. The writer visited this mine in January, 1936, and again in 1937. During these visits and subsequently, a considerable part of the theory involved in rock cooling in tunnels was developed and this has been checked by practical observations of the rates of rock cooling made within mines. The purpose of this paper is to set forth the method of attack of the mine problem. The cooling or air conditioning of mines by the use of mechanical refrigeration was not wholly newl-5 when the Robinson Deep installation was made. The first mine to be cooled was the Morro Velho mine, in Brazil. The first installation in this mine was put into operation in December 1920, the refrigerant being ammonia.5 The surface cooling gave considerable benefit but it proved inadequate as greater depths were reached, therefore in 1929 two centrifugal refrigerating machines were installed at the 6000-ft. level. These were used in conjunction with the surface cooling system to furnish additional cooling at the lower levels. This later installation used Carrene as a refrigerant. This nonflammable refrigerant, having a boiling point of 104" at sea level, insured reasonable safety, since all parts of the machine operated at subatmospheric pressure. Very favorable reports have been received on the effectiveness of this installation, but no recent data are available. An interesting feature of that plant is that the condenser water is cooled by spraying it into the exhaust air from the mine at the base of the ventilation upcast, which permits the water to be cooled within a few degrees of the wet-bulb temperature of the air entering the upcast, and the only water that has to be supplied for condensing purposes is that lost by evaporation, or about 0.5 per cent of the volume circulating through the condenser. This plan affords an ideal means for the removal of the heat load from the refrigerating system, and of course also from the mine itself. In many mines, however, especially those in South Africa, there is no

Jan 1, 1940

By Gloyd M. Wilkes

The eastern section of the Park City district is drained to an elevation of 6300 ft, by means of the Ontario drain tunnel owned and maintained by Park Utah Consolidated Mines Co. This elevation represents a depth of 920 ft, in Park City Consolidated Mines Company's property. When development below the 900-ft. level was commenced, sinking was attempted through an incline winze in the fissure. The intensely fractured quartzite forming the walls of the vein could not be held after water was encountered, so it was decided that further sinking should be done in a vertical winze far enough in the foot-wall to be in the more solid quartzite outside the fractured zone containing the vein. Progress was good until a depth of 200 ft. below water table was reached, where the flow of water became serious. Sinking progressed 300 ft., to the 1200-ft. level, and there approximately 750 gal. of water per minute was being pumped. The last 20 ft. of sinking cost more than $200 per foot direct charges, whereas the over-all cost for the 300 ft. was $100 per foot. This high last cost was caused by excessive lost time in pumping. Crosscutting to the vein disclosed the fact that the 1050-ft. level had been developed only after drainage had been effected from the 1200-ft. level, but that the 1200-ft. level could not be opened because of the great amount of water encountered when the fractured zone was intersected. The ground in the fractured zone is so finely crushed that it precludes any possibility of economic support when it is wet. Furthermore, mining costs were found to be prohibitive after caving of vein walls had taken place as a result of an attempt to drive drifts before complete drainage had been effected. More than 3000 gal. per minute was pumped from the 1200-ft. level and the water table remained 75 ft. above this plane even after five crosscuts were driven to the fractured zone at 50-ft. intervals along the strike of the fissure from a footwall drainage drift. It was evident, therefore, that complete drainage must be effected before the fractured zone could be opened in any future development. After extensive investigations in this connection, a well-drilling campaign was decided upon to effect drainage of the fissure in advance of sinking and level development, so that all mining operations would be carried on in dry ground. Drilling Procedure A crosscut was driven through the hanging wall of the fissure on the 1050-ft. level, which was the deepest dry level at the time, to a predetermined location from which a vertical hole should reach the fractured zone at about 400 ft. below this level. A drill station was made and a raise was driven over the location for the hole, to act in lieu of a derrick or drill tower. This raise

