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By Albert Walcott

THE success of various operations in the manufacture of optical glass depends, in a large measure, on the ability to maintain proper heat control. A good pyrometer system is, therefore, a very necessary part of the equipment needed. Men of long experience in dealing with high temperatures, who have acquired through constant practice the ability of judging approximate temperatures by means of color, are undoubtedly valuable, but even the most competent are not as reliable as a good pyrometer system. They admit that their ability to judge accurately varies from day to day and that their judgment is affected considerably by the condition of the sky, whether it is clear or cloudy. Besides, where it is a matter of only a few weeks to train a man to operate a pyrometer system, it takes about as many years to train him to judge temperatures by the state of incandescence. The pyrometer outfit in use in the glass plant of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. consists of the following: Platinum elements, optical pyrometers; base-metal elements, indicators, potentiometers, and recording pyrometers. Platinum Elements and Optical Pyrometers.-Temperature control in - the melting operation is of such great importance that it is very desirable to know the exact temperatures, relative temperatures being of little value. The use of the platinum element is to determine the rate of heating or cooling of the furnace. The platinum couple is installed in either the crown or the wall of the furnace. It is placed first in a porcelain protecting tube and this is placed in a permanently fixed fireclay tube projecting from 1 1/2 to 2 in. into the fire-chamber. It has been found impractical to use the platinum couple for determining exact temperatures of the melting furnace, for the platinum element deteriorates rather rapidly at the high temperatures used, 2500° to 2700° F. (1371° to 1482° C.). When protected and installed as described, though,

Jan 9, 1919

By Morton Macartney

FOR many years the developers or owners of worthy mining ventures in need of financing have found it almost impossible to obtain such financing under the conditions existing in most other lines of business. High rates of interest and unfair participation in profits have robbed the developers of much of their holdings, and have resulted in over-capitalization and many other like evils. When the general financial condition of the country is bad, this difficulty increases to a point where many operations must cease and hen are thrown out of employment. In 1.934 this situation had developed to such a point that Congress attempted to aid the mining industry. It first authorized the RFC to make loans to recognized and established corporations, individuals, and partnerships engaged in the business of mining, milling, or smelting of ores in June, 1934, limiting such authority to loans adequately secured, the security to consist of mineral acreage. The requirements of the law were stringent and of the 252 requests for loans received up to June 1, 1935, 35 were authorized.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. B. Macelwane

Historically whenever application of scientific results to a new problem required the special experimental background, the economic outlook and the practical knowledge characteristic of the engineer, a curriculum in that type of engineering based on the professional requirement grew up in the engineering colleges. This is precisely what is happening now in geophysical engineering. THE Mineral Industry Education Division of AIME has long been interested in geophysical education. Organized in 1938, a Committee on Geophysical Education presented a number of reports in succeeding years. The AIME is an engineering society; hence it might be expected that the interest of the Mineral Industry Education Division would have centered about the relation of courses in geophysics to engineering education. However, this was not the case. The burden of the discussion held under the auspices of the Committee on Geophysical Education bore on geophysics in general and particularly on its relation to geology. In the decade that has passed since those meetings much water has flowed under the bridge. Not only have the geophysical sciences developed at an extraordinarily rapid rate but the practical importance and the range of their applications have spread in ever widening circles and have even assumed a very prominent place in research programs of the military, the Army, the Navy and, particularly, the Geophysical Research Directorate of the Air Force at Cambridge, Mass. So enormously have the geophysical sciences as such grown in scope and in degree of specialization that no one man in a lifetime of study can hope to master the theoretical and experimental complexities or even to follow intelligently in the published literature all the varied accomplishments of basic research in these fields. As in the other sciences, most of the results of geophysical research have potential economic value and are being applied to a wider and wider range of human needs. Here we see a parallel with the older sciences and their relation to engineering. Whenever the applications of scientific results required the special experimental background, the economic outlook, and the practical knowledge characteristic of the engineer, a curriculum in that type of engineering grew up in the colleges and universities. In the words of the "Report of the Committee on Adequacy and Standards of Engineering Education" in the January 1952 number of the Journal of Engineering Education: "Engineering education in America was not developed after a preconceived plan. It evolved in parallel with the needs of a growing country, a country engaged in the development of a vast industrialization. From the first it filled a practical need, and its design emanated largely from an evaluation of the professional requirement." The advent of the railroad created a need for scientifically trained engineers and the response was the curriculum in civil engineering. The development of steam power created the demand for a curriculum in mechanical engineering. Neither of these types of engineers was trained to cope with the requirements of electrical power, and so there came to be a curriculum in electrical engineering. The advent of radio communication and of electronics during the first World War and in the years that followed resulted in the establishment of electronics engineering, sometimes within the curriculum in electrical engineering and sometimes independent of it. The complexities of industrial management have created an ever increasing demand for industrial engineers and the consequent building up of a curriculum in industrial engineering. The wide industrial application of chemical processes required a type of engineer whose background was training in chemistry but who was able to design processes and plants on an industrial scale; hence we have the curriculum in chemical engineering. The advent of the airplane created an entirely new set of problems which were solved by the training of aeronautical engineers. Many of these have called for more and more science and mathematics. Such was the history of the older engineer-

