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By G. C. Weaver, G. T. Harley

Beds or lenses of potash and magnesium salts are found in a thick salt section (Salado) overlain by Rustler Red Beds in several members of which water is present and from one of which the rehery process water used by International is obtained. Most of the holes drilled are less than 1000 ft. deep, but some wildcat holes have exceeded 3- ft. cable or rotary tools are used to drill down to the salt. when samples of water are desired the cable rig is used, but when this is not necessary, and where caving material is present, the rotary rig has an advantage. The rotary rig has a further advantage in that only one machine is required to drill and core the entire hole, whereas the cable rig must be moved off to make way for the core drill. Casing is placed in the upper section of the hole as required to shut off water, and a 5 3/16 in. string is set in the top of the salt before coring starts. With the rotary rig drilling is often carried to the salt with no casing, as drilling mud seals off caving ground and water-bearing strata, and a string of 4-in. line pipe or 4-in. flush-joint casing is landed on top of salt. Several types of gasoline-powered core rigs have been used in the field and all recover a 2 1/2-in. core. More recently the Sullivan Model 37 rotary rig has been tried, and a Sullivan Model N has been adapted to use a rotary bit in the upper section. Core is recovered in 20 ft. sections with a double-tube core barrel, and the bit used is a bottom-discharge type set with diamonds. The drilling fluid must be a saturated brine to prevent solution and etching of the minerals present. Blowouts are apt to Occur from nitrogen gas trapped under the several polybalite beds, and some have been strong enough to blow the tools out of the hole. Core recovery is practically loo per cent. All holes are plugged after drilling, with cement through the salt section and opposite each water horizon* and mud through the remainder of the hole. Cores are carefully logged and preserved, and in sections containing potash and magnesium minerals they are quartered and analyzed. The correlation of Ore beds between drill holes is briefly described. Introduction Beds Or lenses of potash and magnesium salts are found at varying depths in a thick deposit of salt (Salado formation) in what is known as the Permian Basin, in southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The Salado formation is Composed chiefly of common salt (halite) with numerous beds of anhydrite, polyhalite, and the soluble potash minerals carnallite, sylvite and langbeinite. Many other minerals are present in small amounts but their Presence has no bearing On the coring technique. Before starting to core the salt section it is necessary to penetrate 300 to 600 ft. of unconformably overlying Permian sediments (Rustler formation) which are composed of red and gray clay, sand, anhydrite, dolomitic limestone and occasional lenses of salt. The upper part of the formation is predominantly anhydrite, and the lower part predominantly clastic. A thin bed of dolomitic limestone, known

Jan 1, 1948

By G. C. Weaver, G. T. Harley

Beds or lenses of potash and magnesium salts are found in a thick salt section (Salado) overlain by Rustler Red Beds in several members of which water is present and from one of which the rehery process water used by International is obtained. Most of the holes drilled are less than 1000 ft. deep, but some wildcat holes have exceeded 3- ft. cable or rotary tools are used to drill down to the salt. when samples of water are desired the cable rig is used, but when this is not necessary, and where caving material is present, the rotary rig has an advantage. The rotary rig has a further advantage in that only one machine is required to drill and core the entire hole, whereas the cable rig must be moved off to make way for the core drill. Casing is placed in the upper section of the hole as required to shut off water, and a 5 3/16 in. string is set in the top of the salt before coring starts. With the rotary rig drilling is often carried to the salt with no casing, as drilling mud seals off caving ground and water-bearing strata, and a string of 4-in. line pipe or 4-in. flush-joint casing is landed on top of salt. Several types of gasoline-powered core rigs have been used in the field and all recover a 2 1/2-in. core. More recently the Sullivan Model 37 rotary rig has been tried, and a Sullivan Model N has been adapted to use a rotary bit in the upper section. Core is recovered in 20 ft. sections with a double-tube core barrel, and the bit used is a bottom-discharge type set with diamonds. The drilling fluid must be a saturated brine to prevent solution and etching of the minerals present. Blowouts are apt to Occur from nitrogen gas trapped under the several polybalite beds, and some have been strong enough to blow the tools out of the hole. Core recovery is practically loo per cent. All holes are plugged after drilling, with cement through the salt section and opposite each water horizon* and mud through the remainder of the hole. Cores are carefully logged and preserved, and in sections containing potash and magnesium minerals they are quartered and analyzed. The correlation of Ore beds between drill holes is briefly described. Introduction Beds Or lenses of potash and magnesium salts are found at varying depths in a thick deposit of salt (Salado formation) in what is known as the Permian Basin, in southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The Salado formation is Composed chiefly of common salt (halite) with numerous beds of anhydrite, polyhalite, and the soluble potash minerals carnallite, sylvite and langbeinite. Many other minerals are present in small amounts but their Presence has no bearing On the coring technique. Before starting to core the salt section it is necessary to penetrate 300 to 600 ft. of unconformably overlying Permian sediments (Rustler formation) which are composed of red and gray clay, sand, anhydrite, dolomitic limestone and occasional lenses of salt. The upper part of the formation is predominantly anhydrite, and the lower part predominantly clastic. A thin bed of dolomitic limestone, known

