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By Frank H. Kneeland

Safety First is a popular motto—most mining companies have adopted it. It is probable, however, that in the majority of cases it is only a motto and gets no further than the office stationery or the bulletin board at the mine's entrance. In but few industries is there employed a greater diversity of machinery and mechanical devices than in coal mining. The list ranges all the tray from mechanical stokers to wood-working machinery and undercutters. Many of these devices, particularly those employed in wood working, are extremely dangerous. In 1913,23 per cent. of all fatalities occurring in coal mining in the U. S. were caused by machinery of some sort or other. Although the forms of accidents occurring with mining machinery are legion, they generally arise from one or more of five causes: (a) Falls from ladders, platforms, etc.; (b) coming in contact with moving machines or parts thereof; (c) electric shocks; (d) failure of some machine part; (e) mismanipulation of valves, levers, switches or other hand-operated controlling devices. The steps which may be taken to prevent accidents from the above causes are almost as numerous as the accidents themselves. There is, and can be, no panacea for all mishaps, nor for any one class of accidents. There is no mathematical or other formula that will bring immunity under any set of conditions. Common sense is the only guide. The remedy for the first-named class of accidents is simple and generally effective—namely, make the staging, ladder, platform, or other support, abundantly strong to carry any possible weight that it may be called upon to bear; provide ample railings on platforms or runways, and non-slipping feet on movable ladders. Coming in contact with moving machine parts is one of the greatest dangers met with in the operation and maintenance of mining machinery. Unfortunately, machine manufacturers have not as a class adopted the idea of thoroughly protecting and incasing the dangerous parts of their product. No one has, or should have, a better or more thorough knowledge of what the dangerous parts or elements of a machine may be than its builder. The desire to construct a piece of mechanism as cheaply as

Jan 1, 1915

By John Furness Park

The mining district is located in the northeasterly part of Nevada, between the Jarbidge River on the west and the East Fork of the Jarbidge on the east. The northern boundary of the district is but a few miles south of the Idaho state line—the gold-bearing area extending from this point south, for 5 or 6 miles. • The Jarbidge Mountains, in which the ore deposits occur, range from 5000 to 11,000 ft. in elevation, the most important mines being situated about 7000 ft. or higher. The town of Jarbidge lies along the Jarbidge River and is reached by stage from Rogerson, Ida., the nearest railroad point. During the summer months, the camp may be entered from the south by way of Deeth, Nev., but no regular transportation facilities are available over this route. History The mineral deposits were not discovered until 1909, when D. A. Bourne, panning along the river bank, found gold in. the gravel at the mouth of a small stream flowing into the Jarbidge. He prospected in the vicinity of this stream, later known as Bourne Gulch, and shortly after located the North Star claims. During the following spring and summer (1910), the camp of Jarbidge grew from nothing to a town of 2000 people and the hills surrounding it were practically all taken up by mining claims. Most of the work done during the first year or two consisted of trenching and open-cut prospecting. Tunneling was started on a number of claims and many veins were uncovered. Mills were built and operated on a few properties, notably the Pavlak and the North Star. These ran only a few months, however, when they were closed down because of extraction and financial difficulties. A period of development followed in which the majority of the present producing mines were opened. The Elkoro Mines Co. acquired a number of claims in 1915 and started work on the present mill in 1917. Since that time other properties have been taken over until this company is by far the largest operator in the district. Only one other company is now actively engaged in mining, the Bluster Mining & Milling Co., which has

Jan 1, 1925

By Max W. Ball

An intelligent discussion of the oil situation and its needs, whether from the standpoint of the prospector, the operator, the engineer, or the public administrative officer, must be founded upon a knowledge of the law under which oil lands are obtained. A consideration of new legislation must be prefaced by an understanding of the present law and its results. This paper undertakes to present no new remedy for the ills of the present situation, no new solution of the problems the oil business is facing. It attempts merely to summarize the present law, its provisions, its origin, its development, and its effects. The discussion does not pretend to be exhaustive from a legal standpoint. It aims to avoid legal intricacies which tend to. confuse rather than clarify. It seeks but to present the essentials of the existing situation. The title to government lands known to contain valuable deposits of petroleum may be acquired only under the terms of the placer law as embodied in Section 2329 et seq. of the Revised Statutes. As a preliminary to considering the desirability of this situation it is profitable to examine into its origin. Origin of the Law Congress has left no room for doubt as to the legal applicability of the placer law to oil lands. The Act of Feb.11, 1897(29 Stat., 526), provides: "that any person authorized to enter lands under the mining laws of the United States may enter and obtain patent to land containing petroleum or other mineral oils, and chiefly valuable therefor, under the provisions of the laws relating to placer mineral claims.' . The immediate cause for the passage of this Act was stated in a brief report in the, House of Representatives (there was no debate in the Senate) to be a decision of the Department rendered Aug. 27, 1896 (Union Oil Co., 23 L. D., 223), directing the cancellation of an oil placer entry on the ground that land containing petroleum cannot be located and entered as a placer mine. The report of the Public Lands Committee of the House contains the following interesting statements Congressional Record, vol. xxix, p. 1409):

