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By John Birkinbine

Secretary's Note.—In printing this paper in the present volume, the figures given in the pamphlet edition have been brought more nearly up to date, the product of 1899 being in many instances inserted. Iron-Ore Resources. In a paper presented to the Institute in 1897,* I discussed the iron-resources of the United States as then developed, calling attention to some principal sources upon which other countries depended. The following statement will give a general idea of the amounts, as compiled from the latest official records, of ores won, and metal produced, in the nations which are important contributors to the world's output. Unfortunately these are not all contemporaneous, since in some countries the statistics do not appear until after one or more years. The statement covers not only pig-iron and iron-ore, but also manganese-ore —the manganese mined being principally used in the production of spiegeleisen or ferro-manganese, and these alloys being generally included in the pig-iron output. Table I, which epitomizes the present situation, shows respectively the countries and the quantities of iron-ore and man-

Jan 1, 1901

Jan 1, 1969

By AIME AIME

EVERYONE enjoyed the coal meeting and found it profitable. At least your correspondent did, and those to whom he talked. Close to a hundred were there. The Coronado proved an excellent headquarters hotel, though it is two miles or more from the business district of St. Louis; its Crystal Room was suitable for the technical sessions; its Lounge adequate for registration and informal chats; its Club Caprice made an artistic setting for the informal banquet; and its Coal Hole in the basement presumably served other needs-unfortunately we passed up an invitation to find out, and never got another. To be sure, the first day of the meeting (Monday, Oct. 28) was a drizzly one, but that only served to keep people inside where they belonged. Believe it or not, the first technical session was only five minutes late in getting tinder way, with H. N. Eavenson's words of welcome. M. M. Leighton then took over the conduct of the meeting, and invited Eugene McAuliffe to read his paper on how much coal the railroads are likely to use in the future. E. G. Bailey then presented some written discussion; among other things he wondered about the success of stokers on locomotives, and whether or not the burning of coal in locomotives could not he made a cleaner operation. Mr. McAuliffe pointed out that railroads are built to haul coal rather than to burn it. Maximum firebox efficiency is often subordinated to the traffic situation. Powdered-coal firing has not been a success because of limited firebox space. Stokers have resulted in economies indirectly, because large locomotives cannot he hand-fired and stokers thus make them possible. Nowadays it is not so important to do away with smoke, cinders, and soot, because most trains are sealed up and air-conditioned.

Jan 1, 1935

By AIME AIME

N EARLY 1300 members and guests crowded the halls of the Engineering Societies Building during the winter meeting of the Institute just closed, and more than 600 attended the banquet. In variety of program, quality of papers, interest in discussion, and brilliance of social features, the meeting maintained the high reputation of the past. Nothing elaborate in the way of excursions was attempted, experience having proved that February weather in New York is much too uncertain to warrant extensive field trips. A sight-seeing journey up the Hudson to the Bear Mountain bridge was, however, made despite the snows of the week before and the week after. The annual business meeting, while attended by a minority of the members in the building, was marked by the display of keen interest in the work and called out several interesting discussions. The excellent reports of the committees that had organized their work and directed it along definite lines, emphasized the need of funds with which to support assistants or Fellows who shall correlate and put to the highest use the facilities of the Institute in research along technical lines. This thought was developed at the banquet by the retiring president, J. V. W. Reynders, and it is expected that the Directors will take early steps to collect a fund for this purpose. The number of the individual sessions was too great and the papers and discussions too numerous to permit mention here of all the features of inter- est. A general review only follows. The papers and detailed discussions will be printed and sent to members as promptly as possible.

Jan 1, 1926

By Francis A. Thomson

T HE engineer of today is by his training, by his traditions, and by the service which he must render, irrevocably committed to taking his part in public life along with the members of the older professions of ministry, medicine and law. Nevertheless, in comparison with these: three, so long recognized as the "learned professions-all three of which grew out of the functions of the priesthood-engineering in any modern sense of the word is a youthful profession indeed. So youthful is engineering in its present significance, that it may be said to date from the labors of John Smeaton, the lighthouse builder; of Simon Newcomen and James Watt, the inventors of the steam engine; and of George Stephenson, the inventor of the locomotive; at the dawn of the 19th century. Great works of an engineering character had, it is true, been executed long before this, but practically all of them had been rule-of-thumb enterprises, dependent upon a plethora of slave labor for their accomplishment. For illustration it is said that at Rio Tinto in the days of Hiram, king of Tyre, 40,000 men worked for a year to produce three tons of silver from the rich outcrop ore. Such an operation can scarcely be called an engineering enterprise, however, when we remember that a fourth of this number of men in these same mines, from which the richest ore was long ago extracted, produce at present over 100 tons of copper per day.