Jan 1, 1953

By J. B. Macelwane

Historically whenever application of scientific results to a new problem required the special experimental background, the economic outlook and the practical knowledge characteristic of the engineer, a curriculum in that type of engineering based on the professional requirement grew up in the engineering colleges. This is precisely what is happening now in geophysical engineering. THE Mineral Industry Education Division of AIME has long been interested in geophysical education. Organized in 1938, a Committee on Geophysical Education presented a number of reports in succeeding years. The AIME is an engineering society; hence it might be expected that the interest of the Mineral Industry Education Division would have centered about the relation of courses in geophysics to engineering education. However, this was not the case. The burden of the discussion held under the auspices of the Committee on Geophysical Education bore on geophysics in general and particularly on its relation to geology. In the decade that has passed since those meetings much water has flowed under the bridge. Not only have the geophysical sciences developed at an extraordinarily rapid rate but the practical importance and the range of their applications have spread in ever widening circles and have even assumed a very prominent place in research programs of the military, the Army, the Navy and, particularly, the Geophysical Research Directorate of the Air Force at Cambridge, Mass. So enormously have the geophysical sciences as such grown in scope and in degree of specialization that no one man in a lifetime of study can hope to master the theoretical and experimental complexities or even to follow intelligently in the published literature all the varied accomplishments of basic research in these fields. As in the other sciences, most of the results of geophysical research have potential economic value and are being applied to a wider and wider range of human needs. Here we see a parallel with the older sciences and their relation to engineering. Whenever the applications of scientific results required the special experimental background, the economic outlook, and the practical knowledge characteristic of the engineer, a curriculum in that type of engineering grew up in the colleges and universities. In the words of the "Report of the Committee on Adequacy and Standards of Engineering Education" in the January 1952 number of the Journal of Engineering Education: "Engineering education in America was not developed after a preconceived plan. It evolved in parallel with the needs of a growing country, a country engaged in the development of a vast industrialization. From the first it filled a practical need, and its design emanated largely from an evaluation of the professional requirement." The advent of the railroad created a need for scientifically trained engineers and the response was the curriculum in civil engineering. The development of steam power created the demand for a curriculum in mechanical engineering. Neither of these types of engineers was trained to cope with the requirements of electrical power, and so there came to be a curriculum in electrical engineering. The advent of radio communication and of electronics during the first World War and in the years that followed resulted in the establishment of electronics engineering, sometimes within the curriculum in electrical engineering and sometimes independent of it. The complexities of industrial management have created an ever increasing demand for industrial engineers and the consequent building up of a curriculum in industrial engineering. The wide industrial application of chemical processes required a type of engineer whose background was training in chemistry but who was able to design processes and plants on an industrial scale; hence we have the curriculum in chemical engineering. The advent of the airplane created an entirely new set of problems which were solved by the training of aeronautical engineers. Many of these have called for more and more science and mathematics. Such was the history of the older engineer-

Jan 1, 1953

By A. C. Bluemel, J. S. Harper, J. H. Jett

Can the mining industry in the United States accept the change and challenge of the "Now Generation" of an entirely new high-performance automated transportation system? Advanced transportation systems for the mining industry can be defined as those which lend themselves to automation and meet definite performance and cost objectives. The term automation shall mean that control of transportation system is accomplished by a closed loop electronic circuit which, when started on command, will continue to cycle as programmed until such time as an intelligent feed-back causes the system to shut down.