Jan 1, 1948

By Albert Williams

A large proportion of the work performed in wet-crushing silver mills is devoted to the handling and re-handling of pulp between the battery and the pans. There seems to be no generally applicable substitute for the settling-tanks, and in the present system of constructing mills the tanks involve an amount of labor which may be regarded as disproportionate and unnecessary, in view of the automatic improvements which have been introduced in other directions. This diffculty has been met, however, by Boss's continuous process, in which the pulp flows directly from the mortars to the first of a series of constantly working overflow-pans. This method has been adopted at the Noonday mill, Bodie, California; the Harshaw, Arizona; the Sierra Grande, New Mexico ; and the Prietas, Sonora. The continuous process, while giving excellent results with special ores, and under peculiar local conditions (such as a deficiency in water supply), is not, I believe, claimed to be available for all raw-amalgamating mills, notwithstanding its well-merited popularity for certain work. Some trouble has been experienced from the tendency to concentration in the pans, though this can be avoided by skilful manipulation. It has also the disadvantage inherent in combinations of distinct operations ; it requires a very nice adjustment of the water supply to obtain full battery efficiency without running the pans too thin, though the latter defect is partially compensated for by the gradual thickening of the pulp as it proceeds through the series of pans. The objection is similar to that which holds in a parallel duplex process, that of combining roasting and smelting in a single furnace, where each operation is injuriously affected by the necessity of fitting it in with another and entirely different one.

Jan 1, 1883

THE TRANSACTIONS of the Institute for the early years display but Little interest in physical metallurgy-indeed, it is striking how thoroughly process metallurgy absorbed attention until quite recent years. The first volume carries no article that can be strictly described as physical metallurgy, unless one on the rolling and hammering of ingots be doubtfully so described. Nor does the second volume contribute more the interest then was in mining, and in production methods, both ferrous and nonferrous, with much attention to the new methods of making steel. The third volume records papers on: the condition of carbon in gray and white iron, a paper devoted to chemical rather than microscopic analysis; the annealing of spiegeleisen; phosphorus and carbon in iron and steel, similarly chemical. Much attention was given, and continued to be given for years, to the manufacture and behavior of rails. The question of the nature of steel appeared early (Vol. 11)-What is Steel, by A. L. Holley-where arguments on nomenclature were already active; and Holley also bemoans, in modern spirit, the Inadequate Union of Engineering Science and Art; Pearse wrote on cast iron for guns (reflecting again the ironic beneficence of war in metallurgy), and said that Captain Walbach was the first to insist on chemical analysis of gun irons; he quotes Major Wade's study of comparative hardness, using penetration hardness measurements (Brinell was to come later), and quotes the important Reports on the Strength and Other Properties of Metals for Cannon, by H. C. Baird, Philadelphia, 1855, in which the advanced state of tensile testing at the time is shown. Hewitt, in Vol V, comments upon the function played by technical schools and technical societies upon the growth of metal-

