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By F. C. Noyes

DAME Nature was in a generous mood when she distributed widely over the face of the globe numerous deposits of phosphate rock from which man can make phosphatic festiIizer to replace the phosphate re- moved from the soil by crops. The principal deposits are readily accessible to the world's greatest consuming areas and most of them are such that mining operations can be carried on at relatively low cost. The world's known reserves shown in Table 1 are sufficient to last well over 2000 gears at the present rate of consumption. Before giving a brief outline of the phosphate rock industry of foreign countries let us try to get a picture of the movement of phosphate rock throughout the world in 1938, the last full normal calendar year where it came from and where it was consumed. Table 2 shows the origin and finial destination of world shipments in 1938 by grand divisions. Table 3 (p. 499) shows shipment9 of phosphte rock to each country in Europe. Europe is seen to be by far the world's greatest market and the French North African mines the world's most important producers outside of the U. S. A.

Jan 1, 1944

By John Birkinbine

The following data concerning the general dimensions and district-location of the blast-furnaces of the United States are intended to supplement a paper of similar title, which appears in volume xiv., pages 561 to 577, of the Transactions, and bring the record to the end of the calendar year 1886. The reasons for presenting the figures at so short an interval since the former paper are that the American Iron and Steel Association has lately issued a new directory of iron and steel works (edition of 1886) from which many of the plants which have been inactive are omitted and new industries added, to such an extent as to materially affect the figures presented in the first paper; and also that the improvement in business has encouraged a production of pig-iron in 1886 in excess of any previous outputs, and the results obtained in the industry at large as well as at individual plants form a better index of what the American furnaces can accomplish than those heretofore presented. The statement will not be extended beyond the production of pigiron, although it could well be made to include the manufactured iron and steel; and while the data given have been verified as far as possible up to the close of the year 1886, no attempt, except in special cases, has been made to note the changes which have taken place since that time—changes which within the next twelvemouth will affect some of the figures here presented. At the close of the year 1886 there were 579 blast-furnaces reported on the active list—an apparent decrease, as compared with my former paper, of 97 stacks; but this was not an actual decrease, since most of the furnaces dropped from the Directory were those which, owing to location, inefficient equipment, or fake of ore-supplies, etc., were considered likely to remain inactive, although a number of them will possibly be temporarily put into blast with iron advancing in price. On the other hand the new plants added

Jan 1, 1887

By E. De Goyler

Volcanic origin was among the first of the theories advanced to account for the occurrence of the salt domes of the Gulf coastal plain, northern Louisiana, and eastern Texas, and it is still being re-stated in various forms by the most recent contributors to our knowledge of the geology of such deposits. Argument has been largely by analogy and attention has repeatedly been called to the Mexican oil fields, particularly those of the Tampico-Tuxpam region, because of the occurrence of oil in close proximity to volcanic plugs in those fields, an occurrence supposed to have some resemblance to the common occurrence of oil in the salt domes of the United States. The author, having spent several months of the past year in a general study of salt domes and in a detailed study of certain domes in the United States, and having been acquainted for some time with the exploration of similar domes in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region, Mexico, and with the general geology of the Tampico-Tuxpam region, Mexico, has reviewed the various theories of volcanic origin for salt domes which have been advanced to the present time. The purpose of this paper is to present such review and to discuss the supposed Mexican analogy. Review of Volcanic Theory R. Thomassyl who had visited the Five Islands of Louisiana between 1857 and 1859, in 1860 described them with some care, noting their distinct character, alignment, and similarity, and ascribing to them a volcanic origin. He regarded them as being akin to the mud lumps in the delta of the Mississippi and was impressed by their symmetry and by the ponds or lakes which occur on several of the islands and which he regarded