Jan 1, 1925

Aamot, Olav Crone, (Member '29) Met , Det Norske Aktieselskab for Elektrokemisk, Industry, Inc , Oslo, Norway Aase, Glenn D , (Junior Member '40) Met Engr , Western Research Dyv , American Smelt & Refin Co , Selby, Calif Abadye, Henry G., (Member '43) Petr Engr , Sr Prod Engr , Long Beach Oil Development Co, 255 So Santa Clara Ave, Long Beach, Calif Abbott, Clarence E , (Member '04) Civil Engr , 'P , Tennessee Coal, Iron & R R Co , 1542 Brown Marx Bldg Birmingham, Ala Abbott, Fred E , Jr , (Member '44) Petr Engr , c/o Arabian American Oil Co , A P 0 816, c/o Postmaster, New York, N Y Abbott, John H , (Member '46) Resident Mgr , Hickman, Williams & Co, 230 No Michigan Ave, Chicago 1, Ill Abbott, R W R., (Member '47) Asst Power Supt, Cananea Consolidated Copper Co , Cananea, Son , Mexico Abbott, Robert H? Jr., (Junior Member '47) Petr Engr, Producing Dept, The Texas Cc, P 0 Box 951, Houma, La Abel, Raymond L., (Member '28) Chem Engr, Prof of Chem Engrg, Univ of Pittsburgh, Pitts¬burgh Pa Abel, Walter D , (Member '32) Min Engr, Div of Corporations, 403 State Bldg , Los Angeles 12, Cal if

Jan 1, 1952

By C. A. LINDBERG

Several new methods have been developed on the Iron Range to remove the material adhering to truck bodies in freezing weather. A machine known as a Gradall, incorporating the features of digging both above and below the horizontal, digging angle of blade control, full revolving, travel almost anywhere, and operated by one man, has proven successful in trials at body cleaning. Several of these units are in use with great saving in box-cleaning costs and improvements in efficiency of the truck operation with full capacity boxes. In addition to their winter use, the same machines have been used for ditching and excavating in the summer with great saving. The latest method of combating this freezing problem is to carry the exhaust from the engine through the body, making use of the tremendous heat that is now being wasted. To do this, the present wood sandwich which is used between the bottom of the box and the wear plate is removed and replaced with angles or channels run lengthwise of the box and spaced to permit gases to flow between or through them and also provide a good sup- port for the wear plate. The channels or angles are cut a little short on each end to form a cross passage that permits the gases to flow through the area. In the front end, openings are made in the wear plate and connect to a manifold created by welding a plate across the whole front of the box, spaced from the original end by the original vertical reinforcing angles at that point. The body being described is for a Euclid truck which is the only truck that has been adapted to this body-heating idea to date. At the rear of the truck, the holes from the cross passage are made in the bottom plate of the body and lead into a triangular-shaped body cross member under the scoop end of the truck.

Jan 1, 1949

Jan 1, 1884

Mining and oil industry representatives are scheduled to testify May 15 at hearings on the Simpson bill to extend the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, Several Congressmen have introduced bills to extend present trade agreements without modification. Price of copper appears to be stabilizing at 30[] per lb, after a period where market price ranged from 27 to 34[]. Copper offerings from abroad were finding no takers at 30.24[] per lb late in April.

Jan 5, 1953

By Jean A. Andre

In 1969 "Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne" produced 221,000 tons zinc ingots and 22,000 tons zinc dust, thus rating highest on the world's zinc producer list. The Company's plant at Balen, Belgium, with an output of 135,000 tons electrolytic zinc is the most important one of this group; it is an integrated metallurgical zinc and lead unit with recovery of most by-products. The present paper describes the zinc production facilities. The roasting section includes four fluid bed roasters (total concentrates charged: 740 tpd) and two sulfuric acid having a corresponding capacity. Calcine is leached in a fully automated plant by a two-step continuous process. Leaching residues, mixed with lead furnace slag, are treated in a shaft furnace. The recovered zinc fume is leached separately. In the near future, the leaching residues are to be treated by a wet process, developed in the Company's own laboratories. Purification of solutions is accomplished in two steps: antimony and zinc dust are added in the first one, only zinc dust in the second one for removal of cadmium. Electrolysis cells are partly of a conventional type. A new type of cell configuration was put onstream in October, 1969, planned output 60,000 tpy. Main features of the new cell rooms are the fully automatic pulling, stripping and replacing of the jumbo-size cathodes (immersed area 2.6 m2). Zinc cathodes are remelted in induction furnaces followed by in-line automatic casting and stacking machines.