Jan 1, 1915

By R. W. Raymond

THE question, what is the best proportion among weight, fall, and speed of stamps, is one which has not yet received thorough and systematic examination. In considering the economical application of stamping machinery, we meet, at the beginning, with serious difficulties in obtaining accurate data for comparison. The weight and fall of stamps vary as the shoes and dies wear out; and this may lead to a change of speed also. Moreover, defects in engines, boilers, or machinery for the transmission of power, may occasion serious losses, which cannot fairly be charged to the arrangements of the stamps proper. Again, the capacity of stamp-mills is directly dependent, in some degree, upon the nature and extent of discharge, fineness of screens, and other peculiarities of the battery. Finally, the hardness and tenacity of the rock crushed varies so much that comparisons between different localities cannot be implicitly trusted. The safest experiments are those made in the same mill, by changing first one and then another condition of working; but this is seldom possible for such conditions as weight and lift of stamps, and only within narrow limits for their speed. We may eliminate of friction, transmission, and generation of power, in the case of stamps, by measuring the power actually developed by their fall. Thus, the weight, multiplied into the fall in feet, and the number of drops per minute, gives us exactly the number of foot-pounds exerted by each stamp. Dividing by 33,000, the number of foot-pounds per minute in one-horse power, we have the horse-power per stamp, from which the effective power of the whole mill may be obtained. Dividing the amount of rock crushed daily by the effective horse-power, gives us the daily amount per horse-power ; and this is the best measure that can be obtained for the effectiveness of the stamps. A complete discussion of the subject would require us to determine the exact influence of the discharge, etc., and the exact resistance offered by different classes of rocks, for both of which points the data are wanting. Professor J. D. Hague, in the third volume of the United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, gives a valuable

By C. D. Hunter, J. B. Browning

During the year 1934, Kentucky oil and gas operators have partly overcome their past depression fears and in the oil industry, with possibly more abandonments of old oil producers than the completion of new oil wells, produced 4,814,904 bbl. of oil in 1934 against 4,501,511 bbl. in 1933. In the gas industry of eastern Kentucky, 115 gas wells were completed during 1934. This production is delivered through two 20-in., one 16-in., one 12-in., one 10-in., and two 8-in. pipe lines to supply both domestic and industrial markets in Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Winchester, Ashland, Covington and other Kentucky towns; Washington, D.C., and other eastern cities. The largest percentage of these gas wells and production are from the Devonian black shale area of Floyd, Pike, Knott, Martin and Magoffin counties, Kentucky. In this area the largest percentage of 1889 wells, developing 421,-215 acres, has been completed in the past 10 years, of which 55.3 per cent produce from the 400 to 550 ft. of Carbonaceous Devonian black shales. The successful results obtained from these Devonian shales are due to the physical effects of the 5000 to 6000 lb. of gelatinated nitroglycerin with which the entire 400 to 550 ft. of shale is shot. A very small number of the shale wells are natural producers and do not require shooting. Other than the Devonian shale gas production, the remaining 44.5 per cent of the gas in this field is encountered throughout the entire strati-graphic section above this horizon; namely, salt sands of Pennsylvanian age and Maxon, Big Lime and Weir of Mississippian Age. A very small percentage is encountered in the Corniferous Devonian lime and the Silurian Big 6 below the black shales. In western Kentucky, in the counties of Henderson, Webster, Hopkins, McLean, Christian, Muhlenburg, Ohio, Daviess, Hancock, Brecken-ridge, Hart, Barren and Warren, many gas wells have been completed, but, because of insufficient market, activity has been somewhat desultory. The area is served by the pipe lilies of the Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation, with headquarters at Owensboro. Their market is increasing and the gas is delivered to Owensboro, Henderson, Madisonville, and many