Jan 1, 1943

By Gloyd M. Wilkes

The eastern section of the Park City district is drained to an elevation of 6300 ft, by means of the Ontario drain tunnel owned and maintained by Park Utah Consolidated Mines Co. This elevation represents a depth of 920 ft, in Park City Consolidated Mines Company's property. When development below the 900-ft. level was commenced, sinking was attempted through an incline winze in the fissure. The intensely fractured quartzite forming the walls of the vein could not be held after water was encountered, so it was decided that further sinking should be done in a vertical winze far enough in the foot-wall to be in the more solid quartzite outside the fractured zone containing the vein. Progress was good until a depth of 200 ft. below water table was reached, where the flow of water became serious. Sinking progressed 300 ft., to the 1200-ft. level, and there approximately 750 gal. of water per minute was being pumped. The last 20 ft. of sinking cost more than $200 per foot direct charges, whereas the over-all cost for the 300 ft. was $100 per foot. This high last cost was caused by excessive lost time in pumping. Crosscutting to the vein disclosed the fact that the 1050-ft. level had been developed only after drainage had been effected from the 1200-ft. level, but that the 1200-ft. level could not be opened because of the great amount of water encountered when the fractured zone was intersected. The ground in the fractured zone is so finely crushed that it precludes any possibility of economic support when it is wet. Furthermore, mining costs were found to be prohibitive after caving of vein walls had taken place as a result of an attempt to drive drifts before complete drainage had been effected. More than 3000 gal. per minute was pumped from the 1200-ft. level and the water table remained 75 ft. above this plane even after five crosscuts were driven to the fractured zone at 50-ft. intervals along the strike of the fissure from a footwall drainage drift. It was evident, therefore, that complete drainage must be effected before the fractured zone could be opened in any future development. After extensive investigations in this connection, a well-drilling campaign was decided upon to effect drainage of the fissure in advance of sinking and level development, so that all mining operations would be carried on in dry ground. Drilling Procedure A crosscut was driven through the hanging wall of the fissure on the 1050-ft. level, which was the deepest dry level at the time, to a predetermined location from which a vertical hole should reach the fractured zone at about 400 ft. below this level. A drill station was made and a raise was driven over the location for the hole, to act in lieu of a derrick or drill tower. This raise

Jan 1, 1943

By S.H. Ash, P.S. Miller

Extensive and diversified resources justify large populations and great industries. To carry on the business of commerce and meet the demands of large populations, the utilization of tunnels in some form for transportation purposes constitutes an important link in modern civilization. The driving of tunnels has been appropriated by the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry, and the progressive steps taken by modern tunnel builders were not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Great strides have been made toward more rapid progress in tunneling in the United States during the past I0 years. Tunneling consists of a definite cycle of operations developed from ideas that are crystallized and translated into action programs through various engineering phases that begin with the first preliminary survey and do not end until the job is completed. Once the line of the bore is established and a time set for the completion of the work, the face must advance according to estimates prepared before the work commences. This schedule must be followed in regular sequence from the moment the drills start against a new face of rock until they are ready again to drill the Succdeding face, constituting a round. Mining is largely tunneling carried on under conditions often more inherently hazardous than actual tunnel construction, but for various reasons" tunne1ing is more hazardous than mining in any branch of the mineral industry. On the other hand, obstacles are sometimes encountered in heavy-construction tunneling projects that when met in mining enterprises do not offer comparable tasks to avoid or overcome them. One is the existence of water under high pressures. In mining enterprises, various alternatives offer a solution in driving a tunnel, even to the extent of its discontinuance or the abandonment of the mine, but a "construction" tunnel usually must go forward because some important project depends largely if not entirely upon it. This paper describes an unusual method of driving a water-supply tunnel through rock carrying water under pressures and conditions that did not permit the use of ordinary tunneling methods. The Delaware Aqueduct The new Delaware aqueduct is a Manhattan project of some magnitude; when regular it will contain what probably will be, for some time to come, the longest tunnel in the world. Various features in its construction are currently described in the trade journals of the construction industry, and informative engineering details are given in the Delaware Water Supply News, published twice a month by the Board of Water Supply of the City of New York. Work was begun on this project on March 24, 1937. The tunnel will convey water from reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River to the City of New York.

Jan 1, 1943

By P. S. Miller, S. H. Ash

Extensive and diversified resources justify large populations and great industries. To carry on the business of commerce and meet the demands of large populations, the utilization of tunnels in some form for transportation purposes constitutes an important link in modern civilization. The driving of tunnels has been appropriated by the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry, and the progressive steps taken by modern tunnel builders were not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Great strides have been made toward more rapid progress in tunneling in the United States during the past I0 years. Tunneling consists of a definite cycle of operations developed from ideas that are crystallized and translated into action programs through various engineering phases that begin with the first preliminary survey and do not end until the job is completed. Once the line of the bore is established and a time set for the completion of the work, the face must advance according to estimates prepared before the work commences. This schedule must be followed in regular sequence from the moment the drills start against a new face of rock until they are ready again to drill the Succdeding face, constituting a round. Mining is largely tunneling carried on under conditions often more inherently hazardous than actual tunnel construction, but for various reasons" tunne1ing is more hazardous than mining in any branch of the mineral industry. On the other hand, obstacles are sometimes encountered in heavy-construction tunneling projects that when met in mining enterprises do not offer comparable tasks to avoid or overcome them. One is the existence of water under high pressures. In mining enterprises, various alternatives offer a solution in driving a tunnel, even to the extent of its discontinuance or the abandonment of the mine, but a "construction" tunnel usually must go forward because some important project depends largely if not entirely upon it. This paper describes an unusual method of driving a water-supply tunnel through rock carrying water under pressures and conditions that did not permit the use of ordinary tunneling methods. The Delaware Aqueduct The new Delaware aqueduct is a Manhattan project of some magnitude; when regular it will contain what probably will be, for some time to come, the longest tunnel in the world. Various features in its construction are currently described in the trade journals of the construction industry, and informative engineering details are given in the Delaware Water Supply News, published twice a month by the Board of Water Supply of the City of New York. Work was begun on this project on March 24, 1937. The tunnel will convey water from reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River to the City of New York.

