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(This list. includes only those who have entered military service within the past month, or whose entry has only recently become known to us; it also includes a few names of those whose titles or assignments have been changed within the month. A complete list will he found in the Year Book mailed with this Bulletin. Another Honor Roll is maintained in the reception room of the Institute.) ALDEN, HERBERT W., Lieutenant-Colonel, Ordnance Dept. ALDER, ALFRED; Engineers' Reserve Corps. ALFORD, NEWELL G., Sergeant, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Headquarters 84th Division. AMBLER, HARRY A., Lieutenant, 30th Infantry. ANDERSON, GEORGE K., JR., Sec. C, 1st Co.; 3d Officers' Training Camp. AYER, -FRANK A., 1st Lieutenant, 43d Squadron, 3d Prov. Regiment, Aviation Camp.

Jan 3, 1918

IT is a pleasure for the translators to record their gratitude to the Seeley W. Mudd Memorial Fund of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers for underwriting the cost of publication of this volume, to the Printing-Office of the Yale University Press for doing an unusually fine printing job, and to the following for granting permission to reproduce the title pages of volumes in their collection: The Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris, for edition A of the Bergbüchlein; the Osler Library of McGill University, Montreal, for editions B and G of the Bergbüchlein and edition D of the Probierbüchlein; Mr. Herbert Hoover, Jr., for editions C and E of the Bergbüchlein and editions E, M, N, and 0 of the Probierbüchlein; the Parsons Collection of the Reference Department of The New York Public Library, for edition D of the Bergbüchlein; the Library of the Bergakademie Freiberg, for edition F of the Bergbüchlein and editions A, H, and L of the Probierbüchlein; the Herzog August-Bibliothek of Wolfenbüttel, for edition C of the Probierbüchlein; the British Museum. Library, London, for edition I of the Probierbüchlein; and the library of the University of California at Berkeley, for edition J of the Probierbüchlein. The cooperation of those who helped with the translation of the Bergbüchlein is acknowledged on p. 64. A. G. S. C. S. S.

Jan 1, 1949

A special meeting of the Alaska Mining and Engineering society, held at Perseverance Mine of the Alaska Gastineau Mining Co. on Mar. 17, 1017, was attended by 46 members and about 80 guests, among whom were members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature. After an interesting trip through the mine in the afternoon, the members and guests assembled for dinner at the Perseverance Dining Room. After the dinner G. T. Jackson, assistant manager of the company, as president of the society, called the meeting to order. After the reading of the minutes, he welcomed the guests and then gave a short history of Perseverance Mine. B. L. Thane, manager of the company, briefly out-lined its general organization. The following papers were read-by members of the society and members of the staff of the Perseverance Mine: "The Organization of the Mine Staff and the Methods of Mining," by B. B. Nieding, Mine Supt.; "Tramming Equipment and Costs," by R. R. Van Valkenburgh; "The Surveying of the Mine," by R. L. Healey, Mine Engineer; "The Electrical Equipment of the Mine," by W. S. Pullen, Supt., of Power Supply; "The System of Mine Accounting, "by E. J. Doherty, Mine Accountant; and "The Mine Buildings," by D: J. Argall, Asst: Mine Supt. M. T. Tolch, Transportation Supt., described briefly the general transportation of the ore to the mill and the equipment used.

