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By WOOLSEY MCA JOHNSON

INDEPENDENTLY of the recognized chemical reactions involved in the production of metallic zinc, the process is affected by physical conditions in efficiency, and by commercial as well as technical economy. To offer some observations concerning these conditions is the purpose of the present paper. Among the important elements of this problem is the physical nature of the particles constituting the mass of zinc oxide to be reduced. This may be the result, either of the manner of the original deposition of the mineral, or of the treatment to which it has been subjected in the roasting-furnace. The physical character of the reducing-agent is another important factor, since the carbon of some coals is much more active in reduction than that of others. The degree of fineness, whether of ore or coal, or both, likewise plays a significant part. These factors, together with the physical admixture of foreign substances with the ore, may give rise also to chemical "side-reactions," sometimes hindering or retarding, and sometimes accelerating, the reduction. Finally, thermal conditions, including the relative conductivity of the materials, deserve to be taken into account. In firing a furnace with retorts charged with a mixture of roasted ore and coal, the first reaction is naturally the boiling-off of the contained water ; the next is the distillation of the light hydrocarbons from the coal; the next is the reduction of the iron oxide to protoxide and sub-oxide successively, and then to metallic sponge; and the final reaction is the reduction of the zinc oxide in the ore by the carbon to metallic zinc. This reaction commences at 1,022° to 1,060° C., according to the physical nature and condition of the coal and ore. Since the retort and the charge are far from being good con-

Sep 1, 1907

By P. E. McKinney

Developments in engineering during the past decade, particularly as applied to marine construction, mining machinery and other purposes in which corrosion offers a serious problem, have created a large demand for a non-ferrous metal highly resistant to corrosion and at the same time useful in general construction work as a substitute for steel without materially decreasing the factor of safety or increasing the weight of the various parts over that ordinarily used in the case of mild steel. To obtain the combination of desired properties many compositions have been proposed and used with excellent success, but at the present time probably the most popular and most widely used combination is the non-ferrous alloy commonly called manganese bronze. This is nothing more than a high brass to which have been added, by the proper method of alloying, comparatively small percentages of aluminum, iron, or manganese with the definite purpose in view of strengthening the alloy and rendering it more dense and close-grained than the average yellow-brass casting. In the manufacture of manganese bronze a great deal has been said about the importance of using only the highest grades of raw material and the beneficial or detrimental effects, as the case may be, of various impurities, as well as the importance of adding the ingredients according to various formulas proposed; but in most of these cases the literature on the subject has dealt principally with the manufacture of this alloy from virgin metals and raw materials of the highest purity. It is the purpose of this paper to deal particularly with the possibilities that lie in the proper development of methods for manufacturing such an alloy by more economical methods than those which have usually been discussed in other literature on the subject. Shortages have recently existed in raw materials needed for many products entering into the various branches of engineering work, particularly the non-ferrous metals, and during the next few years of reconstruction the country will be flooded with many

Jan 1, 1919

By Richard A. Conkling

A shale layer, buried beneath two or three thousand feet of strata, in some instances, will upon folding become thicker in the synelines and thinner on top of the anticlines. This can be accounted for, in part, by the stretching on the crests of the fold and the compressing in the troughs; but this will by no means account for all of it, as is shown in the example herein set forth. It is my firm belief that the rest of the thickness is due to flow. What causes the movement, however, does not concern us here, SO long as there is movement, for this article purposes to show its effect upon the producing area of different sands. It is the author's hope, in this way, to drop a hint or two that may be valuable to the oil geologist, in making estimates of future productions and values of oil properties. An example will be given from property in the famous Gushing Pool in northeastern Oklahoma, where the author has had occasion to make a detailed study before recommending some property to his company, and has then been able to watch the results of this work. The author never mapped the surface structure in this pool, as this had been done by Frank Buttram when he was with the Oklahoma Geological Survey. We are using, therefore, a section of his map in this article for our surface contours. The main east dip comes farther east than this section shows. From the 10-ft. contours in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the surface folding is very slight, but in the contour map of the Bartlesville sand (Fig. 2), which was the greatest producing sand, we see much more complex folding. It seems that the folding becomes greater with the depth. Folding may have started in Middle Pennsylvanian times and continued through the Upper Pennsylvanian which is found at the surface. This may, or may not, have been the cause of the increase of folding with depth. However, the fact that mostly concerns us is the interval of shale between the Bartlesville sand and the Tucker sand. The Tucker is the next productive sand below the Bartlesville. Not enough wells have been drilled to the Tucker sand to make a contour map of it, but

