Search Documents

By Henry Mulryan

THE largest and purest known deposit of diatomite is being actively mined and processed 3 ½ miles south of Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, Calif., by the Johns-Manville Products Corporation. The workings FIG. 1-LOCATION OF DIATOMITE DEPOSIT AT LOMPOC. cover 4000 acres, the depth of economically recoverable diatomite being 1000 ft. (Fig. 1). Lompoc, a community of 2500 population, is situated in the Santa Ynez River Valley 10 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. It is 44 miles

Jan 1, 1936

By H. B. Pulsifer

This paper outlines a method for rapid production of flat,, granular surfaces on many of the medium hard alloys. Grinding wheels and fabrics on wheels are not used; the purpose is accomplished by rubbing on emery papers and on fine abrasives heaped on hand boards. The advantages of chromic acid in the solutions for etching nickel and copper alloys are explained. Steels may require an additional step in the mechanical smoothing owing to the lack of an ideal etchant. Chloric acid is a rapid etchant for steel. Thirty-six photomicrographs illustrate the steps in smoothing and the clearness with which structures can be rapidly exposed. New structures in low-carbon steels are announced. After a little practice, many materials can be finished within two or three minutes. CUPRONICKELS In the previous papers on the metallography of copper and magnesiurn which the author has presented to this Institute there has been an attempt to demonstrate the advantages of minimizing the mechanical work of surfacing and depending more on chemical means; the present paper continues the research into a still wider field. It is obvious that the success of a chemical method for smoothing and etching depends almost entirely on the use of a suitable reagent. The etchant must remove the surface granulations and outline the structures. A very special type of reaction between reagent and metal must be displayed. Promiscuous corrosion or the intensification of the attack about local couples formed by impurities or components must not be in evidence. There are several reagents that etch highly polished nickel and copper alloys very well. Acidified ferric chloride solutions, concentrated and dilute nitric acid solutions, and nitric and acetic acids in acetone have been used to good advantage for the purpose. However, if they are expected to etch rather deeply—that is, smooth as well as characterize— the results may be far from satisfactory. Advantages of Chromic Acid In a protracted series of experiments it has been found that the addit,ion of chromic acid may be of the most surprising benefit. The function

Jan 1, 1929

By H. B. Pulsifer

This paper outlines a method for rapid production of flat,, granular surfaces on many of the medium hard alloys. Grinding wheels and fabrics on wheels are not used; the purpose is accomplished by rubbing on emery papers and on fine abrasives heaped on hand boards. The advantages of chromic acid in the solutions for etching nickel and copper alloys are explained. Steels may require an additional step in the mechanical smoothing owing to the lack of an ideal etchant. Chloric acid is a rapid etchant for steel. Thirty-six photomicrographs illustrate the steps in smoothing and the clearness with which structures can be rapidly exposed. New structures in low-carbon steels are announced. After a little practice, many materials can be finished within two or three minutes. CUPRONICKELS In the previous papers on the metallography of copper and magnesiurn which the author has presented to this Institute there has been an attempt to demonstrate the advantages of minimizing the mechanical work of surfacing and depending more on chemical means; the present paper continues the research into a still wider field. It is obvious that the success of a chemical method for smoothing and etching depends almost entirely on the use of a suitable reagent. The etchant must remove the surface granulations and outline the structures. A very special type of reaction between reagent and metal must be displayed. Promiscuous corrosion or the intensification of the attack about local couples formed by impurities or components must not be in evidence. There are several reagents that etch highly polished nickel and copper alloys very well. Acidified ferric chloride solutions, concentrated and dilute nitric acid solutions, and nitric and acetic acids in acetone have been used to good advantage for the purpose. However, if they are expected to etch rather deeply—that is, smooth as well as characterize— the results may be far from satisfactory. Advantages of Chromic Acid In a protracted series of experiments it has been found that the addit,ion of chromic acid may be of the most surprising benefit. The function

Jan 1, 1929

By W. N. Page

The Red-Ash colliery was the scene, March 6, 1900, of an explosion by which some fifty men were killed or wounded, and much property was injured or destroyed. On March 19th, the earliest date at which entrance was practicable, I examined the mine with the view of determining the extent, cause and point of origin of the explosion, and with the permission of Mr. F. Howald, the manager, and the owners of the property, for whom the examination was made, I present in this paper some results of that examination, comprising the essential portions of my report to them. Location and Plan of the Mine. The Red-Ash colliery, situated on the south side of New river, next below the Rush Run mine, with which the underground workings are connected, is a drift-mine, the entrance to which is on a slope, about 500 ft. above the river. (Fig. 1 is a plan of the workings, in which the points where human bodies were found are designated by numbers.)