Jan 1, 1920

By Carle R. Hayward

SulphuR has long been one of the banes of the steel manufacturer and often no effort and expense have been spared in order to reduce it to a small per cent. in the finished product. This condition is due to a general conviction that in many cases where steels have failed in service, sulphur has been the cause. But there has been a growing feeling in recent years that the verdict against sulphur has been unnecessarily severe. In cases of segregation it was present in. augmented amounts along with other impurities, but it had not caused the segregation. High sulphur in pig iron is caused by poor furnace conditions and the sulphur is merely one indication of an iron that has not been properly reduced. No amount of subsequent treatment under oxidizing conditions in the open-hearth furnace can remedy the defects, although the per cent. of sulphur may be considerably reduced. In other words, the causes of bad steel can frequently be traced back to bad pig iron, and sulphur is merely one indication that the pig iron is bad. The writer recently visited a steel plant where a mass of evidence had been accumulated which substantiated this fact, and the superintendent was emphatic in stating that high sulphur was not harmful provided the steel was not otherwise poor due to insufficient reduction in the blast furnace. The presence of a moderate amount of sulphur is desirable from the standpoint of the man who machines the steel. The low-sulphur material drags and the production of a smooth surface is very difficult. A slight increase in sulphur enables the machinist to produce a smooth surface without difficulty. Since, therefore, such large quantities of steel are subjected to machining, it becomes highly important that the sulphur controversy should be settled, and if its presence is proved to be harmless the ban on it should be lifted. Among the recent papers on the effect of sulphur on steel is one by Dr. J. S. Unger, Manager of the Central Research Bureau, Carnegie Steel

Jan 1, 1917

By S. W. Zehr, G. S. Murty, W. A. Backofen

AN observation by Squires, Weiner, and phillipsl has stimulated interest in a mechanism of deformation at high temperature (above -0.5 of the absolute melting point) that is not usually thought to be involved in the creep of metals. They found precipitate-free or "denuded" zones along grain boundaries normal to the stress axis in tensile specimens of a hydrided Mg-1/2 wt pct Zr alloy after slow straining at 450° and 500°C. Their suggestion that the zones were a result of directional diffusion of magnesium atoms was supported with calculations from Harris and Jones2 which also tended to identify the process as Nabarro-Herring (N-H) creep3,4—a process that is characterized by Newtonian viscosity, with stress (o) directly proportional to strain rate (C), and one that proceeds by lattice diffusion. Material transport by diffusion along grain boundaries is an alternative basis for Newtonian viscosity, as demonstrated by Coble,5 and is favored over N-H creep for fine grain size and lower temperature.6 In either case, the strain rate sensitivity of flow stress, defined as m = d log o/d log E (which commonly appears in the empirical a = KEW), is unity. The experiments to be described here gave metallo-graphic indications of diffusional creep which were no less clear than those just cited, but the associated m (as measured by the method of Ref. 7) was much more like that of a Bingham material. For true Bingham behavior, (a — ao) E, where oo is an initial yield stress. Therefore, even if flow after yielding should occur by diffusional transport, m must increase from 0 as < is raised to reach unity only in the limit as One result is that the resistance to tensile necking conferred by Newtonian viscosity is lost, which would become increasingly apparent through the formation of more sharply defined necks as 6 is lowered. That trend appeared in these experiments. Most of the work was done on an extremely finegrained alloy of magnesium with -6 wt pct Zn and ½ wt pct Zr (Mg ZK60); the initial mean-intercept grain diameter, L, was 0.55 µ. Shown in Fig. l(a) is a germanium-shadowed carbon replica of the surface of a specimen that was coated with silicone oil,* heated to 270°C under a helium atmosphere, and then stretched locally -200 pct at an initial E = 3.3 x 10-5 sec-1. Under

Jan 1, 1969

By Henry M. Howe

The death of Sir Lowthian Bell removes almost the last of the group of heroic leaders who made their age and ours the Age of Steel—a group which his luster and the luster of his peers, Bessemer, Siemens and Tunner, made one of the most brilliant, perhaps even the most brilliant, in the annals of induetry. Born on February 15th, 1816, in Newcastle-on-Tyne, he was the eldest son of Thomas Bell, an alderman of Newcastle, and of his wife Catherine Lowthian of Newbiggin, near Carlisle, in Cumberland, and was christened Isaac Lowthian, the name of his maternal grandfather. His father was born about 1788, and came in 1808 from Newbiggin to Newcastle, where he entered the office of the Cumbrian firm of Losh & Company, manufacturers of alkali and wrought-iron, at the Walker Iron and Alkali Works, at Walker, near Newcastle. Young Isaac Lowthian Bell was educated at Dr. Bruce&apos;s school in Newcastle, whence he went to Germany and Denmark, learning there German and Danish. On his return he studied at Edinburgh University, and then at the Sorbonne in Paris. As a student he already showed the remarkable character and application which later gained him such distinction. After studying the manufacture of alkali near Marseilles, he returned, and when about twenty years old (A.D. 1836) was employed in his father&apos;s firm, then called Losh, Wilson, & Bell. After spending a year in their Newcastle offices, and after visiting the important iron-making districts of France, Germany, Poland, and Austria, he took charge of their rolling-mills at. Walker, and profited so well by his opportunities, and especially by the teachings of his father and of Mr. John Vaughan (later one of the founders of the great firm of Bolckow, Vaughan & Co.), that he was made manager of the Walker works in or about