Jan 6, 1917

By Willard R. Jillson

Within the last ten years Kentucky has become celebrated for its low-sulfur bituminous coals. Prior to this time, many investigators had discnvered the abundance of this coal but the fact was unknown to the general public until the last extension of Kentucky's mountain railroads' was completed. The coals of. Kentucky are, broadly, separated into two geographic units—the eastern and the western coal fields. On a basis of their sulfur content these coal fields fall into three units, which are indicated on the accompanying map, by numbers, 1, 2, and 3. The area marked 1, the very southeastern part of the state, shows the lowest sulfur, all coals being averaged. In this field the maximum is 1.04 per cent. and the minimum as low as 0.68 per cent.—both averages and not individual analyses, which would of course show much greater variation. Included in this group are the following counties: Lawrence, 0.87 per cent.; Martin, 0.75 per cent.; Johnson, 0.73 per cent.; Magoffin, 0.87 per cent.; Floyd, 0.88 per cent.; Pike, 0.68 per cent.; Knott, 1.04 per cent.; Perry, 0.77 per cent.; Letcher, 0.80 per cent.; Leslie, 0.70 per cent.; Harlan, 0.79 per cent.; Knox, 0.86 per cent.; and Bell, 0.92 per cent. The total average sulfur content for these thirteen counties is 0.82 per cent. Bordering the restricted low-sulfur field of eastern Kentucky is the No. 2 belt (slightly darker), 'which is commonly known as the western border of the eastern coal field. Here the maximum sulfur is 2.91 per cent. and the minimum 1.05 per cent. Again these are averages and not individual analyses. The counties in this group are: Greenup, 2.60 per • cent.; Boyd, 1.67 per cent.; Carter, 1.07 per cent.; Morgan, 1.40 per cent.; Wolfe, 1.83 per cent.; Lee, 2.93 per cent.; Breathitt, 1.85 per cent.; Owsley, 1.09 per cent.; Jackson, 1.06 per cent.; Rockcastle, 2.30 per cent.; Clay, 1.09 per cent.; Laurel, 1.08 per cent.; Pulaski, 2.24 per cent.; Whitley, 1.05 per cent.; McCreary, 1.50 per cent.; and Wayne. The sulfur percentage average for this area including fifteen important counties is 1.65 per cent. In the western Kentucky field, the great increase in the percentage of sulfur is at once apparent. Ohio County with 3.78 per cent. is the highest and Hancock with 2.87 per cent. is the lowest. The percentages by counties is as follows: Hancock, 2.87 per cent.; Henderson, 3.22 per cent.; McLean, 3.27 per cent.; Muhlenberg, 3.31 per cent.; Hopkins,

Jan 1, 1920

By T. F. Witherbee

IN the sections, Figures 1, 2, and 3, are shown three crucibles that have been applied to substantially the same furnace, all the conditions having been the same except a variation of one foot of bosh, and a slight variation in the angle of the same. The bosh of No. 3 was originally the same as No. 2, the additional foot in diameter being the result of three months' cutting. Beginning with No. 1, which was 5 feet 6 inches diameter, with tuyeres 5 feet 4 inches high, and cinder-tap four feet from bottom, great trouble was found in holding iron a proper length of time, four hours being the outside limit when working well, and two hours or less if working badly. "Break-outs" through the iron

Jan 1, 1880

By W. W. Mason

The US began exporting coal in the late 1800s, at first in very small quantities to Canada and, beginning in 1897 and 1898, to the east coast of South America. Shipments to European countries began on a very limited basis in 1902 and these shipments increased gradually until World War I when shipments overseas increased from 7.3 Mt/a to 20 Mt/a. After the war exports dropped as fast as they had increased and, with the exception of exports to Canada, remained at very low levels until just after World War II when the US again emerged as a major coal exporter. World War II left the coal industries of Europe in ruin. As the US was the only country able to supply large quantities of coal at reasonable prices needed for reconstruction of the European economy, the US coal exports overseas expanded rapidly to 38.6 Mt in 1947. Additionally, we shipped 23.8 Mt of coal to Canada in that year for a total export of 62.3 Mt. Unfortunately, that level was not reached again until 1957 when exports reached an all-time high of 69.3 Mt - a high that has not been reached since. Over the years the level of US coal exports has fluctuated fairly widely. Approximately 80-90% of all US coal exports are high quality metallurgical grade coal so our exports level depends directly on world-wide economic conditions and world steel production levels.