Jan 1, 1901

By Jan H. Hommen

TRENDS IN MINE FINANCE Reviewing historical trends may help in dealing with future funding strategies. The first trend is the increase in the use of debt to fund corporate America. Surprisingly, when comparing that with other corporates in the global marketplace, the U.S. does not look too poorly. Japanese, in particular, but also German companies, are much more leveraged than their U.S. counterparts. Note that in Japan and Germany the government and the consumer have shown substantial restraints when it comes to credit. Not so in the U.S. where the savings rate (4%) is much lower than that in Japan (20%) and in Germany (14%). As a result, the cost of leverage is substantially lower in Japan and in Germany than in the U.S. Lower debt costs in these countries allows one to obtain more of it for the same price. The close relationships between financial institutions, corporations and governments in Japan and Germany also make the risk of leverage more bearable and understandable. Also note that interest rate volatility in these countries is more subdued. The investor base in common stock is also changing. Private pension funds have been net sellers of equities during the last few years while public pension funds have been net buyers. Individuals are basically out of the market. It is estimated that over $330 billion of equity was retired in the U.S. through 1986-1988. The reasons are well known: restructurings, buy-backs, takeovers, mergers, and buy-outs. This de-equitization is likely to continue as the cost of equity capital is higher than the cost of debt capital, even on a before-tax basis. Because there has been no market for equity since October 19, 1987, junk bonds have replaced equity capital in the corporate finance structure. The non-investor-grade borrower has access to the public markets through high-yielding debt securities that often look like senior equity. Deregulation has also provided 24-hour markets; securitization can now liquify assets that before were rusting on balance sheets; information processing and communication tools give facts that are instantaneously available, creating the need for products to cover risk and exposures unknown before the start of the information and technology explosion. Thus we now have swaps, options, futures, options on futures, caps, as well as program trading, portfolio insurance, index funds, etc. Globalization will be unstoppable. Today's environment demands it. Corporations are now global competitors, even though they may have never shipped a product off-shore. Boundaries are disappearing and impediments have been removed. Stocks can be issued in a global offering with distribution in all major financial centers of the world. The high leverage of Japanese companies has made common stocks very scarce, which with the high savings rate, makes equity capital inexpensive in Japan. If markets were perfect everyone would issue stock in Tokyo and buy it back in New York. This would certainly stop the bleeding on the balance of payments. With the deficit balance of payments in America, it is no surprise that the cost of money is expensive here. The risk-return relationship on U.S. equity is not favorable enough to appeal to Japanese equity investors. The Tokyo-market, helped by a stronger yen, surpassed New York as the most important equity market in the world. The question is, will the Tokyo market hold up when Japanese domestic consumption increases at the expense of savings? In the U.S. debt markets, the plain vanilla debenture is making a comeback after a period of absence. Commercial paper has replaced short term bank borrowings for working capital funding by larger corporations. The banks have made an interesting comeback with loan sale programs that will continue to attract borrowers. There will be a continuing

Jan 1, 1990

By John F. Abel

Personal gain seems to be the most powerful incentive to economic progress. One of my first exposures to this phenomenon was the comparison between company stopes and leaser's stopes in a vein gold mine. The company stopes were 4 to 6 ft wide, whereas the leaser's stopes were so narrow that in some places one could not turn around. The company leased only that ground it felt was marginal to mine with day's- pay miners, but by skillful, careful and energetic mining, the leasers managed in most cases to make money for themselves and the company. The Hurting Truth This capitalist system, which puts a premium on successful risk taking, is under attack. Not that it hasn't been under attack all along. What hurts and angers us at this time is that the attack comes from the children of the system-its youth. Such blasphemy should, of course, be eradicated, root and branch. Or should it? Are we hurt in part because some of the things they say are true?