Jan 1, 1970

By Raymond D. Sloan

Retaining third place in crude-oil production among the nation's oil-producing states, Oklahoma's output in 1942 totaled 137,792,000 bbl., a decline of 9.4 per cent from the previous year's total of 152,117,000 bbl. Production declined from an average of 403,000 bbl. daily in January 1942 to an average of 355,000 bbl. during December, a reduction of 48,000 bbl. daily (11.9 per cent) during the year. At the end of 1942 it would appear inevitable that the downward trend in production will continue in 1953 unless halted in the immediate future by greater than normal discoveries and development. To Jan. I, 1943, Oklahoma has produced 5,067,013,000 bbl. oil crude oil. Development and Exploration Development dropped abruptly in 1942, reflecting the lack of any sizable discoveries and the effect of the provisions of Federal Well Spacing Order M-68, which became effective in December 1941. In all, 1210 wells were drilled in 1942. This represents a decrease of 42.7 per cent from the 1941 total of 2110. Of the total wells completed, 553 (45.7 per cent) were oil wells with an average initial production of 443 bbl.; 102 (8.4 per cent) were gas wells with an average initial of 3,359,000 cu. ft.; and 555 (45.9 per cent) were dry. Although the number of completions declined sharply, the total of 320 wildcats completed (26.4 per cent of all wells) repre-sents a decrease of only 2.7 per cent from the previous year's figure of 329. Of the wildcats drilled, 44 (13.8 per cent) were oil wells, 13 (4.0 per cent) were gas wells, and 263 (82.2 per cent) were recorded as failures. Reconditioning of wells throughout the state resulted in a total recompletion of 355 wells. Of these, 234 were oil wells with a combined initial production of 96,808 bbl., 32 were gas wells with a total initial of 381,488,000 cu. ft., and 89 were abandoned. None of the 26 pools found in 1942 has developed into a major discovery. The Pauls Valley pool, Garvin County, is the most outstanding. Since its discovery in April, 14 wells with an average initial of 1898 bbl. have produced 803,000 bbl. of 42' gravity oil from the Bromide zone. Development in this pool is believed to be almost completed. Other of the more important discoveries are the East Watchorn pool, Pawnee County; Guthrie Townsite and West Navina, Logan County; Brooksville and Macomb, Pottawatomie County, and the Liberty and Northeast Lucien discoveries in Noble county. The East Watchorn pool, at the close of the year, had 14 completed oil wells with an average initial of 989 bbl. from the Wilcox sand at 3930 it.; Guthrie Townsite, one well with an initial of 840 bbl. from dolomite at 5600 It.; West Navina, six wells with an average initial of 284 bbl. in the Lay ton sand at 5050 ft., Brooksville, eight wells in the Hunton at 4800 ft. with an average initial 01 355 bbl.; Macomb, one well with an initial of 160 bbl. in the IIunton at 4700 ft.; the Liberty pool, one well with an initial of 1268 bbl. in the second Wilcox at 4500 ft., and two wells in the Tonkawa sand at 2500 ft., with an average initial of 230 bbl. In the Northeast Lucien pool, four wells were completed in the Wilcox at 5380 ft. for an average initial of 1164 bbl., and one well was completed in the Viola lime at 5255 ft. for an initial of 55 barrels.

