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By Carl Scholz

During November and December, 1907, four serious mine-explosions occurred in the Appalachian coal-field, which resulted in the loss of nearly a thousand lives and caused an eliormous damage to propcrty. These accidents attracted more than the usual attention; coal-trade and engineering papers contained many comments and suggestions on the cause and prevention of accidents; the daily press in many instances condemned the coal-operators and charged these accidents to their negligence, or their anxiety to make money without adopting precautionary measures. Immediately after cach accident the respective State authorities ordered close investigations to be made, with the view of establishing the cause and suggesting remedies to prevent recurrence. Representatives of the Technologic Branch of the IT. S. Geological Survey, to whom the investigation of mine-accidents had recently been delegated by the Secretary of the Interior, visited the mines and co-operated with the local authorities in their determinations. It may be safe to say here that an investigation of a mine after an explosion has occurred discloses but little, because the causes hare been removed and conditions have been entirely changed. On Jan. 8, 1908, the coal-operators of West Virginia organized an association at qTashington for the purpose of making extensive investigations, and sufficient funds were pledged to carry out this work. At this organization meeting, the representatives of the Geological Survey present had no suggestions to offer as to the cause of these accidents. An examinatiou of the various reports concerning these accidents indicates that the explosions were caused by the ignition of gas or dust; they show the point of origin and the direction in which the force was expended, and give a detailed description of the damage done. Very little has bee11 said as to what

Jan 1, 1909

By M. W. Hayward

THE object of this paper is to record and tabulate the data and field observations obtained by the writers and their associates during 10 years of intensive study of lead-zinc deposits in the Cretaceous limestone areas in Northern Mexico, particularly in mines owned by the Cia Minera de Peñoles, S. A. At the El Paso meeting of the Institute in October, 1930, J. G. Barry made the suggestion that a committee be appointed to correlate the ideas and theories which have been put forth by the numerous engineers and geologists who, during recent years, have made a study of the ore deposits in the area under consideration. The first step in a work of this nature would be to record all of the observed facts, and these facts would have to be accepted by those who attempted to formulate a theory of ore deposition. It is with this idea in mind that the writers have described as accurately as possible the actual, observed facts pertaining to the occurrence of the lead-zinc ores in dolomites or dolomitic horizons. By most writers the term "dolomite" is loosely used to designate magnesium-bearing limestones, regardless of the percentage of MgO present. Since no true dolomites exist in the areas to be described, we shall also loosely use the terms dolomite or dolomitic limestone to desig-nate those beds having a magnesia content of 5 per cent MgO or more. For a number of years the writers have been impressed with the fact that in areas where dolomite beds occur a large percentage of the lead ore is found in these beds, in spite of the fact that such beds may be overlain or underlain by pure limestone, which one would assume to be just as favorable for replacement as the dolomite, if not more so on account of its being more soluble in acid solutions than the dolomite. It is true that in some limestone areas, such as the Erupcion-Ahumada districts, Chihuahua, and Providencia, Zacatecas, where no dolomite beds have been found, large tonnages of lead ores have been mined. We venture to predict, however, that had there been dolomitic beds in these areas, the

Jan 1, 1932

By Donald W. Mitchell, John Nagy, Edwin M. Murphy

In 1957 research was initiated in the U.S. Bureau of Mines experimental coal mine near Pittsburgh, Pa., to study factors affecting foam generation and transport, to evaluate the effectiveness of high-expansion foam for controlling mine fires, and to develop techniques for applying the method under U.S. mining conditions. These investigations showed that high-expansion foam containing at least 0.2 oz of water per cu ft of foam is effective in controlling experimental underground fires burning coal, wood, and oil. Sometimes the fire was completely extinguished, but more often, it was brought under sufficient control to permit either a direct attack on the fire with a stream of water or loading of the hot material into cars. A progress report prepared in July 1958 summarized the initial achievements of the USBM experiments. Since then other phases of the foam-plug method for attacking fires have been studied in the laboratory and in the mine. Previous studies by British engineers of the foam-plug method for fighting mine fires indicated that high-expansion foam was effective in controlling experimental timber fires in an underground passageway. Their subsequent work pertained to the practical aspects of fighting large fires within a mining area with a foam-plug.