Jan 1, 1906

By B. C. Burgess

IN the first edition of this volume,44 feldspar was introduced as "the I commonest mineral of the crystalline rocks," usually in small grains associated with other minerals and commercially produced only from pegrnatites. Now other crystalline rocks, such as alaskites and granites, have become present or potential sources of feldspar. In addition, feldspar has encountered very vigorous competition from such substitutes as nepheline syenite and aplite. COMPOSITION AND PROPERTIES The feldspars form a group of which the principal species are orthoclase, microcline, albite, and anorthite. These are aluminum silicates of potassium, sodium and calcium. There are also a barium feldspar, celsian, and barium orthoclase feldspar, hyalophane, rarely found and of no commercial importance. None of the minerals in the feldspar group are found pure or nearly pure. The potash feldspars, orthoclase and microcline, nearly always contain some albite (soda microcline, an- orthoclase); the soda feldspars usually contain some anorthite (lime feldspar). There is a series of soda-lime feldspars known as plagioclase in which the albite and anorthite molecules replace each other in varying proportions from albite through oligoclase, andesine, labradorite, and bytownite to anorthite. Theoretical chemical composition of the principal feldspars is given in Table 1. The Whiteware Division of the American Ceramic Society sub- mitted a list of definitions of ceramic terms, in April 1947, for use in technical literature. For feldspar it gives: "A group of igneous minerals consisting chiefly of the aluminum silicates of potash, soda and lime, in which one base generally predominates." Commercial feldspars are intergrowths of at least two species of feldspar, which occur associated with one or more accessory minerals such as quartz, muscovite, biotite, garnet and tourmaline as well as with small but varying proportions of the decomposition product, kaolinite. An intergrowth of quartz and feldspar frequently contains

Jan 1, 1949

By Fred A. Hale

Owing to the large area included in the Yellow Pine mining district, and the varied nature of its mineral deposits, a detailed geological description of the district could be covered only in an extensive monograph. This paper is intended as a description of the most prominent geologic features only with special reference to those of economic importance. The first mention of the district was in 1903 by J. E. Spurr, who briefly describes the structural geology of the Spring Mountain range. In 1906, H. F. Bain2 briefly described the Potosi mine. James J. Hillla of the United States Geological Survey, visited the district for a brief period in 1912, the result of which is an excellent reconnaissance report, covering the district in some detail but necessarily with brevity. Since that time, articles covering special features of the district have appeared in the technical press, including some by the writer, and a notable description of the Boss mine, by Adolph Knopf,4 appeared in 1915. Development of the district during the past few years has progressed so rapidly and with so many notable discoveries, particularly with reference to the rare metals, that a further description at this time may prove of interest. The writer&apos;s acquaintance with the district is based on 7 years&apos; continuous residence in the vicinity, beginning with the spring of 1910. A. Location and Topography The Yellow Pine mining district is situated in the southwestern portion of Clark County, Nevada, about 300 miles northeast of Los Angeles, along the line of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. The district extends from Mt. Olcott on the north to the California line on the south,