Jan 1, 1943

By W. L. Dennen, W. W. Wirth

Research looking toward the reduction of the cost of roof support by substitution of longer-life materials for wooden timber is fully justified by the fact that roof support is an important element of all production costs. Permanent or semipermanent roof support will reduce the expense of timber-maintenance crews during steady operations, but even more markedly during idle periods. The management, therefore, is faced with the important problem of timber renewals, which in times of regular operation are frequently obscured by more urgent problems of production. Increased use of timber in the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania is caused mainly by increased percentage of coal obtained from robbing areas, which requires more timber for safety than development work, and maintenance of long haulageways through crushed ground despite the fact that less coal is transported over them. The timber reserve in the immediate vicinity of the mines has been depleted to such an extent that it is necessary to secure 70 per cent of the timber requirements from distant sources. Originally, mine timbering in this region was done by largely utilizing round props or legs with round collars. The whole cross section of the tree from which timber was cut was utilized by forming the joints between the legs and the collars with saw and adze, using plank or round saplings for lagging behind the legs and over the collars to prevent material falling between them. The Mine Inspectors' report of 1898 records an important digression from the use of round timber, when two tunnels at the Babylon colliery, near Pittston, Pa., were timbered with 12 by 12-in. square timber sets with mud sills, through quicksand for distances of 425 and 160 ft., respectively. The timbers were lagged with 3-in. plank to control sand. An early step toward the permanent type of roof support was the installation of "brick pillars or perfect arched brick rooms" instead of

Jan 1, 1940

By W. L. Dennen, W. W. Wirth

Research looking toward the reduction of the cost of roof support by substitution of longer-life materials for wooden timber is fully justified by the fact that roof support is an important element of all production costs. Permanent or semipermanent roof support will reduce the expense of timber-maintenance crews during steady operations, but even more markedly during idle periods. The management, therefore, is faced with the important problem of timber renewals, which in times of regular operation are frequently obscured by more urgent problems of production. Increased use of timber in the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania is caused mainly by increased percentage of coal obtained from robbing areas, which requires more timber for safety than development work, and maintenance of long haulageways through crushed ground despite the fact that less coal is transported over them. The timber reserve in the immediate vicinity of the mines has been depleted to such an extent that it is necessary to secure 70 per cent of the timber requirements from distant sources. Originally, mine timbering in this region was done by largely utilizing round props or legs with round collars. The whole cross section of the tree from which timber was cut was utilized by forming the joints between the legs and the collars with saw and adze, using plank or round saplings for lagging behind the legs and over the collars to prevent material falling between them. The Mine Inspectors' report of 1898 records an important digression from the use of round timber, when two tunnels at the Babylon colliery, near Pittston, Pa., were timbered with 12 by 12-in. square timber sets with mud sills, through quicksand for distances of 425 and 160 ft., respectively. The timbers were lagged with 3-in. plank to control sand. An early step toward the permanent type of roof support was the installation of "brick pillars or perfect arched brick rooms" instead of