Jan 1, 1935

By Eugene A. Stephenson

In most instances the fluids produced from underground reservoirs have been described as they appear at the surface, and usually it has not been necessary to distinguish between surface and reservoir phases. More recently it has become imperative to recognize the fact that changes in phase may occur between the reservoir and the receiving unit. The simple terminology of "wet" and "dry" gases and "crude petroleum oil" served our needs fairly well in the shallow, low-temperature and low-pressure fields. It has been left to the legislatures, regulatory commissions, and courts to decide whether a field is or was a gas field, an oil field, or both. This they have done by direct definition and also by implication. For example, in Texas:' (d) The term "gas well" is any well (a) which produces natural gas not associated or blended with crude petroleum oil at the time of production, or (b) which produces more than one hundred thousand (100,000) cubic feet of natural gas to each barrel of crude petroleum oil from the same producing horizon, or (c) which produces natural gas from a formation or producing horizon productive of gas only encountered in a well bore through which crude petroleum oil is also produced through the inside of another string of casing. (e) The term "oil well" is any well which produces one (1) barrel or more of crude petroleum oil to each one hundred thousand (100,000) cubic feet of natural gas. In the state of Louisiana, the same general result is achieved largely by the following paragraph :* Wells producing both oil and gas shall not waste or blow into the air an amount of gas of more value at three cents per thousand cubic feet, than the market value of the oil recovered. The Commissioner of Conservation shall allow a reasonable time to determine the status of any well. This means that for wells making both oil and gas, if n represents the price of oil in dollars, and x the allowable gas waste expressed in M cu. ft. Per day,

Jan 1, 1938

By J. D. Braun, C. W. Powell

Diffusion between gold and indium at two temperatures below the melting point of indium (155.4oC) was investigated. The major, component of the diffusion zone was determined to be AuIn2; the other, intermediate phases in the system occur in much narrower layers In order of decreasing layer width these are: Au9In4, AuIn, Au4In. Inter diffusion coefficients of the four intermediate phases and the terminal solid solutions lie in the range of 2.4 x 10-l3 to 1.8 x 10-11 sq cm per sec. WHEN two metals which do not form a continuous series of solid solutions interdiffuse, each phase in equilibrium at the diffusion temperature should appear as a separate layer in the diffusion zone. In the Au-In system, diffusion plays a significant part in many commercial applications, particularly where indium alloys are used as solders for electrical contacts with very fine gold wire, for estab- lishing electrical contact to thin metallic films, and for mounting metal-coated piezoelectric crystals. A knowledge of the number, extent, and type of phases which form at diffusion temperatures below the melting point of indium, 155.4oC,1 and the diffusion constants for the system would be useful for these practical applications. Of more basic significance, additional information on polyphase diffusion in a system not previously investigated would be gained. The phase relationships in the Au-In system were determined primarily by Kubaschewski and Weibke1 and are based on thermal, microscopic, and X-ray analysis, Fig. 1. There are five intermediate phases in the system having approximate compositions corresponding to the formulas: Au4ln (ß)—80.0 at. pet Au; Au3In (?)— 75.0 at. pet Au; Au9In4 (d)—69.2 at. pet Au; AuIn—50.0 at. pet Au; AuIn2—33.3 at. pet Au. Solid solubility of indium in gold at 700°C is reported as 12.64 at. pet and at 406°C as 10.36 at. pet. No solid solubility of gold in indium is reported.

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Johnson, R. A. Greenkorn, G. W. Widner