Jan 1, 1948

To the members of the A. I. M. E., who have given much and risked all to fight "Over There" with pick, or gun, or brain, and to the members who have chosen the sometimes more self-denying duty of remaining at home to help produce metals for fighters: Your experience in foreign lands has bred in you that spirit of internationalism which will soon be infused into every corner of our country by virile lads thrilling from a great experience in an old, yet new, land over the seas. To them the East will not seem as far from the West as it was, nor the North from the South. Sectional jealousies will seen despicable to one who has fought for a great ideal shoulder to shoulder with real men of other nations. And they who have willingly sacrificed much on the altar of service will have little patience with an egotist, be he laborer, tradesman, capitalist or engineer. The problems which peace brings to us are more difficult than those of war and their solution requires not only cool heads, tolerance, and wise judgment, but the "getting together" of sections and classes and individuals. The triumph of justice over individualism, represented by the draft law, must be repeated, for there are "slackers" in peace Is well as in war, and the spirit of self-denial expressed in response to Liberty Loans, Red Cross, and Welfare drives and Food Administration appeals must live. We have only just begun to learn how to serve. It is often claimed by our members that the engineer is not given, in the community at large, the recognition which his training should merit; that his reward is not as great nor his service as welcome as it should be. Public service is generally assumed to be a logical activity for a lawyer,

Jan 12, 1918

By Clarence Zener

Theoretical considerations by one of the authors have ledl to the prediction that the dynamic internal friction of annealed metals has a broad maximum at a certain grain size. This prediction they have verified2 for alpha brass. In the present paper the theory is extended to include the precise manner in which the internal friction varies with grain size on either side of the maximum. New experimental data are presented to test this extended theory. The physical basis for the type of internal friction that is being investigated lies in the interplay between stress and temperature. Just as local fluctuations in temperature give rise to local fluctuations in stress, so likewise fluctuations in stress give rise to fluctuations in temperature. But temperature gradients give rise to necessarily irreversible thermal currents, and hence to internal friction. The theory for this type of internal friction has been developed quantitatively,³ and has been experimentally verified,4,5 for the particularly simple case of the transverse thermal currents accompanying transverse vibrations. Of more fundamental importance are the intercrystalline thermal currents accompanying all types of vibration. The variation in stress across grain boundaries arises from the elastic anisotropy and at least partial random orientation of the individual crystallites. An exact quantitative treatment of the internal friction due to these thermal currents is of course out of the question. However, much information can be obtained from general arguments.1,6 Thus when the frequency of vibration f is low, or when the grain size d is small, adjacent grains remain nearly in thermal equilibrium, and vibration proceeds isothermally with little internal friction. Again, when the frequency is high, or the grain size large, the heat flow per cycle is small, the vibration proceeds adiabatically with little internal friction. The internal friction will become a maximum in the transition region. The degree of adiabatic-

Jan 1, 1940

By Clarence Zener

Theoretical considerations by one of the authors have ledl to the prediction that the dynamic internal friction of annealed metals has a broad maximum at a certain grain size. This prediction they have verified2 for alpha brass. In the present paper the theory is extended to include the precise manner in which the internal friction varies with grain size on either side of the maximum. New experimental data are presented to test this extended theory. The physical basis for the type of internal friction that is being investigated lies in the interplay between stress and temperature. Just as local fluctuations in temperature give rise to local fluctuations in stress, so likewise fluctuations in stress give rise to fluctuations in temperature. But temperature gradients give rise to necessarily irreversible thermal currents, and hence to internal friction. The theory for this type of internal friction has been developed quantitatively,³ and has been experimentally verified,4,5 for the particularly simple case of the transverse thermal currents accompanying transverse vibrations. Of more fundamental importance are the intercrystalline thermal currents accompanying all types of vibration. The variation in stress across grain boundaries arises from the elastic anisotropy and at least partial random orientation of the individual crystallites. An exact quantitative treatment of the internal friction due to these thermal currents is of course out of the question. However, much information can be obtained from general arguments.1,6 Thus when the frequency of vibration f is low, or when the grain size d is small, adjacent grains remain nearly in thermal equilibrium, and vibration proceeds isothermally with little internal friction. Again, when the frequency is high, or the grain size large, the heat flow per cycle is small, the vibration proceeds adiabatically with little internal friction. The internal friction will become a maximum in the transition region. The degree of adiabatic-

