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By Henry Louis

The object of the present paper is to describe a primitive method of gold-extraction, practiced by a small colony of Chinese in the district of Tomoh, one of the Siamese-Malayan States. This district has been worked for gold about 150 years, but has been only twice or thrice visited by Europeans, who are looked upon with a good deal of jealousy by the miners. The gold-district, covering not more than 10 square miles, is situated about Lat. 5' 47l N. and Long. -101' 39 E., on the headwaters of the river Teluban. It is a very mountainous region, lying on the northern flanks of the great range that forms the watershed between the rivers Patani, Kelantan, Teluban, etc., on the north and Perak on the south. The gold occurs in narrow veins and leaders of quartz, intersect- ' ing and intercalated among irregularly upheaved and contorted, highly metamorphosed, micaceous and chloritic schists. These veins vary between 3 inches and 3 feet in thickness, and are sometimes very rich. The geology of this region is thus very similar to that characterizing gold-regions all over the world; if must, however, be.

Jan 1, 1892

By W. E. Gaby

INTRODUCTION SINCE the time of their discovery, the genesis of the ores at Mount Morgan, and the nature of the changes which have affected the surrounding rocks, have been the subject of investigation and speculation by geologists and mining engineers. Developments at this mine, for a long period the greatest gold producer of the world, show that with depth the orebody grades into copper, of which metal it now furnishes a large output, exceeding in value the gold. In earlier times, the purity of the gold and the first extremely heterogeneous character of the ore made it an interesting problem. Now, the probable depth of the copper enrichment, genesis, and true relations of the neighboring rocks furnish equally profitable material for investigation, and the present somewhat detailed description of these ores and rocks, from microscopic study, may prove of interest. The mine occupies a highly silicified portion of a belt of quartz-porphyry, which is believed to be the oldest rock of the region. This belt of quartz-porphyry and allied rocks runs north and south between two areas of a later intrusive granite, as shown on the geologic map,1 Fig. 1. Near the orebody the quartz-porphyry has been intruded by a dense basaltic mass called the "Old Basic." Cutting all three of these igneous masses are two sets of basaltic dikes, one running northwest-southeast, and the other, cross dikes, northeast-southwest. These dikes may be contemporaneous with, instead of later than, the ore. Their number has caused peculiar difficulties in extracting it, as the clay selvage of decomposed material affords no adhesion between dike and ore, causing great blocks to loosen and come down.

Jan 9, 1916

By David R. Mitchell, E. C. Carris

THE particular field of application of machines utilizing air currents as the primary separating medium is in the cleaning of fine sizes of bituminous coal. Approximately 18,000,000 tons of bituminous coal was cleaned by air machines in 1947, but such machines have not yet been applied in the cleaning of anthracite. This chapter is limited to a description of the processes in which the separation between coal and refuse depends mainly on a difference in specific gravity. Dry processes depending on differences in coefficient of friction, shape, or other property, are described in chapter 17. The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. Some of these early machines are described by Berrisford,1 Chapman and Mott,2 and Mitchell.3 Only two machines are extensively used today in the United States, the Stump air-flow jig and the American oscillating table. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AIR CLEANING MACHINES The principles of gravity concentration and the properties of air as a medium for separation were explained in chapter 9. It was pointed out that because of the low density of air a medium of sufficient density has to be built with the material itself. Hence there must be some device to impart to the bed the necessary mobility for proper classification. It was also noted that the compressibility of the air may cause "geysering" of the bed and disturbance of the hindered-settling classification if the correct balance of conditions is not maintained. Most devices use a vertical upward current of air through the bed of material. They differ by the method of imparting mobility to the bed and the method of removing the refuse. In general terms, the air machines can be divided into three types: 1. Pneumatic jigs where the air current is pulsated. 2. Pneumatic tables where the refuse is diverted from the direction of flow of the clean coal by a system of riffles fixed to the deck.

