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By J. Rogers, H. F. A. Hergt, K. L. Sutherland

In 1938 Ralston4 reviewed the many attempts to find a satisfactory collector for the separation of cassiterite from its ores and in 1944 Dean and Ambrose2 summarized some further attempts. Generally, soaps and amines are effective but nonselective collectors. We have discovered that reagents containing either the polar group — SO4- or — SO3- are excellent collectors for cassiterite and promise to be selective. The response to these reagents of cassiterite and of minerals commonly associated with it was studied, using the captive-bubble technique. Using these fundamental data, the practicability of separation and concentration of tin was investigated by flotation tests in a 2000-gram Denver cell. Experimental Methods Reagents All inorganic reagents were of Analar grade. The preparation and purification of sodium cetyl sulphate, cetyl trimethyl-ammonium bromide, laurylamine and cetylamine have been previously described.5 The other collectors were commercial surface-active agents, which were used without purification. Tests Captive-bubble Tests and Cylinder Flotation Tests have been previously de- scribed.5,10 The full lines shown in the figures relating solution composition to contact (flotation) distinguish solutions in which contact (flotation) is possible from those in which it is not. The curve is derived by successive approximation and the accuracy is ±0.2 pH units and ± 5 mg. per liter of collector or depressant. Solution compositions for which it was shown experimentally that contact or flotation is possible are marked by a circle, those for which it is not possible, by a cross, and those for which it is doubtful by a cross within a circle. It is assumed that at all other solution compositions within (without) the curve, contact or flotation is possible (not possible). After testing in the collector solution, the mineral was removed, washed, and tested by the captive-bubble method in water, or floated in a cylinder with frother only. In this way the composition of solutions in which a mineral was conditioned but in which properties of the collector solution prevented contact or flotation can be defined. The composition of solutions in which conditioning was possible lie between the full and broken curve, and the experimental results are indicated by a square. The curves show the limits of composition of solutions in which flotation in a cell would be possible but many factors other than those considered in these the determine recovery and grade of a given mineral in practice. Flotation Tests in 500 and 2000-gram Denver SUbmachines,—Melboume tap water, containing 12 parts calcium, 6 parts

Jan 1, 1947

By Merlin H. Aylesworth

THE subject assigned to me is peculiarly appropriate to the anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. If we applied to our present problems the ideals and methods of the Great Emancipator, the future of American institutions would be so definitely assured that there would be little need to discuss the matter. The only inquiries would relate to the pace of progress, not to the possibility of progress. As a nation we have grown more and more to revere the memory of Lincoln, to honor his character, to extol his teachings and to eulogize his concepts of democracy. We rec-

Jan 1, 1940

By Oliver Bowles

EACH year the broad diversified field of industrial minerals offers a panorama of new and interesting developments that not only concern the welfare of the industries themselves but have a more or less direct influence on the lives of citizens at large. Thus, the home life of multirudes may be affected by new building units that transmit light through walls instead of windows, by illuminated processed marble lighting fixtures and decorations, by the vast impetus given to thermal insulation Ly .mineral wool, expanded vermiculite, and related products, and, more remotely, by fireproof rugs and drap-

Jan 1, 1937

By Harold R. Larson, John F. Elliott

The standard free energies of formation of several nzetallic sulfides have been measured by a reversible electromotive-force cell employing stabilized zir-conia as the electrolyte. The oxygen potential at the cathode was fixed by the use of pure oxygen gas at 1 atm. It was established at the anode by bringing to equilibrium the reaction between the sulfide and oxide species present. Thus, Gf: for the sulfide could be obtained from the cell potential and the standard free energies of formation of the oxides participating in the reaction. The results in calories per cam rnole for the temperature range 850" to 1100°C are: Use of the reversible electromotive-force cell having an oxide-ion electrolyte to obtain the standard free energies of formation of some of the more stable metallic sulfides offers a convenient experimental method that is very productive. It also avoids some of the problems inherent in the experimental methods' for such studies which rely on precise determination of gas compositions, particularly if these compositions lie near the limits of our capabilities for accurate chemical analyses. The reaction equilibrium between the lowest sulfide of a metal, SO2 at a fixed pressure, and an oxide of the metal has a characteristic oxygen potential. For example: and for metals whose lowest sulfide is much more stable than the oxides of the metal, the equivalent reaction might be:

Jan 1, 1968

By V. D. Perry

Mineralized breccia pipes, because of their widespread occurrence and close structural relations to some of the world's great ore bodies, are objects of unusual interest for mining engineers and geologists. The literature contains many references to them, but it is questionable whether their genetic significance and economic importance have been sufficiently emphasized. The purpose here is to stress these features, relating them to the field facts, for the particular benefit of younger generations of geologists who, confronted with and sometimes confused by the growing flood of geochemical, geophysical, and other specialized research approaches, may be reassured that mappable field relations remain a foremost guide to a better understanding of ore deposits. A mineralized breccia pipe is a pre-mineral, breccia structure which has controlled the circulation and deposition of subsequently introduced mineralization. It is composed of relatively rotated angular or rounded rock fragments, set in a mineralized matrix. A pipe in plan outline may be circular, oval or approach polygonal form, with a steep to vertical axis proportionately much greater than its horizontal dimensions. The pipe is a steeply plunging, chimneylike mass of brecciated rock cemented with later minerals. Rock breaks in a variety of ways and complete fragmentation often occurs without rotation of individual pieces. A finely broken rock mass may fit into a tight jig-saw pattern, each fragment having mutually concordant boundaries with its neighbors. The result is a stockwork of innumerable reticulating cracks that, once cemented by mineralization, forms a complicated intersecting network of individually insignificant but collectively important seams and veinlets. Stockwork fracturing among its many forms takes the shape of domes of subsidence, fracture pipes, and related peripheral zones around and over breccia columns, or a combination of any of these structures. The significance of the mineralized breccia pipe is that it represents the extreme or climactic expression of a structural type which has a variety of mutations including subsidence domes, fracture pipes, and other stockwork zones all with related ancestry and similar to dissimilar characteristics. These allied and associated structures hold an answer to the fundamental question of the origin of many important ore deposits. CANANEA-TYPE LOCALITY FOR BRECCIA PIPES The Cananea district is characterized by an unusual development of mineralized breccia pipes. It is an important copper producer located in Sonora, Mexico, a short distance southwest of Bisbee, Arizona, and at the southerly limit of the great porphyry copper belt of the southwestern U.S. Cananea's rocks consist of Paleozoic quartzite and limestone capped unconformably by a thick series of volcanics including andesitic flows, tuffs, and agglomerates. These rocks have been intruded by a deep-seated granite with related basic and acid differentiates including dikes and plugs of quartz mon-zonite porphyry. Mineralization coincides with a northwesterly trending belt of these intrusives which break upward into and through the sedimentary-volcanic rock sequence. The district has weakly defined tectonic alignments in a northwesterly direction with subordinate intersecting fracture elements, but lacks important faulting or fissuring to provide throughgoing avenues for the upward circulation of mineralizing fluids. Thus, as will be discussed in subsequent paragraphs, the alternate way in which late magmatic and hydro-thermal derivatives of the parent magma reached the near-surface zone was by excavating their own breccia pipe channelways. There are numerous stages of breccia pipe development, related both in time and space to magmatic activity. A compilation of similarities and differences in various pipes suggests that proximity or remoteness of a demonstrable or inferred magmatic source provides an orderly genetic basis for describing the following representative types. Cananea Duluth Type: There are no intrusive rocks within or close to the Cananea Duluth pipe; therefore, the existence of any deep-seated magma that may have been related to its formation must be inferred. The structure is an oval-shaped ring 1200 x 300 ft in plan dimensions, cutting steeply across low angle, bedded tuffs, and other volcanics; it has been developed by drill holes to a depth of 2000 ft below the surface. The ore follows the periphery of the pipe and is composed of intensely brecciated rock which is cemented by minor galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, quartz, carbonates, and adularia. There is a definite vertical zoning of sulfides with less galena, continuing sphalerite, and increasing chalcopyrite at deeper levels. Within the interior of the ore ring, the brecciation becomes progressively weaker and coarser, the whole indicating relatively gentle slumping with broken, thin tuff beds pre-