Jan 1, 1943

By Raymond D. Sloan

Retaining third place in crude-oil production among the nation's oil-producing states, Oklahoma's output in 1942 totaled 137,792,000 bbl., a decline of 9.4 per cent from the previous year's total of 152,117,000 bbl. Production declined from an average of 403,000 bbl. daily in January 1942 to an average of 355,000 bbl. during December, a reduction of 48,000 bbl. daily (11.9 per cent) during the year. At the end of 1942 it would appear inevitable that the downward trend in production will continue in 1953 unless halted in the immediate future by greater than normal discoveries and development. To Jan. I, 1943, Oklahoma has produced 5,067,013,000 bbl. oil crude oil. Development and Exploration Development dropped abruptly in 1942, reflecting the lack of any sizable discoveries and the effect of the provisions of Federal Well Spacing Order M-68, which became effective in December 1941. In all, 1210 wells were drilled in 1942. This represents a decrease of 42.7 per cent from the 1941 total of 2110. Of the total wells completed, 553 (45.7 per cent) were oil wells with an average initial production of 443 bbl.; 102 (8.4 per cent) were gas wells with an average initial of 3,359,000 cu. ft.; and 555 (45.9 per cent) were dry. Although the number of completions declined sharply, the total of 320 wildcats completed (26.4 per cent of all wells) repre-sents a decrease of only 2.7 per cent from the previous year's figure of 329. Of the wildcats drilled, 44 (13.8 per cent) were oil wells, 13 (4.0 per cent) were gas wells, and 263 (82.2 per cent) were recorded as failures. Reconditioning of wells throughout the state resulted in a total recompletion of 355 wells. Of these, 234 were oil wells with a combined initial production of 96,808 bbl., 32 were gas wells with a total initial of 381,488,000 cu. ft., and 89 were abandoned. None of the 26 pools found in 1942 has developed into a major discovery. The Pauls Valley pool, Garvin County, is the most outstanding. Since its discovery in April, 14 wells with an average initial of 1898 bbl. have produced 803,000 bbl. of 42' gravity oil from the Bromide zone. Development in this pool is believed to be almost completed. Other of the more important discoveries are the East Watchorn pool, Pawnee County; Guthrie Townsite and West Navina, Logan County; Brooksville and Macomb, Pottawatomie County, and the Liberty and Northeast Lucien discoveries in Noble county. The East Watchorn pool, at the close of the year, had 14 completed oil wells with an average initial of 989 bbl. from the Wilcox sand at 3930 it.; Guthrie Townsite, one well with an initial of 840 bbl. from dolomite at 5600 It.; West Navina, six wells with an average initial of 284 bbl. in the Lay ton sand at 5050 ft., Brooksville, eight wells in the Hunton at 4800 ft. with an average initial 01 355 bbl.; Macomb, one well with an initial of 160 bbl. in the IIunton at 4700 ft.; the Liberty pool, one well with an initial of 1268 bbl. in the second Wilcox at 4500 ft., and two wells in the Tonkawa sand at 2500 ft., with an average initial of 230 bbl. In the Northeast Lucien pool, four wells were completed in the Wilcox at 5380 ft. for an average initial of 1164 bbl., and one well was completed in the Viola lime at 5255 ft. for an initial of 55 barrels.

Jan 1, 1943

By H. M. Chance

Jan 1, 1886

By AIME AIME

WITH the example of the steel open-hearth men and their round table conference before the copper men, the query naturally arose "Why cannot we do likewise?" The advantage of pooling and comparing knowledge on smelting in the copper reverberatory furnace seems particularly pertinent at this time when all metallurgical economies possible must be rigorously enforced. A great deal of data had also been obtained and filed during the period of litigation over the Carson patent, and it would naturally be available with the cessation of further suits. With these ideas in mind, H. Foster Bain took up the advisability of holding such a conference directly with the heads of all the companies in the United States operating copper reverberatories, and found a nearly unanimous response. The mining companies appointed representatives directly, or indicated to the heads of various metallurgical operations what members of their staffs should be sent to such a conference.

Jan 1, 1930

By C. S. Anderson

Georgia, since 1829, has produced nearly $18,000,000 from her gold mines, but in late years the output has dwindled to insignificance. In view of present universal efforts to increase gold production, it seems pertinent to record some recent observations in that field, briefly review its past and weigh probabilities of reviving gold mining there. Little in this paper can be claimed as new or original, and it does not present results of a detailed or profound investigation of the whole region. The Allatoona gold mine was reopened in January, 1932, and explored at greater depth during the period from January to June of that year. A number of other abandoned mines were visited, but since the workings, in common with most such mines in Georgia, were flooded or caved, underground conditions could not be examined. For a wider knowledge of the subject, a search was made through available pertinent literature and statistics, a bibliography of which is appended hereto. To all the sources obligations are gratefully acknowledged. Production The discovery of gold in Georgia, in 1829, led to an influx of 6000 to 7000 miners and a production of over $200,000 in the following year. A branch of the United States Mint, established at Dahlonega in 1838, accounted for $6,115,569 up to the time of the Civil War. The output fluctuated greatly from year to year, with an all-time peak of $582,782 in 1843. In only one other year, 1845, was the half million mark exceeded. After the war mining began again, but 1883 is the last year for which an output of $200,000 is reported. Placers, always the main source of production, were yielding less and less, and in spite of increased quartz-mining activities the downward trend continued. The last year in which there was a production of $100,000 was 1902. In 1914, $16,270 came from 26 placers and 11 deep mines, with the latter reporting 1750 tons of $3 average value. In 1925, one placer and four lode mines that mined 8100 tons assaying $1.19 per ton produced $9500. One placer and one quartz mine, operating in 1930, reported a total output of $4194. Table 1 pictures the waning output.