Jan 1, 1940

By W. M. Weigel

THE rapid advance, during recent years, in the manufacture of articles that have been in common use for generations and the development of new materials entering into appliances and devices unheard of fifty years ago, have created a demand for some of the more common non-metallic minerals. To supply this demand there has quietly developed a branch of the mining industry of which little is known by most mining engineers the mineral-filler industry. In this paper, and generally in the trade, the term mineral filler is applied to a mineral used, in its natural state after mechanical preparation only (such as. grinding, milling and washing), without undergoing any chemical change and without exerting any chemical action on the substance with which it is incorporated. The consumption of mineral fillers is confined chiefly to large manufacturing centers in the eastern and northern states. Where available, materials originating near the place of consumption are used, as most fillers bring a comparatively low price and, frequently, the freight may equal the cost of the finished filler at the mine. The southern states have abundant deposits of non-metallic minerals suitable for fillers, which supply the manufacturing industries in adjacent states. Many of these deposits are equal to, or superior, in quality to those mined in the north, but they can not compete with them because of the freight rates. The mineral-filler industry has felt the present depression, but it has suffered less than most mining industries for as a rule the mills are simple, the overhead expenses are low, and the labor is entirely local and can revert to farm work when the plant closes down. Many other deposits in the southern district will undoubtedly be developed when business. revives and freight rates are adjusted.

Jan 2, 1922

By Howard S. Bryant

The year 1928 has recently.passed from the picture and it is at this time that the various divisions of the oil industry are giving thought to plans for the present year. The outstanding characteristic of the industry in 1928 was the successful curtailment of oil production to the market's needs. It has been thought advisable to look ahead and endeavor to anticipate the oil demand for the coming year, and thus determine the volume of oil that can be safely produced without causing major additions to surface stocks. The year has been one of smaller additions to stocks than in 1927, a record demand for oil products, and a further developed spirit of cooperation among oil producers, as well as various other achievements. It is well to pause and take stock of ourselves. Present Status of Crude Oil Supply and Demand The total daily new supply of oil is at this time1 about 2,960,000 bbl. per day, made up of 2,585,000 bbl. domestic crude production, 125,000 bbl. casinghead gasoline, and 250,000 bbl. of imports. With the present low consumption, due to the falling off in the winter season demand, it is estimated that about 150,000 bbl. a day are now being run to storage, and that the first three months in 1929 will see large-sized additions to storage. Consumption plus exports of oil have increased at a regular rate from year to year, and although oil production in 1928 passed the 1,000,000,-000 bbl. mark for the second time in the history of the United States, with a production of 25,000,000 bbl. more than in 1927, only 30,000,000 bbl. were added to storage during 1928. This is compared to an addition of 65,500,000 bbl. in 1927.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. P. Parsons