Jan 1, 1961

By A. W. Brune

Conventional methods of calculating the duty cycle of a mine hoist are awkward in that a number of items must be remembered or that they must be collected together in order to have all the calculated data in one place. A more convenient way is to tabulate all factors involved, permitting a ready evaluation of the problem. An example illustrates the convenience of such a table for either of two types of drums, cylindrical and conical. Assume the following conditions: The hoisting depth is 600 ft. Balanced hoisting is used. The weights of empty skip and ore are 6000 lbs and 12,000 lbs, respectively. Production is 3600 tons per shift. Net hoisting time per shift is six hours with a rest period of eight sec, top and bottom, per trip. Acceleration and retardation are each six sec. The diameter of the drum is seven ft; its face is four ft. The sheave has the same diameter. The equivalent effective weight of the drum reduced to rope center is 15,400 lbs. The weight of each sheave is 2100 lbs. 1 The rope is 1 1/4-in. improved plow steel weighing 2.50 lb per ft.

Jan 9, 1961

By Howard W. Miller, Charles R. L. Oder

APPROXIMATELY 5000 tons of zinc ore a day was mined during 1943 in the Mascot-Jefferson City district in East Tennessee. This ore came from the Kingsport formation, a part of the Knox dolomite, of Ordovician age. The Kingsport is composed of 350 to 400 ft. of limestone and dolomite. Thin cherts, sandy layers and shales are numerous. Frequently, the limestones are altered to crystalline dolomite. The Kingsport is divisible into four main lithologic zones. These divisions are illustrated in an accompanying table, which gives detailed sections of the ore-bearing beds as found in the mines and shows the exact positions of the various ore zones within the formation. Key beds are described and the practical applications of stratigraphy in mapping, prospecting and mining are discussed.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. Higgins

It is the purpose of this paper to set forth the relation and function of the various organizations and institutes engaged in the promotion of safety in the iron mines of the Lake Superior region…

Jan 1, 1915

By H. S. Gibson

A PROCESS that has come to be known locally as "multistage stabiliza-tion" has been developed in the Haft Kel field of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. in southwest Iran, for the recovery of casinghead gasoline. It con-sists in releasing the dissolved gases from the crude by stages, a practice common in many fields, but which, so far as is known, has nowhere been carried to the extent to which it is employed in Iran. It has been in use there for nearly nine years, during which time some 200 million barrels of crude have been handled by the process. This process of gasoline retention consists in preventing the greater part of the casinghead gasoline hydrocarbons (the butanes and pentanes) from ever leaving the crude, instead of allowing them to be vaporized and then recovered from the lighter gases by the usual compression or absorption processes. Its efficiency is fully equal to that obtained by the absorption process; its disadvantage is that it increases the quantities of ethane and propane in the crude sent to the refinery, but with the growing demand for propane this drawback is vanishing. When casinghead gasoline is recovered as a separate liquid in the Iranian fields, it is blended with the crude, as the only outlet is through the refinery, and the crude-oil pipe line offers the cheapest means of transportation. It is under these conditions that the retention of the butanes and pentanes in the crude by multistage stabilization is a most attractive process, possessing as it does the following advantages: (1) extreme simplicity, (2) low first cost, (3) easy installation, (4) practically 100 per cent operating-time efficiency, (5) no operators required, (6) no water or other services required, (7) negligible maintenance, (8) once established, very little routine testing is necessary. The one essential for reasonably efficient multistage stabilization is that the flowing pressures of the wells should be relatively high; i.e., they should not be less than about one-third the saturation pressure of the crude in the reservoir. This is a very general statement, of course, and much depends on the type of crude and its temperature.

Jan 1, 1939

THE metal iron has physical and chemical properties which are somewhat different from those of steels, but a knowledge of the pure metal is a useful starting point in studying the behavior of steels. Solid iron exists in two different crystalline forms, called alpha (a) and gamma (?) iron, the former being the ordinary form at room temperature. When heated above the "A2 point," 768 C (1414 F), the metal becomes nonmagnetic, and at the "A, point," 910 C (1670 F), it undergoes a change in crystalline form to become gamma iron. In the range 768 to 910 C, it is sometimes called beta (ß) iron to distinguish it from the magnetic alpha, but the two are identical in crystal structure. When gamma iron is further heated to 1400 C (2552 E), it changes into delta (d) iron, which is identical with beta or non- magnetic alpha iron. Pure iron melts (in an inert atmosphere) at 1537 C (2800 F); the melting point is generally lowered by alloys or impurities. PROPERTIES OF IRON AT HIGH TEMPERATURES Many of the properties of iron undergo abrupt changes at the transition temperatures.1 For example, in heating through the A, point, a sudden shrinkage in volume occurs. Similarly, melting is attended by sharp physical changes such as an increase in volume. Table 16-1 contains a summary of the measured physical properties of pure iron at several temperatures. Usually the properties change smoothly within the range of stability of a given form, but this is not always true. For example, the specific heat reaches a sharp maximum at the A2 point although no trans- formation occurs. (See Fig 14-1.) Solvent Powers of Liquid Iron. Liquid iron is capable of dissolving most of the other metals and many nonmetallic elements as well. Of the metals that are liquid at the melting point of iron, only lead, silver, and bismuth refuse to dissolve to an ap-