Jan 1, 1950

By AIME AIME

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

Jan 1, 1942

By C. N. Schuette

The material presented in this paper has been gathered by the writer during a long and varied experience on matters pertaining to the quicksilver industry. During the past 18 years he has visited practically all of the quicksilver mines of the United States and has had occasion to review the literature on quicksilver mining the world over. In a previous publication1 the conclusion was expressed "that the greatest opportunity for increasing the economy in quicksilver production lies in giving more attention to the geology of the deposits ... " The present paper is a contribution toward that end. Due to a lack of correlation of the observed facts, a great deal of confusion exists in the views of various writers concerning the mode of occurrence of quicksilver ores. This paper attempts to show that certain common factors underlie the formation of all quicksilver orebodies. It attempts to present a framework on which to marshall the observed facts and thus make clear the interrelation of various observations which at first sight appear to be contradictory. The material presented is fragmentary in many respects and it is hoped that readers familiar with the deposits mentioned may supply the deficiency. The reader is asked to refer to the publications cited for maps and additional information on the individual orebodies, as this review, in covering so much territory, must necessarily confine itself to a bare outline of the facts concerning each occurrence. The writer hopes that this paper will elicit comment and criticism from the many competent men interested in the quicksilver industry and to all of them he would express his indebtedness for the many courtesies that they have extended to him at various times in the past. Theory op Primary Concentration The mode of occurrence of any given orebody presents an individual problem to the miner engaged in exploiting it. No two orebodies are exactly alike in their geological relationships, therefore an understanding, in detail, of the geology is necessary if the orebody is to be exploited in the most economic manner.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. H. Schacht

The operations of the Copper Range Co. are located in the Michigan copper district at the southern end of the Keweenaw Peninsula, 8 miles southwest of Hough ton (the center of the district). All the producing mines are situated in a long narrow zone paralleling the peninsula and occupying the central portion. This zone is about 25 miles long and 3 to 4 miles wide. The important mines, in their order from northeast to southwest, are, Mohawk, Ahmeek, Allouez, North Kearsarge, Wolverine, South Kearsarge, Centennial, Calumet & Hecla, Osceola, Franklin, Quincy, Isle Royale, Baltic, Trimountain, and Champion; the last three are operated by the Copper Range Co. The existence of copper deposits in this district became known soon after the discovery of America. Many references by early explorers show that copper was found in the possession of many of the American Indians that inhabited the Great Lakes region. There is abundant evidence that exploration of these copper deposits extended into prehistoric times; and some indication that the American Indians carried on operations shortly before the advent of white men. An account of the finding of primitive mining appears in the Government publications of 1850-51 by Foster and Whitney. Although earlier expeditions by white men had been made to the Keweenaw peninsula, an attempt to commercialize the district was not made until after 1765, when Alex. Henry, a British subject, searched the shores of Lake Superior for mineral treasure. His first expedition took him to the Ontonagon River, where he found the famous mass of copper now on exhibition at Washington. In 1771, he started operations along this river with a crew financed by English capital; but after much difficulty and only meager success he found only detached masses while in search for a major deposit. There is no record of any cxploration from 1774 to 1820. In 1838, Dr. Douglas Houghton was appointed state geologist. Prior to that time he had made several visits to this region; and was the first white man to find

Jan 1, 1925

By A. W. Furbank

IN reviewing the aerial cameras produced in different countries, it becomes apparent that in nearly all of them an attempt has been made to secure the greatest possible angle of view. This angle, of course, is determined by the objective. The objectives most commonly in use in aerial cameras have a maximum angle of 65°. The objective developed for this new Zeiss camera combines freedom from distortion and brilliant definition, with an angle of 95°. Aerial mapping, it is claimed, has been placed on a different economic basis, and new possibilities presented, par-ticularly in connection with automatic stereoscopic plotting instruments, to which some short references are made. One way of enlarging the angle of view is to couple several instruments with their axes convergent, thereby producing a multilens camera. Typi-cal of cameras of this sort in the United States is the Bagley four-lens camera, which later was developed into the five-lens camera (T3-A) of the U. S. Air Corps. More recently, in order to get away from the unfavorable Maltese cross image field of the five-lens camera, and to obtain a more practical form, two five-lens cameras were combined. By using them in tandem and rotating them by 45° relatively to each other, a ten-lens camera was produced, covering an octagonal ground area, with a total angle of view of 140°. Similar designs have been evolved in other countries. In all of them, however, a number of difficulties have arisen, quite apart from their large weight and high cost. Because of their complex mechanism, numerous shutters and magazines, and the high precision with which these parts must be interadjusted and synchronized, these cameras are far from dependable. Moreover, a multilens camera by itself does not yet constitute a complete outfit for producing pictures suitable for photogrammetric survey. Because all the component pictures, except the central one, are obliques, it is always necessary to employ rectifying apparatus which transforms the marginal views to the perspective of the central one. In multilens cameras with many individual magazines, it is not convenient to