Jan 1, 1940

By Aloys IL. Wollrab

The conditions that govern the selection of a suitable type of detachable bit for the small, isolated mine, for rock work and tunnel contracting and for the large mine are quite dissimilar, therefore intelligent recommendation of a particular make of detachable bit must involve consideration of many factors. Small, isolated mines may find advantageous a detachable bit that a larger mine cannot afford to use, because of more efficient conventional steel sharpening and steel-distribution practice, but a small mine may not be able to adopt the practice of large mines because of necessary capital expenditures for equipment for detachable-bit sharpening and . shanking. The perfect detachable bit, suitable for all conditions, has not yet been developed. Conventional Drill Bit in Use That drilling speed increases as the bit gauge decreases is well known, but since small-hole drilling is the exception rather than the rule the rate of such increase is probably not so generally recognized. Tests carried out by Holman Brothers Limited1 with 7/8-in. steel show that when bit sizes are reduced from I½ in., I3/8 in., and I3/16 in-; to I3/8 in., I1/4 in.., and I1/8 in., respectively, the volume of the hole is I 5 per cent less and the drilling speed 49 per cent higher. Recent tests by the United States Bureau of Mines2,3 in hard, uniform basalt showed that a reduction in average gauge from 2.077 to I,826 in., a difference of o.25I in., gave an increased drilling speed of 65 per cent. The limits to which a drill hole may be extended depend upon the loss in gauge. Since the conventional bit with 5° and 14° clearances did not possess sufficient reaming edge to permit the smaller gauge changes that were required for small-hole drilling, experiments were made in bit construction with a view to correcting this deficiency. This resulted in the adoption of the full reaming cross bit (having full Carr charac1erist.i~~) by some mines4 In order to drill holes having a minimum taper from the collar to the bottom of the hole, full reaming center-hole cross bits with 90° cutting angles, 5° and 14° wing tapers, forged on 7/8-in. quarter-octagon drill rods, are used in the conventional drill-steel practice at Hollinger. In the steel shop close attention is given to the condition of the dies and dollies, which, combined with a rigid inspection of the finished bit, ensures as nearly a perfect bit as call be forged economically. Shop practices and costs have been discussed in earlier paper.5,6 The method by which the radii for the special dies used for forging bits of different gauge diameter are obtained so that the points and reaming edges cut circles of the same diameter has been discussed by Hibbert. Requiremnts for Detachable. Bit for Hollinger Under these it it was appar- ent that it would be difficult to introduce a detachable bit that could successfully compete with the conventional bit already in

Jan 1, 1943

By Aloys IL. Wollrab

The conditions that govern the selection of a suitable type of detachable bit for the small, isolated mine, for rock work and tunnel contracting and for the large mine are quite dissimilar, therefore intelligent recommendation of a particular make of detachable bit must involve consideration of many factors. Small, isolated mines may find advantageous a detachable bit that a larger mine cannot afford to use, because of more efficient conventional steel sharpening and steel-distribution practice, but a small mine may not be able to adopt the practice of large mines because of necessary capital expenditures for equipment for detachable-bit sharpening and . shanking. The perfect detachable bit, suitable for all conditions, has not yet been developed. Conventional Drill Bit in Use That drilling speed increases as the bit gauge decreases is well known, but since small-hole drilling is the exception rather than the rule the rate of such increase is probably not so generally recognized. Tests carried out by Holman Brothers Limited1 with 7/8-in. steel show that when bit sizes are reduced from I½ in., I3/8 in., and I3/16 in-; to I3/8 in., I1/4 in.., and I1/8 in., respectively, the volume of the hole is I 5 per cent less and the drilling speed 49 per cent higher. Recent tests by the United States Bureau of Mines2,3 in hard, uniform basalt showed that a reduction in average gauge from 2.077 to I,826 in., a difference of o.25I in., gave an increased drilling speed of 65 per cent. The limits to which a drill hole may be extended depend upon the loss in gauge. Since the conventional bit with 5° and 14° clearances did not possess sufficient reaming edge to permit the smaller gauge changes that were required for small-hole drilling, experiments were made in bit construction with a view to correcting this deficiency. This resulted in the adoption of the full reaming cross bit (having full Carr charac1erist.i~~) by some mines4 In order to drill holes having a minimum taper from the collar to the bottom of the hole, full reaming center-hole cross bits with 90° cutting angles, 5° and 14° wing tapers, forged on 7/8-in. quarter-octagon drill rods, are used in the conventional drill-steel practice at Hollinger. In the steel shop close attention is given to the condition of the dies and dollies, which, combined with a rigid inspection of the finished bit, ensures as nearly a perfect bit as call be forged economically. Shop practices and costs have been discussed in earlier paper.5,6 The method by which the radii for the special dies used for forging bits of different gauge diameter are obtained so that the points and reaming edges cut circles of the same diameter has been discussed by Hibbert. Requiremnts for Detachable. Bit for Hollinger Under these it it was appar- ent that it would be difficult to introduce a detachable bit that could successfully compete with the conventional bit already in