Jan 1, 1982

By D. C. McLean, S. A. McKay

The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1) to describe actual ground control installations made at the various mines of the International Nickel Co. (Canada) Ltd mines in Sudbury, Ont. during a planned test program. 2) to suggest new ground control techniques which are now possible by the use of fully grouted bolts 3) to indicate the possible economic advantages to be gained by the use of resins and resin grouted bolts to control difficult ground conditions. Were a theme selected for this paper it would be: "Preserve the original roof in best condition possible by the use of smooth blasting techniques and fully grouted roof bolts — since the original rock is the best and cheapest material available for ground support." TYPES OF BONDED BOLTS As has been shown previously, there are several ways in which a bolt may be bonded. These are illustrated in Fig. 1 and 2. There are three general types of grouted bolts: 1) pretensioned, 2) post-tensioned, and 3) untensioned. The type which will be of most benefit to the user will depend upon the particular ground support problem involved. Despite the many arguments propounded for the necessity for using a tensioned bolt, ample evidence exists from actual experience that untensioned bolts can be effective in many instances. The outstanding characteristic of a grouted bolt is that it provides the user with a variety of rock consolidation techniques heretofore unavailable with conventional rock bolts. Many of the unusual characteristics of grouted reinforcing bar have been evaluated by researchers in the concrete structure field.' Underground application has largely been pioneered in the construction field, with especially good work being reported from the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Authority in Australia. Techniques developed there using cement grouted bolts are now being adapted in many large government construction projects in this country with excellent results. The ap- plications described in this paper are those in which Cyanamid's Roc Loc Mining Kits were used exclusively. SLUSHER DRIFTS AND FINGER RAISES (BOX HOLE BROWS, DASHES) A common mining problem especially where block caving methods are applied is that of maintaining the roof in slusher trenches particularly at the intersections of the trench with the feed raises (box holes) through which the large fragments of broken ore tumble. Typical sections are shown in Fig. 3 and 4. In Fig. 3, the drift is normally driven 7 ft wide by 8 ft high initially. The rock involved is a hard norite (diabase) which is usually competent but has "block cleavage". This roof has a tendency to fall out in large blocks when subjected to operating stresses. Depending upon the initial condition of the roof, the drift is either lined with 2 to 3 ft of concrete immedi-

Jan 1, 1964

By T. Egleston

AT the Dover meeting of the Institute, Mr. F. A. Canfield showed some of the members a machine which he had invented for dressing mineralogical and geological specimens, which he has since modified and brought to such a high state of perfection, that after having used it for several months in preparing specimens for the cabinet of the

Jan 1, 1876

By T. Egleston

At the Dover meeting of the Institute, Mr. F. A. Canfield showed some of the members a machine which he had invented for dressing mineralogical and geological specimens, which he has since modified and brought to such a high state of perfection, that after having used it for several months in preparing specimens for the cabinet of the