Jan 1, 1917

By J. M. Adams

It is my purpose to give some of the results obtained by an experience of nearly seven years in working ores by the method frequently called the Washoe Process, and in several mills of which I have had charge, but principally in the Owyhee Mill, at Silver City, Idaho, which had twenty 650-pound stamps, and sixteen pans. I shall discuss here merely the mechanical details for working ores generally, subdividing the subject as follows : 1. Preparation of the ore for the stamps; 2. The crushing in the battery; 3. The settling of sand or pulp in vats or tanks; 4. The treatment in the pans; 5. The results obtained in settlers, agitators, and concentrators; 6. The straining of quicksilver, cleaning of amalgam, and retorting; 7. The saving of slimes and their subsequent treatment; 8. The loss of quicksilver. For descriptions of the various kinds of orebreakers, stamps, tanks, pans, settlers, etc., I must refer to the various works on these subjects, prominent among which are the reports of the United States Commissioner of Mining Statistics,and the volume on "Mining Industry," the third volume of the United States Geological Survey on the Line of the Fortieth Parallel through the gold and silver bearing regions of the great West, undertaken under the able guidance of Clarence King, assisted by Mr. James D. Hague and others. In this discussion it will be assumed that the general arrangement of the quartz mill is understood; and the question will be treated how to secure, from such a mill, the greatest economy in working, combined with the largest results. This place seems fittest for a single preliminary suggestion—namely, that there should be double "floors" throughout the mill, so that nothing can sift through and be lost.

By Paul D. Merica, H. Hanemann

The application of other than mechanical methods to the study of the mechanical-physical properties of metals has become in the last few years a topic of investigation of ever-increasing interest, both from the theoretical standpoint and from that of the engineer and constructor. Besides the investigations which have been made of the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic metals, in their relation to the mechanical properties of these metals, which will be discussed more in detail below, there have been made studies of other phenomena in the same relation, and methods for the mechanical testing 'of metals have even been suggested; for example, the microscopic method of Tammann,' and the thermo-electric method of Turnera for determining elastic limits. The application of all such methods, which are based upon the dependence of some physical, crystallographic, or possibly chemical property, upon the mechanical state of the metal, must be preceded by close and careful correlation of these various "test" properties with the known mechanical state of the different metals or materials. It is with this view that the present work, as well as that of many previous investigators of, what may be termed in the interests of brevity, the mechanical-magnetic properties of ferromagnetic materials of construction, has been done. Previous Investigations of Mechanical Magnetic Properties The effect of mechanical stresses and of deformation, elastic or otherwise, oil the magnetic qualities of iron, steel, and other metals, has been studied by a number of investigators from the time of Joule (1841) to the present. It will, however, for the present purpose be sufficient to give an account only of the principal results obtained in the course of these investigations. It was early noticed (Villari, 1865) that if an iron wire is placed in a

Jan 1, 1916

By William E. Newman

The smelting of galena in the ore hearth has been practiced in many countries for several hundred years with varying success. In the United States, the water-jacketed American hearths and the Jumbb hearths have found some favor in the Missouri lead belt, where large quantities of non-argentiferous galena concentrates are produced. In form and method of operation the ore hearth has changed but little since its earliest conception. A detailed description of the furnace is lot needed here; it has been fully described in most works on the metallurgy of lead and in many technical papers. Since its field is restricted to non-argentiferous galena, containing over 68 per cent. of lead, its use is limited to a few districts; and, on account of certain disadvantages attending its operation, modern sintering and blast-furnace practice has nearly driven it out of the Missouri field. It is not generally known that the cost of producing pig lead is smaller by the hearth method than by sintering and blast-furnace smelting. Yet it is doubtful if any metallurgist knowing this to be true would recommend an American hearth installation—by reason of the disadvantages which will be briefly enumerated. The furnace has been limited to a length of from 4 to 5 ft., requiring for its operation two men working an 8-hr. shift as a maximum. The product per man is small; the work is hot and laborious; and the difficulty of completely removing the dust and fume has made it a notorious source of lead poisoning, Although suitable for operations on a small scale a large number of hearths would be required for a plant smelting 10,000 tons of 68 to 70 per cent. concentrates per month; and the number of semi-skilled laborers would be six times the number of hearths—a condition which is prohibitive. On account of the high percentage of dust and fume produced, a large flue and bag-house installation is required and, in the past, the handling and re-treatment of this dust and fume has -been a serious problem.