Jan 1, 1943

By Roy A. Hardy

The Getchell mine is a comparatively recent discovery in the old Potosi mining district, Humboldt County, Nevada, a district organized in the seventies and eighties, in which some prospecting was done in several metamorphic zones along a monzonite-sedimentary contact. The district had no production in the early days and no further work was done until the same metamorphic zones were prospected for tungsten (scheelite) in 1917 and 1918, when a few small lots were shipped. It again lay dormant until 1934, when prospectors investigated a large siliceous escarpment at one end of the old district where outcroppings were a prominent feature of the topography. Undoubtedly, during the early prospecting of the district, the outcroppings had been investigated for mineral, probably by panning, with negligible results because the gold later found is invisible in the concentrate and is refractory. A fire assay revealed the presence of sufficient gold to warrant development work. The outcroppings were easily prospected by short tunnels having their portals in the siliceous material on the hanging-wall side, with a maximum distance to crosscut to the footwall of 135 ft., or a distance at right angle to dip of 60 to 90 ft. Development work, reaching a depth of over 600 ft. on the dip of the vein, was done by means of various crosscut tunnels, winzes and laterals. A churn-drill hole was also sunk, which intersected. the vein at a depth of 1100 ft. on the dip. Sufficient development work of this character was completed by 1937 to justify the erection of a reduction plant to roast the sulphide ore and cyanide the calcine, and to treat the oxidized ore by straight cyanidation, to make a doré bullion for shipment to the mint. The erection of the plant was started that year and finished early in 1938; with a combined capacity of about 800 tons per day. It has operated continuously since erection and recently was enlarged to handle 1000 tons per day. The vein dips with the slope of the mountain, and by stripping the hanging wall the ore may be mined by power shovel for several hundred feet below the outcrop. Thereafter underground methods will be necessary.

Jan 1, 1941

By Roy A. Hardy

The Getchell mine is a comparatively recent discovery in the old Potosi mining district, Humboldt County, Nevada, a district organized in the seventies and eighties, in which some prospecting was done in several metamorphic zones along a monzonite-sedimentary contact. The district had no production in the early days and no further work was done until the same metamorphic zones were prospected for tungsten (scheelite) in 1917 and 1918, when a few small lots were shipped. It again lay dormant until 1934, when prospectors investigated a large siliceous escarpment at one end of the old district where outcroppings were a prominent feature of the topography. Undoubtedly, during the early prospecting of the district, the outcroppings had been investigated for mineral, probably by panning, with negligible results because the gold later found is invisible in the concentrate and is refractory. A fire assay revealed the presence of sufficient gold to warrant development work. The outcroppings were easily prospected by short tunnels having their portals in the siliceous material on the hanging-wall side, with a maximum distance to crosscut to the footwall of 135 ft., or a distance at right angle to dip of 60 to 90 ft. Development work, reaching a depth of over 600 ft. on the dip of the vein, was done by means of various crosscut tunnels, winzes and laterals. A churn-drill hole was also sunk, which intersected. the vein at a depth of 1100 ft. on the dip. Sufficient development work of this character was completed by 1937 to justify the erection of a reduction plant to roast the sulphide ore and cyanide the calcine, and to treat the oxidized ore by straight cyanidation, to make a doré bullion for shipment to the mint. The erection of the plant was started that year and finished early in 1938; with a combined capacity of about 800 tons per day. It has operated continuously since erection and recently was enlarged to handle 1000 tons per day. The vein dips with the slope of the mountain, and by stripping the hanging wall the ore may be mined by power shovel for several hundred feet below the outcrop. Thereafter underground methods will be necessary.

Jan 1, 1941

By G. E. Goodspeed

The Cornucopia gold quartz veins form a parallel vein system traversing meta-morphic and granodioritic rocks. Field and petrographic evidence suggests that inetasomatism has played an important role both in the emplacement of the grano-diorite and in the formation of the veins. Structurally the veins appear to be related to the major tectonic features of the Wallowa Mountains and to be narrow shear zones rather than filled fissures. Petrographic studies indicate a complex history of formation starting from initial alteration along fractures or joints followed by recurrent fracturing and a quartz-forming stage, and closing with continued shearing and microbrecciation, which permitted the upward percolation of the later ore-forming solutions. The precipitation of ore minerals from these solutions formed ore shoots. Postmineral effects include the injection of Tertiary basaltic dikes, a shght amount of cross faulting, and some movement along the planes of the veins as well as oxidation. Introduction Cornucopia is in the southeastern part of the rugged Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon. It was founded over 50 years ago following the discovery of its system of gold quartz veins. The major veins are roughly parallel and dip into the western side of Pine Valley, which drains the southern slope of the range. Previous operations had cut the upper portion of four major veins with two tunnels over 1000 ft. apart, when the present operating company drove a third tunnel, called the Coulter, at the level of the valley over 1000 ft. lower to intersect the most easterly major vein at over 6200 ft. from the portal. General Geology of District The oldest rocks in the vicinity are metamorphosed sediments and volcanics. These, for the most part, are presumably Mesozoic in age, although some black argillites outcropping along East Pine Creek are considered to be Permian.l,2 These rocks have been deformed and metamorphosed in general to hornfels at the close of the Jurassic. The series was then invaded by a granodiorite batholith, the origin of which is