By J. C. Scully

In June, 1965, Sanderson and scully5 reported at the Conference on Environment Sensitive Mechanical Properties of Materials at the Research Institute for Advanced Studies at Baltimore that thin foils of titanium could be prepared by chemical polishing in a mixture of 44 pct HF and 73 pct HNO3 in the volumetric ratio 2:3. The technique is simpler than that since reported by Rice and Orava. As-received annealed titanium (containing 0.8 pct Fe and 30 ppm H) in the form of sheet 0.05 cm thick is placed in the solution and moved up and down. The reaction is violent but suitable foils are obtained very easily and consistently. A typical micrograph is shown in Fig. 3. The small precipitates were not identified. Yamane and ueda6 observed many spotlike features which they referred to as small dislocation loops. While their spots may be due to the reaction of the warm foil with the air as suggested by Rice and Orava, the precipitates in Fig. 3 are also found when foils of titanium are prepared by electro-polishing at low temperatures and subsequently examined in the electron microscope without any inter- mediate warming. Furthermore, they are not a surface effect. It is necessary to add that alloys of titanium cannot be so easily thinned by the chemical polishing solution described above since it contaminates the a, phase with hydrogen and produces y hydride. These matters are described at length in a paper7 and their relevance to stress corrosion is considered elsewhere.'-* Author's Reply The authors are grateful to Dr. Scully for bringing to our attention his hitherto unpublished technique for thinning unalloyed titanium, and deeply regret the unintended apparent duplication. The chemical thinning solution (7 parts HNO3 and 3 parts HF, by volume) reported by us is the same as that with which, for some period in the past, we had experienced success in the preparation of foils from single and polycrystalline niobium. Its subsequent effective application to titanium was a logical step, which, clearly independently of Scully, was conceived by Mr. Rice, to whom full credit is due. A few comments are warranted concerning some of the details of the preceding Discussion. It is evident to the discerning reader that the two thinning techniques under consideration are chemically almost identical, and in that sense are equally "simple". The chemical aspect is, of course, the one of primary importance in both communications. Thereafter, the relative simplicity is dictated by the mechanics of the actual thinning operation selected by the individual investigator. Our standard dimpling, or dishing, procedure was chosen with a view toward providing, for the electron transparent areas of the sample, the maximum protection from extraneous deformation during handling. That the long, straight dislocations visible in Scully's electron micrograph of a seemingly recovered structure closely resemble handling dislocations would tend to indicate the merit of our adopted technique. Features similar to those which Scully has attributed to precipitates, without any apparent diffraction contrast confirmation, were not observed in any of our clean foils taken from annealed or deformed specimens. This was admittedly somewhat surprising since the 3700 ppm (nominal) Fe in the A-70 commercial-grade titanium examined should have given rise to TiFe precipitates. Presumably these existed but were un-resolvable. Curiously, Scully's "precipitate1' density is fairly high although the iron content quoted was less than one-fourth of that in our material. One is forced to conclude from the evidence that prior thermal and mechanical treatments are responsible for the two different types of structure observed.

Jan 1, 1968

By H. C. Rogers

It has been shown previously'- 3 that when a mild steel or iron is charged with hydrogen, the normally observed yield point is eliminated or considerably

Jan 1, 1960

By Walter E. Lewis

Myriad problems face all of us in the next decade. Vietnam, poverty, and pollution are perhaps the most pres- sing. A lesser one but still vital to us as a Nation is the slow hut apparently relentless extinction of the mining, metallurgical. geological and petroleum engineer. Are we doomed to take our place in the crossword puzzle with the moa. to be defined like it as an "extinct bird"? Or can we reverse the trend perhaps, in the next decade? The plain fact is we are an endangered species, and must resign ourselves to virtual extinction in the 1970's unless the trend is reversed. Probably, many of us have felt the problem will solve itself if left in the in-basket long enough, believing, that the trend will reverse solely on the basis of demand for these disciplines. This approach has not worked up to now, it gives no promise of working in the future, and furthermore, the problem has been in the in-basket much too long. The point is simply this: What can each of us do as an individual, or as part of a company, a State agency, a Federal agency, a university, or an organization such as AIME?

Jan 1, 1970

By A. T. Miesch, L. B. Riley

An error occurred in the preparation of Fig. 3, p. 249, of Basic Statistical Measures Used in Geo-chemical Investigations of Colorado Plateau Uranium Deposits. This figure shows the relation of the arithmetic mean: geometric mean ratio to the geometric deviation. Curves for the cases where n, the number of samples, is 100, 10, and 5 are too high with respect to the ordinate. The error is negligible at low geometric deviations, but becomes increasingly greater wi,th higher values of geometric deviation. Arithmetric mean values in Table I1 are not effected by the errors in Fig. 3. The authors will endeavor to supply copies of the revised curves on request; write to: A. T. Miesch, Geologist, Branch of Radioactive Materials, U.S. Geological Survey, Bldg. 25, Federal Center, Denver 25, Colo.