Jan 1, 1916

By Oliver Bowles

While vast quantities of limestone and dolomite are used in metallurgy, the estimated production in 1926 being 23,860,000 tons, there are many problems connected with their use which have not received adequate study. The literature of metallurgy is notably lacking in comprehensive discussions of fluxing or furnace stone. Approximately 900 lb. of limestone is used for every long ton of pig iron produced in the blast furnace, but this important constituent of the charge receives little atten. tion compared with the intensive study that has been applied to ores and fuels, the other important constituents of the charge. In an effort to elucidate some of the doubtful points, the writer has made a wide review of metallurgical literature, and has had the disappointing experience of finding not more than a paragraph or two on metallurgical stone for each two or three thousand pages of literature reviewed. Furthermore, the limited information supplied is in some instances contradictory and even absurd. For example, a correspondent in a reputable metallurgical magazine classifies magnesia and silica together as impurities in flux " that must be melted and run off as slag." From the furnace operator's viewpoint it is desirable that as complete knowledge as possible be obtained concerning the effects of chemical composition and physical character of the stone on its action in the furnace and on the quality of the metal produced. A better knowledge of these features is advantageous also to the quarry operator in that it enables him to work more intelligently in producing stone that will best satisfy the metallurgists' requirements. The following pages comprise a brief compilation of data now available. Much of the information is well established and probably acceptable to most metallurgists. On some points there is room for debate, and the chief purpose in presenting a paper at this time is to arouse discussion which will throw more light on controversial points and thus assist the author in preparing a more comprehensive and accurate discussion of metallurgical limestone problems.

By R. H. Thurston

THE writer became convinced, many years ago, that the generally accepted values of the coefficient of friction for lubricated surfaces were not applicable to such heavy machinery as he had been called upon, in the course of professional work, to design, to construct, and to operate. Experience frequently seemed to indicate, also, a wide departure, in such cases, from the accepted "laws of friction." In the year 1869, or earlier, he invented an apparatus to redetermine these laws and these coefficients for a wide range of temperatures, pressures and velocities. The construction of the machine was delayed, however, some time, and no experiments were made for several years, when, finally, the construction of the apparatus was commenced in the workshops of the Stevens Institute of Technology, and experiments were begun in the Mechanical Laboratory organized by the writer in connection with the Department of Engineering. These machines have now been in use about five years, and have furnished an immense amount of valuable information. Those now in use are of two styles: one designed and built by the Class of 1877, Figs. 1 and 2; the other a much larger machine, Figs. 3 and 4. The first has been already frequently described,* and a working drawing of the second has been also published.† For convenience, engravings of both are herewith reproduced. In the “'77 machine,” a journal, F, is made on the overhung extremity of a shaft carried in the two bearings, B B'. This journal is grasped by brass boxes which are carried in a pendulum, II H. They are forced against the journal by a screw which compresses a coiled spring with a pressure which is read off on the scale, N H. A weight at the lower end of the arm, at I, gives it the necessary resistance to deflection. The angle of deflection is measured on the * In Scientific American, Railroad Gazette, Jour. Frank. Inst., Johnson's Cyclopaedia, Knight's Mechanical Dictionary, etc. † Railroad Gazette, Jan. 18th, 1878, p. 25.

Jan 1, 1879

By Howard N. Eavenson

The information contained in the following paper was collected at the request of the U. S. Coal Commission, and is published with the permission of that body and of the various companies furnishing the data. For obvious reasons, the names of the companies are not given. No data were obtained from states south of Virginia or west of the Mississippi River. The data about the amount of labor, in man-hours, required in producing a ton of bituminous coal have been collected with the idea of showing what is being done at some well-managed plants, and not to show the average amount required by all mines, which undoubtedly is considerably higher than the average of the figures shown.* Almost all of the figures were supplied by the various companies in reply to a questionnaire; when they were obtained from other sources the company was asked to verify them. On account of the amount of work required, the data were only requested for one or two months for each plant, and the figures represent in each case a month when the car supply was good and the work was practically steady. In the case of most of the West Virginia and Kentucky mines, these conditions were best met in May and June, 1922. The mines for which the figures are given are arranged by states and as to whether the mine operates under union or non-union or open-shop conditions. The union mines listed are generally considered to be as well-managed as are the non-union ones. The production per month in a few cases includes the amount of slate which is loaded and hauled out of the mine, as of course this requires nearly as much labor per ton as does the coal. These cases are noted. The number of days worked includes only the total time in which the tipple operated; not the number of days on which the mines operated. This makes the output per day appear slightly higher than it should be in