Jan 1, 1970

By H. M. Chance

WITHIN the last 10 years the subject of mine taxation in its relation to coal-mining interests has come to have growing importance, not only to those engaged in the mining of coal, but also to the owners of land underlain by coal. A disposition has developed among legislators to accept the principle, which has been laid down y many judicial decisions, that coal underlying the surface must be regarded as a part of the real value of all properties so underlain, and as such is chargeable with such burdens of taxation as the necessities of the government may impose. These necessities arise from the normal expense of maintaining State and local governments, and in the past have been met principally by, taxes based upon assessments of real estate values, which values in many cases have been confined principally or wholly to the value of the surface, without taking into consideration the value of minerals underlying the surface. It is not proposed here to deal with the question of Federal taxation, whether levied on production, or on products transported from one State to another, or exported from the country, or upon thegross or net earnings of corporations engaged in interstate commerce, or upon the production of materials which may be transported from one State to another, or levied. upon the profits or upon the obligations of corporations. The present discussion will be confined to the appraisal of coal lands as assessed for State, county, township, or borough taxation. The methods heretofore and at present in use in the different States vary widely and have resulted in more or less litigation. Discussions appearing from time to time in the technical and trade journals and in the proceedings of mining and engineering associations frequently direct attention to the need for the adoption of fixed principle in levying taxes, and of uniform methods for applying such principles, but there does not seem to be a general demand from the public for the adoption of such methods.

Jan 7, 1914

By J. Clair, H. Mirabel

The determination of the temperature and electrical potential distributicms in the cathodes of aluminum electrolytic cells is difficult. The reascms come from the various nature and the intricate three-dimensional geometry of the materials; besides thermal and electrical phenomena react upon each other. A method of calculation using a computer program applied to a mathematical model, figuring the cathode, is developed. Both of the thermal and electrical phenomena are simultaneously considered. Temperature and electrical potential distributions are finally obtained by successive iterations. Results are compared with measurements on industrial cells. Theoretical and practical applications of these studies are given. Up to the present time the study of the distribution of the temperatures and electric potentials in the electrodes, anode and cathode, of the electrolytic cells used for the production of aluminum was limited to one of the two aspects of the phenomena because of lack of a simultaneous method of calculation. For example, the anode or cathode drop was studied assuming that the temperatures in the iron and carbon are known, a method that obviously is very approximate since iron resistivity, in particular, greatly varies with temperature, which in turn depends on current density. Consequently we tried to find a method of calculation simultaneously taking into account both thermal and electrical phenomena. We proceeded to the study of the cathodes as an initial approach to the problem. Although the cathode and surrounding materials may have varied forms and particularly very heterogeneous characteristics, their structures are simpler than that of the Sijderberg anode and boundary conditions are more easily represented than in the case of anodes even though they are prebaked. The study was in two parts: a) development of a model schematizing the true geometry of a cathode and defining the thermal and electrical boundary conditions, and b) working out a method of calculation of the temperatures and potentials by means of an electronic computer. To facilitate solution of the problem, a model was used initially much simplified in comparison with an actual cathode. This model permitted development of the method of calculation. In a second phase, this model was adjusted to the study of actual cathodes and applied to different types of cells: low- or high-intensity cells, cells set up at ground level or above ground level, cells with cathodes more or less heat-insulated. Simultaneously measurements were made with cells equipped with cathodes of the types studied to compare the values resulting from calculation. The initial model was also used for general studies, in particular for studying the effects of current density in the carbon and iron. The results were confirmed or made precise by the model of the true cathodes. This report successively describes: a) the manner in which the model representing a cathode was worked out, with the simplifications and/or the hypotheses used, b) the method of solution of the problem by means of the electronic computer, and c) an example, stating the extent to which the results obtained may be realistic. Further the possibilities offered by such a study are examined. 1) CATHODE REPRESENTATION The purpose of this phase is to represent the cathode in the form of a so-called "mathematical model", that is with a simplified geometrical configuration, in order to meet the subsequent calculation requirements, while keeping to the true facts as closely as possible. This model further includes the thermal and electric conductivities with regard to temperature for the varied materials composing the cathode, as well as the thermal and electrical conditions at the model boundaries. 1.1) Guiding Principles. For calculating the temperatures and potentials the model is divided by trior-thogonal planes into a network of small elementary parallelepipeds. At the summit of these parallelepipeds' so-called mesh points, the temperatures and potentials are computed. The number of mesh points is of course limited by the capabilities of the computer, since 1) the number of equations to be solved depends on the number of mesh points selected, and 2) the amount of time spent by the computer considerably increases with increasing this number. These conditions call for the following requirements as concerns the model: a) Dimensional requirements: the calculation will be all the more accurate as the network is more closely meshed. Since the number of mesh points is limited in practice, it is necessary to restrict the dimensions of the model. b) Geometrical requirements: so as to make things easier in working out the network, the model must be given a simple geometry. In particular, it will be convenient to have the cathode so constituted that the surfaces limiting the cathode and the surfaces within the cathodes separating the different materials consist of triorthogonal planes. 1.2) Schematization of the Cathodes. After the tech-