Jan 1, 1962

By N. H. Jensen, B. L. Sackett, Carlos Bardwell, Simon Jacobson

Lead smelting has been an important industry in Utah for many years. The first lead smelting was done, over 60 years ago, at the Rollins mine in Beaver County, by burning heaps consisting of alternate layers of wood and high-grade carbonate ore. The lead thus obtained was molded into bullets. With the development of the mines, the problem of cheaper handling of the ore became important. The only outlet for this ore was Swansea or the Atlantic Coast but to ship to either cost $150 per ton or more for treatment and handling. From 1864 to 1871, experimenting was done with blast, Scotch hearth, and reverberatory furnaces, with the blast furnace surviving as the standard plant. The first crude furnaces were circular or hexagonal in shape, and were made of adobe and stone, which quickly burned out. They were small, about 21/2 ft. in diameter, and smelted from 3 to 10 tons in 24 hr. The metal had to be tapped from the bottom of the crucible, necessitating a shut down of the furnace during this process. This procedure caused salamanders to form around the tap hole when the furnace was started again, which frequently resulted in freezing. The campaign lasted until a tap of bullion was made. The first successful plant of the crude stone type was operated in 1870. From 1870 to 1872, there was a smelter building craze in the state. During that period, about 20 furnaces were built, chiefly near the mines, and their operation was limited and sporadic. The work was then placed in the hands of trained metallurgists, who standardized on the rectangular form of furnace. In 1871, Daggett, at the Winnamuck mine in Bingham, installed water-jackets around the smelting zone of the furnaces. These furnaces were circular; the diameter at the tuyere line was 3 ft. 6 in. and at the charge floor 5 ft. 3 in. The height from tuyere line to charge floor was 14 ft., height of tuyere line above top of crucible was 3 ft. 8 in. Furnace capacity was about 14 tons per day, with a campaign of about 16 days. Cost of smelting was about $44 per ton. The ores making the

Jan 1, 1926

By Heihachi Kamura

In this research, the proper temperature for the reduction of iron ores by carbon monoxide was determined. Also, the difference of the rate of reduction on the sizes of ore under four mesh per linear inch was estimated, but no evidence could be found. Rates of reduction on the seven kinds of ore were compared with the results of the experiment, showing a close relation between reducibility and density of ore. Finally, the maximum size of ore that can be reduced in applicable length of time was determined. The author thinks that the process of production of steel may be replaced by low-temperature reduction of iron ores some time in the future. THE reduction of iron oxide, such as Fe203, to iron in the blast furnace is performed principally by carbon monoxide, but partly by solid carbon by the two following reactions: Fe203 + 3CO = 2Fe + 3CO2 2Fe203 + 3C = 4Fe + 3CO2 It is known that reduction by carbon monoxide takes place at a much lower temperature than reduction by carbon and that the reducing action of carbon monoxide progresses to the inside of the ore in lump form by gaseous diffusion. In the reduction by carbon, however, the reducing action takes place only at the contact surface of the ore and carbon, so that the more complete the reduction by carbon monoxide, the more efficient is the operation. However, the reduction does not progress as shown in the foregoing formula, because carbon dioxide acts oxidizingly on the metallic iron to such a degree that when the gaseous composition reaches a certain proportion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, the reduction practically stops, even though the gases are moving slowly through the heated ore. The proportions of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the gas depend on the kind of iron oxide and the temperature of reduction, also the duration of time in the reaction. The longer the time of the reaction, the higher the proportion of carbon dioxide obtained in the gas, but finally it will attain to a condition of equilibrium.