Jan 1, 1924

By Linn Bradley, W. W. Strong, H. D. Egbert

Marked differences of opinion have been expressed by engineers interested in cleaning iron blast-furnace gases for use in hot-blast stoves and under boilers, in reference to the advantages of a hot-dry method over a cold-wet method. One point at issue involves the sensible heat energy in the moisture contained in the gas. Some advocates of the cold-wet methods claim that the condensation and resultant removal of the greater portion of this contained moisture by wet scrubbing, spraying or similar methods, results in a saving of some of this sensible heat energy, by reason of the fact that water vapor has a high capacity for sensible heat energy and may carry from the exit of a hot-blast stove, for example, more heat units than are sacrificed or lost when the gas is cleaned by this cold-wet method. Other advantages claimed for the latter method are: That gas burns more readily when it is free from moisture in any form; that because gas is made denser by cooling and removing the moisture it has a higher calorific value than hot gas carrying moisture; and that higher flame temperatures are obtained when the gas is cleaned by the cold-wet method. A search through the available literature fails to disclose any extensive calculations or records of conditions obtained in practice, bearing upon these phases of gas cleaning. This paper deals with these problems from the standpoint of the economy of using a gas of higher flame temperatures, of improved stove design, and of economy in the gas-cleaning department. Calculations have been made which show that by cleaning the gases by a cold-wet method the sensible heat energy of the blast-furnace gases is greatly reduced; and, in general, this loss of heat energy is far greater than that lost from the stoves or boilers due to the sensible heat capacity of the water vapor if carried away by the exit gases. By making use of the

Jan 1, 1917

By Emerson F. Heald

A systematic study was made of new and old data on chemical activities in Fe-Pt alloys at elevated ternperatuves. Experimental results may be expressed in terms of the excess free energy using Least-squares analysis of the data gave the following values for the constants: for the temperature range 1130° to 1350°C, and tentatively to 155O°C, B = -3.326564 and C = 0.221051; for the temperature range 650" to 850°C, B = -2.555690, C = 1.762735, and D =0.097196. In the study of iron-containing silicate systems, it is sometimes desirable to have a direct experimental measure of the activity of iron in the system. The well-known solubility of iron in platinum, often a headache in experimental work on iron compounds under reducing conditions, can be used to advantage in this respect. If the activity of iron in an Fe-Pt alloy in equilibrium with the silicate is known as a function of the composition of the alloy, chemical analysis of the alloy will give a knowledge of the activity of iron in all of the phases in the system. The present study was undertaken in order to elucidate the characteristics of Fe-Pt alloys as iron activity indicators. This work is intended to tie together some previous work, which may be summarized as follows. Larson and Chipman1 determined the activity of iron in Fe-Pt alloys at 1550°C by equilibrating platinum metal with calcium oxide-iron oxide-silica melts of known iron activity. Compositions of the resulting alloys were determined by chemical analysis. A similar study was carried out by Taylor and ~uan,' who worked at 1300°C. They brought the Fe-Pt alloys into equilibrium with iron oxide under conditions of known partial pressure of oxygen, and thus, from the work of Darken and ~urr~,~ conditions of known iron activity. Compositions were determined indirectly, by following the change in weight of the sample. Sundaresen et el* used the electromotive force of cells in which the alloy formed one electrode in order to measure the activity of iron in the alloy at 650" and 850°C. These temperatures were chosen to be above and below the first-order phase transition which takes place upon the ordering of Fe3Pt and the second-order transition which occurs upon the ordering of FePt3. EXPERIMENTAL 1) High Temperatures. The starting materials used were thin platinum foil, about 0.002 mm thick, and Fisher Certified reagent ferric oxide, Fez03, which had been heated for 24 hr at 1000°C. An intimate mixture of 80-mesh Fez03 and platinum platelets was placed in a thin platinum foil envelope. The latter was suspended from thin platinum wires in the hot zone of a vertical-tube, platinum-wound furnace of the type described by Muan and ~sborn.~ A capillary gas mixer similar to that used by Darken and Gurry3 was used to prepare a precisely known mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which was allowed to flow upward through the furnace tube. The partial pressure of oxygen in contact with the sample was thereby fixed at a value which was calculated from the charts prepared by porter? Temperatures were measured with a Pt-10 pct Rh-in-platinum thermocouple, which was calibrated using the melting points of gold (1062 .@C) and diopside, CaMgSizOB (1391.5"C). Temperature control was maintained to within i3"C with a Geophysical Laboratory proportional controller, using the furnace resistance as the sensing element. Samples were quenched by passing a small current through the platinum suspension wires, allowing the sample to drop into a bath of dibutyl phthalate at the bottom of the furnace tube. Prior to chemical analysis the samples were washed with acetone and dried. 2) Chemical Analysis. It proved possible, in almost all cases, to separate the Pt-Fe platelets physically from particles of iron oxide. The platelets were dissolved in a small volume of aqua regia, evaporated to dryness, and redissolved to 0.1 M HC1. In order to determine iron in the platinum alloy potentiometrically, it is necessary first to remove the platinum. A 10-cm column of Amberlite IR-120 cation exchange resin in the hydrogen form provided separation quickly and quantitatively: The mixture of iron and platinum in 0.1 M HC1 was added to the top of the column, and washed with about 100 ml of 0.1 M HC1. Under these conditions, the iron, principally in the form of cations such as FeC1" and FeCl;, is held quantitatively in the uppermost centimeter of the column. The platinum, in the form of anions such as PtC&- , is washed through without being adsorbed. After a qualitative test with stannous chloride indicated all of the platinum was removed, the iron was