Jan 1, 1938

By T. R. Wright

THE Corporation operates concentrators in four camps: Casapalca. Morococha, Cerro de Pa-co, and Mahr. The present concentrator at Cerro de Pasco is the newest having been completed in 1943. and that at Casapalca the oldest, having been built originally as a gravity concentrator, in 1889. Prior to 1925 the Corporation's milling operations were confined to the beneficiation of silver-bearing copper ores, and treatment of these ore: by flotation was started in 1918. Although fairly large deposits of complex, fine-grained lead-zinc ores existed, little progress had been made in the treatment of such ores--in Peru or elsewhere-until the early 'twentics. The Casapalca concentrator began the selettive concentration of complex leadzinc ores by all-flotation methods in 1925, or contemporaneously with the commercial development of selective lead-zinc flotation in the United State:.

Jan 1, 1945

By George Harrington

THIS paper is a brief description of the design and equipment of a new coal mine in southern Illinois, which has many features not common practice in shaft coal mining and which is laid out and equipped for such unusually large capacity that it promises soon to become one of the largest mining operations of its kind. Shaft sinking for the mine, New Orient, was commenced in May, 1921, by the Chicago, Wilmington & Franklin Coal Co. In October, 1924, the plant was practically completed and was producing over 6000 tons of coal per day. There is good prospect that within a few years, when the mine is fully developed and manned, the output will attain a daily rate of 12,000 tons. The coal seam at New Orient lies approximately horizontal, about 500 ft. below the surface, and may be said to run from 9 to 12 ft. in thickness. The tendency in Franklin County has been toward large mining units (5000 to 6000 tons per day) with great care being given to protection against fire and explosion hazards, and usually with quite elaborate surface plants permitting careful preparation of the coal into graded sizes comparable with those made in the anthracite region. The field is unionized, with uniform conditions of wages for various classes of work, hours, etc., and the Illinois mining laws are quite specific with regard to fireproofing and safety measures. These conditions make it difficult for any but well-equipped and well-operated mines to meet the competition of the numerous fine properties of which this county can justly be proud. The coal company's property was already developed on the western side by the Orient. mine-a much visited and written about operation (with which many of you are possibly familiar through the Department of Mines' film "The Story of Coal ") which until recently held the 8-hr. production record with 8218 tons and usually ran quite consistently with production of slightly over 6000 tons per day. Experience at Orient was naturally one of the greatest influences in determining the location and character of the New Orient.

Jan 2, 1925

By Herbert A. Franke

ANY analysis of the aluminum situation, particularly of the factors involved in the current shortage of the metal, must consider the rapid march of events since the Munich fiasco of September 1938. At the end of 1938, the sole domestic producer of aluminum had more than a year's supply of metal on hand, having added 50,500 tons of output to stocks during the year. Not until war had been declared between the United Kingdom and Germany in September 1939 did the United States begin to make serious preparations for defense and a limited national emergency was proclaimed. Congress reflecting popular opinion, was not disposed to spend huge sums for armaments in 1939, and although 31,413 tons of aluminum was withdrawn from stocks. 107,500 tons was still on hand at the end of the year. When the President initiated a 50,000-airplane program in May 1940 the country was astounded, as previous Congressional authorizations of approximately 6000 planes for the Army by July 1911 and 3000 for the Navy by 1914 had been considered adequate.