Jan 1, 1968

THE ladle is a small hearth made on a cage of iron bars like a bird-cage, and has a handle so that it can easily be taken from the forge and carried wherever desired. It is a common device and is much used among masters for small castings, but with a large weight you would have difficulty in lifting it by hand even though you were aided by levers and winches. If you should indeed do it, it would be just as if you had lifted the aforesaid hearth by force, and this would be unwise if you could do anything less difficult. A forge is likewise made for this, with a good pair of large bellows that are well covered with cloth. When the small hearth has been made with good clay, baked, and well covered with ashes, it is placed in front of the mouth [of the bellows] and a crown of two or three brick ends is built around it on top of the rim so that the charcoal may be held better and in greater quantity. Then, having lit the fire and heated the ladle and the charcoal, the pieces of material that you wish to melt are gradually put on

Jan 1, 1942

By J. Szekely, Robert J. Fisher

A formulation is Presented and solutions are given for the problem of transient heat conduction in a sphere that undergoes a spatially uniform radiative heat exchange with its environment. The solutions were obtained by the numerical integration of the appropriate Partial differential equation and are Presented in a graphical form by Plotting a dimensionless average temperature against the Fourier number with the radiation number as a paranreter, for various initial sphere and environment temperatures. In addition to these numerical results asymptotic analytical solutions are also given. PROBLEMS involving the transient heating or cooling of droplets and particles frequently arise and are of importance in metallurgical operations. Spray refining, vacuum degassing, high-temperature gas-solid reaction systems, and pebble heaters are but few of the numerous examples that may be quoted. The practical interest in these problems from a design or operational point of view is to evaluate the change in the particle temperature with the time given its physical properties, initial temperature, and that of the environment. At the high temperatures encountered the principal mode of heat transfer between the particles and their environment is by thermal radiation; in case of vacuum degassing due to the very low thermal conductivity of the gas space the convec-tive components are negligible and radiation is the only heat transfer mechanism. Although much work has been done on transient heat conduction problems, the special class mentioned here, in which thermal radiation is specified at the bounding surface, received little attention to date. One contributory factor to this situation may be the nonlinearity of the radiation term in temperature, which in general precludes the use of analytical techniques and requires numerical or analog solution of the appropriate differential equations. In fact the only solutions of general nature that are available at present pertain to semi-infinite media and slabs.'-3 The work on which the paper reports forms part of a program aimed at the theoretical and experimental study of transient radiative heat exchange between particles and their environment. The purpose of the present paper is to develop a formulation and solutions to the problem of transient heat conduction in a sphere that undergoes a spatially uniform radiative heat exchange with its surroundings. The solutions, obtained by the numerical integration of the appropriate differential equations, will be presented graphically, by plotting dimensionless parame- ters covering the range of variables relevant to metallurgical interests, thus affording a ready reference for design calculations. In addition to these results, approximate analytical solutions are also given which represent asymptotes, corresponding to extreme values of the variables mentioned. FORMULATION Consider a spherical particle of radius, a, initially at uniform temperature, Ti (T measured on the absolute scale), having a thermal conductivity, k, density, , specific heat, C, and thermal diffusivity, a. At time = 0 let this particle be exposed to an environment which is at a temperature T, and subsequently let there be a purely radiative heat exchange between the particle and the environment resulting in a spatially uniform heat flux at the surface. If in addition to the above we make the assumptions that the sphere is a gray body radiator, homogeneous, isotropic, and opaque, and that the physical properties are independent of temperature, conservation of heat in the sphere may be written as follows: The boundary condition contained in Eq. [3] states that the initial temperature of the sphere is considered uniform, equalling Ti, whereas Eq. [4] is readily obtained from symmetry considerations. Eq. [5] expresses the continuity of the heat flux at the surface of the sphere, or in other words the condition that the rate of heat exchange between the sur-