Jan 1, 1951

By A. J. Conelius, D. P. Sobocinski

This paper presents a correlation for predicting the behavior of a water cone as it builds from the static water-oil contact to breakthrough conditions. The correlation is partly empirical and involves dimensionless groups of reservoir and fluid properties and of production and well characteristics. The groups were deduced from the scaling criteria for the immiscible displacement of oil by water. The correlation is based on a limited amount of experimenfal data from a laboratory sand-packed model and on results from a computer program for a two-dimensional, incompressible system. Because the correlating groups are dimensionless, they can be used to estimate the performance of water coning cases not specifically considered in the correlation. However, despite its dimensionless nature, the correlation is not completely general and will not provide meaningful estimates of cone behavior in many situations. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The production of water from oil wells is a common occurrence which increases the cost of producing operations and may reduce the efficiency of the depletion mechanism and the recovery of reserves. We will deal with one cause of this water production, namely, coning. The coning of water into a producing well is caused by pressure gradients established around the wellbore by the production of fluids from the well. These pressure gradients can raise the water-oil contact near the well where gradients are most severe. Gravity forces that arise from fluid density differences counterbalance the flowing pressure gradients and tend to keep the water out of the oil zone. Therefore, at any given time, there is a balance between gravitational and viscous forces at points on and away from the completion interval. When the dynamic forces at the wellbore exceed gravitational forces, a cone of water will ultimately break into the well to produce water along with the oil. We can expand on this basic visualization of coning by introducing the concepts of stable cone, unstable cone and critical production rate. For instance, if a well is produced at a constant rate and the pressure gradients in the drainage system have become constant, a steady-state condition is reached. If, at this condition, the dynamic forces at the well are less than the gravity forces, then the water or gas cone that has formed will not extend to the well. Moreover, the cone will neither advance nor recede, thus establishing what is known as a stable cone. Conversely, if the pressure in the system is in an unsteady-state condition, then an unstable cone will continue to advance until steady-state conditions prevail. If the flowing pressure drop at the well is suffcient to overcome the gravity forces, the unstable cone will grow and ultimately break into the well. It is important to note that in a realistic sense, stable cones may only be "pseudostable" because the drainage system and pressure distribution generally change. For example, with reservoir depletion, the water-oil contact may advance toward the completion interval, thereby increasing chances for coning. As another example, reduced productivity due to well damage requires a corresponding increase in the flowing pressure drop LO maintain a given production rate. This increase in pressure drop may force an otherwise stable cone into a well. The critical production rate, well known in the literature, is the rate above which the flowing pressure gradient at the well causes water (or gas) to cone into the well. It is, therefore, the maximum rate of oil production without concurrent production of the displacing phase by coning. At the critical rate, a built-up cone is stable but is at a position of incipient breakthrough. Numerous papers have been published on critical rates. Some of the better known of these include the work of (1) Muskat and Wyckoff,' who first dealt with the coning problem; (2) Chaney, et al,' who developed expressions similar to those of Muskat but who presented results in a conven ient-to-use graphical form (the "Sun" method); and (3) Meyer and Garder,b hose analysis is based on radial-flow formulas. One assumption in critical production rate analyses is that the cone has built-up to just before its breakthrough into the well. But, these analyses reveal nothing directly about the time it takes for the cone to build up to this incipient breakthrough position. Thus, water-free oil can be produced from a well for prolonged periods at rates above the critical rate before the well reaches the condition to which the critical rate applies. The published literature contains little on the rate of growth of a cone. Experimentally, Meyer and Searcy studied the rate of rise of a cone in a Hele-Shaw model.' Additional related work on water breakthrough and produced water-oil ratios in water driven reservoirs was reported by Muskat," Hutchinson and Kemp," Henley, et al,' and Stevens, et a1.B Theoretically, the basic coning equations for a water-oil system can be developed by applying the conservation of mass to each of the phases, relating flow velocities with pressure by Darcy's law, and relating pressures across water-oil interfaces by capillary pressure. With the usual boundaries at the well and reservoir limits, the solution of the resulting equations for the time behavior of a water-oil interface constitutes a free-surface, boundary-value problem. The shape of the boundary depends on the internal potential distribution, while this