Jan 1, 1925

By I. N. Knapp

Introduction.—The spccial object of these notes is to describe the mixing, testing, and use of mud-ladened water for rotary drilling in such a way as to make them helpful to the driller, the operator, or the engineer in solving his own special drilling problems. The structures, apparatus and tools used are indicated in a general way. No attempt is made to describe the art of rotary drilling; only such descriptions as are necessary to make plain the use of mud are given. The information is the result of actual experience in drilling in Coastal Plain formations. The materials encountered in the wells drilled were unconsolidated sands, gravels, and clays, in which thin layers of sandstones, shell conglomerates, and shales began to appear at about 1,200 ft, in depth, although one well was drilled to 3,018 ft. without encountering any cemented or indurated materials. Unusual Conditions.—-The general surface of the ground where the drilling was done being hardly a foot above mean tide, and the daily tidal variation being about 15 in., it was found necessary to plank over the sod surface with 3-in. plank to work from. A 30 by 30 ft. planked area was sufficient to carry the derrick with equipment and 2,500 ft. of 4-in. drill pipe stacked in it. The derrick was set up 3 ft. on cribbed blocking arranged to spread the load over the planking. The engine, bailers, and pipe yard were also carried on 3-in. planking. Drilling 0utfit.—This consisted of a derrick, 20 by 20 ft. and 84 ft. high, two 35-h.p., "oil country" boilers, one double 8 1/4 by 10 in. reversible engine, two 10 by 6 by 12 in. duplex mud pumps, one 15-in. rotary, "hoisting works" with chain drive, hoisting block with line, crown block with pulleys, rotary jetting swivels, hose, complement of tools, pipes and connections, and a mud mixer, with engine. Hydraulic Rotary Drilling Method.—This method of drilling is an adaptation of Fauvelle'sl invention made in France in 1833 for drilling

Jan 1, 1915

By W. J. Babyak, F. N. Rhines

It has long been supposed that, regardless of the mechanism by which grain boundaries increase the hardness of a ductile metal, the effect should be linearly proportional to the grain boundary area. At the present time two methods for determining grain boundary area in an isotropic aggregate are available. The first, derived by Angus and Summers,' presumes that the grain boundary area is equal to 3vn, where n is the number of grains per sq mm in a random section through the metal. This estimate is based upon the assumption that the grains are equivalent to cubes whose faces correspond with the grains as observed in the micro-section. Measurements on copper, bronze, and a brass showed that a nearly linear relation exists between 3vn and hardness. This is illustrated, for the case of brass, in Fig. 1. The second method, developed independently by Smith and Guttman2 and by Duff in, Meussner, and Rhines,3 is absolute and employs a simple linear intercept count for measuring grain boundary area. It involves no assumptions with respect to the shape and distribution of the grain boundaries. The total surface in unit volume is 2 NL , where NL is the number of intercepts between grain boundary and unit length of a test line passed randomly through the sample. In practice, NL,, the average number of grain boundaries intercepted by unit length of traverse across a prepared microsection, is ob-

Jan 1, 1961

By O. J. Huber

HYDROGEN effects in titanium alloys have been the subject of extensive research in recent years. Lenning, Craighead, and Jaffee1 showed that hydrogen embrittles a titanium and, at the same time, elevates the temperature at which the transition from brittle to ductile failure occurs during impact testing. In later work: the same investigators concluded that several all-ß alloys tolerate large amounts of hydrogen without serious damage to mechanical properties, but two-phase alloys suffer varying degrees of embrittlement, depending upon the specific ß-stabilizing addition used and whether or not an a stabilizer is also present. The mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement has not been clearly established. Strain rate has been shown to be an important factor and, therefore, a strain-aging phenomenon is suspected to cause the effects that hydrogen has produced on mechanical properties.3-5 Ripling6 has pointed out that ductility damage varies inversely with strain rate in a-ß alloys and directly in a alloys. This effect in a alloys can be associated with transition-temperature behavior, but the embrittlemeat mechanism in two-phase alloys remains in question. During the course of research conducted for the U. S. Air Force, a dark-etching phase has been observed at the grain boundaries of certain two-phase titanium alloys after duplex (solution plus aging) heat treatments.5-7 An example of the dark-etching interface phase is shown in Fig. 1. Decrease in ductility accompanies the appearance of the minor phase but has not always been attributable solely to the presence of the phase. Although the dark-etching phase has been observed in alloys under a rather narrow range of heat-treatment conditions, it is of general interest since it is always associated with the presence of hydrogen. The known embrittling effect of hydrogen makes any facet of its behavior of particular importance. The intergranular phase has been observed in titanium-base alloys with relatively high amounts of the ß-stabilizing elements. Specific examples of such alloys include Ti-5 pct Mn-2.5 pct Cr, Ti-3.5 pct Cr-3.5 pct V, Ti-8 pct Mn, and Ti-3 pct Mn-1