Jan 1, 1918

By Max Roesler

Page I. Introduction........................... 78 Location.......................... 78 Scope of Work and Acknowledgments.............. 79 History and Mining...................... 80 I1. Topography and its Interpretation................. 80 III. Petrology............................ 82 Sedimentary Rocks...................... 82 Description....................... 82 Age.......................... 84 Igneous Rocks........................ 85 Diabasic Rocks..................... 86 Dioritic Rocks...................... 87 Granitic Rocks...................... 88 Later Dike Rocks.................... 88 IV. Areal Geology.......................... 88 Rock Types Found in the District............... 88 Distribution of the Various Rock Types............. 89 Surface Distribution................... 89 Vertical Distribution................... 90 Causes of Present Areal and Vertical Distribution of the Various Rock Types..................... 91 Faulting...................... 91 Magmatic Differenti~tion............... 91 Tilting........................ 95 Erosion....................... 96 V. General Description of Ore Deposits................ 96 Nature of Ore ........................ 96 Shap~ and Size of Orebodies.................. 96 Geologic Position....................... 97 Mineralogy......................... 98 Distribution....................... 98 Interpretation...................... 99 Superficial Alteration................... 102 VI. Genesis of the Ore Deposits.................... 104 Previous Theories...................... 104 J. P. Kimball...................... 104

Jan 1, 1917

By Donald Cummings

MEASURES appropriate for the control of the silicosis hazard in mining cannot be formulated precisely, but sufficient knowledge1-19 has accumu-lated during the past quarter century to permit the suggestion of useful, though partly empirical, rules for its alleviation. The industrial hygienist today recognizes that the peril incurred by the inhalation of harmful dust is a function of two variable factors-the degree of harmful exposure and the specific susceptibility of the exposed individual to pulmonary injury. Con-trol of the danger arising out of prolonged contact with pernicious air-borne particulate matter is consequently best exercised by influencing both of these recognized variables. Obviously the problem has two broad aspects-one, medical; the other within the province of the engineer.

Jan 1, 1938

(SECRETARY&apos;S NOTE.) The following discussion of the papers of Van Hise, Emmons, Lindgren and Weed, read at the Washington meeting, February, 1900, and printed on pp. 282 to 498 of this volume, comprises communications to the Secretary, received at various times before the Richmond meeting, February, 1901, and, for the most part, presented at that meeting. These communications are introduced at this point in the present volume, in order that they may precede the papers of Vogt, hemp, Lindgren, Rickard, etc., presented at Richmond, and therefore not forming part of the material considered in them. Since many of the contributors have mentioned in one communication several of the papers referred to, no attempt is here made to divide their remarks and distribute the fragments under separate headings. In each contribution, however, the several topics are indicated by subtitles. R. BECK,* Freiberg, Saxony : Prof. Veal Hise&apos;s Paper.-The paper of Prof. Van use (p. 282) represents a great step of scientific progress, in that the circulation of underground waters has never before been presented with such clearness, ill the light of modern chemical and physical knowledge. The theories of the formation of ore-deposits which follow the author&apos;s general survey of the currents and solvent power of atmospheric waters in the earth&apos;s crust do not, indeed, seem to be novel, being essentially an amplification of Le Conte&apos;s views; but the proofs adduced in their support are in many particulars so original that no one can read without profit this portion of the paper. Entirely new (though largely in agreement with the papers of Emmons and Weed, presented at the same meeting of the Institute) are the sections dealing with the formation of the rich sulphides of the precious metals, and especially the regeneration of normal sulphides, such as galena, etc., in vein-zones immediately beneath the ground-water level. Nevertheless, it appears to me that Prof. Van Hise, in the course of his most instructive exposition of unquestionable, yet still locally limited, phenomena, has been too much biased in favor of the " descensionists." This is indicated by the small importance which he attaches to the intimate genetic relation between epigenetic deposits and the plutonic hearths of the earth&apos;s interior.

Jan 1, 1902

By Herbert Hoover

YOUR committee asks that I speak today on the relations of the engineering profession to public affairs. That takes in a lot of ground. This being a cheerful occasion, I will assume that I should exclude the engineer&apos;s function as a taxpayer. This being a nonpartisan occasion, I will assume that I should not refer to his voting emotions in 1940. Perhaps what was in the minds of your committee was the application of engineering thought to the confusions of the times. That is also a lot of ground. I fear, however, its boundaries disappear in mirages and rainbows on all sides. Now any entry of the engineer into public affairs involves his breaking into the fields of the sociologists, the economists, and the politicians. However I don&apos;t know why, seeing the difficulties these professions are having, they should not welcome a little help.