Jan 9, 1960

By Robert Bakish

VARIOUS aspects of structure-sensitive corrosion of single crystals and polycrystalline aggregates of Cu,Au have been presented in papers by the author, in association with W. D. Robertson. Prompted by some observations in the course of these studies, a new approach to the problem was undertaken. Results of these new experiments are reported here. Thin slices, less than 2 mm thick, were prepared from single crystals 3.5 mm in diam grown by the Bridgman technique. The crystals were homogen- ized for 300 hr at 850°C. Crystals with no deformation, crystals deformed in tension to the yield point, and crystals deformed 20 pct in excess of the yield point were used. Crystals of several different orientations were studied. Slices were immersed for one month in 2 pct aqueous solution of FeCl3 and, subsequent to this immersion, were subjected to bending. Immersion and bending were carried out at room temperature. The size and geometry of the crystals did not permit accurate data on the loads involved. A most unexpected result was obtained in the process of bending these slices of Cu3Au crystals normal to the (110) plane. Completely brittle be-

Jan 1, 1958

By C. M. Wayman, R. Bullough

The rediffraction of Bragg diffracted beams by differently oriented regions (such as twins) of a crystal may give rise to "extra" reflections or reciprocal lattice points. These two papers are concerned with predicting these additional reflections which result from twin related regions of a lattice. Analysis is made for {111}fcc twins, (112)bcc twins, and {hkil}hcp twins. It is first required, knowing the specific variant of the twinning plane in each case, to predict the positions of the twin reflections relative to the matrix reciprocal lattice. Once this is done, the positions of the "extra" multiply diffracted reflections may be deduced. Part I is devoted to establishing "selection ru1es" for twinning, i.e., the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of twinned reciprocal lattice points. 1. INTRODUCTION. Transmission electron diffraction patterns are frequently complicated by multiply diffracted beams. Pashley and stowell1 have recently demonstrated that certain extra reflections in evapo- rated films of gold result from the rediffraction of matrix Bragg diffracted beams by (111) microtwins in the gold. It was previously (and erroneously) suggested 2,3 that observed "irrational" reflections in fine-grained gold were due to the presence of some hcp gold. A similar situation exists, apparently, for some bcc materials; fine (112) twins in bcc martensite in Fe-Ni alloys4 give rise to extra reflections. There are many other examples. The number of transmission electron microscopic investigations is continually increasing, and because of the importance of double (and multiple) diffraction in the interpretation of diffraction patterns, it was judged that a detailed elaboration of the principles involved is desirable, as well as the extension of these principles in reasonably closed form to other crystal structures, particularly bcc and hcp. The present analysis considers double diffraction caused by (111) twins in fcc metals, (112) twins in bcc metals, and {hkil} = {hkl) twins in hcp metals. For each case of twinning, the various possible (variants of) twins give rise to a set of interpenetrating reciprocal lattices. The relative spatial arrangements of these reciprocal lattices can be deduced (Part I) and are expressed in terms of simple "selection rules". The resulting sets of interpenetrating reciprocal lattices are then analyzed for possible doubly diffracted reflections (Part II). The notation used, and some important formulas are given in Appendices I and 11.

Jan 1, 1967

By P. K. Currie, J. V. Walters

Solution mining of magnesium salts (Carnallite and Bischofite) is taking place near Veendam, in the northeast Netherlands. The magnesium salts are used for the production of magnesia sinter, used as a base material for the manufacture of refractory bricks for furnaces. This paper gives, first, an introduction to the operational procedure followed in Veendam, with the emphasis on some of the unique aspects, and then discusses rock-mechanical aspects of the cavity behaviour. The creep behaviour of magnesium salts is described, and Finite Element calculations on cavity stability and potential surface subsidence are discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