Jan 1, 1941

By G. E. Goodspeed

The Cornucopia gold quartz veins form a parallel vein system traversing meta-morphic and granodioritic rocks. Field and petrographic evidence suggests that inetasomatism has played an important role both in the emplacement of the grano-diorite and in the formation of the veins. Structurally the veins appear to be related to the major tectonic features of the Wallowa Mountains and to be narrow shear zones rather than filled fissures. Petrographic studies indicate a complex history of formation starting from initial alteration along fractures or joints followed by recurrent fracturing and a quartz-forming stage, and closing with continued shearing and microbrecciation, which permitted the upward percolation of the later ore-forming solutions. The precipitation of ore minerals from these solutions formed ore shoots. Postmineral effects include the injection of Tertiary basaltic dikes, a shght amount of cross faulting, and some movement along the planes of the veins as well as oxidation. Introduction Cornucopia is in the southeastern part of the rugged Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon. It was founded over 50 years ago following the discovery of its system of gold quartz veins. The major veins are roughly parallel and dip into the western side of Pine Valley, which drains the southern slope of the range. Previous operations had cut the upper portion of four major veins with two tunnels over 1000 ft. apart, when the present operating company drove a third tunnel, called the Coulter, at the level of the valley over 1000 ft. lower to intersect the most easterly major vein at over 6200 ft. from the portal. General Geology of District The oldest rocks in the vicinity are metamorphosed sediments and volcanics. These, for the most part, are presumably Mesozoic in age, although some black argillites outcropping along East Pine Creek are considered to be Permian.l,2 These rocks have been deformed and metamorphosed in general to hornfels at the close of the Jurassic. The series was then invaded by a granodiorite batholith, the origin of which is

Jan 1, 1941

By E. H. Denny

In the past few years many men, including technically trained engineers, have been asphyxiated in metal mines, coal mines, tunnels and surface wells where a few relatively simple precautions with regard to ventilation and air testing would have saved them. Death from mine gases is analogous in some respects to death from poison and from drowning. The respiratory passages of a victim who has breathed oxides of nitrogen from burning explosives are badly irritated and a few hours or even a day after exposure he may develop a quick and fatal pneumonia; if, however, he enters without respiratory protective apparatus an atmosphere deficient in oxygen (a condition that may occur in unventilated or poorly ventilated parts of all underground mines) he collapses and if not rescued dies more quickly and surely than a lone nonswimmer who falls suddenly into deep water. An example of an atmosphere virtually without oxygen was demonstrated by an air sample taken by a Bureau of Mines engineer wearing oxygen breathing apparatus in a Cripple Creek shaft some years ago, during the recovery of the bodies of two victims of asphyxiation; analysis of the sample by the Pittsburgh laboratory of the Bureau showed the presence of 18.40 per cent of carbon dioxide, 0.27 per cent of oxygen, and 81.33 per cent of nitrogen, although the atmosphere apparently was clear and normal. In a mine one can pass from good, breathable air to an atmosphere that will kill as quickly as one can dive from a board to deep water below. Some Instances of Asphyxiation by Gases in Metal Mines The following typical examples of comparatively recent instances of asphyxiation in metal mines were taken chiefly from reports of various kinds of the U. S. Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1940