Jan 1, 1939

By Albert Hayes

FOUR mines at Wabana, on Bell Island in Concep-tion Bay, Newfoundland, produced 1,209,777 tons of ore in 1927, and it is expected that the produc-tion will be larger in 1928. The ore is a stratified oolitic hematite of sedimentary origin. Three workable beds and many thin beds occur in a thickness of 400 ft. of interbedded sandstones and shales. It is not profitable under present conditions to mine extensively in ore beds less than 4 ft. thick. The iron ore beds outcrop on the small island and are inclined northward more steeply, than the slope of the ocean bottom. The mine work-ings follow the bedded ore below the sea bottom, No. 3 Mine extending about 2 miles north of the island. At this point there is a cover of 1500 ft. of rock and 600 ft. of ocean water. It is impracticable to operate drills in the ocean to prove the extent of the submarine orebody in advance, and diamond drilling from the mine workings is the only method of exploration. Bell Island has been settled for a long time and a monument at Cupids, near Brigus at the head of Conception Bay, commemor-ates the tercentenary of a settlement there in 1611 by Captain Guy of England. was one of the chief ports of Newfoundland for deep sea fishing and doubtless many a captain wondered about the red rocks as he sailed past. The famous geologist, J. B. Jukes, records seeing a bright red sandstone 8 ft. thick on the northwest side of Bell Island during a visit in 1842, but he evident ly did not try to land on that rocky coast to get a sample. The iron ore is plainly visible in the high cliffs along the coast of the island, as bright brown layers interbedded with gray and white sandstones and dark shales. The heavy red rock was used by the fisher-men as anchor weights for fish nets and small boats, but its real value, so the story goes, was discovered by a merchant in Saint John,

Jan 8, 1928

Edgar Archibald Collins was born at Truro, Cornwall, Nov. 16; 1877. He was the fifth (and youngest) son of J. H. Collins, a well known Cornish geologist and engineer, who died in 1916. Edgar Collins spent part of his childhood at Rio Tinto, in Spain, and after returning to England was educated at Alleyne&apos;s School at Dulwich, near London. His technical training was acquired by practical experience in Cornwall, supplemented by private study and by his father&apos;s teaching. This method of training for the work of a mining engineer was preferred by his father to that of the technical schools then available, and judging by its result, was not unsuccessful. It is,-however, noteworthy that all members of the Collins family who were products of this system later sent, or planned to send, their own sons to technical schools. Edgar Collins came to Gilpin County, Colorado, in 1894, and returned there in 1898, after several intermediate years spent in Cornwall. In Colorado he worked, under his brother Arthur, in the California and other mines of the Gilpin County district, and thereby gained a practical skill and experience as a working miner, and a habit of minute observation of vein phenomena, which proved of the greatest value in later years. In 1899 he went to the Smuggler-Union it Telluride, as general assistant to his brother Arthur, and stood the brunt of 3 years of struggle with the Western Federation, gaining a reputation, for quiet courage and sound work under the most difficult conditions. After Arthur Collins&apos; assassination in the Smuggler-Union office, in November, 1902, Edgar left Telluride, and shortly thereafter entered the employment of a syndicate headed by Arthur Winslow, of Boston, to search for and develop new mines. While so engaged he spent several unsuccessful months near Parral, in Mexico, and later visited and sampled the- newly discovered district of Grandpa, afterward known as Goldfield, in Nevada. This led to the acquisition by the Winslow syndicate of the Combination mine, at first under lease and option; and Edgar Collins was placed in charge. The Combination was really the starting point of Goldfield. It was a profitable mine before the discoveries at the Jumbo were made; and while the Combination, being a "Company-account" mine, controlled by a few responsible men, never attracted the publicity that centered around the sensationally profitable leases on the Jumbo and Mohawk, which publicity was used to further the feverish stock-dealings that characterized the new district. The Combination was really the pioneer mine, made the first shipments of rich ore, constructed the first water-line, and built the first mill (designed by F. L. Bosqui, an old friend and associate); and while it pursued a quiet and unobtrusive. career up to the time of its sale to and incorporation with the Goldfield Consolidated, was probably, in ;proportion to the amount of money risked, the most profitable bonanza in the recent history of gold mining.