Jan 1, 1958

By Howard N. Eavenson

In many of the bituminous-coal districts of this country, more than one seam of workable coal exists, and in most cases the lower seam is the more attractive, owing to either its greater thickness or its superior quality. Apprehension that the mining of a seam will destroy the availability of all overlying seams has hindered the development of many fields and has led to the unprofitable working of certain seams in order to save them from an expected total loss. The U. S. Coal & Coke Co., Gary, W. Va., was the first operator in the Pocahontas field to mine the No. 4 seam extensively, which occurs about 80 ft. above No. 3, the scam that was worked first. This was due to the fact that over large areas the upper seam was the only one of workable thickness, at that time. In two places, both seams were workable in the same area, the No. 4 being thinner and containing more impurities than No. 3 seam. In mining these areas, an attempt was made to keep the workings in the upper seam in advance of those in the lower one, and no pillar robbing was done in No. 3 seam until after pillars in that part of the upper seam directly over it had been mined. This resulted in an excessive development in the lower seam, with large areas of finished rooms and standing pillars. The top fell badly, and after a couple of years the falls became so heavy that pillar drawing was unduly expensive. To overcome this obstacle and allow No. 3 seam to be worked in some territory where No. 4 was thick, but too dirty for present use, a study was made of operating methods applied to superimposed seams in Pennsylvania and Maryland. This was started more than seven yean ago by the writer; his data, supplemented by more recent information gathered by his associates, and by two cases mentioned in recent foreign publications, form the basis of this paper. Central Pennsylvania In central Pennsylvania, the lower coal measures contain several seams of nearly the same thickness but of varying quality, and as mining

Jan 1, 1923

By Howard N. Eavenson

In many of the bituminous-coal districts of this country, more than one seam of workable coal exists, and in most cases the lower seam is the more attractive, owing to either its greater thickness or its superior quality. Apprehension that the mining of a seam will destroy the availability of all overlying seams has hindered the development of many fields and has led to the unprofitable working of certain seams in order to save them from an expected total loss. The U. S. Coal & Coke Co., Gary, W. Va., was the first operator in the Pocahontas field to mine the No. 4 seam extensively, which occurs about 80 ft. above No. 3, the scam that was worked first. This was due to the fact that over large areas the upper seam was the only one of workable thickness, at that time. In two places, both seams were workable in the same area, the No. 4 being thinner and containing more impurities than No. 3 seam. In mining these areas, an attempt was made to keep the workings in the upper seam in advance of those in the lower one, and no pillar robbing was done in No. 3 seam until after pillars in that part of the upper seam directly over it had been mined. This resulted in an excessive development in the lower seam, with large areas of finished rooms and standing pillars. The top fell badly, and after a couple of years the falls became so heavy that pillar drawing was unduly expensive. To overcome this obstacle and allow No. 3 seam to be worked in some territory where No. 4 was thick, but too dirty for present use, a study was made of operating methods applied to superimposed seams in Pennsylvania and Maryland. This was started more than seven yean ago by the writer; his data, supplemented by more recent information gathered by his associates, and by two cases mentioned in recent foreign publications, form the basis of this paper. Central Pennsylvania In central Pennsylvania, the lower coal measures contain several seams of nearly the same thickness but of varying quality, and as mining

Jan 1, 1923