Jan 1, 1968

By Glenn C. Waterman

THE diamond drill is a very important tool in exploration and development testing and its use is increasing. In almost all cases results of diamond drilling are analyzed on the basis of grade and tons. A proper evaluation of core and sludge assays is important if drilling results are to be acceptable as a basis for geologic and engineering appraisal. The relatively wide variation in assay averages as calculated by various well-known combining methods indicates that the engineering choice of a method may affect the outcome of the drilling in terms of ore and waste. The problem of combining assay results from core and sludge samples has been discussed many times in conference and in the literature.'-' Most writers agree that the field of disagreement in methods is large and that the engineer on the job must consider features unique to his drilling, pick one of several combining methods, and depart from the rules when abnormal results come in. All the discussion to date can be summed up by the admission that as yet there is no fairly simple, generally acceptable combining method that is practicable over a wide range of drilling conditions, ground conditions, and ore occurrence. The combining problem is important in evaluating drilling results at Chuquicamata. Recently a reappraisal has been made of recovery variables and their effect on assays, with the result that a new combining method is offered which fits average drilling conditions and is mathematically reasonable. It is simple in application, fundamentally correct, and an improvement over most combining methods. At Chuquicamata diamond drillholes are used to outline the grade and position of blocks of normal and marginal grade oxide, mixed, and sulphide ore. Most holes penetrate all classes of material (and waste), and it is important for mining programs as well as ore reserves to know almost precisely the soluble and insoluble copper content of mineralized ground. At present three classes of ore are mined and treated differently. For an orderly sequence of mining operations which can provide regular daily tonnages of all three ore types and keep grade at certain levels with minimum variation, ore type and its grade must be predicted. Diamond drilling plus geologic mapping and bench sampling are tools for prediction. And drilling data are largely used to calculate grade of material more than a few meters away from bench faces. The orebody at Chuquicamata" is criss-crossed by millions of barren or mineralized weak to fairly strong slips and fault fissures. Mineralization is diverse and encompasses many quartz and oxide or sulphide-bearing copper veins, as well as seams and disseminated grains. Copper occurs in oxide or sulphide minerals or mixtures of these two mineral types. Rock conditions vary from intensely seri-citized (soft and porous) through clay-altered ground to almost fresh granodiorite. The result is an orebody which offers many obstacles to good and consistent core recovery in diamond drilling. Recovery varies considerably in the several alteration zones, the various types of oxide and sulphide ores, and the position and inclination of the drillhole within the complex fracture pattern. As core recovery drops sludge samples must be used with core samples to calculate grade. Many years of drilling at Chuquicamata indicate that in good grade oxide zones and in the sulphide areas core recovery is good and the ground uniformly mineralized. Moderate loss of core, therefore, does not markedly affect grade calculations based on core assays. An early core-sludge combining method used core assays at face value as indicating grade down to 50 pct core recovery, but below this recovery percentage sludge samples were used and weighted according to the standard Longyear chart. This method apparently did not introduce serious errors, but it abruptly used sludge assays with high weighting factors representing 100 pct return irrespective of actual percentage of sludge recovered. Recent drilling activities have been directed toward outlining the marginal ore areas. The non-uniform mineralization and generally poorer core recovery in such ground indicated that a more exact core-sludge combining method was required to equate wide differences between core and sludge assays and recovery. In fringe ore areas at Chuquicamata core recovery averages about 50 pct, from a minimum of 10 to 15 pct to a maximum of 100 pct. Sludge recovery is likewise variable and averages perhaps 80 pct even though holes are cemented as water return falls off. In a homogeneously mineralized area cut by many slips and faults, with hard and soft ribs, loss of core is loss of ground which has a grade similar to that of core recovered, and core assays approximate true grade. In this case sludge samples need not be used. However, it would be unusual to know beforehand that an area is uniformly mineralized, and in fact this condition is probably uncommon. Generally the distribution of valuable minerals in the ground does not exactly compare with their recoverability in core. Thus, in the usual case, loss of core decreases the