Jan 1, 1969

By Benjamin Tillson

The hammer drill rightly receives the credit for having made the one-man drill possible, and so many economies seem possible through the proper application of :different types of hammer drills to various mining, quarrying, and, excavating operations, that an indication of the economies effected by the New Jersey Zinc Co. at its Franklin mines may be of pertinent interest. When this company commenced its trials of hammer drills in 1907, these tools had not I been developed to one-fourth the capacity and refinement which they have at present. At that time it was frequently stated that such a small tool, drilling holes of less diameter than the reciprocating rock drill, could not drill enough holes in a shift to permit the placing of sufficient explosive to break a tonnage of ore comparable with that produced by the"' rock drills;" that the placing of small holes inclined upward, at angles steeper than 40° above the horizontal, could not be expected to produce results equal to the large flat, wet or dry, holes in the breasted back of an overhand stope, and would only shatter the ground so as to make the back unsafe. In' spite of these adverse opinions, the hammer drills first showed their superiority over both heavy and light reciprocating drills in raising and in stoping, and then in drifting and quarry work. As a result, all of the reciprocating drills at the Franklin mines were scrapped, three years ago, all of the mining work being accomplished with increased efficiency, as shown in detail in this article. With the advent of the hammer drill in this property, it was considered advisable to make comparative tests of all the tools accessible, and it has since been the policy to investigate the merits of any advance of the drilling art in order to get the maximum amount of work from the tools. The necessity of devising some means of standardizing drill tests, and of measuring the consumption of compressed air as well as the drilling speed, was early realized.

Jan 2, 1915

By A. Eugene Lillstrom

I N the development of iron mines and production of iron ore from the Marquette range, drilling blast-holes is an important phase of the mining cycle. The ground drilled in ore production can be classified into two main categories, soft hematite and hard hematite or magnetite. Within these categories the material exhibits a wide range of penetrability by percussion drills. Development work encounters various types of rock. Slate and altered basic intrusives constitute the softer types commonly encountered. Harder materials are represented mainly by greywacke, quartzite, iron formation, and diorite.

Jan 12, 1951

By W. O. Philbrook, H. W. Hosking, N. B. Melcher

A simple and inexpensive mercury-tracer method has been develohed to study rates and Patterns of gas flow in blast furnaces. A Pulse of mercury is injected into the hot blast, and its arrival at the sampling Point is recorded by an electronic circuit that measures resonant absorbtion of ultraviolet light by mercury vapor in the gas aspirated .through the detecting. cell. A rapidly developing interest in blast-furnace technology in recent years has created a strong demand for precise knowledge of the rates and patterns of gas movement through the stock column. Classical fluid-flow theory cannot supply the desired information because the complexity of the blast-furnace situation precludes the accurate determination of many of the parameters required for solution of the equations. In fact some of the terms employed in fluid-flow treatments become almost meaningless under blast-furnace conditions. The void fraction of the stock column, for example, varies widely from place to place and is affected by the segregation of charge materials, attrition of lumps during descent, and channeling. Gas density varies with changes in local pressure, temperature, and composition, while viscosity varies with temperature and composition. Even if mean values for these functions were acceptable, they would be either impossible or extremely difficult to determine with a high degree of accuracy since the value of the mean for all gas properties would depend upon the flow distribution itself. Attempts to study gas movement by the pitot-tube determination of kinetic pressures have met with little acceptance. Reproducibility of results is extremely difficult to achieve in a situation where alignment of the tube orifice with respect to the flow direction in tortuous channels cannot be guaranteed. Because of these difficulties it would appear that progress can be achieved only with a direct method of measuring gas velocities and determining the shape of flow paths through the stock. The establishment of such a method is described in this paper. SELECTION OF METHOD Direct measurement suggests the use of a tracer by means of which the progress of a "parcel" of gas can be followed through the furnace. Several requirements must be met before any selected material can be considered a suitable tracer. First of all, it must be a substance not normally present in blastfurnace gas or dust; otherwise its presence in a gas sample will have little significance. It should be volatile at temperatures normally existing within the furnace, to ensure that it will travel with the gas, as a gas. It should possess special properties enabling its presence in the gas to be detected readily, and it should not undergo exchange reactions with any material normally present within the furnace, including refractories and coke as well as all components of the metal and slag. Radioactive materials naturally are considered because their radioactivity renders them susceptible to detection. However, of the many radioactive materials available, almost all are eliminated from final consideration by their unsuitability in terms of other properties. Radioactive silicon, carbon, calcium, phosphorus, and many others have been considered and discarded, either because they are not volatile over the whole range of significant temperatures, or because they could be expected to undergo exchange reactions with burden or refractory materials. Others which might be suitable in terms of these properties are eliminated because of a low activity, short half life, or the necessity for fragile counting apparatus. Of the many elements available in radioactive form, perhaps radon is the only one suitable for blast-furnace gas-flow studies. This has been used in several investigations1-4 with considerable success. The use of radiotracers has certain inherent disadvantages. One is the cost. An appreciable sum must be allowed for materials each time a test is made. Also, special methods of handling must be employed, and very often the progress of an investigation must be governed by the availability of isotopes and the delivery arrangements that can be made for them. An advantage is immediately gained if the tracer material can be a substance which can