Caliper logging is a practice of measuring the variations in the diameter of the open hole in a well. This information is useful for many purposes, among which are: Determining the volumetric capacity of the portion of open hole to be cemented; the amount of gravel to be used for gravel-packing a well; the size and location of seat for a packer to be placed in a well; studying the effects of nitroglycerin shots; studying the effects of acidizing; studying the cause of drill-pipe failures; studying drilling technique; geological correlations. This is a new practice in oil fields and is eliminating considerable guesswork. Introduction Caliper logging of the open hole in oil wells, recently introduced and now showing initial results in many sections of the country, is providing information that is filling a long-felt need in oil-well cementing and in numerous other oil-field practices. Briefly, it measures the variations in diameter, of the open hole in a well. This direct physical measurement of the strati-graphic profile has considerable value for subsurface interpretations by the geologist, engineer, driller and others charged with the responsibility of properly completing and repairing oil and gas wells. The caliper shown in Fig. I is run into a well in closed position. The four arms are released when logging is to start. These arms are independent of each other. As the calipers are pulled upward through the open hole, the arms are like nimble fingers feeling the changing profile of the hole. This mechanical action is in turn converted into an electrical circuit, which is connected to a recording mechanism at the surface. a. Lowered into well in closed position. b. Arms released. Readings are made while caliper travels upward. Direct recording is made at surface, in inches. The recording of the diameter of the hole is directly in inches.

Jan 1, 1943

By C. P. Parsons

Caliper logging is a practice of measuring the variations in the diameter of the open hole in a well. This information is useful for many purposes, among which are: Determining the volumetric capacity of the portion of open hole to be cemented; the amount of gravel to be used for gravel-packing a well; the size and location of seat for a packer to be placed in a well; studying the effects of nitroglycerin shots; studying the effects of acidizing; studying the cause of drill-pipe failures; studying drilling technique; geological correlations. This is a new practice in oil fields and is eliminating considerable guesswork. Introduction Caliper logging of the open hole in oil wells, recently introduced and now showing initial results in many sections of the country, is providing information that is filling a long-felt need in oil-well cementing and in numerous other oil-field practices. Briefly, it measures the variations in diameter, of the open hole in a well. This direct physical measurement of the strati-graphic profile has considerable value for subsurface interpretations by the geologist, engineer, driller and others charged with the responsibility of properly completing and repairing oil and gas wells. The caliper shown in Fig. I is run into a well in closed position. The four arms are released when logging is to start. These arms are independent of each other. As the calipers are pulled upward through the open hole, the arms are like nimble fingers feeling the changing profile of the hole. This mechanical action is in turn converted into an electrical circuit, which is connected to a recording mechanism at the surface. a. Lowered into well in closed position. b. Arms released. Readings are made while caliper travels upward. Direct recording is made at surface, in inches. The recording of the diameter of the hole is directly in inches.

Jan 1, 1943

By S. Parker Gay

In 1967 Southern. Peru Copper Corp. was faced with the problem of developing a water supply for their new Cuajone open-pit copper mining and milling operation, at a time when the existing water system was inadequate for a proposed expansion of the producing Toquepala mine. The most probable source for additional water was considered to be the Pasto Grande basin lying 30 km north of the terminus of the pipeline. This source of supply could be developed only at substantial cost, after construction of a dam, tunnels, pumping plants, and several miles of canals. Investigation of other possible sources was undertaken, and one of these was the Huaitire alluvial fan which had been recognized on aerial photographs in 1961. Resistivity soundings on the fan provided isopach information for estimating the volume of fan sediments. In the course of carrying out these soundings, a high-resistivity layer at depth was indicated. The favored geological interpretation of this layer at the time was a tight impermeable volcanic formation, but an alternative explanation was a ground-water aquifer of high transmissibility. Geological studies just released by the Peruvian Geological Map Commission supported the latter interpretation. A diamond drill hole sunk to a depth of 725 ft on the Huaitire Pampa in June 1967 proved the absence of the expected volcanics, the presence of the sediments, and indicated that some sedimentary horizons carried artesian water. Subsequent well drilling and hydrological and geological studies show that the aquifer occurs principally in the Upper Tertiary Capillune formation, covers an extensive area on the Peruvian altiplano, discharges enormous quantities of water to a large number of canyons dissecting it, and will adequately supply most, if not all, water needs of the Cuajone operations.