Report of the Secretary TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN INSTI¬TUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN As will be shown by the special reports of the Finance, Membership, Library, Papers and Publications, Increase of Membership, and other standing Committees, together with that of the Treasurer, the year 1927 was one in which the Institute made very satisfactory progress in a number of directions. In total numbers the membership is no larger but in revenue from dues there has been a marked increase. This has been due to the promotion to full membership of Junior Associates of earlier years, to the larger proportion that come in originally as members rather than juniors, and to the keener interest in the work of the Institute reflected in prompter payment of dues. The latter is important, since experience shows that of those who fall behind a large number must ultimately be dropped for non-payment. Conditions in the mining in¬dustries have been healthy though not booming. It has been much easier for members to find employment and meet their financial obligations but there has not been that flow of young men into mining, and hence in part into the Institute, that characterized certain earlier years. Rather the tendency toward centralization and larger industrial units has re¬stricted the number, though not the scope, of opportunities for technical men in the mineral industries. The Institute is constantly receiving resignations from members crowded out of mining into other lines of activity. On the other hand, those who remain in mining and metal¬lurgy have a greatly increased necessity for information and contacts with technology. A few years ago many superintendents and most foremen were non-technical men. Today the reverse rule obtains and shift bosses and men who occupy even lower positions in industrial units are called upon to know and to apply such an amount of technical knowl¬edge that graduate engineers are the rule rather than the exception. The curious situation has obtained that with a much smaller enrollment of students in the schools of mining and metallurgy there has been at times an actual shortage of young engineers for beginners' jobs. The young men retort that the conditions of employment and pay offered in mining are not equal to those in other lines and, while it is undoubtedly true that the young engineer beginning in mining is able to start under conditions markedly better as to pay, living, and responsibility than did the men who are now leaders, they are required to know much more and have usually spent more in time and money to qualify for their jobs. The whole matter is one which warrants much more attention than has been given to it. For the Institute it is important since the young men

Jan 1, 1923

By Charles C. Towle, Irving Rapaport

URANIUM mineralization along the north flank of the Zuni Uplift, in the vicinity of Haystack Butte, was discovered by Paddy Martinez, a Navajo Indian, in the spring of 1950. The find was reported to the Santa Fe Railway Co., which initiated a program of exploration upon its holdings in the district in December of 1950. The Anaconda Copper Mining Co. secured numerous leases in January and February, 1951, and began an intensive exploration and development program in March 1951. The district was extended into the Lucero Uplift in August of 1951 by the discovery of uranium mineralization in Todilto limestone by Joy Sinyella, a Supai Indian living on the Laguna Reservation. Initial reconnaissance was performed in the district by the Atomic Energy Commission in November 1950. A field office under the direction of the Denver Exploration Branch of the AEC was established at Prewitt, N. Mex. in January 1951 to study regional and detailed guides to ore, to evaluate the ore deposits, and to promote the development of the district by providing geologic services for the companies and individuals engaged in exploration. With the development of sufficient ore to warrant construction of a mill, the Grants area of New Mexico has come of age as a full fledged uranium mining district. The carnotite-type deposits of Grants, the first of major economic importance found in limestone, have extended the Colorado Plateau carnotite field into the more complex structure of the Basin and Range Province. General Geology The Grants uranium district is in northwestern New Mexico, along the southern flank of the San Juan Basin, between the cities of Gallup and Albuquerque. The region is at a mean altitude of about 6800 ft, vegetation is sparse, and outcrops are excellent. Mt. Taylor volcanic peak, at an elevation of 11,400 ft dominates the surrounding area. The overlying cliff-forming Dakota sandstone is the most resistant formation in the Grants District and characteristically erodes into dissected mesas as much as five miles wide. The principle uranium ore-bearing horizons are found in the underlying Morrison formation, and the Todilto limestone of the San Rafael group. The Morrison weathers into. a series of steep slopes and precipitous cliffs near the lower part of the Dakota-capped rims, while in contrast, the relatively resistant underlying. Todilto [ ] limestone forms broad benches extending out from the base of these Dakota rims as much as five miles wide. The Todilto benches are covered with overburden to an average depth of about 5 ft in the first thousand ft away from the Dakota rim, but increases to about 200 ft at the base of the rim. In many places however, a thick mantle of upper Cretaceous sediments and Tertiary volcanics "obscures the ore-bearing Jurassic, and precludes exploration. . The known uranium deposits of the Grants District are distributed throughout a zone 85 miles long and about 10 miles wide. Stratigraphy Rocks from pre-Cambrian through Tertiary are exposed in the uplifted areas, but uranium appears to be restricted chiefly to two zones in Jurassic sediments. The Jurassic sediments of the Colorado Plateau have been subdivided into three units, in ascending order: (1) Glen Canyon group, (2) San Rafael group, (3) Morrison formation. The Todilto limestone zone within the San Rafael group has produced the bulk of ore to date, but the promise of the Morrison zone is rapidly increasing. The Todilto formation extends about 300 miles east-west and about 100 miles in a north-south direction. It is composed of a lower, extensive, limestone member and a central, more restricted, thick, pure gypsum member. The Todilto is believed to be of lacustrine origin. The Morrison formation in this area is subdivided, rather arbitrarily, into three members: Recapture Creek, Westwater Canyon, and Brushy Basin. Ore