Jan 1, 1956

By Stirling Huntley

With the threatened falling off in production of the lighter oil pools of the Tampico embayment in Mexico, a general search of that country for oil-producing regions has resulted in renewed activity in the region of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, one of the first districts exploited in Mexico. Since the drilling of the first well in the San Cristobal section by the Pearson interests in 1902, drilling has been continuous, except during 1917-1921, when practically all development was stopped by the revolutionary activity. Early in 1921, a drilling campaign was inaugurated for the purpose of testing out the known salt-dome poolfi on the flanks of the salt masses, rather than on their tops where previous tests had been located. On Dec. 7, 1921, the Aguila Co., with which are consolidated the Pearson interests and which has been the only company active in developing this region, unexpectedly drilled into a sand horizon at 3015 ft. with its Conception well No. 18. The hole was unable to handle the production, as a 1400-ft. string of 121/2-in. casing was hanging in the hole, a salt-water horizon drilled through at about 800 ft., was not cemented off, and 3000 ft. of 4-in. drill stem with rotary bit was in the hole. This well's potential capacity was never determined, but it made 7000 bbl. of 25" Bé. oil through the bit and Pin. drill stem, in one of its sporadic flows before sanding up, and thus proved itself capable of the largest potential production of any well on the Isthmus. The well showed salt water before caving and sanding up with the drill stem still in the hole, and will probably never be used for production. Wells Nos. 22 and 23, drilled nearby, have proved disappointments after making good showings of oil. In the spring of 1922, Ixhuatlan wells Nos. 28 and 29, deep tests supposedly on the flank of the known salt cores in that field, went into solid salt; No. 28 at 2250 ft. and No. 29 at 2400 ft. No. 28 was continued in the salt for 1000 ft. before operations were stopped. Later comple-

Jan 1, 1923

By John R. Edwards

Introductory.—There are many interesting and important events connected with the petroleum problem. The remarkable men who conceived 'the thought of transporting petroleum by pipe line, conserving the byproducts of the commodity, and conducting extended investigation and research whereby the flash point of the oil was raised, its cost reduced and its supply assured, are deserving of the gratitude of this nation. It was primarily the success attained by Captain Lucas, after his comprehensive search for oil in Texas and Louisiana, that was the impelling cause which prompted the Navy Department to conduct the extensive series of liquid fuel-oil tests that were made from 1901 to 1903. The sensational discovery of oil at Spindle top made a deep impression upon Rear Admiral George W. Melville, then Engineer-in-Chief of the Navy, and the discovery of the vast oil field in Texas convinced him that, within a generation, if not within a decade, crude petroleum was going to play a very important part in warfare, and that the commodity might possibly develop into a necessary munition of war. The United States' Commanding Position as a Petroleum Producer.— In the study of the various problems relating to the world's production of crude petroleum, the position of the United States is one of commanding importance, whether viewed from the industrial or the military aspect. The present yield of this country is practically double that of the rest of the world, and, in view of the productive and prospective fields possessed by various countries, together with the comprehensive and exhaustive search that has been made throughout the world for petroleum, it is extremely probable that this lead will be maintained for the next decade. As regards the character of the crude-oil yield of different countries, America possesses the greater part of the supply that contains a paraffine base, and therefore a considerable portion at least of the American product produces the best illuminant. Of all the crude-oil distillates, kerosene is in many respects thc most important, and the Appalachian product for this purpose is favored, particularly in the Far East, above that of any other petroleum yield of the world.