Jan 1, 1966

By W. J. Carlson, S. M. Parmerter, I. Iwasaki

This article discusses the effect of physical and chemical modifications of starches on the anionic and cationic flotation of silica from oxidized iron ores and magnetite-taconite concentrates. It also deals with the results of the interaction of starch, pH, and calcium ions on the flocculation, clarification, and filtration of iron ore slimes and magnetite-taconite tailings. Starches, particularly when an-ionically modified, were found to be effective depressants in anionic silica flotation. British gums and dextrins were beneficial for oxidized iron ores, but none of the starches or starch derivatives appeared to have any effect on magnetite-taconite concentrates. The flocculation and filtration of iron ore slimes were affected most strongly by the level of starch, to a lesser degree by the pH, and virtually not at all by the level of calcium chloride. The clarification of iron ore slimes was complexly dependent on these three factors. The flocculation of magnetite-taconite tailings depended mainly on the level of starch, whereas their clarification depended on the level of lime. As previously reported in the literature, selective flocculation and partial upgrading of a semitaconite could be readily attained with starch and calcium chloride. A previous article discussed some of the parameters that are important when various corn starches are applied to the soap flotation of activated silica from iron ores and to the flocculation of iron ore slimes.' Methods of solubilizing the starches and the molecular size after mechanical and thermal treatments, as inferred from the viscosity measurements, were shown to influence the adsorption characteristics on iron ores, and the residual concentrations of both calcium ion and starch in the pulp liquor were in direct correlation with the flotation and flocculation behavior.2-4 The present article summarizes the results of more recent tests conducted to ascertain the role of starches and starch derivatives in various phases of iron ore beneficiation. The scope of this investigation has been extended to include not only anionic and cationic flotation, but also the flocculation and filtration of iron oxide slimes, the selective flocculation and partial upgrading of semitaconites, and the flocculation and clarification of magnetite-taconite tailings —all problems that are of vital importance to the iron ore industry of Minnesota. By combining a practical approach with adsorption studies and by using single-mineral systems5 in these research efforts, it is believed that the ultimate goal of developing a suitable modification of starch structure may be realized. The topics covered in this article are limited to the empirical aspects of the research program on the depressant activity of starches and products in the cationic and anionic flotation of silica and of their role in flocculation, water clarification and filtration. ANIONIC SILICA FLOTATION In the soap flotation of activated silica from iron

Jan 1, 1970

By John D. Kalasky

Continuous mining has revolutionized the coal industry but intensified the problems of earlier mechanization. From the installation of the first miner, it was recognized that face ventilation would be one of these problems. To establish an efficient work cycle for the equipment being used, conventional mechanized mining provides four or more development faces. Continuous mining, relying on a single machine, requires only one face, although more than one can be driven alternately by the same machine. In gaseous areas mined by the older methods, the intermittent rate of exposure allows time for the face to bleed off or be cleared, and the width obtained with conventional units makes it possible to hang a brattice line almost to the face. Continuous mining increases the ventilation hazards; there is no margin of time, and very limited space.