Jan 1, 1952

By William T. Folwell

The Lucky Friday mine east of Mullan, Idaho, is an outstanding example of a property in the Coeur d’Alene district where a small and insignificant- appearing silver-lead-zinc vein at the surface has changed at depth into a large vein of great importance. The Lucky Friday vein has little if any surface expression and above the 1200 level the ore shoots are small and discontinuous. Between the 1200 level and 2450 level, the lowest developed level, the main ore shoot has shown remarkable improvement on each succeeding lower level, and today the mine is one of the major lead-silver producers in the Coeur d'Alene district. History: The Lucky Friday property is on the north side of the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River in sections 25, 26 and 35, T. 48 N., R. 5 E., Hunter mining district, Shoshone County, Idaho. This is about one mile east of the town of Mullan, which serves the eastern portion of the Coeur d'Alene district. The southern part of the property is crossed by a branch line of the Northern Pacific Ry. and by U. S. Highway 10. This highway is the principal road crossing the panhandle of Idaho and connects the district with Spokane, Wash., on the west and Missoula, Mont., on the east. The main portal and surface plant of the Lucky Friday mine is at an elevation of 3365 ft, only a short distance above the valley floor and a few hundred feet from U. S. Highway 10, so the mine is readily accessible for year-round operation.

Jan 12, 1958

By Nathaniel Arbiter

THE separation of minerals by flotation can be regarded as a rate process, with the extraction of any one mineral determined by its flotation rate, and the grade of concentrate by the relative rates for all the minerals. So regarded, the significant variables for the process are those that control the rates. These variables are of two types, the first describing the ore and its physical and chemical treatment prior to flotation and the second characterizing the separation process in the cells. This paper will examine the variation in rates for a group of separations, will show that a simple rate law appears to govern, and will consider the relation of the control variables to the rates. The use of rate constants for evaluation of performance and efficiency will be discussed.

Jan 9, 1951

By T. B. Massalski, Horace Pops

The occurrence and the temperature dependence of the athermal martensitic transformation in bcc Cu-Zn ß-phase alloys have been studied by cold-state microscopy, differential thermal analysis, and electrical -resistivity measurements. CinenzatograpJzic studies have shown that in the majority of alloys the transformation occurs in two stages. A thermoelastic phase, having a 'needlelike" uppearance, forms initially at the MS temperature and grows relatively slowly, chiefly in the edge (lengthwise) direction. With further cooling, an additional martensitic phase forms in rapid bursts at a lower temperature, MB, Both martensitic phases appear to have the same cry stallographic habit hut their modes of formation and growth are different. For the composition range studied, between 38.55 and 41.49 wt pct Zn, the habit planes determined are close to the (2.17 ,12) plane of the matrix, in general agreement with the prediction of the phenomenological theory of martensite formation. Thermal cycling through the MB temperature produces permanent plastic deformation in the 0 matrix and gradutally eliminates the typical burst phenomena. Thermal cycling only through the MS temperature produces no noticeable deformation effects. THE bcc Cu-Zn ß-phase alloys tend to become unstable at low temperatures and undergo a martensitic transformation,'-3 but the details of the transformation have not been completely determined. Following earlier metal log raphic and X-ray work1 Tichener and ever' determined by means of electrical-resistivity measurements the temperature range of the martensite transformation during continuous cooling. The transformation temperature was found to decrease with increasing zinc content, becoming about -130°C for an alloy containing 40.04 wt pct Zn. Hull and Garwood3 made a metallo-graphic study of Cu-Zn 0 brasses at temperatures down to -160°C, and determined the habit plane of the transformation product for an alloy containing 38.88 wt pct Zn. No metallographic studies below liquid-nitrogen temperatures have been reported. The martensitic transformation in ß-brass alloys can also be induced by deformation.1,4 The MD temperature corresponding to the appearance of the strain-induced martensite is some 300°C higher than that observed without strain, and hence the transformation can be strain-induced in alloys containing a higher percentage of zinc. Massalski and Barrett4 found that alloys containing as much as 51.89 wt pct Zn could be transformed into a faulted hcp structure by cold working at liquid-helium temperature. Because the details of the MS temperature and morphology reported in the literature are somewhat incomplete, a further study has been made of some of the above features. A design of a cryogenic stage for optical metallography5 has permitted the examination of specimens at temperatures down to 4.2oK, and the use of a cinecamera has permitted a study of the morphology on cooling and heating. The particular aim of the present work was to examine the transformation temperatures, the habit planes, and the growth morphology over a wide composition range in the ß-phase field. The effect of thermal cycling upon the subsequent transformation was also examined.