Jan 1, 1973

By Nicholas J. Grant, Henry Epstein, John Chipman

FOR many years steel producers have been concerned with the presence of hydrogen in steel. Hydrogen dissolved in excess of its solid solubility at the melting point may cause bleeding and gross unsoundness in ingots and castings. In fully-killed steels the hydrogen content which results in these difficulties varies with the alloy content1 and may range from 6 to 12 ppm.* It is also recognized that of heat treatment diminishes rapidly as the size of the part to be treated increases. The time required to remove a specified fraction of the hydrogen present increases as the square of the diameter of the section, making the treatment of large- sizes impractical. In order to prevent bleeding and gross unsound-ness due to hydrogen, and in view of the inadequacy of corrective heat treatment alone to provide optimum properties when hydrogen is present in large sections, efforts to limit the hydrogen content must be taken while the steel is still liquid. The main subject of this paper is a discussion of the factors affecting the hydrogen content of liquid steel in acid and basic open hearth, and basic electric two-slag furnace processing. Literature Survey Because many of the results and observations reported in the literature have a direct bearing on the results obtained in the present research and form part of the basis for conclusions reached, a brief summary of the findings is necessary. Methods for experimental investigation of hydrogen in liquid steel are comparatively new. The first attempts to estimate the hydrogen content of the open hearth bath were by Kalling and Rudberg,6 who devised a method for collecting gases evolved from the boiling bath of a basic open hearth furnace. They found that the gas during the boil generally contained 2 to 3 pct H2. From this and Sieverts'

Jan 1, 1958

By Holbrook G. Botset

Experiments performed in this laboratory on the flow of gas-liquid mixtures through unconsolidated sands have been described and discussed in an earlier paper.4 In these earlier experiments a definite relationship was found between the liquid saturation of a sand and its permeability to the liquid or gas phase. Furthermore, the nature of the sand, the permeabilities of the sands over a range between 17 and 260 darcies, appeared to have a negligible effect upon the saturation-permeability relation. Likewise experiments indicated that the viscosity of the liquid, or the substitution of an immiscible liquid for the gas phase, had only a very slight effect on the permeability-saturation relation. This conclusion has since been definitely confirmed by the experiments of M. C. Leverett3 on the flow of oil and water through unconsolidated sands. The sands used by Leverett were of very low permeability (between 6.8 and 1.04 darcies), while the oil-water viscosity ratio varied between 90 and 0.057. Since the sands that constitute petroleum reservoirs are largely consolidated, although of widely varying degrees of consolidation, it was desirable to extend the experiments on gas-liquid mixtures to consolidated sand. In the study of consolidated sands additional variables are involved, but for the initial experiments the only new variable to be introduced was the cementing material. Experimental Procedure A comparatively limited assortment of sandstones was available for the selection of the experimental material. Of these, the Nichols buff sandstone appeared to be most suitable. It gives no visual evidence of any bedding planes, it has a firm structure, permitting easy handling, and its permeability is about 0.5 darcy. Its only disadvantage is the fact that it contains an appreciable amount of ferric oxide which, for experiments involving water, will hydrate and reduce the permeability. This

Jan 1, 1940

By Holbrook G. Botset

Experiments performed in this laboratory on the flow of gas-liquid mixtures through unconsolidated sands have been described and discussed in an earlier paper.4 In these earlier experiments a definite relationship was found between the liquid saturation of a sand and its permeability to the liquid or gas phase. Furthermore, the nature of the sand, the permeabilities of the sands over a range between 17 and 260 darcies, appeared to have a negligible effect upon the saturation-permeability relation. Likewise experiments indicated that the viscosity of the liquid, or the substitution of an immiscible liquid for the gas phase, had only a very slight effect on the permeability-saturation relation. This conclusion has since been definitely confirmed by the experiments of M. C. Leverett3 on the flow of oil and water through unconsolidated sands. The sands used by Leverett were of very low permeability (between 6.8 and 1.04 darcies), while the oil-water viscosity ratio varied between 90 and 0.057. Since the sands that constitute petroleum reservoirs are largely consolidated, although of widely varying degrees of consolidation, it was desirable to extend the experiments on gas-liquid mixtures to consolidated sand. In the study of consolidated sands additional variables are involved, but for the initial experiments the only new variable to be introduced was the cementing material. Experimental Procedure A comparatively limited assortment of sandstones was available for the selection of the experimental material. Of these, the Nichols buff sandstone appeared to be most suitable. It gives no visual evidence of any bedding planes, it has a firm structure, permitting easy handling, and its permeability is about 0.5 darcy. Its only disadvantage is the fact that it contains an appreciable amount of ferric oxide which, for experiments involving water, will hydrate and reduce the permeability. This