Jan 11, 1918

By Norman Weiss

MOST papers on xanthate have dealt with principles rather than practice. On the assumption that many millmen are interested in knowing where and in what manner the xanthates are being used in mills other than their own, this paper will summarize the results of a recent survey of North American plants. A brief background story and a description of the xanthates will be followed with the results of that survey; then a few observations will be made on storage, feeding, and ore testing. The first xanthate was made in 1822 by Zeise of the University of Copenhagen. With commendable scientific detachment (or perhaps a bad cold) Zeise ignored a more pervading quality of the substance and named it for its color, after the Greek word "xanthos," meaning yellow. During the first 80 years of its recorded existence xanthate found use only in.small quantity as an insecticide; after the turn of the century there was some further demand for it in the vulcanization of rubber. It was not until 1922, by coincidence the centennial of Zeise&apos;s discovery, that C. H. Keller of San Francisco, seeking sulphidizing agents, recalled xanthate in connection with his experience years earlier when he had seen this material used in Europe to combat grape phylloxera. His successful tests with the new flotation reagent culminated in the basic xanthate patent (U. S. 1,554,216) in 1925. In the minds of many metallurgists the introduction of xanthate as a flotation reagent is identified with the beginnings of alkaline circuits, the first use of chemical collectors, and the beginning of selective flotation. Actually, these preceded xanthatc by a number of years. The alkaline circuit in lead-zinc flotation was introduced by Lyster as early as 1912. In 1922 Sheridann and Griswold made their momentous discovery (Timber Butte) that alkali cyanides and zinc sulphate effectively inhibited the flotation of pyrite and sphalerite in pulps made alkaline with sodium carbonate or bicarbonate. The use of lime to retard pyrite in copper flotation began within two years after Ralston directed attention to its possibilities in 1917. These were the beginnings of modern selective flotation, which was practiced successfully on copper-iron ores at Nacozari in 1922, and at Inspiration, Cananea, and others only shortly afterward. In the lead-zinc mills, selective flotation was of even greater economic importance at that time. The Sunnyside plant of U. S. Smelting, Refining, and Mining Co. used the process earlier than 1920, and Consolidated, Timber Butte, and others soon followed. As a chemical collector xanthate was relatively a latecomer, for the Corliss patent of 1917 covered the first of these, alpha-naphthylamine, and the Perkins patent of 1918 the second, thiocarbanilid. Both of these were in extensive use before Keller&apos;s xanthate made its commercial debut in 1923. There is general agreement, nonetheless, that the introduction of xanthate was

Jan 1, 1947

By F. Julius Fohs

Centrally located with relation to the largest iron- and steel-producing districts of the United States, the fluorspar-deposits of Kentucky possess increasing interest and importance. As typical of the numerous fluorspar-mines of Kentucky and Illinois, I have selected for description the Memphis, because it and others of its immediate group exhibit the conditions characteristic of all. I. The Memphis MiNe. This mine lies 5 miles NW. of Marion, in Crittenden county, Kentucky, a station on the Chicago and Nashville division of .the Illinois Central R. R. For the first mile and a half out of Marion we see only Birdsville or Middle Chester sandstones of Mississippian age. Then we cross a fault of about 850 ft. displacement, and the Ste. Genevieve oolite sets in. Beyond the fault, oolite is the predominant rock, except that the hills to the north have a capping of Cypress or lowest Chester sandstone, 80 ft. below which is an outcrop of from 6 to 10 ft. of Ste. Genevieve (Rosiclare) sandstone. Occasional sink-holes are noticed, and as the mines are approached evidence of faulting is again seen. A line of .crude head-frames and open-cut dumps, extending for more than a quarter of a mile, marks the Klondike vein. The open-cuts are from 15 to 20 ft. deep, and in most of them, from the surface down, was found the reddish gravel which is really fluorspar—some of it white or purple and crystal-clear (if the red clay is washed off), and some carrying iron and silica, and stained by waters from the decaying limestone walls. In one of these cuts, at a depth of 20 ft., white and purplish honey-combed fluorspar was found, in which the larger cavities are due to the leaching of limestone and calcite, and the minute ones to the leaching of zinc-hlende.

Jan 1, 1910

By Myrick N. Bolles

The concentration of gold and silver in mattes low in copper, and the subsequent separation and recovery of either or both of these metals, is a question the satisfactory solution of which has long vexed metallurgists. It covers a broad and important department of metallurgical science and brings in its train a series of attendant problems continuing from the initial operations of concentration to the final recovery of " values."