This paper describes a short, simple well-testing procedure evolved from unsteady-state concepts to appraise wellbore damage in water-input wells. Input rates are changed at specific intervals over a 30-minute period and the wellhead pressure recorded at the end of each interval. From these data, the pressure drop due to the "skin" can be computed. This pressure drop in terms of psi/B/D of input rate is referred to as the "skin factor". Two of these variable-rate tests are required to determine change of wellbore damage and to evaluate well-treatment techniques. There are several advantages to the variable-rate procedure. The necessary data can be obtained with wellhead gauges and meters. There is little interference with normal operations. The short testing period eliminates many interpretative difficulties that come from interference from adjacent wells. The shut-in period required for standard tests before the plot of pressure vs log of time attains a straight line is often 12 hours or more. Such a time period is incronvenient, especially when a well must be tested repeatedly to evaluate change in wellbore characteristics. This variable-rate procedure has been successfully npplied to water-input wells in three fields. For some of the wells, skin factors were calculated from both the standard and the variable-rate tests. These results show good agreement. THEORY OF THE VARIABLE-RATE PROCEDURE In many waterflood input wells, the pressure in the wellbore differs from the pressure in the reservoir immediately adjacent to the well because of the restriction of flow through the skin of the well. If the true pressure of the reservoir at the well, p,, is that pressure which would exist in the well if no skin were present, and p,' is the actual pressure as measured in the well, this difference, is the skin effect. Fig. 1 shows the change in skin effect with change in flow rate. As the flow is reduced, the skin effect is reduced by an amount equal to the change in wellbore pressure minus the change in reservoir pressure. The equation of pressure change without skin using the point-source solution of the diffusivity equation is (after van Everdingen')

By Gerhard Derge

EXTRUSION processes are used in the commercial production of a wide variety of products, as indicated by the review presented a few years ago by D. K. Crampton.1 Most writers have confined themselves to a general description of the equipment and products and the engineer-ing aspects of the process. The few studies that have dealt with the metallurgical side of extrusion have been concerned primarily with an examination of the mode of flow of the metal during extrusion. This has been accomplished by the use of composite billets, by scribing grids on symmetrical sections of billets and observing the change of dimensions in the gridwork, or by examining microstructures in extruded sections.2-8 Another limitation of these original studies is that they were confined to the extrusion of very simple shapes, usually rods having a diameter of about one-fourth that of the billet. Tin is particularly well suited to the extrusion of collapsible tubes and similar shapes in which the extruded section is very small in comparison to the diameter of the billet or slug. In modern production, impact extrusion methods are generally employed, therefore the thickness of the slug is small compared to its diameter. Under these conditions the process differs considerably from the processes that have been most fully described in the literature, and it is known that the quality of the product is very sensitive to slight variations in any one of the many variable factors involved, such as composition and structure of the alloy, rate of extrusion, temperature, shape of punch and die. An exhaustive examination of all of the above-mentioned problems promises to produce so many data that it seems advisable to initiate the reports at this time, even though all of the factors outlined have not been examined fully, and to confine this paper to a description of the apparatus and method. Only tin and its alloys with small amounts of copper have been considered. These are the alloys most commonly used in this country for the production of the type of articles already described.

Jan 1, 1939

By R. B. Adair, J. S. Browning

The Bureau of Mines conducted laboratory research to determine the applicability of heavy liquid separation to the evaluation of certain mica ores and plant products. After careful standardization of the particular mica ores and associated gangue, accurate analysis of muscovite content could be obtained from results of heavy liquid separation. Where applicable, the method should be particularly suited to the analysis of ores and control of plant operations wherein savings in time would be of considerable advantage. Specifically, there are many instances where a quick plant control method should enable the production of a more uniform grade of mica concentrate. The laboratory use of various heavy liquids for separating minerals of different specific gravities has been recognized for many years.1-8 Sink-float procedures have proven their utility as a rapid and moderately accurate means for determining the mineral content of ores, test products, and plant products in certain nonmetallic concentrating operations. A standard method of analysis for mica in ore samples has not been published or generally accepted by the mica industry. Recently, the U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated methods for analyzing mica by heavy liquid separation. This report has been prepared to make the methods available to others who may need simple, relatively rapid methods of determining the mica content of ores and plant products. The heavy liquid method of mica determination has recently been adopted by one of the major mica producers for evaluating exploration and mill control samples. DESCRIPTION OF THE ORES AND HEAVY LlQLllD The weathered mica pegmatite ores used in the investigation were obtained from commercial mica op erations in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. The major mineral constituents of the ores were muscovite, quartz, kaolin, and minerals of the feldspar group. The ores also contained minor quantities of biotite, limonite, and tourmaline. A comparison of the specific gravities of the major constituents of the ores (muscovite 2.76 +, quartz 2.65, kaolin 2.61, and feldspar 2.57), indicates that an effective separation of muscovite from the other minerals can be made in heavy liquids at a specific