Jan 1, 1915

By J. S. Hardison

In the fall of 1912, the appearance of water in the oil of the Nevada Petroleum Co., Coalinga, Cal., made necessary the installation of a dehydrating plant to reduce the water below the 3 per cent. limit prescribed by the agency. Unlike the mining industry, technical literature of the oil industry is limited and extremely unsatisfactory. Until the recent efforts of the Petroleum and Gas Committee of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, no concerted movement has been instituted to secure publication of papers dealing with the problems of the oil business, and because of the additional fact that dehydrating of oil has not been practiced in California to any extent up to comparatively recent time, it was found necessary to experiment in order to determine the most satisfactory plan for this purpose. It is easy to write regarding successful enterprises, but, while not SO pleasant, it is equally desirable to write of failures so that others may be saved the loss incident to such investments. The water in this oil occurs both free and as an emulsion. Free water easily settles out, but the emulsion requires treatment. So far as can be determined, the emulsion consists of globules of water surrounded and enveloped by a film of oil. Starting with this hypothesis the theory has been evolved that in order to break up this emulsion the water must be heated at least to boiling point, when an explosion takes place destroying the globule. Unfortunately, this condition was not recognized in the installation of the first plant, which was planned on the following lines: A heater was arranged so that all the oil from the wells could be heated before reaching the shipping tanks, these being already fitted with coils for steam heating. Tanks were filled with about 4 ft. of water, live steam was turned into the coils and the water brought nearly to the boiling point, when the heated oil was run in. This for a time was partly successful, but the length of time necessary to apply this heat was too great for practical operating.

Jan 1, 1915

By H. M. Warren, E. J. Powell, A. S. Biesecker

In the past, steam engines were used in practically all cases for driving the machinery in and about an anthracite breaker, and hence few or no accurate data were available as to the power requirements for starting and operating the individual machines, which make up the complete equipment. It was impossible to segregate the power necessary to drive each individual machine, first, because the equipment was driven in groups, and second, because it was impracticable to obtain graphic, integrated, or instantaneous records of the horsepower used. As a result of these conditions, it was found, when individual electric motors were applied to the various machines, that more accurate and complete data were needed in order to provide motors of the proper power and design for the particular services to be rendered. In order to obtain the desired information, the writers made and collected a number of tests, from time to time, on the individual motor drives in electrically operated breakers, and as these tests have been of great value, it occurred to them that a paper giving the results might be of service to other engineers interested in similar installations. Table I shows the results of these tests. All the motors tested were of the three-phase, 60-cycle, 440-volt, induction, squirrel-cage type, except a few, which, on account of size and starting conditions, were of the wound-rotor type. The instruments used in making these tests were: An integrating watt-hour meter, a graphic ammeter, and a graphic voltmeter. These instruments were connected in each motor circuit, and a record of a day's run of 9 hours was obtained from each machine. From these tests, the running light load, the average all-day load, and the instantaneous peak readings in amperes, volts, and kilowatt input, were obtained. By means of the characteristic curves obtained from these motors at the factory, the power factor, the efficiency, and the horsepower output were calculated for each particular test. Starting tests were made by the brake-arm method, in which the torque in pounds was measured directly on a spring balance.