Jan 1, 1934

By Lewis Carroll

AS he contemplates the numerous good things the hard-working committees have evolved for the 140th Meeting of the Institute, the Editor knows just how the walrus felt when he uttered his memorable, if somewhat lugubrious lines. For there are the Annual Reception and Dinner at the Commodore, 'the Gold Supply Symposium, the luncheons, general and special, and the Annual Institute of Metals Lecture, a Round Table on Iron Ore and a wonderful Informal Dance at the Grand Central Art, Gallery, substantial general sessions, a Smoker-and many other things. -Old, friends and new, reminiscences and confidential chats, horizons pushed back by new information and adjusted perspectives, courage revived and ambitions stimulated-one with a flair for the modernistic might make something-or nothing-of the kaleidoscopic preview 'of the coming Annual Meeting.

Jan 1, 1931

THE first session was held in the small hall of the Academy of Music, on Tuesday evening, February 18th, 1879. The proceedings were opened by the reading, by President Eckley B. Coxe, of the following Address : SECONDARY TECHNICAL EDUCATION. Technical education is a subject to which both the American Institute of Mining Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers have of late years given much attention, and deservedly so. We all remember the admirable address of our former President, Mr. Holley, at the Washington meeting, upon this subject, and the very interesting reunion of the two societies in Philadelphia for its discussion. The problem to the solution of which the meeting devoted its attention was, "Shall the practical education of the engineer in the mine, in the rolling-mill, in the workshop, or in the field, precede, be contemporaneous with, or follow his theoretical studies in the technical school ?" I do not propose to add anything to what was so admirably said by so many of our leading engineers on that occasion ; but I shall ask your attention to another question in technical education, which seems to me equally worthy of our consideration, and which, I am sorry to say, has as yet attracted but little attention in this country. It is, "Shall the apprentices (I call them so for the want of a better general name), who are growing up and learning their trades in and around our mines and works, and from whose ranks the master mechanics and foremen of the future must be taken-shall they be provided with some means of obtaining as much theoretical training as may be necessary to enable them properly to understand the various processes and operations that they may be called upon to superintend, and not be obliged to pick up, as best they may, here a little and there a little truth mingled with much error?" In the former case, those who have the ability and industry to avail themselves of the advantages that should be offered to them would fit themselves to become real foremen, men who would understand and appreciate the true engineer and his methods. Of late years the young men of this country who have wished to enter our profession have had great facilities offered to them for so doing ; there have been undoubtedly great improvements in the methods of instruction; and although I am very far from imagining that no further progress can be made, or is demanded, yet I feel sure that

Jan 1, 1879

Jan 1, 1879

Joseph W. RichaRds, South Bethlehem, Pa. (communication to the Secretary*): The hold experiment of Mr. James Gayley in drying the blast used in the Isabella furnace has attracted the attention of the whole metallurgical world, and has given rise to a wide discussion of the reasons for its great success. Mr. Gayley and the capitalists who backed him in his work deserve congratulations on the success of the venture, not only because it succeeded, but because they have been rewarded far beyond the maximum that could be expected from theory or probability. To state the case in its simplest terms, all that could have been predicted was: (1) that the removal of the moisture from the blaet would result in the saving of the heat required for its decomposition, representing from 3 to 5 per cent. of the heat-value of the coke used; hence about that quantity of fuel might be saved; (2) that the furnace would be somewhat more independent of variations in the weather; (3) that the campaign would be a little hotter; and (4) that the speed of the blowing-eugines would be decreased, at least in amount proportionate to the reduction in temperature of the air led to them. I do not think anyone anticipated a much larger output per day. The results actually attained were: (1) the furnace made an increase of 24.86 per cent. in the output of pig-iron per day; (2) it consumed 19.6 per cent. less coke per ton of pig-iron made; (3) the blowing-engines were run 15.8 per cent. slower; and (4) the saving in power made up for the power required to run the refrigerating-plant. In addition, the blast was hotter; the waste-gases cooler, because of their smaller volume; and there was a greater proportion of carbon dioxide to carbon

Jan 1, 1906