Jan 1, 1960

By Carl Henrich

Aspen, the flourishing mountain- and mining-town of Pitkin county, Colorado, is located in the valley of the Roaring Fork, 11 miles above Glenwood springs, where that stream empties its waters into Grand river, a tributary of the Colorado. The Roaring Fork heads on the western slope of the Sawatch range near Grizzly peak, and runs in a general northwesterly direction to its junction with the Grand river. Of its numerous tributaries, Castle creek joins it just below the town of Aspen, the town being built on an extensive flat hounded on the northeast by the Roaring Fork and on the west by Castle creek. The latter heads at the junction of the Sawatch and the Elk mountains and flows northward between the two chains, until it empties into Roaring Fork. Opposite the town of Aspen, Hunter creek, coming westward from the western slope of Mount Massive, joins the Roaring Fork. About a mile north of Aspen, the bed of Hunter creek is at least 300 feet higher than that of the Roaring Fork at Aspen. Hunter creek forms thus, at its mouth, one of the best water-powers in Colorado. A portion of it is now utilized for electric lighting in Aspen, while in the near future, the whole of this magnificent natural power will be applied, through electric transmission, for hoisting, pumping and ventilating at different mines of the district. The mountain opposite the town of Aspen, on the east side of Hunter creek (which near its mouth flows southerly), is called Smuggler mountain, from the famous mine at the foot of it. On the other, or western, side of Hunter's creek (see map, Fig. I), a higher mountain rises, on the slope of which the regular dip of the Triassie or Upper Carboniferous red sandstone strata, alternating with white layers of the same rock, can be clearly seen from town. This mountain is called Red mountain, from the prevailing color of its rocky

Jan 1, 1889

By W. E. C. A. B. Eustis

(Read at the Philadelphia Meeting, February, 1878.) IN September last I had my attention called by Mr. R. G. Leckie to a deposit of nickel in the township of Orford, province of Quebec. In many ways it has proved to be a subject of great interest. As this ore is, as far as I can learn, entirely new in mineralogy and metallurgy, it has seemed to me that it would be a matter of interest to the Institute to have laid before it, in a short paper, the peculiarities I have met with in studying it. This deposit of nickel was first described by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, our President, in the Geology of Canada, 1863, p. 738, in the following terms : "The general diffusion of nickel throughout the magnesian rocks of the Quebec group has been already noticed. It has, however, never been met with in any considerable quantities in these rocks, although workable deposits of its ores may reasonably be looked for