Jan 1, 1968

By Donald Barton

THE purpose of this torsion balance survey and the quantitative calculations was to delimit the extension of the cap rock at the Hoskins Mound salt dome. The sulfur ore in the Gulf Coast sulfur-bearing salt domes occurs in the lime rock, which is the outer layer of the cap-rock mass, and also in the underlying gypsum zone. The status of the exploration and exploitation of the Hoskins Mound dome at the date of this survey is shown by Fig. 1. The mound had been covered by the very early prospect wells of the Mound Oil Co., and the later and more numerous prospect wells of The Texas Company. The Freeport Sulphur Co. was producing from the flank wells in the southwest quadrant. The limits of the cap were surmised to lie inside the centers of quad-rangles 4F, 3F, the center of the NE. ¼ of 2E, and the north line of 2D. That surmise was based partly on the data of Fig. 1 and partly on the position of the edge of the topographic mound. The management of the Freeport Sulphur Co. wished to block out the extent of its ore reserves with a minimum of expenditure. The management was informed by the writer that no geophysical method could map the presence or quantity of sulfur directly, or determine the presence and quantity of the lime-rock cap independently of the rest of the cap, but that a reasonable probability existed that the approximate position of the edge, the depth and the thickness of the cap-rock mass as a whole could be determined through quantitative calculations based on the data of a very careful torsion balance survey. Considerable lime rock would probably be present, of course, wherever much cap rock was present. This paper presents the data of the survey, our calculated prediction of the configuration of the cap rock, and the degree of confirmation by the subsequent drilling. The survey was made by the Geophysical Research Corporation, under the direction of the writer. The work of the calculations was done by Andrew Gilmour, then assistant to the writer.

Jan 1, 1936

By Bryon W. Cheever

The greatest objection to be brought against the present methods for estimating phosphorus in iron and steel, is the time consumed in the operation. The following method, originated and perfected by Mr. E. D. Campbell, assistant in the chemical laboratory of the University of Michigan, will, 1 think, if carefully followed out, give results that are sufficiently accurate for technical purposes, and will give them in less time than they can be obtained by any other process. The process consists in comparing the color obtained by the action of stannous chloride upon a solution of the phospho-molybdate precipitate obtained from the solution of iron or steel, with that obtained from a standard solution of molybdie acid which represents a given amount of phosphorus. The operation is as follows : Take of ordinary steel 1 grm. and treat as in any of the wellknown processes until the phosphorus is precipitated as ammoniumphospho-molybdate. When precipitated, the phospho-molybdate precipitate is filtered out, thoroughly washed with an acid solution of ammonium nitrate, and, finally, twice with water, to remove most of the ammonium nitrate. The precipitate is then dissolved in about 1 c. c. of 10 per cent. potassium hydrate, which is let fall drop by drop on the filter till the precipitate is dissolved ; the filter is now washed with about 25 or 30 c. c. of water, and the potassium hydrate solution, which now consists of 25-32 c. c. of solution, is boiled until the peculiar frothy appearance, which first appears on boiling, is entirely gone. The solution is then cooled until perfectly cold, and about 10 or 15 c. c. of strong hydrochloric acid added ; if the solution is kept cold this will form no precipitate, but a light yellow or colorless solution. The solution is now ready for the addition of stannous chloride, and the subsequent comparison of color produced with that obtained from the standard molybdie acid. The comparison is made in tubes that are calibrated like carbon-tubes, but which are larger, about 5/8-inch bore, and graduated to 100 c. c.; this makes them about 18 inches long. To make the comparison of color, first transfer the now acid solu