Jan 9, 1959

By T. L. Joseph

THE extent to which hot metal from the blast furnace affects open-hearth practice and the quality of steel produced has been discussed widely. Open-hearth operators have attributed difficulties experienced in making satisfactory steel to characteristics of the pig iron not disclosed by ordinary analysis. The commonest criticism of the iron has been that it is "physically cold" or "dirty." Often when the blast furnaces are working irregularly the quality of the iron is questioned. A cold hearth, slipping and hanging, the use in the past of unsintered flue dust, and the use of ores difficult to smelt have been associated with the production of iron of poor quality. The difficulty of the situation is that we have no proven yardstick for quality aside from ordinary analysis. Uniformity in analysis is recognized as being important, but the difficulty of changing the open-hearth practice when the iron analysis varies widely may not always be fully appreciated. Although the problem of correlating the characteris-tics of steel with those of pig iron is admittedly obscure, the effort of producers of quality steel to investigate all factors that may have a bear-ing on the final product is justified. This report contains data on the oxides in several hundred casts of basic iron produced in a furnace during the course of normal operation on Lake ores. Incidental to the study of the oxides in the iron, it was desir-able to follow closely the temperature of the iron. The effect of tempera-ture of the iron upon the silicon and sulphur present is discussed. A general relation between the basicity of the slag and the sulphur in the metal was developed. The amount and composition of oxides in the hot metal and in the steel bath during various intervals between melt-down and tap are discussed. Heats of rimmed steel, lulled steel, and semikilled steel were investigated. The hot metal on individual heats was either all taken from a mixer or consisted partly of direct metal and partly of

Jan 1, 1937

By Henry Hebley

IN preparing this paper it has been the aim of the writer to keep the problems of both producers and consumers in mind. Until now, no attempt has been made to familiarize each group with the other's practice and limitations. This paper is an effort to acquaint the readers with some of the factors pertaining to the problem and cost of mining and preparing steam coal, and also to the economics of producing steam with such coal. In recent years all lines of endeavor have turned to intensive mechani-zation in order to lower the unit cost of production. The average fuel consumption in steam electric generating stations has dropped in 20 years from 4.0 lb. to 1.4.1b. per kilowatt-hour; while the modern power station can generate 1 kw-hr. on a fraction under 1 lb., or 13,000 B.t.u. coal. Also, the amount produced per man has in that same period risen from 3.8 to 8.2 tons, owing to the use of modernized equipment below ground for coal cutting, drilling, shooting, loading, hauling and hoisting. Unfortunately, the rapid speed of 5 tons per minute of operation at which the coal is loaded mechanically precludes any appreciable removal of impurities at the coal face, so that the raw coal is hoisted containing a markedly higher percentage of impurities than the hand-loaded coal, which was subjected to the scrutiny of the miner during loading. Also, during the past 20 years, certain seams of coal lying close to the surface have been made economically available by the improved design of electrically operated shovels and draglines for the removal of overbur-den running as high as 56 ft. This strip coal frequently contains so much ash in the raw state (Table 1) that it would have no sales value. There-fore, coal preparation must be adopted to beneficiate the raw product. Some seams in the United States have a decreasing ash content with decreasing size, owing, in all probability, to the fact that the coal is friable while the impurities are hard, causing a concentration of the low-ash material in the fine sizes. Illinois No. 6 coal being rather hard, naturally the reverse is true.

Jan 1, 1937

THOSE NOT MARKED ARE MEMBERS; MARKED THUS t ARE ASSOCIATES. HEAVY-FACED TYPE SIGNIFIES HONORARY MEMBERSHIP. JUNIOR MEMBERS ARE MARKED II. THE FIGURES AT THE END OF THE ADDRESS INDICATE THE YEAR OF ELECTION. AARONS, J. BOYD, Genl. Mgr., Chaffers G. M. Co., Boulder City, West. Australia. '05 ABADIE, EMILE R., Min. Engr Box 291, Porterville, Tulare Co., Cal. '76 ABBOTT, CLARENCE E., Genl. Supt., Iron Mines Div., 1405 Minnesota Ave., Bessemer, Ala. '04 ABBOTT, J. W., Min. Engr., "St. Omer," 123 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. '94 ABBOTT, Louis BENJAMIN, Chief Engr., Consolidation Coal Co., Elkhorn Div., Jenkins, Ky. '15 ABBOTT, ROBERT R., Met. Engr., Peerless Motor Car Co., Cleveland, Ohio. '12 ABE, ASAKA Yamagano G. M., Satsuma-Gori, Satsuma, Japan. '14 || ABRAHAMS, A. I., Student 1391 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. '14 tACKER, E. O'C., Met Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa. '86 ACKER, Louis K., JR., Min. Engr 565 Highland Place, Bellevue, Pa. '08