Jan 1, 1941

By A. E. Wheeler, H. Y. Eagle

The copper industry in the Province of Katanga, in the Belgian Congo, which is now controlled and operated by the Union Minére du Haut Katanga, had its inception many years ago in the vision of a Scotsman, Robert Williams, now Sir Robert Williams, Baronet. He it was who personally negotiated the mineral concession with King Leopold of Belgium, sent in the prospecting parties who located most of the present mines of the company, later arranged for the Belgian participation from which the present company was formed, and has been its active mentor ever since. The idea back of his efforts was the establishment of an industry on the Congo-Zambezi divide, of sufficient importance to draw up to it the head of the Cape to Cairo Railroad, the dream of Sir Cecil Rhodes, and the consummation of which he had left as a legacy to Mr. Williams, his successor. The reports of the prospecting expeditions showed that copper in profitable quantity was there, but many difficulties lay in the way of the establishment of the infant industry. The isolated location of the mines, various tribal wars, the Boer War, and many other factors contributed to making progress very slow. However, in spite of these difficulties the railroad was finally built and a blast-furnace plant erected at Lubumbashi, near Elisabethville, the capital of the Province. Operations of this plant were started in 1911, treating high-grade oxidized ores and producing pig copper by a reducing smelting. Production has been continuous since that time and the company has grown so that at present it ranks as the largest individual copper producer in the industry. It is a fitting monument to the foresight, optimism and driving force of its founder, and the progressive policies of his Belgian colleagues. In January, 1914, the Union Miniere du Haut Katanga engaged as its consulting engineer, Archer E. Wheeler, metallurgical engineer, at that time general superintendent of the Great Falls plant of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Mr. Wheeler was commissioned by the Board of Directors to proceed into Katanga, and make all necessary investigations to enable him to report on a comprehensive development program, and to recommend a scheme of treatment particularly for their low grade

Jan 1, 1934

By Kenneth S. Ritchie

The natural emulsion samples used in this study were shipped directly from twelve California oil fields, through the courtesy of the superintendents of the main producing companies in those fields. Representative parts of each sample were chosen for the slides. Preparation of the slides was generally made in less than two minutes, including time of exposure; in a few cases, about five minutes was required. The short time was intended to minirmize the changes in conditions. Whenever comparison was of value, standard conditions were established. Spreading by gravity was adopted instead of smearing. Cover glasses were not allowed to rest on the films. General Characteristics of Emulsions The main purpose of the general views (Figs. 1-16) is to illustrate the general characteristics of the dispersed droplets together with any other constituent or impurity that may be found in each emulsion. The magnification is given so that dimensions could be measured from the plates. The slides used for these views had spherical recesses; they gave the best light. Where crystals were intended to be shown in the picture a filter (green was the best') was usually used. Emulsions that showed a tendency to move by concentrated light were pictured without a condenser.

Jan 1, 1931

By Charles P. Berkey, John B. Hastings

The reconnaissance of the Goldfield mining-district, describecl in this paper, was made in May and June, 1905, and, though this time was too short for a complete report, the work accomplished may serve as a basis for more thorough future research. Dr. Berkey has examined the rocks collected by me, and I am using his classifications. As a result of further field-work, and Dr. Berkey's examination of the rocks, this paper is an elaboration and correction of my views expressed in the Gold-$elm Sun, May 12, 1905. The sketch-map, Fig. 1, illustrates the geology of the Goldfield mining-district. Goldfield is an eruptive complex, consisting of alaskite (hinary granite), hornblende-andesite, hornblende-dacite, rhyolite, pyroxene-andesite, pyroxene-dacite (sometimes containing a small quantity of olivine), quartz-felsite, olivine-pyroxene-ande-site, and basalt. Considering this list to be arranged in the order of eruption, the age-sequence of the rocks conforms to Richthofen's law, formulated in 1868. From his observations in Europe and America, propylite, andesite, trachyte, rhyolite and basalt, occurring together, succeed one another. In a general way, the medium and the more acidic rocks precede the most basic—a result supposed by some to hare arisen from their position beneath the. surface, and due to a rude stratification by gravity in the original cooling magma during the older history of the earth, or to the same differentiation occurring during a quiescent (molten ?) period preceding eruption, being aided by the ease with which acidic rocks, mixed with water vapors, become fusible. In effect, the more basic and less re-

Jan 1, 1907

By AIME AIME

THE Annual Meeting-numerically the 162d meeting-of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers will be held at the Pennsylvania Hotel, 7th Ave. and 33d St., New York, Feb. 18-22, with the exception of the following events: the Mineral Industry Education Division will meet Sunday afternoon and evening at the Columbia University Men's Faculty Club, 400 West 117th St.; and a meeting of the Section Delegates, the annual business meeting of the Institute, and an executive session of the Board of Directors will be held in that order Tuesday afternoon in the Engineering Societies Building, 29 West 39th St., where the Directors will meet in the evening following their annual dinner to the Section Delegates. The Pennsylvania--one of the Statler group of hotels-was selected as headquarters because it has the physical equipment and facilities-for registration, technical sessions of all sizes, luncheons, social events, etc.-as well as the prominence and location desirable for an Institute annual meeting. (A tip for Tuesday afternoon and evening: You can walk underground from the Pennsylvania to within half a block of the Engineering Societies Building,)