Jan 1, 1878

THE twenty-first birthday of the Rocky Mountain Club will be celebrated on April 11 by the Last Round-up; for, as announced at the annual meet-ing of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in February, the Club and the Institute have voted to con-solidate and formal approval by the court alone re-mains to be secured. The Rocky Mountain Club was organized some years since "to create and maintain good fellowship between the Rocky Mountain members and to further the in-terests of the Rocky Mountain States." From the first, mining men dominated it, as was natural in view of the prominence of mining in the Rocky Mountain region. A series of brilliant annual dinners were held and a site purchased for a clubhouse. A fund was raised to provide a home for the Club. Just as success was as-sured the war came and the members of the Club con-sidered it would be unpatriotic to spend money for such purpose at that time. In a spirit of patriotism the Club funds were devoted to war purposes, especially the Commission for Relief in Belgium and the caring for soldiers going to and returning from the front. So much of the money was used that at the end of the war the project for a clubhouse was out of the question with-out raising a new fund, and since 1923, the Club has been inactive. There is now in its treasury a substan-tial sum. The assets are for the most part the result of contributions made by W. B. Thompson, John Hays Hammond, and Edward H. Clark, all members of the Institute and all of whom wished to see these funds applied in a manner to leave some lasting memorial of the spirit which animated the founders and at the same time perform some useful function in the development of the region in which the Club's interest centered. It was thought that this could best be done through affilia-tion of the Club with the Institute and both organiza-tions have voted for the merger. The Club members not already in the Institute are to have the privilege of a special Rocky Mountain life membership, and the property of the Club is to be used to endow a Rocky Mountain Club fund to be used for purposes in accord with those of both the Institute and the Club and with especial reference to benefiting the Rocky Mountain region.

Jan 4, 1928

By H. E. Nold

THE raw materials of the ceramic industry are mostly clays. This raw material is ground, water is added and the mixture pugged into a moist, plastic, rather stiff mass. From this mass the desired units of manufacture are made (bricks, hollow building tile, sewer .pipe, etc.). These units are dried; then placed in kilns and heated until the desired degree of vitrification is obtained.1 For firing ceramic ware, two distinct types of kilns are used; namely, periodic and continuous tunnel. PERIODIC KILNS Periodic kilns are those ordinarily seen in a brick plant. They are either round or rectangular. The raw, dried, formed ware is piled or set in the kilns to depths frequently exceeding 10 ft. The kiln is heated until the ware is matured, then gradually cooled sufficiently to allow men to remove the ware; then the cycle is repeated. The time duration of the cycle may be more than two weeks.

Jan 1, 1933

By Kenyon Burch

ONE of the advantages presented by electric drive in many classes of work is the ease with which the electric motor can be controlled automatically. In a large number of cases certain features of the control are automatic-for example, the rate of acceleration may be limited automatically or the equipment may be stopped automatically at the limit of travel-but the equipment is started and ordinarily is stopped by hand. . In other cases the motion of the machinery is utilized to start, control the: speed, and stop the motor automatically, independently of any operator. A considerable proportion of the large mine hoists now in use have certain automatic features, particularly protective devices against over-winding, and, in some classes of electric hoists, devices for preventing excessive acceleration or retardation. The large automatic hoists discussed in this paper, however, are completely automatic, i.e., capable of snaking their trips without the presence of an operator at the control levers. According to circumstances, various advantages may be obtained by automatic control, chief of which are decreased power consumption', increased precision and safety of operation, and decreased, cost of attendance. The first step in the analysis of a prospective automatic mine hoist is to determine whether automatic operation is feasible at all. If men are to be hoisted, or levels changed, the attention of an operator is required for these purposes; but tinder some conditions it may be entirely practicable and advantageous to build the equipment so that, while provision is made for hoisting mien or changing levels, ore can be hoisted automatically from, any one level. If, however, an operator's attention is required every few minutes for changing levels, handling men or drills, or other work requiring hand control, it is obvious that automatic operation between times will not be of any, practical benefit.