Jan 1, 1886

By R. Rocca, M. B. Bever

THE adiabatic elastic deformation of a body is accompanied by a change in temperature. This phenomenon is known as the thermoelastic effect. Under adiabatic conditions the temperature of a metal bar is decreased by an elastic elongation and is increased by an elastic compression. All materials which elongate on heating behave in this manner. The sign of the thermoelastic temperature change is reversed for the few materials which have a negative coefficient of thermal expansion. The following equation for the thermoelastic effect can be derived from fundamental thermody-namic theorems, as shown in the Appendix: dT8 =-a1/cs T dss [1] Cs In this equation, T is the absolute temperature, S is the entropy, a, is the coefficient of linear thermal expansion, cs' is the heat capacity per unit volume at constant stress and s is the stress (positive in tension). Eq 1 can be applied to small, but finite changes in stress in the following form: ?Ts =- a1/cs T?ss [2] The sign of the temperature change AT is opposite to that of the change in stress s for materials which have a positive coefficient of thermal expansion. Eq 2 has been verified for many different materials and stresses at room temperature. No previous publication appears to have been devoted to an in- vestigation of the thermoelastic effect over a range of temperatures. Review of Literature Lord Kelvin (W. Thomson) presented a general theory of the thermoelastic effect in 1851' and later applied it to a solid, subject to an arbitrary system of stresses'. His analysis was based on a cycle of isothermal and constant-strain transformations and led to Eq 2 above. Even today, one of the clearest expositions of the thermoelastic effect is found in Lord Kelvin's article on elasticity in the Ninth Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1878). R. ROCCA, Junior Member, and M. B. BEVER, Member AIME, are Research Assistant in Metallurgy and Associate Professor of Metallurgy, respectiuely, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. AIME New York Meeting, Feb. 1950. TP 2760 E. Discussion (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before APT. 1, 1950, and is scheduled for publication Nov. 1950. Manuscript received Oct. 15, 1949.

Jan 1, 1951

By V. C. P. Morfopoulos, N. Arbiter

Theoretical and experimental studies of the interactions of mineral particles with electrical fields of cylindrical symmetry have been made. Theoretically, an expression relating field gradient and intensity to the force experienced by a dielectric particle was derived in a manner paralleling the magnetic analog. Pauthenier's and Cohen's expressions were considered in the evaluation of coulombic forces. Comparison of dielectric and coulombic interactions of minerals exhibiting a wide difference in dielectric susceptibility revealed the potential significance of dielectric forces in a field of appropriate characteristics. Experimentally, apparatus was designed for the study of forces experienced by a single stationary particle in an electrostatic field. This permitted the separate and precise measurement of dielectric interactions in the field. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theory and with relevant published data. Dielectric forces were found of comparable magnitude with coulombic in the presence of an adequate field gradient. Prolonged exposure of minerals to an inhomogeneous field was found to enhance the dielectric response. Dielectric inter- actions properly employed may thus be important in electrostatic concentration techniques. Conventional electrostatic separation techniques employ forces between charged particles and field electrodes to establish the trajectories which effect separation. Uncharged mineral aggregates, although unaffected by homogeneous electrical fields, should respond to fields exhibiting appropriate orientation and electrical gradients. The purpose of this paper is to establish the theoretical and experimental base for the comparison of the forces due to dielectric-field interactions with those of electrostatic origin. Apparatus and techniques developed for the determination of dielectric interactions are described and data on the dielectric forces experienced by stationary particles in cylindrical fields are reported. Finally, a quantitative comparison of dielectric and electrostatic forces is given. THEORY Dielectric Forces: When dielectric particles, minerals for example, are placed in an inhomogeneous field they experience interactions that give rise to substantial dielectric forces.' The latter were shown proportional to the intensity of the field, the potential gradient, the size of the particles and the dielectric permittivity difference between the particles and the medium. The properties of the inhomogeneous field, E, and the magnitude of the gradient, dE/dl, depend on the geometry of the system in question.

Jan 1, 1965

By Joseph Jensen

California's outstanding contribution to unit operation is the plan of development now established for the North dome of the Kettleman Hills. Beginning April 1, 1931, the Kettleman North Dome Assn. will control the unified operation and development of 10,800 acres of proven and semiproven oil land, and at the same time the Standard Oil CO. of California will operate as another unit its fee land of 9460 acres of similar character. The holdings of the two companies are in a checkerboard mile-square pattern. In addition to this, 410 acres of land may yet be included in the Kettleman North Dome Assn. unit and 530 acres of land are definitely out of both units. The owners of some of this land have expressed their intention of cooperating in a reasonable way with these two units. Cooperative agreements are now in force as to most of this field. Under the definitions of a unit pool and a near-unit pool,' the operation at Kettleman Hills will be a near-unit operation, but because of the size of the structure and its proven highly productive character, the arrangement. concluded on Jan. 31, 1931, in the approval of the Kettleman North Dome Assn. Agreement by Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur and by California State Oil and Gas Supervisor R. D. Bush is of outstanding importance to the entire oil industry. No other major unit operation plans are under way in California at the present time. There has been some little discussion of a plan in the North Belridge field and a feeling that the discovery of oil in the Lost Hills field and also in the South Belridge field would necessitate consideration of unit plans. So few data are available for these areas, as to the land that should be included in such unit plans, that little constructive action is now possible. The beginning of drilling on the Middle dome of the Kettleman Hills also makes it an area deserving consideration for unit operation. All four of the above-named areas lie on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kings and Kern counties, to the south of the