Jan 1, 1940

By W. H. Adams

Virginia, a store-house of metals, is more and more a surprise to the present generation. With her enormous available mineral wealth, worked upon steadily for over a century, exploited SUEciently to demonstrate beyond question costs and values, reported upon by our most eminent scientists, written up by thoroughly earnest correspondents, we yet find her little understood by capitalists or practical men, and until very lately overlooked by the advanceguard of pioneers in metallurgy, whose restless energy conquered the wilderness of Northern Michigan years ago, and has written a new and startling history for almost impenetrable Western territories. The world is learning through the mouths of giant furnaces lately put in blast at Lowmoor, Goshen, and Roanoke, more of this wondcrful State. It is becoming plain that nearer home, amid all the surroundings of civilization, under an equable climate and with the advantage of a minimum cost for fuel and labor, there are stores of mineral, varied in character and deposited over a wide area, which exceed all ordinary calcnlations. Principal among these minerals, iron ores have been, and will probably continue to be, the leading product and the source of greatest revenue. My attention has been called during the past year to one particular section of the iron-belt, where for forty years charcoal-furnaces were successfully operated, the ores being mined in open pits, as can so frequently be seen from the Connecticut line southward into Georgia. There is, however, a significant peculiarity in the character of these deposits of Louisa county warranting special mention, as it is thought that nowhere on the earth's surface, within so moderate a distance of tidewater, can their like be fouad. Probably half a million tons of lump and wash-material have been taken from pits

Jan 1, 1884

By Thomas Cox

THIS paper makes no claim to any new idea; it simply reviews the Treasury Department Regulations pertaining to the practical application of depreciation and depletion and other allowances governing taxation of oil and gas properties. Other methods may be existent, but as they may not conform to the legal status they must be discarded. In complying with the present laws governing the, industry with regard to taxation and the allowable deductions therefrom, the following considerations are essential: Depletion, depreciation, amortization, other allowances, and items not deductible. It is definitely understood that depletion is the loss or exhaustion sustained in the continuous operating of an oil and gas property, and that each unit of oil or gas taken out reduces the value of the property until its final exhaustion. Depletion applies only to the natural deposits of oil and gas due to their-removal in the course of exploitation of any property. Depreciation is defined to cover the waste of assets due to exhaustion, wear and tear, and obsolescence of the physical property, and is separate and distinct from depletion; its allowance is that amount which should be set aside for the taxable year in such sums as for the useful life of ,the property will suffice to repay its original cost-or its value as of Mar: 1, 1913, if acquired by the taxpayer before that date-less the salvage value at the end of such useful life. Amortization is allowed for such facilities as were built or acquired on or after Apr. 6, 1917, for the production of articles contributing to the prosecution of the war and, in the case of vessels, those built and acquired after that date. The amount to be extinguished, in general, is the excess of the unextinguished or unrecovered cost of the property over its maximum value under stable .post-war conditions.