Jan 1, 1917

By C. H. Curtis

THE valuable mineral content of the current feed to the Miami concentrator is as follows: copper, 0.7 pct total; molybdenum, 0.01. Flotation of this ore yields a sulphide concentrate containing: chalcocite, 44 pct; molybdenite, 0.5; pyrite, 50.0; insol, 5.5. A combination of potassium ethyl xanthate and pentasol amyl xanthate as collectors, and pine oil, as frother, are used in this flotation. Rejection of pyrite is encouraged by holding the amount of collectors used to the minimum consistent with copper recovery and by operating at high alkalinity (equivalent to 0.35-0.40 lb CaO per ton solution of pH 11.0).

Jan 1, 1950

By I. A. Ettlinger

DEPRECIATION allowances have become firmly rooted in our income tax structure both by legislation and by court decisions. Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau has recently stated before the Ways and Means Committee of the House: A taxpayer who did not provide for depreciation of assets used in his business could not long remain in business and the income tax should be levied on the assumption that he will provide for such depreciation. The 1934 Revenue Act has now been enacted, the depreciation provisions of the 1932 Revenue Act having been carried forward without change. However, there has arisen, in connection with the preparation of this new Revenue Act, a determination by the Treasury Department to make certain changes in the future administration of the depreciation allowances that will affect all corporations, and mining companies in particular.

Jan 1, 1934

By Ralph Sweetser

THE Round Table. on Qualities of Pig Iron, under the auspices of the Joint Committee on Qualities of Pig Iron, which is made up of members of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Foundrymen's Association, the American Society for Testing Materials, the Gray Iron Institute, and the. Malleable Iron Institute, was held at the Palmer House, Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 1, 1935. PROCEEDINGS R. H. SWEETSER,* New York, N. Y.-Seven years ago last June we had a round table on qualities of pig iron1, and at that time the foundrymen were out with their battle-axes for the blast-furnace men, and the open-hearth men were doing the same thing. After that meeting there was really a determined effort to find out about the qualities of pig iron, and great progress has been made all along the line. This afternoon we want to have a frank discussion of the qualities of pig iron, whether it is the molten pig iron going into the steel plant, or cold pigs going to the different foundries. We ought to hear something from Dr. J. T. MacKenzie, who is chairman of the Joint Committee, and from Mr. R. E. Kennedy, the tech-nical secretary. J. T. MACKENZIE, t Birmingham, Ala.-As a result of that meeting in Chicago, there was considerable agitation in the Foundrymen's Association to develop a set of tests for pig iron. One of the difficulties was that nobody talked the same language on shrinkage, draws, live iron, dead iron, and so forth, which were the main com-plaints against pig iron. By request of a committee of the Foundrymen's Association, the Bureau of Standards ran a comprehensive set of tests that did develop the prin-ciples governing the optical pyrometer as applied to cast iron and pig iron. Then the Bureau went on further with the fluidity test, and developed a method for the absolute changes of volume at the freezing point.

Jan 1, 1936

By John R. Don

In the South Island of New Zealand an unusually favorable opportunity is offered for the analysis of the older crystalline rocks, underlying the sedimentary rocks which form the "country" of the gold-deposits. The Manipori formation of this island, comprising the greater part of the mountainous district west of lakes Manipori and Te Anau, in Otago, consists of an enormous thickness (estimated by Professor Hutton1 at 160,000 ft.) of crystalline schists, gneiss, syenite, and syenitic gneiss, with associated masses of granite; the whole forming the most picturesque fart of New Zealand. The famous West Coast sounds occur in this formation. No paying auriferous lodes have been discovered in it; and for this reason an examination of the rocks is specially interesting here. Stelzner, Posepny, and others, who have criticised the conclusions of Sandberger, have laid great stress on the fact that all the silicates analyzed by him were taken from the vicinity of orebodies containing those heavy metals which he notes as occurring in the silicates of the country-rock; their contention being that these metals, supposed to occur as silicates in gneiss and other crystalline rocks, were really contained as sulphides, and were therefore impregnations from the neighboring orebodies. The same objection, whatever be its weight, might be urged with equal justice against Mr. Becker's derivation of the mercury and gold of the lodes of the Pacific Coast from' the granite underlying their country-rock. In the case of the

Jan 1, 1913