Jan 1, 1970

By Henry F. Herley

The New Orient mine, owned and operated by the Chicago, Wilmington & Franklin Coal Co., has caused a great deal of comment and interest because of its unusual features and huge daily production. It is in Franklin County, Illinois, adjacent to the town of West Frankfort. The seam being mined is the Illinois No. 6 which in this locality is 9 to 12 ft. thick and lies approximately 500 ft. below the surface. Without fear of contradiction, it can be said that this is one of the largest coal mines in the world from a daily production standpoint. During 1928, New Orient produced 2,400,000 tons, which amounts to over 10,000 tons each day the mine operated that year. The mine is built for a capacity of 12,000 tons but has actually hoisted over 15,000 tons in one 8-hr, shift. This enormous production can perhaps be better visualized if it is realized that each day's operation depletes over two acres of coal. The general features of this mine have already been fully covered in a paper by George B. Harrington,' President of the Chicago, Wilmington & Franklin Coal Co. In a paper of the nature of Mr. Harrington's, it was unnecessary to stress any particular phase of mining conditions, consequently the ventilation problems were touched upon but lightly. In this paper an attempt has been made to describe some of the problems which have been encountered in providing adequate ventilation for the mine. Ventilating Conditions The acreage allotted to New Orient mine has a length, north and south, of approximately 6 miles, and a width, east and west, of 2 to 4 miles. A number of important considerations caused the hoist shaft, air shaft and surface plant to be located near the southeast corner of the property, instead of near the center, as is usual. During the initial phase of the mine development, the mine was ventilated through these shafts, although there was a full realization that at some future date other shafts would be required.

Jan 1, 1930

By Henry S. Washington

I. INTRODUCTION. DURING the last twenty years or so the chemical investigation of rocks has made great advances, and it is now generally recognized that a knowledge of the chemical composition is as essential as that of the texture or mineral composition-if not more so-for the proper classification of rocks and study of their origin and relationships. Rock-analyses have vastly increased in numbers and, what is of greater importance, in quality. New and improved methods permit of greater accuracy than was possible in the early days, and the list of chemical constituents frequently determined has risen from the seven or eight of the greater part of the nineteenth century to twenty or more. Indeed, rock-analyses with determinations of so many constituents are now commonly made by the chemists of the United States and Australia, while in Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy the rarer constituents are determined more frequently than formerly. As a consequence of this modern, accurate work, it has been discovered that some elements which were formerly supposed to be rare are of wide-spread occurrence and are often present in considerable amount. The fact is further being developed that the elements tend to show certain relations of occurrence or abundance in connection with each other. This is a fact which is applicable to the rarer elements, and which also finds a broad geological and petrological expression in the recognition of petrographic provinces. We are beginning to obtain some definite, though as yet rudimentary, knowledge of the distribution of the elements among igneous rocks. Some of the results along these lines obtained by study of the vast accumulation of analytical data now available are well known to petrologists, while others do not seem to be so gener-

Sep 1, 1908

E. R. Rice, Wickenburg, Ariz. (communication to the Secretary*):—While this paper is primarily intended as a discussion of Mr. Riter's, I think it will be best to indicate my criticism by describing my own field-methods. It has been my experience that, for ordinary work, the regular transit-book is to be preferred to the card-system for recording notes. This is specially true when computations in the field are required, for it is then necessary to have at hand the total latitudes, departures, ancl elevations. Moreover, the transit-book is easier to carry and manipulate in wet or cramped places, and is not as liable to damage as the loose leaf or card. I use a regular transit-book in the field, and then copy my notes, sketches, etc., in an o5ce-book, entering also the latitudes, departures, and other reductions. These values are then copied into the field-book, securing a duplicate record, in case either book should be lost or mislaid. In the field-book, the notes are entered on the left-hand, and the sketches and remarks on the right-hand page. The next two pages are left blank for the latitudes, departures, bearings, reduced distances, etc. Of course, the notes for the different parts of the mine are entered in the field-book in the order in which they are surveyed; but in the they are entered systematically. It has been my experience that the system of keeping notes used by a surveyor, is particularly adapted to the needs and temperament of the individual. Otherwise, he would not be

Jan 1, 1912

By Benj. Lyman

The Institute, in June, 1881, visited Low Moor in Alleghany County, Virginia, on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, seven miles easterly from Covington. Having occasion myself, a few days later, to make a very hasty geological reconnaissance of the iron-ores there, and finding them to be somewhat different in age from what was said to be the opinion of some of those who were there with the Institute, I have thought it worth while to bring the matter up again at the present meeting. According to the opinion quoted, the principal ore-banks belong to the Oriskany sandstone; and that seems to be the view entertained of the same ore in that region by Prof. Wm. B. Rogers in his reports of 1837 and 1838. it is likewise given by Prof. J. L. Campbell in a paper on the Rich-patch iron region in The Virginias for December, 1880 (vol. i., p. 189). A comparison, however, of the section at Low Moor with sections in Pennsylvania, shows clearly that the main ore-bed is the same as that of the bottom part of the Marcellus shales (part of Pa. and Va., No. VIII), a short distance above the top of the Oriskany sandstone (No. VII). The Upper Helderberg limestone is absent at Low Moor, as indeed it is at many places in Pennsylvania, and that is perhaps the reason why the ore has been thought to belong to the Oriskany sandstone. The ores and their accompanying rock-beds, are exposed in three or four folds near the Low Moor iron-mines on Fork Rim and, as described and pointed out by Mr. Geo. T. Wickes, who had in his management of several years' duration become well acquainted with them, are as follows, from above downwards:

Jan 1, 1886

By B. Foley

IN THE first report1 disks of steel of known composition and history were exposed, under carefully prescribed conditions, to impacts of explosion products resulting from the explosion of 50-gm. charges of explosives having well-determined rates of detonation, or to impacts of a weight of known mass, falling through measured distances. There were available at the Bureau of Mines Experiment Station five explosives, having rates of detonation of 5716, 4470, 3190, 2296, and 1523 meters per second. It being desired to continue this exposure downward, and no explosives with a lesser rate of detonation being at hand, resort was had to the impact of a falling weight, the differences in the velocity of impact being attained by varying the height from which the weight was allowed to fall. It was expected by this means to demonstrate experimentally that the development of Neumann bands was determined by the suddenness of the deformation of the metal in which they were produced. But while progressive deformations were obtained with the explosive arges, the falling-weight method failed because the tup was ogressively deformed, also the disks were so flattened as to be unfit for metallographic examination. A return, therefore, has been made to the use of explosives as the source of energy, an air-gap being interposed between the charge of explosive and the disk, as the effect diminishes as the function of the distance between the charge and the object on which the products of its explosion, or the shock wave from its detonation, impinge. The details of the arrangement of the tests by the air-gap method were the same as those described by Foley and Howell,2 except that after the system had been set up and the desired apparent specific gravity for the explosive

Jan 2, 1926

By Stewart R. Wallace

Members of the Society, it is a very great honor for me to be here today and to have the opportunity of telling you about some things that have been accumulating in the back of my mind for some time. Before attempting to do so, I should acknowledge my debt to the many people who are responsible for my presence here this afternoon. To do this properly, however, would consume much of my allotted time and I will therefore mention only two men, both of whom were directly involved in the discovery of the Henderson ore body. The first of these was Robert Henderson, now dead, who at the time the work was going on was vice president of Western Operations of the Climax Molybdenum Co. Truly, he provided the environment that permitted the exploration program to function effectively, and the deposit appropriately bears his name. The second man I meant to mention was resident geologist at Urad at the time of the Henderson discovery. I think I should explain right here that the Urad ore body and the Henderson ore body, although entirely separate, are closely related deposits, and that both are located at Red Mountain in Clear Creek County, Colo.

Jan 6, 1975

By Eugene Guccione

Evidence that the United States is gradually converting to the metric system of measurement can be perceived today even by housewives in a supermarket. The question is no longer whether but when the country will have completed the conversion. To the extent that any bickering about metrication still exists, the debate now centers on such issues as finding agreement on details of implementation, and whether federal legislation should speed up the metric-conversion process or allow it to proceed along its present evolutionary and voluntary course. Apparently, the voluntary or "make-haste-slowly" approach is gaining widespread support. According to The Research Institute of America, Inc., if and when federal legislation is enacted it will likely include the following national ground rules: (1) A National Metric Conversion Board will develop and submit to the President and Congress a comprehensive plan to achieve a coordinated, minimum-cost changeover. (2) The change- over will be completed 8 to 10 years after the board's plan goes into effect, and by that time the US will be predominantly, though not exclusively, metric. (3) Costs will "lie where they fall"; subsidies, special tax concessions, and antitrust exemptions will not be authorized by the legislation. (4) The changeover will be voluntary because of the recognition that while some firms can "go metric" in a matter of weeks, others may require 15 years or more, and a few might never convert. (5) In determining whether or not to convert, on an individual company basis, adherence will be to the "rule of reason-that is, ". . . do not convert unless the engineering, economic, or other benefits outweigh any metric-related disadvantages. No one is talking about rip- ping up our railroad tracks or rewiring our homes just to conform to the practice of metric nations in Europe." (6) Government is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem; in effect, says The Research Institute of America, the leverage of federal procurement will not be exerted to force-feed the metric changeover but will be coordinated with the sector-by-sector conversion of the economy.*