Jan 1, 1916

By Stirling Huntley

With the threatened falling off in production of the lighter oil pools of the Tampico embayment in Mexico, a general search of that country for oil-producing regions has resulted in renewed activity in the region of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, one of the first districts exploited in Mexico. Since the drilling of the first well in the San Cristobal section by the Pearson interests in 1902, drilling has been continuous, except during 1917-1921, when practically all development was stopped by the revolutionary activity. Early in 1921, a drilling campaign was inaugurated for the purpose of testing out the known salt-dome poolfi on the flanks of the salt masses, rather than on their tops where previous tests had been located. On Dec. 7, 1921, the Aguila Co., with which are consolidated the Pearson interests and which has been the only company active in developing this region, unexpectedly drilled into a sand horizon at 3015 ft. with its Conception well No. 18. The hole was unable to handle the production, as a 1400-ft. string of 121/2-in. casing was hanging in the hole, a salt-water horizon drilled through at about 800 ft., was not cemented off, and 3000 ft. of 4-in. drill stem with rotary bit was in the hole. This well's potential capacity was never determined, but it made 7000 bbl. of 25" Bé. oil through the bit and Pin. drill stem, in one of its sporadic flows before sanding up, and thus proved itself capable of the largest potential production of any well on the Isthmus. The well showed salt water before caving and sanding up with the drill stem still in the hole, and will probably never be used for production. Wells Nos. 22 and 23, drilled nearby, have proved disappointments after making good showings of oil. In the spring of 1922, Ixhuatlan wells Nos. 28 and 29, deep tests supposedly on the flank of the known salt cores in that field, went into solid salt; No. 28 at 2250 ft. and No. 29 at 2400 ft. No. 28 was continued in the salt for 1000 ft. before operations were stopped. Later comple-

Jan 1, 1923

By LEWIS F. THOMAS

MINING geologists and mining engineer, rarely give due thought to the geography of mining deposits. They realize, it is true that what may be ore in one place would be only worthless rock in another because f the in accessibility of a smelter r a market; and they may consider the lack of a supply of labor, or water, or power to carry on operations. But they do not think (of these things in terms of geography. Geography may be defined as the science of relationships between earth and man, so geographers are vitally interested in the how and why of mining as it is carried on at different place, having entirely different environment-. Such environments are geographic complexes or composites of natural and cultural elements, which are listed and briefly discussed in the following paragraphs.

Jan 1, 1941

By ELTCENE A. WHITE

WE are all interested in our ou7n lines of endeavor and consider ourselves the center of the universe. The farmer thinks he is the most important man because he feeds us. The doctor knows he is the real center because he keeps us well. The lawyer says that he is indispensable because he keeps the peace. The banker furnishes us a place to keep our money and tells us how to make proper use of it. The miner sags that without metals there would be no civilization. I think that my branch has sufficient interest and exhilaration. of accomplishment to fully occupy any man's mind and attention. Mining and metallurgy are as old as the human race. It did not have much, if any, importance in the stone age as there are not found remains of iron and copper, but in the bronze age, which was co-existent with the stone age, it came to the front. Iron and copper were the most important metals. Copper, as bronze, was known in ancient Egypt, I\~:IS important in Rome and other parts of Europe and in Asia; in South America among the Aztecs and farther North were the Mound Builders and the early inhabitants of Lake Superior. At a very early date the Egyptians conquered the Sinai peninsula for the sake of the copper produced there. The history of copper metallurgy can be compared to that of a flower. The seed is sown in darkness and in the Dark Ages the crude metallurgy of copper began. As the shoot comes up from the seed it may be compared to the age of alchemy; the branches of the plant can be compared to the Middle Ages; the flowering shoots to the 17th century, the budding to the 19th and the blossom to our own time from 1870 on.

Jan 1, 1930

By Franklin Moeller

CONSIDERING the really short time that has elapsed since hydro-metallurgical processes of extracting copper from ores have been extensively developed, and the large scale on which this method is practised at Ajo, the successful operation of the plant must excite the admiration of every visitor. The application of the mechanical unloader to the purpose for which it is employed at Ajo is but an extension of the use for which it was originally designed, some 20 years ago, for unloading iron-ore vessels at the lower lake ports. At a time when the maximum output of a single machine, with men shoveling the ore into buckets, did not exceed 40 tons per hour, G. H. Hulett invented and constructed a mechanical unloader with a bucket of 10-ton capacity. This machine was of the steam hydraulic type, and it is still in operation after nearly 20 years of service. Several more machines of the same type were built, but the difficulties of power transmission, and the rapid development of electrical machinery, soon led to the adoption of electrically operated machines, and practically all of the later installations have been thus equipped. This electrically operated unloader has proved so well fitted for the work that the design of the lake boats has been practically revolutionized, with special view to the ease and rapidity of unloading. It is now possible to unload a 12,000-ton vessel with four machines in a little over 2 hr. This has necessitated an increase in the capacity of the machine, and the largest yet built handles an average load of 17 tons, with a possible maximum of 20 to 21 tons.

Jan 8, 1918