By E. H. Denny

In the past few years many men, including technically trained engineers, have been asphyxiated in metal mines, coal mines, tunnels and surface wells where a few relatively simple precautions with regard to ventilation and air testing would have saved them. Death from mine gases is analogous in some respects to death from poison and from drowning. The respiratory passages of a victim who has breathed oxides of nitrogen from burning explosives are badly irritated and a few hours or even a day after exposure he may develop a quick and fatal pneumonia; if, however, he enters without respiratory protective apparatus an atmosphere deficient in oxygen (a condition that may occur in unventilated or poorly ventilated parts of all underground mines) he collapses and if not rescued dies more quickly and surely than a lone nonswimmer who falls suddenly into deep water. An example of an atmosphere virtually without oxygen was demonstrated by an air sample taken by a Bureau of Mines engineer wearing oxygen breathing apparatus in a Cripple Creek shaft some years ago, during the recovery of the bodies of two victims of asphyxiation; analysis of the sample by the Pittsburgh laboratory of the Bureau showed the presence of 18.40 per cent of carbon dioxide, 0.27 per cent of oxygen, and 81.33 per cent of nitrogen, although the atmosphere apparently was clear and normal. In a mine one can pass from good, breathable air to an atmosphere that will kill as quickly as one can dive from a board to deep water below. Some Instances of Asphyxiation by Gases in Metal Mines The following typical examples of comparatively recent instances of asphyxiation in metal mines were taken chiefly from reports of various kinds of the U. S. Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. Stuart Jenkins

Conditions at the properties of the Consolidated Coal Co. had reached a point where improvements were almost impractical. The mines, sunk years ago, had shafts and entries so small as to preclude the use of large mine cars. A radical change was necessary in the type of mining and also in the type of mine to accommodate such haulage units. After due consideration, the company decided to enter the field of trackless mining, utilizing belt conveyors and chain-flight conveyors, the belt conveyors to take the long haul, and the chain-flight conveyors to be used for gathering. It was decided not to sink a shaft, hut to drive a slope on an inclination of 17½°, which the company believes to be about the limit on which coal can be carried on a belt without rolling back unduly. Sinking the Slope It was decided, in sinking the slope, to make an opencut until rock was reached, which was some 65 ft. below the surface, and then to drive the slope through an inclined tunnel from that point. In making the open-cut, the schedule called for the removal of about 25,000 cu. yd. of clay, holding the banks on an inclination of one and a half to one, the thought being to make this cut in a minimum of time, put in a reinforced concrete slope, and then back-fill. Difficulty was experienced because the clay was of a sort that was called "subsiding base" material by contractors visiting the job. In other words, a "squeeze" occurred, the pressure causing the floor of the cut to move up just as it does in many mines where the coal is underlain by thick fire clay and inadequate pillars have been left. It was necessary to move the waste banks back from the edge of the cut 700 or 800 ft., and even then the floor could not be controlled, the result being that almost 100,000 cu. yd. of clay was handled before the rock was reached. A concrete slope was then rapidly constructed, using 95 tons of special-shaped reinforcing iron. The floor of this slope was made 30 in. thick at the bottom, and 17 in. thick at the top, the sidewalls being 18 in.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. Stuart Jenkins

Conditions at the properties of the Consolidated Coal Co. had reached a point where improvements were almost impractical. The mines, sunk years ago, had shafts and entries so small as to preclude the use of large mine cars. A radical change was necessary in the type of mining and also in the type of mine to accommodate such haulage units. After due consideration, the company decided to enter the field of trackless mining, utilizing belt conveyors and chain-flight conveyors, the belt conveyors to take the long haul, and the chain-flight conveyors to be used for gathering. It was decided not to sink a shaft, hut to drive a slope on an inclination of 17½°, which the company believes to be about the limit on which coal can be carried on a belt without rolling back unduly. Sinking the Slope It was decided, in sinking the slope, to make an opencut until rock was reached, which was some 65 ft. below the surface, and then to drive the slope through an inclined tunnel from that point. In making the open-cut, the schedule called for the removal of about 25,000 cu. yd. of clay, holding the banks on an inclination of one and a half to one, the thought being to make this cut in a minimum of time, put in a reinforced concrete slope, and then back-fill. Difficulty was experienced because the clay was of a sort that was called "subsiding base" material by contractors visiting the job. In other words, a "squeeze" occurred, the pressure causing the floor of the cut to move up just as it does in many mines where the coal is underlain by thick fire clay and inadequate pillars have been left. It was necessary to move the waste banks back from the edge of the cut 700 or 800 ft., and even then the floor could not be controlled, the result being that almost 100,000 cu. yd. of clay was handled before the rock was reached. A concrete slope was then rapidly constructed, using 95 tons of special-shaped reinforcing iron. The floor of this slope was made 30 in. thick at the bottom, and 17 in. thick at the top, the sidewalls being 18 in.