Jan 12, 1975

By Charles E. Lundin, Albert S. Yamamoto

The phase eqrtilibria of the binavy system, Nb-Al, weye established by metallographic, X-ray diffraction, hardness, and thermal-analysis techniques. Three intermediate phases were identijied, Nb3.41, Nb2Al, and NbAl,. The N6,Al and NbAl phases have extensiue ranges of solubility. The maximum solubility of aluminum in niobiuitz is 23.0 i0.5 at. pct (8.0 wt pct) A1 clt 1960" i 10°C. The maximumt solinbility oj niobiunz in alunzinutz is less than 0.3 i0.1 at. pct (1.0 tut pct) fib. The A'h,Al and Nbgl interinediate phases forr peritectically at 1960° 1UcC and 1870" i 1U9C, respectively, zuhereas the NbAl, phase fornts congvuently fio11t the melt at 1605" 10°C. A eutectic reaction oc- The intent of an over-all research program was to develop niobium-aluminide-base coatings for refractory metals since these coatings exhibit useful high- curs at 57.8 i 0.5 at. pct (28.5 wt pet) A1 and 1500" 10°C between NbAl and NbAl3. The aluminum-rich region of the system has a peritectic reaction where liquid reacts with NbAL, to form aluminum solid solution. Structural and lattice -pavarneter data /or the intermediate phases were determined by X-ray diffraction analyses. An unusual transfov?nation having charactevistics of nucleation-growth and martensitic nleclanisils occurs on cooling the niobium solid solution in the region from 18 at. pct (6 wt pct) Al to 23 at. pct (8 wt pct) Al. The transfornzed product on rapid quenchirzg is an acicular NhAl. temperature resistance to oxidation. As a prerequisite, the phase equilibria of the system, Nb-A1, were necessary. A literature survey revealed that the phase-equilibria data reported by various investigators were rather incomplete and conflicting. Therefore a complete determination of the system was undertaken by the authors from 0 to 100 pct of solute addition.' In 1959 Savitskiyz presented a tentative diagram which

Jan 1, 1967

By Luther Lennox

DURING the last few years, one of the great problems in the milling of all ores has been that of crushing. This subject involves not merely the cost of the operation, but also the selection of the proper degree and character of crushing to yield the best metallurgical results on the given ore. Considering the diversity of machinery, one is led to wonder at the variety of crushing methods employed, even when realizing that metallurgy demands varying products. In an attempt to investigate the relative crushing resistances of a number of ores now being milled in this country and Alaska, the management of the Portland mills requested samples of average mill-run of ore from various companies. The request met with a ready response, indicating the desire of all operators to gain information on the subject. The difficulties involved in this investigation were numerous, lack of time for outside problems during this strenuous period being a serious one. Also, we were unable, in the time, to obtain a correct 150-mesh . screen; in the screen analyses tabulated and plotted herewith, the 150 mesh screen was used merely to protect the 200-mesh screen, not to ascertain points on the curves.

Jan 8, 1918

By R. E. Cuthbertson

AN early appreciation by the management that Climax ore presented a challenging problem of economic concentration was responsible for the establishment, in June 1926, of an ore-testing department at the experimental plant of the Colorado School of Mines at Golden, some ninety miles from Climax. An engineering office was later organized in the same community for the design of all ore-treatment units erected at Climax during the period of rapid growth. Work of the ore-testing and design staffs was effectively co-ordinated under a common head. The primary reason for having the ore-testing and plant design departments in Golden, was to place these activities under the able supervision of A. J. Weinig, consultant for the Climax Molybdenum Co., and director of the experimental plant. A secondary consideration was the availability of excellent facilities for research in ore dressing in a highly favorable environment. Concentration of molybdenite by flotation from an ore of simple mineral composition does not appear, superficially, to present a serious problem in ore dressing but experience belies this apparent simplicity. The molybdenite content of average Climax ore is low and it is finely

Jan 1, 1946

I. C. WHITE, Morgantown, W. Va. (written discussion *).-The writer's conclusions with reference to the possibility of finding commercial deposits of petroleum in Brazil were published in 1908 in the Final Report of the Coal Commission of Brazil.1 Since this volume is not generally accessible, and the author has nothing to acid thereto, the following quotation found on pages 243-7 may prove of interest: The Possibility of Petroleum Deposits in Brazil "The writer has often been asked to express an opinion as to the possibility of finding petroleum in commercial quantity in Brazil. "The question is one that does not admit of an adequate answer except for the regions visited by the writer, which as already stated, include only, a portion of that great territory, and only the southern portion of Brazil; namely, the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catharina, Paraná, and a few rapid excursions across São Paulo, and Minas Geraes, as well as the brief visit to Marahú in Bahia. "That the sedimentary beds of the Brazilian Permian once held some petroleum is attested by the evidence of the Iraty black shale which gives off the characteristic odor of this substance from São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul.