Jan 1, 1945

By John L. Lamont, Walter Crafts

SECONDARY hardening in tempering has long been recognized as a typical characteristic of steels containing large amounts of carbide-forming alloys. These steels, when quenched and tempered, tend to soften somewhat after tempering at low temperatures, and to reharden at intermediate tempering temperatures before finally softening to low hardness. This behavior in tempering has been studied by many investigators, chiefly with respect to the secondary hardening of high-speed steels. The initial softening has usually been ascribed to decomposition of martensite and growth of iron carbide particles. The secondary hardening has been explained by formation of fresh martensite from residual austenite, formation of very fine alloy carbide particles and by precipitation hardening of metallic compounds in the ferritic matrix. However, factors derived for the calculation of tempered hardness in low-alloy steels1 indicated only a tendency toward retarded softening rather than a discontinuous rehardening. A study was, therefore, made to determine whether fresh martensite from residual austenite and precipitation hardening are essential to rehardening and the degree to which tempered martensite could be rehardened by precipitation of alloy carbides. The mechanism of carbide rehardening was also investigated to determine the nature of the process. The causes of secondary hardening in high-speed steel have received serious consideration for about thirty years. Among the earlier workers Bain and Jeffries2 in 1923 recognized residual austenite as a significant factor, but in addition, emphasized the effect of the formation of alloy carbide particles of "critical" size. They conceived that freshly quenched martensite forms low-alloy iron carbide at low tempering temperatures; with further tempering the iron carbide is then modified by alloying elements that can diffuse most readily at intermediate temperatures (850°F); and that the iron carbides grow in size by coalescence so that the steel tends to lose hardness. At higher tempering temperatures carbide stability rather than alloy availability becomes the controlling influence and in high-speed steel "iron-tungsten carbide is the most stable one and forms to the elimination of the earlier formed carbides. . . . The iron-tungsten carbide particles reach approximately the size for critical dispersion after a short reheat at 1100°F." This concept, the formation of alloy carbide nuclei, redissolving of the iron carbide, and diffusion of carbon to the alloy carbide, was restated for vanadium steel in 1932 by Houdremont, Bennek, and Schrader.3 Subsequent studies have confirmed that iron carbide changes to alloy carbide at 1000 to 1100°F, but the mechanism of the process has received little consideration .

Jan 1, 1948

By John A. Church

In May, 1878, I had the honor of presenting to the Institute, at the Chattanooga meeting, some observations upon the heat of the Comstock Lode, and since then the subject has attracted some attention and criticism, in the course of which, L have observed errors of apprehension which I beg leave to correct now. Mr. John Arthur Phillips discussed it before the Geological Society, his paper being printed in the Quarterly Journal for August, 1879." His criticism is based upon that part of my paper in which I quote a number of analyses of the mine waters, to illustrate the fact that the heat does not come from the oxidation of pyrite. I pointed out that these waters contain only an insignificant proportion of sulphuric acid, and not enough to account for even one per cent. Of

Jan 1, 1880

By Carlton D. Hulin

ARE we a "have" or a "have-not" nation in our domestic supply of metals and minerals? Impinging on the ears of a people weary of war and faced with the problems of reconversion to peace, the import of this question has built up with the momentum of an avalanche. Stemming from statistics cited by Pehrson and accelerated by the pessimistic and possibly biased statements of Ickes, hardly an issue of any technical periodical dealing with mining has appeared during the past year but within whose pages was to be found some comment, some discussion of the question: Are we a "have" or a "have-not" nation? We have proved commercial reserves of high-grade iron ore in the Lake Superior region sufficient for 22 years, based upon the prewar rate of consumption; commercial copper reserves to last only 34 years, one fourth being inferred ore; zinc sufficient for nineteen years, over half being inferred; lead for twelve years, two thirds of which is inferred; mercury for only three years. So read the figures. Although admitting that these figures may be extended by new discoveries, by the use of marginal and submarginal ore, and by further technological advances, are we nevertheless to assume complete pessimism in the acceptance of the meaning of these statistics; are we to expect a rapidly increasing dependence upon foreign sources of mineral supply; are we to believe that we are at or near the peak of the "metal age" as has been held by Theodore J. Hoover? Or is some more optimistic viewpoint possible?