Jan 1, 1931

By F. W. Davis

This paper deals in a general way with certain of the necessary requirements of refractories for the open-hearth furnace. The refractories in common use for the different parts are discussed both as to the service they are giving and their suitability to withstand existing chemical, thermal and physical requirements. The relation between the service and allowable cost of a refractory is discussed and suggestions are requested on these points. The purpose of this paper is not to report, to the Institute, the results so far obtained in the survey, by the Bureau of Mines, of the metallurgical requirements for open-hearth refractories, but to present an outline that we hope will serve as a basis for discussion. The systematic survey that the Bureau proposes to make has not been outlined, although considerable preliminary work has been done in the way of interviewing open-hearth superintendents in several of the larger steel plants from the Chicago district eastward. At the several conferences so many of the opinions were diametrically opposite, when considering the same point, that it was thought that such an opportunity as the Institute offers in the way of a clearing house for moot metallurgical topics should not be overlooked. For this reason, the paper has been prepared as a basis for a discussion which, it is believed, will be of value in outlining the program of the Bureau. D. A. LYON, Assistant Director. THE importance of securing suitable refractories for metallurgical operations is daily becoming more universally recognized; particularly in the manufacture of open-hearth steel, where the life and earning power of the furnace depends largely on the judgment and care exercised in the selection of the correct quality of refractory for each of the parts. Any innovation that would make available to the steel manufacturers refractories with longer life or better suited to their needs than those now employed, and at a cost that would permit of their use, would be of enormous value to the industry at large. It is quite probable that revolutionary changes would not be necessary. Material now used in some parts of

Jan 3, 1924

By George Burgess

NOTE BY THE EDITOR.-This resume of a Technologic Paper which is published in full by the U. S. Bureau of Standards, is brought before the membership of the Institute with the object of affording an opportunity for the open discussion of results of an investigation by the authors named above, of some phases of the manufacture of steel rails which are of great importance to manufacturer and consumer alike. This resume will be presented at the Pittsburg Meeting of the Institute. Discussion is invited, by either members or non-members of the Institute. The discussion may be sent in writing to the Editor, in advance of the meeting, or should preferably be presented in person at the meeting. To those who desire to discuss, copy of the full Technologic Paper (No. 38), as published by the Bureau of Stanaards, will be sent upon request addressed either to the Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C., or to the Editor, American Institute of Mining Engineers, 29 West 39th Street, New York, N. Y. Summary of Researches and Conclusions The main objects of this investigation were to determine, from measurements taken at representative rail mills, the present American practice regarding the temperatures at which rails are rolled; to demonstrate the ease and accuracy with which such temperatures may be measured, without interfering in any way with the manufacture of the product; to find out what the "shrinkage clause" in rail specifications really means; and, finally, to determine some of the physical properties of rail steels, particularly those of interest in manufacture, some of which seem to be insufficiently known as yet. 1. Ingot Temperatures.-Measurements made in four mills show that ingots for rails are rolled at temperatures ranging from 1,075° to 1,150° C. (1,965° to 2,100° F.), and that, in a series of 20 to 40 ingots, the variation in temperature from one ingot to another is only 10° to 20° C. 2. Finishing Temperatures.-Rails are finished at temperatures ranging broadly from 880° to-1,050° C. (1,615 to 1,922° F.), but usually ranging within 50° C. of 935° C., and occasionally above 1,100° C.