Jan 1, 1905

THREE regional meetings are planned for this summer and fall following the spring meeting held under the auspices of the Iron and Steel Committee and the Ohio Section at Cleveland in April and in lieu of a general fall meeting of the Institute. Plans for all of them are maturing rapidly. Excellent programs and. interesting visits to points of local tech¬nical interest are already assured. THE SALT LAKE CITY MEETING This meeting will be under the auspices of the Milling Committee and the Utah Section. It will be one of the features of the joint convention held the week of August 22 to 26 with the Western Division of the American Mining Congress. The Congress will be responsible for the general arrangements and for the program on the first day. The following general committees have been appointed:

Jan 7, 1927

By N. Tiner

THE mechanical properties of magnesium-alloy castings are greatly improved by grain refinement, and at present considerable attention is being paid to methods of obtaining fine-grained castings. One method of achieving this end is the use of proper melting and superheating techniques. These have been employed commercially to a great extent, but no comprehensive study of the subject appears to have been published at present. Numerous investigations found in the literature include some reference to superheating techniques, 1-4 and Achenbach, Nipper and Piwowarsky,5 based principally on thermal analysis, ascribe the grain-refining action of superheating to the influence of solid foreign particles or dissolved gases present in the melt upon the course of crystallization. The primary purpose of this paper is to present the principal facts concerning the effect of superheating on grain size of magnesium alloys. Attempts are also made to explain the experimental results in terms of a general hypothesis. The investigations are limited chiefly to common commercial casting alloys. In order to carry on this work, it was necessary to determine the factors influencing grain size and to develop a proper technique for the preparation of samples. The preliminary tests made by the author indicated that the grain size of magnesium alloys resulting from the solidification of a melt is determined by alloy composition, presence of impurities, rate of cooling during solidification, thermal history of the melt and to some extent the structure of the charge used. The rate of cooling is in turn dependent upon the mass of the melt, pouring temperature, and dimensions, properties and temperature of the mold into which the melt is poured. The final grain size of the alloys is still further modified by heat-treatment subsequent to casting. It is not within the scope of the present paper to discuss all of these factors, and it would suffice to note here that when equal amounts of magnesium alloys are prepared from the same alloying materials, melted in graphite crucibles under the same thermal conditions, then cast into graphite molds at a constant temperature, the .resultant solids have the same grain size. By maintaining all other factors constant, it is thus possible to vary thermal conditions of a melt and to examine the grain size of resultant castings. PREPARATION OF SAMPLES AND GRAIN-SIZE TESTING The alloys investigated in this paper were taken from ingots made by Permanente Metals Corporation or prepared by the author with pure carbothermic magnesium and necessary alloying elements. Melting was carried out under a flux in a graphite crucible heated uniformly by an

Jan 1, 1945

By J. J. Mulligan, F. F. Colcord, E. F. Kern

The electrolytic separation of silver and gold has been practiced by the refineries in the United States for a good many years, and probably because of frequent visiting between officials of plants and the consequent exchange of views, operations in the various silver and gold refineries are very similar. We find, for instance, they practically all use electrolytes of approximately the same composition, which, no doubt, is more the result of experience than of studies of electrolytes. At the new electrolytic parting plant of the U. S. S. Lead Refinery, Inc., East Chicago, Ind., considerable attention has been given to the composition of electrolytes, especially to their conductivity and their effect on the character of the silver deposit. We are not aware that anything has been recently published on this subject and are, therefore, presenting such data as we have with the idea that, although it will not be wholly new, it may stimulate interest in the subject. Effect of Copper Content on Conductivity The first work was to determine the specific conductivity of silver nitrate and copper nitrate solutions. Concentrated solutions of silver nitrate and copper nitrate were prepared by dissolving analyzed chemically-pure salts in distilled water, and determining the silver and copper in each. Definite amounts of the concentrated solutions were taken, mixed and diluted to a definite volume. The silver and the copper were determined in each of these solutions and the conductivity was then determined. The plotted results are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The effect of increasing quantities of silver and copper is readily seen. A comparison of the two sets of curves shows conclusively the benefit of holding the copper content of the electrolyte above 5C g. per liter, as its effect is to increase greatly the conductivity in an approximate propor-

Jan 1, 1926