Jan 3, 1916

By I. J. Polmear

Earlier work revealed that small amounts of silver (< 0,l at. pct) may exert a marked effect on the structure and aging characteristics of certain a1loys based on the Al-Zn-Mg system. Silver additions have now been made to other age-hardening aluminum alloys, and significant effects have been observed in the Al-Mg system and in several Al-Cu-Mg and Al-Mg-Si alloys. Similarities exist between the behavior of alloys from all four systems, notably that in each case silver stimulates nucleation of an intermediate precipitate which forms when the alloys are aged in the medium temperature range (-120" to 220°C). The mechanism for this effect is uncer- IT has been shown that small additions of silver (<0.1 at. pct) may have a marked effect on the structure and age-hardening characteristics of tain although it is suggested it originates in a preferred affinity between magnesium and silver atoms. There is evidence to indicate that the effects of silver are unique to that element. It is suggested that silver atoms interact with vacancies during low-temperature aging of Al-4 pct Cu and certain Al-Cu-Mg alloys. Silver had little effect on Al-8 pct Zn aged at any temperature. Preliminary observations indicate that silver may have interesting effects on the strength properties of Al-Mg alloys, md a the commercial Al-Cu-Mg alloys designated as 2024 and 2618. many alloys based on the Al-Zn-Mg* system.1"&apos;*

Jan 1, 1964

By Andrew Roy

The Mahoning Valley coal region lies on the extreme northern outcrop of the Ohio coal-field, and all the mines, with one exception, are opened on the lower coal of the series, No. 1 of the Ohio Geological Survey. The coal ranges from an inch to five, six, and sometimes seven feet thickness, the workable height being between two and a half and six feet. There are two varieties of coal, known in market as "Briar Hill coal " and " Mineral Ridge coal;" both varieties are drawn from the same seam. The Briar Hill coal is generally called block coal, and is the kind so largely used in a raw state in smelting iron. It possesses a laminated structure, easily splitting into horizontal sheets, but is very difficult to break in the opposite direction. The faces of the layers are often covered with a soft, dead, carbonaceous material, like charcoal, and the whole seam throughout is marked by alternate layers of dead and bright-looking coal. In the act of combustion the coal neither swells nor changes form, the masses retaining their shapes until they fall to ashes in the furnace. The Mineral Ridge variety is much softer, and is also shorter in the grain than the Briar Hill kind, and it contains a good deal of

R,. P. JaRvis,* El Oro, Estado de México, México.—The practical problem raised by Mr. Wisser—that is, the determination of the lower limit of ore deposition, below which it is useless to look for ore shoots—is one of the most important in economic geology. He asks: "Can we learn to determine the position of such a line?" For individual districts, yes; but its determination has always been by empirical methods; that is by actually exploring the veins to such depths that the values drop below the economic limits. Usually the signs are plain enough that values have been bottomed without confirmation by the chemist or assayer. Most veins, when approaching their limit, begin to split into branches or stringers; the vein matter itself undergoes a change from "lively looking" rock to one that is dull and unpromising, the quartz, instead of having segregated into clean vein matter, has simply spread itself into the country rock, rendering this more siliceous but no richer—these, together with inclusions of the country rock in the vein, are all positive indications of the limit. Mr. Wisser seems disposed not to accept the law of cause and effect, which he calls "empiricism." He says: "Empiricism embodies an assumption perhaps not evident at first glance. It is this: that like effects spring from like causes and therefore necessarily have a common meaning." There can be no doubt as to the validity of this law, since it is the foundation stone upon which are built all inductive sciences, including economic geology. When demonstrable, proved facts become confused with inferences, as they seem to be generally in the paper under examination, no sound conclusions can be reached. Mr. Wisser has failed to give sufficient data covering the two vein systems which he cites as examples. Presumably they are situated in the Pachuca District of Mexico, but not everybody is familiar with the vein systems there in spite of the fact that it is world famous as a silver producer. Are these two systems separated some distance horizontally from one another and how far? He has given no estimate of the amount and kind of rock that has been eroded from over the present veins. His description of the two systems appears on page 100, beginning: "1. East-west veins," and ends on page 101, "they would lack spaces there in which to deposit." On page 101, with the paragraph beginning "On the other hand," he gives a picture of what he believes takes place in class 2 veins. The sum of this seems to be, according to Mr. Wisser&apos;s observations, that, in the east-west veins, class 1, there has been an invasion of an "altering solution," which I judge has been responsible for the formation of extensive "alteration haloes"; that these alteration solutions have followed along pre-existing fractures or fissures; and that after these alteration solutions finished their work the mineralizing solutions deposited the vein matter and metallic values. Mr. Wisser does not specify clearly what the "alteration haloes" consist of; in other words, what change the original rock has suffered, whether oxidizing, carbonating, or sulphidizing. If they came from depth they could not be oxidizing or carbonating, and in this case it is a bit

Jan 1, 1941