Jan 1, 1964

By S. E. Craig

UPON entering the Uranium Field it was a pleasant surprise to find almost absent two factors that have always been a problem to the lead-zinc miner: 1) milling cost per ton, and 2) transportation cost to the milling site. Another interesting condition was the fixed price for the product. Under such conditions it seems rather simple to calculate the economics of a mining venture when grade and tonnage of a uranium ore deposit is known. That is assuming, of course, there is a market for the ore. It has been quite generally assumed by operators that a guaranteed price carried with it a guaranteed market, a subject about which there has been a great deal of discussion in the past several months. The fixed price for uranium in crude ore, calculated to U3O8, varies only slightly in value per pound from rather low grade ore to rather high grade ore. It is by taking advantage of this slight variation in price per pound in certain ranges that miners and shippers may increase substantially the monthly returns from ore shipments.

Jan 7, 1958

By J. C. Reed, P. J. Shenon

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

By P. J. Shenon, J. C. Reed

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

By P. J. Shenon, J. C. Reed

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

By David B. Reger

Widespread wildcatting for new supplies of natural gas and the beginning of importation from the southwest characterized the petroleum industry of West Virginia during 1944. Within the state, drilling for oil did not increase but. more gas wells were completed than in any previous year since 1937. Out of 40 wildcats drilled there were 25 gas discoveries and 15 dry holes. No commercial oil was found in the 40 wells. The proved limits of several oil pools were slightly extended by marginal drilling, resulting in 1300 acres of new oil territory, although no distinctly new pools were found. At least four new gas pools were assuredly discovered and various successful wildcats indicate future pools or wide extensions. The new proved gas territory, in definite new pools and definite extensions, is about 34,000 acres. A considerable net decline of proved oil has occarred and probably a slight decline of proved gas reserves. The account of operations, as gathered from trade journals and other reporting services, shows that 918 new wells were drilled, resulting in 71 oil wells with 613 bbl. of daily new production; 577 gas wells with 305,372,000 cu. ft. of daily open flow, and 142 dry holes. Also, 107 old wells were drilled to deeper sands, with 22 bbl. and 12,327,000 cu. ft. of added production. On the new wells the oil average was 8.6 bbl. per well per day, and the gas average was 529,241 CU. ft. per well per day. On new wells the ratio of dry holes to completions was 15.47 per cent. On deeper drilling the ratio of failures was 19.63 per cent. Production of oil for the year was estimated by the Oil Weekly as 3,069,000 bbl., as compared with 3,349,000 bbl. in 1943. Production of natural gas for the year is estimated by the author as 200,000, 000,000 cu. ft., as compared with the U. S. Bureau of Mines final figures of 223,789,000,000 cu. ft.t in 1943.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. W. Newman

During 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for ' military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mind during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River: and Absarokee, on the Still water River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specificstions as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. History of Deposits The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the fist optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Grey-cliff,' but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by .4. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the

Jan 1, 1948

By E. W. Newman

During 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for ' military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mind during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River: and Absarokee, on the Still water River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specificstions as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. History of Deposits The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the fist optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Grey-cliff,' but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by .4. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the

Jan 1, 1948

By C. C. Harris

The 3-parameter equation* was introduced1 as having the necessary form and flexibility for describing the major features of size distribution curves. Also, Eq. 1 was shown to contain most of the widely used 2-parameter equations as special cases. Special methods are necessary in order to determine the parameters of 3-parameter equations by graphical means. The procedure given previously required double graphical interpolation followed by regraphing the interpolated data. The theoretical basis of the method was a difference equation eliminating y. Several other methods for obtaining the parameters have been under development and one method appears to overcome the disadvantages of the earlier method and satisfies several procedural requirements. The points in favor of the new method as compared to the earlier method are as follows: 1. Estimation of the quality of fit is direct, and is in fact an essential part of the procedure. 2. The data is plotted directly without the necessity of interpolation from a graph. 3. The method makes use of Rosin-Rammler2 paper which because of expanded scaling in the coarse sizes leads to improved accuracy1 as compared with the log-log plot for the Gates3-Gaudin4-Schubann5 representation. 4. There is a gain over the earlier method in overall accuracy and in simplicity.

Jan 1, 1970