Jan 1, 1940

By I. L. Greninger

THE property of the Andes Copper Mining Co. is in the central part of the Republic of Chile, Province of Atacama, 147 km. (91.5 miles) eastward by rail from the port of Chanaral. At this point the Andean system is made up of two principal ranges. The mine is on the westerly slope of the outer, or western, range, at a mean elevation of 3250 m. (10,500 ft.). A meter-gage railroad extends from the company's port at Barquito, near Chañaral, to the reduction plant at Potrerillos. This road has a total length of 151 km. (94.0 miles), of which 93 km. (57.79 miles) are owned by the Andes Copper Mining Co. The remainder of the road is owned by the state. The company operates its trains over the portion of the road owned by the state, under an agreement with the Chilean Government. The mine is connected with the reduction plant by a meter-gage railroad, 10 km. (6.214 miles) long, which extends from the coarse-ore bins at the metallurgical plant to the underground storage bins at the mine. Tunnels make up 60 per cent. of the total length of this railroad. As is characteristic of the Andean region in Chile, the topography of the locality is extremely rough, and a number of points near the mine have elevations of from 15,000 to 16,000 feet. History of Potrerillos Mine The ore occurrence has been known for many years, and many of the claims under individual ownership were worked in a small way before the property was acquired by the present owner—the Andes Copper Mining Company. The highest grade oxide ores near the surface were mined by primitive methods and, after sorting, the product, assaying around 15 per cent, copper, was hauled by mule carts a distance of about 80 km. (49.71 miles)

Jan 1, 1929

By F. O. Garrabrant

Power is furnished to the Climax Molybdenum Co. by the Public Service Co. of Colorado over two 100,000-volt lines to a bank of three 3333-kva. transformers 100/13.8 kv. These transformers are so designed that with the addition of forced cooling their capacity may be increased 331/3 Per cent at 12,000-ft. altitude. Under present conditions, these transformers are operated at 140 per cent of their rating with forced air cooling. On the secondary side of this bank there is a 15-kv., 1200-amp. Westinghouse oil circuit breaker provided with automatic reclosing relays allowing three successive short circuits before lockout. From this breaker 13.8-kv. power is transmitted to a central switching station (Fig. I) where all circuits radiate to the different operations of the property. Each circuit is protected by a 23-kv., 600-amp. oil circuit breaker with by-pass and isolating disconnecting switches.

Jan 1, 1947

By Ernest N. Patty, Sherwin F. Kelly

The present case history deals with the examination of an almost forgotten nickel prospect, near Winesap, Chelan County, Washington. Although the final results yielded no ore body of commercial importance, the integration of surface and underground exploration, geophysical survey and diamond drilling endow the story with interest. The program is significant because it is illustrative of how the most disappointing expenditures in mining exploration, the "not-finding" costs, could have been reduced had geophysical methods been applied at an appropriate stage in the prospecting work. The Chelan nickel deposit was discovered about 1900, on a sage-brush-covered hillside with a southerly slope, adjacent to Winesap Canyon; the paved highway now extending from Wenatchee northward, up the Columbia River and into Okanogan Valley, is only a mile away. After the deposit was found, three short prospect tunnels were driven into it, and the prospect then remained dormant for 40 years. No. x tunnel was 80 ft. long, running north into the hillside. For the first 35 ft. this adit exposed a typical, iron-stained gossan with streaks and stains of malachite, and small seams of water-soluble nickel sulphate. Beyond this, it encountered a relatively fresh peridotite, well mineralized with blebs of pentlandite. Systematic sampling yielded an average assay of 1.5 per cent nickel and 0.3 per cent copper. Down the hillside to the south and 35 ft. lower in elevation, No. 2 tunnel was driven under No. I and in the same direction, traversing 50 ft. of gneiss before it reached the peridotite. At this point the latter formation showed only scattered blebs of sulphides, not of commercial grade. To the west, on the same contour line as No. I tunnel, and 800 ft. around the hillside from it, No. 3 tunnel was driven 50 ft. into the hill to explore a strong gossan outcrop that assayed 0.5 per cent nickel (Fig. I). From the geological exposures on the hillside and in the tunnels, it appears that the main mass of the hill is formed of an ancient and altered gneiss complex. Into this, a sill-like injection of amphibolite (altered peridotite) was intruded, which, at least in some places, contains commercial quantities of nickel sulphide. Its structure is obscure, but it appears to dip into the hill at an angle of about 15°. In the vicinity of No. 3 tunnel a large dike of quartz diorite cuts the peridotite or amphibolite; about 140 ft. north of the portal of the tunnel, a dike of andesite 00 ft. wide cuts boldly up the hillside to break the continuity of the peridotite in that direction. The geological evidence available was not adequate to decide whether the peridotite forms a continuous sill, or occurs as isolated bodies in the gneiss. Not all of this peridotite carries commercial amounts of pentlandite, but if the mineral-

Jan 1, 1946