Jan 1, 1947

By Samuel S. Wyer

THE following abbreviations have been used in, the text: Cassier's, Cassier's Magazine. Eng. Lond., The Engineer (London). Eng. Mag., Engineering Magazine. Eng. and Min. Jour., Engineering and Mining Journal. Eng. News, Engineering News. Eng. Rec., Engineering Record. Engng., Engineering. Engr., The Engineer (Chicago). J. I. and S. I., Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute. Jour. F. I., Journal of the Franklin Institute. Jour. Assn. Eng. Soc., Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies. Mar. Eng., Marine Engineering. . Mem, Soc. Ing. Civ., France, Memoires de la Society des Ingenieurs Civils, France. Prac. Eng., Practical Engineer. Proc. Digs. Soc. of W. Pa., Proceedings of the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania. Proc. I. C. E., Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers. Proc. I. 1M. E., Proceedings Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Trans. A. I. M. E., Transactions of the American Institute Mining Engineers. Sci. Am., Scientific American. Sci. Am. Sup., Scientific American Supplement. Zcitschr. d. V. D. Ing., Zeitschrift des Vereines Dentscher Ingcnieure.

Mar 1, 1905

THOSE MARKED THUS * ARE MEMBERS, MARKED THUS ?ARE ASSOCIATES. THESE SIGNS DOUBLED INDICATE LIFE MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES RESPECTIVELY. THE FIGURES AT THE END OF THE ADDRESS INDICATE THE YEAR OF ELECTION. HEAVY-FACED TYPE SIGNIFIES HONORARY MEMBERSHIP. *AARONS, J. BOYD, Vivian Gold Mining Co., Ltd., Harris, West. Australia. '05 *ABADIE, EMILE R., Cons. and Min. Engr., 214 Union Savings Bank Bldg., Oakland, Cal. '76 ?ABBÉ, MAX F., Prest., Abbé Engineering Co, 220 Broadway, New York, N.Y. '07 ? ABBÉ, PAULO., Secy.,Abbé Engineering Co., 220 Broadway, New York, N.Y. '07 *ABBOTT, CHARLES W., Min. Engr. Pioche, Nev. ?08 *ABBOTT, CLARENCE Chief EDgr., Iron Mines, Dic Tennessee Caol, Iron & R. R. Co., Bessemer, Ala. '04 *ABBOTT, JAMES W., Min. Engr: Ploche, Lincoln Co., Nev. '94

Jan 1, 1917

By Albert R. Ledoux

Discussion of the Paper of Albert R. Ledoux, read at the Atlantic City Meeting, February, 1904. ARTHUR JARMAN, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia' (communication to the Secretary*): Some remarks upon. Dr. Ledoux's interesting paper from one who has not visited America may, I hope, be of interest to members. It appears to me that there is considerable difference between the training of the American and of the British mining engineer. Not that the subjects are different, but rather in the way in which they are handled, the illustrations being, as far as possible, mining in character. Colloquial instruction is unknown in English curricula, but could be introduced with advantage. Students here assure me that an hour of conversation is of tar more use to them than an hour of the best lecturing. In England a school-year of 6 or 7 months would be considered very short indeed; but Americans do not consider it so, for the reason that the rest of the year is mostly spent in acquiring practical acquaintance with their subjects in works or in the field, and the shorter courses, when coupled with this large amount of outside expe¬rience, produce an essentially practical-minded engineer, who is also more of a business man; whereas the English system, though excellent from a scholastic point of view, produces the theoretical rather than the practical man. British schools are waking up, however, and the practical aspect of the engineer's training is receiving greater consideration. Once launched upon his career, the American engineer is immediately called upon to exercise his self-reliance and ingenuity, if he is to retain the confidence of his employers; but what can we say of English directors? In how many cases is the engineer allowed to guide the destinies of his company? Witness several recent cases of gross waste of money upon unsuitable plants, and the perpetuation of prehistoric methods of

Mar 1, 1905