Jan 9, 1920

By Joseph L. Gillson

BRAZIL has had an industry based on ocean beach deposits of heavy minerals containing monazite, zircon, rutile, and ilmenite for well over 40 years, but except at the very earliest period, prior to 1906, and again during World War 11, has this industry been at all comparable in size with similar operations in other countries. Limiting factors have been neither a lack of reserves nor lack of markets (except for zircon). Although poor local transportation and shipping facilities have handicapped the development in Brazil, these conditions were perhaps equally bad (when mining operations started) in the Indian State of Travancore, and in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, in which states the principal production of beach deposits of heavy minerals has occurred. The outstanding restraints on the Brazilian industry have been the lower quality of the Brazilian minerals, the relative small size of individual deposits that were known until recently, the lack of interest of Brazilian investors in mining ventures, and the unfavorable climate for investment of foreign capital under Brazilian mining law. The lower quality of the minerals is indicated by the fact that the Brazilian monazite carries only 5 to 6 pct ThO2,*, and the ilmenite 56 1/2 pct TiO2, whiteness of the Australian zircon. An inadequate market for the abundant zircon that will be avail- able in any operation in Brazil is certainly a heavy restraint, since otherwise it could be an important byproduct. The oxide of zirconia, baddeleyite, that has come from Brazil is from other sources. 1 Since the Brazilian beach sands carry only a little rutile, that mineral has not been available as a valuable byproduct to help finance the operations.

Jan 6, 1950

By Edwin Ludlow

For many years, coal has been known to exist in the valley of the Sabinas river, in the State of Coahuila, and for about 15 years it has been worked by the Mexican International Railway Co., which opened mines for its own fuel-supply when the railway was built, and has been mining continuously ever since. The coal-basin worked by this company lies along the Sabinas river, principally on the SW. side. It covers a wide area and has been carefully prospected, but only in a few parts have the beds been found sufficiently thick and regular for economical operation. This Sabinas basin was considered the only one in this field, until, in the Spring of 1899, the Las Esperanzas basin was found by Messrs. J. L. Elliot and E. D. Peters, who were in Mexico looking after some copper-properties. After a further examination by Mr. James T. Gardiner, of New York, the Mexican Coal & Coke Co. was organized in June, and active work was begun on Nov. 5, 1899. The coal-field of Las Esperanzas, situated in the State of Coahuila, about 85 miles SW. of Eagle Pass, Texas, adjoins and runs parallel with the Sabinas basin—an anticlinal separating the two outcrops by about 2 miles. Fig. 1 is a sketch-map of a part of the basin. The coal-formation is in the Upper Cretaceous, and corresponds with the Laramie measures of the United States. The following geological section, taken in Nogales canon, shows the measures between the massive limestones forming the Sierra de la Santa Rosa and the outcrop of the coal: Section. Feet. Limestone,...Unknown. Blue shale,.........110 Shale and sandstone,.. 60 Bed of fossiliferous shale,. 60

Jan 1, 1902

By Arthur West

IT is the purpose of this paper to describe briefly some recent large power stations for blast furnaces, where the blast is exclusively supplied by gas engines using furnace gas. The stations are given in the chronological order in which they were designed, in order to indicate the various improvements suggested by experience. Fig. 1 shows the blowing-engine station of the Bethlehem Steel Co. at Bethlehem. Although the picture shows only five blowing engines, the house now contains 11 engines. In the diagrammatic. plan the arrow shows the position and direction of camera. This station handles five modern blast furnaces of 450 to 500 tons capacity each. In this, as in all the other stations described in this paper, each furnace is blown by-two single tandem gas engines. Ten engines are thus required for five furnaces, leaving one single tandem spare engine. This spare capacity has been shown by several years' experience at Bethlehem to be adequate to insure continuous operation. The engines in the Bethlehem station are right hand and left hand, arranged in pairs. The outboard bearings of each pair are close together so that there is not room for passageway between them. On the right of the picture are shown the inclined drums communicating with the cold-blast lines outside of building, so that any engine may be operated on any furnace. The illustration shows four cold-blast gate valves with pipes passing through wall, but since the photograph was taken the drums have been extended to take care of a fifth valve for a fifth furnace. At the extreme back of the picture can be seen the tubs of three twin vertical-horizontal Southwark steam blowing engines, which, although of modern design and as good as new, are not operated because of the greatly reduced blowing cost shown by the gas blowing engines.

Jan 6, 1915