Jan 1, 1918

By Gilbert Doan

AN extensive program of investigation is being carried out at Lehigh University in the study of arcs and arc welds of high-purity iron1, spon-sored by the Engineering Foundation. The part of that program reported in the present paper deals with welds made of high-purity iron in an argon atmosphere and for comparison with them welds made of the same iron in ordinary air. Welds of commercial steel also were made in argon and in air. The primary purpose of the study is to discover the basic physical constants of iron welds when not contaminated either by impurities in the iron or by the action of oxygen and nitrogen of the air during welding. Upon these constants can be founded such future studies as will determine what effects the various impurities and alloy elements present in steel have upon its welding characteristics, and what influence is exerted by the action of oxygen and nitrogen. The welding of steel involves such a multitude of variables, both of composition and of procedure, that development in the fabrication of this most important metal has necessarily been slow, wasteful, and in many instances discouraging. In the present investigation, the simplest possible condition has been selected; namely, iron practically free from contamination and a nonparticipating atmosphere, the inert gas argon. This simplification reduces the number of variables to a point where more rigid control of the system is possible. Although this study is significant for the contributions it makes to the science of steel fabrication, yet it is hoped that it will not be without value also in increasing knowledge of the nature and behavior of iron and steel in general. From the standpoint of open-hearth practice, and to

Jan 1, 1936

By W. Geo. Waring

THE growing need of better methods for the recovery of zinc and other elements from complex sulfide ores has suggested an inquiry respecting a possible group separation of the elements by the aid of volatilization at more or less elevated temperatures. It 'is evident that if the zinc content of such ores can be completely separated, for instance, as pure oxide, by a volatilization 'method, there should be no difficulty in recovering the other elements by smelting and refining. Zinc burning" as applied to zinkiferous ores has advanced but little in practice since the invention of the wetherill grate-furnace process in 1852, as may be seen by reference to papers on the subject.' In other words the thermochemical reaction employed in effecting the volatilization of the zinc is essentially one of reduction by means of carbon, whether the ores treated contain their zinc in an oxidized form, or as the sulfide. The zinc vapors, liberated from the ores at a temperature above that required for the reduction of ZnO by C (about ,1100° C.) or for the volatilization of ZnS per se, (about' 1300°-1400° C.) are subsequently burned to ZnO or to ZnO + SOz, by contact with' atmospheric ,oxygen in the upper or posterior parts of the furnace chamber, or in a so-called "combustion chamber" after leaving the .furnace proper.

Jan 1, 1925

Henry LOUIS, London, England (communication to the Secretary) : Prof. Richards's paper has impressed me as highly valuable. Without entering upon any discussion of it as careful and thorough as it deserves, I venture to mention one or two points which a perusal of it has recalled to my mind in connection with my own study and practice of ore-dressing. I always mentally divide jigging into two phases: 1. A particle at rest on the jig-bed is lifted and carried upwards by the rising current of water, at an increasing velocity, which tends to a maximum. When the upward current is stopped, the particle continues to rise with rapidly diminishing velocity until it comes to rest. This completes the first phase. 2. In the second phase, the particle falls from its position of rest with an increasing velocity which tends again to a maximum, and continues to fall until the rising current of water has reduced its velocity to zero. This completes the second phase. The second phase will evidently be greatly modified by the effect of suction, as Prof. Richards shows; but I do not see that his experiments very clearly imitate the action of the second phase. And the brief intervals at the end of each phase, when the mineral particle, by reason of its acquired velocity, is still moving, though in opposition to the water-current, yet remain to be investigated. I feel especially, in Prof. Richards's paper, a difficulty which I have felt with regard to all similar previous investigations, namely, that the experiments deal with particles falling a long distance, when the velocity becomes uniform. I question whether this uniform maximum velocity is attained in actual jigging-practice. If so, it is certainly for a comparatively very small proportion only of each stroke. It seems to me that an investigation like that of Prof. Richards, but confined to the first 6 or 8 inches of fall only, and carried out with suitably delicate recording-apparatus, is what we

Jan 1, 1895