Jan 9, 1914

By Gilbert P. Moore

Petroleum operations in Bolivia are still limited to those of the subsidiaries of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey. Development work is being carried on at Sanandita and at Bermejo and testing operations in the north. Five wells have been completed at Sanandita. Wells 1 and 2 are producers, 3 and 5, which are north of 1 and 2, are poor wells, and well 4, to the south, was dry. In the Bermejo field, well 5 has just been completed. No information as to the production is obtainable. In the north one string was operated at each of the following locations: Machareti, Camatindi and Camiri. The well completed at Machareti during the year was a failure. The result of the others is not known. It is reported on good authority that a pipe line will be completed in 1931 to connect the Sanandita field with the Lomitas field in the Argentine. This will place Bolivia among the ranks of the producing countries of South America for the first time. This development indicates that some arrangement has been arrived at with the Argentine Government for the importation of Bolivian oil. During 1930 the Bolivian Government declared in effect the new Petroleum Law which had been expected for such a long time. One of the first acts of the military junta, which rose to power through a coup d'état, was to cancel this law, so that Bolivian oil operations are still under the old law of 1921. One new local company was formed to exploit 1,500,000 hectares near the town of Cochabamba. The Bolivia Concessions, Ltd., which had a concession permitting the selection of 17,000,000 acres in eastern Bolivia, is reported to have failed in 1930 and is now being liquidated. Chile During 1930 the Chilean Government entered into a contract with an individual to explore in five distinct zones of the Republic. According to the contract, geologists must be at work there by May 1 of this year and a well must be started by the end of 1931. If the operations are

Jan 1, 1931

By Rossiter Raymond

This regiment, originally known as the First Engineer Reserve, will be remembered as the one recruited in New York City through the efforts of the Joint Military Committee of the National Engineering Societies. It was sent to England in August, 1917, and, after a few clays, forwarded to France and attached for immediate service to the British Expeditionary Force, without any opportunity for further field-training. This circumstance has led in some quarters to the impression that the regiment was one of engineers and mechanics merely, and had never been drilled under arms; whereas, in fact, it had received such instruction at Fort Totten for some time previous to its embarkation. It is true that in the famous affair of the German counter-attack after Byng's victory near Cambrai, the men of the Eleventh Engineers fought with pick-axes and tools, as well as with rifles borrowed from dead or wounded soldiers; but that was because they had left their own arms in camp, while doing the railroad-building work to which they had been detailed. The accomplishment of that work is really more remarkable than the behavior of the men under a German surprise-attack. It was before that counter-attack, and immediately after Byng's advance, that Field-Marshal Haig issued his despatch, announcing that the engineers deserved as much credit for that victory as the infantry, having performed miracles in keeping the railway transportation up to the fighting line. Indeed, the subsequent scrimmage, of which so much has been said, was ?Date possible only by the extraordinary position of the engineers at the very front, instead of in the rear, as might have been expected of them. A letter recently received from an officer of the regiment says: We have only recently been receiving the New York papers of early December, in which our regiment seems to have received much favorable mention. The stories were, in the main, true. Our men behaved themselves creditably, and certain of the officers received special mention for valor. Two of our 2d lieutenants were pro-moted to 1st lieutenant rank by special orders of General Pershing for "gallant con-duct in action," and about four others would have been decorated by the British,

Jan 4, 1918

By Carl Keuffel

THE manufacture of optical glass is a new industry in this country. In 1914, after the war started, the supply of optical glass from Europe was cut off, but as there was a fairly large stock of glass on hand, it was not until the end of 1915 that the optical instrument makers made serious efforts to produce their own glass. These early attempts were generally made by practical glass men and, due primarily to the fact that very little scientific help was used, the first attempts were unsuccessful. It was not until the whole problem was attacked by technically trained men who used advanced methods of research that good results were obtained. These researches proved that the accurate control of the temperature was a most important factor in the manufacture of optical glass. The early glass maker judged temperatures with his eyes; later, Seger cones were introduced into the furnace at various stages of the melt. Then radiation, indicating and recording pyrometers with rare-metal thermocouples were introduced. Now, in addition to these, an optical pyrometer every hour or so is sighted right into the pot and on the molten glass. Figs. 1 and 2 show how pyrometers are used to control the melt. InFig. 2, Y is the clay pot in which the batch is melted to glass within the furnace X. The rare-metal thermocouple S, protected by a clay tube, extends through the wall and about 4 in. into the furnace. This couple is connected to an indicator T and a recorder U so that a complete record of the furnace temperatures is obtained. The section of the curve ABCD, Fig. 1, shows how gradually and carefully the clay pot must be heated to get rid of moisture AB and during the calcining at CD. The stem of an expansion pyrometer R is extended through a hole in the door Z of the furnace and into the pot in order to more closely follow the temperatures of the clay pot itself during the burning process, that is from A to D. After the pot is calcined, the temperature can be rapidly raised to E (about 1430° C.); from E to F this temperature is much higher

Jan 9, 1919